Please give feedback if stuff doesn’t make sense or there are typos… thank you :)
(Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to do any writing/etc. Moved, and had no inets.)
------
FESTIVAL OF FIRE
Walking back to her original spot, the chief calls over her shoulder to the guards. “Take this… off worlder, and get him cleaned up and some clothes. Even though he looks to be a glutton, make sure he has food. We’ll let the town decide tomorrow whether he lives or dies, since I don’t think he can pose a threat to us. I'm sure they would love a good festival.”
A guard steps in front of him. “Stand.”
He stands slowly, carefully watching the guards around him. After standing, he is forced to turn around.
“Walk.”
With those two commands, his procession makes its way back to the dungeons.
~~~
This time there were no dreams, no influx of random knowledge. The stranger sits up quickly, gasping for breath. And sweating, it is hot.
"Urgh"
On the ground next to him lay a badly woven brown robe. He studies himself as best he could, wincing in pain as he poked and prodded himself to determine if anything is broken.
They’ll pay…
His fist shakes in anger as he tries to calm himself down, his mind replaying the beating the guards gave him after the procession left the woman’s room.
~~~
They shoved his face into the cold wall, and cut his clothes off roughly with a knife. Each guard takes shots at him, fist after fist raining down on him…
Inhuman laughter can be heard around him.
Pain flares in every limb.
Please... let it end..
He isn't able to even call out, due to the gag in his mouth.
A blow lands at the back of his head...
~~~
He stands up, the ugly brown thing in his hands. Donning the robe, he walks to the door.
I hope they're not paying attention...
Pushing on it lightly, he checks for the guards. He doesn’t see any.
Good, maybe they're having an orgy with each other or something.
Studying the door more closely, he notices that even though the door is sturdy, it is made badly. The stranger walks over to the hinges and quickly takes them apart. Hm. He's able to dismantle them. He doesn't remember or know why he knows.
The stranger pulls on the wood around the opening in the door, and it begins to slowly come towards him… He realizes almost too late that he is far too weak to catch it. Just barely jumping out of the way, he watches the door slam into the ground, a loud sound echoing into the hall.
I could have died... how the hell am I so pathetically weak? Was I always weak? His heart beats so fast, it feels like his ribcage is going to break. I need to be more careful next time...
Motes of dust float into the stuffy air.
After what feels like an eternity, but in reality is closer to three minutes, the stranger peeks around the corner.
Empty!
The hall is empty.
The stranger slowly steps out of the room… and trips on the door at the last moment, falling flat on his face. Feeling a prick in his palm, he picks up a random bone knife.
It looks like something more ceremonial than useful, but he gladly takes it just the same.
Beggars can't be choosers... isn't that the saying? Or maybe it has something to do with bread... At least I can stab them with this.
Congratulations, stupid human! You’ve discovered a quest!Don’t look so shocked! It was bound to happen sometime. Oh, by the way… you’re supposed to investigate the disappearance of the sand wolves. Bet you didn’t know that’s what they called themselves, eh?Normally there’d be like, rewards and stuff, but I’ll just say… it’s a secret! And there are heavy penalties!You can not refuse this quest.
The random window appears in front of him, causing him to almost have a heart attack. ...? The stranger stares at the table for a long time, longer than he had waited after the door fell. Who knows how long his jaw hung open, or how long he sat in that half crouched half standing pose of someone interrupted in the middle of his actions.
“What the fuck…”
What the fuck...
Just as the words leave the stranger’s mouth, another box appears before him -
For contemplating an imaginary box that no one can see, the Gods have decided that you are an idiot.Congratulations! Your wisdom has decreased by 2!
He tries to grab the floating box, but it randomly disappears, revealing the empty corridor and a cracked door at the end of the hall.
Snapping out of what he thinks of as hallucinations, he tries to get to the door stealthily, to not alert the guards. (It’s definitely not stealthy at all.) Arriving at the door, he sees paint smeared on the floor; Kneeling down, he dips his finger into it. It’s warm.
The smear on the floor resembles something some sort of smiley face.
A warm smiley face.
What is this, arts and crafts?
Creeping silently, he shuts out thoughts of what the paint may be, and while clutching the small knife tightly, he slowly creeps through the door, up the stairs. The climb this time is uneventful, and definitely not as interesting as the last time.
