A gentle breeze tickled my skin as I finally opened my eyes and took in the sky. I was so used to having my view blocked by foliage that I was surprised to see the blue canvas.
Although I was still lucid dreaming, where did my imagination take me now?
The solid blue screen didn’t allow me a chance to take in my surroundings until I acknowledged its content.
You have failed a quest!
Notice: Failing Quests will cause you to be forcibly transferred to a different world. It’s recommended you try to not let this happen as you will lose out on all your Active Quests, and any hidden secrets waiting to be discovered there.
Good luck in your adventures, Wanderer.
I’m certainly not complaining about the lack of dangerous forest monsters but what’s it going to take for me to have a normal dream. I’d honestly settle for a wet or dry dream at this point.
Now that my vision was free I could finally take in my surroundings. This time I woke up to a vast savannah that seemed like it’d never end. Large trees towered above the landscape and imposed large shadows that allowed someone to find reprieve from the sun.
I gave myself a quick pat-down and was relieved to find there was nothing wrong with my body, besides some mild discomfort from the heat. I needed to move into some shade. As I got myself off the ground, it occurred to me how tall the grass was here. I was already a tall person as it was, yet the grass came up to my shin.
My backpack and baseball bat were laying on the ground in front of me, so I got myself fully equipped before I headed out again.
The closest tree to me was a fair distance away, probably around 10 minutes of walking before I was blessed with some shade. I sat down and started consuming a bottle of water and some granola bars, as I just admired the scenery.
Oddly there were no animals near where I woke up, but as soon as I started traveling I started seeing the local wildlife. There was a group of pigs with large tusks protruding out of their mouths, and I swore I saw them being chased by something resembling a kangaroo. The biggest differences lied in its large serpentine head with some sort of plate on top and the lime green scales that covered its body.
Every step that monster took was filled with raw power as it quickly caught up to one of the slower pigs, and thrust its head forward like a battering ram. Instead of stopping to help their fallen brethren, the pigs continued to run away while the monster snacked on its meal. I’ve never seen anything like this on animal planet, nor been so close to such a violent display of natural selection.
As I turned away in disgust, another blue screen somehow snuck up into my view.
New Quest!
Survive an Encounter [I]
Reward: None
My dream wanted me to fight against that thing? Nope. Not happening.
Of course, I made sure the lizard creature had no intentions of making me a snack either, but it quickly followed after the rest of the pigs.
I was going to take it easy and wait it out this time. I can’t believe it took me so long to realize I was going about this whole situation completely wrong. This dream wouldn’t last forever so I sat around enjoyed the feeling of this peace.
So I waited.
And waited some more.
Eventually, I got bored.
It felt like I was sitting on the ground for hours yet despite my patience I didn’t wake up. The only thing I could do was admire the countless birds that flew past me into the horizon, which seemed like the only normal thing I’d see tonight.
Looking at this whole situation objectively, this dream honestly wasn’t that bad compared to my previous experiences. As long as I was careful and paid attention to my surroundings, I wouldn’t have to worry about encountering a monster and wake up in a sweaty mess.
Having made up my mind, I slid down the hill and started walking in a different direction than the serpentine kangaroo. I saw many trees filled with fruits that looked normal at first glance but were colored differently, and lakes filled with fish I’ve never seen before (not that I knew much about fish besides the ones that smiled back).
The heat was terrible but I continued to push myself forward, and I was rewarded for my persistence.
I spotted a large flock of white sheep traveling unbothered despite the weather, and they were being led by an actual person.
I couldn’t tell what the traveler looked like since I was facing their back, but this situation doesn’t look like a trap at all. I mean none of the sheep seemed like secret monsters to me, and maybe that person could be the key for me to wake up anyways.
“Excuse me!” They were a few miles ahead of me so I had to jog to catch up.
The closer I got the more my concern faded away as the calming noise of sheep entered my ears. I maneuvered my way through their extremely fluffy bodies and finally got into the middle of the circle with the man.
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“State your intentions boy.” A masculine voice stated threateningly.
I was sure I was too far when I tried to grab his attention since the man didn’t acknowledge me, yet he knew I was close enough to question me?
“Many have tried to come after my sheep, yet none have ever walked away alive.” The man spoke with an intensity that caused me to falter.
Did I make a mistake?
“I-I don’t mean any harm, sir. I was just looking for answers.”
The man and his flock stood still for a few moments before he turned around and graced me with his surprising visage.
His deep voice made it seem like he was a retired warrior turned shepherd that wasn’t looking for any trouble yet it constantly found him.
Instead, I was greeted with an elderly white man dressed in a simple brown robe that covered his hunched body. He was extremely short, probably 5 feet, and wielded a gnarled wooden staff that towered above him.
There was barely any hair on his head, only a few white strands that moved in opposite directions, and he was incredibly ugly. I’m not one for insulting people, but this was probably the ugliest man I’ve ever met in my life.
I got myself worked up for no reason, this was just a simple guy
“I may have what you seek, as long as you can help me with my troubles.”
“Sure. Sure. Whatever you need me to do, as long as I can wake up soon.”
New Quest!
Protect the Wandering King’s Sheep until they arrive back home!
