I was in a dark room in my house and sitting. Sitting at a typewriter and writing a story. Writing a story and smoking a cigarette. Smoking a cigarette and craving a sandwich.  Craving a sandwich, not knowing that I would not just make a journey to get a sandwich, but I would be making a journey that would change my life forever.

        My name is James Sutherland. I am a 23 year old man of medium build from Chillicothe, Ohio. I am 6’2” with short, brown, messy hair and green eyes with dark circles under them. I am a very introverted and nonsociable person who normally stayed in my house when I was not at work.

    â€‹    â€‹I worked at a comic book store in downtown area. Most of the time, it was very boring. I sat behind a counter selling comics, graphic novels, and game cards. I did this from Monday to Saturday every week for 3 years. This was mostly due to me not going to college or getting any form of career training outside of high school. I’m sure I could have gotten a better job, but I didn’t really feel like looking for one. I was relatively content with the job I had.

        On Sundays when I didn’t have any work, I would walk down to the local theater and watch a film or two. My theater never showed any current films, so that day I saw “The Princess Bride” and “Highlander”. They were a couple of my favorite films from my favorite genre, fantasy. Anything fantasy got my attention be it films, television, books, or even video games (despite the fact that I didn’t play many video games). I couldn’t get enough of it. I just love stories mystical lands, fantastical creatures, brave heroes, all that kind of stuff. I left the movie theater satisfied with my movie watching experience.

        After I did that, I walked down to the bar and drank. I would drink until either I felt good enough to leave, or the bartender said I had enough. That night it was the latter. I was sitting at the bar staring at the drink in my hand and eating a plate of nachos that tasted horrible, but I ate them anyway. Next to me was some ass that was obviously very drunk and was hitting on Susan, the barkeep, who promptly kicked him out of the bar. It was very late when Susan stopped serving me. “Alright James,” she told me, “I think you’ve had enough tonight.” I let out a deep sigh, but I knew she was right. “Ok,” I replied, “just let me finish my nachos.” She did and I left after finishing my last drink and plate of nachos. I left the bar in a wobbly sort of way. She yelled, “See you next week, James!” as I did. Unknown to either of us, she wouldn’t.

        It was a cold and snowy December night in which I was walking home. It was very dark except for the street lights that lit the sidewalk. In my drunken state, the lights seemed much brighter than they actually were. I also stumbled into a couple of people who shouted profanities as I apologized to them. I was obviously drunk and it was dangerous for me to be out like this, but luckily for me I, my apartment wasn’t too far away from the bar.

        I reached my apartment and searched through my pockets to find my keys. I then struggled to get the key in the keyhole, and I stumbled into my apartment. I emptied my pockets, checked my phone, which had no messages or missed calls, and plugged it in. When I finally was able to settle down, I went into my home office. I sat at my desk, a cheap IKEA desk that I had a typewriter on it. Out of one of the drawers I pulled out a ream of paper and a pack of cigarettes. I tapped and opened the fresh pack, and grabbed myself a cigarette. I lit it and took a long drag. It was rough on my throat, but I liked the buzz and the taste made me feel better. It was a bad habit, but it was just something I did when I wrote.

        I put a piece of paper into the typewriter and started typing away. I was working on my newest story, “The Dragon of Kil”. It was a crappy story that took a lot from the fantasy I liked, but I enjoyed writing them. I knew I would never get it published, for I had attempted publishing one of my stories, but every publisher turned me down, so I didn’t try again.

        When I was typing a thrilling battle scene between the protagonist and an evil beast, I suddenly felt very hungry. I really wanted a sandwich of some sort. I put out my cigarette in the ashtray on my desk, got up from my chair, and walked towards my kitchen. As I was making my way to the kitchen, I felt a jolt of pain and suddenly found myself falling into a bright light. It got brighter and brighter and I found myself in a forest. The weight of everything had dawned upon me, and I said the first thing that came to me, “What?”

        Suddenly I was surrounded by four men on horses. They dawned green and velvet clothes and brandished identical looking longswords. They looked very similar; all of them were wearing steel armor except for one. This one was very peculiar. He was a pasty, slightly hunched over man with short, greasy red and black hair and a long black beard. His eyes were red and piercing. He approached me and gave me a good look over. He asked me what I was doing here. His voice was slithery and fierce, it almost terrified. The best answer I could come up with was, “I just wanted a sandwich.” They all looked at me very confusedly when suddenly a fifth man appeared from the shadows.

