I awoke in the dark, having dreamt that I was trapped in a side-scroller game, collecting coins, but there was no pipes. However, this game had a twist—a slime with a crown. I considered the possibility of laying there in bed and going back to sleep, but I was wide awake, so I reached for my phone to do some mindless scrolling. When I failed to find my phone or the light switch, I remembered where I was. Why would I need to dream about being in a video game when I already was in one. This was the first time I'd had a dream since I got here. I guess that wouldn't be possible in a game, so that was a point in favour of this being real. I am still convinced this is all just a game, but I'm trying to be objective about it.

I turned my attention to the light problem. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but with the clouds and rain outside, there was nothing noteworthy coming from outside. I didn't recall seeing any lanterns around here. I wondered if they had more magic trickery for this-after all, even the toilet made light.

I tried to climb off the bed and ended up crashing to the floor. I bounced back up like it was nothing. I realized that children really are rubbery, or it was the 'durable' trait. Maybe both were working together. The old me would have been crippled for a month with a fall like that.

I had an idea. "System, it would be great if I could see in the dark. Can you please help out with that?" I also gave my best attempt at an adorable child expression, imitating Puss in Boots-even though it was dark, the system could see me. I was sure of that.

A new quest notification appeared:

[New Quest:

Kill the named nightstalker known as Gorn.

Reward: Rare Elven Racial Trait: Night vision.

Difficulty: Ultra Hard. You will die a slow and painful death.

Quest bonus: The ability to sense the general location Gorn is located for the duration of the quest.

Requirements: Solo Quest

Time limit: 4 hours

Accept: Yes/No]

"Yes, I accept!" I exclaimed, excitedly jumping up and down.

[That was a joke, you were supposed to say no. It will kill you.]

"Psht... How bad could it be? You called it Gorn. I bet it's green and walks slowly."

[You know what a nightstalker is, right?]

I had not thought about what a nightstalker was, having gotten distracted by the hilarious name of the creature. "Dog's body, snake head and tail?" I asked questioningly.

[That is the closest reference I could use for a simple descriptor. Let me be more precise. Body of a panther, head of a wolf, white spikes along its back, snake tail with spike tip, snake's tongue, and venomous fangs. Dark earthy brown and black coloring. It has the personality of a hyena, stalks like a lion, and runs like a cheetah. They also love the taste of elven meat and enjoy toying with any intelligent creatures before killing and eating them. It is a magical creature that can absorb some attributes from any powerful thing that it kills and eats.]

I gulped. "Then why did you name it Gorn?"

[I did not name it Gorn; its master did.]

"And who is its master?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

[For that, you need another quest. One I am not going to give you.]

I pouted. "Oh, way to ruin all the fun. It's not like I need to complete the quest, right? You can show it to me."

[No, you would need to complete this quest before I will give you that one. You are not going to even try this one. You will stay indoors like a good little boy and let the timer run out.]

I stuck my tongue out and then pleadingly asked, "Can't you just give me the night vision?"

[Not without a suitable quest. You are well and truly out of freebies.]

I huffed. "Fine, care to point me in the direction of a light? What does this place use? Torches, magic stones?"

[It's your house; you tell me.]

I thought for a moment before asking, "Is there a chance I will get a quest later when I am ready for it to give me night vision?" There was a pregnant pause as I waited for a response.

[The requirements for this are quite rare, and you are unlikely to get another quest for this.]

With that, I gave up talking to the system for now. I stumbled around until I found the door out of the room. The next room was almost as dark as the bedroom. Some light was coming in from the kitchen window, but I couldn't make out the source of it. I decided to grab a knife; that nightstalker sounded nasty. I found one that was a fathom long from tip to the end of the handle. It was too dark to see if it was sharp or not, and I had nothing to test it on. It might only be a kitchen knife, but I bet the Elves wouldn't keep a dull one lying around. I made my way to the front door and decided to check it to make sure it was still locked before returning to bed. I was planning to sleep with the knife just beside me, just in case. I was beginning to wish I had a shotgun I could keep next to the bed.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

A little uneasy, I decided to check the front door to make sure it was still locked before returning to bed. It turned out it was not—whatever was done to it must have worn off. The door opened a bit, but I couldn't see anything of note. Cautiously, I opened it more and stuck my head out. There were no street lights, and everything was dark. A cool breeze was gently blowing, and the only source of light came from a new moon shining through a crack in the clouds. The rain had stopped, but puddles of water were everywhere. I looked down and realized I had left my 'foot wetter' on while I slept, and it was still working, as more water was wrapping around my feet. I wondered if it had deactivated while I slept and then reactivated when I awoke, or if it also worked while I slept.

