For the first time in weeks, the Mercenaries of Mayhem weren't on a job.
They were simply chilling in their home, enjoying the rare luxury of not being hunted, yelled at, or beaten senseless.
Bob lounged on the couch, flipping through a very outdated adventurer's guidebook.
Derek sharpened his sword, trying to ignore the chaos around him.
Marcus tinkered with a half-finished crossbow modification.
Jim sat by the fireplace, sipping ale.
Then, out of nowhere, he turned to Bam.
"Hey, Bam."
Bam, sitting on the floor, glanced up. "Hm?"
Jim leaned forward. "Why do you always say that thing about exceptions?"
The room went quiet.
Bob looked up. "Oh yeah, you do say that a lot."
Marcus nodded. "I always figured it was just one of your weird mage things."
Derek muttered, "I assumed it was an excuse for why you keep setting things on fire."
Bam smiled slightly. "No. It is truth."
Jim raised an eyebrow. "Alright, explain it then."
Bam stretched out his hands. "Everything in this world follows patterns, right?"
Jim nodded. "Yeah, that's how stuff works."
Bam continued, "But patterns are not absolute. They are just what happens most of the time. There are always exceptions."
Bob scratched his head. "Like what?"
Bam gestured lazily. "Take water, for example. It always flows from higher ground to lower ground, right?"
Jim nodded. "Obviously."
Bam smirked. "But in some places, if you use magic, the flow reverses. Water will rise from the lower ground to the higher ground."
Bob blinked. "Wait. What?"
Derek frowned. "That's just because magic is affecting the flow."
Bam nodded. "Exactly. Meaning the rule is not absolute."
Marcus, now interested, leaned in. "Got any other examples?"
Bam tapped his chin. "Take fire. Normally, fire needs fuel to burn."
Bob nodded. "Yeah?"
Bam smirked. "But in places with high mana concentration, fire can burn with no fuel at all."
Jim's eyes narrowed. "So, what you're saying is… rules exist, but there's always something that breaks them."
Bam smiled. "Exactly."
Derek muttered, "That's actually kind of unsettling."
Jim took a sip of ale. "So that's why you always say it."
Bam nodded. "Because it is true."
Bob, thinking hard, finally said, "Okay, but, uh… what about things like gravity? That's universal, right?"
Bam shook his head. "Not in certain dungeons. Some places have floating islands where gravity is reversed."
Jim whistled. "Damn. Now I don't know what to believe anymore."
Bob groaned, rubbing his head. "This is too much thinking for a day off."
Marcus chuckled. "Bam, you should teach philosophy."
Bam shrugged. "There are always exceptions."
Jim pointed at him. "See?! You just did it again!"
And just like that, the Mercenaries of Mayhem spent their day off discussing whether reality itself had any actual rules—which, considering their past experiences, was a valid question.