The three boys had been walking for a while, thankful that they hadn’t seen any more beasts. They had already fought two that day. Although they received awesome rewards after defeating the level one beasts, since they hadn’t been in the dimension for very long, they wanted to get established.
One of the most important things that they had to figure out was how to feed themselves and where they could sleep safely for the night. The only one who brought a packed lunch to school every day was Mike. That wasn’t enough to feed all three of them.
Up ahead, the thick trees were beginning to thin.
Mike pointed up ahead. "Is that a road?"
Drake and Chad looked in the direction Mike was pointing. Up ahead, a dirt road could be seen. It wound through the thinner parts of the trees in the direction of a large mountain. As they reached the road, they found that the huge mountain was shaped like the head of a massive dragon.
Mike gulped. "I really hope that is a mountain and not a dragon. Dragons are magical beasts, right? What if that’s a dragon?"
Drake studied the mountain for a second. Each curve and every crevice. It was pale red with light cream in areas. Dark shadows covered the base, where the tips of trees could be seen. "No, I think that’s just a mountain. It looks like solid rock." Drake stared a little longer at the large mountain, studying it. "I think we should head to it. Besides, why would a road lead to a dragon?"
Chad was staring at the large dragon head mountain, also. Hearing Drake’s comment, he frowned. "It could be going away from it instead," he offered. Looking down the road, going the opposite direction, and away from the dragon mountain, he tried to see any signs of where that direction would lead. All that was visible was the road going through the trees.
Mike was doing the same, looking in both directions, back and forth. "Which way are we going to go? We have a massive mountain that looks like a dragon in that direction," he said, pointing to it. "Or... at least the head of one. The rest could be behind it. OR we can head that way. Away from it," he said, pointing in the opposite direction. "You’re leading us, Drake. Which way do you want to go?"
Drake stared at his friend for a moment. "Why do you say that I’m leading? We’re kind of all stuck here together. We can all decide."
Chad shook his head. "No... No...This is like your game, right? Well. You said that when you set it up, you were the one who was the player, and we were your cohort. Even the beasts target you instead of us. I’m pretty sure that in this real-life game situation, we have to go by the game’s setup. I think we are meant to follow you." He looked over at Mike for confirmation before looking over at Drake. "I also think that there is a possibility that if we don’t do that, the game will never let us leave this place. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that this is your game to play, and we are meant to be your backup."
This was the most Chad had spoken in a long time. He wasn’t a big talker. That alone made the other two pause. They knew he was on to something. Since they didn’t want to take any chances. They took Chad’s advice.
Chad finally spoke up. "Besides, if you want proof. You’re the only one of us who has a system. That alone is proof enough for me to believe that the only way to get home is through you."
Mike nodded vigorously. "I think he’s right."
Sighing, Drake looked in both directions, trying to decide. Turning to the large dragon head mountain, he smiled widely. "In all my games, you find the coolest shit. Let’s head that way," he said, pointing at the looming dragon head. He didn’t want to add that it was also the most dangerous if he was comparing it to his games.
As they started walking toward the dragon’s head, a soft voice spoke into Drake’s head.
{Hidden quest found: Find the cave of Valor/ obtain the Master Staff}
Drake waited for more information, but nothing came. "Damn it! Bare minimum." He whispered aloud.
"Huh?" Mike asked, confused. Chad was looking at Drake expectantly.
Sighing, Drake explained. "My system said that a hidden quest was found. I...or we...have to find something called the ’cave of valor’ and obtain something called ’the master staff.’ It didn’t give any further information. Nothing at all to go by. It gave me the bare minimum. That’s what I was complaining about. I can only assume that because of the direction we chose, the cave is in the dragon head mountain, and the staff is in the cave."
Chad smiled widely. "Doesn’t that mean we are closer to getting home since we finally got a hidden quest? Not only that, we now know how to get hidden quests. We make a choice. If the choice leads to a quest, it gives us one. The direction you chose gave us a quest."
Hearing the word ’home,’ this made Mike smile. He had been on edge since they had gone through the portal. He may be the strongest of his friends, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared. Chad has his archery skill, and Drake has his gaming experience. Drake might be weak, but he was incredibly smart, a complete genius. All he had was his athletic build and football. It was the sport he was best at.
Drake shrugged. "I don’t know about us being closer to getting home, but I hope so." Drake looked over at Chad. Ever since he received his magic bow, his mood had changed. Normally, he was serious, always keeping a straight face. He hardly ever smiled. Now he seemed to have a permanent grin. The other thing he noticed was that he spoke a lot more. It was almost like he was finding his element.
Wind blew through the trees. Whistling sounds could be heard. It sounded like a bird. Something about it was off. Mike was the first to react. He quickly notched the bow awkwardly. He had never shot one before. He knew he would eventually have to.
Chad, seeing Mike’s actions, pulled the magic bow off his back and prepared to fire.
Drake stopped and looked around them. "Those whistles don’t sound like birds. They sound like someone is signaling," he whispered. His voice was even.
Clicking sounds followed, then another whistle. The sound of it echoed through the trees.
In a hushed voice, Chad looked over at Drake. "What do we do?"
Drake looked between his friends. He would see they already had their bows ready. Nodding in approval at seeing this, he whispered back. "I think we’re about to be ambushed. Prepare to fight. And, don’t die. I’m pretty sure we die for real if we do. I don’t want to take any chances, so stay alive."
Just as Drake said this, five men stepped out from behind the trees. Drake could tell by the men’s appearance that they were bandits.
The leader, a tall man with a tangled beard and burly muscles, stepped forward. In one hand, he held a sword, the other a dagger. The man grinned; his blackened, decaying teeth gave him an even more menacing appearance.
The four behind him stood flanking him on each side in pairs. All carrying swords.
Their brown leather boots were heavily worn, damaged in areas. Stained tunics hung loosely nearly to their knees. A strap across their chest holding the scabbards of their swords. Each had a thick belt, a small leather pouch attached. One of them carried a large sack. It was probably meant to hold the loot they received from those they robbed on the road. It bulged slightly, showing that it wasn’t empty. Fınd the newest release on novel_fіre.net
All the men were dirty, covered in mud and dirt. Some had what appeared to be dry blood on the stained clothes. Their oily hair was ragged and unkempt.
Their sinister smiles grew as they noticed the trio of boys’ lack of weapons. One had a bow with no arrows, another with only a small handful. The one in the center only had an arrow. All they saw were easy targets.
"What do we have here?" the leader sneered, eyeing the three boys. The man’s eyes lingered briefly on the bow in Chad’s hand. It was clear he knew it was no ordinary bow.
As if on cue, the other four began to spread out, surrounding Drake and his companions.
{New quest detected: Defeat the bandits}
As usual, there was no further information.
Drake had one hand grasping his arrow tightly. He grinned slightly, knowing he would get rewards. He hoped Mike would get a weapon this time. "Let’s do this."