{Flashback to a Few Days Ago...}
This disgusting vermin shall be banned from the institution~ forever!!"
Oz's eardrums nearly exploded as a pale, bald old man looking to be 80 years old blared out across the gigantic room, allowing the nearly 200 people in this spacious room to hear him crystal clear.
BOOM!
A swift strike came behind as two guards knocked Oz over and began to tie his hands up! He was outraged; he had barely gotten his bearings, yet he was already being tied up?
"What the hell?! What did I even do?" The room immediately went quiet, "Y-you dare ask that after what you did to my son?!"
A banshee screamed out; however, that banshee turned out to be an incredibly obese, ugly woman who was built like uncooked dough; her pasty skin was shiny from sweating, and her unkempt black hair was ungodly to look at.
Next to her was a just as unsightly boy of about 16 years old with a plump wart on his nose who was snickering at Oz; obviously, everything wasn't as what was said.
"ENOUGH!!"
The room was quiet again, and the old man looked back over, "Oz, for violently assaulting a fellow future classmate, you have been suspended from entering the academy and are to serve time in the Dung Den for a year."
Everyone let out gasps, and the entire room began to break out into a fervent discussion about the young boy's fate but...
"Pshhhh, hahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHA".
The crowd quieted as the boy's laughter filled the auditorium; even the guards who still had Oz apprehended looked confused. "The dung den? You sentencing me to a year of constipation?"
The crowd broke out into stifled giggles, trying their best not to break their carefully crafted etiquette, many covering their mouths and looking away.
The old man's bald head began to resemble a tomato, turning red from anger, his long beard swinging as he grumbled, "You... guards, take him away!"
The guards jerked Oz up and pulled him along the corridor towards the exit of the chambers and through the overbearing double doors. "I was going to let you stay one last night in your own accommodations, but since you want to try my patience, an early day will do you well in learning some respect!"
Oz internally rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath, "Sigh, this old man never shuts up, does he."
Oz didn't notice it before, but as he was escorted out by the guards, he noticed in the top right of his peripherals a black box that moved alongside his vision, "Strange," he muttered.
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[Snap back to the Present]
He still had that black box in the top right corner of his vision, though now he was also seeing stars as well, no doubt from that beating he was just dealt.
He hadn't figured out the function of this little black box, and when asking around, he found out no one else had it either, if they even answered a "newbie" like him at all.
He leaped up from the pile of dung, "Grr, I need to get out of this situation, but that fatass is strong; while not as strong as those guards, I'm definitely not his match…"
Oz contemplated; he had no choice; the Dung Den wasn't a place that was kind to the weak nor the ones isolated; that's why, no matter the arduous work, he had to stay.
As he steadily rose to his feet and scooped a handful of the dung from the pile he fell in and put some in his pocket for later.
He limped out of the pooper scooper area he worked in, an open-aired area where miles-long piles of dung were stacked together in muddy, parasite-infested fields, thanks no less to the hard work of Oz and his fellow inmates.
He left out past the flimsy wooden gates the prisoners here considered "protection" and then traversed through the horrific forest.
Making sure to walk quietly and hide in bushes from time to time even if he only 'thought' he heard a noise, better safe than sorry.
Finally, after around 10 minutes of traveling, Oz came up to an aquiline blue pool. It brilliantly sparkled with the day sky beaming down on it.
There were no trees around but a shrubbery covering 360 around, so he felt safe whenever he came to bathe here, "Hehe, no peeping Tom's gonna look at my ass here."
That was the thought Oz had when he discovered this place on his first day at the Dung Den whilst exploring the forest.
The pool was around 40ft wide (12 meters), and who knew how deep, and yet it seemed to get deeper the more in the center one went.
None of the other inmates seemed to know about this spot, so Oz enjoyed washing up here as one of the few moments of tranquility.
Well, they didn't seem to wash off at all, so that probably explained it.
Regardless, Oz carefully removed his clothes and placed them on the ground before quietly stepping into the soothing, cool pool, afraid to make a single splash.
He still remembered the first time he came to this forest days ago…
[A look back to a few days ago]
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The guards took Oz out of the castle and to an animal stock; within it was a towering bird twice Oz's height (5'8).
Its brightly colored emerald feathers and glistening beak not taking away from its ferocious look, "The fuck kinda place am I?"
Oz pondered because regardless of where he came from, he knew two things: he wasn't from this world, and his old world definitely didn't have birds this big.
One of the guards, growing impatient at Oz standing and gawking at their transport, nudged him forward from behind, "Hurry up, you gremlin!"
Oz stumbled forward, shooting a threatening look back toward the impatient guard, "I said hurry up!"
The guard shoved again, nearly sending Oz sprawling towards the ground face first before the other guard caught him by the back of his black collared shirt and tossed him up on the bird with one hand.
Both guards were covered from head to toe in reflective silver armor that was without a single scratch; their helmets covered their faces, only allowing the eyes to peak out.
Atop the helmet, in the middle, a bright green jewel was present that twinkled with a mysterious glimmer.
As Oz plopped down onto the bird, it dawned on him that these guys may be stronger than they looked.
