Ken flashed his ceramic necklace to the man guarding the eastern gate. He unceremoniously allowed Ken outside. For the first time since coming to this world, Ken stepped outside Clarenburgh.

In Ken's back pocket was a notice, or a bounty of sorts, that he had gotten from the ceramic's notice board. It was for a certain kind of plant that had pharmaceutical properties. The plant was called Wooker's Rope, and worked as a strong anesthetic.

Ken had memorized the sketch and the description of the plant, and even before he arrived at the area the plant was supposed to grow, he kept his eyes wide open for anything that looked similar.

An hour of walking later, uneasiness had started to grow in the pit of Ken's stomach. It got worse the further east he traveled. He was still in the valley's plains, but was soon to enter the forest where he could find Wooker's Rope. His instincts told him that he shouldn't be so far away from safety without some sort of protection or a weapon.

~~~

Ken had gathered enough of the plant to meet the quota. The two leather bags given to him were filled to the brim with Wooker's Rope, and extra was stuffed in his pockets. He had made sure to not harvest too much, lest he kill the plant off in that area. He leaned on a long, straight tree branch, about the height of himself. The branch was torn off of a large tree Ken didn't recognize, and had considerable heft. Luckily, Ken had been given no reason to use it yet.

He decided it was time to head back to Clarenburgh, and once he found the sun through the thick canopy of the forest, he started walking. After a while, he heard the trickling sound of a creek. He altered his course and headed downhill towards the promise of water.

He had reached the creek, and noticed the abundance of a crayfish-like animal. He took the opportunity to capture some for a quick meal while he was there. He looked under rocks until he found one, and then snatched it out of the water with his hands. He noticed that they were much bigger and more abundant than they were in his previous world. They weren't quite the size of a small lobster, but they did have a significant amount of meat. Each time Ken caught one, he sucked the insides clean immediately.

CRACK!

Ken whipped his head around to the source of the sound. He saw an unfamiliar creature, and couldn't contain this disgust.

"What the fuck!?" Ken exclaimed.

Behind him, frozen in horror at its failed sneaking attempt, was a green creature the size and shape of a child, with a long nose, pointed ears, and teeth jutting out of its mouth at every angle. It was totally nude except for a loincloth, and was covered head to toe in filth and blood.

Ken scrambled for his branch and widened his stance. He was fully prepared to fight the goblin to the death.