        He was a very regal looking man, a tall, well built man with bronzed skin and bright blond hair. He was incredibly handsome and emitted a very brooding and authoritative presence. “Why are you here?” he inquired. I was enthralled by his presence. His voice was one to match it, a very deep, brooding, and seductive voice. I let out a small whimper, “Sandwich?” He let out a hardy laugh, and all the others, save the pale man, laughed with him. I chuckled as well to ease the tension I was feeling.

        The regal man grabbed my shoulder and asked, “Why don’t you come back with us to town?” He whistled and a horse totted toward me. I mounted the horse and followed them. The pale man seemed to be talking to the regal man. I’m not sure what he said to him, but it seemed like he was questioning him if it was wise to bring me along. I didn’t think much of it. I was just in awe of what I was doing. It was the most exciting thing I had ever experienced

        The forest was beautiful and full of life. There were trees of different varieties, all of them with emerald green leaves. There were bushes that had wonderful violet flowers in bloom. The leaves above me were so thick that only varied beams of light were allowed to pass through, and it gave a very nice ambiance to the whole place. There were animals all about, most of which were very familiar to me. These included rabbits, foxes, bears, different birds, and far too many others to list.

        I was too busy admiring my surroundings to notice when a giant rodent jumped from the darkness and pounced upon me. It drove its claws into my chest. I couldn’t free from its grasp; however, it a matter of seconds, the regal man stabbed the creature in the back. When it fell onto the ground, I got a good look at the creature that had attacked me. It was a giant brown rat looking creature. I felt relieved to know I was safe. He gave me a good look-over, presumably to see if I was alright, and signaled for us to continue following him.         

        After we rode for a while longer, we finally reached the end of the forest. In the distance there was a giant stone wall, at least twenty feet high, with a gigantic wooden drawbridge and manned guard towers every so often. As soon as we reached the wall I saw there was a moat surrounding the watt with some sort of vicious looking reptilian creatures swimming in it. The drawbridge was drawn and we entered the city. “Welcome,” the regal man announced, “to Releon.”

        As we entered, I saw an amazing city. There were horses, multitudes of people walking around and talking, merchants of all varieties, armed guards keeping patrol, and kids running and playing, one being chased by a guard for reasons unknown to me.

        In the center of it all was a large gothic styled castle with large entrance doors that opened when we got near them. We entered the castle, and I was enthralled by its beauty. The architecture was the same on the inside as well as all sorts of rare looking treasure and art. We dismounted and entered the throne room, which was adorned with green and violet velvet. As the regal man approached the throne, everyone bowed. I bowed as well just so I wouldn’t stick out. He sat down on his throne and gestured for everyone to rise. He spoke, “My name is Orac the Intelligent; I am the leader of Releon. What it your name, and from where do you hail?”

        I was still entranced by the imposing figure in front of me. Gathering up as much confidence as I could muster, I spoke clearly, “My name is James Sutherland, and I hail from the land of Chillicothe.”

        He looked at me with much curiosity. I was worried about what his next words might be. He then took a deep breath and announced, “I have a quest for you.” I was taken aback. Why would he ask so much of me when I had just arrived there? Also in the back of my mind I really wanted a sandwich, possibly with ham or turkey. “However,” he continued, “I need to test you to see if you are worthy of taking on this challenge.” The greasy man spoke up, “but sire…” Orac silenced him with the wave of a hand. I wanted to say something, but I held my tongue. Why would he specifically ask me to do something, but then have to test me to see if I was worthy? I was confused, tired, and just unsure.

        He stood and proclaimed, “So I say, that the brave warrior known as James shall be tested on the morrow. If he proves worthy, he will accompany me to slay the evil Kil’Ko.” There was a roar of applause. I was just confounded. Who was this Kil’Ko, or even what was it? These questions slipped away when Orac took his arm over my shoulder and I walked with him. He showed me to the room in which I was to be sleeping. It was right next to his, and it was a very large room, not quite as large as Orac’s room, but very large regardless. I entered the room when Orac bid me a good night, although I had not noticed it was night at this point.

