18 January 9012
It had been a few years since my last adventure. Ever since that near-death experience from the visit to planet DN-1004, I never thought I would have the chance to go on another journey. But here I was, on planet DN-1010, ready to get knocked over again.
Unlike planet DN-1004, planet DN-1010 seemed to be really dark and quiet. There were no signs of life and the only light source was a round, red platform on the ground. As I walked towards the bright platform, I realised it was a gigantic button with the words ‘Your Story Begins Here’. Since I was already there and had nothing to lose, I got onto the platform without hesitation. Immediately, the ground started rumbling and the platform sank all of a sudden, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the ground. That was also when the area around me started lighting up, allowing me to see two paths in front of me. Before I could get up and walk towards one of the path, I heard a voice.
“Good day fellow adventurer, welcome to the planet of fun and games. You are about to embark on a journey that will change your life. You might end up getting something good out of this or get stuck here forever. Every choice you make will make a difference. Remember to watch out for the traps around you as well, I don’t really need another casualty on this planet. Well then, good luck and have fun!”
There’s no turning back anymore and all I could do was to choose one of the paths before me.
Left or right? Maybe right, that should be the RIGHT path.
I took a step forward. Instantly, I regretted my choice.
The world began spinning. Rocks came crashing down. High pitched hysterical laughters and low monstrous voices echoed through the space. And the last glimmer of light disappeared into the horizon, leaving me in this impenetrable darkness. overwhelmed with fear and confusion, I collapsed onto my knees, burying my head in my knees and covered my ears.
It’s okay, I will come out alive. I am not going to die.
I tried comforting myself but it didn’t seem to help. My heart was pounding, knees were shaking, Mustering up all my strength, I rose unsteadily, only to crumble back down on the cold hard ground. The weird background noises got increasingly louder and demonic. And suddenly, everything went eerily silent.
Has it all ended?
I opened my eyes…and I saw it staring back at me.
An enormous pair of eyes that shone emerald green glared into my soul. Its round black pupils slowly contracted til they became menacing black slits. I trembled as I stared at those eyes that pierced right through me. Just then, another pair of eyes diagonally above the slitted ones opened to reveal a blood red iris and rectangular pupils (like a goats). What… what.. creature is this?
It led out a monstrous shriek (khezu) that echoed throughout and shook the entire ground. The hyena laughs resounded again. By this point, I was mortified. Before I came here, I was prepared to get knocked down again, but this time, it seems like I wouldn’t be able to get back up if I get knocked down. What kind of game is this??
Suddenly, intense spotlights turned. I was blinded by the sudden change, and instinctively covered my eyes with my hands. The hysteric laughter turned into low whispers. When my eyes finally got accustomed to the brightness, I found myself transported into an arena stage. The area surrounding the area was still a black mass of darkness, but blinking lights were randomly scattered throughout. Stars? No, no I squinted to focus my vision and realised that the lights were actually more reptilian like eyes glowing in the dark and staring right at me from all around. Are they spectators?? Wait.. where did those monstrous eyes go.
“WELCOME WELCOME! Adventurer, you picked right and now you find yourself in the battle arena of the land of Serperior! Your mission, is to slay the queen’s beast, the FEARSOME JABBERWUCK with an IQ of 229, the highest in the worlds. But there are a three rules- ONE, you will be assigned a companion to aid in your quest! You are not to harm your companion or use it as bait/sacrifice.”
A figure started materializing next to me. It was slightly-smaller-than-human sized, stood on two legs, had a tail and pointy ears. WHAT? MY COMPANION IS A CAT??? How is it going to help me, oh gg I’m doomed. I instantly predicted another imminent near-death experience. Why did i decide to go on this journey again? I should have just stopped after DN-1004. Now fully materialized, I see that the cat was equipped with strong looking like armour and an OP-looking greatsword [note: OP means overpowered]. Cool, maybe there is still hope and I can beat this game! It turned to me and meowed, but somehow I understood what it said in my head. I wanted to reply, but was interrupted by the booming commentators voice.
“TWO! You will be given a choice of 5 special abilities, but you and your partner can only pick one each: 1min invisibility, 30s immunity, flight skills for 10mins, one time use shadow clone jitsu, or suicide card (a instant painless death for you and your companion). Choose wisely! Just confirm the skill you want by thinking of it in your mind, and when you want to activate it just shout GO GO POWERS”
“FINAL RULE! There will be trivia questions and puzzles hidden among the battleground. If you can solve them while dueling, a reward awaits!”
The ground rumbled as the arena expanded and the terrain shifted to reveal more structures and stuff to explore. The fearsome Jabberwuck swooped in with its webbed wings. It was a two headed monstrosity, one head looking more intellectual, and the other more brutal.
What did I get myself into…? I have to fight a two-headed beast, my only companion is a cat and I have to shout GO GO POWERS to choose 1 out of the 5 special abilities available? I looked at my partner and it meowed. No no no you stupid cat, you’re not going to choose the suicide card just because you think I look too weak to even participate in this battle.
