Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash
:Hallo Fren. Mi nam is snak and I is smol: The green snake blinked its sparkling black eyes and flicked its tongue out.
I stared at it in amazement.
Raising up, it started wrapping itself around my finger. :You taste-smell-heat big. I luv u. Hug u.:
“Daniel … that speak with animals I just cast in-game.”
“Yeah, I’m still looking up the intelligent level of the racoons.” The DM glanced over his carved wooden screen. “Oh, Rascal got out again. I need to get a better cover for him. Don’t worry, he isn’t poisonous.”
“Venomous, he isn’t venomous.”
:I swift like wind. Hunt spring on buggies. Nom nom.:
Daniel shrugged. “Not poisonous either.” He flipped a few more pages. “Alright I found it.”
“Where did you get the chant you gave to me?”
“Oh, do you like it? I thought since we are doing one-on-one games while Mica and Dave are on their honeymoon, we could really explore your magic-using. Found it in an old Dragon Magazine at C-Me-Rolling. Someone had marked a set of six to hell and gone, so I got them for a steal – early publications, like in the thirties or fifties, and found that in the margins.”
“Um, so these other five charms you gave me…”
:You nice warm – bettir than lamp. I sleep.:
As you will, I thought toward it. I got back something that felt like a vibration-purr-drifting-off.
“Yeah, whoever did it stuck in a few in every book. They seemed cool, usually surrounding articles explaining how to make the game more immersive.”
“Just curious, did you read these aloud?”
“Sure, just checking the cadence and what-not. They felt good.”
Looking over the list Daniel gave me, after speak with animals, there was also Detect Magic; Light; Magic Missile; Invisibility; and Fire Bolt. “Anything strange happen?”
“What, like a light show? Nah, I never play magic-users, not like you.” Daniel smiled. “Give me a fighter any day. Something that could be real.”
“Right … um, could I see those magazines when we are done this session? They sound cool.”
“Sure, now the Racoon asks for some of your peanuts in exchange for the location the goblins went.”
(words 364; first published 2/16/2025)
Ye Olde Dragon Magazines Series