I awoke slowly, groaning as I immediately began to sit up. Something seemed off despite the fact I hadn't even had a chance to get my bearings, what had I been doing before?
Far from mentally reoriented, I simply looked about the area, expecting my room, what I found was far from it. I was surrounded by thick trees and foliage, sitting in the middle of a clearing of what was undoubtedly a forest. That wasn't going to be the only oddity I noticed however, the world seemed oddly different to me, but I couldn't quite figure it out.
Deciding it was merely my sleep-addled mind playing tricks on me, I stood up, oddly hearing a sound like plate armor being moved about. Looking about myself, I finally noticed that I was still wearing my Ornstein costume… but I don’t remember us making it out of real metal.
Score one for staying calm? Okay, I could have remembered this the moment I moved. I was at the con, I went as Ornstein, we were ahead of the others, then we… we split up, that’s right. But… that doesn't answer how I got in a forest of all places. I took a calming breath, checking myself for everything I still had on me. I couldn't find my duffel; I did however notice that Ornstein’s ranseur, the Dragonslayer Spear, was off to the side.
If my bag was missing, then that could mean I was robbed… at a con? I groaned, shaking my head to clear it. None of this made sense, but even still, I have something to go off now. That’s when I finally noticed what felt off earlier. I seemed… taller, for lack of… any explanation. Perhaps the trees were smaller? That seemed unlikely to me, but I’m not a tree expert, it could just be some species I don’t know.
Whatever, none of that mattered so long as I was stuck here in a fucking forest! I groaned to myself, complaining wasn't getting me out of here, and certainly wasn't solving my headache.
That in mind, I looked over the ranseur, if my armor had changed; what of my weapon? When did I start thinking of my costume as my armor? Well, it was definitely sharp now, a true weapon. Perhaps those days of learning to use a staff when I was younger would pay off, how different could using a ranseur be, right?
Remembering my ultimate goal of getting out of this damned forest, I looked to the sky, trying to remember where there was a forest near the city. It was a little before the sun would set, meaning dusk was fast approaching. That did not bode well for me.
Ascertaining at least some sense of direction, I decided to try heading eastwards; hopefully I was right about where I was in relation to the rest of society. Otherwise I might be stuck in this forest for quite a while longer. A prospect I was not looking forward to, especially if it meant having to learn how to hunt with this thing. Even though that was quickly becoming the plan as I swung the ranseur around, getting used to its heft and weight.
Oddly, the spear and armor felt like I’d worn them for the majority of my life. That couldn't possibly be right; I was athletic, but not strong, definitely not strong enough to use this armor effectively. Yet it felt so natural to me, like it… belonged to me.
My train of thought came to a screeching halt as I heard a menacing roar from my left, causing me to grip the ranseur tighter, wielding it with one hand at the middle of the shaft as Ornstein did in the game. So much for not hunting.
The beast before me was… I had to be dreaming. What stood before me was a lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail. It was like something out of Greek mythology, and it was angry at me. Not wanting to know what dying felt like in the dream world, a steadied myself for what may very well end in a horrible thrashing via Greek mythos.
The mighty beast charged for me, paws slashing at me from either side. The strange idea of jumping came to mind, and upon doing so, I found I had launched myself above the beast. Just like Ornstein himself… then let’s slam this spear into its neck! Positioning the pointed end of the ranseur down towards my enemy, I fell back down to land on the beast as it looked around in surprise after I had suddenly disappeared.
The blade sunk deep into the beast’s flesh, just behind the base of the neck, deep into its back. It began thrashing and kicking, trying to throw me off of itself. It succeeded, sending me smashing into a tree and sliding down to the base of its trunk. The impact sent pain shooting up my spine, but at the very least, I held onto my Dragonslayer Spear.
The beast turned to face me, scorpion tail rising to finish the job. I would not surrender myself so easily however, just managing to roll away as the beast’s tail sunk into the bark of the tree, lodging itself inside, and revealing an easy target to me.
Standing back up, I brought the ranseur down onto the tail with a two handed strike, determined to cleave the blasted thing right off. It worked, the tail crashing down to the earth as the beast gave an infuriated roar of pain. It seemed this fight would not be so easily won.
As it gave its roar, I got an idea, if I can suddenly leap and strike with the strength of Ornstein himself, then perhaps that’s not all I can do. This was a dream after all. Raising the spear above my head before bringing it behind myself as lightning began to encircle the blade at the end, I thrust the ranseur forwards, the lightning shooting out at the mythological beast before me.
The lightning struck just as the beast was beginning to prepare another strike for me, and the effect was immediate. It cried out in agony as it fell onto its side, the left foreleg having been lifted to swipe at me. It would be a simple matter now, to end the beast’s agony.