I was pulled out of my ponderings when I noticed some movement in the corner of my eye. I looked up just in time for Identity to tag it as it moved around a corner and out of sight. I was sure it had said "(Goblin)". I took a cautious step out of the house, wanting a closer look. We were inside a walled city—how did it get in here? Maybe I should go find a guard. I closed the door behind me and did my best to sneak in the direction the goblin went. I was surprised at how quiet I was with all the puddles and wet ground. My 'Foot wetter' made it so I was completely quiet when I stepped in a puddle, and there were a lot of them. I was also moving faster than I expected, thanks to 'Water step', which was working perfectly on the wet ground. I felt like a rogue, despite the fact that all I was wearing was a loincloth, and my pasty white skin was reflective in the moonlight that would occasionally peek through the clouds.

I rounded the corner, and my target was gone. I did notice a footprint in the mud next to mine, but since it was so dark, I would have a hard time following the trail. I heard a splash behind me and turned around, only to have a spear graze the side of my stomach. If I had not moved, it would have impaled me in the gut. Reflexively, I grabbed the spear and, in doing so, dropped my knife. My assailant pulled back on the spear. 'Water step' kept my feet firmly planted on the ground, but my upper body was yanked towards him, nearly toppling me and leaving me without leverage to pull back on it. Hands gripped on the spear, I leaned in more and put all my might into pushing on the spear and charging into him. He fumbled backward but also refused to let go. A cloud moved out of the way, and I got a silhouette of the goblin's face. He was slightly taller than me and had dark skin and large ears. We feebly pushed back and forth on the spear, not gaining ground or leverage on one another. He was stronger, but my skills were helping make up the difference by giving me a strong footing.

To break the stalemate, I took a risk and kicked towards him, releasing my 'foot wetter' at the arc of the kick, sending water into his face. With this, he was able to knock me down to the ground, but he also had taken one hand off the spear and put it to his face, leaving him without enough awareness and dexterity to swing it at me. I scurried backward and felt the cold metal of the kitchen knife. I grabbed it. He struck again and I scrambled to my feet. The strike grazed the calf of my leg and I skated backward on the wet grass as he pursued. He was a bit slower than me, but that would not matter as my knife was no match for his spear in this open ground, as I could not get in close to him. He thrust, and I dodged. I would kick water towards his face, and he would step back. He had gotten wise to my trick, and it had lost its effectiveness. I baited him around the corner of a building. As he turned the corner and struck towards me, I was able to grab the spear with my left arm and pull myself towards him. I slashed my knife down and struck his hand with all my might. He yelped and dropped the spear, then charged me. Sharp teeth sunk into my left arm as I stomped on his foot. He smashed me into the wall. I became pinned, unable to move my right arm holding the knife. My left arm smashed into my face with his mouth still clamped to it. The aroma of putrid death and blood smashed into my nose as I struggled to breathe.

A hand clawed my face and pulled on my ear—I rammed my left knee into his groin. He flinched, momentarily releasing his right arm, giving me just enough leverage to slide the knife along his back. He bit harder on my arm, and his hand moved to my eye, starting to push—I jerked my face up. His hand slipped towards my mouth, and I bit hard, tasting copper as slime flooded my mouth. His finger scratched the inside of my cheek. I bit harder—the finger bone snapped—I tasted bile. We tumbled to the ground, biting and kicking in a knot of tangled limbs. I landed on top, the knife pinned to the ground, and I refused to let go. He still clung to my arm with his mouth, so I shoved with all my might, pushing his head back into the mud. He continued to claw at my face. With his greater strength, he managed to roll us over, with him now on top of me. His hand now covered my face, and he squeezed with all his might, claws sticking into my face, slowly crushing it. He pressed down with his body onto me, pinning me into the mud. The air was being squeezed out of me as he leaned into my diaphragm with his knee. I still clung to the knife with a death grip. Now that it was no longer pinned, I used the last of my departing strength to recklessly stab it towards his head, risking hitting my own in the process. I felt it sink into something as his mutilated hand grabbed mine and pinned my knife arm to the ground. Adrenaline gave way to fear and panic. I frantically struggled uselessly with nothing else to try. The pressure loosened, and his hands went limp. The mouth glued to my arm slackened. I violently shoved him off me, then stabbed him over and over again in the stomach. The clouds parted, allowing more light, so I could see the gruesome scene displayed before me. His stomach had become hamburger, dark blood flowing from his neck. I looked up at the bloody, muddy face. His teeth were blackened with my blood, his pointed nose bent, and lifeless black eyes looked into my soul. I killed him—I killed a living being. The weight of that realization crushed me. I crawled off him, threw up, and curled up into a ball, overwhelmed by the horror of what I had done.