I reincarnated in game

4 The Quest Begins

The sun was bright as it crested over the peaks of the mountain range in the Punished Land.  The terrain before him was a wasteland of dry, hard, and cracked earth, with dead trees scattered over the plains.  Hugh surveyed the landscape before him.  The scenery appeared familiar; he had explored these grounds many times while playing Ether Sword; he never imagined that he would walk here, on his own two feet.

As Hugh walked along, he could see a faint path that led into the foothills of the mountain and then appeared to split into three less traveled paths heading in different directions.  It was likely that all three paths would eventually lead him to the Flameborn, but he wanted to take the most direct route.  He searched his memory from his quests in Ether Sword and recalled that the path to the right was the one to take.

It was near evening when he started down the path he had chosen.  As he walked along, he had the eerie sensation that his every step was being watched by some unknown presence.   He was jarred by a feeling he couldn’t put into words.  It was as compelling as a beacon, flashing brightly in the midnight sky, and it was close by.  As he rounded the next corner, he saw a small grotto ... his attention was drawn to something he couldn’t see; just feel.  He walked in.

Hugh felt a pulse of energy as he touched the side of the chamber.  He continued to feel his way along the wall until he got to the pinnacle; where the energy was most intense.  The hair on his arms rose from being in such close proximity to some unknown force or forces within the wall.  A dark, purple and reddish bolt crackled, making him yank his hand away.  Energy jumped; a lightning bolt arced from the wall, though the air, to his hand; to his arm, and into his chest.  The concentration of magic elements was so high, they were quickly absorbed into Hugh’s body; he could feel it pulsing though his veins, like a live wire, making him aware of every fiber in his body and awakening the power of the Crystal blood in his body. 

At some point, he drifted off into some much needed sleep.

A few hours before dawn, Hugh awakened with a sense of urgency.  By the light of the full moon, he was able to make out the trail which led up the mountain so he quickly got on his way.  The path was very steep and bordered by a deep crevasse on the right.  At times, the ledge was so narrow that he had to hug the rocky wall behind him to avoid falling.   

He was physically exhausted and drenched with sweat by the time he reached a small plateau about half way up the mountain.  He heard the welcome sounds of a babbling brook and turned towards it.  He drank deeply, splashed the cold water over his face, and then sat down for a moment’s rest.  When he opened his eyes a few moments later, he could see the light of dawn reflecting on the mountain peak behind him.  It got a little brighter as the line of light moved slowly down the face of the mountain.  As the sky brightened to the east, all of a sudden, a concentrated beam of light shone through a narrow c***k between two cliffs on the opposite side of the valley.  He followed the path of the light with his eyes, to a point where it focused on the rocky wall behind him.  There, illuminated by the light of the rising sun, was an opening to a small cave. 

Hugh approached the entrance cautiously and stepped inside.  There was a light blue aura, created by the light that was being reflected off the crystal-lined walls of the cavern.  As his eyes adjusted to the ambient lighting, he noticed about a dozen small plants growing along the back wall.  He thought, “These must be the herbs the barkeep talked about!” 

Not wanting to deplete the patch, Hugh picked only a handful of the herbs, and carefully wrapped them in a strip of cloth, torn from his shirt.  He stuffed the package into his pant’s pocket and headed out with the intention of retracing his steps back down the mountain. 

Just at the point where the path led down from the plateau, the hair on Hugh’s neck stood up … he had the overwhelming sense that something was lurking in the shadows along the trail.   This was not something he had experienced during game play in the Punished Land of Ether Sword, however, he decided to follow his instinct, and find a different route back.  With that, he turned and followed a trail that he found on the other side of the plateau.

Initially, he felt good about the path he had chosen because it seemed a little easier than the one taken in the pre-dawn hours.  In spite of this, he still could not shake the feeling that he was being followed.  He continued along the trail, every sense alert, knowing the kind of creatures that he had encountered in his game play.

Around the next bend, he saw that his path led to the opening of a large cave.  On both sides of the trail, the mountainsides fell steeply; there were no other trail options available; he had to go into the cave.

As Hugh walked into the cavern, scratching could be heard echoing off the walls; he continued on.  Every so often, he would turn quickly to see if there was anything behind him; nothing would be there.  He moved with a purpose; the walls of the cave were closing in around him.  He could see well enough because of the occasional sunbeams which filtered through cracks in the rocky ceiling.

He turned once again; this time he saw what he sensed had been hunting him … it was a hideous beast; and now it stood in the middle of the path behind him. 

The monster’s skin was gray; huge eyes were deeply sunk in its skull; its thick tail swished menacingly from side to side.  Its legs were massive; lethal-looking claws protruded from each of its four fingers.  A mouth, filled with huge, razor-sharp, gnashing teeth, opened to reveal a long, slime-covered, tongue which moved back and forth in a snake-like fashion.

“Damn!  It is a Dire Beast!” Hugh exclaimed.  From Ether Sword, he knew that an animal could transform into a Dire Beast when it absorbed too much elemental magic.  The beast was easily capable of wiping out an entire army.

Hugh ran forward, deeper into the cave, knowing that he needed to find a way to escape; he was no match for this creature with his body in its current, weakened state.  He kept turning his head back to look at the abomination behind him.  The Dire Beast braced his back legs against the ground and leaped after Hugh.  With uncanny speed, hopping from side to side, the monstrosity overtook him and tackled from the left, knocking him to the ground.  Hugh had the wind knocked out of him and was unable to move.  The beast crept closer, reaching out with its tongue to lick the side of his face.  The little bit of hair on its body bristled as it savored the taste of his skin.  The beast reared back; then came down with the full force of its body behind him; its jaws open wide.

The dark, magical, energy which had awakened his Crystal blood, coursed through Hugh’s body, expanding outward from his chest, turning his skin into crystal.  The Dire Beast bit down hard on his outstretched arm, chomping at it with its jagged maw.   Its head thrashed back and forth, violently shaking him, as it tried to rip him to pieces; its intent seemed to be to devour his victim while he was still alive. 

Suddenly, he was dropped to the ground.  Hugh, now, on his knees, braced himself for another attack.  The creature lowered its head and charged.  The dark energy within his Crystal blood surged from the core of Hugh’s body, along his outstretched arms.   When the animal bit down again, dark energy flowed out of Hugh; at the point of contact with the Dire Beast, the energy started transforming the beast into the crystal.  As he watched, he could see the transformation to crystal continue to envelop its body until the Dire Beast was fully petrified.  He knew that this was a one-time-only ability and that it was just a temporary enchantment; he planned to be out of harm’s way long before the spell wore off in a few hours.

After a short rest to catch his breath, Hugh squeezed himself through the narrow chamber then climbed out into the open.  His crystal skin glimmered momentarily in the sunlight, and then melted away; he was no longer in danger.

From his vantage point, this high up on the mountain, Hugh could see the massive expanse of the Third Level stretching far to the west.  In the distance, he could see the city of Sdel situated in the middle of the land; this would be his next destination.