Chapter 1 - First Encounter

My eyes darted around the dense forest, searching for an escape route, but none presented itself. Massive, thick vines hung from tree branches, creating a labyrinth of greenery surrounded by bushes and rocks. I thought, 'When there's no way out, you have to make your own.'

With determination, I began to wade through the underbrush, the sound of snapping twigs and branches echoing through the stillness. I reached out for a prominent glistening vine, but as my hand made contact, I recoiled in surprise. The vine was slimy, and my realization came too late. Suddenly, with a swift and deadly strike, a creature with huge fangs and bright yellow eyes lunged at my forehead. Instinctively, I raised my arm to block, and it sank its fangs deep into my flesh. A searing pain shot through my arm as I stumbled out of the bushes.

As I emerged from the undergrowth, I stumbled and fell face-first onto the gravelly forest floor. Scrambling on hands and knees, I hastily distanced myself from the bush, where the snake slithered away. Clutching my throbbing arm, I noticed small white text appearing in the top right of my vision: "Status: Poisoned."

My gaze darted to the text, but it moved with my eyes. It felt like a GUI from a video game. Confusion set in. Suddenly, the white text reappeared, reading: "Danger Detected: Move." I spun around to see two colossal horses rearing their hooves dangerously close. Stumbling backward, I narrowly avoided becoming mince meat beneath them.

Before me, a massive convoy, with at least a thousand horses. Some riders wore knightly black steel armour, while others donned black cloaks and witches' hats all bearing a small emblem on their right shoulder, a huge snake coiling itself around a bear. I muttered to myself, "What the hell is this place? This is definitely not Japan."

"Out of the way, you piece of shit," a man in a golden cloak with gold shoulder pads yelled from a carriage window. The carriage also bore the same emblem as the rest. His carriage moved on as I lunged out of the path of the horses.

"What the fuck man, can I get a ride?" I scream as his carriage trots off. 

"I hope he tortures you before killing you, you insolent peasant!" the man shouted as the convoy disappeared over a distant hill.

As I pondered my strange surroundings, a mysterious figure on horseback rode past me. They whispered, "I would run if you don't want to be Gestral's plaything. What kind of idiot comes out here with no armour or rank?" The hood on their head lifted with a gust of wind, revealing plaited scarlet hair that danced in the breeze.

I was mesmerized by the vibrant hair, but my thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the rumble of thunder rolling through the forest and mountains behind me. I spun around to witness the approaching storm, only to find no storm cloud at all. Instead, a massive black-scaled dragon glided through the sky, its fiery scales gleaming with flowing magma. I stood frozen in terror as the dragon spoke.

"Are you a fool? Who ventures into my land with no armour or weapons? You don't even have a rank," the dragon said.

I stand completely shocked, not only because of my impending doom but also because this is a real-life dragon. Not some animation from an anime or a manga, but an actual dragon in the flesh and blood. I can smell the rotting breath, I can feel the heat from the molten rock flowing through its scales, I can see the saliva dripping from its jagged teeth, and to top it all off… it can fucking talk…