Waking up with a startle feeling disoriented and sick to my stomach.

'What did I do last night?' “Uuugggghhh.” While groaning in discomfort I realized that this wasn't my apartment. I was lying on grass in a giant forest where the trees reminded me of the redwoods, but even that seemed wrong the bushes and flora seemed bigger and distinctly different from what I remember ever seeing.

And while the discomfort and nausea was subsiding, panic was building up.

'Where the fuck am I?'

Before I could get oriented and come to terms with my situation I heard a primal roar. The sound was unlike anything I ever heard, it shook me to my core made me feel like a helpless little insect waiting for death.

There was a rustle from the gargantuan bushes in the roars direction and without thinking I ran at full force in the other direction. With my panic riddled mind I didn’t notice the roots and rocks under my feet and face-planted right into a pile of mud. Not minding the scraped elbows and the sting I felt in my left leg I turned my head around while trying to get up from the ground.

My body deflated, it was just a fucking bunny rabbit that came from there, probably scared by the same roar as me. Before I could sigh a breath of relief a weird-looking mangy bipedal dog with long clawed arms jumped right on the rabbit, that I just now realized was several times bigger than any rabbit I have ever seen.

While scrambling to rise up the beast growled at me.

'Shit shit shit, eeehh slowly walk back. Don’t turn your back to a predator, don't startle him with any sudden movements, let him enjoy his meal.'

Thinking about all the wildlife tips I could think of I slowly walked backwards while looking at the ground in front of the beast, some animals saw eye contact as a challenge. So I as sure hell wasn't going to risk it. It was staring at me with cold ruthless eyes. But luckily a meal at hand seemed to be more enticing than an unknown entity like me who was slowly backing away, it kept growling in front of its prey before I passed a tree which I could hide behind and slowly make my way away from this god forsaken place. I could hear it drag its prize the way it came from, and with a quick glance around the corner I saw the clearing was empty. But I sure as hell wasn't going back that way, the roar, the bipedal creepy dog thing came from that direction. So it was a clear sign for me to find somewhere else.

'But where should I go? What is this crazy place'

While a new wave of panic was building up, after the adrenaline from the whole ordeal was winding down. I was brutally reminded that I was in some unknown giant forest with big ass rabbits and creatures straight from a fantasy novel. I had my clothes on me, but nothing in my pockets. My smartphone, keys and wallet was gone. I had mud and dirt on my face and upper body, my left leg hurt but it wasn’t anything serious just a bruise on my ankle.

‘Where the hell am I? How did I get here? Last thing I remember was going home like always and?’

My head started to hurt from focusing on my last memories, things were hazy in my head, obvious gaps that I couldn’t quit put my finger on.

All I knew was that I was royally fucked.

“Ok first thing first” I said to calm down.

‘I need to find someplace safe. I have no food or water, and I'm sure as hell not going to survive if I meet whatever made that roar. And my best bet is to get the fuck away from this forest. I need to find people or civilization. I don’t know how to survive in a freaking forest. I barely know how to start a fire, and that's only from all those survival shows I've seen....’

Not getting any brilliant ideas I did the only thing I could and slowly made my way ahead. Looking for any signs of paths, trails or water. As I knew those were my best bets to find people.

‘If there are other people here... No don't go there, stay calm, don't panic, it wont help you anyway.’

While trying to keep a level head and actually stay focused on the task needed to be done I couldn’t help but feel more and more distressed about the situation I found myself in.

‘I know I fantasized about a more exciting life and all that, but those were only thoughts of fancy. I'm not made for real hardship or adventure.’

For gods sake I haven't even been in a serious fight or ever gotten food for myself outside the supermarket. Except for the few camping trips with school and my family when I was younger I never slept in the wilderness, and never without a tent and sleeping bag readily available. With other people and absolute safety and security as a given. This was a whole other beast. And the situation was sinking in for every step I took in this ancient forest.

While getting lost in my head, bumbling through the forest snapping branches and pushing the foliage away from my path I was suddenly jumped by an ugly wort-faced green midget with a chubby stomach and a huge nose. Those beady little eyes were staring ferociously at me, while he tried to claw my face with his long black nails. I manged to stumble backwards raising my hands, getting a gash along my chin before falling out of his range. He jumped quickly on top of me clawing and trying to bite me with his yellow crooked teeth, but my winter jacket was able to stop his nails from digging into my flesh. Yet he got a solid bite on my forearm that I tried to block his face with.

“Aaaaah!”

The pain and rage from being bitten by this vile creature made me lose my panic and inhibition and I was able to kick him off me before I stomped his head in.

I was panting and breathing heavily while I looked on the grisly sight of my work. His head was caved in and some brain-matter was seeping out of the cracks. I had put my full weight behind those stomps, with my sturdy winter boots this tiny feral midget who probably weight less than half of me had no chance. And when the shock of the ordeal was over I promptly emptied my stomach.

This was the first time I have personally killed a creature. And the worst part was that it looked vaguely human in a grotesque kind of way. I could also feel the pain and blood flowing from my right forearm that he bit. Those teeth and the whole creature looked dirty and feral. Would I get infected from that bite?

I was sweating from the exertion and heat that built up from me being overdressed for the warm climate. The clothes had helped me mitigate some of the damage the vile creature I started to call goblins tried to do to me.

But with the combination of dirt, puke and blood on my face plus the sweat blood and dirt on my clothes made me realize I needed to find water, both for sustenance and to clean myself and my wounds. I could manage without food for a while, but in this heat after I had emptied my stomach I really needed something to drink if I was going to survive past this day and hopefully even more.

