The Way The String Goes - Dungeons And Dragons

Show Don't Tell

The two old friends walked inside the city walls dodging people rushing around them with their own problems and schedules while, not far from there a few hours earlier a young man was having a nightmare.

— B̶̙̀ḛ̷̃ ̵̮̊n̴̫͠ö̵̦́t̷̩̑ ̵̜̀a̴̘͌f̶̠͌r̷͎̂a̴͔̚i̸̼̽d̴͙̕ — A million voices coming from a unique source said.

His eyes did their best to focus around the space, he was lost and confused, it was bright, so bright and red, and hot, how did he get here? he couldn't tell, but as he could finally look around he wished he wouldn't have, he was on top of a hill, close to falling to an endless blood-red sea that merged with a swirling yellow-orange sunless sky, and at the center of this floated a massive... thing was the only word he could use to call it, there were about two pair of flat hoops spinning around a four-winged white feathered sphere and as he stared at the shining object a red light shone at the middle of it and formed a line, and then the line opened, and it blinked, now the sphere was a winged eyeball, eyelids and all.

— B̶̙̀ḛ̷̃ ̵̮̊n̴̫͠ö̵̦́t̷̩̑ ̵̜̀a̴̘͌f̶̠͌r̷͎̂a̴͔̚i̸̼̽d̴͙̕ — The chorus of voices repeated as he fell to his knees trembling.

The young man sat up on the bed with a shallow scream and looked around his strange surroundings, not familiar with anything at all, and nervously fumbled with the sheets and his tattered tunic making him hit the floor.

— Are you awake, boy? What's with all the noise? — The voice of an old person called not so far away as he heard steps getting closer and closer, he did his best to stand up, only managing to find one of his shoes.

And through the door came a creature maybe old as time itself, their golden scales had already lost their shine, and a back so hunched that he almost looked like an S, but he had kind eyes and a gentle smile that made him let down his guard, — Who... Who are you? — he asked, trying to calm down his racing heart.

— I'm called Prembul and this is my home. I take care of this graveyard and I'm glad I didn't have to dig a grave for you, hehe, still got it. — Prembul said that last part to himself with a small prideful smile.

— I-I-I'm Abel... did-did you say grave?— he stuttered nervously sitting up on the bed as he studied the scaled creature and their surroundings. — Where... am I?

— You're at my house and graveyard boy, as I said, now come, let's get some food in you, you woke up but you can still make me dig a grave and I already dug up the ones I needed for today.

Abel just followed the man, he had a thousand questions but only when he finally ate something did his mind clear enough to speak a bit more, —S-sir have you ever heard of eyes with hoops spinning around it?

The scaled man seemed to perk up excitedly, — Did you say hoops? ah, that takes me back, there was a circus once and dancers and acrobats jumped around and through hoops as if they weighed nothing, it was amazing, I was with my wife and kids back then. — he smiled melancholically with a thousand-yard stare — I hope the circus comes back one day, that would be nice.

The young human was so taken aback by the course the conversation took but decided to let that be, — I-I'm sorry to bother you this much Mr. Prembul, but... is there a town nearby I could go? I'm looking for my teacher.

— Ah yes yes, just walk a couple of hours south and you'll find the gates to Evermist, make sure you wash your face before you go so you don't look so much like a beggar or they won't let you in boy, and also be careful, there are tons of werewolves in the area and dying mauled by one isn't pretty. — There was a bit of bitterness hidden in those words, he noticed but his nervousness kept him from asking more questions.