Remember to bring your own dice.

  It had been hammered into his head all day by the group’s Game Master, Erin — and now Martin. What’s so important about a stupid dice set?

  Of course he wouldn’t forget them, because he’d put them in his pocket right after he’d read the text from Murdock that morning. It was easier to just keep them on hand the whole day than put it off until the last minute — he couldn’t really do that anyway since it was probably the only chance he’d have, and he couldn’t count on Martin taking him back home to get them (or even picking him up at all apparently). But that was all a waste now.

  “Canceled?” Cameron thought out loud in disappointment. He’d gotten off work early for this session, so to have it canceled even after he’d remembered to bring his dice… Well, it kinda sucked.

  Still, he was going to the twins’ apartment anyway. Even if the session was canceled, he might as well go enjoy the free pizza. The twins had started trying to make pizzas for everyone before their weekend Raiders and Ruins sessions about 3 weeks ago, but they were still trying to perfect the recipe. Cameron hadn’t thought the last pizza crust recipe was bad, but then again, he wasn’t really all that picky.

  But two things were bothering Cameron. Obviously, the first was that Martin had forgotten to pick him up again, so now he had to take the bus. The second thing was that, during the brief phone conversation he had with Martin, he’d discovered another disappointing fact: no jalapenos.

  When Cameron asked what happened to them — because he was probably the only person who actually liked them as a topping, though not having them wasn’t a dealbreaker for him. But he was surprised to hear that the moody goth chick had apparently taken them home – he didn’t even know that she liked jalapenos. At any rate, the fact that Martin had made the request for him was touching, yet he also felt a little bit insulted. He didn’t need someone else to request pizza toppings for him… usually.

  Luna didn’t say much about herself, but Murdock didn’t seem to like her a whole lot and Cameron could never really figure out exactly why. Despite growing up around her, Cameron always seemed to learn something new. For example, she seemed to have a penchant for causing — and getting away with — trouble. Murdock may call her a bore, but Cameron thought otherwise.

  But damn, Cameron thought to himself, no R&R session today or jalapenos? And what was Erin saying about the end of the world? What did he really mean by that? Does Erin have to be that dramatic about everything?

  The bus stop was remarkably empty for this time of day — let alone in a city with a fairly decent college campus. Cameron usually got off work around 5pm, so it should be getting close to rush hour by now… No, it was only about 2:30pm. He’d gotten so used to his typical schedule that he no longer paid much attention to the time, which was a bit ridiculous given the circumstances. Then again, he didn’t take the bus all that often anyway — unless he was trying to save on gas — so what did he know?

  Had he known that his day-to-day work experience would leave him more drained and stressed than the average college student, he might have reconsidered his internship. Everyone else made it look so easy. He thought he would be able to handle the delicate balance of having a job on top of his already busy school schedule. But with how heavily it impacted his social life, he was starting to wonder if his internship was really worth it.

  On the bright side, the bus ride would only require one stop. Still, buses just seemed so slow compared to every other vehicle, which was probably the reason why it felt like an eternity.

  Cameron pocketed his phone and looked up as he heard the familiar screeching of brakes that signaled the arrival of the bus. He picked up his messenger bag he’d set on the ground while he’d been waiting, and boarded the bus.

  It wasn’t difficult to find a seat, as most of them were empty. Still, he preferred to sit near the back, though he’d never really understood why. When he was in elementary school, his friends would often gather at the back of the school bus, though it was mostly because they were the rowdiest kids on the bus and the driver didn’t seem to like them very much. Perhaps it was the familiarity that came from those years leading up to his High School graduation. The few friends he’d kept all maintained that habit, so it must’ve just stuck with him as well.

  As he made his way to the back, he noticed a girl. But something about her was… odd. She had long brown hair that flowed out from beneath the hood of her… was that a cloak?

  Cameron tripped as he stared at her for a brief moment, barely catching himself on one of the seats, which immediately drew the girl’s attention and he was forced to look away with an embarrassed blush.

  Damn it Cameron, he mentally berated himself, you see one pretty girl and you just stare at her while you’re walking in her direction? Come on man, get a grip!

  Of course, being the idiot that he was, Cameron decided to sit on the bench right across the aisle from her. He could only assume that he enjoyed subjecting himself to social anxiety inducing situations in which he could — potentially — strike up a conversation with other people. If he wasn’t such a bumbling buffoon around attractive women, he might have considered this a wise decision for his romantic future.

  However, since Cameron’s skill lay in numbers and random R&R facts, his decision was bold, if not a little bit amateurish. And yet, as he stole a glance at the odd girl as the bus started moving, something just felt… off.

  For starters, this girl’s outfit was… Unique. From her black, hooded cloak and fantasy-style wanderer’s tunic and trousers, down to the pointed leather boots, she would have fit right in at a fantasy convention. But as far as Cameron knew, there weren’t any fantasy conventions happening in town until October 22nd.

  As he took a closer look at the strange outfit, he noticed that she seemed to be fiddling with something in her right hand as she stared out the window. When he caught a glimpse of the little object she was rolling between her fingers, it suddenly made sense.

