[Center][Img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190820/28f4cca630475f4beac98f506f493388.png[/img] [b][h1]&[/h1][/b] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190820/e8a8ebc50ab74de8d3194e57ff98b555.png[/img][/center]

[b]Time:[/b] Midnight-ish
[b]Location:[/b] The river fork between Orc Landing and Illuminata Kingdom
[b]Interaction with: n/a[/b]

[hr]

Confusion. That was the perfect word to describe Darius' initial reaction to waking up in his bed… in the middle of a forest. His first thought was that this was either a dream or a prank. It felt too real to be a dream. The cool breeze between the trees and the earthy smell of the forest were too vivid. And unless someone could move his bed with him in it, out of an apartment building and into the woods on the outskirts of the city while keeping him asleep then this was certainly not a prank. What was it then?

[Color=lightblue]"What the hell… What the hell is going on?"[/color] Darius sat himself up and looked around at his surroundings. It didn't matter how hard he thought or how much he looked at, Darius couldn't figure out what this situation was. What did it mean? 

The last thing he remembered was finishing a four-mile run. It was more to help him clear his mind than for exercise. He didn't mean to run it at a faster than normal pace, but his brother lingered in his thoughts. Darius was so exhausted afterward, he didn't even bother showering or changing for that matter, he collapsed on he just bed. He noticed his shoes that he had kicked off beside his bed were right where he left them, just this time set down in the grass instead of the tiled floors of his apartment. The natural sounds of the forest filled the air. The chirping of birds, the buzzing of insects, and the rusting of trees… even after the wind died down?

[Color=lightblue]"Anyone here?"[/color] The man quickly slipped his sneakers on, not to match his dry-fit shirt and gym shorts as his running outfit, but to make sure he could haul ass if he needed to. One would think Darius was a precog with what came next.

The trees behind Darius rustled in the darkness, causing him to jump forward and off of his bed before turning around to see that a large figure was attempting to navigate through the trees whilst making a sharp sniffing sound. Darius could not discern whether it was fear or confusion that took hold of him, but he did know that he froze where he currently stood. A low grunt from the unknown creature was followed by a long inhale. Then another grunt.

Darius was finally able to get himself to start stepping backward, but he was also trying to remain quiet. If Darius learned anything in the last few minutes about his situation, it was that whatever monstrosity was on the other side of those trees was searching for him. Beads of sweat formed on his face and his breathing became heavier as he grew more fearful. 

[Color=lightblue][i]Run… Run…[/i][/color] 

A large pale hand broke through the trees and into view. Darius' eyes became wider than he ever thought they could go before.

[Color=lightblue][i][b]FUCKING RUN![/b][/i][/color]

The sudden fright possessed Darius to break into a full sprint in the opposite direction of the large creature. With the sheer size of its hand, it could crush his head in its palm like a tomato. That's all the guy needed to know. Darius ran through bushes and branches until he heard a loud crash. The bed. Whatever it was searching for him had destroyed the bed Darius had spent a fine amount on it, but the price of the bed did not matter in the face of terror. Then the sound of the creature rapidly breaking through the forest was heard by Darius. 

He didn't know where he was going, but Darius would run to the ends of the earth just so he would never truly know what was now actively chasing him. The sounds of trees toppling over, the pounding footsteps, and low grunts are all the motivation Darius needed. This was either a nightmare or Darius is really about to get murdered by a literal monster. He had never run with this kind of fear in his heart and the adrenaline rush was proof of that.

Darius gasped as he broke through the treeline and into an open plain. He felt relief as he could now run unimpeded. It was a small one, but it was Darius' first victory in this strange world. Though he was still confused, Darius could not help but smile. 

A roar sounded from behind as the creature broke through the treeline and also took advantage of now being unimpeded in the open space it entered. Additionally, it could now see what it had been stalking. Its stride would close the gap. That was a fact.

Darius couldn't help but turn around and look at the massive pale humanoid-shaped creature in the moonlight. He didn't know it yet, but it was a cave troll. Its crooked jagged toothed mouth had thick saliva spilling from it and all the creature wore was a large cloth that covered the bits between its legs. Faced with death, Darius let his words fly freely.

[Color=lightblue][b]"Fuuuuuuck! Please, someone, help me! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Please, I can't go out like thi-"[/b][/color] Darius' eyes widened as wide as they had when he had seen the troll's hand. Another humanoid being was far ahead of him and was running in his direction. [Color=lightblue]"What the hell is going on!?"[/color] Darius could feel tears ready to leave his eyes. The figure ahead of Darius appeared to throw something. The sound of the object cutting through the air and over Darius' head was followed by a gushing sound accompanied by a groan from the cave troll. Droplets of blood spattered on Darius's back, causing him to flinch and change direction by darting left. He turned his head to see a large spear impaled into the chest of the creature that had been chasing him. The troll stood in place as blood trickled down its chest. The troll was now focused on its assailant who was sprinting in its direction. Darius, I didn't even notice that he stopped in his tracks as he watched a huge green-skinned humanoid woman spring into action wielding a pair of battle axes. 

Skarsnaga Ghasharzol… she was the orc warrior that aimed to bring down the cave troll before her. Her well-placed spear throw limited its mobility. Now for the kill before the troll could think of pulling the spear from its chest. This pale beast was simple when it came to combat. The troll attempted to punch its opponent with its right fist, but Skar dodged to her left and forcefully jabbed her right battle ax into the troll's hand. The troll roared again as it pulled its hand back with the ax embedded in it. In that window of time that Skar bought herself, she continued moving until she was at the troll's 4 o'clock and spun around to swing her other ax with both hands. Blood sprayed onto Skar as her sharp blade met the right Achilles tendon of the troll. Its roar became a whimper before it fell face first causing the spear to dig through and jut out of its back. The blood-covered orc watched the felled creature breath its last breath.

Darius just stared in awe as he had just watched something that looked like it was out of an action movie.

[Color=lightblue]"Epic…"[/color] Darius said quietly as he wiped the water from his teary eyes. Unfortunately, his relief quickly turned to concern as he began to gain a better grasp on the situation. His weary eyes met Skar's cold ones in the silence of the moonlit night. She pulled her axes from her kill with her eyes still locked on Darius who was slowly backing away. After placing both axes on her back she stood up on top of the troll and pulled the spear out of the troll's back. [Color=lightblue]"Yup. Time to get the fuck out of here."[/color]