        The room was wonderful. There was a large bed with a brass frame, large green and violet blankets and pillows, and a soft mattress that felt like it was stuffed with down feathers. The sheets were made of a fabric smoother and softer than any I’d ever felt. There was a large window facing west towards a cliff with a large body of water. The curtains that hung to the floor were smooth and flowing. The walls were adorned with beautiful art. The closet opposite the bed was full of wonderful clothing. I pulled out a nightgown which was especially comfortable. It was soft and caressed the skin in such a way that it was soothing. I lied down in bed and slipped into a nice sleep.

        I found myself in a dark, burned cave with Orac. There was a gigantic dragon between us, and on it was the greasy man from before. I had a sword and was slashing at the monster. It was ineffectual; however, as the dragon swiped its claw and struck down Orac. The greasy man laughed as the dragon turned its head towards me and breathed a plume of fire that consumed me instantly. There was a flash of bright light and intense heat, and then there was darkness. The laugh was ringing in my ears.

        Screaming my head off, I jolted out of bed in sheer terror. It was the middle of the night. The room was pitch black in darkness. All of the sudden, the door opened. Orac walked in with a candle that illuminated the room. I was sweating, shaking, and sitting on the edge of the bed. He came over, placed the candle on the nightstand next to the bed, and sat by my side. His arm on my shoulders, in a very calming and reassuring matter he asked, “What was that about?” I told him about the nightmare I just had. How terrified and confused I was. “Don’t be worried. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Now, go back to sleep. You’ll need plenty of rest for tomorrow.” The greasy man came to the door, and I gasped slightly out of fear. He asked what had happened to which Orac replied, “Everything’s alright Ko’Lik. James here just had a bit of a scare.” He almost slithered away. A chill ran down my spine as he did.

        Orac gave me a firm hug and went back to his quarters. I went back to sleep, and I had a pleasant sleep for the rest of the night. I woke up expecting to be in my apartment. I wanted this to be a long and elaborate dream that I had had after I passed out. Unfortunately, I was still in my quarters in Orac’s castle. I changed into my clothes and walked downstairs into a dining hall.

        It was a large room with an incredibly long table. At the table were many chairs with all sorts of people in colorful clothing sitting and eating. There was an abundance of exotic looking food. I saw all sorts of meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and pastries that I was unfamiliar with. At the head of the table was a large, dark reddish wooden chair with Orac sitting in it. Next to him was an empty chair in which I sat. I didn’t eat anything, and I think that Orac noticed because he asked me, “Why aren’t you eating anything?”

        “I’m not that hungry,” I replied, and it was true to an extent. I didn’t really feel that hungry. I couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was the smoking, but I didn’t really feel like doing that either, so I couldn’t really explain it. Maybe if there were sandwiches, I would have eaten some, but alas, there were none.

        After breakfast we proceeded to the armory. Unlike the rest of the castle, this room was very dark and undecorated. There were all sorts of weapons and armor. Some of them were types that I had never seen before. Orac sat down in a chair and told me to sit down. “Alright,” he announced, “Before we go on this adventure, I am going to put you through three different challenges to test your skills.” He gestured towards the swords and said, “Now, choose a weapon.”

        There was a wall of swords, made of all different metals with different styles, and each one of them was unique. Then I saw the sword, the one from the nightmare I had just the night before. It was a forged steel katana with a carved ivory dragonhead handle and an ornate gold guard. Even the sheath, which was solid red in color, was adorned with gold. I grabbed it and it felt natural in my hand. It was almost like it was made just for me. I practiced using it on a dummy, and sliced it in half with ease. I sheathed the katana and attached the sheath to my belt. “Great choice,” he commented, “Now to the challenges.”

        “The first challenge,” Orac continued, “is…” He was stopped when Ko’Lik entered the room. He came up to Orac and whispered into his ear. I couldn’t hear what he said, but obviously it was important as Orac stood up immediately and said, “On second thought, the challenges would take too long. I have a better way that will test your skills. You shall spar with me.”

        We left the castle and came to a part of the town where there was a large circular fenced in area. We both entered the area and went to opposite ends. I was terrified because I had no idea how to battle. It’s not like I had done it before. This guy probably had years of training in combat. How was I to ever win in this battle?

        â€‹Ko’Lik came to the center of the ring of battle. There was a loud sound and the ring was surrounded by multitudes of people. They were all very different. There were tall and short, young and old, from fair skinned to darker completions. There was a lot of variety in the people of the town. They all came to see the battle. I couldn’t blame them either. Seeing a battle in the middle of town must be at least a bit exciting.

