"Rumble. Rumble. Rumble." Henry sat in front of his cave, watching the rain trickle down. It had been three months since he found himself stuck in this strange world, and he had grown accustomed to his new life. He had his hunting grounds, fruit collection spot, water source, and even solar panels to keep his electronics charged. Today, however, was one of those days that made him question his survival.
As he drank his coffee, he looked outside and saw the creature making a ruckus. "A giant freaking turtle," Henry muttered, no longer surprised by such sights. He knew that plot armor was the only reason he had survived this long. "Am I in the God of War game?" he asked himself, noting the similarity to Jormungandr. Despite the dangers outside, his cave was a much safer refuge.
"It does look kinda cool, though," he thought. The rain lasted the entire week, which was somewhat convenient for Henry as he gathered rainwater instead of traveling long distances. However, he noticed that the water he collected recently was different—clearer and almost blue. It tasted different too, and every time he drank it, he felt invigorated. Seeing these effects, he set the water aside for special use.
Today, Henry set out to patrol the area. Over time, he had come to understand the positions and territories within this region. Various humanoid creatures, mostly goblins, fought here. The goblins differed in color, each indicating a specific ability. They belonged to different tribes, some working together while others fought. Other creatures, like a bat-like monster, hunted goblins in this part of the forest. The ecosystem was fairly balanced, except when certain creatures disrupted it, like the giant turtle.
Now, Henry was running for his life from a tree-like creature he called a Treant. Initially disguised as a tree, it revealed its humanoid form when Henry tried to pick one of its fruits. The Treant had jagged wooden claws, red eyes, and could manipulate vegetation. Although Henry was swift, dodging like he was in an obstacle course, he didn't realize he was changing due to the magic-filled environment. He was now beyond normal human limits.
Henry panted as the Treant continued chasing him. They ran through the night and into the morning, losing track of where they were. Henry stopped at the edge of a cliff, looking down into a dark chasm that gave him a chilling sensation. He didn't want to fall into it. The Treant stopped from a distance, fear evident in its bark. It stared at Henry with disdain before scoffing and dragging its feet back.
Suddenly, a loud sound of shattering wood echoed. Emerging from the tree was a red orc, carrying a club. It towered over Henry, bending down to sniff the terrified human. The orc licked Henry's cheeks, smiling lewdly before picking him up and carrying him on its shoulder. Henry was scared, but he knew he didn't want to experience what the orc had in mind.
Luckily, the orc didn't tie him up. When night fell, Henry steeled himself to escape. He saw a shiny object the orc had left after butchering some meat. It looked more like a sword than a knife. Henry took it and coated it with the last of the purple flower. He then stabbed the sleeping orc in the neck. The creature woke up, growling in pain as its veins tensed and the purple flower grew all over its body, draining its magic until the orc was no more.
"Huh???" Henry felt off as he was making his getaway. Something was wrong. His body felt cold and wet, yet he wasn't drenched. As he ran, he turned to look ahead and suddenly found himself in a dark place, as if he had fallen into that strange hole again. His body felt stiff, and he couldn't flinch a muscle. This whole ordeal felt strange. His vision blurred until everything went blank. He was conscious, yet he couldn't do anything or feel anything. There was no sense of time or anything of the sort. For who knows how long, he was stuck in his mind, his thoughts on full blast. It was like torture.
By the time Henry started feeling again, he was drained mentally. He felt more and more of his body as if his senses had gone offline for some time and now were coming back to him slowly. Vision returned to him, and as he fully grasped his surroundings, he found himself on the ground, looking at the sky. Oh, how beautiful this place was. Birds of various colors soared in the sky, singing and chirping as they displayed their abilities. A red bird let out mesmerizing fire at its trail, and other blue birds did the same with lightning. The vegetation was a sight to wonder at. But that wasn't all this world had to offer—it was as scary as it was marvelous. The creatures possessed magical abilities, making them more dangerous than those back on Earth. And that was just the few Henry had come across. Who knows what the outside world possessed?
Anyway, Henry lay there, weakened and slow to get up. His body tingled slightly. Slowly, he moved his head, and as he turned, his breathing displaced a lot of purple dust, which flew up. Henry slowly got up and staggered a little as he stood. Looking at the ground, he understood what had probably happened. There were purple flowers and dust all over the place. The shape they took as they grew resembled that of the Treant. Furthermore, he recognized this place—it's where he had met the Treant. This meant he didn't escape it at all. Instead, he was eaten somehow and had hallucinated everything else that happened. The orc and him killing it—everything was a dream.
Henry grasped the gravity of that, frightened. But he survived, so he didn't dwell much on it. However, he was hungry and thirsty too. Huh? He checked and found that the water from his bottle had mixed with that purple powder. But what's this? It looked like it had turned into a gooey substance. Maybe it could be useful.
Covered in purple powder, Henry walked back home. The animals actively avoided him as he walked. He just wanted to rest right now.
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