#cover5 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

some-cookie-crumbz · 5 years ago

Text

Roll the Dice

Roll the Dice - Kidge Month Day 15 and Day 17 Prompt Fill Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Pairing: Kidge Summary: Combining Day 15 and 17 since they were going to be connected either way. Just some fin involving games and Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.

Days of travel had left all of them worn to the bone and ready for a bit of rest. She wasn’t normally one to complain about the idea of having to rough it in the woods, but even she had her limits. The need for a comfortable shelter only became more apparent as fat, dark clouds loomed over them ominously. When they reached the top of the path leading them along, the distant flickering of town lights felt so comforting that she would have wept. Beside her, she could feel Faylinn trembling with giddiness, the other young woman clearly just as giddy. “Oh, please tell me this town is on the map,” Block pleaded, reaching into one of the many pockets of his robes. He spread the map out and squealed. “Praise the ancients, it is!”

“What town is it?” Pike asked, peering over the other man’s shoulder.

“Alezxan,”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that place before,” Jiro chimed in. A small smile turned up on his lips. “They say it’s a well-known merchant’s town, with plenty of goods necessary for guilds.”

“I just can’t wait until I have a chance to rest,” Faylinn commented, carefully reach out for her long silver ponytail. Her fingers stroked mournfully over the very edges, which were charred black as night. “I need a night where I don’t smell like sulfur and stomach acid, and have a chance to fix this damage.”

“Such are the risks when dealing with dragons,” Jiro said with a small chuckle.

She pinned him with a fierce glare over her shoulder. “Which was why Block and I suggested we take on the escort assignment,” she groused. She then indicated the young caster with a nod of her head. “And have you seen what that beast did to his staff?”

His staff had a huge chunk taken out of the fine wood, with jagged claw and smaller scorch marks decorating what remained of the curve at the end. “Yeah, still not happy about that,” he commented quietly, rolling the map back up and tucking it away.

“But the dragon mission ended up paying out way better,” she herself chimed in with a sly grin.

“Greedy little dwarf,” Faylinn muttered under her breath.

“Meklavar’s right, though! With how much of a profit we turned on besting that overgrown lizard, you can buy a new staff! A better staff!” Pike encouraged.

“I liked my old staff,” he grumbled with a small huff.

“But I’m sure you’d like a new staff with, say, a Gulonian crystal in it a whole lot too, right?” Meklavar suggested with a sly grin.

That gave Block pause. “Well, if it had a Gulonian crystal, I guess I could like a staff like that,”

“We could all use new equipment, honestly,” Jiro commented, casting a glance at the hilt of his sword, strung along his back. The leather of it was tattered and frayed, sticking out in various places. Inside its sheath, his sword was also rather beaten down from the battle, receiving a sizeable chink on one side. “Which, considering where we are, sounds like the perfect place to do that.”

“See, there ya go!” Pike hummed before a shudder coursed through him, causing his tail to fluff up. He stole a fervent glance up at the plump storm clouds before starting to hurry along the path, ears flattened against his head. “But for now, let’s get somewhere warm and dry before the storm starts up.”

“Aw, poor little kitty doesn’t like the idea of getting his feet wet?” Meklavar teased.

He scowled at her, tail lashing. “Oh, so you mean to tell me you actually want to spend a night waterlogged?” When her only answer was the faltering of her grin, his pout turned into an amused grin. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

With Pike taking the lead, they rushed down along the path and into town proper. They were able to find a reasonably priced inn just as the first few droplets of water fell, paying for two rooms and five meals. As they headed off to the bar attached to the inn, though, Meklavar noticed the young lady working the front desk cast a frantic glance out the window as the downpour really started up. She cast it off as perhaps her being worried about making the trek home in less than desirable conditions and followed her group along.

The meal was good not in taste, but simply in the fact that it was hot and fresh. They all had themselves a little too much ale, with Block and Jiro partaking so much they made complete fools of themselves. They danced and sang atop the tables, spurned on further by the cheers of the other bar patrons. When the festivities for the night ended, Pike and Meklavar had to lug a wobbling, babbling Block back up to their room, while Faylinn carried Jiro over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Once the settled the boys in their own room, she and Faylinn headed back to their own. They took turns using the adjacent washroom to clean up before bed, and as Meklavar slipped under the cover5s for the night, she stole a glance at her own axe, propped against the wall beside her bed. The blunt side of her axe was barely holding up the now-dulled blade, ready to give way and completely splinter from the weight at a moment’s notice. It would only last an incredibly small, incredibly simple mission, if she were lucky.

This, honestly, was the exact opposite of what they needed with their Guild just starting to develop a name for itself.

