Morning light spilled across the ruins in waves, each ray revealing structures that defied normal proportions. David ghosted through the canopy, his wings barely stirring the air as he tried to process what dawn was unveiling. The scale alone made his brain hurt - entire courtyards could have housed small towns, while what passed for doorways would have made Claire look like a runt while walking through.
"This isn't natural," David whispered, more to himself than his hovering companions. His keen eyes traced patterns in the stonework that seemed to subtlety shift the longer he studied them. Mathematics had been carved into the very foundations, but not any mathematics he understood.
The Cuddlebugs maintained their defensive formation, tiny shadows against the growing light. Even Captain, usually first to investigate anything new, kept close to David as they observed their surroundings. The morning air carried sounds that didn't quite reach their ears - vibrations that suggested movement far below the threshold of even his sensitive hearing.
Stone that looked as if it should have crumbled centuries ago still held perfect edges, their surfaces barely touched by time. Vegetation sprawled across everything, yet somehow managed to avoid compromising even a single block. The jungle seemed more like decoration than invasion, as if nature itself recognized these ruins deserved respect.
David banked around an enormous tree trunk and nearly forgot to keep flapping. An amphitheater rose out of the jungle before him, its scale so vast his mind initially rejected what his eyes reported. Patterns worked into the stone pulsed with faint light, creating designs that drew the eye in uncomfortable ways.
"Of all the places you could have ended up," he muttered, his Pack Sense tugging him deeper into the maze of monuments. "You just had to pick the one that looks like someone built a city for kaiju."
David banked sharply as a sound caught his attention, gliding silently into the shadows of what might have been a temple spire. His wings folded close as he settled onto a vine-wrapped outcropping, fur shifting to match the pattern of shadow and stone. His ears swiveled toward the disturbance - something between a hiss and a war horn.
Time to play 'guess what wants to eat me today.' Always my favorite game.
The Cuddlebugs dispersed on silent wings, taking up observation positions throughout the nearby ruins. David's 'batellite network' had started as a joke and quickly become standard - their linked vision giving him an expansive view of his targets.
Through their eyes and his own, he tracked movement through the jungle. A pair of Users emerged from the vegetarion into what might have been a plaza, their evolved forms making David's throat go dry. The leader's basic shape suggested Utahraptor as a starting point, but the System had clearly gotten creative. Iridescent feathers covered armor plates, and its killing claws twitched with barely contained energy.
Not running into them seems like an excellent choice at the moment. Add that to the list of 'things that could definitely murder me'.
It's companion was equally impressive - they'd clearly started as something that vaguely resembled a lighter and more fragile version of Claire, but now sported crystalline growths along their spine and the kind of musculature that suggested 'apex predator' was a starting point rather than a goal. The pair moved with unmistakable purpose, patrolling the ruins like they owned them.
Though this all raises some uncomfortable questions about why the Overse- Worldenders? Overenders....? Focus, dumbass.
The group paused near what might have been a fountain, if fountains were typically large enough to dock a ship in. The raptorlike User made a series of motions with clawed hands that looked suspiciously like practiced gestures.
"Oh that's just fantastic," David muttered, his voice barely a breath. "They've got organization."
The Pack Sense tugged at him again, urging him toward a path that would take him directly across the patrol route. David's response was immediate and emphatic:
Absolutely not. No way. Not happening. I didn't survive everything else just to get snagged by jumped up iguanas who might be having a bad day for all I know. Find Claire, then we can worry about what's going on.
Through the Cuddlebugs', he tracked the duo until they moved beyond his range. Only then did he spread his wings, launching silently from his perch to seek higher ground. The morning air carried more sounds now - distant roars, the clash of what might have been combat, and underneath it all, a persistent hum that seemed to run through the ruins themselves.
Great. Not only is this place full of murder lizards, it's also probably haunted. Claire's going to have so much explaining to do.
David winged his way through gaps in the towering architecture, following that familiar mental pull toward Claire. The sensation felt stronger than ever, almost…normal. For the first time in days he was getting a clear sense of direction, and his snout wrinkled in a victorious grin that sent a small lizard racing crazily up a vine nearby.
The rising sun painted the ruins in shades of amber, revealing more signs of habitation with each passing moment. Crystalline formations jutted from some of the walls, pulsing with faint light that didn't match any natural source he'd seen. Below, what had seemed like decorative patterns in the stone flickered with energy that made his wings itch somehow.
Another of the Team confirmed what his instincts screamed - this section of the ruins crawled with Users. Most kept to the shadows of massive doorways or the cover of sprawling vegetation, their forms resembling everything from Stegosaurus to something that looked a bit like a goose with talons before the System decided 'giant claws' weren't quite scary enough by themselves.