  The outfit reminded him strongly of the outfit his GM, Erin, usually wore — although he was a hardcore larper as a rule. But that wasn’t quite as outlandish as wearing something like that in public. But there was no mistaking the twenty-sided die in her hand. If he had to make a guess, this girl must be heavily invested in R&R (it had been getting quite popular in recent years), and there was a decent chance that she was on her way to a session just like he was — though he hoped hers wasn’t canceled like his had been. It probably would explain the outfit being so out of place at that time of the year.

  No way… Cameron thought as he stared at the die in her hand. This girl is that invested in the game that she even dresses for the occasion? Not even Noelle does that and she’s probably the biggest R&R nerd out of all of us, aside from Erin! I mean, I wouldn’t put it past her, but still!

  “I’m sorry, can I help you with something?” The girl suddenly asked with an accent that sounded like it might be Scottish. At the same time, she slipped the die into one of the pockets of her cloak, which startled Cameron from his distracted thoughts.

  “O—oh, no, I um…” Cameron stuttered lamely, trailing off as he made the mistake of looking up to meet the girl’s pale blue eyes.

  He fumbled with his words for a moment, before his tongue finally seemed to cooperate.

  “W—were you just holding a twenty-sided die just now?” he asked, pointing in the general direction of where she’d pocketed the item.

  The girl’s eyes widened in surprise and she reached into her pocket again and withdrew the die once more.

  “You mean this?” She asked with an unexpectedly earnest tone as she held it out towards him between her slender fingers.

  “Yeah,” Cameron replied awkwardly. “I was just wondering if — well, there are only so many games out there that use polyhedral dice that fit the theme of your outfit, so… Um, do you happen to play ‘Raiders and Ruins’ by chance?”

  The girl paused at that. Cameron couldn’t tell if she was surprised that he’d picked up on it, or if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit to playing something that was typically associated with nerdy/geeky college guys. Perhaps it was both.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Yeeess…” She finally said, rather unconvincingly — almost like she wasn’t actually sure about the answer. But, oblivious as ever, Cameron accepted that as an answer regardless.

  “Oh, that makes a lot of sense then!” Cameron said with a nod. “My GM, Erin, always wears an outfit kinda like yours when we do our video calls and weekly R&R sessions. I think it’s a fun addition to the roleplay, but I can’t really do the same thing since I go to our weekly sessions after work and I don’t think it would be worth the effort.”

  The girl nodded slowly. She did not seem to follow his explanation.

  “Ah, yes, your um, ‘GM’ of your… ‘R&R’ sessions…” She said with a strange look. “He sounds like an interestin’ fellow…”

  “You got that right,” Cameron said with a snort. “He can’t even show up to the sessions in person because he lives out of the country, so we have to set up my friend’s laptop so he’s able to see us and vice versa.”

  The girl blinked at him with a blank expression. She looked like he’d just spoken to her in a foreign language that she was trying very hard to understand.

  “Your friend’s… ‘laptop’,” She repeated, as if she was just testing out the word for the first time. “That’s how you communicate with your um, ‘GM’?”

  Cameron raised a confused eyebrow.

  This girl acted very strange — one might even call it suspicious, but Cameron had a difficult time figuring out exactly what made her seem that way. She must be playing into her character or something, otherwise he couldn’t think of anything that didn’t imply that she wasn’t even human.

  “I mean, yeah, it’s a bit of an unusual setup, but it works well enough,” Cameron said curiously. “Are you not… I mean, you don’t sound like you’re from around here. Are you from the UK or something? That’s where Erin’s from — your accent is a lot similar to his. Or are you from somewhere else in Europe maybe?”

  “Yes!” the girl said a little bit too quickly. “The UK! That’s — yes, that’s where I’m from! I’m uh, just here visiting some friends!”

  She averted her gaze for a moment, looking nervous.

  Is it just me or is she lying about that? Cameron thought, looking around the bus. Does she have social anxiety worse than mine, or is there something else I’m missing?

  Cameron looked back at the girl, feeling a hint of unease creep into the back of his mind.

  “Would it be alright if I asked for your name?” Cameron asked. He felt a bit awkward about the way he’d phrased the question, but he usually wasn’t the sort of person to go around asking people for their names.

  This seemed to catch the girl off-guard, but she managed to compose herself enough to say, “Oh! Yes! It’s — Um, my name’s Gwenivyr, but most people just call me Gwen. Is it fair t’ ask for yours?”

  Was that actually her name or the name of the character she was roleplaying as? The way she said the name sounded something like “Gwenivair,” but her accent gave the end a Scottish twist. It gave off a very strong fantasy vibe, which really didn’t help very much.

  “Cameron — my friends usually just call me Cam,” Cameron replied. “It’s nice to meet you, Gwen.”

  Cameron paused, before he continued, “I don’t know if it’s my place to ask this, but are you alright? You seem anxious about something.”

  “Anxious? Me?” Gwen asked. She took a moment to consider his question, before answering tepidly, “Well, I suppose ‘anxious’ is a bit of an understatement.”

  Cameron frowned. An understatement? She’d said it as if it was some sort of cruel joke that was being played on her. This girl seemed to be as brutally honest as Murdock — and perhaps equally as bad at lying. Was this girl not from the UK? It sure seemed that way, but what was the alternative?

