Mirror Images

The first thing I noticed about the trio was that they didn't recognise us.

I stared at my older sister, willing her to remember the worlds we had explored together, the mysteries we solved so many years ago. Nothing.

Her friends hold the same guarded faces, slightly defensive. Who am I? Who are the party that stands beside me? And how had we found them?

The Bard moves first. I was expecting it to be Evandra, but she's older now, someone I could hardly say I know.

Gods, so much has changed.

He shuffles, long curling hair moving in the gentle wind to reveal his human ears. He clears his throat, unsure of himself while his fingers twitch towards his instrument. A loot, I gather, from the delicately woven strap that stretches across his chest.

"You probably don't remember us..."

It's a bad start, because why would you confront a party with this much experience, this many scars and traumas, and say something like that?

"No." Evandra snaps, "We don't." And I feel it again, the distance between us. She draws her sword, suspicion deep in her eyes. Behind her, the Tiefling smiles with the promise of bodies to burn.

"Eva, please, I'm not here to fight...We're here to bring you all home."

But my words barely brush her ears. I am an enemy to her, nothing more. I hear Viviar tense from behind me, but I refuse to move. That is, until the time is right.

I continue scanning. She's not ready yet; I can see the weight on Eva's shoulders as she glares at me coldly. The Bard stands uncomfortably, the worn thread of a bandage poking out from the top of his left boot. The Tiefling meets my gaze with her stunning inky eyes, but I recognise the jumpy demeanor of someone who's just escaped death.

They're hurt.

So I use it.

"We have a Cleric." On cue, Bell steps around to my side, her long crystal staff shining graciously in the afternoon sun.

"I can help, please, if you're hurt I'd be more than happy to heal you," Bell says kindly. She reaches into her satchel and offers a glimmering red potion sealed with a cork and ribbon. "And I have health potions too, if you need them..."

Viviar nods from my left and slowly takes a step forward. I hear him sigh and as he raises his arms I swear I see our opposites flinch. He chants in Celestial, his accent immaculate as golden rays of light shine from the otherwise boring tattoos across his arms.

A basket floats down from the sky, hovering sacredly in the space between us. It sways slightly from its own weight, or maybe from the weight of the trio's stunned gazes.

I break the silence.

"Yes, he just summoned a basket from Heaven, don't think about it too much. It's a care pack." I sense their disbelief, but Viv explains regardless.

"Supplies'll last at least a couple of weeks. You've got some booze, wound dressings..." My eyes flicker to the Bard. "...Basic potion supplies, standard fireball ingredients and firewood. If you ask for something specific, it'll try its best to get you what you need."

I wonder how long it'll take for them to trust us.

Viv gives a theatrical bow, then spins back to his position, muttering to himself, slightly offended that they hadn't eagerly accepted his gift.

"Come on, we just want to talk." I see flames in the Tiefling's eyes. I sigh.

One card left.

"Mika, you have the gold?"

A chirp comes from behind me, as our shy little Aarakocra pops out from Viv's furred hood. They fly towards me, claws gripping a dark tan bag weighted with three years' worth of gold savings. I brace and catch it as it falls, then begin my walk through no-man's-land.

I look between the three of them. Our predecessors. Our idols. My sister.

They used to play, like us. Every week, alternating between whose house, but with the same ultimate goal. Get to the dragon, and find peace.

We're on that journey now, but it's hollower, darker, and much further from home. The problem is, this world blurs the line between the here and now. And I'm terrified that they've forgotten where they came from.

"8,000 gold. Ten minutes. No weapons, no tricks, no lies. Just...listen."

I give myself a moment to sway into the memories I have of them. I remember their names, from the other time. How much they've taught us. I think of the world they helped us find, the strength we gained just from imagining. I picture it from their view; this world is an escape. It swallows them whole, just thinking about leaving, returning to a place much emptier and harder to enjoy.

They can be heroes here, but what about home?

The weight of the gold brings me back to the present. I shake off the dizzying nostalgia, forcing myself to stiffen my spine and mirror my sister's stubbornness. It's strange that no one's moved, but if they do plan to attack, they'll have to fight some truly pissed-off teenagers.

