The Twenty-Sided Dice

Chapter 6: Out Of Place

"Yeah, it's poison, and I know what kind, too. This is the venom that Addison supplies." The GM rubbed his forehead, trying to remember where the antidote could be found.

"Addison? How is she involved in this? Are you saying..." Madison didn't finish her sentence, but the GM could tell that she had figured it out. Addison had ordered Tanya to do this.

"I think you're right, Madison. I do have some measure of healing abilities, but I was never a healer. The most I can do is suspend her, keep the poison from progressing further." The GM summoned an amber sphere, which easily wrapped around Maya's still body. Erin had been hesitantly creeping closer, and she gasped loudly when she saw Maya's wound.

"Evie? What... no, not what. Maya told me that you were in her D&D group, so I'm really not surprised. You need to look for an antidote! I have a... personal obligation to go look for Addison, so you're the only one who can do it! Find the rest of your group and get that cure! I need to run before we're spotted. Hurry!" Madison's rapid topic change and blank reaction to seeing Erin was unsettling, but Erin knew that she was right. Right on cue, Emma and Xavier walked out of the forest, carrying backpacks loaded with supplies and provisions.

"We heard everything you guys said, and we're coming with you. It's nice to finally meet you, Madison, but we have to go, quickly. We'll explain on the way. Don't worry, we know where the antidote is. Again, we'll explain." Emma's voice was strong and commanding, and Erin tore into the forest after them, not even stopping to question it. Madison quickly thanked the GM, and told him that he was going after Addison, who probably knew where Tanya was. She ran off in a different direction, clearly knowing where she was headed. The GM sighed, wrapping another amber bubble around his daughter's still form.

The GM hated this feeling of helplessness, but he was still wondering how Jamie tied into all this. Those threatening letters, and now this? It couldn't be a coincidence...

Could it?

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Tanya stared intently at Ashley as she walked by the cell, subtly slipping another note between the bars. This was how they had been communicating for the past day, so that Ashley wouldn't be spotted by any of Addison's allies. Tanya moved near the back of the cell, then unfolded the thin piece of paper and read the note.

It said, "Tanya, I don't have a solution. I really want to show Addison that I'm the right person for this job. I know that I'm just your replacement, but I want to be as good as you clearly were. She still makes wistful comments about you, and I think she regrets your betrayal, if that makes any sense. But on the other hand, you're my friend, and I really want to help you get out of here. If you have a way that I could help get you out without having any evidence tied to me, that would be great. -A." Tanya noted that Ashley had adopted the style of only writing her first name's first letter, a habit that was clearly meant to imitate and flatter Addison.

Well, it didn't matter. Tanya could escape, with or without Ashley's help. The only problem was that Tanya had to get Ashley on her side, that way she would have an inside informant when she eventually escaped.

She pulled out the bit of metal that had been sticking out of the wall, which was the perfect size and shape for a lockpick. She suspected that it had been left behind by the last person who was in this cell, and she caught herself wondering about who it had been. She tampered her desire to just use the lockpick on the cell door and run out of there, but the logical part of her brain told her that it was just a stupid idea. First, she would definitely be spotted if she just sauntered out of Addison's tent out of nowhere. Second, she still really wanted to show Ashley why Addison wasn't worth her loyalty. And third, she wanted to learn more about the inner workings of Addison's hierarchy, and she could only do that if she was right in the middle of it. It killed her to just do nothing, but she could clearly see that playing along was the smart thing to do.