Lesson from the DM
by Kaytlin

As of late, my bank balance has been dropping slowly as I improved my set and replaced ships. The lastest catastrophe at the city of Trellor had caused the citizens much hardship, but traders had done their best to supply the population with things they required. Deciding this would be both an excellent way to make money and increase my reputation as a heroine, I set out on several trips to Trellor with the first few being extremely uneventful. However, the Dungeon Master must've begun to sense my cocky attitude as I crossed the world. I flew to Crystal Lake for what I hoped would be a quick trade. I prepared my horse and wagon, filled it with ivory and mounted my dragon to take me as far as he was willing.

The trip to the City of Medievia passed quietly with no mobfactions looking to steal my freight or harm me. Pulling up to the stables to acquire the service of an Appaloosa, my dragon flew away to assist someone else. All went well as I passed my clantown, still not encountering anything, until I hit 150 risk and a lion den loomed over the horizon. Groaning inwardly at the thought of how many lions could be in that den, I pressed on. As the lions prowled around, I had an uneasy feeling of being watched, and I heard twigs snapping at the side of the road. I paused, going off road to scout ahead, fighting off the lions that slowed me down and located a shady looking individual lurking in the middle of the road. My magic skills made quick work of the lone bandit and the shuffling at the sides of the road indicated his accomplices had run away. Finding my horse and wagon, I led it down the road towards Trellor.

I was satisfied with how easily the bandits had failed, and this cause me to not pay attention to the road. As I pulled up outside The Outlaw Legion's clantown to check directions, another lion entered my room looking for trouble. One by one more entered and my spells fell until I was forced to teleport and retreat. Recasting a powerful sanctuary spell, I went back to fight them, hearing wild pigs snorting within the tangle of felines. I dove in to where my freight was, sending streams of acid towards them. Claws tore at my armor, tusks ripped my clothes. Rolling my eyes at how tedious they were becoming, I teleported one final time before returning to dispatch them for good.

The skies were clear as I approached New Ashton, smiling at the halfway point. Before I could reach it however, I heard the shouts of a Demon Lord and his dogs quickly coming down the road. Muttering, I conjured traps to stop the dogs from tucking into my freight and went after the Lord himself. After 5 minutes of channeling powerful shockwaves at each other, he fell and I slowly walked to my freight, healing my wounds and wishing for the warmth and safety of the clanhall. Leading my horse a few more steps down the road, a lightning storm appeared and the forest formed in front of me to block my path. Cursing the Dungeon Master and shouting furiously, I plunged into the centre of the trees. The trees rained blow after blow on me, draining my magical energy. As the six in the middle fell to my onslaught, I prepared myself for the others. Five more trees fell as they came thick and fast the replace the one previously killed. They were wearing me down and I'd run out of mana to save myself. Apparently though, my cries of frustration had not gone unheard, as Azador appeared from a shimmering rift before me. Together, we made short work of the rest and went our seperate ways.

I reached New Ashton with my ghostly guardians by my side and rounded it in good time. But the punishment I was receiving for my arrogance wasn't over yet, as the familiar rustles of wild pigs filled the air again. As the Ghost Riders launched themselves upon the pigs, I informed my clansmen of my misfortune, much to their amusement. Aiding the Riders, a path was cleared for me to run down. I spurred my Appaloosa on faster as the shoreline drew nearer. The pigs continued to give chase but were bought down by my shockwaves and the Ghost Rider's blows. Hugging the jugglers at the penultimate junction, I ran laughing towards Trellor, praying to the gods no more surprises were sent my way. Fortunatly, the DM seemed to think I'd learnt my lesson as I sold my ivory for 5,000,000 coins. I rushed to the bank to deposit it before anything else could happen. Happy with my balance, I retired to the clanhall to relax before another adventure turned up to be conquered.