Flames burned hot, crumbling a fortress that had once dared to call itself proud. A dragon's rage was no small thing—where it passed, only pain and ruin followed.
Eyes crimson and ablaze in fury, the aging dragon scouted the scene, hoping to spot another that would let out a most horrified and comedic wail once they were doused by his flames.
Dead, ashen figures laid in numbers on the cobblestones. Humans, they were very feeble things, a mere puff snuffed out their very essence. His search bore fruit as a bright light called to him from his peripheral vision, and he turned his serpentine head to it, squinting at the lone figure clad in black robes, bodies burnt to crisps were about him. The man had survived his flames, that was a first in a very long time.
The great dragon crept forward, with the figure's lips moving with haste in hurried incantation, and a field of energy hung above him. Aleides was intrigued, what was this small man doing? What was the energy over him, and how did he withstand his fire?
The figure's voice went even higher, and his eyes were fixated on the dragon's. There was a thing about the figure's demeanor, and the cadence at which he recited the esoteric words scared Aleides. If you must now, it's not an easy thing to make a dragon afraid.
Sensing danger, the old dragon crept forward like a lizard, stomping, mouth ajar with a screech. The mage was unperturbed, even when the dragon raised its foot and swiped at him ending his life and cutting his incantation short.
'That's it?!'
The old dragon froze, staring at the mangled corpse. That had been quicker than expected, and he had sprang in a rush out of caution— that he could not let the strange man finish doing whatever it was, what he had not expected was that the man would die so easily.
"I suppose humans are feeble regardless of how much they could stir me. Disappointing!" His powerful voice echoed through the hellish place, met by nothing but the sounds of fire crackling.
Aleides watched the body burn, memories of his mother surfacing—memories of the stories of men who called on the elements and beyond, he did not want to believe that he had just slain one, that he had just slain a mage.
The mage was in the middle of a ritual, and Aleides smelt the strange thing that was magic, but he killed the mage before he could even complete it. Still, he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss.
******
It was a bright and sunny day, and no farmer afraid of a sunburn would be out, but not Ren Hanaki. The field needed tilling so that he could spread out more of his vegetables, they were doing so well under the abundant sunlight and the regular water he gave them.
One of his cows mooed, Molly, the farm's sweetheart and his favorite.
"Well, you can see me Molly, I'll come milk you later." He said with a rugged voice. Sweat beads doused his exposed arms, and his brown overalls were entirely drenched in sweat. He was striking the hard ground with his hoe when he stopped to take a breath.
Ren Hanaki was a man in his middle twenties, tall at about 6 foot and two inches, and the frequent manual labor maintaining a prosperous small farm required him to build up some muscle. He wore his black hair long and straight, and had clumps of soil in them.
Molly mooed again, "Jeez Molly, you're not the only cow there is." He turned to see her when he realized that a wall of blue faint light surrounded his farm.
He stood stupefied, and frozen, "So that's why you were mooing." He muttered, dazed by the strange occurrence, and the light just flickered, vanishing Ren and his farm away from Renegade town, away from Earth.
******
"What the fu…" The ground quaked, and Ren fell on his buttocks. It was night all of a sudden, and around him were trees. Where were the distant fields of corn? His neighbors?
"What was that about?" He cried louder than he had intended.
"What is happening? This is not my place." He turned to see Molly, and the other cows and pigs in the pen, all facing him. He could see his barn, and his humble house, heck, he stood on the soil he was tilling, hoe in hand. His growing vegetables were just right behind him.
Seeing his place and animals calmed him, but he was still confused. He walked to the pen patting one of his sheep to soothe himself. He observed casually, and again he could see trees that were not supposed to be there. Renegade had its noisy and loud people but at least it felt safe, that could not be said at that moment, something was not right, it was like there was something in the cold breeze that blew. He held his breath without knowing it, and clenched his fists.
"I need to get some sleep to clear my head."
Yes, he had been working and simply forgot the passing of time, that must have been what had happened, 'I didn't see any strange lights.'
