As he wandered between the huts and looked over the area, he felt sweat already forming at his temples from the heat. His exploration of the would-be village let him find that behind the buildings lay a small patch of clean white salt, almost unnaturally bright against the dull landscape. To one side stretched hot sand so fine it felt more like dust and no doubt what he saw through his window earlier. On the other, the ground was so baked and hardened it might as well have been stone. The area in front of the huts was a mix of gravel and dried dirt.
Shaking his head, he walked to the dusty side and crouched down, taking a handful and letting it run through his fingers, being carried by an almost non-existent breeze.
"So this is entertainment for you? To throw me into a wasteland with seeds and soil to mock me?"
His voice carried in the dry air, not that he expected a response, rather just speaking through frustration.
"You didn't give me a sword. Or magic. Or anything useful. Just seeds and some dirt. You could've at least given me a system. Or put me in a forest where I could actually grow stuff. Couldn't you follow the rules properly for this kind of thing? Even just some knowledge of this world would have been nice." He grumbled while making his way back to his hut.
Turning to the sacks, he finally looked at the soil, finding it to be a rich black color and even quite moist. Taking some of it along with a seed, as he didn't want to carry everything around with him, he made his way back to the dusty patch, kneeling down as he slowly began mixing some of the darker soil with the pale brown dust, spreading the mix lightly into the soil to try and stretch it that bit further. Holding the seed in his hand, he concentrated hard on wanting a plant that could be a constant water generator.
He felt that was a simple enough desire, something that would be a massive help for future plants and the area in general.
He pressed the seed gently into the mixture before covering it and waiting. Nothing visible seemed to happen, making him frown and crouch lower to the ground, as if being closer would somehow help it grow faster. He quickly had an idea and rushed away before coming back with the soup mixture the old man had given him earlier, steadily pouring it over the planted seed, hoping the moisture would trigger something, but still nothing.
The sun seemed to beat down harder, causing sweat to start to drip down. He didn't care, though, too focused on trying to will the plant to grow. He didn't even notice the faint smell of decay filling the air.
"Damn it." He cursed softly as he stood. "Maybe I need more soil. Or a better idea of what I wa—"
A faint crunch of stone shifting somewhere behind the nearest boulder caused him to freeze before he could finish his sentence. He smelled it now, and when he turned, he managed to notice its source.
A wolf-like creature prowled into view from around one of the huts.
Its fur was patchy and dark. Its tongue lolled from the side of its mouth with thick drool dripping onto the cracked earth. Its red eyes were unfocused and manic until it locked onto him with an unsettling intensity. It snapped its jaws with its head raised, as if tasting the air before letting out a low, guttural howl that vibrated through the air.
For a single heartbeat, Chris simply stared at it.
And then he ran.
The creature lunged after him, its paws crunching against the dusty ground behind him. Its labored breath sounded as if it was breathing against his neck.
As he reached his hut and threw himself inside, slamming the door shut as he entered, he easily heard it slam against the shut door with a whining noise. He quickly scrambled up and braced himself against the door, his heart pounding violently in his chest as he heard it scratch against it.
The wolf slammed into it again before once more trying to scratch through it. Thankfully, while the wood shuddered, it didn't break.
Its claws scraped and scratched, gouging at the surface, making a horrid, shrill sound through the air.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to go." He whispered softly. "It was supposed to be an adventure. Magic and swords. I was supposed to be a hero, or at least part of a party. Form bonds. Take on quests or get a harem. Not cower inside a stone hut while some monster tried to tear its way in to get to me."
His vision soon blurred with tears of fear. He hadn't signed up for this. The scratching continued for what felt like forever before finally slowing and then stopping, but he still didn't move.
Minutes passed, soon turning to hours, and the fear sank deeper, along with an exhaustion that forced him to sag against the door, his mind having long since gone blank from almost being killed.