        Orac was facing away with me, his purple cape facing me. He turned around and his cape fell to the ground. He unsheathed his sword, which was a relatively plain English broadsword with an ornate handle. “The rules gentlemen”, Ko’Lik announced aloud in his slithery voice, “are very simple. The first person to disarm their opponent is the winner.” He exited the ring and the battle started.

        He came for me and swung. I blocked the blow and swung back. The battle continued like this for a long time, with neither of us gaining an advantage on the other. Suddenly I got one good slash which knocked the sword right out of his hand. He let out a hardy chuckle and admitted defeat. He left the ring and gestured for me to do the same.

        I followed after him, but was stopped by Ko’Lik entering the ring. He pushed me down and pulled out a sword. He gave an intimidating look as he declared, “You defeated Orac alright, but do you think that you could defeat me?”

        He allowed me to stand. “Draw your weapon!” he yelled. I stumbled as I unsheathed my sword. I tried to attack him, but he overpowered me. Each blow from his large broadsword brought me down more and more until he disarmed me. He had his sword at my throat when there was a shout of, “Arrest that man!”

        â€‹Ko’Lik put up his hands and dropped his sword to his side. A couple of castle guards took him away. I saw him smiling as he was dragged away. Orac helped me up and asked me if I was alright. I assured him that I was fine and he took me into the castle. He patched me up in the throne room and began speaking.

        “I believe that you are that you are up to the task I have for you.” He patted me on the shoulder and continued, “Do you think you can help me?” I was unsure of myself, but I wanted to help him, so I told him that I would.

        “Great!” he proclaimed, “You must know what we are facing. Five years ago my wife, the queen, was taken away by an evil dragon named Kil’Ko. We tried to get her back, but were defeated and she was killed. I was distraught, but there was nothing I could really do. He left us alone for the longest time. That is until a few days ago when he kidnapped my daughter, Ohalia. I’ve decided that I should save my daughter and kill Kil’Ko, but I needed someone to help me. That’s where you come in. You’re going to help me kill him.”

        “When do we ride?” I asked him. He was about to speak when a guard came in exasperated and broke in, “He’s escaped. Somehow, he’s escaped.” We mounted horses and rode off into town.

        I asked Orac what we were going to do to which he responded, “We’re going to ride to Kil’Ko. I’ll let the guards deal with that useless idiot. I should have seen his deception years ago.” We were riding towards the exit of town when an old lady forced me to stop by blocking my path. She was short and hunched over with silvery hair and sandy skin. She wore a stained white and light blue dress. She pulled out a small vial of blue fluid and put it in my hand, closing my fingers around it. “Take this,” she said, “When you need it, you will know.” She then walked away. I turned away for a second, and she had disappeared.

        We left the town when Orac told me that, “Our first heading will be for The Forest of Peril.” The forest he pointed at was dead and dark, juxtaposition to the lively forest I came from. The trees were still tall, but they were dry and pitch black. The sky above it was extremely overcast. I heard all sorts of creepy sounds emanating from the darkness. It was as if many dangerous animals were all shouting at once. “Well,” Orac proclaimed, “onward we go.” Inside the forest, it was incredibly hard to see, for there was barely any light. I had my glued to the hilt of my sword as we went along. I was ready in case anything like what I had encountered before was to attack.

        As we went further through the forest, the animal noises got louder and sounded closer. The noise almost hurt my ears, and in the blink of an eye, a giant creature jumped from the darkness. It was at least ten times the size of the rodent that had attacked my earlier. It then pounced upon Orac and started biting him. He reached out for his sword and with a mighty slash, the creature was dead and cut in half on the ground. Orac was on the ground trying to catch his breath. I grabbed a medical kit from his saddle pouch. I knelt down beside him, started patching his wounds, and asked if he was feeling well.

        “I’m feeling a lot better now,” he said as he smiled at me. I helped him up and asked him what the hell that thing was. He explained, “Those are the rodents of unusual size. They roam the forests of the area, but the one in the Forest of Peril are especially dangerous. I hope that we don’t run into any more of them.” In the back of my mind, I knew that I had recognized that name from somewhere else, but I didn’t think too long on it, as we still had a long way to go, we both remounted our horses and headed onward.

        I was worried, so I asked him, “Are there any other dangers in this forest that I should know about?” He stayed silent, which caused me to be even more worried in case something might happen. I was sure that he knew what he was doing; however, there was a speck of doubt in my mind.