I stepped forwards, lifting the spear with both hands before plunging it deep into the beast’s neck, killing it and ending its pain. I withdrew my ranseur from the beast, giving the now dead animal a closer inspection. It definitely looks like it belongs in Greek mythology. In fact, isn't it a manticore? Yes, that’s what it is.
The manticore’s hide was charred and burnt where my lightning had struck it, and I smelled burnt fur. Apparently lucid dreams were also more… vivid than usual. The smell was weakened enough by the helmet that it didn’t affect me too greatly, so I decided to turn and walk away before it did. Yet I was hesitating, what if I don’t encounter any other source of meat to sustain myself until I can find another source of guaranteed safe food.
I walked back over to the beast, idly wondering how I was supposed to even go about skinning it. I supposed I could use my ranseur, but that still left the fact I didn't know how to actually skin anything. Eventually I decided to simply plunge in the ranseur. I held it at an angle, trying to judge when the inedible furred flesh ended, and the edible parts began.
Dusk settled in quickly, I had only finished a small portion when a thought came to mind. Why am I skinning this manticore for food in a dream? The thought didn't last much longer as my stomach gave protest to its lack of food. Perhaps this wasn't a dream after all… that was a thought I’d pursue at another date, one I didn't really want to pursue at all.
I promptly got back to work, eventually getting what I deemed to be enough for the night’s meal of meat ready to be cut out. Turning, I searched for a tree that I deemed suitable to be turned into firewood. There wasn't much separating one tree from the other, so I simply chopped one of them down. If any of my more eco-friendly friends found out, they would kill me for this.
With a small smile, I set to work creating a fire pit, then the fire itself. Finished with that, I cut out the section of meat I had prepared, skewering it onto the ranseur which I then held over the fire, turning it here and there so that it cooked thoroughly. They could complain when they were required to do this to eat.
I had decided against risking eating the organs of the beast, something I didn't even think I had the stomach to do anyways, instead eating the fat of the manticore. It might not be entirely healthy, but it would have to do. I of course took my helmet off in order to eat, and found the meal to actually be decent in taste, certainly not as good as other meals I could be having, but that’s not to say it didn't taste good.
Finished with my meal, I allowed the fire to die on its own before walking over to a tree. I had crashed into one of these earlier, and after taking what must have been a good portion of the night to cut one down, I was certain they were sturdy enough to hold me in one of their lower branches while I slept for the night.
That reasoning in mind, I deftly climbed to the highest branch I dared to go, which wasn't actually that high up the tree, perhaps midway at best. I settled in like that, having left my ranseur down on the ground until such a point I could figure out a way to fashion a sheathe for it. Perhaps now, I would awaken from this nonsensical dream… I truly hoped that would be the case.
I was resting at the top of a mountain, looking out across the landscape below. It was a beautiful image, one I could enjoy until the end of time if given the chance. I sat there for some time before hearing what sounded like footsteps coming from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I found myself looking into the eyes of an equine creature with a horn and wings.
This was definitely not a creature I was familiar with, though something told me it wasn’t a threat. Then it spoke in a definitively feminine tone, “Greetings knight, we hope we’re not interrupting.”
My smooth reply was immediate, “Of course not, come, join me if you so wish.” I waved her over, so she might join me in gazing out upon the beautiful landscape below us.
She nodded in reply, “Our thanks, pray tell what thy name is, if we might hear it?”
“I am Revan, fair equine, though it feels as though you plan on waking everything within a square mile with your voice, something which I do not recommend,” I said this as the plume of my helmet blew back from the force with which she spoke.
Seeming to understand the danger, she lowered her voice to a more normal, almost like a puffed up junior officer when their superior walks in. “We are sorry for thy intrusion, pray tell, what manner of creature are you?”
I was unsurprised by the question when I answered it, “I am of the light, one of the Knights of Gwyn.”
Though the equine seemed confused by the answer, she appeared sated by it for the moment. “We see, we are Princess Luna, diarch of Equestria and ruler of the night.”
At hearing this, I stood and bowed deeply to this self proclaimed Princess, not as low as I would for my Lord Gwyn, but deeply enough to show my great respect. “My deepest apologies, I was unaware of your status.”
Luna waved a hoof dismissively, “It is most understandable, thou have but once seen us, and we doubt tales of our deeds circulate to that which you hail from.”
Rising from my bow, I turned back to wonderful view before us. “So what are you doing out here fair Princess, if I may be so bold as to ask?”
“We were returning from a matter of great import when we stumbled across thine camp. Curiosity overcame us, so we approached as thou well know.”
“But of course.” We sat in a comfortable silence for some time before Luna stirred next to me, drawing my attention to her.
She stood from where she had lay for the past few minutes, “Forgive us, for we must return to our duties this night. Mayhaps our paths will cross again in the future.”
“Of course Princess Luna, I bid you farewell,” I bowed once more to punctuate the statement, to which she nodded and began to take her leave. I lay back, relaxing once more as the dream around me faded away.