It was as if the ground itself resisted me, with the weird tomato plants appearing under my feet the moment they tried to find purchase. I never ran over the tomato-patch before, and it felt like what I saw in the movies, where soldiers at basic training ran over tires, if the tires also shifted positions to trip them up.

I kept running, then half jumping between steps by the time I was halfway to basecamp. Then, after avoiding a couple more plants, just as my left foot was about to land I heard a pop from beneath me. I looked down, and next thing I knew I couldn’t find purchase for my feet. It felt as if the ground caught my foot mid-way to the ground and threw me off into the sky, like that one time I found a spider walking on my leg and did nothing but try to kick it away for a solid minute.

I landed on my back, my head bouncing back up and hitting the ground again. A loud gasp burst from my lungs, then a moan.

I opened my eyes and stared at the sky, or at least the cavern’s ceiling. I must have gone under when I landed. Pain pulsed at the back of my head. Slowly, as if swimming through muck, I reached and touched the source of the pain. 

My hand came back into view, bloody.

I lay there staring at my hand for a while, comfortable in staying still. Avoiding pain the only thing that mattered in the world.

The Dumdum!

I didn’t know how long I lay there, but I knew I had to get up. Now, before the Dumdum did.

Stumbling to my feet, I felt woozy and dropped down to all fours. Far from being a doctor, I knew I must have had a concussion.

Must keep moving.

I climbed back on my feet and trudged forward, putting all my effort into not falling.

Staring at the ground, the tomatoes stayed in place.

Move slow you must, if fast to move you want, I mimicked something resembling Yoda speak. The plants didn’t seem to care I was there as long as I walked slowly.

Focused on the ground, throwing one leg in front of the other, I soon came to a complete stop. I pulled my left leg forward, and let it fall back down. Standing before me, close enough for its horn to almost touch my nose, was the Dumdum.

I raised my eyes up over its thick legs, over its green-scaled torso, then its mouse-like tusks, and zeroed in on its eyes.

Staring at the Dumdum’s eyes I saw nothing I could focus on. When looking at another person, or even another mammal, I could always tell something about them. I always knew when to leave my dog alone, or when it wanted my attention. Looking at the Dumdum I might as well have been trying to read a fish.

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The movement of its tusks, constantly contracting and expanding, stood in direct contrast with the rest of it. Frozen, it stared at my eyes like a stone gargoyle, uncaring. A stone gargoyle with fish eyes.

My mind made of goo once more, I could think of no strategies, tactics, or even clear my head enough to panic. My body, however, knew what to do.

I found myself pointing my left foot back, and carefully transferring weight to it. Step by step, staring into those empty eye bowls, I walked back.

Ten paces later, the lightbulb hit.

Loot!

I needed to get the Dumdum some loot. My brain finally decided to kick into action, informing me of how much of a lost cause a coin would be. The Dumdum would just swallow it up.

I kept my eyes on the Dumdum’s and sank to my knees. I read somewhere that in dominance games between animals, staying tall mattered.

Nothing I could do about that now.

I waved my right hand over the ground in front of me, looking for a plant.

“Oww!”

Man, these things sting! But I have it now!

I traced the stem of the plant until I felt the tomato and cupped it in my hand. I knew pulling it away would be a frustrating endeavor without providing a counter, with my other hand holding the stem. I gulped.

Ever so carefully, I sent my left hand to take hold of the tomato, and my right to hold the stem. Keeping my eyes glued to the Dumdum’s, I pulled.

A dagger materialized just above the ground and fell with a soft thump.

The Dumdum shifted its eyes to the loot, but stayed frozen, except to then shift, looking back at me. Its tusks convulsed even faster.

I picked up the dagger and connected my hands into one fist. I shifted to my back foot in my best baseball impersonation and threw the dagger and tomato at the Dumdum. I missed by a couple of feet. I heard a pop. The Dumdum didn’t seem to mind, though, as it jumped for the dagger.

My eyes skipped to the dagger, and the tomato next to it. Both swallowed up, and a mere moment later a muffled explosion came from the Dumdum.

I started to run only to immediately fall to the ground, my heel tangled with a tomato plant.

“Stupid! Stupid!”

I picked myself up and at a crawl, continued toward the Dumdum, harvesting tomatoes and ignoring the coins falling to the ground. It seemed like the Labyrinth decided this was high time to troll me, as every for every couple of tomatoes rare loot fell to the ground. Firewood, a ring, a necklace, a sack, anything but the somewhat common dagger. I really wanted a dagger.

And then it happened. Without thought, armed with the dagger, I jumped at the Dumdum.

It lay on the ground, its mouth desiccated, open, and toothless. Its horn at its side, broken off from its forehead. Still alive, its chest expanded and collapsed as it tried to breathe. At least it no longer stared at me.

I hit it on the chest, point first, and the dagger bounced back. I wish I could say my stabs were strategic, but all I did was stab at random until finally, the dagger hit true, and penetrated to the hilt in the Dumdum’s stomach.

I scrambled back, sitting on the ground with my hands behind me, panting. I waited, and eventually, forever later, the Dumdum expired.

For slaying a Tuskosaurus (Lvl. 4) you have gained 120 experience points.

Congratulations! You have gained a level and are now level 2. You have gained three unallocated stat points.

Congratulations! You have learned the Skill Stab. Your skill has advanced to level 3.