The Twenty-Sided Dice

Chapter 4: Moral of the Story

The session started with an encounter with a strange demon, which Erin told them was called an erinye, that challenged their characters with a very difficult battle. After that creature was defeated, the rest of the game went by uneventfully, and they all left the library that evening with a slight frown on their faces, as if they were all unsettled by something. Dexter was the only one that left the session with a wide grin on his face, and he thanked Erin for hosting such a wonderful and fun session, and told her that he would try to look for his own campaign in the near future. Tanya looked relieved at this statement, and the GM was slightly offended. He hadn't done anything to make any of them suspicious of him!

But the GM continued to track Maya's thoughts, listening carefully to each thing that went through her mind until, finally, she went to sleep and her mental hum slowed to just a heartbeat. He materialized into his normal form, a will-o'-wisp that glowed with an unearthly black light, and performed a spell to bring her to the Plane of Souls.

As soon as he sensed her departure from the Material Plane, he followed her through the otherworldly portal that had appeared in Maya's room, and he instantly saw her in the middle of a circle of candles. Her group's candles. Oh, no. She had noticed the note he wrote next to her candle.

"What is this? 'Remember to tell her about the grand story plan'? What does that mean?" Maya was staring frantically at the paper, her pupils dilated and her hair frazzled. The Game Master sighed, knowing that she wouldn't rest until she found an answer.

"Alright, I owe you this explanation, at least. So... I have this amazing plan. I'm writing a magnificent tale of heroes and monsters and friends, and you're the main character." The GM stared at her, his incomprehensible essence hovering in the air around Maya, awaiting her response. Maya just sat there, restrained by her own thoughts, trying to process what she had just heard.

"So? Do you want to be the hero in your own story? I know it's what you've always wanted, being the center of attention, being the one to rescue your friends and defeat the villains. What do you say?" The GM took the form of Dexter and extended his hand to Maya. She looked up at him, a billion thoughts tearing through her mind.

It's everything I've ever wanted.

But I don't trust him. Who knows that he's planning?

But this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Being the hero of a story? Everyone would look up to me. Why would I ever say no?

Maya stood up on her own, looked Dexter right in the eyes, and said, "No."

"... No? That's not the right answer, Maya. You were supposed to say yes. You were supposed to be the hero of my story and save your friends from the villains and monsters. Why would you say no to that?" The GM was taken aback by her blunt statement, and he recoiled his hand.

"Well, it sounds like an amazing offer, but I don't trust you. I mean, how did you get Erin to know who you are? I don't know anything about you or what your full abilities are." Maya stared firmly at Dexter, her gaze unflinching.

"I have the ability to control others' minds and actions. That's how I got Erin to relay my backstory to you." Dexter's form began to dissipate, and the GM returned to his form of simply existing, the form in which he was the essence of the entire plane. He hovered above Maya, perceiving her thoughts all at once.

So, if that's all true, why doesn't he just mind-control me to be his main character? Why bother asking?

The GM heard Maya think this, and he realized that he didn't know. Did he want her to be the hero on her own? Did he feel bad, taking away the control of the main character? Or was it just that he felt like a mind-controlled main character wasn't a very heroic story? Whatever it was, he was determined to master his own mind and figure it out.