Cash reflexively covered his eyes with his arm, trying to block the burning light from searing into them. He felt like he was on one of his binges and was walking outside for the first time in several days. After what felt like a few minutes had passed, the light stopped burning his eyes. Cash slowly opened them and gasped in surprise.
"Where the hell am I?"
Cash found himself in the center of a brightly lit cavern with huge colorful mushrooms surrounding him. The mushrooms were gigantic, everywhere he looked he saw a variety of colors ranging from neon yellow to a soft radiant blue. The stalks stretched like palm trees and were a pale, almost bone-white color, while the mushrooms caps were shaped like a wide brimmed hat. Some mushrooms were shaped like the normal ones he had seen all his life but there was no limit to their scale here. They were either massive or tiny. While staring at the huge mushrooms, Cash could feel a tug on his mind, a feeling like he was missing something that he couldn't quite place. Dismissing the thought, Cash looked down and saw that even the floor of the cavern was covered in a soft glowing green and blue moss with low shrubbery that seemed to bear strangely shaped fruit. The humidity in the air was thick and it felt like Cash was sucking down liquid air. His eyes widened as he turned them up to the ceiling to see the majority of it covered by what looked like an opaque crystal growing from the center of the cavern roof. Through the crystal he could see the surface above his cave. It was covered in blue flickering flame.
Before he could focus on that further, he felt something tap against his leg. He looked down, noticing that he was wearing the same clothes as before and realized that his trash wooden club he was given was shoved under his belt where a sword would usually be placed. Cash quickly removed the club and hefted it in his hand. The club was about a foot and a half in length and maybe three inches wide. It had several cracks running through it and gave off the feeling it wouldn't last more than a few hits. It was more of a baton that was on its last legs rather than the cudgel he was expecting. Done inspecting his club, Cash refocused on his surroundings. While this new place he'd found himself in was mesmerizing and he could barely contain his desire to explore, he couldn't be sure of his safety yet. Cash was about to pick a direction and start walking when he heard a whining noise from somewhere close by. His head whipped up towards the direction he thought the sound was coming from. He recognized that whine.
"Opie! I'm coming!"
The whines turned into yips and short barks as Cash assumed Opie had heard his voice. Cash took off in a sprint in the direction of the sounds.
Cash's feet were slipping on the slick moss, and he was breathing hard from the thick humidity. He heard Opie bark once more as he maneuvered around a particular thick mushroom stalk and entered a clearing in the grove of stalks. In the center was his dog, Opie, being slowly pursued by three of the largest ants Cash had ever seen. The ants were larger than Opie himself, at about three feet tall and around five feet long with huge mandibles that extended from their heads. Cash felt that tug on his mind again while he took in the horror of the giant insects. He refocused on his companion; Opie was moving backwards, trying to keep his distance from the encroaching over-sized ants when one of the ants on the right darted in to bite him. Opie snarled and evaded to the side before shooting forward and latching onto the offending ant's antennae. The ant let out an extremely loud screech and began to shake its head to throw Opie off. Opie's entire body was lifted into the air with his jaw firmly clamped down on the appendage. Cash saw all of this happening within a second and started racing ahead before he'd even processed what he was doing.
"Get the fuck away from him!" Cash roared.
As Cash neared the fight, the other ants were repositioning from the sides to pincer Opie while he was latched onto the first ant. Opie seemed to realize he was about to get attacked from multiple sides at once and started viciously shaking his head. The ant screeched miserably and finally, with a wet sucking sound, Opie ripped the antennae from the ant's head. The ant reared up in pain, raising its head and letting out another ear-splitting shriek. Opie took the opportunity he'd created and dashed underneath the thorax of the injured ant with the antennae still in his jaws. Cash reached the fight as Opie slipped out from underneath the ant on the side closest to him. Cash was relieved that Opie was in a safer position and glad that he seemed unhurt, but his anger was overwhelming. They thought they had found an easy target, didn't they?
