D&D at Cabaret Bara - Chapter 13 - Finale (SFW) (Patreon)

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Chapter 13 - Finale

After a short moment spent tending to the wounded, you begin to retrace your steps to exit the catacombs. Meanwhile, Kokkino carries his unconscious companion - now freed from the sticky goo that covered his body - and accompanies your group back to the surface.

The hike back from the underground chambers is almost eerily quiet. An air of weariness weighs upon each of you and despite the silence, a mutual acknowledgement binds you all to each other: your quest is fulfilled and yet, you are not.

In the short time that you've journeyed together, it almost feels like a telepathic bond has grown between you, or perhaps, an empathetic one. You can tell that something is amiss without any of you uttering a single word. But this intuition soon becomes a certainty when Azad breaks the silent tension with a simple remark:

“The fury, and now the two incubi… That's a lot of fiends and we're only Thursday.” His cynical tone is betrayed by a subtle trembling, perhaps brought on by fatigue.. Or fear. “It's hard to believe that it's just a coincidence.”

“I don't think it is…” Oren comments. “These creatures do not belong to this world… They must have been summoned. Perhaps by a mighty archmage.”

“Or an archdevil.” Hekate adds, speaking out loud the suspicions you all wished to ignore. “This ‘daddy’ the incubus mentioned…”

“Clearly, the king is dealing with much worse than just a monster in his basement.” Azad concludes. “If his enemy is capable of calling fiends on him that is.”

“On us.” the witch corrects. “The fury was sent to track us near Scandalkeep, and the incubi were definitely ready for us down here. And we were not their first victims.”

“And that’s not counting how both you and I were put in Finnigan’s way.” the rogue adds.

“In my way?” the fighter queries.

“It’s a long story.” replies the Genasi.

A lengthy silence fills the conversation as the noise of tired steps quietly provides rhythm to your thoughts. You can’t help but think that all of those events are related somehow.

After a moment, Corentin finally interrupts the soundless flow of your thoughts: “Didn’t the king seem ‘off’ to any of you?”

Another minute of silence provides the only acknowledgement necessary for all of you to understand the implications.

***

FINN: Wait… What implications?

NIK: Come on, pup, it’s obvious.

FINN: What is obvious?

FIROUZ: The king is working with an archdevil.

JADE: Or the king is working for an archdevil.

DIEGO: Or the king is an archdevil.

MARKUS: Sounds like it’s not that obvious to me. I think Finn is wise not to jump to conclusions.

FINN: I’m wise? Ha! See? I’m wise.

NIK: BAHAHAHAHAHA!

FINN: What?

NIK: Babe, come on!

DIEGO: You have plenty of other beautiful qualities, Finn. But I think Markus might be blinded by his feelings… Towards D&D that is. He’s a new player so he-

MARKUS: N-not at all. I meant what I said. I think that being open-minded is a sign of wisdom.

FIROUZ: But what if your mind is so wide open that everything passes through?

FINN: Oh shit! That’s a thing?

MARKUS: Point taken.

***

As you emerge from the dark underground and make your way back into the throne room, you notice that the golden rays of the afternoon sky are long gone now and the somber clouds of night cast their shadows inside the grandiose chamber. Speckled with the silver glow of moonlight, the royal throne sits barren as the king is nowhere to be found. The candelabras and chandeliers all fade into the darkness, extinguished and left cold.

“Your majesty?” calls Finnigan.

Oren notices the dark silhouette first, moving discreetly by the window on the other side of the room. Flanked by rows of decorative armors, the king’s shape is outlined by the cold light of the night sky, but his face is veiled in shadow.

“We’ve rid the catacombs of the demons that tormented you and we have rescued the surviving adventurers.” Corentin explains. “But we believe a higher-level devil might be behind it all.”

“I see.” the king replies.

The bard continues: “You wouldn’t happen to know-”

“So my boys have failed.” the king concludes.

“I take it the masquerade is over…” Hekate notes before calling out: “Lord Bulus.” She swings her hair back with a flick of the hand and grounds her stance in preparation for battle. “How many souls did you collect with this fake quest offer?”

“T-then that means…” Oren mumbles in shock. “T-the g-ghosts we fought…”

“Likely the trapped souls of his victims.” the Tiefling explains with a tinge of guilt in her voice.

