The Prophecy

**The Prophecy** is the first installment of the *Well Versed* series on *Another Bad Side Quest*. Connors and Keith find themselves in a strange new world where they might just be the heroes of a local prophecy.

## The Prophecy

### **Synopsis**

**Pre-Show Shenanigans**

* Ian explains the mechanics! Each player is given 6 stats and assigns +2, +1 and -1 once to 3 of them as well as choosing a "special ability". When Ian calls for a roll, the players roll 2d6 and add the appropriate stat bonus and an additional +1 if their special ability is applicable.
	+ Rolls of 6 or less is a failure, 7-9 is a mixed success and a 10 or more is a total success!

Last we saw of Connors, he was flying his ship through the stars with his crew, definitely not his friends, and after the long day relaxed with video games on his VR headset as he usually did. Connors eventually woke, with his VR headset jostled a bit to the side still on his head and noticed that the lights didn't come on automatically like they usually did. He called out to his ship’s AI, Scarlett, to turn them on and when he didn't receive an answer pounded on the wall but found rather than the usual metal, the walls were wooden and a bit rough. Connors started to look around and, after letting his eyes adjust, spotted a sliver of light. He grabbed his gun and adjusted the VR headset before investigating and found the light seemed to be coming from a crack in a door frame.

Connors opened the door slowly, heard people outside and, believing no one was really looking his way, opened the door and found he was in a town that seems ripped out of one of the history books he read, with houses made of wood, horse drawn carriages and the people wore strange clothes. The people noticed Connors, his odd attire and weapon and took him in warily but didn't seem too out of the ordinary for them. Connors tried to stop a person on the street, with the only one who would approach being a small boy, but when the conversation didn't prove helpful left. As Connors walked away he noticed a commotion up ahead with horses rushing past and people look panicked and soon noticed a barn that was currently on fire and a number of people were filling buckets with water in an attempt to douse the flames. Connors saw the barn doors rattle before they burst open and a man stumbled out, unconcerned by the flames and more triumphant than anything.

Keith stumbled out of the building, with the last thing he remembered was setting a bank on fire, but thought to himself he had been knocked unconscious which was strange because usually he could handle the smoke. As Connors watched from a distance, an older man with a cane hobbled through the crowd up to Keith, called for the crowd’s attention and said the prophecy was being fulfilled. After a moment the crowd cheered and moved towards Keith and Keith quickly backpedalled into the burning building, dodging several people before he dropped a smoke bomb but bomb misfired a bit causing Keith to inhale quite a bit of smoke and make him woozy. As the old man helped Keith stay on his feet and brought him back towards the crowd another townsperson came forward, dragging an incredibly long scroll with him and handed it to the old man. The old man read the scroll aloud

*"Of darkness and destruction does the vault bring,*

*What should stop him, no ordinary thing,*

*A man bathed in fire will burn up our dread,*

*And another..."*

but stopped to point out that they were missing the second person from the prophecy. Someone asked what the second person was supposed to be like and the old man announced they wore a crown.

Meanwhile Connors stealthily climbed up the side of a nearby building and looked over the nearby area. As the old man called out for whoever might be the second person in the prophecy Keith said he had an idea, that he wanted to make a location bomb. Keith pulled out several components, ripping up the prophecy scrolls and jammed it into the bomb along with a substantial amount of dust, slammed it against the ground causing it to explode into a storm of blue glowing dust that covered the area. As it reached Connors, believing the dust would catch him, he fell off the side of the building but accidentally tumbled his way into a hero-like drop and roll. The old man went to Connors, inspected him, announced this was the second person in the prophecy, complete with the all seeing crown which Connors realized is his VR headset and tried to stuff it under his shirt.

The old man completed the rest of the prophecy again

*"These two can save us from hell,*

*We need only to ring the bell!"*

One of the townsfolk ran off, returned with a bell, likely taken from a nearby well, and the old man made due and rung the bell causing the townsfolk to cheer. The people raised the still recovering Keith up into the air, even as he batted them away, and Connors shouted to ask where he was. The old man took a moment to remember the towns name before explaining the evil wizard must have clouded his judgment and finally recalling the town was called *Swanford*. The old man pulled Keith from the crowd, led him and Connors to a meeting hall and seated them, though Keith still suffered from the smoke he inhaled previously. The old man explained Keith and Connors were the ones sent by the Gods to free the town from their suffering under an evil wizard. The old man pulled out a separate scroll, which both Keith and Connors could make out the name Malcolethozarumon, who Connors instantly nicknamed him Mal, and the old man explained he was the evil wizard and was capable of using his power at a great distance because of certain artefacts he had and that he had razed crops and villages, killing any hope of the town’s future. Connors asked if the wizard was also capable of time travel since he really didn't want to be there right now and the old man said Mal was known to travel so fast he appeared to be in several locations at once or thwarted the townspeople’s plans before they even had the chance to enact them.

