Toni immediately scooped up the jars, tossing them into his sack bag with surprising speed. I watched, utterly baffled. How much stuff was inside that bag? And how did four giant eggs fit in with the gazillion other things already crammed into it? Was it like Doraemon's 4D pocket? There was no other explanation aside from 'magic,' just as Toni had claimed.
Then, Toni pulled out more wood and added it to the dying campfire. He retrieved some harpoon hookworm meat and began grilling it, filling the air with a thick, smoky haze. What was he doing? Was this some elaborate diversion?
Suddenly, three figures emerged from the shadows. Not people, but humanoids! The one in front was a tall, black-furred, wolf-faced creature—a gnoll, I immediately thought. It wore green samurai armor adorned with what looked like clover designs and held the handle of what I guessed was a katana at its left hip, with a wakizashi tucked beside it. Its silhouette shimmered, giving it a sick glow—a cool, almost menacing pride—as it strode closer. Whoa, my gamer heart was absolutely awestruck.
General Awareness:
Name: ???
Race: Gnoll
Job: Probably a samurai?
Title: ???
Weapon: Katana and wakizashi.
Another gnoll followed, smaller than the first, with a husky face. It wore dark blue robes and carried a staff topped with a fiery orb, illuminating their path like a torch.
General Awareness:
Name: ???
Race: Gnoll
Job: Probably a wizard/mage?
Title: ???
Weapon: Staff
The last one made me gasp—a goblin! My eyes widened in surprise. It stood about 3-4 feet tall, slim and golden-skinned, dressed in a brown studded leather outfit with blue outlines. It held a crossbow, which it pointed, scanning the surroundings as they advanced.
General Awareness:
Name: ???
Race: Goblin
Job: Probably a ranger/marksman/hunter?
Title: ???
Weapon: Crossbow
"Toni, we received your distress flare, but you don't seem to be... in distress," the black-furred gnoll rumbled in a deep, gurgling voice as he approached Toni.
"Hey, did you kill the colossal golem and that giant Boapede upstairs?" the second gnoll asked, her voice a breathy falsetto.
Before Toni could answer, the goblin squeaked, "Damn, I thought you were some kind of a wuss, but looks can be deceiving, as they say." His voice, deep and surprisingly robust, emerged from such a small package.
Toni laughed awkwardly, scratching his head. "Hey, Bloodtongue, guys." He nodded in their direction. "Care for some BBQ?"
General Awareness:
Name: ??? --> Bloodtongue
Race: Gnoll
"We don't have time for this; let's get the hell out of here before those monsters sniff our presence," Bloodtongue stated. He then stopped abruptly and sniffed the air, instantly shifting into a guard stance. He slightly unfastened his sword, pushing the tsuba with his thumb, and a chilling blue flame aura leaked upwards from the blade. "I can smell something or someone, but faintly," he said, his keen eyes sweeping around.
My heart pounded. Did he smell a Kiko-scented green odor, like in some cartoon where my unsanitary scent was being dragged by unseen air currents?
"I'm alone, Bloodtongue. I was stuck under some rubble when I sent you the flare, but I managed to get out eventually. Though, there are some hookworms moving underneath our feet—I can hear them." He lifted the barbecued hookworm. "You can have some; it's tasty." Then, he flashed his signature crooked smile.
Bloodtongue sheathed his sword. "I told you, Toni, call me BT, and give me that." He snatched the hookworm BBQ from Toni, maintaining his serious, dog-like expression, and took a hearty bite with gusto.
Toni then retrieved his drink from the ground and splashed it into the fire with a loud sizzle, creating even more smoke.
Then it hit me. Dogs have a keen sense of smell, and Toni was deliberately throwing off Bloodtongue from my scent. Aww, my bro is protecting me through and through, I thought, a strange warmth spreading through me.
"This will cost you an arm and a leg, you know that, right, Toni?" the goblin said, his deep, big voice from a small creature both disturbing and intimidating. "I was on vacation with my girl when I was called by Blood..."
BT shot a glare in the goblin's direction, stopping mid-bite.
"...by, by BT, to save your sorry ass. You better make it worth my time." The goblin finished, fixing his beret hat.
"Don't worry, Kruk, I've got something for you and the missus." Toni tossed his cup into his bag.
General Awareness:
Name: ??? --> Kruk
Race: Goblin
"Better be," Kruk said bitterly.
"Let's go then. I've been stuck here for days." Toni began to hoist his huge sack bag.
Bloodtongue took bite after bite, and within seconds, the BBQ vanished. "Wrinklenose, town portal, let's go!" he barked after swallowing a huge chunk.
Wrinklenose? That's a cute name, I thought to myself.
General Awareness:
Name: ??? --> Wrinklenose
"You got it, BT." The dark blue-robed gnoll conjured a magic diagram on the ground that grew rapidly, followed by a widening red circle.
A Heightened Awareness prompt popped up:
Spell: Group Town Portal
Definition: Transports everyone within the Area of Effect (AoE).
AoE: A red circle will indicate the area of effect.
Status: Channeling
The diagram and red circle rapidly widened, engulfing all of them as Wrinklenose muttered the spell. Then, with what sounded like a bright surge of light followed by a phaser sound, they were all sucked into the middle of the diagram and vanished.
Silence descended, broken only by the faint light from the candelabras, casting a soft orange/yellow hue on the ruins. The eerie familiarity and the ever-present loneliness washed over me once more. I was alone. It was the first time I'd truly been able to interact and speak with someone in this world, and he was genuinely nice, unlike the welcome party of killer critters that had greeted me. However, I always knew that, just like in the world I came from, everyone had their own journey, and I couldn't demand people to stay. It was back to surviving mode, but Toni had told me to meet him somewhere down south. Knowing that there might be a town sparked a fire inside me, bringing a smirk to my dusty face.
I stood up and stepped out of the shadows.
Item skill: Shadow: Off
I patted the dust off my pants as my form began to solidify from the item skill. Then, I checked my belongings. "All set," I mumbled. I took the scroll from inside my hoodie pocket, now limp on my shoulders. I removed the knot, and it sprung open, floating in front of me with a diagram slowly spinning on its surface.
General Awareness:
Scroll of Exit:
Definition: When used, brings the user back to the entrance of the dungeon.
Status: Active
I stood firm, feeling somewhat heroic under the faint light from the giant candelabras hanging on the walls. I reached out, grabbed the magic emanating from the scroll, and cranked it. The faint light burst, immediately sucking me into the spiraling void of the magic portal.