I breathe for a second, but it's a second too long. They've lunged into action, and before I can react I sense sparks in the air and my heart races as a fireball comes hurtling toward us.

I duck, barely dodging Eva's strong steel sword aimed straight for my heart as I let myself stretch and warp. I grin as my sister realises that a pair of thick leathery wings have unfolded themselves from my back. I suppose she's forgotten I can do that. There's a chirp from Mika, and I'm up, propelling myself so I can get a better view, but also so our plan can continue.

"Mika, let's send the Bard back first, that way he can't inspire the others or give the Sorcerer more spell slots!"

Mika chirps next to me, so we dive beside each other just like we practised. We swoop to grab the Bard who was beginning to sing some kind of beat-ballad while prancing around the clearing, hoisting him up by his arms as he struggles to fight for gravity.

I clear my mind of his screaming, picturing the room they would visit most frequently as we carry him further and further away. Chair, chair, chair, I repeat to myself, before slipping a single golden d8 into my fingers and dropping it below us. It glows as it plummets, then explodes into a swirling mass of stardust. Intimidating, but it'll do.

I nod to Mika, and we gently lower ourselves until the Bard's boots just barely skim the portal's entrance. He's gone quiet; maybe the gold was a bit too dramatic.

"Okay..It's okay." I soothe, but my tone is counterproductive; I'm straining to hover so steadily since I don't naturally have wings. "We're going to let you go in three..two...one." We let his grip slide from ours and watch as he vanishes into the golden abyss, screaming soprano the whole way. Not a second after the portal is gone, I hear Viv and Bell shout for us in alarm. We shoot towards our friends, and it's then that I realise Viv is fighting Eva, while the Sorcerer is constantly hurling fireballs at Bell.

Mika chirps as we circle from up high, What do we do?

I think for a moment, watching my sister expertly disarm Viv time and time again. It's a miracle that he hasn't been seriously struck yet, which is why I decide Mika should help Bell.

"Draw the Sorcerer away from Viv and I while I deal with my sister. Viv won't last long but he'll be enough support for Bell before we send the Sorcerer back..Signal if you need me...I'll have to think of something for Eva." A chirp of approval, and they're gone. I have no choice but to dive toward my sister.

It's a mess. Viv's swordwork is becoming frantic, and Eva is relentless. She knows he's not the strongest in close-combat, and he'll be completely out of energy before the sun sets.

I finger my daggers, dodge my way between their movements and slice twice in an X shape along her right forearm, just below her elbow. A challenge.

She's turned to me in an instant, and I meet her gaze a distance away, almost cocky. I need to play up her Fighter's confidence. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Viv limp away to help Bell with Mika, and I clear my mind.

"You missed a lot in 13 years Eva," I call out as I flip my daggers. She grinds her foot into the dirt, pinpointing her focus and preparing to charge.

"It's a shame..." I pause for effect, playing the Fool. "You might have learnt something valuable."

"Like what?" She retorts, too quick to take the bait, but perfectly distracted because I'm already growing to match her strength.

"Oh I dunno..." I stretch, yawn like a cat in the sun, "Like this."

And I attack, having suddenly grown claws and a long, bludgeoning tail. I admit this form isn't the fastest, but I'm limited to what I've seen before. It's one of the worst things about being a Changeling, but she can't have remembered that, especially since she was so shocked to see me shift in the first place.

She cannot find out what we're really doing here.

Initially, I let her get the upper hand, make my strikes obvious and rage-driven enough that she can easily block or counter them. There's a decent amount of force behind each swipe but my intention isn't to hurt her. I'm only a distraction.

Between our backing-and-forth, I spy that the Sorcerer has slowed with the fireballs, clearly much more vulnerable against Mika, Viv and Bell, but I don't let my interest wander too far. If Evandra realises I'm only holding her off, she'll stab me properly without a second thought and make her way to the Sorcerer, probably killing my friends in the process.

