The dragon had tried to bite him in midair, but Liam’s small size had worked in his favor. The massive beast couldn’t maneuver well in the confined space. Instead, she had resorted to climbing, her six legs finding purchase on the walls far more easily than Liam’s. Her predatory reptilian grace was horrifying, each powerful movement bringing her closer.
Liam’s lungs burned as he reached the ledge and hauled himself over. He didn’t pause to rest. Instead, he sprang onto the next ledge, leaping and climbing in a desperate broken spiral around the chamber. His heart thundered in his chest, his focus narrowing to the rhythm of his movement: climb, leap, balance, move.
The dragon’s roars filled the air, vibrating through the stone. Her claws scraped against the wall, a hideous sound that sent shivers down Liam’s spine. She bypassed the carved stone stairs with ease, her massive body demolishing them as she climbed. Each destroyed step tumbled into the depths below, the sound of crumbling stone punctuating the cacophony of the chase.
Umbra, the ever-resourceful slime, did what she could to help. Her mental manipulation abilities didn’t stop the dragon, but they seemed to throw her off just enough. Every time the beast lunged, jaws snapping mere inches from Liam, Umbra’s influence having tugged her focus away at the last second -saved him.
Liam couldn’t suppress the involuntary shrieks of terror that escaped him with each close call. His limbs moved on autopilot, his mind a whirlwind of fear and desperation. Through their bond, he felt Umbra’s subtle efforts and managed a grim smile. “Thanks, buddy,” he whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the chaos.
Umbra pressed herself against him, her gelatinous form tucked securely into his armor. Her gentle nudges guided him, helping him choose the best path forward. Liam relied on his tremor sense as well, the ability keeping him acutely aware of the dragon’s position as she pursued him. He swore under his breath with every step, cursing his luck, his poor life’s choices, and the dragon herself.
He took every shortcut he could to stay ahead of the massive creature. Taking a page from the giant lizard chasing him, Liam sometimes forewent the irregular stone steps altogether in order to scramble up the sheer wall of the skylight.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he burst out of the chimney and into the open air. The sharp, cold wind hit him like a slap, and he staggered to the edge of what appeared to be a volcanic mountain. Below him stretched a rugged landscape of jagged cliffs and thick jungle, a stark contrast to the oppressive confines of the cavern.
He barely had a moment to process his freedom before the dragon exploded out of the mountain behind him. The sheer force of her emergence knocked him off his feet. He tumbled down the mountain slope, his body colliding with rocks and gnarled trees as he fell. Pain lanced through him with every impact, but all he could think was, At least she didn’t catch me.
He finally came to a halt in a tangled heap at the base of the slope. Scraped, bruised, and winded, he groaned as he assessed the damage. Nothing felt broken, though his ribs protested every movement. Slowly, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
“Umbra,” he rasped, patting his chest where the slime was nestled. “You okay, bud?”
Umbra responded with a reassuring squeeze, her warmth spreading through him like a calming balm. Liam managed a weak smile. “Good. Now let’s get out of here.”
A thunderous roar echoed behind him, and a blast of green fire lit up the night sky as the dragon circled overhead. “And fast,” Liam muttered, completing the thought. He staggered to his feet, his legs trembling as he pushed forward.
The jungle loomed ahead, dense and humid, its foliage casting deep shadows in the fading light. Liam didn’t hesitate. He plunged into the undergrowth, crashing through the brush with reckless abandon. The oppressive heat and clinging vines might have given him pause under other circumstances, but the dragon circling above left him no choice.
He moved like a man possessed, ducking and weaving through the dense vegetation. Channeling his childhood reenactments of playing Tarzan, vines served as impromptu rope swings, carrying him over gaps and chasms. He leapt over fallen logs and scrambled up steep inclines, his movements fluid and frantic. It felt like a side-scrolling video game brought to life, each obstacle a new challenge to overcome.
Umbra stirred, her form pressing against his armor. Through their bond, he felt her concentration sharpen. She reached out with her psychic abilities, her presence brushing against the minds of the jungle’s predators. A faint ripple of energy spread through the air, subtle but effective. The rustling in the undergrowth quieted, the lurking creatures retreating as though repelled by an unseen force.
Liam exhaled a fierce breath. “Good job, Umbra,” he panted. The little slime pulsed against him as he ran.
The jungle seemed alive, throwing hazards in his path. At one point, he spotted a creature that resembled a sloth - if sloths were the size of grizzly bears. Its massive frame shifted lazily, and Liam gave it a wide berth, unwilling to risk an encounter. Another time, he found himself keeping pace with a pack of strange, long-legged monkeys. Their luminous eyes fixed on him with unsettling curiosity, but they didn’t attack.
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Whether it was his presence or the dragon’s looming shadow that kept the jungle’s predators at bay, Liam didn’t know. He was grateful for the reprieve, though his gratitude was tempered by the knowledge that he couldn’t slow down. The dragon was still out there, and her rage was a force of nature.
