I removed the gem attached to the part of Bono’s head.

Congratulations! You have found the magic stone! However, this is only the first step of the quest. To complete the quest and to retrieve your friend, you must proceed.

Would you like to proceed?

Yes/No?

Bono’s life was at stake and there was nothing to do but choose “Yes”.

In a split second the entire world of Dharti blew away as though it was mere smoke. I found myself in complete darkness. There was something solid below my feet, on which I was standing. My mind grappled with the sudden change.

So what now?

I took a few steps forward, hoping some light source would appear and illuminate the place. That did not happen.

“Hello?” I cried.

There was no response.

I took more steps in random directions. After a while I was running. But I had a feeling I had not moved at all. The solid surface was very plain to the touch, when I knelt down and ran my palm over it.

Fear seeped into my heart. What if I was stuck in this place forever? I should not have accepted that quest. It had seemed way too persuasive.

As I waited miserably a dot of light appeared in the distance. That light drew closer to me.

It was a person.

Well, I wasn’t sure if it could be described as a person. It was a… being. A biped being with a chubby body composed of a strange glowing tissue with a mildly reflective jelly-like coating. The being had two buttons on its head that I guessed were its eyes. The grotesque being would have freaked me out, but it was moving so leisurely, that I simply gawked at it, caught by fascination.

“Um,” the being spoke, the sound coming from the lower part of its head although there was no mouth. Its voice was soft but had a certain manly edge to it. “I am sorry, but you must follow me to complete the quest. I am not really good at making quests, you see. I still have lots to learn. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Please follow me.”

He thought I would follow him and began to stride away in a direction. I kept still. The being realized this.

“Do, come along,” he repeated in a very polite tone.

“What are you?” I asked instead.

“Me?”

“Yes,” I said. He was the only one in the all encompassing blackness. It was quite obvious.

“I am Pook,” the being said. “I am the creator of this quest… um, I am the quest itself actually. It’s a bit difficult to explain, to be honest.”

Creator of the quest? Didn’t the game world make all the quests?

Wait a minute, I could just get his stats.

General Information:

Name: Pook

Affinity/Inclination: Oddity

Level: 5

Spells/Abilities: can create quests

Note: Pook is an Oddity. One of the rarest of the rare beings in Dharti. Rules that apply to other races do not necessarily apply to oddities.

An Oddity? What did that even mean? He was neither an Evilun, nor a player or a neutral one? Was he a friend or a foe?

“You created this quest?” I asked Pook. “The same one with the magic stone?”

“Yes,” Pook nodded vigorously, and I hoped his noggin wouldn't detach. “And like I said, I am more than just the creator. I am the quest itself. I am a novice, hence this inconvenience. Now I will take you to the monster. Once you kill him, then the quest is done. You will get rewards and you will be out of this place too.”

I took some time to wrap my head around the fact that Pook was the quest itself. It was a parallel to the sage’s statement that everything in the game world was the gameworld.

“You said that no harm will come to Bono,” I said.

“And no harm will come,” Pook assured earnestly. “Once you defeat the monster, Bono’s head will join back. It’s a very simple quest.”

“Okay,” I said after a quick thought. “Take me to the monster.”

Pook led the way through the eternal darkness. With nothing to distinguish one place from the other, I felt like we were still at the same spot, even after a few minutes of walking.

“Where exactly are we?” I asked him, waving at the complete blackness all about us.

“In the quest,” Pook replied matter-of-factly, “in me.”

“In you?” I asked.

“Once I mature, I will be able to create far superior quests to this one,” Pook replied. “But I am really thankful to you for giving me a chance.”

A giant metal ring, floating in space, came into view abruptly, materializing from the darkness.

“Follow me,” Pook said. He stepped through this ring and vanished. Was the ring some portal?

I stepped through myself. I found myself in a place where there was only light. The giant ring was behind me and Pook was standing in front.

“There is the monster that you need to kill,” Pook said, pointing with his fat arm.

Pook was pointing at none but Bono the stone giant.

However I realized that the stone giant was not Bono. It was actually an older stone giant with a poorly kept gray beard.

“I will wait here,” Pook said, “Once you kill the monster, you win the quest.”

Kill the stone giant? I had thought that I would have to deal with some small monster. How was I going to survive against a stone giant?

“Can I exit this quest?” I asked Pook.

Pook let out a dramatic gasp, like the worst had befallen him.

“Exit the quest?” he said. “Why? It’s such a simple quest! You kill the stone giant and you get the reward! And it’s done.”

“I understand, but I don’t think I can kill the stone giant,” I said. “It’s way more powerful than me.”

Pook’s black eyes were pouring pity for me.

“You cannot exit this quest,” he said, “I… I thought this quest was so simple that I never created an exit option. I am sorry. But you must fight the stone giant.”

Pook said these words with such innocence that I could not even be angry at him. Instead I repented accepting the quest.

There were no options. My heart sinking, I left Pook and approached the stone giant. The stone giant cracked his knuckles and smirked, ready to beat me into pulp. The stone giant’s arms and legs had cracks in places, perhaps brought on by age. Nevertheless, his sheer size was very intimidating.