“Sarge we need you…Sergeant Carpenter..? SARGE!!”

  Luke finally hopped out of bed, trying not to scowl. He hadn’t actually been sleeping, he was just hoping to be left alone. An irresponsible move, especially from a staff sergeant but Luke wouldn’t care if he lost his position. He didn’t care about anything these days.

  He tried smiling at the brunette who was at the door. She just frowned and turned around. He probably shouldn’t have given her a fake smile. Emma hated that sort of thing, especially from him. As Luke followed her through the corridor, he wondered if a career change would make him happier.

  Probably not, it’s getting worse he thought. A year ago, he may have been depressed but it didn’t feel so absolute back then. Nowadays, he just felt sad all the time.

  Well, maybe not all the time. Luke had various hobbies like martial arts and hunting but they didn’t fix the problem, not really. He might enjoy himself in the moment but whenever he wasn’t distracted, he always felt empty inside.

  All of a sudden, Emma stopped walking and turned to look at him.

  “I know you stopped going to therapy…” she began.

  Luke sighed, wondering when she would stop trying to help him. Emma may have good intentions but she just didn’t know when to give up. He prepared himself for a long lecture but what happened next was something else entirely.

  Luke didn’t understand it, he could barely even describe it. It felt good and bad at the same time, and it was more than just a physical feeling. It felt like there was a current coursing through his body and soul, like he had fifty senses instead of five.

  Before he could ask Emma if she felt it too, Luke could no longer see her. To be exact, he could no longer see anything. There was just a sudden flash of light before he lost both sight and hearing.

  When his senses finally returned, Luke found himself laying on the ground. He flicked a beetle off his shoulder as he sat up and looked around. For a few seconds, he just sat there in a state of confusion as he realized that he was somehow out of the base and in a forest glade.

  When he did get up, Luke was hit by a wave of dizziness that had him drop to his knees and puke. A second wave almost made him fall face first into his own vomit but luckily, he resisted.

  Was I poisoned? he thought, looking at the black bile. Obviously he’d needed to get something out of his system. He was a lot more clearheaded and energetic after that. Despite puking his guts out, Luke felt quite refreshed.

  It wasn’t just that he was refreshed, he was unusually clean. His mouth didn’t taste of vomit, his hair felt softer and silkier, even the dirt under his fingernails had disappeared. Of course, that was hardly the only strange thing about his current situation.

  Not only was he in the middle of a forest, he was now wearing some type of medieval garb, something that looked like it came straight out of a fantasy game.

  Black leather boots, black pants made of a coarse fabric and a white full sleeve t-shirt that resembled a polo but had strings lacing the top instead of buttons. Over the shirt, was a sleeveless jacket made of dark brown silk.

  Strangest of all was the sword attached to his belt. The hilt and scabbard were made of brown leather and when he unsheathed the weapon, a wickedly sharp blade was revealed. Despite the absurdity of the situation, Luke couldn’t help but smile.

  He wasn’t exactly a master swordsman, but even he could tell that this sword was special. It looked rather ordinary but something about the blade made him feel like he could split a mountain in half.

  If this is some kind of lucid dream then it’s a good one thought Luke as he tried out a few moves with the sword. Sadly, he seemed to have jinxed it. As soon as he’d finished the thought, he heard a voice that turned his “good dream” into a nightmare.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Sergeant Carpenter? Where are we? What’s going on?!” whined the blonde haired wuss (Luke didn’t want to call him a man). Without waiting for a reply, he continued to ramble on about how he’d seen a monster whilst trying to hold back his tears.

  He must have seen a moose or something thought Luke in annoyance. If it were up to him, the “soldier” in front of him would have been discharged long ago but that was unlikely to ever happen.

  Johnny Holt benefited from a strange type of nepotism. He was from a very influential family but their connections didn’t help him get undeserved promotions, it just made sure he didn’t face the consequences of his incompetence.

  “You just saw an animal. Calm down” said Luke and walked into the woods, hoping that Johnny wouldn’t follow. As usual, he didn’t get what he wanted.

  Luke decided to just keep walking and try to forget about Johnny. It turned out to be rather easy, as he was distracted by a far more important matter. The longer he walked, the more Luke was convinced of the fact that this wasn’t simply going on inside his head. He didn’t think his mind could conjure up the strange sensations he felt when he was taken out of the base or the exhilaration he felt when he held the sword. He didn’t know what was going on but he knew it was real.

  “Sir, there are footprints here” said Johnny, interrupting his thoughts. Indeed, there were two sets of footprints going in the same direction they were. Luke and Johnny nodded at each other and continued walking, albeit quieter and with a brisker pace.

  A minute later, the source of the footprints were revealed. A man and woman, wearing the same kind of clothes as Luke and Johnny but unlike them, they were both carrying spears.

  Soon after that, two annoyed men and a slightly sympathetic lady were waiting for Johnny to stop panicking (It had gotten a lot worse when he found out that Frank and Emma were also unable to explain what was going on)

  “Private” said Luke when Johnny finally calmed down.

  “Yes sir” replied both Frank and Johnny.

  “Competent Private” clarified Luke, looking at Frank.

  “None of us know what’s going on but we’re probably not the only ones here. We’ll split up into duos and try to find others. You and Private Holt will partner up. Meet us back here in two hours”

  Frank paled at the cruel order and tried to object but Luke and Emma were already hurrying away.

  An hour later, the two of them were trudging through the woods, trying to find any trace of other people. By now, the sun was starting to go down. Luke was wondering if they should turn around before it got dark when he sensed that Emma was about to break the silence. To his surprise, he didn’t dread it this time.

  “I think Frank is actually the best at tolerating Johnny” she said.

  “He’s tough as nails” agreed Luke, surprising her with a response that wasn’t a simple grunt.

  “So why did you get a sword?” asked Emma, eager to continue the conversation.

  “I don’t know. It’s a great sword though” said Luke with a grin, making her stumble in surprise.

  “Didn’t know you could still do that” she muttered.

  “Frank had a spear as well. So Holt is the only one who didn’t get a weapon…why would that be?” wondered Luke aloud, mainly to change the topic before things got too emotional.

  “Don’t overthink it, he probably got one and forgot to pick it up”

  Luke was about to reply when he noticed the silence. The woods were too quiet, there were no longer any birds chirping or cicadas buzzing. He felt uneasy, a sense of danger was growing.

  Emma picked up on it too, and the two of them started to scan their surroundings. Luke unsheathed his sword and strained his senses, trying to hear something that would let him know what was happening.

  Emma shifted uncomfortably behind him but Luke remained as still as a rock, patiently waiting and listening, until he heard the faintest of sounds behind him. Instantly, he leapt to the side and a second later, a small figure landed where he had just been standing. It didn’t stay put for long and quickly leapt towards Emma. Luckily, the slight delay was enough to allow Luke’s sword to connect with the creature in midair.

  Emma let out a startled yelp when the two halves of the animal landed in front of her. It appeared to be a feline of some sort. It looked like a small leopard or jaguar but had fangs like a sabretooth.

  Whatever it was, Luke wasn’t concerned with that right now. As he wiped away the drops of blood on his face, he couldn’t believe how good he felt.

  Luke knew Emma was saying something but he couldn’t hear her. All he could focus on was the euphoria he was in. He felt like he was more. More substantial, more capable, more powerful… it was like the energy within that cat had been transferred to him.

  He wanted to remain in this state for hours, but he was soon brought out of it by a loud ring. As Luke came back to the real world, his focus shifted to the strange screen that was now floating in front of him.

  *A monster has been slain*

  *Luke Carpenter is now the Champion*

  *Let the games begin...*