This is part of short story “Cursed Dice” that I published in between. The next Adaly chapter can be found here: https://storiesofmybrain.com/2025/10/13/chapter-32-visions/
Anita collects the dice she custom ordered at the local woodworker. She loves that she can use the ‘cursed’ oak she had gotten at the renaissance fair for dice. It comes from a tree from which a witch was hanged. It feels like the appropriate dice to play her druid character with.
It was a nice summer so far in 1979, since last year her favorite enemy became a playable race. It is weird that it is a subclass of cleric, but it doesn’t matter, together with her DM she made the character of Theodora, which fits nicely in the campaign.
She meets up with her friends at her boyfriend’s house “So are we ready for this?” she happily asks before kissing Teddy on her way in. The miniatures are already standing on the table, and she takes her place. She is the last one in, Cedric and Eric already sitting at the table.
“You are late” Cedric sounds annoyed, and Anita looks at the clock. She barely is, they agreed to meet at 13:00 and it is 13:05. She rolls her eyes “But I do have a good reason, looks at these” she shows her dice and Eric eagerly takes them “Those are beautiful…” Teddy smiles at her and this time Cedric rolls his eyes.
“I am here to beat the crap out of some epic monster, not look at your crappy dice.” Cedric says while Anita gives him an offended look.
Teddy laughs and indicates to Anita that she should just let it go. “So, let’s start, everybody has their character sheets?” The men nod, and Anita quickly grabs it from her bag, before Teddy starts the session.
“You all find yourself in a tavern in the city of Fogil, you just beat the titan lord. You are casually drinking your ales when suddenly a human runs in and rushes towards you. ‘Good that I find you here, heroes, we need your help with the forest witch’ He says. What do you do?”
Anita immediately speaks up “Would I know the forest witch? You know, me being a druid, which is a sort of forest witch as well?” Cedric shakes his head and Eric nods eagerly, Teddy gives her a look but says “Sure, roll against your intelligence score”
Anita smiles, grabs her dice, and rolls the d20.
The dice lays nicely in her hand, and as soon as she lets them go the room seems to slow down. As the dice hit the table, they light up with a green flash. She threw them hard, so they bounce up in slow motion. Anita suddenly feels a pull on her, drawn towards the dice, she moves closer. Another hit on the table, the noise loud in her brain, the light changing into lines coming towards her.
She swallows, wanting to turn away, but everything is in slow motion as the rays of light rush to her, grabbing a hold of her.
Green light surrounds her while the dice continues rolling. She looks up towards her friends, but none of them seem to notice. The dice slowly rolls and she is being pulled towards it. It slows down… A natural 20! A burst of light blinds her and she feels herself falling.
Suddenly she is inside of a tavern and when she looks down, her clothes are shabby green rags, her fingers are elongated with sharp, black nails. She swallows and looks around. She is at a table with a dwarf and a human, while another human is standing near it. “What is going on?” she asks but none of them reply.
Suddenly, she knows about the forest witch “Estelle… We go way back. What seems to be the problem?” She says in a strange voice she does not recognize. “Well, she has been killing the villagers” The human standing next to the table tells her, it sounds an awful lot like her boyfriend.
“Oh no… we should rescue them. Theodora, you know her. Then lead us to the forest witch” the dwarf says in Eric’s voice, before standing up and the other human follows. Her body starts moving on its own, following them too.
They walk through the woods, she tries to ask them what is going on, but no sound seems to come out of her mouth.
Stories of my brain 