The king approaches slowly, stepping into a shaft of moonlight. In the opalescent gleam, the Aasimar’s handsome features contort into a cruel, inhuman smile, giving him a demonic air. He laughs at the witch’s remark.

“Hahahaha! You catch on quick, witch.” His voice, low and cold, contrasts his unhinged expression in a most uncanny manner. “It’s a pity you’re also a treacherous whore!” He turns to Azad. “And that good-for-nothing mercenary too. I suppose that trash will always be trash regardless of how much you polish it.”

“Hey! Don’t talk about them that way!” Finnigan shouts in anger. “They are doing their best to be good people and they fight against the odds while you sit there and let others do your dirty work for you.”

“So you are the red-haired hero the seer warned me about, huh?” the fiend says almost to himself, ignoring the fighter’s words. “I don’t know what the fuss is all about, you’re a mere human without any power.” His calm voice breaks into a mocking laughter. “Hahaha but I suppose you’re right. If I want anything to get done, I should take care of it myself.”

A loud rumbling sound fills the throne room as the ground begins to shake. Cracks quickly form across the marble floor, and massive fissures tear through the once pristine tiles, swallowing sections of the grand carpets and splintering the elegant pillars. Flames and sulfurous smoke rise from the crevices, filling the air with a choking stench.

The king suddenly seizes up as the vibrations intensify. His regal appearance melts away, his fur-lined mantle giving way to scaly plates, his long golden hair falling off as coarse dark spikes jut out of his skull, and his crown breaking into a set of twisted horns. His hands grow into razor-sharp claws, and his eyes ignite with a burning, infernal glow.

As his transformation continues, he lets out a guttural roar that reverberates through the crumbling palace. His bones crack and grow in unison with his muscles, creating a terrifying figure of inhuman proportions. His spine pierces through his back, forming a forked tail covered in dark, bony armor. His back bursts open to reveal massive, leathery wings that unfurl with a terrifying snap, sending a rush of wind through the room.

The walls twist and buckle, causing tapestries to rip and chandeliers to shatter, their shards cascading like broken stars. The lavish golden throne tumbles into the abyss as the floor collapses, its golden sheen disappearing into the widening chasms. The grand ceiling tears open in jagged shards that are soon swallowed by the blazing inferno underneath, exposing you to the darkened heavens above.

With a monstrous cracking sound, the ground opens like the jaws of a gigantic beast. A roiling pool of molten lava emerges beneath the collapsing structure, casting a fiery glow that illuminates the wreckage. The fiend spreads his wings, looming over the crumbling remains of the throne room like a harbinger of doom. The once lavish royal chamber has become a crumbling cliff overlooking a sea of molten rock, a hellbound battlefield crafted by Lord Bulus and intended as your final resting place.

Make a dexterity saving throw to dodge the debris.

***

FIROUZ: Yooo, that’s wild, I’m taking notes for the game. We gotta get that into a cutscene somehow.

BEN: Ooooh yeah! Maybe there could be a QTE to dodge the falling pillars and stuff.

FINN: What are you guys talking about?

BEN: It’s our little secret. (he winks)

DIEGO: Secret? What are you talking about? You’ve been yapping about the making of your game every day since I’ve met you.

BEN: Wow. Way to make it feel NOT special, D.

MARKUS: You guys are making a game? That’s so cool! What is it about?

FIROUZ: Now THAT’s actually a secret.

BEN: Only we know! Well… And Liam. We’ve been talking to him about composing the soundtrack for us.

FIROUZ: We’re in it for the long run. But it’s not a huge ambitious project or anything. I code and Benji does the art.

JADE: “Not a huge ambitious project” with an interactive cutscene where a whole castle gets destroyed?

FIROUZ: Well… Yeah, maybe we get carried away sometimes.

FINN: When can we play?

FIROUZ: Not sure, but not yet! The club and Uni keep me pretty busy. Lately, pretty much all my free time goes into the game though… And that, kids, is why uncle Firouz never gets dates.

BEN: I could say the same, but I never got dates before I started game development either.

NIK: I’ll wager that introducing yourself as a guy who plays D&D every week doesn’t score you many points.

