THE MOMENT
"Thank you for staying this late," Tama said. She and Riot wandered the dark, narrow halls of the Dark Keep. Dim torches dotted the path with light between the stretches of darkness. "I did not plan for this quest to take so long...," she said.
"No sweat," Riot shook her head and smiled. "It's kind of everyone else's fault we got distracted by sidequests. I don't think they realized how late it was until Vivi mentioned she had to work after school tomorrow."
"It was very enjoyable," Tama said. "I lost track of time too." She was the one that invited everyone to help her. She could have been more aware of the time or focused on the task; but, she was having as much fun as everyone else. Riot nodded in agreement.
"Maybe we could change up the weekly practice and do some questing instead...," she said. The team got together to practice roller derby but Riot was realizing she had other options.
"But, it's almost 1 a.m. and I want to make this as fast as possible," Riot said suddenly. "What are we here to do and can we do it with only two of us?"
"I... I do not know," Tama shook her head. "I need to 'stop a corrupt noble'. I do not know how to stop him or how strong he will be...," she said. Tama had been leading the way through the dim hall and she stopped in front of a pair of immense wooden doors. "He is in there..," she gestured at the door.
"Stop a noble?" Riot asked. "No singing?" Tama shook her head again.
"This is not a Bard quest; it is homework for Duchess' class."
"OH!" Riot grinned. "Then, that's easy. She doesn't care if we use a little bit of arm twisting,"
"Arm twisting..?" Tama asked. She'd never heard the expression before. Riot nodded and pushed the doors open.
"Yeah...," Riot nodded as she walked into the room. It was a wide-open, mostly empty room. On the other side sat a pale, rotund man on an elegant gold and wood throne. He jumped to his feet as soon as Riot and Tama walked in. He began yelling for his guards but Riot ignored him and finished her explanation to Tama. "...it means we don't have to ask nicely," she said.
A half dozen armored guards ran into the room from behind the noble. They formed a blockade in front of him and stood firm with spears pointing outward.
"I got this," Riot said. She stepped forward and pulled out a small silver horn with an orange squeeze bulb on one end. "Gimme a boost."
[Song of Strength] Tama sang a single, high-pitched monotone note. Riot felt magical strength coursing through her when a small icon appeared in the top left-hand corner of her vision. She began to glow with soft orange light and she aimed her horn forward at the wall of guards.
[Mock Roar] Riot squeezed the horn and a deep, rumbling roar filled the room. Most of the guards flew backward and slammed into the wall. The pair of guards that managed to stand their ground through the roar dropped their shields as soon as it was over. They fled out of the room terrified. The rest of the guards followed as soon as they picked themselves up from the floor. Riot charged at the Noble and had him pinned to the ground in an instant.
"Hurry up before the Fear effect wears off," Riot waved Tama closer. Tama stood next to Riot and unsheathed her dagger.
"I'm sorry!" Tama shut her eyes and thrust the dagger forward.
[Quest Complete!] Even though her eyes were closed, Tama could still see notifications. Golden text appeared when Riot giggled.
"He's gone," she said. Tama opened her eyes and saw the last remnants of white dust fade away.
"Thank you!" Tama smiled at Riot.
"No problem," Riot waved as she dropped a black Traverse card on the floor. Then she hopped into it and began to sink. "I'm glad you got it done. Now I'm going to sleep. See you at school tomorrow."