Skye is the Limit by Phenomenal Pen (best time to read books txt) 📕

<What was that for?> Warrior asked. He had shifted back to his berserker form and his human voice sounded distinctly tremulous through their radio-enabled Anima bracelets.

<Nothing good,> Ranger responded. <We better get out of here. Everyone proceed north but stay outside the dragon’s line of sight.>

The dragon and its rider had decided to stand guard on that southern edge of the forest. The Dreamwalkers thought they now knew how mice felt after almost getting eaten by a cat. They didn’t want to proceed deeper inside the creepy forest but they didn’t have much of a choice.  

They discovered other unusual creatures the deeper they ventured. Blacksmith spotted a hairy frog which hopped away before he could tell the others. But everyone saw the warthog wearing yellow slippers as it rapidly climbed a pear tree. Then they heard the angry hooting of an owl that looked like it had just been roused from sleep; the ear-like tufts on the top of its head were pointed forward. It also had a clump of purple foxgloves for a tail. 

There was an invisible mischievous entity that kept throwing twigs and branches at them, a feline with a dangerous club-like protrusion at the end of its tail, an ape that gave off an unbearable stench and had a constant halo of flies, a rodent that made a noise like the sound of a tea kettle, a jackalope, a hoop snake, a fanged koala, a hammerhead civet cat, a kangaroo with telescopic and springy legs, and stick insects that spun like whirligigs.

They didn’t know it yet but Ranger and Blacksmith actually had opposite perspectives of the world they were in. Back in the blacksmith’s native land, across the seas in a far corner of the world, the people had an abstract strategy board game called badok. It was played with black and white pieces called “stones” and two players would take turns positioning their stones on the board. The general objective was to expand one’s territory and encircle the enemy’s troops. It was said that the number of possible moves in badok exceeded the total number of atoms in the visible universe.

Whenever he was free, Blacksmith honed his skill in badok on a board set up in front of his smithy. He was deemed unbeatable in his village and in the neighboring towns.

One day, an errant mage passed by and Blacksmith challenged him for a match. After four grueling hours of play, he only barely managed to defend his honor amidst a crowd of onlookers. Blacksmith learned something new that day: fear.

Among fellow mortals, Blacksmith had been so confident of his skill in badok, but faced with the mage he learned that he could – no, he would – be beaten. It was just a matter of time. The mage played too logically but also emotionlessly. It had nerves of steel, was relentless and, worse, immune to human fallibility. Within the finite parameters of the 19-by-19 grid, mortals were bound to be overrun by the clever mages.   

Blacksmith was aware that things inside Sky-Earth were happening at a faster rate than the human brain was used to perceiving. There were a lot of things passing in front of their eyes, but he didn’t mind because this meant better response time for them. He theorized it was how Fairy had managed to beat the dragon. In their new world, they not only needed to fit to survive, they needed to have greater computing power; and a God that didn’t overheat.  

****

 They heard the sound of many hooves trampling leaves and twigs. Like Ranger had initially observed, there was something off about the way things sounded in that world. The sounds were too pure and distinct, almost isolated. The way they perceived the hoofbeats echoing in the woods and ringing closer and closer, it was as though they all had superhuman hearing.

Ranger signaled the others to keep cover. Whatever was coming their way, they suggested intelligence on account of how they had learned to domesticate horses, but it was best for the questers to reach Heliopolis with minimal interaction. The risk was just too great.           

The peeking Dreamwalkers judged the stateliness of the travelling party by its size. Miraculously and despite their limited field of vision, they were able to get a full telepathic sit-rep of the oncoming train as though they had a bird’s – or even God’s – eye view.

There were two dozen mounted, fully-armored knights travelling in single file. Foot servants in hooded cloaks led the way ringing bells while grooms (also hooded) guided the horses on foot. In the middle of this long line was a carriage-like box balanced on two poles, the front and back ends of which were attached to two horses that had been trained to walk at the same speed.

<Wheeled vehicles such as covered wagons,> Mage whispered over their radio, <were not ideal on long trips due to the poor condition of the ancient Roman roads and footpaths. The patriarch of this particular group is The Lord Thorne, Chancellor of the Exchequer. An NPC.>

Blacksmith’s eyes grew wide as realization dawned. NPC stood for Non-Player Character. Without thinking, he stepped out of hiding and stood in the middle of the forest path, waving both hands up and down.

<I know how to communicate with them,> he told the others via Anima radio.

<Blacksmith, get back to cover,> Ranger hissed.