The Nomad Chronicles

I am walking in a forest among white bark trees in the autumn. Some leaves are turning yellow. Everything looks so familiar. I look down at my hands. They seem normal, but my RC tattoo on the back of my right hand is missing. Then, it suddenly appears glowing yellow, and winks at me with a silly face. I pinch my nose. I can breathe. I am dreaming. Right! This is... Denn... I am playing Psyblade? I am in my own game? I fall on the ground laughing, and some squirrels scamper around me out of curiosity.
Suddenly, orcs appear, attracted by the sounds, aiming arrows at me. I throw ten knives and kill 8 out of the ten orcs surrounding me. Two more knives kills the two I missed.
I stand up and dust my hands off, then form a mirror in the forest.
I am about my exact size in the physical world, average height, lean, hazel eyes, wearing some simple dark brown almost black clothing. Pants, tunic, cloth boots, cape, cowl, and a cloth over my mouth, so my face is almost completely hidden. [I]
My sisters and brothers in the Guild call me The Mad Devil. I call myself Dethgawn. I began studying the dark arts as a child, sneaking into the basement at night, poring over ancient scrolls.[/I]
I return my knives to me telekinetically, like a magnet pulling iron shavings to itself. I replace them, then say to the mirror, "to Cardia." A quaint European town appears with a large clock tower near the center of town. Thatched roofs top the small houses and shops along the cobblestone streets. I walk through the mirror, and it feels like walking through a bubble pane.
Suddenly, I am falling through the sky. I scream in excitement and terror. Am I going to die? I hit the ground. Ow. I stand up. Ok, I'm not dead. Right. This is a dream. But, I can't fly? Oh, I put these limitations on myself. Right, playing that game of Windhovers'.... can't remember the name. That doesn't matter.
Then I hear a familiar voice in my head: [I]Nomad, you are not dreaming, you are incarnating physically in another dimension.[/I]
"Right. Ok. That makes it feel more real, but I know it's not true. But, thanks," I reply to the disembodied voice. I look down at my hands. I have a piece of cloth wrapped around the inside of my palms. I wonder why?[I] Oh, right, I have weapons in there: small blades, lockpick, climbing spikes, and brass knuckles. [/I]I feel my belt, and my clothes, remembering all the hidden pockets and compartments in my gear. My hands look real. Weird. I pinch my nose. I can't breathe. Ok, so, I'm not dreaming.[I] Ok. Wait, then why I am I some crazed ninja thief in a magical land? I probably just have a cold in Wakeworld, or maybe my physical body is plugging its nose or something.[/I] I try to fly. [I]Can't. Well, that's not a very good RC anyway. Man, am I thirsty![/I]

I sit down on the fountain in the center of town. Windhover appears, floating on a hoverboard. There is a dust devil swirling around her. "This is not a dream, Nomad," she says. I feel confused. She laughs, and disappears. I scoop some water out of the fountain with my hand and drink. I feel much better now. I turn to a tavern with large wooden sign above it: Bub's Pub'N'Grub. I walk in through double doors, and sit down at the bar. It looks like and Old Western bar for some reason. I turn to the patrons, and see knights and cowboys mingling with robots and superheroes. Hmm. Interesting.
I order a vegan Shepherd's Pie, and a tall dark beer from a big burly bartender with a barbell mustache. "Are you Bub?" I ask.
"Sure am."
"Lovely pie, lovely beer. Tell me something, Bub, you ever heard of the Seven Keys of Cardia?"
"I probably don't, but I could be inclined to speak with a small bribe, being the unscrupulous man that I am."
I slide over a copper coin.
"Word has it that the Key of the Desert hidden deep within a dead city, a Necropolis beneath the shifting sands."
"Where is this city? When does it appear?"
He coughs loudly, then I slide him over two silver coins.
"The Necropolis is in the dead center of the Desert T'zanha, and after a great winter windstorm, the city will seemingly rise from the depths."
"Aye. One last question, Bub, have you heard where this key is?"
The skeleton of the king of the old city still sits upon his throne. The key should be around his neck, Nomad."
"How did you know my name?"
"Just slide over a gold piece, my lad."
I do, then quickly finish my meal. I order a coffee for the road, and he puts it in a bamboo-like bottle. I step outside into the bright sunlight, and wake up.