20/20 Sheep Remaining.
Reward: Based on the amount of sheep saved.
Another blue screen suddenly appeared in front of my eyes and I was shocked that I finally qualified for a reward. This must mean I’m on the right track to waking up. I gave myself an internal fist pump while the elder started speaking.
“Long ago a great demon invaded my kingdom and brought great ruin with each step onto my soil. With one great breath, the demon scattered my people across the world. I was forced to set out and rescue my flock, wherever they wound up.”
For some reason this made me think of that story featuring three little pigs…
“It’s been decades since that tragic event, and I was able to gather my people through treacherous mountains, unsmiling deserts, and endless oceans to this savannah yet only one obstacle remains…”
“So what exactly do you want me to do?”
“If you could help escort my flock and I back to my kingdom, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely from the treasury.” He smiled at me with the few yellowed teeth left in his mouth, and I was far from reassured.
A howl grabbed the attention of the old man and me.
“Damn those Grass Wolves snuck upon us! Hurry and protect the sheep!” With a surprising amount of vigor, the older man moved outside the encirclement and warily watched the grass for any sign of movement.
“Did you say wol-”
“Quiet boy and cease your incessant yapping.” He rudely interrupted me yet didn’t take his eyes off the grass.
My question found its answer found itself answered, as the sheep moved behind me and made a distracting amount of noise.
I got into a batter’s pose and as I paid attention to the grass, I realized something was stalking closer to the sheep and I with every passing second.
“Get back you mangy mutt!” I smacked the bat on the ground threateningly and only received a growl in return.
I immediately regretted that as the wolf hiding in the grass pounced upon me. With only a split second to react, I ducked out of the way and let the wolf soar above me into the pack of sheep behind me.
As I turned around I was greeted with a red liquid dripping down the wolf’s mouth, which contrasted heavily with its coat. No wonder I couldn’t see the wolf until it was too late, it was completely green and its fur resembled the grass I trampled upon.
We both stared at each other for only a moment, before it ambled towards me and bared its fangs at me. It looked at me like I was no better than the sheep around us, just a fat piece of meat waiting to be taken.
It rushed me with both paws out-stretched and because it was much closer this time, I was unable to avoid its tackle and the full weight of the beast caused me to lose my breath as I was pushed onto the ground. The wolf snapped at my face and I barely managed to move my bat in the way, giving it a literal mouthful of freshly carved oak.
Like a rabid dog, it jerked its head back and forth and managed to twist my wrist causing me to wince in pain. Despite it all, I didn’t let go, as I knew letting go meant death.
I tried to tell myself this was just a dream and I’d only feel some minor discomfort when I woke up, but my heart continued to beat itself like a drum.
It didn’t take long for the monster to rip the bat out of my hands, and it proceeded to chomp at me. I closed my eyes and sacrificed my left arm so I could at least live a few minutes longer.
The first thing I heard was the sickening crunch as it broke the bones in my arm. Then all of the pain receptors on my arm activated at once, and it didn’t occur to me that I was yelling the entire time while I threw wild punches at the wolf’s face with my only good arm.
With every movement of its head, excruciating pain assaulted my body and I found myself losing focus.
“GET OFF ME!!” I continued to punch to no avail, the wolf was firmly locked onto my arm as its new chew toy.
I was going to die again.
“I SAID GET OFF!” I unleashed a roar of my own as I unconsciously activated my singular skill, forcing the wolf to loosen its grip and retreat.
There were no longer any thoughts in my head about protecting the sheep. The pain unleashed something in me…This was the law of the jungle, natural selection where only one of us could come out alive.
Prey against predator.
The wolf and I eyed each other for a few moments, as I attempted to project some false bravado that showed I was no longer prey.
It leaped at me again and suddenly an earthen spike erupted from the ground and pierced the wolf.
There was no chance for the wolf to so much as let out a whimper as the light faded out of its brown eyes.
I couldn’t even process what just happened with the wolf. I survived. I barely survived.
I fell onto my knees and cradled my arm while the adrenaline left my body leaving me with pure unadulterated pain in my arm.
It hurt so much. I could barely look at what happened to my arm without gagging. It was a complete mixture of bone and red everywhere. While all of my attention was focused on my mangled arm, the old man approached me and started speaking in an unfamiliar language.
A warm sensation took my attention away from the pain as it traveled towards my left arm and caused my arm to release a blinding light. The pain in my arm vanished and I opened my eyes to a miracle only seen in religious scriptures. There was no longer any traces of the large bite, and even my bones felt as good as new.
Cautiously I made a fist and found nothing wrong with my arm at all. I was truly healed.
The Wandering King offered me a hand and I grasped it firmly.
“Good work lad, you were a fine distraction.” He chuckled to himself but I just stared at him. Then it occurred to me that this was a dream.
The pain had me so immersed that I was reacting like this whole situation was real. I took a couple of deep breaths and forced myself to calm down, while a new message popped up on my screen.
You have completed a quest!
Survive an Encounter [I]
Reward: None
“A pity I lost another comrade to this perilous journey.” The old man grumbled and closed the eyes of the sheep that laid in front of him.
Before I could ask about his magic, I blinked and realized I was back in my room.