The growl from the cave echoed in Ian's mind, reverberating through his bones. He knelt down beside Flynn, his breath trembling as he stroked the dog's head. "Stay," Ian said firmly, though his own voice wavered. He rubbed Flynn’s head one last time, patting his shoulders. Flynn whined, the sound piercing through the silence, but Ian stood up.

“I’ll be back. Please stay put,” he whispered, looking into Flynn’s eyes. The dog’s gaze never wavered, but Ian could see the reluctance in his stance as his tail tucked slightly.

Ian turned toward the cave. His heart raced with each step, the cold air spilling out from the darkness, tightening around his chest like a vice. With a final glance back, Ian stepped inside. The light from outside quickly dimmed, swallowed by the yawning mouth of the cave.

Every step forward was met with the clatter of bones underfoot. The faint scraping echoed in the cave, a sickening reminder that he wasn’t the first to enter. As his eyes adjusted, more bones—broken, crushed—became visible in the dim light. Some large, others disturbingly small. Are these human? His stomach twisted as the scent of rot hit him. It was overwhelming, clogging his throat and stinging his eyes.

How many people have died here?

The thought barely had time to settle before he heard a low, deep rumble. Ian froze. Fifty feet ahead, a hulking mass stirred, shifting slightly in the darkness. A pair of pale, lifeless eyes blinked open, reflecting the faint light. They locked onto Ian’s.

A guttural roar erupted, shaking the cave walls. The mass rose to its full height—a bear, towering and monstrous, its fur matted with blood and decay.

“Oh no... what have I done?”

Ian’s body moved on instinct. He turned and sprinted back toward the cave's entrance, but the bear was faster. The sound of snapping bones and crumbling boulders filled the cave as Bjorn charged, its massive form crashing through the narrow space. Ian glanced back just in time to see the beast barreling toward him. He stumbled, tripping over a jagged rock, and hit the ground hard.

The bear loomed over him, its rancid breath hot against his skin. Ian rolled to the side just as Bjorn’s claws raked the stone floor where his head had been a moment before. I’m not going to make it.

Frantically, Ian reached out, his fingers scraping against the bones littering the ground. He grabbed the first thing he could—a femur, thick and heavy—and swung it at the bear’s face. The bone connected with a sickening thud, catching Bjorn across the eye. The bear reeled, letting out a groan of pain, but it wasn’t enough. It never would be.

Bjorn’s massive paw came down, pinning Ian’s leg beneath its weight. Ian screamed, feeling the bones in his leg crack under the pressure. He swung the femur again, but this time Bjorn caught it in its jaws, snapping it like a twig.

The bear’s claws slashed down, carving deep wounds across Ian’s back. His vision blurred, pain radiating through every nerve. I’m going to die here.

But then—a blur of gold.

Flynn.

The dog leapt through the air, jaws sinking into the bear’s shoulder. Bjorn roared, staggering back as Flynn’s weight threw it off balance. Ian’s heart pounded, each beat doubling in intensity. Duh-dum. Duh-dum. The rhythm echoed in his head, drowning out the pain.

“Flynn, run!” Ian shouted, but Flynn held on, snarling and growling as the bear shook violently, trying to throw him off.

The bear’s attention shifted. Bjorn roared again, raising its paw, preparing to strike Flynn. Ian’s chest tightened, his heart hammering in his chest, louder, faster. Duh-dum. Duh-dum. The sound filled his ears, drowning out everything else.

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No. I won’t let this happen.

With a primal scream, Ian surged to his feet. The pain in his leg and back disappeared, replaced by a searing heat that spread through his entire body. His fists clenched, nails biting into his palms until blood dripped from his knuckles. Duh-dum. Duh-dum. His heartbeat doubled again. Faster. Harder.

Bjorn barely had time to react before Ian was upon it. He swung his fist with everything he had, landing a blow square on the bear’s jaw. The impact sent teeth flying from its mouth. Bjorn stumbled back, disoriented, but Ian wasn’t done.

Duh-dum. Duh-dum. His heart roared in his chest as he hit the bear again, and again. Each punch was fueled by rage, by fear, by desperation. His vision blurred, turning red as blood splattered across his face. He couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.

The bear groaned, its massive body falling to the ground, but Ian’s fists kept coming. Flesh and bone broke under the relentless assault until, finally, Ian stood over the bear’s broken, lifeless body.

Duh-dum. Duh-dum. Ian’s breath came in ragged gasps, his fists trembling, dripping with blood. His vision slowly cleared, revealing the scene before him. Flynn, whimpering and covered in blood, stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear.

Ian’s gaze dropped to his hands, bloodied and bruised. Then, beyond them, to Bjorn’s severed head lying in a crater at his feet.

He let out a shaky breath, the adrenaline fading as the pain returned tenfold. His legs gave out, and darkness swallowed him whole.

Ian woke with a start, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. “Flynn!” he shouted, panic gripping his heart.

But before he could move, Flynn was there, nudging his face gently with his nose. Ian let out a shaky breath, his hand reaching up to stroke the golden retriever’s fur. "You're okay," he whispered, more to himself than to Flynn.

Just as he began to relax, a surge of energy rushed into him, flooding his veins with warmth. The quest screen blinked open in front of his eyes:

Eliminate Bjorn – Complete.

Tutorial Quest 1 Complete.

The pain that had wracked his body—his shattered leg, the deep gashes on his back—vanished in an instant. Ian let out a sigh of relief as the energy pulsed through him, healing every wound. His body felt lighter, almost weightless, as the last of the pain ebbed away.

But as soon as the adrenaline faded, exhaustion took hold. Ian’s head dropped back to the cold ground, and he rolled to his side, his stomach churning. The sight of Bjorn’s severed head flashed through his mind, and he retched, emptying his stomach onto the cave floor.

“We... we did it,” he muttered, wiping his mouth. He looked over to Flynn, who stood between him and the bear’s mangled body. “We survived.”

Flynn let out a soft whine, but Ian’s attention was quickly drawn back to the bear. Something was happening. Bjorn’s massive form—once towering and unstoppable—was shrinking, the fur and muscle collapsing inward as if deflating. Swirls of shimmering energy began to rise from the bear’s body, spiraling upward in twisting currents of light.

“No... no, no, no...” Ian whispered, his voice filled with dread. He tried to push himself up, but his limbs felt heavy, the fight having drained every ounce of strength from him.

The energy gathered in the air above the shrinking corpse, coalescing into a single, pulsating orb. Flynn barked, his hackles raised as the orb hovered menacingly in the air.

“Flynn! Get away from it!” Ian shouted, his voice hoarse, but it was too late. The orb shot forward, faster than Ian could react, and in a blink, it slammed into Flynn's chest.

Flynn yelped, staggering back as the orb disappeared into his body. Ian’s heart dropped. “No, no... I can’t lose you. Please, no!” Ian scrambled forward, pulling Flynn into his arms, his fingers clutching at the dog’s blood soaked fur.

Flynn went still, his body shuddering for a moment before he let out a soft whimper. Ian pressed his forehead against Flynn’s, his tears mixing with the blood on his face. “You’re okay... you have to be okay,” he whispered, holding him close.

For what felt like an eternity, Ian waited, his breath caught in his throat, but slowly, Flynn stirred. Ian feels the muscles in Flynn’s shoulder shift. He looks at his dog, not seeing any changes.

Relief crashed over Ian in waves, but questions buzzed in his mind. What had that orb done to Flynn? What had Bjorn been? And what kind of world was he really in?

He held Flynn tighter, vowing not to let anything else take his companion from him, not as long as he was breathing.