Cracking Open a Cold One

John was about to unlock the door when he noticed the living room light was on. He turned the handle and the door opened. John walked in and saw Brenda typing away on her laptop in the comfy chair.

He closed the door behind himself and locked it before returning his attention to his mother. He walked further into the room, giving her an odd look. He was sure she had said she was going to be at work, and maybe late.

"Uh, hey Mom?" he greeted curiously. Brenda stared intently at her screen while typing, not replying to him. He walked closer. "Mom? Hey!" He called much louder this time.

Brenda jumped snapping her laptop closed, "Oh, John! You're home. Hey sweetie, I didn’t expect you back this early, how are you? After scaring me half to ****?" Her surprise turned into a warm loving smile.

John laughed, "I'm fine, and yeah, I could say the same to you. Thought you had a deadline?"

Brenda sighed, "Yeah... Something was wrong at the office, so I had to work from home today... Anyway, how did your tutoring thing go?"

John hid a blush. "Oh, it was good, everything went fine. Uhm, anyway, I'm going to grab some stuff from the kitchen, then head up to my room, I have a raid today and we will probably be at it all night. I'll have my headphones on, so I won't hear you at all if you knock, you know how it is."

Brenda laughed, "Some things never change, do they? You sure I couldn't tempt you to spend time with me, we could order Chinese?"

John smiled at her before moving over and kissing her on the forehead. "I promise we will do that soon, but I have to do this tonight, it's important. Night, Mom, love you."

"I love you too, sweetie, and I will be making you keep that promise." She smirked. Before John could move, she pulled him closer to give him several kisses on each cheek and then wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. All the while John weakly complained until he began laughing and hugging her back.

After managing to pry himself away from Brenda, John went into the kitchen to gather snacks and energy drinks before he headed to his room. Once in there he tossed everything on his bed, and locked his door, which usually only happened when he was raiding, writing or watching porn.

John sat down in his chair and turned his computer on, after which he pulled up a gaming stream, this way his room wouldn't be deathly silent or raise concerns with his mother.

He turned his attention to the Mana Gem. First, he decided to take a better look at it; it wasn't very large, and it was similar in shape to the quartz crystals he'd given to Ellie, only the colour was much more vibrant, and ocean blue that faded to green; the crystal itself was maybe three inches long and one inch thick.

"Well, no time like the present," John muttered to himself while casting Create Barrier. He selected the Instant Dungeon option before using the gem as a focus.

WARNING!

Using this item will give possession of your barrier to another person or entity. Do you wish to continue?
Yes\No
John looked at the warning for a moment, before slowly reaching over and clicking Yes.

Barrier ownership transferred over to

Before he could even read the end of the window, John was stricken by a sudden surge of vertigo; he closed his eyes and shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling. Then he felt the chair beneath him vanish, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ow, how come I always land on my ass?" John grumbled as he clambered to his feet.

"Ay! Johnny boy, glad ya could make it, lad," a gruff and painfully Scottish voice cheered out to him. "Took yer sweet time, though."

John's eyes shot open and a forest came into his view; this wasn't like the forest surrounding the Silverwood, it was far less dense and the trees were a little more diverse with what looked like pine or fir trees as well as other trees John couldn't identify. He could also see the sky through the trees; the forest floor had beaten paths, flowers and bushes. It wasn't like the forest around the Silverwood was uniform or anything, just that this forest seemed to have more variety to it in the species of plant life as well as possibly the wildlife as John could hear how alive the forest was with so many animal, bird and insect calls.

John whipped around to look at the person who addressed him. An older gentleman bald on top with a glorious beard stood more than a head shorter than John. His barrel chest and broad shoulders made it obvious to John that this man was a dwarf, and with arms so muscular they pulled his white shirt sleeves tight around them, John knew the guy wasn't someone he'd want to get into a fight with. Over his shirt, the guy wore a green waistcoat which similar to his shirt sleeves fit snugly to his chest. A thick leather belt with a silver buckle held up his brown pants, John wasn't sure of the material but it looked to be very sturdy, and finishing just under his knees were large boots which had metal plates on the toe caps.

John took all of this in while the dwarf patiently waited, looking at John through his monocled eye. "Uh, I... How do you know me exactly?" John asked once he'd finally stopped studying the guy.

A thunderous laugh bellowed from the dwarf. "That'd be the first question ya ask meh, lad? A dwarf, naw, Hemet the legendary hunter stands in front of ya and ya can only ask how A know ya?" The laughing settled down. "A know ya lad ‘cause yer one of the reasons for meh being ‘ere. That'd be the reason A took it upon maself to give ya a hand, but A obviously can't just hand ya what ya need. As they say, give a man a fish, an he'll eat for a day, but teach ‘em to fish and he'll get his own damn dinner." He chuckled. "Anyway, ya’re ‘ere cos ya got yerself into a pickle, and A'm gonna help ya."