Connors, appeased by the info, agreed to help, causing the townsfolk who had gathered in the hall to cheer. Connors asked where Mal was and the old man dragged his finger across the map until it was off the map, all the way across the room and said saying that the evil wizard lived here. Keith asked if they had a faster means of travel than their own feet, with Connors negotiating down from a starship to even just a scooter, but the old man replied that they didn't know what any of those things were. Keith asked for a picture of the place the evil wizard lived and the old man began to rifle through things, tossing back a ring carelessly which Connors caught out of the air, but fell out of his chair to do so causing it to bounce out of his hand to a little girl. As Connors shrugged off the loss the old man eventually pulled out a scroll with a crude drawing of a tall tower that seemed attached to a smaller castle, though most of the drawing was skulls and crossbones and big X marks.

Connors asked for a moment to talk to Keith alone and the townsfolk agreed to leave and thanked them for their help in advance. Once alone Connors stated that he believed they were both way out of their depth here and could leave this place to find the wizard, but instead of fighting they could talk to him as he believed the wizard might have the actual power to help them out. As Connors noted that he didn't want to walk he patted down his pockets for his collapsible motorbike, noticed Keith was picking his teeth with something familiar and got his bike back, noting it was a little chewed on, and announced they had transportation. Keith started to make himself a Fly potion, but found his recipe ended up just being fruit juice and on drinking it not even one he liked. Connors told Keith he didn't really need to go if he didn't want to, but Keith said he wanted to come and get back to robbing banks. The pair stepped out of the town hall to the waiting crowd, “accepted” their quest and Keith, in his excitement, began to juggle fire for the crowd, tripping as he did, and though several people were singed considered it a blessing from the hero and cheered even more.

The pair walked away from the crowd to the edge of town and Connors deployed his bike and found it expanded to its proper form, soon noticed the anti-gravity was a bit busted and the bike was scratched in places. Connors took off his shirt and started trying to reduce the scratching while muttering “poor Bethany” before he got on. He then told Keith to get on and there was a struggle as they both tried to get situated before they rode off into the distance while Keith attached himself to Connors like a very strange backpack. Connors sighed as the bike seemed to sputter and only reached a max of ten miles an hour, but figured it was still better than walking. Keith, from the back of the bike, attempted to make another Gust of Wind bomb, shook the container like a bottle of soda before releasing it, causing the bike to go faster than Connors had ever seen, reaching over 100 miles per hour.

The duo travelled, fending off various threats along their path to the evil wizard’s lair, with Keith managing to casually explode an entire Elven city by tossing a bomb that he thought was a dud over the side, but realized too late it was the nuke bomb he had prepared before arriving in Swanford. They also met an older Dwarven man along the way selling various supplies, who called Connor’s “sonny” before correcting himself and calling him “oldie” and as Connors complained that he had enough of being called old Keith stooped low and punched the man in the nuts. Connors followed by punching the man in the face before they both jumped back onto the bike and continue on their path.

They continued to travel as the sky started to grow dark and their forested surroundings seemed to fade from green to yellow and brown. As a storm rolled in, causing lightning to cross the sky, they approached a large mountain where a giant tower pokes out along the top. Connors, having the feeling Bethany wouldn’t make it up the mountain, recalled her to it's collapsible form and put her in his pocket. Connors pointed out there were a lot of bugs Keith’s face and Keith threw a bomb near at his feet and reappeared from the smoke as if he had taken the first shower in his life. Connors confusedly asked how a grenade could do this and Keith smartly informed him not all bombs needed to blow things up.