JADE: Ugh! Here we go again. (she rolls her eyes)

NIK: It was a joke, relax.

JADE: You were having fun just a minute ago. Why won’t you admit that D&D isn’t as lame as you thought?

NIK: I’m merely glad to be spending time with my boo outside of the club. (he smirks and wraps his arm around Finn)

MARKUS: Oh… Yeah… It must be hard to barely see each other outside of work since you’re both full-time.

FINN: Tell me about it. And Sean refuses to schedule us together outside of super busy days. It’s like he thinks we would sneak away together or something.

MARKUS: You wouldn’t?

FINN: No, no, I would. But I’m offended that my brother thinks I’m like that.

EVERYONE: …

FINN: Anyway, I got a 17. I’m not dying again, am I?

***

In the chaos, Kokkino drops Levi on the ground and Hekate twists her ankle, but thankfully, no one sustains any severe injury.

Now all standing on a crumbling cliff with no cover outside of scattered rubble, you are faced with a creature of pure terror. A most powerful archdevil of godly proportions stands before you, wielding a broken column as a mace, ready to crush you with no more than a simple gesture. His wings, deployed around the cliff, form the boundaries of this hellish arena where a deadly battle is inevitable.

“You tricked us to steal our souls.” Kokkino shouts. “Prepare for payback!”

“I’m done being your slave.” Hekate exclaims. “I’m clearing my parents’ debts today.”

“And so am I.” Azad adds. “It’s time that I be a son my mother can be proud of.”

“You have defiled the land, fiend!” Oren declares. “Now, the land fights back!”

“I will run away no more!” Corentin announces. “Today, I am writing the legend of Corentin the Brave!”

“I don’t wanna die.” Finnigan says. “But I have found people worth giving my life for!”

In the face of your determination, the archdevil is speechless, only letting out a deafening roar of anger in response. His wrath grows so intense you can physically feel it in the air, its overwhelming aura almost burning your flesh. He looks at you all with the gaze of someone who has heard the word “no” for the first time in their life, a mix of incredulity and disdain.

You are unsure if your will alone is enough to defeat such a mighty opponent, but despite being faced with what looks like an insurmountable challenge, your hearts do not falter.

You feel like you should at least try.

Please, for the last time in this adventure, roll initiative.

***

After a lengthy - but quite epic - battle, the game finally ends and everyone gathers their stuff before going home.

***

BEN: Thanks for coming, everyone.

MARKUS: Thank you so much for having us and for teaching us how to play too.

FINN: I really had a blast! Thank you so much, Ben!

NIK: When’s the next one?

BEN: The next one?

NIK: Don’t you guys do that every other week or so?

DIEGO: Oh, Nik, that was a one-shot.

NIK: Oh…

JADE: Craving more D&D, huh?

NIK: That’s not-

BEN: If you enjoyed it that much, we could always turn it into a proper campaign… I mean, archdevils can't really be killed outside of Hell after all, they're just sent back down there when they're defeated, waiting for their chance to come back and have their revenge. Or it could be one another demon looking to overthrow the infernal hierarchy. Or it could be... (mumbles to himself)

FINN: Oh! That would be so cool! Markus, would you join?

MARKUS: Of course! If it’s not too much trouble that is…

DIEGO: I’ll add you guys to our D&D group chat.

FIROUZ: Now, I don’t wanna kick y’all out but… Get the Hell out of my apartment! I have class in… (he looks at his phone and his eyes grow wide for a second before he sighs) In 5 hours! Ugh! Fuck my life.

***

After exchanging a few more words of gratitude and goodbyes, everyone is on their way home with Nik offering his boyfriend a ride.

***

FINN: Thanks for coming, babe.

NIK: Of course, pup.

FINN: I was a bit worried you wouldn’t come.

NIK: Huh? Why’s that?

FINN: Last week when we had the potluck thing-

NIK: I told you, Finn, I was sick and-

FINN: I know, it’s all good. I’m just saying I’m glad you came tonight.

NIK: Well… I’m glad I came too.

FINN: And maybe you can come again.

NIK: Ooh… Pup. (smirks)

FINN: Also, I’m really horny. Can I sleep over?

NIK: …

FINN: What?

NIK: Sure you can.

- The End -

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