Branches clawed at his armor, and the humid air left him drenched in sweat. His muscles screamed in protest, but he pushed onward, driven by sheer survival instinct. The sounds of the jungle blended into a chaotic symphony - bird calls, rustling leaves, the distant roar of the dragon. It was overwhelming, but Liam’s focus remained sharp. His life depended on it.
Liam hadn’t heard much beyond the occasional roar in the distance and the woosh of air as the treetops shifted, their canopy disturbed by the massive wings of the dragon circling above. The stillness of the jungle offered a deceptive sense of safety, the kind of silence that warned predators were near. The faint sounds of the creature’s frustrated passage faded momentarily, and for that, he was grateful. He didn’t dare believe he was safe, but at least it wasn’t descending into the depths of the jungle after him. Not yet.
Branches clawed at him as he stumbled forward, his breath ragged and shallow. His armor was battered by the greenery, the straps digging into his shoulders as if punishing him for wearing it in such a hostile environment. The air was thick and humid, clinging to his skin like a second layer. Every step felt heavier, the oppressive heat sapping what little energy he had left. If not for Warden’s Endurance, he knew he would have passed out from sheer exhaustion long before now.
The jungle pressed in around him, its dense foliage alive with faint rustling and distant, unidentifiable sounds. The dragon roared again, its voice echoing through the jungle canopy, and Liam’s focus sharpened. The thrill of survival coursed through him, each footstep pounding against the earth as he sprinted deeper into the dense undergrowth. His movements remained fluid, almost animalistic, as if the jungle itself guided him. Every vine he swung from, every branch he dodged, every root he vaulted felt perfectly timed, as though he were part of the environment rather than a fugitive within it.
System Notification:
Skill Unlocked – Primal Instinct: Predator’s Path.
The notification startled him, but only for a moment. His body was already reacting, his mind attuned to the skill’s effects. He felt a strange connection to the wilderness around him, a deep, primal understanding of its dangers and its opportunities. The jungle, once a chaotic maze, now seemed like a carefully laid path, each obstacle a stepping stone rather than a hindrance.
He ducked under a low-hanging branch and felt a presence to his left -a predator lying in wait. Without conscious thought, he veered right, narrowly avoiding the slashing claws of a creature that had been hidden in the shadows, one of the giant sloths. Ahead, the river shimmered through the trees, its current promising both danger and salvation. Liam didn’t hesitate.
He pushed toward the sound of running water, a small thread of hope guiding him. A river meant a chance to put some distance between himself and the dragon -if he was lucky. When he finally reached it, the water shimmered in the dim light filtering through the jungle canopy. The river was wide but swift, its banks narrow and overgrown with thick roots and brambles. Moving along the edge proved slow and exhausting. Deciding he had no better option, Liam took a deep breath and dove in.
The instant the water closed over him, he realized his mistake. The weight of his armor turned him into a leaden mass, dragging him under with relentless force. He thrashed against the current, his movements frantic and uncoordinated. Panic surged through him as the river carried him, slamming his body into submerged rocks and branches. The cold bite of the water made it harder to think clearly, and he could feel his lungs screaming for air.
Umbra responded instantly. The slime inflated itself around his head like a gelatinous balloon, forming a makeshift barrier that allowed him to draw shallow, precious breaths. It wasn’t oxygen exactly -more like a strange suspension of breathable liquid- but it was enough to keep him from drowning. He could feel Umbra’s own fear pulsing through their connection, but her quick action kept his panic from overwhelming him entirely.
Even with Umbra’s intervention, the current was too strong. The weight of his armor pinned him to the riverbed, where he tumbled helplessly along the jagged floor. He tried to shed his gear, but the straps were too tight, and the surging water left him no leverage. His vision blurred as rocks and debris scraped against him, the impact of each collision leaving him more disoriented.
Then, suddenly, the riverbed disappeared. He felt weightless for the briefest of moments before gravity reasserted itself. A waterfall. He was falling.
The roar of the water swallowed everything else. His stomach lurched as the world tilted, and for an instant, there was nothing but the sickening sensation of freefall. Umbra clung to him, her grip tightening as they plunged through the air. He could feel her fear mirroring his own, their shared dread amplifying the sheer terror of the moment.
Liam’s descent ended abruptly as he landed on something solid - a twisted branch or root jutting out from the cliffside. The impact jarred his entire body, pain exploding through his ribs as he latched onto the gnarled wood with trembling hands. Water pounded against him, the relentless torrent threatening to tear him away. He gasped for air, each breath a desperate, ragged gulp.
Above him, the dragon roared, its frustration echoing across the jungle like a thunderclap. The sound sent shivers through him, every fiber of his being screaming at him to stay hidden. He pressed himself against the root, his body trembling from exertion and fear.
The root - or was it a branch? - offered a precarious perch. He scrambled along it until he found a slightly wider section where he could balance himself against the slick rock face. The walls of the cliff were wet and covered in algae, their surface offering little in the way of purchase. Climbing up seemed impossible, but looking down revealed a drop of at least a hundred feet to the churning pool below. It wasn’t an option.