Imagination
Upon entering you see many of the villagers just sitting outside their houses doing nothing, though a couple of them are lazily plucking some sort of stringed instruments. They barely pay any attention to you at all.
You know you're not supposed to talk to strangers, but in this situation you don't really feel like you have a choice, so you ask one of them for help.
"Hey, I need some help, these shadow things attacked me "
"Wazzat? Shadows? Shadows don't come 'round here boy, we's got ourselves a wizard to protect us! If you got shadow problems, maybe you should talk to him. He's a pretty smart guy. He's in that nice lookin' house over there, the one with the roof! Careful though, he's usually in a bad mood. Argues with his wife constantly too." The fat villager says going back to drinking whatever it is he's drinking.
Not knowing what else to do you head over to the wizard's house. As you approach you can hear arguing from the inside.
You knock on the door which is opened by a young woman dressed in a waitress like outfit. She's pretty, but looks very tired, behind her appears an older man who doesn't look much like a wizard at all.
"Whadda you want kid? We ain't buyin' anything!" he scowls.
"Are you really a wizard? You don't look like one." You remark.
"That's because he isn't a real wizard. He's a lazy charlatan!" the woman answers.
"Shut up Talia, I was good enough to get YOU."
"Yeah, that's because I was too young and naïve to know any better! I knew I should've married a knight!"
"Hah! And what knight would marry a serving wench like you?"
"Melcar, I don't have time for your nonsense today, I have to go to work. Can you at least TRY to do something productive while I'm gone, like casting some cantrips to cut down the overgrowth in the backyard? Sheesh, I think I saw a nest of Furms making their homes in there and you know much I hate those little purple things! They infest everything and then you can't get rid of them! So can you DO that one thing, if nothing else?"
"Yeah, yeah."
The woman throws her hands up in dismay and leaves the house, leaving Melcar and you alone.
"So, what's your deal kid? I know you ain't from this backwoods village because I know everyone here and you actually look like you bathe every once in awhile. You lost or something?"
You explain your situation to Melcar, somehow he doesn't look surprised, but he does look a little more interested in you.
"Hmm, sounds like the Nightmare Tyrant. He has a habit of snatching people from other dimensions and draining them to harness his power. Those shadows you encountered are what's left of his victims. I'm not entirely sure of his methods for choosing, but I do know he only takes those with strong imaginations though. It's probably why he prefers children since they tend to be more inclined to think up fantastic things." You were lucky to escape from him."
"Well how do I get back home?"
Melcar looks at you a moment before replying.
"You interested in doing a little yard work?"
"Uh "
"I'm really busy with an experiment, and I just don't have time to mess around with clearing the overgrowth in my backyard. If you do it, I think that'll give me time to complete my experiment, as well as giving me time to look up the spell that can take you back home."
"Well okay "
"Good, there's a scythe in the back. You shouldn't have too much trouble."
Melcar closes his door and you walk around the back, which literally looks like a jungle. The grass is almost as high as you are and the scythe is a little too unwieldy and large for you to use properly. Soon tiny purple people appear and angrily throw small stones at you and squeak some sort of jibberish. They apparently don't like you trying to tear up their home.
You don't see how you're ever going to finish this task.
You know you're not supposed to talk to strangers, but in this situation you don't really feel like you have a choice, so you ask one of them for help.
"Hey, I need some help, these shadow things attacked me "
"Wazzat? Shadows? Shadows don't come 'round here boy, we's got ourselves a wizard to protect us! If you got shadow problems, maybe you should talk to him. He's a pretty smart guy. He's in that nice lookin' house over there, the one with the roof! Careful though, he's usually in a bad mood. Argues with his wife constantly too." The fat villager says going back to drinking whatever it is he's drinking.
Not knowing what else to do you head over to the wizard's house. As you approach you can hear arguing from the inside.
You knock on the door which is opened by a young woman dressed in a waitress like outfit. She's pretty, but looks very tired, behind her appears an older man who doesn't look much like a wizard at all.
"Whadda you want kid? We ain't buyin' anything!" he scowls.
"Are you really a wizard? You don't look like one." You remark.
"That's because he isn't a real wizard. He's a lazy charlatan!" the woman answers.
"Shut up Talia, I was good enough to get YOU."
"Yeah, that's because I was too young and naïve to know any better! I knew I should've married a knight!"
"Hah! And what knight would marry a serving wench like you?"
"Melcar, I don't have time for your nonsense today, I have to go to work. Can you at least TRY to do something productive while I'm gone, like casting some cantrips to cut down the overgrowth in the backyard? Sheesh, I think I saw a nest of Furms making their homes in there and you know much I hate those little purple things! They infest everything and then you can't get rid of them! So can you DO that one thing, if nothing else?"
"Yeah, yeah."
The woman throws her hands up in dismay and leaves the house, leaving Melcar and you alone.
"So, what's your deal kid? I know you ain't from this backwoods village because I know everyone here and you actually look like you bathe every once in awhile. You lost or something?"
You explain your situation to Melcar, somehow he doesn't look surprised, but he does look a little more interested in you.
"Hmm, sounds like the Nightmare Tyrant. He has a habit of snatching people from other dimensions and draining them to harness his power. Those shadows you encountered are what's left of his victims. I'm not entirely sure of his methods for choosing, but I do know he only takes those with strong imaginations though. It's probably why he prefers children since they tend to be more inclined to think up fantastic things." You were lucky to escape from him."
"Well how do I get back home?"
Melcar looks at you a moment before replying.
"You interested in doing a little yard work?"
"Uh "
"I'm really busy with an experiment, and I just don't have time to mess around with clearing the overgrowth in my backyard. If you do it, I think that'll give me time to complete my experiment, as well as giving me time to look up the spell that can take you back home."
"Well okay "
"Good, there's a scythe in the back. You shouldn't have too much trouble."
Melcar closes his door and you walk around the back, which literally looks like a jungle. The grass is almost as high as you are and the scythe is a little too unwieldy and large for you to use properly. Soon tiny purple people appear and angrily throw small stones at you and squeak some sort of jibberish. They apparently don't like you trying to tear up their home.
You don't see how you're ever going to finish this task.