I woke up with a jolt, startled by the sound of my phone's text alert. A shudder ran down my spine as I shook off the remnants of a terrible nightmare. With a groan, I rolled over to reach for my phone, but as I did, I felt something cold and damp shift beneath me. Panic surged through my veins as I opened my eyes to find myself in the midst of a dark and ominous forest. The trees were withered and blackened, and the ground beneath my feet was as dark as pitch. The only plants in sight were a few brambles scattered here and there, and the air was thick with a moist mist that clung to my skin and made me shiver. Thankfully, it wasn't the same sinister mist that had been chasing me in my nightmare, no reality, and the shadow creature was nowhere to be seen.

I reluctantly reached for my phone, my heart beating faster with every passing second. As I looked at the screen, the battery percentage caught my eye, 95%. I quickly put my phone on low power mode, figuring that I might not find an outlet for a while.

8:35am.

The time seemed to mock me, but I ignored it as I looked at the rest of the phone. I was surprised to find that every app had been deleted, except for the messages tool. It was strange, but then again, everything about this situation was strange.

As I read the text message, a sense of dread settled over me. The number was unknown, and the message was cryptic: "Character Sheet Updated" with a URL. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not to follow the link, but curiosity got the best of me. I tapped the link, and my phone immediately redirected to the app store, where a new app began downloading automatically.

The app was called "Character Sheet," and it looked familiar to me - I recognized the stat format from my Dungeons and Dragons sessions on Thursday evenings. It was all so surreal, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

Character Information

Class: Commoner

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Level: 0

Experience: 0

Hit Points: 7

Armor Class: 10

Proficiency Bonus: 0

Speed: 30

Attributes

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 12

Skills:

Acrobatics: +0

Animal Handling: +1

Arcana: +2

Athletics: +0

Deception:+1

History: +2

Insight: +1

Intimidation: +1

Investigation: +2

Medicine: +1

Nature: +2

Perception: +1

Performance: +1

Persuasion: +1

Religion: +2

Sleight of Hand: +0

Stealth: +0

Survival: +1

Proficiencies

Cartography, Painting, Piano, Game Boards, Common, Latin, French, German,

Biography

Jordan David Battles was born to humans Louisa and Fred Battles in the year 1993 on Material Plane #334. His early life was filled with a great deal of luxury as his parents were quite wealthy.-

As soon as I saw the character sheet, my heart began to race. It was a detailed representation of me, complete with stats and abilities. I couldn't understand how this was possible, and the thought sent a shiver down my spine. Panic began to flood my mind, threatening to overwhelm me once again. I forced myself to take deep breaths, remembering the breathing exercises I had learned in counseling years ago.

The image of a dark figure flashed before my eyes, but I pushed the memory away, refusing to let it distract me from my current situation. I focused on my breathing, inhaling deeply and counting slowly down from ten as I exhaled.

After a few minutes, my heart rate had slowed, and I was able to take stock of my surroundings. I was alone in a dark forest, with nothing but my knapsack and my phone. As I rummaged through my knapsack, I found that I had a few books, a notepad, and a canteen of coffee. My decision to skip packing lunch and eat in the cafeteria instead now seemed like a mistake, as I felt a gnawing hunger in my stomach.

I took a sip of the bitter coffee, the heat warming me from the inside out. Coffee wasn’t exactly the best beverage for hydration, but it at least calmed a bit of the ache inside my stomach. It was a small comfort in the midst of the eerie, dead forest. The air was thick with a damp mist that clung to my skin and clothes, leaving me feeling clammy and chilled. The trees towered above me, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers towards the sky. The leaves seemed to have long since fallen, leaving the branches bare and exposed.

I grimaced as I took a few tentative steps forward, wincing at the pain that shot up my legs. I could feel the acidic burns throbbing beneath the surface of my skin, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked in this strange, otherworldly place. But I had to keep moving. I couldn't stay here, alone and vulnerable.

With a deep breath, I straightened my back and took another step forward. The ground shifted beneath my feet, the cold dirt crunching beneath my soles. I could feel my heart racing, a pounding rhythm in my chest that matched the rapid pace of my breaths. But I pushed the fear aside, determined to find my way out of this nightmare.

