Atlas hit the yes button like the fist of an angry god.

The green scan beam flashed onto the rock. His MP bar, already a quarter depleted just from scanning the Scylla, began to drain. 

50% remaining.

Worse, he’d had to tilt his screen away from the approaching horror, leaving him blind to its approach, if not deaf. The sound of its watery approach gave way bit by bit to the rasp of sand as something heavy dragged across it.

35%

Please have enough. Please have enough. Please have enough.

10%

He couldn’t just hear its breath, it was as though a dozen men panted in not-quite unison with one another.

3%

Atlas bit down on his own panicked breathing. The beam ceased with barely a sliver left on the bar. His status screen flashed.

CODE GRID OPENED

COMMENCING REWRITE

Please be useful. Please be useful. Please be useful.

A single square appeared on his screen, surrounded by incomprehensible runes. In its centre the word [Rock] sat below a cartoonish picture. A brief list of words and icons opened alongside.

[Abyss] x1

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

[Jelly] x1

[Rock] x1

[Water] x2

No time. From the corner of his eye Atlas saw a probing tentacle stretching from the dark. He dragged an icon to the grid. The list changed.

[Abyss] x1

[Rock] x2

[Water] x2

Nothing happened. Atlas pressed hard against the wall as the tentacle touched the ground he’d been standing on, digging in to drag the Scylla forward.

Wait. The buttons on his other wrist were lit up, just like with the Yes/No choices. He hammered the green scan button.

SAVING

The dim light from his screen reflected off massive fangs.

SAVED

Blinding light poured into the cavern. Atlas threw his hands in front of his face and dropped as a black blur lunged at him. Warm, sticky liquid splashed across his face.

It was green.

Atlas squinted between his arms to see a massive blob pouring into the cavern before him from the exit. On the other side, a distorted silhouette let out a hellish shriek that left him weak at the knees, tearing chunks out of the viscous material to try and reach him.

He threw himself to the side as a black tentacle lanced through the blob. It barely missed, impaling the wall behind him. A wave of inky black bubbled from where it had struck, spreading along the stone.  He threw himself through the newly opened tunnel, the darkness right behind. A deathly chill seeped into his very bones but he kept running. Every icy breath hurt more than the one before but he kept forcing his legs to move, leaving bloody footprints on the stone as he ran.

And he was out. Atlas stumbled into the light, the sun shining down from above. He collapsed to his knees, muscles no longer responding. His breath misted in the air as he shivered uncontrollably on the sand. 

He didn’t notice the clicking until it was too late. Atlas turned just in time to see a massive blue crab looming over him, its oversized claw bearing down towards him.

An inky black hand lunged from the sand below the crab, shadowy fingers coiling round its leg and dragging the giant crustacean towards the cave. The crab let out a high pitched shriek as its shell wedged in the opening on the cave, claws flailing, but only for a moment. With a terrible crunch the shell gave way and the crab disappeared squealing into the depths.

A woman’s triumphant laughter echoed from the tunnel.

Atlas crawled until exhaustion took him.