Can't even follow the bouncing ass this time...
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
At the top of the stairs, he peeks into the room, and observes this room is empty as well. Stepping forward not so lightly, he nearly stubs his toe on a helmet that his captors wore.
He picks it up, noticing that while it is hard and sturdy, it is also strangely soft and warm, and feels like it has a life of its own.
Wonder what these guy's looked like underneath this mask...
He makes a decision to make a right this time, since the guards chose the other direction when he was with the procession earlier.
Following the hall to its completion, he leaves the large building, and enters the burning village.
Thick coils of smoke waft up into the sky.
I guess I... won't get to stab them.
Fires rage around the building, eating the structures that existed in this small town. Residents and charcoaled bodies are pinned with long spears to the burning buildings, their faces very human masks of terror.
*clang* It was then that he hears the loud clash of metal. *cling*
Running to the source, but mostly out of the necessity of finding a way out of the flames, he sees a scene of the chieftain woman fighting with everything she has against a man in a blue suit.
He quickly hides behind a pile of rubble. He is mesmerized.
The sword swings impossibly fast, and is met with a small, thin stick at every turn.
Steel screams against steel.
She kicks, he simply moves. She cuts the moon, he simply taps her sword into the ground.
Her braids dance, her sword draws art, she radiates power. As for the man in the suit… he checks his watch. He looks bored.
The fight ends in mere moments; The man’s silver rod touches the woman’s neck, her muscles tense, her stance broken. She freezes, then collapses as the rod leaves her neck.
The man with the suit walks over, using the rod like a cane, and deftly picks up the giant sword. The man studies the sword.
“This is…”
The man in the suit chuckles, leaving the town through a giant hole in the fence, the sword resting on his shoulder.
A giant spaceship lifts from the ground, and exits into the sky.
The stranger steps out from behind the pile of stone, and it slowly dawns on him that he never caught the man’s face. Racking his brain over what the man looked like, he walks over to the woman’s body. Removing her mask, he notices that she is both old and definitely dead.
She looked way better earlier... Was it that guy?
He stands, looks back on the burning village, then exits through the hole in the fence.
~~~
Hours later, he is back to walking the sand, following the curve of the ocean. A bit disturbed by the events that happened in the village, he hasn’t realized he is wearing the braided mask, nor that he tossed the wolf helmet into the ocean. He simply stumbles along, his hand tightening and clenching the ceremonial dagger, his feet digging into sand and water.
Quest Complete!You saw what happened to the tribe, completing the quest! Hey, bet you didn’t know that aliens existed? Did ya? Did ya?As part of the agreement, I’m supposed to give you a reward….
So here’s a lollipop! Enjoy!
The stranger jumps back immediately, startled by the sudden window in front of him. Reaching his shaky hand to touch the box, he watches a lollipop drop into the sea, and his eyes follow it as it floats away.
Just kidding! As a reward, you are now able to access your very own status window! Just think, you can actually like… progress, and stuff.Just shout, ‘Open Status’ at the top of your lungs! *snicker*
The stranger ignores the new window, and begins walking again.
I’m hallucinating. They drugged me with something, beat me, and I’m still sleeping. This all didn’t happen. I just don’t know why I won’t wake up.
The status window flashes annoyingly in front of him. He still ignores it.
What the hell, is this like, some kind of game or something? He stops dead in his tracks. If I’m in a game, I wonder… Can I log out?
The window in front of him disappears. He glances at the sky, and instead of shouting, mumbles the words ‘Open Status’.
StrangerLevel: 1Notoriety: 0The FoolStrength: 1Agility: 1Vitality: 20Intelligence: 11Wisdom: 9???: 6A man trapped in a game, this person doesn’t even know who he is. So, we won’t tell him.Skills are currently non viewable.Inventory is currently non viewable.
After reading over the screen, the stranger feels even more depressed. His stats just feel… low.
But he still has hope, and he wills the window closed. It closes.
Please, please please please...
He excitedly whispers the magic words... ‘Log Out’.
~~~ 10 minutes later ~~~
A slight breeze gently nudges his loose robe.
A lazy cloud gazes down on the stranger, its blue puffiness almost like a knowing smile.
The ocean laps at his feet.
A silence fills the air...
Sorry! You’re unable to log out. Why not enjoy the game?