He patted the cows on the head. Just the simple act tended to ease him up and make him feel better.
"Awwn, do more and the goddess of animals might develop a fondness for you." A cheery young voice broke Ren's quiet, he heard it like it was spoken right into his ears, not a whisper, not a mutter, but a loud cry to his ears. He turned frantically, but no one was there, only the trees. At this, he chuckled, "I must really be losing it. Sorry Molly, I must head to bed now."
"Bed? At this time? Oh you are a bum." The same bratty voice rang in his head, and again he was forced to turn. He stood still, gazing into the trees. It was the full moon tonight, and everywhere was illuminated well enough that Ren could see the animals in their pen. However, he could still not see anyone, not a person in sight, but those words, he had not imagined it.
His hand on the doorknob shook, he looked to his side to see the cows oblivious to his fear, they had already begun to lay asleep.
Suddenly, messages assailed him with a painful throbbing in the head, accompanied with something else, something indescribable.
[You have been summoned by a Mage, rejoice you'll be useful]
[You are bound.]
[The mage who summoned you has died a horrific death, you are now a free man once again.]
"Free man?" He mumbled under the pain.
"Maybe this will cheer you up." He heard the voice say again.
He was certain that he was not imagining things now nor was he hallucinating, something foreboding was to come.
He had this fearful sensation that he was being watched, like a predator had him within sight, and he slowly turned. He let down a big gulp at the sight, his breath taken away.
"Oh God."
Stomping on his vegetables, and approaching his abode was a large scaly creature moving on two legs, with jaws that could bite through his house. The legs in which it walked on were massive things, like tree trunks lodged underneath its torso, and by its chest were small, almost atrophied looking limbs. It strode forward confidently.
Ren's cows, pigs and sheep wailed at the sight, they were terrified, and so was Ren. It seemed like there was nothing to be done but await the jaws of the Tyrannosaurus.
"We are not monsters, we will give you a chance." As soon as he heard the bratty voice say again, another message popped into his mind.
[Opening act]
[Quest: Save your Alpha ram from getting fed on.]
The message hung in his mind, it was all he could think of in the seconds it appeared in his head. This was all real, the monster that approached, the unfamiliar scenery, and the voices in his head.
"Rani!" He cried out, breaking away from his frozen state.
Rani was his alpha ram, the only male of his sheep herd, and the breeder. The quest had been oddly specific about saving the ram, when it was certain that all of them were on the menu.
The messages that had only appeared in his mind some minutes ago suddenly materialized in a blue tab of light in front of him, with a new important detail.
[Congratulations, you get a lucky roll.]
By this side of the message, hung a dice icon. Ren did not know what to do, but he needed to act fast, the monster was just a few meters away from his panicked animals that, despite being horrified, remained in their pen.
He figured that this was his path to salvation, he could not leave his livestock to be ravaged. In the moment of frenzy and horror, he swiped his hand over the floating tab, and tapped the message.
The interface expanded to show a giant dice that spun, as if Ren had thrown it, and after a few turns, it landed on four.
[Lucky four!] The floating interface burst with the news, images of confetti hanging by its edges, and Ren could just visualize the sound of trumpets.
[Congratulations, you have received a rare treasure chest.]
[Open]
He said the word aloud.
[Body of Mion: This boost grants you the might of the God of Iron and steel for five minutes. Experience nigh invincibility for a few minutes.]
[Do you want to use this boost?]
"Yes."
Ren decided, if this was real, then he would protect his livehood, and if it wasn't, then he would just play along.
The giant monster of a creature stomped on the fence, and had a foot in the animal's abode when it felt a pull on its tail. It paused, and then turned. Ren had his arms tightly clapped around its tail.
It lowered its head to Ren that he could practically feel its breath on him. It roared, having saliva splattered on the man's body, and It swung its tail upwards, throwing Ren up, and just in the position of his agape jaws, and it closed them on Ren with a powerful snapping sound.
The dinosaur had eaten Ren.