I looked around quickly to find the source of the screech. I heard it again, but I couldn’t find where it was coming from, so I continued what I was doing. After securing my pack, I went back to the forest to try to find my knife. It was easy to find where I was initially struck by the Platypus Bear; I just went to its corpse and followed the trail of blood back. Once I got back to the spot, I didn’t even need my flashlight because I found my knife lying on the ground. I must have dropped it right when I got hit.

The snap of a small branch sounded a short distance into the woods. I took off at a run, unwilling in my current state to find out what it was. Just as I made it to the small pathway I had previously been walking on, I was struck hard on my side. Whatever hit me was massive, and I hit the packed dirt and slid a good ten yards off the path and into the pine needle covered ground. My face burned from sliding across the ground, and I received a mouthful of dirt and pine. Before I could even recover from the tackle- I was still lying face down in ground- a deep, gravelly howl bellowed out from behind me. This has to be the worst day ever!

I didn’t even want to get up and see what it was because, as I quickly thought about it, there were only two option; Bad and worse, wolf or werewolf. I wasn’t feeling too lucky either, so I just prepared for the worst and thanks to that, I wasn’t disappointed.

I rolled to the side so I could see without getting up, and low and behold, a goddamn werewolf. As I laid on the ground, it towered over me. Its head and foreface were pointed to the sky as it howled into the night. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie. A dark grey fur covered its body, from the wolf-like feet to the top of its pointy ears. The werewolf’s arms were half raised at its side displaying long, pointed black claws that put the Platypus Bear’s to shame. The only part of the monster that wasn’t covered in fur – at least as far as I could tell – was the parts covered in torn and dirty jeans. How the hell did a werewolf get out of here anyway? Forget it. Analyze.

Werewolf – J. Black

Level: ??

What do question marks mean?

Nothing popped up to answer my question, which was unfortunate. I was hoping that whatever happened and whatever these screens were could give me some type of inside information once I got around to looking at it. Although, the way this day was going, it seemed like I would never get to do that.

I moved my hand to get up and the werewolf’s head swung to me with a snarl. I didn’t bother to get up any further; I just reached behind me and whipped my machete out. I swung at its legs and it jumped back to avoid getting hit. I used that moment to get all the way off the ground while still keeping the pointy edge of my weapon at the mythological creature.

I heard a screech behind me and the werewolf lunged forward. I jumped to the side as it moved. A crash of two bodies met only inches from where I had been. I hit the ground and immediately spun around and into a fighting stance. Fighting and rolling around on the ground in a miasma of limbs and blood was the werewolf and a large grey creature with two sets of leathery wings protruding from its back. I focused on it and analyzed.

Nosferatu – Prince of Darkness

Level: ??

You have got to be shitting me. I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there as the werewolf and the vampire fought. Neither seemed to be gaining any advantage in the fight; Nosferatu was smaller, quicker and surprisingly a little bit stronger than the werewolf, but the werewolf just kept healing from any damage it sustained. The two monsters continued to fight, it began to take them away from my position, and I lost sight of them for a minute in the darkness and dense trees.

I sheathed my machete and started to run in the opposite direction. I wasn’t going to take a chance with either of these two creatures as I did with the Platypus Bear. I would also rather take my chances in the wild or at least the wild during the day. Based on the danger I had already experienced after the sun went down, I decided to try to find some shelter.

I only had to change my running trajectory a little to start heading up into the mountains. I was looking for any type of cave that I could stay in for the night. I lost track of time as I continued to run and search. The sky grew increasingly dark, the canopy of trees grew thicker and the ground steeper. Finally, I turned around a sharp angle of a ledge and found a cave that seemed deep enough to stay in. I didn’t take any chances though and immediately grabbed my flashlight and machete. I walked into the cave to make sure it was clear of any other creatures. The cave went about fifteen meters back, large enough for another animal to live there, but it didn’t have any side tunnels and there were no signs of other animals.

I walked back to the front and became confused as it seemed I was at the end of the cave again. I turned around and walked to what I thought was the back and the cave went deep into the mountain with no end in sight. Then, I was confronted with a screen that popped up in my face.

You entered the Hadaji dungeon.

Begin Quest:

Clear the dungeon, defeat the boss, and collect the rewards.

Good luck!