Stepping forward, Cash raised the club over his head with both hands and used every fiber of his new strength to slam it down onto the butt of the screaming ant in front of him. The club slammed into the ant with such force that the exoskeleton shattered under the blow. Cash felt like he was a spectator in his own body watching a slow machine video of someone in one of those rage rooms where people pay to break household items. Cracked chitin pieces flew everywhere with the speed of a bomb going off. Green blood shot into the air around the club and the gaping hole. The ant let loose a pain filled screech before turning around with surprising speed. It lunged at Cash with its mandibles opened wide.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Cash was ready for it. He was already starting his follow-up swing from low to high before the ant counterattacked. He adjusted mid-swing and aimed to knock the head to the side. His strike connected and was successful in pushing the attack to the side but had lost some of its force due to the adjustment, now he had to act quick before the ant attacked again. Before he could wind up for his next swing, Opie darted between his legs and jumped up and bit into the petiole of the ant, the part that connects the head to the body. His teeth made a loud crunch as it pierced the exoskeleton, and Cash could see green blood spilling out of his best friend's mouth. As soon his teeth pierced that part of the ant, it seized up and collapsed to the ground.
Before Cash could join in on the beatdown again, the other ants had repositioned themselves to be able to strike Cash while he was unaware. He was too focused on killing the ant that was trying to hurt Opie that he lost track of the position of the other ants. He realized his mistake as he felt a pair of sharp, saw-like mandibles close around his thigh from the side. Cash screamed in pain before turning to his right to see the ant that had bitten him. The remaining ant was about to lunge and attack from Cash's other side right when he saw Opie jump onto it's back and start ripping into it. The mandibles were still closed around his leg as Cash screamed in rage and began to slam his club into the ant's head. On his first strike the carapace on the head cracked. Every strike afterward green blood began to ooze out as the wound grew in size. After the fourth strike the ant fell to the ground and released its hold on Cash's thigh. Cash fell to the ground screaming in pain as bright red blood began to spurt out of his wound. He remembered his training for treating a wound while in the military and knew that he had to get pressure on the wound and stop the flow of blood or he'd bleed out soon. He quickly removed his belt and wrapped it above the wound.
"Argh, Fuck!"
He screamed in pain again as he cinched the belt. He nearly passed out from the agony but refused to black out because he knew Opie was still in danger. Cash grabbed his club with one hand and rolled over to get eyes on the fight between his best friend and the human sized ant. The ant had several cracked and bleeding wounds across its body and had just bucked Opie off right before Cash turned to look. The two were now facing off. The ant made a sudden burst towards Opie; he wasn't ready for it and tried to jump out of the way. He nearly made it, but the ant caught Opie around his back legs and threw him off to the side. Opie let a loud yelp as he flew ten yards away and hit the ground hard. He didn't get up again.
"You motherfucker!" Cash roared.
Cash pushed himself up onto his feet and stumbled towards the last ant. Cash approached the ant from its side as it continued its march towards the downed Opie. The ant was covered in wounds already from Opie's assault. Cash could see claw marks and oozing green bite marks along the top of the ant, across it's back and head. It was struggling to walk but was determined to finish Opie off. Cash refused to let that happen. He used the last of his strength to take a running jump onto the back of the ant. The ant screeched and started to rear up onto its back legs. Cash fumbled to get a solid hold as the ant began lifting up but quickly managed to wrap his legs around it. He raised his club high once more and slammed it once, twice, three times in the head before the ant's body collapsed and started to twitch. He slammed one final time before the twitching stopped and he rolled off.
"Opie! Hang on!"
Cash could barely walk as he limped over to where Opie was still unmoving. He barely noticed the blinking yellow icon in the corner of his vision as he fell next to Opie's body. Opie was breathing rapidly, his tongue lolling, whining in pain with blood leaking out of his mouth. His two back legs were clearly broken with one of the bones poking out of the fur. Cash started to cry as he took in the sight of his best friend. He knew that there was no way to get him to a veterinarian and get him the surgery he needed to survive his wounds. Cash pressed his forehead to Opie's head, crying as he said, "It's okay buddy. I'm here. You're my boy." Cash noticed the blinking icon in his vision was getting more annoying. He collapsed next to Opie as his vision started to blur. Cash knew he was bleeding out. At least he'd die with his best friend.
"This damn notification refuses to let me die in peace."
Cash focused on the notification again as his eyes started to close for the last time. He couldn't see anything anymore but the words from the notification forced its way into his vision.
YOU'VE KILLED
100 XP GAINED
YOU'VE KILLED
100 XP GAINED
LEVEL UP!
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU'RE NOW LEVEL 1!