After their first grand adventure as a team, they decided to continue collaborating to assist one another with their aims. The most effective way, obviously, was to form a Guild and take on assignments as necessary. So, Sky Lion Guild was formed with the path of funding their respective missions as well. Thus far, their reputation was growing well, known for being rather skilled and successful for a tin class Guild. After that mission with the dragon, they’d been promoted to cinder class, which was a great honor, but came with its own host of new expectations. They would all need to step up their game, improve their skills and, obviously, replace their damaged equipment with ones of better quality.

She flopped over on her side, dozing off to the debate of what kind of mineral she’d like best in a new axe blade.

The next morning, Block and Jiro were slow and unpleasant to wake, feeling the backlash of their festive evening full force. They did perk up a bit when it was pointed out that they could hit the market and see what kind of wares the merchants had to offer. When they reached the lobby, however, they were greeted by the rain continuing on. The clerk informed them that, given the weather, it was unlikely any merchants would have set up shop in the bazaar, worried about the rain water ruining the quality of their goods. They waved it off, deciding they’d simply go the next morning, once the rain had let up, and instead headed to get themselves breakfast.

But the rain continued on the next day. And the day after that. And the day after. And the day after that.

“This is ridiculous,” Faylinn complained, arms crossed and pressed as far back against her seat at their table as she could get. “This weather is becoming rather bothersome.”

“Bothersome seems like a bit of an understatement. It’s keeping us from being able to purchase the goods we need,” Block chimed in before taking a small sip of his water-filled mug. After the theatrics of the other night, he had sworn of the ale cold turkey. “Plus, being trapped her is draining our funds much faster than we planned.”

“Well, why don’t we just move along to the next town, then? Surely they would have some merchants looking to sell,” Faylinn suggested.

“Can’t. The only logged path from here to the next town is through a road that cuts along the mountains, but it’s been closed down due to the risk of landslides. We could try to cut through the mountains outside of the designated path, but then we run the risk of getting lost without a guide. Also, our weapons aren’t in much of a state to defend us from much more than a disgruntled kitten,” Meklavar sighed.

“Well, it’s not like we can do anything about the weather,” Pike snorted, reclined in his own seat as if he owned the joint. His feet were propped up and crossed at the ankles atop the table, arms crossed behind his head to work as a makeshift pillow, and eyes closed as if he were merely napping. He peeked one open, the blue seeming brighter in his excitement, to look at their caster. “Unless you have some kind of trick up your sleeve that could help dispel this, pal?”

“With the state my staff is in? Hard pass,” he answered, shaking his head. Pike’s ears drooped and he heaved a loud sigh. “I mean, I could try, but it would most likely end with the spell backfiring directly on all of us. Which would be less than ideal.”

“Besides, we shouldn’t be using Block’s magic to resolve issues as mundane as some unfortunate weather,” Jiro added.

“Unless this is more than just a simple storm,” Meklavar pointed out, leaning in closer to her associates.

Block, Faylinn and Jiro all perked up and leaned closer as well, catching on to what she was hinting at. Pike, however, remained in his position, reclined and seemingly at ease. His ears, however, sat straight upright and his eyes were open just a slit, monitoring those around them for any suspicious behavior. “You think there’s more going on in this town that what it seems?” Faylinn asked quietly.

She nodded. “Do you remember the young woman who checked us in for our rooms? Something about her reaction to the storm seemed strange. It seemed as if she was afraid of the rain itself,” she explained.

“Ah, I noticed that. Broke my heart to see such a lovely young woman seem so unnerved,” Pike lamented lightly.

They all silently agreed to ignore his input and continue on.

“Couldn’t it just be a matter of storms being uncommon around here?” Block suggested.

“I considered that, but the reaction and what we know of this place don’t add up to that. I mean, if they rarely get storms,” she said, “then wouldn’t they be excited about the coming rains? To replenish their crops and water stores and such? Additionally, this place is a renowned trading hub! This implies they have to have a decent enough supply of foods and goods to warrant people stopping by, which wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t get enough storms to maintain their crops well enough to allow as many visitors as they undoubtedly see.”

“Maybe they bring in their crops using the money they make?”

“Then why would they have signs posted informing people of which farms can be located where along the edges of town?” Silence followed her last point, their whole group exchanging looks. “I don’t have any damning proof of what I think is happening, but the idea that something else is causing this weather seems rather plausible.”

“You think they’ve had some kind of hex laid upon them?” Jiro asked.

“Maybe. Like I said, I’m not completely sure, but it seems plausible. We need more information from someone in town, though,”

Pike swept his legs of the table and let out a small sigh, pushing himself to stand. “Well, I guess I’ll go do some investigating then. It’s the same woman at the front today as when we first arrived. I’m sure that I can get her to let me know what’s going on with a little finesse,” he hummed, stretching and arching his back until he got a little pop.