- Warning- Exiting the dungeon is not allowed until quest completion -

“DAMNIT!” I yelled and stomped my foot on the ground. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” Yelling didn’t help my situation, but it sure made me feel better.

My voice echoed off the rock walls and continued to reverberate into the darkness. I didn’t wait for it to stop, I quickly went back to the entrance and felt around to see if there was any chance of escape. I wasn’t going to trust whatever the hell was happening to the world. Unfortunately, it was no use and I couldn’t find anything. It was as if there hadn’t even been an entrance there. I turned off my flashlight and let the darkness creep around me. I was exhausted and I could feel it. I sat down on the ground and leaned my back against the rocky wall, wiggling it around until I found and semi-comfortable spot.

Everything I had seen so far reminded me of a mix between a fantasy novel and a video game, and if I tucked that knowledge away inside a box in my head, I could deal with it. I had read novels where the protagonist was transported to another world, but it didn’t seem like that had happened. There were some familiar elements of the previous world mixed in, such as the landscape or even my footprints in the dirt. What was up with the monsters? Some of them were straight out of earth legends and even television shows. It was like realities merged, but that would just be ridiculous. It was pointless thinking about how this happened; I would just have to make it through this dungeon and then get back to the car and my phone.

I decided to look through these screens while I had a moment to myself. Hopefully, this dungeon would be a little like the video games I’ve played and I should be generally safe right by the entrance. I swear this world has it out for me because just as I opened the screen up, I could hear the sound of something slithering across the dirt floor. It didn’t really matter anyway because I couldn’t see my screen. Apparently, there needed to be some semblance of light to see, and I was sitting in a dark cave without access to any. This fact made me seriously consider what type of creature was currently slithering toward me.

I flipped on my flashlight and immediately wished I hadn’t. What came toward me was a nightmare fueled Nope Rope of the highest magnitude. It was pale white from living without sun, but neon orange pinstripes were running down the length of its body. It had a black, forked tongue that was abnormally large and constantly flicking around to scan the area. Where its eyes should have been were two squiggly antennae, which constantly moved like its black tongue. Unlike a normal snake that slithered with its muscles, this abomination was covered is a viscous sheen and left a slimy trail were it went. I shuddered with revulsion as it slowly moved toward me, unperturbed by the light. I didn’t really want to know, but I analyzed it to find out what I was dealing with and how strong it was.

Baby Cave Wyrm

Level 3

I could deal with that. I didn’t know what level I was because this creature showed up right when I was checking, but based on my energy spikes, I should be at least this level. I was glad to finally have a monster that was comparable to my level, although the baby part was worrisome. I dismissed the screen and grabbed my machete. Just as I reached my pack and prepared to unsheathe it, I could see more shapes moving at the edges of the light.

They slithered out of dark holes and into the light. Some dropped from the ceiling and others protruded from the sidewalls like gooey anemones that wriggled around aimlessly. After flapping momentarily, they flopped out of the wall and plopped to the ground with a wet squelch, then moved toward me.

I quickly lobbed off the head of the first wyrm I saw. The front half of its body had been sticking up as it scanned the air with its tongue and eyeball antennas. I killed two more in a similar fashion and then as I spun to strike one that was grotesquely wriggling out of a hole, I slipped on the thick slime they all left behind. Even with the rough souls of my combat boots that were made for traversing difficult terrain, my feet flew out from under me and my head struck the ground hard. A wyrm plopped on the ground right next to my head. It sensed my presence, turned to me and opened its mouth wide. I could see dozens of sharp teeth lining its mouth and dripping with a clear fluid. It lunged and I sat up just in time. Its mouth dug into the ground where my head had been. I swung my machete back and killed it instantly.

My light shined on another wyrm in front of me and it leaped directly at my face. I could read its movements and new it was going to attack there, but I only had time to drop my machete and grab it. My hands clasped the wyrm just behind its head, but the slime coating its body caused it to slide through my grasp. I dug my nails into it and it was only centimeters from my face before it stopped. The smell of rancid meat assaulted my nostrils as it snapped its mouth open and closed in a vain attempt to bite me. I dropped my flashlight to grasp it better, then crushed it under my boot. I almost slipped again as I stood, so I carefully grabbed my machete and flashlight before surveying the area. There were still more coming out of the walls and they made the area slippery, but they were weak and didn’t seem to know where I was unless I was close.