Getting real tired of every shadow potentially hiding something that could eat me in one bi-
The Pack Sense suddenly dissolved into static. David faltered his rhythm mid-flight, nearly clipping a sprawling branch as the familiar pull toward Claire shattered into meaningless noise. His wings caught an updraft as he struggled to reorient himself, connection fritzing like bad radio reception.
"What the fu-"
The signal snapped back into focus with jarring intensity, yanking his attention nearly ninety degrees from his previous heading. David hovered in place, ears swiveling as he tried to process what had just happened.
That's... that's not how Pack Sense works. It doesn't just change direction like that.
Through the Cuddlebug network, he caught glimpses of strange light flickering through distant arches. The ruins' persistent hum grew stronger for a moment, then faded back to its usual background drone.
"Claire," David growled, frustration bleeding into his voice, "what the hell is this place?"
He banked toward the new heading, only for the signal to dissolve again ten minutes later. This time he was ready for it, maintaining his flight path as static filled his mind. When it reformed seconds later, the pull came from the opposite direction he'd been traveling.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Great. Because this place wasn't weird enough already. Now the System is gaslighting me.
Three more direction changes in as many minutes had David seriously considering just landing somewhere and bunkering down. Each shift came with that same static burst, like someone channel-surfing with his brain. The Cuddlebug network reported odd activity in the ruins with each occurrence - flashes of light from the distant jungle, strange undertones of vibration that made their tiny ears twitch.
There has to be something on the island screwing with the signal. Pack Sense doesn't just... malfunction. Does it?
He landed on a relatively stable-looking branch, talons gripping bark that gamely resisted his sharp talons. Below, more crystalline formations caught the morning light, their surfaces etched with patterns that reminded him uncomfortably of circuit boards.
"Okay," David muttered, watching another User move through a clearing. This one looked like someone had started with ostrich-lizard hybrid and decided that thick skull plates needed an upgrade to 'walking battering ram.' "Let's think this through."
The Pack Sense dissolved again, reformed pointing east, then immediately switched to northwest only a minute later. David's mane bristled with irritation as he tracked the changes through his mental map.
Either Claire's teleporting around this whole damn island, or...
A memory surfaced - Claire explaining how she'd once tracked him through the observatory despite him taking a completely nonsensical route. The Pack Sense followed his actual position, not the path he'd taken. Which meant...
"You're not outside at all, are you?" David's ears flattened as understanding dawned.
The hum from the ruins grew stronger, as if acknowledging his revelation. On a hunch, he directed his summons to fan out and look for anything…weirder than normal.
Through the Cuddlebug network, he caught glimpses of Users emerging from arches that should have connected to nothing but solid stone. Others disappeared into shadows that seemed to swallow them whole, only to reappear in completely different sections of the ruins, glimpsed by prying Cuddlebug eyes.
Perfect. Because clearly what this place needed was more crazy shit.
David sent a gentle nudge down the mental threads, recalling his surveillance network. The Cuddlebugs materialized from their various perches, tiny forms converging on his position like furry guided missiles. He needed to think, and that meant having all his resources in one place. Just in case.
His nose twitched as they settled around him - a new scent cutting through the ruins' ever-present mixture of stone and vegetation, carried to him by a gentle wind. Something fresh and sweet that made his mouth water instantly. Several of the older Cuddlebugs caught it too, their reaction immediate and enthusiastic. Tiny bodies practically vibrated with excitement as they recognized that particular blend of perfection.
David spread his wings, ready to investigate, when the Pack Sense fired off another direction change. He growled in frustration, torn between following that familiar pull and investigating what his nose told him was definitely...
No way. Here?
David spread his wings, remembering the last time they'd found one of those trees.
Maybe just a quick look…I'm flying in circles right now anyway. Ugh…the way it keeps switching directions is almost making me motion sick.
His tiny squad was already airborne, their usual discipline completely forgotten as they darted toward the source of that heavenly scent. David followed more cautiously, keeping to the shadows of the massive architecture as they descended into what might have been a garden. If gardens were typically built to accommodate creatures the size of construction equipment.
What he saw made him forget about stealth entirely.
The small valley stretched before them, every inch cultivated with mathematical precision. Terraces carved from the same ancient stone hosted hundreds - no, thousands - of those gnarled fruit trees. Their twisted branches spread across carefully maintained plots, heavy with ripening produce that somehow merged the best qualities of every fruit he'd ever tasted.
