Lucas brushed the cold sweat from his forehead with unsteady hand.

He concentrated his attention on his right leg. During the time in which the creature dissolved, the numbness decreased, but it was replaced by pulsing pain in his toes. Kicking at the wall in that manner was probably not the smartest move. But even now when I am not under pressure I can’t think of something better. It certainly proved to be effective.

Lucas inspected his shoe and found some damage, however there were no punctures. So the thing didn’t manage to bite and poison me, but then how did it induce the numbing effect? Was it the glowing tentacles? Why did the creature evaporate? Is it a living being or some king of robot super weapon? The situation is becoming more and more ridiculous.

He didn’t have any extra time to think about what had just transpired, because he heard a clicking sound coming from the cavern. It was the same as the sound the dead monster had made while moving. Is there more of these things? What do I do? These creatures seem relatively fragile, but anything can happen in a fight, so I better not confront another one directly unless absolutely necessary. Escape it is then.

Lucas started running back the way from which he had come. His leg was still a little numb so he didn’t dare to go at full speed. If the other end of the tunnel is blocked I am screwed.

He continued dashing through the underground passage. The sounds of the monster behind were getting farther and farther away. I should have passed the place where I woke up by now. This is already unknown territory.

After several seconds passed Lucas started panting and was forced to slow down his pace. The tunnel was still horizontal and there was no indication of an exit nearby. What is this place? Some kind of secret military experimental facility? It doesn’t give me that kind of vibe.

I can’t hear the thing anymore and I should have moved close to a kilometer by now. Did I lose it? He didn’t dare to stop his escape.

The tunnel made a turn and Lucas saw a dozen bottles of water and a few junk food snacks scattered on the floor several meters ahead. What are these things doing here? This is certainly not a coincidence. Did someone leave them specifically for me? Am I really in an experiment? My previous idea about military black ops starts to look more and more possible.

He stopped and quickly stuffed several smaller snacks in the pockets of his jacket. Then he took one bottle of water in each hand and resumed his retreat.

After another few hundred meters Lucas ceased moving, because he saw this side of the tunnel also ended in a cavern. There was brighter light inside, but the source was not visible from his position. Should I enter? What if there is another monster?

He listened carefully, but there was total silence. The way back is blocked for certain. I can only go forward and hope for the best.

Lucas approached the entrance and slowly went in.

There were no creatures inside and his attention was immediately drawn to the source of brightness which turned out to be a column of white light. The phenomenon was transparent and stretched from the floor to the ceiling of the cavern and had diameter of several meters. The light was not emitted by any visible source.

Great. Another mystery which is even more enigmatic than the previous ones. Lucas observed the underground cavity and didn’t find any other anomalies. Worst of all there were no other tunnels except the one from which he came.

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He didn’t know what to do. Maybe the light column is some kind of exit? Probably not. It could be dangerous or even deadly. Is it a test to see how I am going to react?

Soon he heard clicking sounds behind him. The damn thing didn’t give up. Does it know this is a dead end and I am trapped?

Lucas entered deeper into the cavern, but didn’t approach the light phenomenon. He freed his hands by putting the bottles of water on the floor and turned to face the tunnel.

He didn’t wait long before the monster moved into view. It was identical to the one he previously killed.

Lucas closed his hands into fists, shifted all of his weight to his left leg and put his right leg slightly forward, ready to kick the thing when it came in range. His heartbeat exploded.

He tried to encourage himself in vain attempt to retain calmness. I have killed one of these creatures, I will be able to destroy this one too. Then I will escape this place and go home. Olivia is not going to believe me when I tell her of my experience.

He waited for the imminent attack.

But it never came.

Immediately after entering the cavern, the being stopped moving and just froze there.

Lucas watched it warily. What is it doing? Is it afraid to enter because of the light column? I can’t think of any other reason. The previous one charged right after seeing me. Maybe the light column is really dangerous, at least to it.

He waited a few minutes and started moving slowly towards the place where he put the bottles of water. After picking them up, he backed away toward the far wall of the underground cavity while keeping his distance from the bright phenomenon.

The monster was still motionless.

Is it not going to attack? Maybe I will be lucky this time and the creature will just go away after some time.

Lucas continued with his retreat, but halfway through the cavern he abruptly stopped. A thought materialized in his mind out of nowhere. It was similar to his previous RPG hallucinations, but it had far greater clarity and strength. He understood the meaning immediately.

[Exit Dungeon?]

Lucas almost stumbled.

This place is designated as a dungeon?! Are my kidnappers also fans of games? This answers a few questions and opens a whole new can of worms.

He considered what to do. I am completely blocked here and there is no way to escape. In RPGs dungeons are dangerous areas. If the people who made this place followed game logic, the outside should be less threatening.

Lucas decided to go out. He focused on the foreign idea in his consciousness and tried to project mental agreement.

There was a flash of light and the scenery around him changed.

Relief washed over him as he saw he was no longer underground and there were no monsters in sight.

He surveyed his new location and found it was the bottom of a canyon or a gorge. Both sides were almost vertical with a height of a few tens of meters.

The air was fresh, damp and smelled of flowers. There were sparse trees and bushes around and Lucas could hear running water nearby.

He was standing with his back to the closer side of the gorge and when he turned around he saw a small cloud of glowing white mist between him and the rock. It was somewhat transparent and there were brief flashes of other colors inside from time to time.

Is this the dungeon entrance? I have never seen anything like it.

This place doesn’t look like a top secret military facility. There are no signs of any infrastructure, or civilization, or the people who put me here. Aren’t they afraid I will escape and reveal this location to the world? Are they watching me even now?

Lucas looked up in the sky trying to spot any drones that might be hovering nearby. He saw the Sun. Before averting his gaze from the intense light he was able to see its size was larger than he remembered and its color was blue.

It was obviously not the Sun he knew.

All the details of his current situation clicked into place. Now the dungeon, the monsters and the RPG hallucinations made more sense. The realization he was no longer on Earth hit him like a train. He slumped down and sat on the ground.

What will I do now? What about Olivia and our hopes for the future? What about my parents and friends? Will I never see them again? Will I never see any people again?

For a while he stared at empty space.

It was a distant bird cry which ended his stupor. He banished all depressing thoughts from his mind and unwillingly focused on current reality.

I am in a different world. Monsters are real and probably magic too. What should I do now?