That's why I lead her on, until I recognise Mika's urgent chirps from where they've flown over to circle us.

"Coming!" I shift smaller now, so I'm barely up to my sister's shoulders and much faster without the giant tail and thick armoured skin. I bat my long dark eyelashes at her and flash a childish smile. "Gotta go Sis, but this was fun." And I'm off, a Rogue against the darkening sky, my blades a confident comfort at my sides. I finger another die, this one an ornately decorated red and black d12, perfect for the Sorcerer.

I sense that Eva's rushing to stop us, but I don't break my focus from the group. I've got a job, and I need to finish it.

"Viv, behind me!"

He's been healed, I can tell from the glow that rushes into his swirling tattoos almost immediately. His eyes shine in the moonlight, and the sky shouts with thunder as the air charges around us. Three heavenly, brilliant flashes, and Eva's stunned for long enough that I can focus on the Sorcerer who had been circled closer to the forest's borderline. Perfect.

I throw the die ahead, aiming for the trunk of a sturdy Oak tree and repeat couch, couch, couch, in my head while picturing the same cozy room. The portal appears, this time a swirling lava pool of red and black. I lunge at the Sorcerer, praying she doesn't drag me with her, but instead, I feel a final sharp scratch of her nails across my face as she disappears backwards.

I feel my skin twitch to heal itself, to rewrite itself into what it once was, but I resist. I'm not done yet.

I let myself collapse, emphasising my heaving breaths as Eva strides over, her cold sword inching closer to my throat. My friends hesitate, but they see it and play along.

I don't meet her eyes as she reaches me. I stare into the blackness, empty. I let my eyes lose their light, I let the blood dribble down from the scratch across my eye and nose. Yes, I think, I am small, you are big, I am young, you are wise. I am weak, weak, weak.

I brace for the I-Haven't-Seen-You-In-Thirteen-Years-How-Dare-You-Attack-Me-Big-Sister-Speech. I wait for her to steady her breathing and attack but-

A laugh escapes her lips.

Odd, I never would have-

Another. A cackle, now, something more feral, wild, much more possessed and so unlike the person I used to know, but I'm up and I'm awake as she laughs at me almost absently.

I finger the final die, throw it, ready to bring her home no matter what, but my stomach sinks because her eyes are morphing away from her deep, mysterious chestnut, they're plainer and whiter like the rest of her features now and her laugh is faker, hollower and I see it, I realise she's like me, a shapeshifter, a spy;

A doppelgänger.

But it's too late, the portal is there, a dangerous mix of teal and gold exploding from the d20 I let loose and there's nothing I can do but watch as my Faux-Sister lets a slow, unnerving smile creep into her plain and empty features, hardly visible in the dusk-light. She knew, and she used me. She knew I was a trickster, a strategist and simply worked me tired until I gave her an irreversible entryway into our reality, where she can summon others and slowly trap more of us here.

And the Bard, the Sorcerer, they'll never know. Or maybe they were the same. It's all I can think before Eva wiggles her fingers in a wave, and disappears in a flash of darkened teal.

~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello there friends,

Firstly thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chaos 💖

In case you're curious, some of these characters are based off of actual characters that appear in Deerstalker Pictures' 1 For All DnD series on YouTube. You can check out their channel below, I am obsessed with their production quality and creativity! (Fun Fact: they're the reason I'm currently playing DnD in my spare time)

Their characters are:

Evandra (Fighter, Half-elf) - Played by: Thomas Taufan

Antrius (Bard, Human) - Played by: Fall Cosplay

Nixie (Sorcerer, Tiefling) - Played by: Eva Devore

My OCs (partially based off of a current DnD party I'm in):

Changeling (currently no name or class)

Viviar/Viv (Paladin, race is undecided)

Bell (Cleric, possibly an Elf)

Mika (Aarakocra, possibly a Rogue)

Thank you again for reading! Please feel free to leave feedback, any ideas or thoughts on my OC's in the comments - we'll have to see where adventure takes them next!

Stay safe

- Red 🌱