“Pike,” Jiro trailed off strictly.

“Just… Be careful. The last thing we need is for your incredibly involved approach to interrogations getting us kicked out of a town,” Faylinn trailed, fists clenched on the tabletop, “again.”

He tensed a bit. “That was a fluke! And a learning experience! Now I know to only use a small fraction of my full charisma on the unsuspecting beauties of the world,” He said.

“That or at least be the one who actually takes it on the chin when your ‘unsuspecting beauty’ turns out to have a very angry ogre husband,” Jiro grumbled.

“In my defense, he didn’t tell me he had a husband! I would never flirt with someone who’s spoken for, regardless of how magnificent,” And, with that, he headed out of the bar and back towards the main lobby.

While they waited, they chatted about this or that, stories from their past and their goals for the future. At one point, Jiro and Faylinn broke off to play a rousing game of throwing knives with a few of the other patrons. She spent the time trying to sharpen her axe to a respectable cut, only to be sorely disappointed. The sooner the rain let up, the better.

It took far too long to be reasonable before Pike returned.

His headband and hair were disheveled, face screwed up in a look of goofy satisfaction. He fell into his seat with a contented sigh, tossing one arm along the back while the other dangled in the air beside him. For a moment he just stared at all of them. “Well?” Block asked after Pike said nothing immediately.

“Meklavar was right; the town’s been cursed,” he said loftily.

“Okay, but by what?” she asked with a small huff. She had to resist the urge to grab her axe and knock the legs out from under his chair. He was holding up their progress with his lax behavior.

“I guess there’s some crotchety old mage who lives in a tower up on the mountain,” he said, indicating out the window with a tip of his head. It was hard to see through the pouring rain and dark clouds, but she thought she could just make out the shape of a building far in the distance. “He came down to try and pedal some of his cursed goods in the bazaar a few days before we got here. When they turned him away, he threw a temper tantrum and said they’d pay, that he ruined their whole town for anyone who visited it. Pretty typical for those finicky caster types, though.”

“Hey!” Block squawked.

“You’re not a finicky caster type, dude!”

“That’s still rude of you to say!”

“Oh, whatever! You guys should just be grateful I was able to convince the mayor that our guild could handle it!” He huffed.

And, with that, Meklavar finally turned her axe around to slam the blunt side right against the leg, sending him toppling over in a graceless heap with an equally graceless yowl. “You’re a complete moron!” she shrieked.

“What part of you, exactly, thought signing us up for another mission was a good idea?” Faylinn joined in, slamming her hands down on the table and standing.

“Seriously, dude? That warlock will take us down in, like, two seconds flat! Did you forget about the sad state all of our equipment is in?” Block pointed out as well.

“Which is why I was able to negotiation the terms of our agreement with them, geez!” Pike snapped back as he hoisted himself back on to his feet. He dusted himself off as well. “You guys act like I have no idea what I’m doing here! In agreement for taking on the assignment without a formal request being submitted, they’re going to have us given the best equipment available to complete the task! They’ve also agreed that, assuming we succeed, they’ll refund us for two of the nights we stayed at the inn!”

“Not a full refund?” Meklavar commented.

Pike side-eyed her skeptically. “Greedy little dwarf,”

Jiro let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Anyway, those negotiations are all well and good, but are they going to allow us passage through the blocked path? Or provide us with a guide who can?”

The other stopped at that, ears tipping downward. “Uh, no. See, the rain is coming down a lot worse closer to where the mage lives. Most likely as some kind of defense from any potential attacks by the village. As a result, the whole path is bogged down by mud and tree branches and such. No way we can get around that,”

“So we have no safe way of getting up there?” Block asked worriedly.

“Not quite, young warriors,” An old, withered voice chimed in. They were greeted by the sight of a well-dressed man with a long, braided beard and little reading glasses. His hair was mostly snow white, though there were traces of a fading orange hue to a few patches. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rocan, the mayor of this fine town.”

Jiro rose and bowed politely. “It’s a great privilege to meet you, sir,” he began, “but I am afraid our friend may have agreed to your terms too hastily. Our equipment is far too damaged to take on such a task, and none of us are familiar with the terrain leading up to where the cruel mage rests.”

“The equipment matter is one we have offered to fix,” he answered, “and while I cannot guarantee it, there may be someone who can get you up to the mage’s keep.”

Faylinn and Meklavar exchanged glances. “What do you mean by that, exactly, sir?” Faylinn ponder cautiously.

