Moonquest: A Journey To The Stars

"This is certifiably insane, you shit-for-brains of an elf! Don't you know that this region is one of the most dangerous, if not the most dangerous, land in the whole world! Many have tried traversing here, and a lot more ended up dead because of it! Why, I lost twenty uncles who came here searching for missing artifacts! And that was just within the last 20 years! Are you the devil or something!"

Rubbing his right ear with his pinkie finger, he replied, "Yeah, I know. But the guy whom I'm looking for resides in one of these valleys, but don't worry, there is a secret passage here, right around 500 meters to our right. Just make sure that you don't disturb the wildlife here, 'cause they're... dangerous to say the least."

Yeah, no shit genius! This is a fucking clusterfuck of a shitshow!

Keeping the words deep in his heart, Simon begrudgingly followed Duncan through the misty forest. Despite his misgivings, he could not help but be mesmerized by the sights in front of him.

Strewn across the woods were trees of a multitude of colours, each pulsating in their colours. Tier-3 Monodeers wandered near the trees, searching for food. He could not help but fawn, as a young calf wandered towards the roots of a brightly lit tree, its red colours enticing it ever so closer. Aww, it's so cute! Look at the cutie wu- holy shit! 

The trunk of the red tree suddenly split wide open. Inside it lay hundreds upon hundreds of tiny teeth, grinding against each other, each trembling in hunger or anticipation, Simon did not know. What he did know was that the Monodeer was dead.

And he couldn't be closer to the truth.

With a belated cry, a longue, thick tongue rocketed out from within, entrapping the deer in its grips. Despite crying for help, despite struggling with all its might, the calf's eyes could do nothing except accept its inevitable demise. Listening to the loud mincing noise, Simon nearly threw out the lunch he just eaten.

"Yeah, why d'you think I said to walk as fast as you can? This is a paradise for the strong, hell for the weak. If you're not on the same level as these bastards, forget about coming here to earn your bucket of gold. Ladies, riches, booze? Hah! This dream's only used to lull the foolish ones. The smarter ones use the fools to become rich instead..." With a look of nostalgia, Duncan wandered off into the distance.

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His ears raised, Wulforen kept his eyes out in the surroundings. He knew better than most how dangerous the Hymalas mountains are. He had lost too many family members here trying to get rich, so unlike the rest of them, he decided to play safe, entering the services of a rich man.

A very rich man.

Initially, he was happy, satisfied with his work. Yet, day by day, boredom grew in him, until thoughts of pioneering into the Hymalas range came into thought. But he shook his head, for he knew better than to fall into the temptation.

Yet here he was, right on the edge of the mountains.

Sughing and shaking his head, he got up from the stump. Walking down nearby, he kicked a small mushroom. Its bright colours irked him, telling him 'Eat me, eat me...'. Pffft, like that's gonna happen.

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise. Then, there was nothing...

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Raaaaarrrggghhh!!!

A gigantic mushroom of epic proportions rose from the ground, multiple tendrils shooting up. It grabbed ahold of three of Duncan's escorts, piercing through their thick armour, consuming their very essences themselves.

"Shit, run!!!"

Snapping out of the stupor, Simon and the others began running, running for their dear lives. Yet despite the huge size of the mushroom, it effortlessly caught with them, eating two more of them on the way. Just as Simon was about to call for help, he realised that there were only two of them left: Duncan and him.

Before he knew it, they ended up running into a thick, stone wall. Just as he was about to change directions, the mushroom monster cornered them, its teeth arched into a crazed smile, happy to corner its meal.

Meanwhile, all Duncan did was mutter some strange, incomprehensible passages- "...Not here...left stone...no, the sigils here...damn it..." Witnessing his investor's final crazed moments, Simon closed his eyes, prepared for the inevitable doom. Oh Illumia, I hope it be as painless as possible...

"Hey, what's going on here?"