I sprinted with all my might for the cliff, I knew death was close behind me, I could feel the earth rumbling with its every step.

“Mammorest! Evade!” The leader shouted out behind me. I heard the loud trumpeting of the beast with an arrow poking out of its rear engaging the hunters in my stead. “You, after him!” The leader grunted while jumping about, I turned my head briefly to confirm the brutal guy was on my trail.

“I’m gonna skin ya!” He promised me with a wicked simile, I felt my speed increase as I felt he would keep that promise. “Where do you thi- Hey!” He shouted in surprise as I didn’t slow my run.

“Trouble, cover me!” I tossed my Pal ahead of me on the cliff’s ledge. We locked eyes as he nodded to me. “Now!” I shouted as I lowered my head and charged right at him.

“Bwark!” He shouted as the glowing aura gathered around him quicker than I’ve seen before. He jumped over my body before we collided, with his wings spread wide, he let out his mighty call to drop the meteors. “BWAK!” He threw his wings forwards as the rocks streaked into existence in the sky above.

“What the hells!?” The off guard hunter dove to the side to avoid incoming attack.

“Trouble!” I yelled as I dove head first off the cliff. My glowing chicken of death was recalled as his attack faded into harmless smoke. “I forgot how to land!” I screamed in panic as I regretted my decision to literally leap off a cliff. “AAA-ugh!” I slammed into a tree after a brief few moments of terrifying free fall off a cliff that was much higher than I thought. “Never let me go.” I whispered to the tree, holding on for dear life.

“You little shit!” The brutal hunter shouted after me from the clifftop.

“Another time then.” I patted the life saving tree before gracefully descending it. “Shittt! Ugh… Damned tree.” I groaned from the ground while leaves and branches fell on top of me. “Wish I had a parachute.” I grunted as my body protested me standing up and jogging downhill.

[Glider Tech is currently locked, please increase your power to access.] My Paldex chimed out.

“Don’t I need to find one of those ray-like Pals for that?” I briefly remember my experience with flying Pals. “Maybe a big bird might be safer.” I shivered at the thought of losing my grip while too high up.

[After catching certain mountable Pals, the corresponding Riding Tech will become available.] My Paldex’s words slowed me down for a moment.

“Wait, I can actually find a big bird to fly me out of here?” I felt a glimmer of hope at escaping this place and heading back, somewhere. “Can I even fly out of here?” I look around at the castle like ruins I find myself in. I run my hand along an ancient looking wooden door. “What sort of civil-” A metallic sheen flew by my face and broke apart the door.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Damned, missed.” The hunter had caught up and threw his ax at me.

“It seems like you caught me.” I turned around with my hands up again. “I won’t try any- OH SHIT! WHAT’S THAT!” I scream and point behind him in terror.

“What th-...” The hunter spun around quickly, ready for another large Pal to be closing in. “I’m going to kill him…” A few veins popped up along his forehead as he turned from an empty clearing to a now empty doorway. He took a deep breath in before bellowing in rage and giving chase.

“Why me?!” I shouted while sprinting down some stone steps. I jumped the last few stairs to avoid a piece of the broken door thrown at me. “Who the hell are you people?!” I shout at my pursuer while rolling in the sandy grass.

“You took our prey, and that means our payday.” The enraged hunter grips his ax with superhuman strength. “Now you must pay.” He says with an eerie calm, he lifts up and pulls back his ax, ready to throw it with lethal intent. “Hand it over, and I’ll make this quick.” He held out his other hand for the Pal Sphere.

“Uh, okay. How about I get another person’s perspective on this before I just had it over.” I take out the Chillet’s Pal Sphere and just hold it in my hand, the hunter’s eyes don’t leave it.

“Wait, what?” The hunter was caught off guard once more.

“Good sirs! Do you think I should give him this Alpha Pal?” I shouted while holding up the Pal Sphere and waving it to a group I saw walking down a path just across a trickling stream. My shouting and waving caught their attention, and they are fully armed with guns. “Uh, those aren’t friends of yours, right?” I point at the group of armed men who are heading our way with weapons raised.

“Syndicate bastards!” A primal hate burst from the hunter as his full attention was locked on the incoming group.

“I’ll take that as a no, so, bye.” I turn to the only way out for myself, the beach. Thankfully there are some islands making a land bridge leading me towards the smoke signal.

““Hunters!”” I hear the incoming thugs shout before their guns start blasting. I turn back to witness them not able to hit even close to the target before needing to reload. “Kill them!” The group started to shout and pull out some grenades.

“Syndicate!” The hunter leapt at the group with his ax slashing. I expected the thugs to get sliced to bits, but their hand to hand combat left me stunned. The hunter managed to punch and kick some things away before being surrounded, but the thugs were blocking the ax slashes and giving him some damage back with their now drawn out clubs. “Die!” He shouted as I turned to run away and ignore the battle.

“Why do I feel like my bow and arrow would just piss them off instead of deal actual damage?” I tapped my Paldex after getting a good way away from the battle scene.

[Gain more power to deal more damage.] The Paldex informed me. [Power determines all.]

“That isn’t cryptic at all.” I whined while hopping from large rocks to get over to the other island. “I wonder what that smoke signal is.” I glanced over to the surf where I saw a pair of flaming foxes splashing about in the water with it bothering the flame that was their fur. “How does that even…nope, just ignore it and accept it. Same with the glowing magical circular ruins, I’ll come back to those.” I shake my head while passing up a glowing circular platform that was sitting in a small clearing on the tiny isle. “Curiosity killed the cat, and I don’t have enough lives.” I hide quickly behind a broken pillar. “Why are there so many Mammorests?!”