“There is one who lives outside our village, on the first peak of the mountain range to the east,” he said. “He has lived there many years, living off the land and traveling how he sees fit. No one else in this area will know the uncharted paths anywhere near as well as he. If you can convince him to assist your brigade, I have no doubt he’ll be able to show you the way.”

“There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ in that statement,” Meklavar pointed out.

“He is a bit of a hermit, despite his young age. He rarely ever visits town, and when he does it is typically very briefly,”

“So he’s a recluse,” Jiro said.

“Meaning the likelihood of him helping is slim,” Block agreed.

“Well, it’s better than nothing!” Pike insisted. He then tossed his head back a bit, flashing them one of his smoldering grins. “And, if need be, I can always put some of the old charm to use.”

“Do us all a favor and don’t,” Meklavar scoffed, rising fully from her seat. “Though, I will admit that Pike has a point; we don’t know if they’ll help us unless we try asking.”

Faylinn nodded before looking over at the mayor again. “We will go seek them out once we have the equipment necessary, then,” she agreed.

They were guided through the wet, muddy streets of town up to town hall, where a few of the most prominent merchants in town were gathered. They were given a bit of time to test out a few options, select the ones they found most agreeable, and then they headed out. They had to take their time and be careful, even though the rain was just a bit less severe in the direction they were going. It was still a rather steep climb, but after a good few hours of travel, they could see the hermit’s lodge not too far off in the distance.

But that was when they heard the first cry of a lone wolf not far off in the distance.

Faylinn paused, slipping one hand up to carefully grab one of the silver-tipped arrows from her quiver. “You all heard how close that was, right?” There was a pause between her words, in which a responding howl echoed from somewhere behind them. She whipped around, pulling her arrow back partially in preparation.

“But the question then becomes is it just the two, or is there a whole pack waiting to strike?” Jiro whispered back, hand clenched tight around the hilt of his new sword.

“Or, there’s also the risk they’re more than just normal wolves, but shifters,” Meklavar agreed, hefting her axe up to rest partially against her shoulder.

“Why can’t it ever be easy?” Block lamented quietly, the Gulonian crystal in the center of his new staff beginning to glow dimly, charging up some of his magic in preparation for an attack.

“Because that would be bo-! Ack!” Pike yowled before a large form slammed right into him. He growled, rummaging to get one of the paralysis balls he’d gotten, only for whatever was on top of him to jump back with a snarl. It hopped back until it stood beside another looming shape covered in a dark pelt. “Looks like it’s a shifter, guys!”

“Who are you mistaking for a shifter, miserable cat?” The larger figure spat, reaching up to carefully push back what seemed to be their head. Which, if they were, in fact, a shifter they shouldn’t have been able to do. When the hood slumped back, they were greeted by a pale face sporting two burgundy red marks along their cheeks, dark eyes with gleaming yellow pupils, and pointed ears.

A gasp left Faylinn. “A dark elf?”

“Half,” He answered brusquely. He paused to stare at each of them in turn. “Who are you, and what are you doing so close to my abode?”

“Your abode? So you’re the hermit of the hill?” Meklavar asked.

He scoffed. “Is that how they’re choosing to call me now? How impolite,” he then reached up to pull his hood back up. “My name is Yorak. And this is my companion, Gévaudan.”

The wolf beside his let out a small huff.

“No! Wait! Hold up!” Lance suddenly squawked, standing up and holding his arms up in an X in front of his chest.

Keith let out an annoyed look. “What’s your damage?”

“We aren’t seriously going to let your dog have a character in this, are we?” he asked, casting a glance at Coran.

The old Altean merely toyed with the end of his mustache thoughtfully. “Well, if no one else has a problem with it, and he can roll in situations... I don’t see why not,”

“I’m cool with it,” Pidge herself shrugged.

“Indeed. Keith seems rather adept at translating Kosmo’s desires, so it should be fine,” Allura agreed.

“Plus, look at this face! Such a sweet, lovable little guy!” Hunk crooned, gently smooshing the wolf’s fluffy face and booping his nose with his own.

Shiro sighed and shook his head. “Look, so long as Kosmo doesn’t get wild, it should be fun. But can we please get back to the game?”

Lance harrumped while Keith smirked at him, holding the dice out to the others. “Who wants to roll to see if you can coerce me into your group?” he teased.

Pidge smirked and took them from him. “Get ready to be our little slave, dweebo emo,”

#Voltron legendary defender #Keidge #Kidge #Peith #Kidgemas #MonthofKidge #MonthofKidge2019 #KidgeaPalooza #KidgeaPalooza2019 #Pidge Gunderson #Keith Kogane #my fics

40 notes · View notes