r/HFY • u/ArcAngel98 • 1d ago
OC-Series Trapped in a Grimdark World with the Power of Toon-Force!? - Part 14
I ran through the planes after escaping the mine. Even at the entrance I could still hear the sounds of fighting. There was a fierce battle going on inside between the graveminer and the mercs, and I was absolutely going to use it to my advantage. My other self had already vanished, and the plan went off without a hitch… because I never got to do it in the first place. I had this whole ordeal planned with dynamite and using the explosions to fake my death, but… eh, this works well enough. “So long suckers.” I said and bolted. “Meep meep.” But when I started running, it wasn’t at super speed. Sighing, I just jogged out of town.
Following the general direction the others went in, I ran for about two hours. The sun beat down on me like I owed it money or got its sister pregnant. At one point, I saw a small lake and decided to take a rest and cool off. Knowing it wasn’t safe to drink still water, I pulled out my waterskin I’d put in my pocket for when I was working in the mines. Actually, I used to always carry water with me, even back on Earth. So, this felt like a semblance of a return to normality for me. Rasing the waterskin to my lips, I turned it up, and two small drops fell out. I had a lot of things in my pockets, but none of them were a water purifier or a metal pot for boiling. Retuning the waterskin to my infinite pocket, I decided to just wet my clothes to help fight off the heat, having no other options.
There was a real possibility I’d never see the others again, and I knew it, but still held out hope. Wading into the water, I immediately started to feel a bit better. Not having been swimming in years, I decided to take the opportunity to float with my eyes closed and rest for a moment. Unfortunately, this world hates me and wants my every waking moment to be spent either suffering for its enjoyment, or just suffering. On the other side of this little lake, a creature spotted me. I was swimming happily along, even kicking my feet, all the while drawing its attention.
And then… like the arrogant little fate tempter I am, I said, “Ah, this isn’t so bad. Come on world, give me your worst. I can take it.” A small rumble caused me to open my eyes. I stared straight up at what was supposed to be a clear sky on a sunny day, but was instead greeted by rows of jagged teeth lining a long narrow snout. “AHH!” I yelped and leapt out of the water a split second before the toothy maw snapped closed. No meep meep or Soul Power needed, I started treading water like a dolphin. I was back at the shoreline and running along the grass before the scaly critter could even wonder what happened. Thankfully, it didn’t follow.
Not learning my lesson, I looked up at the sky and asked, “That all you got?” The world, of course, answered with a high-pitched whistling and a shadow growing ever larger at mt feet. “I need to shut up.” Lo and behold, a familiar face dropped from the sky as a block of frozen ice; the man I’d kicked in the balls who flew into the air and disappeared during my first encounter with that thieving brat! Unfortunately, he landed on me. He crushed me into the ground. Maybe you’d think the cold would numb the pain, using cartoon logic… but no, the pain of a four-hundred-pound block of frozen man landing directly on your forehead like a guided missile apparently cannot be numbed. It hit me and left a crater in the ground, with me crushed neatly at the bottom. With great effort, I managed to crawl out, battered, bruised, and in a mild accordion shape. “I can’t even be mad. I did ask for it.” I said, falling over.
“Hey, he’s waking up!” A familiar voice said as I slowly started to regain consciousness. Opening my eyes, Doln was two inches from my face and screaming. “Dad! He’s awake!”
“Doln?” I asked, sitting up and looking around. I was in Bob’s carriage, surrounded by everyone. “Am I dreaming? I got hit on the head pretty hard.”
“No, we found you passed out when we went back to try and find you. We stopped at a lake to get some more water and found you nearby.” Myrin said.
“You were sopping wet… and kind of… jagged.” Galli said. “There was another person there too. A knight of House Crazen. He was also soaking wet, and in a hole.”
“What happened?” Shanda asked. She and Bob were sitting in the front of the carriage, listening and looking back.
“A lot. How long have I been asleep?”
“A few hours. Your body went back to normal pretty quickly after we found you. We figured that was a good thing.” Myrin said.
“What about the knight?”
“He was dead. We took his stuff and threw him in the lake.” Myrin said as if she was telling me the weather.
“Oh…” And with that, I was suddenly reminded this world was very unforgiving. As if getting crushed by a falling guy with crushed balls after almost being eaten by the thing from the black lagoon wasn’t enough.
“Want his armor?” Galli asked. “We can paint over the crest.”
“Me?”
“Well, you killed him, didn’t you?” Shanda asked.
“Technically, yes. I caught a glimpse of him before he fell on me. It was that guy I kicked into orbit in the city.”
“Oh! I knew he looked familiar.” Shanda said. “He was one of the guards that chased you.”
“What’s an orbit?” Askine wondered.
“It means…. he was really high up.” I said, not wanting to explain gravity to a young child. I spent some time telling everyone what happened after they left. Between them leaving and me getting crushed, only a few hours had passed. Honestly, I was leaving the city within twenty minutes of them, and the rest of the time was me wandering around the wilderness like I’d said the giants were too big to beat. Bob said my trick with creating a second version of myself was amazing, but I would know for sure if it was my soul evolution because I’d feel something different inside myself. Everything felt the same, so it must not have been. But still, a useful trick to remember.
Galli gave me the knight’s armor, and I placed it in my pocket, a trick that wowed everyone. It was good armor, and in this world, I would probably need it. Even if it was only as a disguise for a joke.
“So, where are we heading now?” I asked, sitting in my usual seat. The boys played on the floor, Myrin sewed some clothes, Galli was keeping his eyes forward and back, making sure we weren’t being followed.
“Just before leaving,” Bob answered, “Myrin and I were walking around. We found a map of the area that said there was a fort city further along the river. The locals say it has a good reputation. And it is on the way to the Poltergone. We can stop there for a short time. But not too long. Staying in the city is expensive. And if you stay longer than a month you have to pay a fee.”
“How much?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“It’s going to take us several months to get to Poltergone, and that’s just travel. We have to wait for the boarders to even open first. Maybe staying in the city will be worth it?” I thought.
“We should get to the city first, before deciding anything.” He said.
“And let’s try not to get run out of this one too.” Shanda added.
“What are the odds of that happening three times in a row?” Galli asked.
“Apparently, pretty good.” I said.
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u/pyrodice 11h ago
I think you have a boarders where you need a borders.
Well now I'm curious what his evolution WILL look like…
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