Chapter 1 - Midnight Crisis

"Ah!" Clutching his chest, Leo yelped.

A shimmering moonlight fell down upon the alleyway where he awoke and led him to believe he was back to his normal life. However, this was not the case. Leo stood up slowly while rubbing his head and assessed his surroundings.

Moving out of the break in between the buildings, a brick-laden road ran along the cityscape, weaving in and out of structures, These man-made constructs were unlike anything Leo had seen before in his life. They resembled something out of a high-fantasy novel filled with stories of kingdoms and magical beasts. As Leo looked closer, he noticed that the medieval houses and taverns were lit only by floating orange wisps and winding towers dotted the skyline in the distance.

'What did I drink last night... well, actually, what even happened last night? All I remember is that weird black space, and I was... here. I could have sworn I was laying in my bed after I got home late, but this really doesn't feel like a dream. I need to look around and find someone.'

Leo trusted his thoughts and followed the road out from the alleyway, heading towards a nearby inn. It didn't seem like many people were out at this time, most likely because it was so late. Either way, he forged ahead to find another human.

As soon as Leo approached and the door creaked open, he was greeted with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Large Minotaurs towering almost 3 meters tall stood alongside Dwarves who barely reached a meter in height, both parties drinking away out of mugs of foamy ale; at the tables, sat demonic humans with small horns and pointed tails; slimy green people struggled to stay solid within their clothing; and, at the counter stood a bald and burly bartender that stared directly at the new guest in the open doorway.

Leo stood there with his mouth agape, completely in awe of what he observed. Never before had he imagined himself standing so close to mythical creatures from the books he read as a child.

"Welcome!" Yelled the rough man, snapping Leo out of his stupor.

"What would you like to drink? Or, are you looking for someone?"

"Please, can I have a cup of water" Responded Leo as he moved closer.

"Just water? Hahaha!"

"I'm sorry, but my head is in a lot of pain and I seem to be quite lost..."

"Are you looking for a room, kid? What do you want?"

"What is this place? What's the name of this town?" Leo bombarded the man with questions about his situation.

"Don't joke around with me, kid. You know we are in Helsburg, don't you? Listen... actually, I don't need any more idiots in this place screwing around and causing problems for others. If you aren't here to buy a drink or a room, then get the hell out of here." The bartender crossed his arms as the sentence left his mouth, showing Leo that he overstayed his welcome.

Leo began to leave for the door, and, as soon as he stepped out of the inn, a table filled with three men stood up to leave as well.

Leo crossed the street to move back towards the alley he woke up in earlier. The alleyway had a few crates along the wall and clotheslines with drying clothes set up near the entrance, bridging the gap between the buildings. It was getting pretty late, and Leo figured that he might be able to use some of the drying clothes to cover himself and keep warm while he tried to sleep until morning. Just as he found a spot to wrap himself up and lay down, he heard footsteps approaching from behind a clothesline.

"Alright, let's make this easy. Strip and give us all that you have." A gruff voice mumbled from behind hanging clothes as more footsteps approached.

Leo glanced down and realized he looked extremely out of place in this town. Sneakers, a graphic hoodie, and black pants made him stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the others he saw at the inn. Almost everyone else was wearing cloth tunics or some form of leather, so his 'unusual' outfit made him look like a wealthy target to those who had no understanding of what he was really wearing.

"Come on, hurry up." One of the thieves stepped forward and revealed himself.

A shorter man came into view. One with skin depicting a purple hue and curled horns extending out of his temples. A tail pointed with a spade, swayed back and forth as he walked.

"Don't make us get physical" The thief snapped his fingers and a dark red orb appeared above his hand. It moved as if it was alive, randomly spiking out in all directions.

"I mean no harm, please just let me go. I don't know where I am or what's going on." Leo fumbled over these words as they left his mouth. He was clearly in danger and had no clue what to do.

"Looks like we caught a pretty stupid chump tonight guys. This is going to bring us some nice cash"

The demonic man lifted his left arm and pointed his palm towards Leo.