        We were getting close to the end of the forest when I felt something odd. I wasn’t going forward and I felt like I was sinking. By the time I came to this realization, it was already too late. I was sinking into quicksand. I tried to get off the horse and get out. I could dismount the horse, but I was still singing. I cried out for Orac, so he sprinted towards the quicksand and attempted to pull me out.

        It appeared to be too late as I was up to my chest in quicksand. He kept tugging and shouting, “I’m not going to let you sink, Fraden damn it!” He pulled on my hand with all of his might. Suddenly, I felt myself rising out of the quicksand. He finally got me out and laid me down. He was lying in the ground as well, looking very exhausted. He smiled and let out, “Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?

        I, feeling less jovial than him, said, “You bastard! Why didn’t you tell me about that?”

        Obviously being the one to joke around, he said, “I didn’t think you’d fall into that situation.” We both chuckled, despite both of us knowing that it was a bad joke. We were lying there for a good a long time. It felt really good just lying there together, even in that creepy atmosphere.

        When we finally got our energy back, we both mounted his horse. He was in front of me, and I had my arms around his waist as we left the forest. We went on through a long valley. It wasn’t a normal valley, though; the grass was all dead and the sky was as dark as midnight. It felt like we hadn’t been traveling for hours.

        “There it is,” he announced, “our next trial, the River Stix.”

        Ahead of us was a long river with what looked like black water with the consistency of tar. In the middle of it was a rickety bridge, old and fragile looking. Standing near the bridge was a tall knight clad in all white armor. He seemed very strong, still, and silent. As we approached, he pulled out a piano black longsword and slashed the horse’s neck. We dismounted the horse’s dead body. I approached the bridge and the knight put his longsword in front of me, obstructing my path.

        “None shall pass,” he exclaimed. I unsheathed my sword and in that split second, he cut me down with the shiny piano black longsword, which, along with his armor was stained with blood.

        â€‹Orac let out a bloodcurdling cream and lunged towards the knight. There was a loud clanging of steel against steel. It was a terrific battle between two relatively matched opponents. Blood was drawn and suddenly there was one last slash. A head fell into the river adding white to the blackness of the river. The knight’s lifeless body with blood stained white armor fell onto the ground. Orac stood stoically over the dead body, his now dirt and blood stained blond hair blew in the breeze. His sword glistened with the deep red blood dripping down his steel blade.

        â€‹â€‹Orac then knelt down beside me and examined my wounds. They were still bleeding and I felt sapped of energy. He fell down on my chest and cried, “Don’t die on me. Please don’t die on me.” Just then, the small bottle fell out of my pocket. He saw it and obviously knew what it was because he forced me to drink it. I felt my energy restore and my wounds were healing incredibly quickly. He cried out to Fraden, who was obviously his god, in thankfulness. As he helped me up, I grabbed my sword and leaned on his shoulder as we crossed the bridge, which was just as rickety as it looked.

        â€‹We made it across the bridge safely; however, after we crossed it, the bridge fell into the river and floated down the distance. As we walked onwards, the terrain became rockier, the atmosphere became darker, and there were burnt corpses all around, so I knew we were getting close to the evil dragon. I was getting more nervous the farther on we went.

        Then I saw it, Orac called it the “Cave of Darkness”, and it certainly lived up to its name. The inside was darker than anything I’d seen before then, that is, except for the flames that would sometimes come out. That was probably due to the dragon Kil’Ko. I knew that I had to fight that thing soon. I was hoping that Orac and I would be able to do it; however, there was always that hint of doubt.

        We approached the cave cautiously. The jagged walls were burnt and crumbling. The opening of the cave was tall and wide, and the inside was dark and burnt with burning corpses all around. We finally entered a cave and there came something that was a surprise to both Orac and I.

        In the middle of the cave sat Ko’Lik. He was wearing ragged clothes, his hair was longer, and he was laughing in his slithery voice. He kept laughing, and he turned to face us. Orac seemed outraged, so much so that he unsheathed his sword and yelled, “Why are you here, and where the hell is that demon Kil’Ko?”

        This seemed to make Ko’Lik laugh even more which made Orac angered. So angered that Orac lunged towards him and struck him down. Blood splashed against the cave wall, and it seemed that Orac had defeated him; however, after Orac stood back from the body, Ko’Lik went into hysterics.