He clenched his fist and grimaced, "Just you wait…"
WOOOSH!!
Both guards jumped and gracefully landed upon the bird's back, leaving him speechless, "Hmm, just wait a bit longer…"
After having flown from the well-adorned castle area and above the town area, they arrived at what appeared to be a ghastly forest.
Oz noticed a wall that looked to be around 300ft (91 meters) high with guards stationed atop it, separating the town and surrounding the gloomy forest.
However, what caught the boy's eye was the huge overarching tree far in depth of the forest, with its grand presence towering at around 10,000ft (3048m) high; his mouth hung agape as he gawked starry-eyed at the fantastical sight.
They flew past this wall and continued towards the forest, landing on the outskirts.
The asshole guard kicked Oz off the bird, causing the boy to tumble awkwardly onto his shoulder.
Oz was furious, but he kept himself under control and followed the guards as they gently landed on the ground.
They then walked for a couple of minutes before coming over to a rickety wooden stand and untying his ropes, "Here you are, have fun," the smug guard said as they turned and walked back to where they came.
Oz stood there, "What the hell?" He then turned, dusted himself off, and began to go forward, back to where he came from.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Behind the abandoned stand was now a haggard, sunburned old man with a straw hat; he looked so thin, as if the wind could push him over.
His thin, grey hair rustled in the wind, with some strands even being stolen away from his pale scalp by the mischievous breeze.
Oz clutched his fist, his rage still built up from the arrogant guard.
He was ready to bash this geezer's head in, "Oh? And why is that?"
The old man glanced at Oz's fist and then chuckled, "Ya ever wonder why them boys flew?" Oz's eyes slightly widened, and then he looked around.
It just now hit him that he was in a forest area, and on top of that, this was an entirely new world.
Oz decided to play along to gather more info, "Why did they fly me here?"
The old man's brown eyes creased as he showed a toothy grin with most of his teeth missing, the remaining covered in a thick brown crust.
"Well, first off, welcome to the Dung Den. Me and the ol' boys have another name for it here, but you'll learn it soon enough hehe."
Oz remained quiet, waiting for the man to actually say something important, "I'll tell you this as a free word of advice: the only way you, me, or ANYONE else is gettin' out of here is by them birds you just saw, and they only come around bout once a year."
Oz was puzzled, "But wh-", "Here, follow me." The old geezer didn't wait and immediately turned around and started walking; the boy was surprised but quickly scurried over to catch up and walked closely behind the old man, afraid he might get lost.
The lush forest was daunting, with huge trees making Oz feel like an ant; as he followed behind while observing the surroundings, he bumped into the old geezer's back.
As he was about to open his mouth and question, the old geezer lifted his hand to shush him.
Oz took the memo and stood there silently; all that could be heard was the vegetation rustling in the wind.
In a very slow movement, the geezer reached into his pocket and, in a smooth motion, flung his hands out towards Oz, splashing him.
The boy felt a hot sensation on his chest and fell back as he was about to yelp, but a hot, moist hand covered his mouth.
It was the old geezer, with one hand on Oz's mouth and the other making a "shh" motion.
Oz kept quiet as his eyes darted around, trying to see what this geezer was so scared of…
Seconds passed…
Seconds turned into minutes…
Oz felt he was going insane.
The sheer pressure was making his mind feel numb.
SWISH!
A huge black shadow leaped through the air and out of sight of the two.
Oz felt sweat tingle down his back, and he watched as the geezer's Adam's apple wobbled up and down.
After a few moments of dreadful quiet, the geezer removed his hand and sighed, "Ol mighty Yala kid, ya just got here, and ya already brushing with death; if I didn't have some extra dung in my pocket, ya would've been a goner."
Oz blinked his eyes a couple of times at the old man, not sure if what he heard was correct. "Dung?"
The old man showed a toothy grin," Yeh, didn't ya smell my hand while it was in your mouth bahahahaha!" Oz's eyes widened, and he lurched over, spitting at the grass, "Bleugghh!" this had the geezer in stitches, "Bahahahah, welcome to the Dung Den, newbie!"
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The old man and Oz arrived at the official Dung Den before dark, and Oz was introduced to what would be his home for the next year.
The duo came to a flimsily put-together wooden fence about 12 meters high (40ft) with reeking dung plastered all over it.
If Oz couldn't see where the name Dung Dungeon came from before, he definitely could now.
The two continued past the fence and what seemed to be a decrepit amalgamation of a bunch of wood tossed together to form some semblance of homes, surrounded by towering wood fences separating the interior from the danger that lurked in the forest outside.
Roaming around the area were a bunch of rough-looking men, all wearing what looked to be rags pieced together.
Compared to the black shirt and pants Oz was wearing, it was like a night and day difference, though that may not be for the best.
Each man had a tinge of brown on their clothes and was all built differently, from tall skinny figures to hulking muscular figures, with almost all having injuries that looked like they took place from battle.
The old geezer pointed Oz to a makeshift hut for him to settle in for the night, "Oh," the old man called over, prompting Oz to turn around as he was about to walk away, "And one more word of advice, newbie…", the old geezer's eyes glimmered with a mischievous light…
"Don't get noticed."
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