Clouds obscured the sun’s light as rain fell down on the world below. Fifteen-year-old Hawk Robinson’s combat boots made unpleasant squelching noises as he slogged through the swamp. Reeds swiped at his legs and gnats and mosquitoes stung his unprotected skin. A combination of sweat and rain plastered his dirty-blonde hair against his cheeks, dripping into his hazel eyes.

Hawk grumbled under his breath as he adjusted his battered plastic glasses. He’d been walking through Hyde Marsh for over three hours. He was soaked to the skin, muddy, and well aware that he was lost. Worse, his cell phone was dead, the unexpected rain had killed the power on his GPS, and he’d passed the same bush five times.

Still, he considered this trek through the swamp to be a good experience. Even though the conditions were miserable he was achieving his goal. He’d come here to increase his knowledge of marsh conditions and get inspiration. He had so many ideas for his next D&D campaign. Now all he had to do was get home and write down his ideas for the Bone Marsh Campaign.

“I’ll show Alex Summers who the best dungeon master in the sophomore grade is!” he declared, shaking his fist at the sky. Alex had been his personal rival since second grade when he beat him in a Pokémon match. Alex had also defeated him in their Gaming Club’s Yu-Gi-Oh tournament by whipping out a rare card in the championship round. Hawk would have won if it hadn’t been for that card. The only way to redeem himself was to have the best D&D campaign ever.

To ensure his victory over Alex, he’d come to the swamp. To make the perfect campaign he had to experience some of the events the characters would endure. He felt like he was reliving a scene out of Lord of the Rings. Except there were no hobbits. And Aragorn wasn’t here to lead him out of the swamp. Unfortunately.

Hawk was jerked back to the present when his left leg sank up to the knee in a deep pit. He swore as foul-smelling sludge soaked his jeans. It’d take forever to get the black stain out of his pants.

Cursing again, he grasped his thigh and heaved, stumbling back as the ooze released his limb. He glared at the offending pit but his face brightened at a realization. He could incorporate this event into his campaign! “Your character finds their leg trapped in a pit. They will remain stuck unless they score…” he trailed off, wondering what players should roll on a d20 to free their character. Perhaps a six or higher.

A branch snapped nearby and he whirled around as another boy stepped out of the trees. Like himself, the newcomer was dripping wet. Strands of dark brown hair clung to his face and fell into his sapphire eyes. His grey sweatshirt was soaked through as were the black jeans and hiking boots he wore.

“Are you lost?” the boy asked, coming closer. Hawk noticed the stranger looked about eighteen or nineteen. A key ring was clipped to his belt and a golden Eye of Ra coin hung on a leather cord around his neck. Absently, he raised a hand to dash the rain-soaked bangs from his eyes.

“Sort of,” Hawk confessed.

The boy laughed dryly. “I thought so. A swamp isn’t the greatest place to visit even when the weather is decent.”

“I came here for ideas for my D&D campaign. But what about you? Why are you here?” Hawk asked.

“I’m here for inspiration, and also because I enjoy walking in the rain. I find it peaceful. The water seems to wash all your worries away…” the boy trailed off as he noticed the mud coating Hawk’s leg. “I’m sorry to ramble. I’m sure you’re finding the rain most unpleasant. If you wish to clean the sludge off your leg, there’s a river a good five minutes behind me. Once you’ve cleaned up I can give you a ride home, if you wish.”

“You’ll take me home?” Hawk asked, sounding surprised and grateful. He’d begun to worry that he would be stranded in Hyde Marsh with no way of getting home.

The older boy nodded and turned back the way he’d come. Hawk fell into step at his side and followed him to the stream he’d spoken of, wondering what the brown-haired boy had meant by ‘inspiration’. Was he planning a D&D campaign too? No, he couldn’t. What are the chances of that happening? Hawk mused.

He pushed the thought away and focused on his feet to avoid a repeat of the previous incident. Luck seemed to be against him that day for he caught the toe of his boot over a large stone. The boy caught his arm as he stumbled, setting him back on his feet. “Thanks,” he said, embarrassed at his clumsiness.

“It was nothing,” the dark-haired boy replied.

An awkward silence fell between them as Hawk struggled for words. He wanted to know more about the stranger, but couldn’t think of a decent way to word his questions. He didn’t want to sound like he was interrogating the boy.

He was escaped from having to make conversation when they reached the river. Its banks were swollen from the heavy rains, lapping against the reeds lining the shallows. Hawk winced a little at the sight of the water, knowing it would be bitterly cold. He wasn’t eager to enter the water since he would become wetter than he already was, but it was the only way to get clean. He sighed quietly and waded up to his knees in the water, gritting his teeth against the cold. It was worse than he’d expected.

He scrubbed his hands against his jeans in an attempt to remove the black sludge. It was unwilling to part from his pants but after what felt like an eternity of scrubbing, he managed to clean most of it off.

Hawk rinsed his hands off in the stream and started back towards the boy on the bank. He tripped over a hidden rock and stumbled forward, landing on his hands and knees in the water with an undignified yelp.

“Are you alright?” the boy asked, coming up to him.

“I-I-I’m f-f-fine,” Hawk said, gingerly rising to his feet. The blue-eyed boy extended a hand and Hawk took it, letting him pull him back onto the riverbank.

“S-s-so w-w-why are you a-a-all the w-way out h-h-here?” the fifteen-year-old choked out through chattering teeth.

“I’ll explain things while we walk. And if it is alright with you, would you like to come back to my house? You need to warm up and put on dry clothes before you get sick. If you need to call your parents there’s a cell phone in my car, unless you have yours with you.”

“I-i-it’s d-dead.”

“I see.” The boy began to walk again and Hawk tagged along. “In response to your earlier question, I came here to plan an obstacle course for my tournament.”

“Y-your t-tournament?”

“Yes. I’ve decided to host a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament in a few weeks. Competitors will have a series of challenges they must overcome to reach the final round. Sort of like Battle City, but my tournament will focus on more than card games. Whoever wins the most challenges will earn a rare swamp monster card to add to their deck. Once the obstacles and challenges have been completed, the card duels will begin.”

Hawk’s eyes widened. “You like Yu-Gi-Oh?” he breathed, relieved that his teeth were no longer chattering.

“Ever since it came out.”

“That’s awesome! I love Yu-Gi-Oh too. You should come to my Gaming Club’s next competition,” he said. The club was always looking for new recruits and this boy would be a perfect addition.

“If your parents let you stay, how about we play a round when we get back to my house?”

“Perfect! But I don’t have my deck with me…”

“That’s alright. You can borrow my cards,” the boy offered.

“Thank you. By the way… what is your name?” Hawk asked, feeling awkward. He should have introduced himself and asked this question earlier. Especially before planning to hang out with the anonymous boy. He knew nothing about this stranger, aside from him liking rain and Yu-Gi-Oh. And he was kind enough to offer Hawk, a complete stranger, transportation.

The boy smiled mysteriously. “You’ll have to beat me to find out.”