I tugged at my tie, loosening it from my neck and tossing it into my bag with a sigh of relief. The clothes I had worn to the office were hardly practical for a trek through the forest, but I had no other options. My glasses perched precariously on the bridge of my nose, fogging up in the damp mist. I pushed them up with a grimace, my vision momentarily blurred.

I could only hope that my instincts would lead me towards safety, towards some sign of civilization. But as I gazed up at the dark, twisted trees, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me. Something that didn't want me to leave.

I trudged forward, the mist so thick I could barely see my own hand in front of my face. It felt like I was walking through a fantasy brought to life, a lone figure wandering through a dark forest in a gothic horror story. I couldn't help but think of the many Isekai novels I had read, but this was far less pleasant than any of those. There were no wise sages, no goddesses of beauty, and certainly no hot elf girls to guide me on my way.

The chill that ran down my spine was palpable, a sure sign that something was amiss in this haunted forest. Dead trees loomed above me, their twisted branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the sound of my own footsteps crunching on the damp forest floor.

My hunger gnawed at me, but there was nothing alive in this forest to feed on. No birds sang from the trees, no insects buzzed in the air. Even the wolves were silent, their absence a foreboding sign of the danger that lurked in these woods.

As I walked, the mist seemed to grow thicker, wrapping around me like a wet blanket. I checked my phone, grateful for the small comfort of its glow in the darkness. It was 1:17pm and my battery was at 94%. My watch had started moving again, though I couldn't explain why. The mist played tricks on my senses, distorting time and space until I wasn't sure what was real and what was not.

I pushed on, my feet aching with each step. I had never been much of an outdoorsman, preferring the comfort of my desk to the rigors of the wilderness. Sweat and mist soaked through my clothes, making me feel like I was walking through a watery soup. The closest I could ever remember feeling like this was on a trip down to Florida for Spring Break, but at least then all I’d had to worry about was drinking too much alcohol.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Finally, I could go no further. I slumped down against a dead tree trunk, my exhaustion catching up to me. My clothes were drenched, my white shirt clinging to my skin like a second layer. I muttered a prayer to any god or goddess that might be listening, but there was no response. I was alone in this cursed forest.

Suddenly, a line of text appeared in the air, accompanied by a twenty-sided dice. It was as if I had been transported into a game of Dungeons and Dragons, forced to play by rules I didn't fully understand.

Make a Constitution Saving throw.

I groaned, realizing that my fate was in the hands of the dice. I tried to move around it, but found that any attempts to move away from the box were met with a brief moment of paralysis. There would be no escaping the roll of the dice. With a resigned sigh, I tapped the D20.

It spun in the air, taunting me with its capriciousness. Finally, it came to a stop on a 2. Immediately, a sparkly glow appeared adding my constitution modifier, +1, to the dice roll. Regardless, it was still only a measly 3.

Failed Constitution Saving Throw.

Take one level of exhaustion.

I cursed under my breath, knowing that this would make my journey even more difficult. My body was already weary from the trek through the forest, and now I would have to face any challenges that lay ahead at a disadvantage. A level of exhaustion in Dungeons and Dragon would impose a disadvantage, or rolling twice and taking the lowest roll, on any saving throws until I had taken a rest lasting at least eight hours.

The status effect that had taken hold of me was like a thick, heavy blanket weighing me down, sapping my energy and leaving me feeling drained. My limbs felt heavy and my movements sluggish as if I were trudging through a thick swamp. I glanced around at my surroundings, hoping to find some respite, but the dark forest offered little in the way of comfort or safety.

As I contemplated my options, a sudden ping interrupted my thoughts, offering me the choice between a short rest or a long rest. Despite the wisdom of waiting for a full eight hours to recover, I couldn't resist the pull of rest and relaxation. I pressed the button for a long rest, feeling the exhaustion wash over me in waves, leaving me feeling helpless and vulnerable. My mind was foggy, and I struggled to focus, but I knew that any attempts to exert myself would only break the rest that had enveloped me.

As I lay there, my mind wandered to my character sheet, which listed my stats as painfully average, if not borderline poor. A ten was considered the average for a civilian, with heroes having several stats that were usually above a fourteen. And heroes usually had at least one stat that was a sixteen or higher.

