Early in the morning, sunlight spread across the horizon, bringing light back to the entire prairie. Just then, a particularly loud birdcall rang from the sky, jolting our barbarian adventurer awake from his dreams.
It was the sound of the Constructed Entity Raven 'Corn'! Bartlett scrambled to his feet, drew the 'Touch of Tyranny' from his waist, and then began surveying the situation around him.
However, no battle seemed to be underway, nor were there any enemy shadows lurking about. The only noticeable movement was a dragonfly that had flown away because of his sudden movement. The rest of his companions were still asleep, while the guide Gene, who was on night watch, stood guard, sword in hand, just like Bartlett. But it seemed that the guide's alertness wasn't caused by the birdcall, but rather by Bartlett's suspicious actions.
"What's the matter?" Gene, looking at the suddenly awake barbarian with cautious eyes, asked, "Having a nightmare?"