        “You fool!” he proclaimed, “They called you Orac the Intelligent. Ha! More like Orac the ignorant. I hid under your very nose for over ten years. How could you be so blind that you couldn’t see what I really was. Even when your wife died, you never suspected a thing. What I truly was.” He stood and began to change. His pasty skin became darker and more reptilian. His hair came off and he began to become bigger and change form.

        It became all too clear that the evil man who had been working right under Orac’s nose was the evil Kil’Ko. He was a very large and impressive European style dragon. His scales were deep red with streaks of black. His eyes were red and piercing.

        Orac walked towards the fierce beast. “Where is my daughter?” The beast, in its deep and growly voice, laughed. He proclaimed, with his extremely loud voice, “Well, I don’t have your daughter anymore. Somehow she escaped from my grasp. She’s the only one to have done so, but now you two have walked right into my midst, so I’m afraid you both must die.” He breathed a plume of fire and we both dodged it. I unsheathed my sword.

        We circled the dragon on different sides, slashing away at the savage beast. He breathed fire around and hit us a couple of time. Although we were slashing all over the beast, it seemed to do no good. Everything we did appeared to have no effect.

        Kil’Ko finally hit Orac with flames and knocked him down. I let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the creature laughed. I ran head-on towards him as he was about to let out a breath. There was silence. A loud thud rang through the cave, and the creature bled on the ground, its head fallen and its throat slit. Blood dripped down my katana onto the ivory handle. In a wave of passion, I had cut the dragon’s throat, killing it.

        The strange thing is that as soon as I realized that he was dead, he transformed back to his human form. I felt a wave of guilt coming over me. Had I just killed a person? What had I done? The weight of everything dawned upon me and I fell down. Everything was black.

        I awoke in a daze. The world was moving, but I wasn’t sure how. When I finally came to completely, I saw that I was being carried by Orac who said, “Sleeping beauty, finally awake.” I let out a soft chuckle, which hurt like hell to do.

        “What happened?” I asked wearily. I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it from someone else before I would believe it. Plus, I just really needed to hear his voice at that point.

        “Well, after you slayed Kil’Ko, or Ko’Lik, you passed out,” he explained as if I didn’t already know I passed out. He went on to explain: “When I was comfortable in thinking that Ko’Lik was dead, I picked you up and walked back in the direction we came.

        I smiled and, for some reason, in a sarcastic manner told him, “Well, thanks. I really appreciate that.”

        “Well,” he replied in an equally sarcastic manner, “I could always just drop you right now.” We both laughed for a bit and continued for a good while.

        “You know,” I said, “I could have walked for a long time.” He proceeded to drop me onto the ground. I let out a hardy laugh and got back up. We walked further until we reached the river. As the bridge had floated down the river a considerable amount of time ago, we had to find a way to get across. Orac took a stick and prodded it at the river. The stick was immediately sucked in by the river, which was like tar.

        He looked at me and said, “There’s no way to get across that river.” We tried to put out heads together to think of a way to get to the other side. Eventually he snapped and said, “How about we try to jump across?” I looked at him dumbfounded, wondering how he had gained the title of “the Intelligent”. However, I thought about it for a second and realized that we had no real alternative. It’s not like we could just build a bridge or something.

        I shrugged and sighed, “Why the hell not? It’s worth a shot. I guess I’ll go first.” I walked back to give myself some space before the jump. I ran as fast as I could towards what looked like a ten foot jump, and right before the edge, I jumped. Time slowed down, and I heard Orac behind me cheering me on. I reached the other side, but just barely. I would have fallen if I hadn’t caught myself. I don’t know how I did it because I’d never really been much of an athletic type. Orac did the same as I, but would have fallen into the river if I hadn’t caught him.

        “You see?” he quipped as he caught his breath, “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” I almost wanted to strangle him, but he was right, plus we needed to get moving. We went on into the forest, weapons drawn in case anything happened.

        Unfortunately, something did happen. A whole swarm of RUSs came towards us. We both drew our weapons and killed most of them without much effort; however, one jumped for Orac’s face. Luckily I sliced it in half before it reached him. “There is a shortage of perfect faces in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.” He laughed and blushed as if he had gotten sunburn, but we proceeded to kill the rest.

        We finally made it out of the forest and were walking towards the city. We both felt accomplished in our actions. No longer would people be taken away and killed by the evil Kil’Ko. We entered the city to the thunderous applause of the townspeople. They were thanking us as they walked by. It made me feel happy knowing I had made people safe.