As they continued their climb several boulders appeared to form into a humanoid creature and while Connors ran for cover, Keith juggles a few more bombs and threw one that created a beautiful fresh water stream with fish while a second dropped near to Connors and when the smoke cleared Connors has a hat made of fruit in a basket. Keith threw the third bomb creating a large pointed battering ram that the boulder creature didn't notice before it impaled itself on it and crumbled into inanimate broken rock. The pair shared a quick fruit snack before they continued on their way and soon came up to the tower and found a large wooden door. Connors asked Keith if he wanted to knock but went ignored and went to do it himself. Connors knocked as Keith finished a bomb, pressed it into a large silver lock just as a voice called out to ask who it was and the bomb went off, knocking Connors and Keith back with the shattered remains of the doors littered around them, revealing a large golem looking creature. Connors told Keith to warn him next time, but Keith said he couldn't warn himself and that it just happened sometimes. The pair walked back to the doorway, saw the remains of a bowl with cookies in it and a sign that said “take one”.

Connors asked for the wizard, surprised when Keith called for the wizard's name in full, and in their minds heard a voice ask who entered his castle. The pair headed up the large central staircase, with Connors eventually giving Keith's request for a piggyback ride while also preparing his laser sword. As the voice condescendingly ask how they managed to best his golem Keith made a Haste bomb, smashed it over Connors, with a slight warning, causing Connors to feel like he could suddenly move and think faster than before and started to run and follow a large red arrow pointing to the right. They soon arrived in a large hall with columns on either side and when Keith asked how long Connors thought he could burn it Connors convinced him to hear out the wizard first. They soon saw the wizard, sitting on a gold thrown with a large staff, who asked what they were doing here. and Connors explained they weren’t supposed to be there and hoped the wizard could help them get back to the right time and place. Keith got more and more antsy before he finally unleashed a flurry of firebombs, hitting columns and exploding the Mal's throne. Connors attempted to hurl Keith to the side before jumping out of the way himself, but being just as surprised as Mal meant the effort was panicked at best.

Mal, now angry, flung more fire in their direction through his staff and Connors rolled behind a column, came out from around it with his laser sword and cut the staff in half. Keith tried to make another bomb but a piece of debris hit Keith and making him drop the incomplete bomb. Connors knocked it out of the way but the explosion went off and suddenly realized his sword was invisible before it got knocked from his hands. As Connors scrambled from him Keith built a new bomb, hurled it at Mal causing the gravity to be increased tenfold in that area and suck in debris to batter the wizard. Mal eventually gained control and began to fly through the air, but Connors took the opportunity to fire at the wizard with his blaster and killed him, leaving his body floating listlessly in the anti gravity.

Connors warned Keith to not make anymore bombs, but when Keith, in total awe, asked where he could get a gun told him they would worry about that later and said to start searching the area for anything useful. As the two searched Connors started to hear a faint beeping noise, put on his headset to search for the source and without issue spotted an energy reading for something very futuristic. As Keith made himself a bubble bath bomb Connors located the source of the beeping and found a painting on the wall depicting Mal, along with his staff and a small spherical object in front of him that floated on its own. Connors, noticing the painting as indented near the orb in the painting, reached to touch it and Keith warned him not to. Connors pointed out Keith threw bombs at his own feet and Keith retorted that he knew what his bombs did. Connors shrugged, pressed the indent and the wall slid away to reveal a very brightly lit room, oddly familiar to the kinds of rooms Connors recognized from his ship.

Both Connors and Keith stepped inside, turned to their right and found a long hall lined with pedestals that each held some strange artifact including a round disc colored red, white and blue with a star in the center, a giant sword with two holes in the center and a miniaturized atom bomb which Keith instantly fixated on. Keith picked up the bomb and as he did Connors heard a mechanism move before a new door slid open to a dark room, but both could hear beeping coming from inside. Connors turned on a flashlight and both saw inside the room was a single pedestal with a metal ball floating over it which seemed to be the source of the beeping. Connors tried to look at it through his VR headset, but when it began to overheat and threatened to fry removed it and put it away. Keith began to approach it and as Connors, pointing out that Keith was the bomb expert, asked if it was actually a bomb the metal ball began to beep faster and louder. Both of them ran towards it to disable the ball and when Keith grabbed it off the pedestal the beeping stopped, making both think they were safe before a flash of blinding light came, followed by an explosion that rocketed outward and knocked them both unconscious. They soon both woke up in a place made of swirling light and Keith checked his bag for something and confirmed it was there before he went back to sleep. Connors looked around before noting he wouldn't be seeing Scarlett for a while.

1. ↑ Ian having not originally named the town in his planning lol!