"This is just excessive," David muttered, watching his Cuddlebugs practically unraveling with anticipation. "Who needs this many-"
The Pack Sense dissolved again, reformed, then switched directions so violently he actually winced. The Cuddlebugs froze mid-flight, their tiny heads swiveling toward him as they caught his spike of concern through their link.
Something's wrong. What the hell is going on with her...
A single hiss from Captain and the Cuddlebugs' enthusiasm evaporated instantly, replaced by the kind of focused intensity he usually only saw when something needed urgent murder. Their tiny forms realigned into a defensive formation, treating even the distant fruit they'd been salivating over seconds ago with deep suspicion.
"Yeah," David sighed, giving the trees one last longing look. "I know. Rain check on the fruit feast. I need to figure out what the hell is going on with Claire first."
Captain chittered something that managed to sound both disappointed and grimly determined, earning a snort from David.
"Tell you what - we'll come back once we've found her. Probably with her, knowing Claire. Though really..." He eyed the vast orchard stretching into the distance. "Pretty sure there's enough here to feed an army."
Or house one, he realized, noting how the terraces had been arranged to provide perfect cover for anything lurking between the rows. The whole valley was as much killing ground as garden, assuming you were large enough to make use of those massive stones as concealment.
Which we're not. Add that to the list of 'very good reasons to leave.'
The Pack Sense yanked his attention toward what looked like a massive archway carved into the valley's far wall. Unfamiliar synbols flickered with that same crystalline light he'd seen throughout the ruins, and for a moment the shadows within seemed to shift in ways that made him want to pin his ears back and hiss.
"Right," David growled, spreading his wings. "I've had enough feeling dumb for one life. Time to find out what's really going on in this place. You with me team?"
The Cuddlebugs' response was immediate - tiny forms aligning into their most aggressive formation yet as they prepared to follow him into whatever waited ahead. Their usual playfulness had been replaced by cold determination, a reminder that for all their adorable appearance, they were still lethal little boogers.
Which is good, because something tells me we're going to need every advantage we can get.
The valley stretched below them, fruit trees standing sentinel over terraces that could have hosted a small population by themselves. David kept to the canopy shadows as they crossed it, acutely aware of how exposed they were despite the massive vegetation. The gate in the far wall drew his eye constantly, stone thrumming with energy that set his teeth on edge as they approached.
Flickering symbols cast shadows that moved independent of the light, and the closer they got, the more wrong the view through the entrance became. Space seemed to fold and twist beyond the threshold, as if someone had origami'd reality itself.
Movement caught his eye - massive shapes passing through whatever lay beyond. Each glimpse suggested impossible connections, hallways that couldn't exist intersecting at angles that made his gut drop just looking at them. The architecture shifted between views - some sections weathered and vine-covered like the ruins around him, others looking disturbingly pristine, as if they'd been carved yesterday.
Well that's concerning.
He caught fractured glimpses of more Users passing through distant patches of light within. Some disappeared through doorways only to emerge from walls, others simply vanished between one step and the next. Nothing moved in straight lines in the space within the archway itself - distance seeming more like a suggestion than a rule.
"So that's how you're doing it," David muttered, his eyes tracking patterns in the strange device. "This whole place has some kind of…shortcut hub?"
The Pack Sense reformed, pulling him toward the threshold with intense clarity. The shadows shifted, and he caught a glimpse of corridors that somehow managed to go up and sideways simultaneously.
And here I am playing catch-up like an idiot while Claire's probably having a blast using these things.
The Cuddlebugs maintained their formation as David studied the gate, their tiny forms absolutely still. Through their link, he felt their growing unease. This place wasn't just big - it was organized, populated, and very clearly not abandoned despite its ancient appearance.
The Pack Sense pulsed again, stronger than ever. David growled softly as he realized he had a choice to make - either figure out how these things worked, or spend the next who-knows-how-long playing the world's most dangerous game of hide and seek.
"Right," David muttered, watching reality twist beyond the gate's threshold. "This clearly calls for some 'David stuff.'"
The Cuddlebugs pressed closer, their tiny forms radiating determination through their link. No fear, no hesitation - just absolute trust in whatever insane plan he'd cooked up now. David's ears flicked forward as he studied the swirling patterns of light and shadow, trying to convince himself this wasn't completely stupid.
Who am I kidding? This is definitely stupid. But since when has that stopped me?
Beyond the gate, impossible spaces flickered and merged like dreams. Claire was there somewhere in that maze of bullshit, probably having the time of her life while he stood here second-guessing himself.
"Well Team," David growled, tension bleeding into anticipation as he coiled to spring. "Time to go be stupid."
Taking a deep breath and forcing himself not to close his eyes, David leapt forward into the swirling darkness.