  “Um, Cameron,” Gwen said slowly, looking down with a contemplative expression, as Cameron was busy trying to process her previous response. “What would you do if I told you that your world was going t’ end today?”

  Out of all the things Cameron expected to hear, that was not one of them.

  That’s a weird way to phrase that question, Cameron thought.

  “You know, it’s funny you should ask me that,” Cameron said, though he tried to hide his unease. “My GM actually canceled our game session today — he also said something about it being the end of the world. It’s an interesting coincidence.”

  Gwen’s head snapped back up, her eyes wide.

  “Your GM — ya said his name was Erin, correct?” Gwen asked quickly, her accent getting slightly thicker. “An’ he wears an outfit a bit like mine at your ‘sessions,’ yes?”

  Cameron nodded as he replied, “Yeah, why?”

  “Does he have any other names he goes by?” Gwen inquired as she leaned forward. Her pale blue eyes locked onto him with a startling intensity.

  The sudden change in her demeanor caught Cameron by surprise, and he had to take a moment to think about the question before answering.

  “I—I wouldn’t say he does,” Cameron stammered. “But GMs usually play multiple NPCs during an R&R session — I mean, that's the only thing that comes to mind, so if there ever was one NPC he uses the most, it would probably be Erolith Eildithas.”

  Gwen stared at him as if he’d just slapped her in the face with a dead fish — shocked and slightly confused, though unsure if she should be offended by it, or impressed by his audacity. She furrowed her eyebrows, blinking rapidly for a moment, before opening her mouth in an attempt to speak, but she immediately cut herself off as she struggled to formulate a response.

  “Does that name mean something to you?” Cameron asked cautiously.

  By all accounts, that name should mean absolutely nothing to her. Erolith Eildithas was a name that was unique to Erin’s campaign. He’d created his own world for them to roleplay in, which he named “Astatria,” and used Raiders and Ruins rulebooks published by the game company “Lizards in a Boat,” to run the campaign. The only way she could possibly know anything about it is if she knew Erin himself. It wasn’t impossible, but the odds were in decimal percentages.

  “Yes,” Gwen said once she finally found her voice, though it was significantly more hoarse than it had previously been. “I know it well.”

  “Wait a minute,” Cameron said in confusion. “You know my GM? Are you in another group that he runs outside of ours?”

  “Something like that,” Gwen admitted through gritted teeth. She looked as if she thought his very existence caused her great pain

  This was a very normal reaction for someone who was familiar with the GM in any way whatsoever. Cameron could only assume that she and her R&R party must have been subjected to Erin’s homebrew campaign — and by extension, the man himself.

  But before he could give her a reply, the bus slowed to a stop, and the doors opened with a hiss. He had no idea how to end the conversation where it was at, so he ended it how he ended most conversations: as cringily as physically possible.

  “Sorry to cut the conversation short,” Cameron said with a sigh. Then, as he picked up his messenger bag he awkwardly followed it with, “This is my stop, soo...”

  Gwen didn’t seem to hear him as she looked off to the side, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips turned downward. She appeared to be listening to something else — or possibly someone else. Then she stiffened. Her expression shifted to an unexpected glare.

  “You don’t say?” She asked in a way that sounded like sarcasm. “You couldn’t have mentioned that earlier?”

  Cameron frowned.

  “Uh, I’m… sorry.” Cameron said timidly — more like a question than an actual apology. “I didn’t know that was something I—”

  “I wasn’t talking t’ you!” Gwen snapped, standing up.

  Cameron was taken aback, and he stared at her with a shocked — and understandably bewildered — expression. Something was definitely wrong with the strange girl, who started to seem less and less like she was a larper and more like a character straight out of Erin’s campaign. In retrospect, that would probably explain her previous behavior.

  “Wha—” Cameron started to say, before Gwenivyr grabbed him by the wrist and practically dragged him towards the bus door, not even giving him so much as a glance.

  “Couldn’t ya have mentioned that our world is a bloody game t’ them?” Gwen muttered seethingly. “Couldn’t have told me I was talkin’ t’ one of them, could ya? Luck my ass ya rat bastard…”

  “I don’t—” Cameron started to say, before nearly tripping down the steps as he was dragged out of the bus.

  “Ya drop me in the middle of the realm with barely any explanation,” Gwen ranted louder as she let go of Cameron’s wrist — more like she threw him if anything. “Then, ya tell me t’ get on that metal monster with wheels — again, no explanation — and when I actually meet one of the humans ya want me to rescue, ya don’t even bother t’ tell me until the last bloody minute?!”

  Cameron watched Gwenivyr pace back and forth as the bus drove away. Who was she even talking to?

  “Oh, Gwenevyr, you should feel so honored,” Gwen rambled in a mocking tone. “Serving my husband is a rare opportunity.”

  “Um,” Cameron said awkwardly. “What’s going on here exactly?”

  Gwen did not seem to hear him as she fumed and continued her angry rant, “Well now I know why it’s so bloody rare! You’re a menace! God of mischief indeed!”

  As if on cue, the world turned red.