I have to admit, I am weak and I need a partner in order to defeat this monster in front of me. Who knows, we might end up being the best team out there. But what is this cat trying to do, giving those ‘puss in boots’ eyes to Jabberwuck. We are supposed to attack it, not try to… Is Jabberwuck getting hypnotised by those eyes? I can’t believe this, the brutal head is smitten with that kitten. We just defeated half our enemy like this? Nice. I guess the cat is pretty useful afterall.
While one of the heads is being distracted by my partner, I have to find a way to attack the other one. I needed to know what its powers are before I can come up with a strategy. I didn’t have to wait for long before it started attacking me… with questions??? If that’s the case, none of those special abilities are useful at all. Oh no… I should’ve listened instead sleeping in class all those years.
What’s 2378+363+278+3647+6767?
“Erm… Let’s see 2378+363 is… 2741, and if you add 278…”
“Time’s up!” I felt strong blast of wind and fell backwards.
What was that? I only had a minute to solve such a complex question? I can’t believe this is the way I’ll die. Maybe I should just use the suicide card and die a painless death instead of dying in the hands of mathematics. But no, that cat helped me, I can’t just just give up like this. It was right, I’m weak. What should I do?
(sorry this is not a comment I just had to input this)
The cat made a fierce meow and advanced forward, dangerously swinging its sword above its head. How courageous. Meanwhile I was rooted to the ground, hands shaking uncontrollably and nervous perspiration rolling down my forehead.
“Meow meow MEOW”
And poof the cat disappeared. Wait what did it just leave me here? To face this monster alone??? WHAT A REAL PUSSY. I grumbled under my breath. The monster took a step forward and the entire arena shook intensely. I frantically stumbled backwards, hoping to retreat into some sort of hole and hide away from this creature. It stretched its elongated neck forward, coming face to face with me. We were just ONE inch apart. I could feel its warm breath on my face, messy up my hair. Thick purplish mucous dripped out from its humongous nostrils. How nasty. It widened its mouth, revealing three rows of yellowish razor-sharp teeth. OMG I do not want to be bitten by it, it would hurt so badly. The monster let out a loud hiss before snapping its head back and propelling its body backwards, ready to pounce on my on its next move.
How am I supposed to fight it unarmed? I had no weapons or armour, I am just a blob of flesh. No time to think. Guess the only way was to run away from it, and hopefully solve some trivia questions or puzzles or whatever. The monster let out a loud roar. I stared in horror as I watched it leap towards me in slow motion.
I was all prepared to run, but my legs refused to move. There was no way I could outrun it now. What do I do..um umm…skills…ah yes special skills! OMG OMG FLIGHT SKILLS FOR 10 MINTUES FML FASTER.
“GO GO P…”
Just then, a miserable shriek resonated through the air. A deafening thud followed suit. Before my eyes lied the bloody head of the brutal monster on the ground. The monster with the remaining head squirmed and jumped around, weeping in pain. Oh what has just happened?
I felt a nudge against my knee. And when I looked down, IT WAS THE CAT! In its paws was a crooked sword with blueish grey liquid. Wait when did it appear here?? OMG wait…so the cat activated its invisibility skills? No wonder it disappeared. For a moment I felt so thankful for its presence. It saved my life. The cat curled around my leg and looked up at me with that adorable little eyes that made my heart melt. Just as I was going to give it a hug, there was a thunderous roar. I looked up and saw the monster staring at me, its eyes fuming with anger. It extended its wings and surged forward.
“MEOW MROW!!” Aaaaaaah!! Run and hide!!! I bolted towards a nearby structure that would put a wall between me and the dragon, while the cat ran in the opposite direction. I guess it would be best to stay separated now, so as to force the remaining head left to only pick one target. I pray it not be me. However, I heard thundering footsteps walking towards me. I looked up to find the Jabberwuck towering over me. I stood rooted to the ground and stared helplessly at it as my eyes widened.
Spell assassination.
OHHH, this should be easy!
“A S S A S I-”
“WRONG!” The Jabberwuck boomed as it swung one of its webbed wings down to destroy the structure and me. I closed by eyes and held my hands above my head, bracing for a very painful impact, maybe even my last moment…
“Mrow mrow meow!! HISSS! Meow owr mrow owr!” (Translation: Move you stupid oaf! Its assassin with four S’s) I felt warm furry hands push me to the sides, and we both tumbled to the ground, out of reach of the dragon’s impact. Phew, this cat is my guardian angel, what would I do without it! The dragon roared angrily and turned to face us, ready to throw another brain hurting question at us. If only I had more brains! HOLD UP… more brains… clones… I haven’t used my powers! I was interrupted when I wanted to use flight previously, but I shall use the clone jutsu now! I stood up and started running as far away as I could from the Jabberwuck. Behind me, I heard it starting to grill my companion with questions-
“Who is the illuminati?” “Mrow?” (Translation: You?)