Additionally, I had never heard of a Commoner class before, but the thought of being relegated to an NPC in a world as brutal as this one seemed to be was terrifying. However, my level was zero. Perhaps gaining enough experience points to level up would allow me to choose a class and gain better stats?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rolling dice, a sound that sent a chill down my spine. I knew that I was not alone in this world and that danger lurked around every corner. I took a deep breath, trying to steel myself for whatever lay ahead, knowing that I had to be ready for anything if I wanted to survive. Fuck whoever the DM of this world was.

Long Rest Broken.

Encounter Initiated.

Passive Perception of 11 beats Enemy Stealth of 7. Ambush Avoided!

Roll Initiative.

I felt equal measures of panic and relief hit me. On one hand, at least I had avoided an ambush. On the other hand, whatever Dark God was DMing this world was an asshole. Couldn’t I have had a simple long rest? With a scowl, I tapped the dice roll for initiative.

Rolling,

The dice spun in a mocking manner of sparkles and fireworks as it landed upon a very modest 13. My dexterity modifier was immediately added to the dice bringing the total to…13. Yeah, I had a zero dexterity modifier. At least it wasn’t a negative modifier. There was a pause as the dice suddenly rolled again.

Ah fuck. I’d forgotten I had disadvantage.

It spun lazily in a mocking tone to reveal a crushing 7. It’s official. The dice hated me. If I was back in my own world, I’d have tossed this bag out. Another Ping went off in my head and suddenly in my peripheral vision I could see what appeared to be a text box with a token of my face at the top followed the token of what appeared to be…a wolf? Huh. Somehow the wolf had rolled worse on initiative than me.

Combat initiated!

I immediately stood and felt as though half my energy had gone. Ah shit, of course I was starting prone which meant it took half my movement speed to stand up. I felt panic in my mind. I wasn’t strong enough to fight a wolf. Speed and running was my best chance of survival.

I turned my gaze, looking for the wolf and found him a good sixty feet away from myself. He was large with bared fangs. Black matted fur clung to his form and I swallowed. I’d never seen a wolf in real life before, but this looked somehow bigger than the documentaries or videos I’d seen.

With a deep breath, I turned from the oncoming threat of the wolf and took my action. In the world of Dungeons and Dragons, every player has an array of options available to them on their turn which would equate to six seconds in game time. These options include a free action, which might involve drawing a weapon or interacting with an object, an action, which can involve anything from attacking to casting a spell, a bonus action, which is often tied to a specific class feature, and finally, movement.

For myself, I knew that speed was my greatest advantage against the approaching wolf. With a movement speed of thirty feet, I had the ability to quickly navigate my surroundings. However, my previous position in a prone state meant that I had already used up half of my movement speed to stand up, leaving me with only fifteen feet of movement remaining.

That's why I made the decision to use my action to dash, which allowed me to cover more ground by doubling my movement speed. The adrenaline surged through my body as I darted through the trees, pushing myself to the limit.

Weaving and dodging through the trees, I made it forty-five feet even as I felt the wolf gaining on me. Despite the mechanical nature of the turns that were guiding what I was doing, it still felt real to me as six seconds passed while I ran and then another as I continued running, this time a full sixty feet. There was no time to sit around the table to discuss tactics or the best use of my turn. There was no thirty minute debate with the Dungeon Master to determine if the rules were being implemented fairly.

I had six seconds to decide what to do and to do it, even as the wolf was operating almost simultaneously, but not quite, with me. Perhaps if my life had not been at risk, I would have been able to better evaluate the situation, but all I knew at this point was to run.

As I ran, my heart pounding in my chest, I could hear the wolf’s snarls and growls close behind me. It's hot breath seemed to brush against the back of my neck, urging me to run faster. I felt sweat start to bead on my forehead and my legs burned with the effort of pushing myself to go faster even as wet pus from my blisters stained the ground.

The trees around me blurred as I darted past them, my eyes darting left and right as I searched for any possible means of escape. But the forest was dense and unforgiving, offering no clear path to safety.I heard a snap and a thud as the wolf’s jaws snapped shut where my leg had just been, narrowly missing me. The sound echoed in my ears, filling me with a renewed sense of fear and adrenaline. I had to get away from this creature, and fast. I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw the wolf bearing down on me, its eyes wild and filled with a fierce hunger. It was getting closer, and I could feel its breath hot on my heels.