The dwarf turned and began walking down a path, motioning for John to follow. As he walked John spoke, "Wait, you’re Hemet? As in the quest giving NPC? How?"

"Ya got cotton in yer ears, boy? A just told ya how. Though A wasn't specific, A guess... A don't rightfully understand it entirely maself. Azeroth is a real universe that's beside yers. It bears striking resemblance to yer World of Warcraft, though it does have it's differences, for instance, ma legendary reputation for hunting gained meh a followin’, and that devotion grew til people paid tribute to meh or ask for blessings. A wasn't exactly a god, but the game in yer universe pushed meh over the edge and A became godlike. Upon entering yer universe, Gaia spoke to meh and solidified ma place as a god of the hunt," Hemet boasted.

It was a struggle with such a strong accent, but John thought he understood most if not all of what the dwarf said. The two finally stopped at some kind of outpost. It was small, the area had a wicker fence around it, and there was a large blanket lying on the floor. Across from that two comfortable looking chairs stood next to a barrel with two tankards sat on top. "Take a seat, lad," Hemet offered.

John nodded and sat down. "Uhm, so if you aren't the same Hemet as the one from the game... Why do you owe me anything, not that I think the Hemet from the game owed me anything either, but I haven't actually done anything for you."

"A fine question to ask, A guess. Well... after A became a god, all of the other versions of meh connected to yer universe were merged, at least the ones with any backing, that did include one or two fanfics." He laughed. "So A was made aware of all that happened in the game and in fiction of that other meh. Basically, A'm both, exactly the same Hemet ya met in World of Warcraft and a dwarf parallel to that other meh. Not all that easy to explain, lad. But, even if A wasn't that Hemet, yer actions towards that one directly affected meh, making meh the god A am today, and boy, A enjoy being Lord of the Hunt, ‘specially since there wasn't much representation for ma fellow dwarvish hunters ‘ere," Hemet said as he pulled open the barrel and dunked one of the tankards into the dark liquid. He grabbed the other and nodded at John. "Fancy a drink? It's a fine stout, gifted to me by the Scottish branch of ma hunters, has a hint of chocolate and coffee and is extremely smooth."

"Uh, no... I'm not old enough," John admitted.

Hemet let out a short laugh. "Lad, yer not anywhere ya could get in trouble. If anythin', ya'd be in more trouble refusin'. A won't take offence if ya don't want any though. But it'd be a shame if ya didn't at least have a taste." Hemet dipped the other tankard into the barrel and allowed a small amount to fill the bottom of the mug. He handed it over to John, who took a sip before spluttering; Hemet roared out in laughter again. "Son, ya not gonna get hairs on yer chest like that."

"S-sorry, I don't think it's for me." John winced. "So... Er... You said all the people under you are dwarves... Is that why I couldn't join? The letter I got said you wanted me to join you but that I couldn't."

"Aye, lad, ma hunters are all dwarves, a rowdy lot at times, but A wouldn't want anyone else to have ma back on a hunt. A would tell ya to go out and find Miranda or Gus and to join their lot, but at the same time, A don't want them to have a lad like ya. No doubt ya might run into ‘em though, eventually, so make sure to flash ‘em that crystal. Oi, that reminds meh, ya haven't tried using it for its purpose yet. I’m surprised, thought ya'd do it as soon as ya took hold of it." Hemet raised an eyebrow at John and waited.

"Ah, yeah, well, I was planning on using it in this barrier, thought it would be best to wait until I needed the MP boost," John explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"A've got some bad news for ya sunny, while yer in this barrier, ya gonna be limited with what magic ya can use, ya’re only gonna be able to actively use yer quest log. A want ya to get some natural skills, not just what Gaia ‘as been handin’ out to ya. So today's lesson is foraging. A won't go into it now, but A'm gonna send ya off with minimal tools to use an ya can gather some resources. It'll be a good lesson for ya, 'specially since ya’re usin' that gate skill of yours, better to have the skills to forage, hunt and survive and not need em than need em and not have em." Hemet smiled before taking a long drink from his tankard.

"I guess that's true, but why not just let me gain skills from my powers?" John asked.

"Because... If ya ever found yerself without powers for whatever reason, at least ya'd still have what A want to teach as a backup. Ya need to be prepared for things ya can't expect and a good start is survivin' without the aid of magic," Hemet explained. "As much as A'd want to just jump in and help ya out, it's not somethin' A'm always allowed to do. Also, it's gonna be entertainin' to watch ya flail as ya try completin' the quests A set ya," Hemet laughed. “Anyway, lad, accept ma quest and off ya pop, no time like the present.”

Quest: What the world has to offer.

Accept?
Yes \ No

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