Okay, I think our distance is far enough now, and the dragon is distracted by the cat. I thought of the one time use shadow clone jutsu, and shouted: ” GO GO POWERS!!” Instantly, a whole army of me’s appeared. I stared at the uncanny resemblance of the clone closest to me. Amazing! “We are the Unsullied. We will protect you with our lives. Just tell us what to do, and we will do it how you would.” Woahh, perhaps we could kill the last head together! Concocting a plan in mind, I instructed a group of them to go help the cat distract the dragon and hopefully successfully solve some of his questions. I instructed another group to hide at a safe shelter some distance away to act as backup and reinforcements. and a few others to just run around the structures. I also dispatched a few of them to run around the arena on their own, to trick the Jabberwuck into thinking it was me, and to help me search for those trivia/puzzles the host was talking about!
A few minutes into the search, one of my clones found one of the trivia icons imprinted on an L-shaped wall. I ran over to join my clone, and placed my hand over the icon to activate it.
“Congratulations adventurer, you have found one of the hidden trivia questions!” The commentator suddenly visualized in the air at the centre of the arena. I could finally attach an image to the commentators voice as he revealed himself. He was a tall lanky man. However, his face was shrouded in darkness, obscured by the hood of a long ceremonial robe he was wearing. The most peculiar thing was that he had two long curled horns on his head! Is anyone else here even human?? Why oh why did I decide to go on this journey again… “On the planet of DN-1046, hideous creatures have invaded the land and stolen important things there. What color are the pests, and what did they steal? This should be easy. You should know it from history lessons, if you ever listened in school that is,” the commentator snickered. PFFtt.. listened in school? No. I’ve done something even better. I’VE VISTED THAT LAND BEFORE! One of my first few adventures.
“The creatures are purple and they steal pen ink you prick!! Now give me my prize!” The horned figure balked at my answer and grumbled “That is correct, unfortunately. And because you answered correctly so fast, I am obliged to give you an extra reward. Sighs, unsaid rules are still rules in the end.” What an ass! Deliberately hiding rules from me that would aid in my quest to slay the beast! Urgh, I can’t believe I’m still stuck on my first decision… how long is this whole journey on DN-1010 really going to be…
Instantly, two objects began materializing in my hands. On one hand, a new sword with a sleek onyx blade. Sick. On the other hand, an ivory white Victorian-era hand held mirror. A mirror? What is this useless thing. Just as I said it, my cat companion snatches the mirror out of my hands, and starts to angle the mirror. I beam of reflected white light bounces off the mirror and straight into the Jabberwucks eye. The Jabberwuck stunned, screams in agony: “My eye!!! If you shine a bright enough light source at an eye, it could get blinded! I COULD GET BLINDED!” Enraged, I could feel its blood boiling in its other emerald green eye, as its pupils contracted into threatening slits. Again, the Jabberwuck extended its wings and surged toward us. However, the cat re-angled the mirror and flashed the monsters remaining eye. Stunned yet again, the dragon falls to the arena floor in midflight. This is our chance now!!!
I look to the cat. “My companion.” Then to my clones. “Unsullied.”
“CHARGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I raised my new sword, swinging it back above my shoulders. My hidden Unsullied reinforcements joined us as we charged forth. War cries erupted all around. Even the audience was cheering. A cacophony of hyena laughter, boos, meows and shouts shook the arena. My adrenaline spiked all time high. This was it.
As I swung my sword towards the Jabberwuck, the whole arena turned silent. Everyone, including myself, was holding on to their breaths, waiting for what was to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOfmQDZY7FE
Blood spattered everywhere. I almost couldn’t tell if it belonged to me or the Jabberwuck. I looked ahead and saw the two-headed (now beheaded) monster lying flat in front of me, the ground covered in a pool of blood. The crowd erupted in cheers once again, signaling to me that I have indeed won this battle. I… I did it… I DID IT!!! I can finally leave this planet!
“Congratulations adventurer! You have defeated the queen’s beast, the FEARSOME JABBERWUCK with an IQ of 229, the highest in the worlds. Not bad. Don’t forget, you had the help of your little companion over there.”
“Meow” (Translation: You’re welcome.) I looked at the cat and nodded. Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.
“Now, this is not the end. You have defeated the queen’s beast, but this is only the first obstacle of this adventure. Now, it’s time for you to go back on that path and continue on this journey. You can choose to bring your companion with you, but you won’t be able to understand what it says once you leave this arena.” An opened door emerged in front of me and I could see that it leads to the path that I came from.
What? I still can’t leave yet? I guess I have no choice then… I took the cat in my arms and took a step through the door. With my companion by my side, I was now ready to face any obstacle ahead.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vi-_-FwTCYOU8V3irQ9l15-skfoyul7mOC8AIZnbTVI/edit?usp=sharing