        As we approached the castle, the doors opened and a little girl, no older than four or five, ran out. The girl had long hair, curly and bright, rosy cheeks, big blue eyes, a bright white smile, and donned a green and violet silk dress. She ran towards Orac yelling, “Daddy!” and hugged him. Orac hugged her and picked her up as he did. After a bit of hugging, he let her down, ruffled her hair, and asked her, “How did you get away from Kil’Ko?” She snickered and ran inside the castle. Orac quickly sprinted after her, so I followed Orac just to figure out what was going on.

        The chase led us all around the castle, which I figured out was much larger than I had once thought. As I ran around the castle, I saw all sorts of people of nobility. Orac and his daughter went all around the castle before we reached what I assumed was her room. It was even larger than the quarters I was in. There was a large, comfortable looking bed, a massive wardrobe filled with all different clothes. Along with that were toys, stuffed animals, and lining the walls were weapons and armor that seemed to be made for a child.

        In the middle of the room was a small square table with four chairs, one on each side. The child sat in one chair, Orac sat across from her, I sat in the chair facing the door, and across from me was a stuffed fox. On the table were a wooden kettle and four wooden cups. As he was pouring a light green liquid from the kettle into the cups, Orac spoke to his daughter, “So, Ohalia, how did you escape from Kil’Ko?” Ohalia drank some of the liquid, as did I. It tasted much like green tea, but with slightly more toasty and floral notes. As she set down her cup, she began to explain, “Well, daddy, after the mean dragon took me to the cave, he turned into that evil man. I sat in the quietly in the cave and waited until he fell asleep. When he did, I snuck out real quietly. He didn’t hear me, so I was able to get out of the cave. Luckily, I always have my knife on me, so I was able to make it back to the city.” When she said this, Orac had a look of pride on his face.

        That was until she asked, “So, who’s he?” He became redder than a ripe tomato and nearly choked on his tea. After he collected himself, he said, ‘This is John Sutherland, and he’s a very good friend of mine.” I thought I should leave, so I finished my tea and exited the room. I heard the conversation going on as I left.

        That night there was a feast and much celebration. From what I had heard from the people at the celebration, Kil’Ko had been kidnapping people from Releon for centuries. Ohalia was just the newest of his captives; also, she seemed to be the only one who had been able to have escaped.

        The feast was outside. There was an extraordinarily long table with all sorts of roasted meats and vegetables. There were wines, meads, beers, and fruits as well. Pastries of all varieties filled with multitudes of creams and custards. Outside of the feast there was a parade with people in costumes dancing around. Even Orac was getting into the festivities, as he was dancing around, eating plentiful amounts of meat, and drinking from a large golden goblet.

        Although I knew what I had done was probably for the best, something in the back of my mind was itching. I snuck away from the festivities and walked through the city. There were kids playing, families talking and joking, merchants selling food, and groups of drunken people singing folk songs. I went past all of that to reach the cliff. I sat on the edge very cautiously, alone with my thoughts.

        The view was beautiful. The ocean ahead reflected the reds, oranges, and yellows in the distance. Birds like I’d never seen flew overhead, and whale-like creatures breached above the waves. There were fishermen boats as well lit only by lanterns; the captains of which were probably fast asleep. I admired the view for a while, and at some point Orac probably figured out that I had gone, and had come to find me at the cliff. “Why aren’t you at the party?” he asked as he sat down beside me.

        “I just wanted to get away,” I told him, “Something keeps itching in the back of my mind, something I forgot, something I’m still forgetting. I kept thinking about it, but I can’t figure out what it was. It’s bugging me like hell…” at that point he kissed me. Probably just to stop me from rambling, but I knew it was something more. It tasted like ham and wine. While we were kissing, I mumbled something along the lines of, “Sandwich.”

        When he finally stopped, he told me, “You talk too much and worry too much. If it’s important, it’ll come to you.” Then I realized what was itching at the back of my mind. As he put his arm on my shoulders and came closer to me, I thought of something. As we sat watching the sunset for what seemed like an eternity, I figured out that this adventure had given me what I really needed: a place where I could find people that I cared about. The world I had left was giving me no satisfaction. Here I had everything I ever wanted, everything I ever needed. I had more enjoyment than a million sandwiches. I had an adventure, friends, and love. In short, I was dead.

The End…