Gilvanius Fen slowed his Crawler until the black void surrounding him coalesced into recognizable forms. The greens and browns of a forest surrounded him, and through the thick canopy he could see tall mountains in the distance.
“This dimension’s got potential.” He said to himself. Forested areas often meant reptilian life.
As the Crawler finally came to a stop and the protective barrier flickered away, Gilvanius tightened his grip on the long sword. His sword, as well as his shield and armor, were made from tightly pressed layers of carbonic sheets… Not as impressive as those who chose to use traditional gear made of heavier metals, but he’d still be championed as a hero if he could land the kill.
He began walking through the forest, looking this way and that for his prey… Hopefully his prey… One wrong move and his prey could quickly become his predator.
A strange creature resembling a cross between a cicada and a parrot landed on a branch near him. He studied it for a moment… Perhaps it was studying him?
“Can you understand me?” He asked.
A million-billion cycles and iterations of intelligent thought whirred through his Probability Communicator before the words ‘INSUFFICIENT SENTIENCE’ appeared on the screen. He looked up at the creature and frowned. It made a hissing sound toward him before flying away.
He continued trekking through the forest. He recognized some of the plants and creatures from Dimensional Biology textbooks… Many lifeforms tended to more or less resemble each other so long as their environments were similar. Sure there were variations, and most dimensions had little oddities here and there, but the familiarity of leaves and flowers, stalks and branches were rather constant across the Causality Field.
He was busy inspecting a small, needle-laden fruit dangling from a nearby branch when a burst of light sent him stumbling backward in shock. He instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword and raised his shield as a dragon materialized in front of him.
This was rather curious. Dragons were not meant to simply ‘materialize’, but rather swoop down, or burrow up. Was it possible he had stumbled across a creature capable of teleportation?
He quickly dashed behind a nearby tree-like plant, but the creature had spotted him, and had done likewise behind a large boulder.
Gilvanius steeled himself. “You got this. You got this.” He said to himself, attempting to spike his own adrenaline and ready himself for the kill.
“What have you got?” A voice asked.
Gilvanius felt his stomach drop. He was supposed to be the only person on this planet. The Crawler had confirmed as much.
“H-Hello?” He called.
“Hello. Are you the being I saw when I arrived?” The voice asked.
Givlanius listened closely and was surprised when he realized the source was coming from behind the boulder. He peeked around the plant’s trunk and saw the dragon staring toward him.
“Was-was that you?” Gilvanius asked.
The creature made a few growls, but a collar around its neck replied “It was. Are you a human?”
“I am.”
“And you live here?”
Gilvanius frowned. How was he supposed to explain dimensional travel to a creature that would be incapable of understanding it.
But before he could say anything, the beast continued. “I know you are confused, but I come from a distant place called a ‘dimension’. It’s like your land, but different.”
“Hang on.” Gilvanius said, moving a bit more into the open. “You’re from a different dimension?”
“You know about dimensional travel?” The dragon asked, poking out a bit more.
Gilvanius turned his shield, exposing the Crawler. The dragon, in turn, raised a talon and displayed a sleek copper sphere with odd etchings in it.
Gilvanius blinked. The creature seemed just as confused.
“What are you doing here?” He eventually asked.
“I’m, err, here to… Well, I’m here to hunt humans.”
Gilvanius darted back behind the tree. “You won’t be hunting me!”
“No no no, not a human like you. I mean a beast. A human beast.”
Gilvanius frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well humans are supposed to be dumb beasts capable of flying, and they can shoot lasers from their eyes. In some cases they’ve been known to create explosions through mere touch… But you’re intelligent.”
“That’s odd, because I’ve been sent to kill a dragon.”
These words caused the creature to duck behind the boulder. “Good luck! I won’t make it easy!” It exclaimed.
“I won’t attack you.” Gilvanius said. “I’m looking for a dragon that’s likewise dumb, and capable of flight and breathing fire.”
Laughter could be heard from behind the boulder. “A dragon that can fly? Like in an airplane?”
“No, with wings. Biological wings.”
More laughter. “I don’t know what kind of crazy stories you’ve been reading, but we’re not able to do any of that.”
Gilvanius crept back out from the tree. The dragon, too, moved more into the open. They kept their distance as they studied each other.
“You don’t have wings.” Gilvanius said, disappointed.
“And you don’t have glowing green skin.”
Gilvanius frowned. “I guess this trip’s a bust.”
“Maybe not for me. There might be humans around.” The dragon said.
Gilvanius shook his head and showed the creature his Crawler. “None here.” He said. “Tracker shows I’m the first human to ever enter this dimension.”
The dragon gestured to its sphere. “Same with dragons.”
Gilvanius sighed. “So this was a fantastic waste of time. I’m going to go home without a kill.”
“Well hang on, I think we can work something out.” The dragon said. “What if I go back to my dimension, steal a dead body, and return here with it. Would you be willing to trade me one of your dead?”
Gilvanius thought about it. Stealing a dead body before it was cremated wouldn’t be too difficult, and though it was a bit distasteful, he figured he could overcome his own scruples if it meant the glory that came with a kill.
“I suppose I could.” Gilvanius nodded. “Return here in seven days?”
“Seven? Why seven?”
“Oh, that’s a week on Earth in my dimension.”
“Huh… Odd. Our week lasts twelve days… But okay, seven days it is.”
The creature departed. Gilvanius took one last look around, then smiled. The folks back home would give him praise for returning with a dead dragon, he just wouldn’t give details about how he acquired it.