I also realized my mistake with my careless wandering while my head was focused on everything else but my surrounding and immediate survival. I have heard and seen dangerous animals, I was stuck in an unknown place. First priority was to silently try to find clean water and or people who could help me.

After taking a deep breath and zipping down my clothes I continued my journey, I didn’t have the stomach to properly check the goblin out. The smell didn't help, everything about it was just disgusting and wrong. I clearly saw he didn't have anything on him as it was naked, and I wasn't desperate enough to try to eat something that looked so vile and human at the same time either.

While putting pressure on my wound I quickly left the premise, scared that the sound and smell from the ordeal would draw more creatures there.

I made sure to step around the twigs on the ground and generally make as little sound as I could while focusing on the surrounding, listening and looking for signs of any danger or water that I could find was my main objective right now.

Trudging through the forest I constantly heard alien sounds around me, birds I never heard before. Rustling in the leaves and insects the size of my fist. This environment keept piling on the pressure and dampening my spirit.

My head hurts I'm sweating and dehydrated from the trek plus the ordeal earlier. My nerves are frayed from the stress and anxiety from this whole experience. Paranoia becomes worse for every unknown sound I hear or whenever a bush rattles.

I have seen cat sized squirrels jumping around the branches, ants the size of hamsters. Gave them a wide berth when they had a kongo line towards a dead carcass from an animal I couldn't identify, with how little was left of it.

All I knew was that I wanted to go home and forget this whole experience, before something real threatening came out and ended me. And I have only been walking for maybe a few hours, and that's being generous. Since every time I hear or see something moving time almost stop for me.

With nothing to actually track time with I'm again reminded how deep out of waters I am with this whole survival thing.

I was getting really thirsty and hungry the bleeding had stopped a while ago, but I was getting more dizzy by the minute. The sun was setting in the distance, dusk was quickly coming to the forest, and I still haven’t found any signs of water or any proper paths. I was following an animal trail, at-least I thought it was since it was periodically going under logs or through bushes that most humans would have went around or cleared if anyone was using this path regularly. But what do I know the city slicker, maybe here the locals had to be extra careful and not make such obvious signs of their presence.

While I started to lose some of my focus and tension by traveling for so long without being attack or spotting anything crazy, I was getting tired and worried instead if I ever would leave this forest. It was getting late and the last thing I wanted was to get stuck in the forest at night. My thirst and hunger had to take a rain-check for later as safety and somewhere I could rest would be my top priority. Remembering some survival show I have seen I decided to make a burrow out of twigs and covering it with a shit ton of leaves and splatter some mud or moss on top. Depending on what I could find. Grabbing a sharp rock that I could use as a primitive hatchet I went around chopping of branches from bushes while looking for a small tree I could bend and use as foundation for my shelter. It only needed to be big enough for me to lie in.

Losing myself to the task at hand I put my full attention completing my shelter as fast as possible.

Hearing a rustle from the bushes behind me I quickly turn around to see a slew of goblins jumping out to my clearing and charging towards me.

‘Fuck, I forgot how much noise I was making’

This creatures obviously had good hearing with their long comical ears, but there was nothing funny about this situation.

I had no choice but to run for my dear life, there was no way I was winning a fight versus the five goblins I saw. Breaking through the bushes and zipping between the trees I had run faster than I ever had in my whole life, but my endurance was severely lacking from an office job, and the exertion from this whole day was pilling on me.

“Aaaaaaaaah, SOME ONE PLEASE HELP!”

Yelling in frustration and desperation from this situation I was on the verge of tears while holding on a sliver of hope.

Which was promptly destroyed when a humongous bear raked me across my back. I was smashed face first against a tree. My back aching and head dizzy from the impact I turned around to see the bear ripping the goblins who were hot on my heel to shreds, the few on the front were instantly killed while the ones in the back ran away in panic. Unfortunately the bear seemed happy with his catch of three goblins and me as he didn't chase those few that ran. I was completely spent, my body wouldn't move even if I tried, but at this point I already gave up. Looking at the bear it was at-least three meters tall while walking on all four, he was like every other animal in this forest a supersized version of those we had back on earth.

Tears were now streaming from my eyes.

‘So this is it?’

At that moment I heard the bush to my right rustled and I saw a massive knight charge past me and promptly clashing with the bear. He was a lot bigger than me but still looked small compared to the bear, he manged to block the bears swipe with his shield and instantly counter with his saber on the side of the bears face. I could see a smaller black silhouette zip behind the bear and stab something into the bears nape. It all happened so fast it was just a blurt in my eyes, yet the monstrous bear was already dead.

“I'm saved?”

I whispered before a coughing fit took me, I could feel my entire body was broken down.

My nose broke when I smashed against the tree, my back was bleeding and I had a dull ache over my entire body. It felt like I broke several bones and top it of with the dirt and blood from earlier I looked like a complete mess.

With tears in my eyes and the hit to the head made everything spin and look hazy. Yet the biggest shock of today came when the knight turned around and took of her helmet, yes her. With a feminine and melodious voice that contained the slightest hint of alto she said something in a language I never heard before.

I couldn’t understand anything that was going on, but the biggest shock came from her face that was so incongruous with her voice. It was really square with a prominent chin, a big semi flat nose, slightly protruding forehead with borderline beady eyes. If she didn’t speak I would never had guessed this was a woman. She smiled at me and I noticed her long ears and tan skin with a purple tinge. And everything turned dark.