Quest "Kill All Enemies"

Polkan bounced across fields, meadows, forests, and even swamps.

He was a hero clad in enchanted armor with a enchanted sword and magical sock.

Soon, after a furious gallop, the horse became exhausted and died, but a true hero is not deterred by such trivialities. Heaving heavy bags over his shoulders, Polkan trudged through the valley and just a moment later found himself next to a cave.

At the entrance sat a Viking on a giant boulder, thoughtfully devouring roasted deer. Casting a lazy glance at the knight, the barbarian continued his meal. The hero gathered himself, straightened up, approached the Viking, and stood across from him.

They stood like that for a quarter of an hour. During that time, the barbarian consumed enough roasted meat to feed a small village for a week of hearty living. Fat dripped down his red beard, marrow bones cracked on his yellow teeth, and the maddeningly appetizing smell swirled in the air, making Polkan's stomach rumble. He wobbled.

- What? – the barbarian asked, shoving such a big piece of deer into his mouth that Polkan would have choked and died in agony.

- Can I help you with something? – the hero asked pompously.

The barbarian dug into his teeth, fished out a piece of thigh, and popped it back in.

- Well, - the Viking stated affirmatively.

- What troubles you?

- Enemies, - the barbarian informed.

The knight drew his enchanted sword, waving it for emphasis, and shouted:

- Tell me where to find them, and I will fight them!

- Over there, - the Viking nodded towards the cave. - Kill all the enemies.

- And that's it? Just kill all the enemies? - Polkan asked with a hint of doubt.

- Well, - the barbarian assured.

The knight warmed up, drank potions, and headed into the cave. The cave turned out to be dark, damp, and, most importantly, empty. After shouting battle cries, Polkan scratched his head and returned to the Viking. Apparently, he didn't quite understand the task.

- There's no one here, - the hero said, expecting explanations.

- You searched poorly, - the Viking snapped, settling down to sleep.

- Hmmm, - Polkan pondered, contemplating. This quest was clearly not easy. Perhaps the enemies should be summoned using a mysterious book? Or maybe the barbarian had simply lost his mind, and he needed to convince him that no one was in the cave? Or, quite possibly, he should eat that appetizing piece of roasted meat?

- Don’t touch my deer, - the Viking grunted. Polkan sighed with disappointment.

A more thorough examination of the small cave showed the following: there was no one and nothing inside. There couldn't be. The only inhabitants of the cave, glowing mushrooms, peacefully grew on a solitary stalactite. As a precaution, the knight chopped them down with his sword, but upon hearing about the fallen mushrooms, the Viking only asked, "What are you, stupid?" Then he fell asleep, and waking him was impossible.

Polkan never gave up. If there was a quest, it meant it could be completed. Gathering his wits, he settled in for the night in the cave and began to wait.

Soon, the first Enemy appeared. His name was Fear, he scared, prevented sleep, and drenched his back with sweat. Fear hid in dark corners, taking the most dreadful and disgusting forms. Polkan desperately wanted to bury himself in armor, covering his faceplate, but that would mean admitting defeat. Letting out a furious battle cry, the knight jumped up and slashed at the shadow that had taken on the shape of a monster.

The shadow vanished but reappeared elsewhere. Now it resembled a multi-legged head of a dragon.

Polkan realized that he could not defeat Fear like this. Fighting with his imagination played into Fear's hands, which was just waiting for the hero to tire. Sheathing his blade, the hero bravely approached the shadow and peered into it. Panic rose, his heart pounded wildly, but the knight knew what to do. The monster dissipated and melted away, never to appear again. Snorting, the hero settled down to sleep. Fear was defeated.

But in the middle of the night, Hunger arrived.

Only then did Polkan realize that he hadn't eaten for several days. His stomach grumbled quietly, his ribs stuck to his back, and he could think only of delicious and appetizing dishes. The most delicious and appetizing among them was roasted venison. Juicy, exquisite meat that just melted in the mouth. Flavored with a rare spice from fireleaf and fried to a crust on a stone. He needed to go outside, kill the crazy Viking, and take his venison...

No. That wouldn't do. Polkan scanned the cave. On the stone floor lay some disgusting-looking mushrooms. Taking a handful, the knight stuffed them into his mouth and began to chew. The mushrooms tasted like a leather strap. But the hunger was wild, and the knight ate more, then wanted more and more...

If one eats too much out of hunger, they can get an intestinal twist. Moreover, the strange mushrooms began to make his vision blur. Gathering his willpower, Polkan carefully chewed the last bite and got up from the floor. This time he had also defeated Greed.

Towards morning, Anger arrived. He didn't want to sleep, the cave started to irritate him, just like the taciturn barbarian above, who was surely sleeping soundly with a full belly. Polkan defeated Anger with dignity, feeling disgust for himself. How could he, a great hero and knight, be concerned with such petty domestic problems! No way.

In the morning, Polkan ventured outside. The Viking was stoking the embers.

- I found the enemies. Fear, Hunger, Greed, Anger, Madness, Claustrophobia – I defeated them all.

- Many enemies, - the barbarian agreed, nodding towards the cave: - and they’re all in there.

- Did I complete the mission?

- Well, - the Viking confirmed.

- Umm... should I receive some kind of reward?

- A reward? Probably, - the red-bearded warrior replied, continuing to stoke the embers.

- Oh, you're strange. What are you doing here? – Polkan asked, settling down next to the boulder.

- Fighting. With Loneliness.

- Need help?

The Viking scratched his shaggy head. He smiled, offered Polkan a piece of roasted meat, and said:

- Well.

P.S. Just don’t think that this post was prepared for that miserable and primitive contest “Your Story”

Author - Pre\_historik