Star Crossed Myth: A Lost Child

Chapter 28

When the light faded, I was in some small town. Kinda like the town you'd see in a mmorpg game. Stands with food and magical items. Horses hauling cargo.

The merchants on the block announce their goods that had for sale.

"Fresh veggies! Get your veggies here!"

"Makin' potions, mate? Get your slimy ingredients!"

There wasn't really anything I'd want here, but I look around just to see the ways of this world. For a dream, this felt way too real. Unlike a dream, I felt as if I was really walking and controlling myself. Well, it' not called Lucid Dreaming for nothing.

Bear begins sniffing at some bar, so we went inside to check it out. He followed the scent of barbecue and baby back ribs from the kitchen.

The place was western-themed. Everything was made of wood and country-like. And it was full of biker-looking men drinking beer and tearing up meat.

Some stare as I walk in carelessly. I sat at the bar.

If I was going to find out more about the witch if I was going to fight her and take her down. Whatever her plan with the diamond was.

The man behind the counter finally comes up as he cleaned a beer glass with a rag. "Ya know, this ain't a place for a kid," his deep voice roars.

"I honestly don't care, right now. My friend likes the smell of your food and I wanna ask a few questions."

"Scram, twerp. I ain't got time for your shenanigans."

I reach into my pocket with the gold coins and pull one out, offering it to the guy. His eyes widen than straighten back as soon as it appeared. He examines the coin before taking it.

He gazes at me with a look that looks like he was saying, "I don't believe this kid."

"Aye, Frank!", he shouts into the hole leading into a kitchen. "Whip up some ribs, and a few sausage links!"

"Thanks," I bow my head.

He shrinks down onto the bar table, leaning on his elbow. "So, what's up?"

"I want to know about some weird witch. She has a red diamond."

His face went pale, and the bar murmurs behind me.

"Is this kid really for that witch?"

"She doesn't know what she's getting into."

"That girl is bold as hell!"

The guy sighs, "Look, that witch is evil. But she bargains her customers. Everything has a price, whatever you are giving up an arm, an organ—shoot your head! If you fail to pay her or disobey her orders, she will kill you. Sometimes she will put unwanted side effects on the things you get from her, and the only way to fix it is to buy something else. She'll even kill you if you stop buying her products or let the side effects kill you instead. The red diamond—no one knows much about it. She just has it on her."

Bear finally gets his lunch, and I sit and process what I am going to do. I didn't leave the bar until Bear was done.

"Ok, let's see..." I pull out the map from my backpack. The old paper starts off as a blank page but then form pictures. It paints the picture of the town, a desert, a plain, then to a dark forest.

  "I am not walking through a hot ass desert," I scorn. "We're leaving this place at dusk. No, ifs, ands, or buts about it!"

  I throw the map back in my bag. Phoenix—coming out of nowhere—flies down from above, landing on my shoulder.