Without any hesitation, I turned away from the coming mist and took off running. My heart pounded double time. I could taste the fear raising in my chest. It didn’t help that I was disoriented. I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know where I was running to. I just knew deep down in my gut that I didn’t want to be caught in that mist. Could I even out run the mist? I wondered. My mind does that, over thinking when I am overwhelmed. Can humans outrun mist? Isn’t it like running way from the rain? How far is the mist? Looking back wasn’t an option. It would only slow me down.

  “Shelter! I need shelter!” I whisper screamed to myself as I run. I knew running mindlessly wasn’t helpful. I needed a plan or at least a clear direction. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a board meeting for me to stop, access and figure out a plan. This was run for your life a lion is after you. Only the lion was the mist and unlike the lion scenario climbing a tree won’t save me. I knew I was panicking but I couldn’t stop myself and I kept running.

  “ Shelter! Shelter!” I chanted over and over to myself. The fear churning in my stomach wouldn’t allow me to cut threw the panic I was in. So I run. Hard.

  Ding!

  General skill Running (Passive) unlocked.

  Level 1

  Increases movement speed and stamina efficiency while moving on foot.

  5 XP awarded

  Congratulations

  The voice in my head distracted and disoriented completely. I involuntary stopped in my tracks. My brain and muscles seized in dread. The only thing I could to do was to turn my neck side to side.

  “ Shelter! Shelter!” I didn’t stop my mantra, scanning ahead and sidewise to see if that was anything that could be a cover. This was a typical savannah forest, grassy plains with few trees and no cover. In the corner of my eyes, I could see the mist. Maybe 20 footsteps from me. The forest was now completely white with the mist. Visibility was down to zero.

  I knew then, well, I had known all along but at this moment I came to accept the reality. Outrunning this mist was impossible. There was nothing I could do. Somehow that thought made all the agency and fear to suddenly drained away. My stomach unclenched, my brain and muscles un-seized, my heart stopped pounding. My breathing even out as I turned around to watch the mist creep closer.

  The cold that the mist radiated was so sharp it chilled me to my bones through the plush warm robe I was wearing. My walking stick felt like a icicle in my hand. Despite the uncomfortable chill, I closed my eyes feeling very peaceful and calm. I was going to wake up any time now. This is what happens in dreams. The worst happens and you wake up, scared out of your wits. Not me. I was going to wake up calm and chuckle at this silliness. Hopefully not to a wet bed. Oh, God! I hope I haven’t wet my bed.

  Suddenly, the ground gave under me. I snapped my eyes open as I felt myself going down. Strangely the calm and peacefulness didn’t live me. The world felt surreal. Like it was happening to someone else. I wasn’t going to wake up, was I? The thought floated in my brain as I fell/sunk. Was I sinking or falling? It didn’t feel as fast as falling should be. So maybe I was sinking. Right in front of me, maybe an arm’s length away, was the wall like cloud of the mist. The cold that it radiated was getting sharper. I could feel it painfully freezing me to the core but the pain didn’t shake me out of my stupor. Instead I found myself hoping that I could sink faster. Even in this addled state, my gut told me sinking was better that experiencing that mist.

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  Everything was happening lighting fast. I sank fast, the mist crept faster but it didn’t catch me. Something just as alarming happened instead. As soon as my head sunk into the ground, the ground above me snapped shut. Which was good, no mist could get in, but bad because where was I? Also I started falling in earnest. That realization snapped me out of my emotional disassociation into full panic mode again and survival instincts kicked in. I shut my eyes again, let go of my walking stick and covered my head with my arms.

  Ding

  You have managed to evade and hide from the Smoke-that-thunders.

  New General skill Wayfinding unlocked.

  Level 1

  You know where to go or what to do to avoid danger.

  5 XP awarded

  Congratulations

  The sound again! Who cares about the smoke now? I was falling! I probably fell for a few seconds but it felt like a really long time. Where was the bottom? I kept wondering. Then my brain decided to scare me ever further. What’s at the bottom? Is it water? But I can’t swim. What if its a trap with lspikes? Seriously what was wrong with me. Any kind of bottom was going to be bad no matter what it was especially if I keep falling. My chances of survival were not looking good.

  Clack! Clack! Clack! I heard a sharp clack of what I hoped was my walking stick hitting the bottom. A second later, I hit a smooth surface on my side with a dull thud and managed to bounce twice before I came to a stop. Every bone in my body shuddered. Pain exploded in my head and I curled into the fetal position. That slight movement caused the pain to sharpen. My skin felt on fire, like it was being skinned. My insides felt like a thousand needles bomb has just denoted in them.

  I lay still trying not to move. My brain could not process a single thought. My whole world was reduced to the all consuming pain.

  Ding!

  You took a terrible tumble.

  -4 health.

  Health 6/10.

  You need to take better care of yourself.

  The ding in my head startled me into sitting up. Only instead of sitting up, I toppled forward and rolled down another smooth surface. I momentarily forgot about the pain for the new fear of another fall. I flailed about to find something I could use to break my fall. Instead my hands found nothing but smooth surface. As soon as my brain registered that I wasn’t going to break the fall the pain came back multiplied. Every bump, every roll, every hit cranked up the pain. The flailing about like a chicken didn’t help either. It was like being put through a meat grinder.

  In the back of my head, a tiny thought floated in the sea of pain, wondering when was I going to wake up. I just wanted the pain to stop but it didn’t. It kept going on and on. It was a long and painful tumble. After was felt like an eternity, I finally hit an even surface and I couldn’t tumble anymore. It was finally over. At least I hoped it was over.

  I lay there sprawled out on my back, swimming in pain. Everything was on fire, searing me from inside out. There pain was so excruciating tears just rolled down the side of my eyes onto my face into my ears and hair. Occasionally tiny tremors run through my body but I couldn’t cry out. Any tiny movement caused even worse searing pain to wash over me. I tried to be as still as possible. This is not how dreams go surely, the tiny thought floated about in the pain.

  Ding!

  Another tumble. -2 health

  Health 4/10

  Be gentle with yourself.

  Congratulations

  New General Skill Unlocked: Pain Tolerance

  Level 1

  You continued to function despite significant physical pain.

  Pain penalties slightly reduced.

  This time when the voice came again, I didn’t panic. I couldn’t panic. I couldn’t comprehend what it was saying. My brain was fogged by pain. I lay still, willing the pain to go away and silently crying. Instead of the pain lessening, it intensified. Light explored in my head. I passed out to another ding.

  Ding!

  Welcome to…