With a burst of energy, I pushed myself to run faster, using every ounce of strength I had left in me. I could see a small clearing up ahead, and I knew that it was my only chance.

I took a deep breath and darted towards the clearing, my legs burning with the effort. With a final burst of energy, I lunged forward, my body hurtling through the air as I narrowly missed the trees at the edge of the clearing.

I tumbled to the ground, my heart pounding in my chest as I lay there, gasping for air. I looked up and saw the wolf standing at the edge of the clearing, its eyes fixed on me with a hungry gleam. It seemed to want to pursue me, but my eyes picked up on strange runes etched into the trees. For some reason, they held the wolf back. I stared at the creature. It seemed to have a smirk on its face as it faded away into the mist.

Combat Resolved.

Experience Points: 0

Loot: Nothing

Really? Nothing.

I scowled. It seemed if I wished to earn loot and experience, I would not be able to just run away from things, I would need to hunt them down and kill them. Unfortunately, I did not have the strength to even begin thinking about such things. I had no weapons nor armor and my hit points were a measly 7. If I remembered right, wolves had a bite attack that usually averaged out to seven points of damage which would essentially knock me unconscious in one hit. And sure, I’d be able to roll death saves to avoid dying, but nothing would stop the wolf from attacking my unconscious form and inflicting failed death saves until I died.

I sighed. That wasn’t even considering what more powerful monsters could do if I remembered my bestiary right. If I took damage equivalent to double my hit points, which at this point would be fourteen, in a single blow, that would be an instakill for me. I scowled. I needed some way to level up, but as I was now, my hopes of that were quite slim.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog from my mind and take in my surroundings. The open clearing I thought I had stumbled upon was actually a long, winding road, surrounded by the same blackened trees that towered overhead, their branches entwined to form a sinister, looming canopy. The trees were etched with ancient runes, and eerie dream catchers hung from their lower branches, swaying ominously in the misty air. The dense mist that seeped between the trees seemed to be held at bay by these talismans, as if the darkness itself was repelled by their power.

As I pulled myself to my feet, the thick mud clung to my shirt, making me feel weighed down and trapped. The thought of being lost in this desolate place for any longer than necessary filled me with a sense of dread. I took a sip of the coffee from my canteen, and felt a growing sense of unease as I realized how little I had left.

With a heavy heart, I set off down the muddy road, trudging through the thick sludge as I went. The eerie landscape never seemed to change, the endless road stretching out before me like a never-ending nightmare. I kept walking, my fatigue threatening to overtake me, but I refused to give up hope. Finally, in the distance, I saw a looming structure rising from the mist. As I drew closer, a feeling of dread washed over me, as if I was being drawn towards some malevolent force. The structure was a massive wall, made of dark, smooth stone and gothic architecture. Two towering statues flanked a large iron gate, each holding a sword pointed towards the ground, as if guarding the entrance. The statue on the right was missing its head, and I could see the massive stone cranium buried halfway in the dirt beside it. The wall stretched deep into the surrounding forest, shrouded in mist and darkness.

Make a perception check.

I scowled. Lovely. With a sigh, I tapped the dice and waited for it to finish spinning.

15+1= 16.

Success.

Huh, finally a good roll. As I approached the towering iron gate, my eyes were drawn to the emblem perched ominously atop it. Against the backdrop of a mighty two-towered castle loomed a black raven, its sharp beak and piercing eyes staring out with an almost supernatural intensity. Despite my attempts to shake off the feeling, an unexplainable fear crept up within me, as if the raven's gaze held some ancient, foreboding power.

I swallowed. Something about that emblem was important, and I tried to remember where I had seen it before.

Roll a History Check.

I paused. Well, this roll would hopefully not be too dangerous. I tapped the dice.

17+2= 19.

Success!

Instantly my mind was flooded with memories of perusing my local game store. I saw a book with a title that made my blood go cold and I recognized the emblem. A single word etched itself into my mind.

Ravenloft.

“Fuck.”

Before I could process the full extent of my fear, a deafening crack echoed through the woods, as if the trees themselves were being ripped in two. My heart racing, I turned to face the source of the sound, knowing with a bone-chilling certainty that whatever was coming for me was far more terrifying than anything I had ever encountered before.

The trees were being consumed by the thick mist, melting away, and the large figure in the mist was back.