“Do you not have any defensive mechanisms, like traps or something?” Alphonse questioned.

“If I did, do you think you would have been able to arrive here in one piece?” The old man scoffed. “I rely on my potions. I can turn even the strongest monsters into meek little lambs.”

Just as he had finished talking, a colossal hand made its appearance, grabbing hold of the wall. Just the hand alone was already larger than Alphonse.

Then, its stone head emerged from the dark cave. It had a huge grin. The monster looked like it was made of stone. Enormous lantern-like eyes glowed. It was as if a lighthouse with limbs had entered. The monster looked right at them. The eyes shone brighter.

Alphonse could feel the mana within the room stir. His eyes widened.

A massive beam of energy shot forward. He used [ Flicker Step ] to the side, keeping his balance. Alphonse's feet dug a ditch into the ground, stopping his momentum.

“You got a potion that deals with fucking laser beams?” Alphonse shouted. Another beam was forming in the monster’s eyes.

“Of course I damned don’t, run!” The old man gathered a bunch of his potions as they disappeared within his long, flowing coat. He ran towards a back room.

Alphonse activated [ Flicker Step ] again, dodging the beam of energy threatening to erase his existence.

Alphonse slammed the door shut. The thumping on the ground told the duo that it was approaching.

“What the hell is that thing?” Alphonse asked.

“How should I know?” The old man shouted.

“Seems like you know nothing,” Alphonse shook his head. “I take it you have a way out of here?”

The old man fell into silence before shaking his head. “No, this cave is just one big room.”

“Are you serious? Why would you corner yourself like a rat?”

“Well, I didn’t exactly count on an annoying brat to bring monsters into my home, did I?” The old man scoured within the room. Looking for something.

The thumping on the ground became louder, the vibrating transmitted into Alphonse’s bones. Then it stopped. It was just outside.

“Hurry old man, if you’re going to do something, do it now!” Alphonse shouted. He had no choice but to trust in someone he had just met. He looked at the old man, he looked unworried. As if they weren’t about to be pulverised by a stone giant.

The old man’s hands moved like lightning, flitting from a bottle, and the next moment, he was picking up strange ingredients and adding them together. He turned towards the door, two bottles of freshly made potions in hand. “Move you half-wit!”

Alphonse dashed to a corner of the room.

The potion maker lobbed both of the potions at the door. The glass shattered, the liquid rapidly transformed into a foamy substance like it had a life of its own as it seeped under the door and moved forward, like a controlled river. Quickly, the sound of the massive lighthouse giant stopped.

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“Hurry.” The old man rushed towards the door and swung it open. A colossal, grinning face was encased within a layer of foamy goo.

The stone giant used its eye lasers, but something was holding it back. A faint haziness took over the lantern like eyes.

They both rushed past the giant. Its giant limbs were trembling within the foam, trying to break free.

“How long will that foam stuff hold it?” Alphonse said as he was running, the old man was keeping up.

“Maybe 5 minutes, maybe 5 seconds. I’ve never used it on something so strong befo–” The old man’s words cut off as a crash trembled the ground, the old man almost stumbled to the ground at the earthquake-like vibration.

Alphonse turned his head. The colossal stone giant smashed its legs into the ground. Freeing it from the adhesive foam. Its colossal head turned, the eyes shining within the darkness like a beacon. Alphonse’s heart tightened.

“You’re on your own.” Alphonse shook his head. If the old man looked confident, then he could deal with it by himself.

[ Flicker Step ] activated as his body disappeared towards the entrance. Leaving the old man in a cloud of his after image.

He left the old man in the dust. He didn’t care enough about him to risk his life. Even if he used [ Flicker Step ] his old body probably wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of the speed. He would be torn apart like flesh in a blender.

Despite the explosions behind, he continued back to the cave’s entrance. A sudden sense of danger pervaded his senses, like a beast's fur standing on edge. Alphonse stepped to the side and quickly entered his beast form.

He thrashed his leg forwards, hitting something that resembled a flesh wall. The jungle cat flashed into view. There were two of them.

Alphonse flashed a beastly smile. They had followed and awaited in ambush. Planting his foot into the ground, he stomped, propelling himself towards the cave’s wall.

The cats followed. Their speed was even greater than Alphonse as they rapidly approached.

Alphonse collided with the wall. Using his foot as leverage, he activated [ Flicker Step ], launching him like a bullet towards one of the jungle cats. With a fireball in hand, he pressed it up against the cat as he rocketed past. The fire attached to the cat’s fur, like a permeating adhesive. Then, it sparked, like a flint and steel. A brilliant explosion followed, blasting the other cat and Alphonse apart. A mangled corpse lay within a pool of blood.

The other cat was quick to recover. As it was about to pounce, an aromatic cloud seeped forward, swallowing the beast. It fell to the floor. Unconscious.

The old man appeared from the darkness within the cave. His hair was even messier than before. He was panting, eyes drooping. Exhaustion marred his face.

“We need to keep moving.” The old man hobbled forward.

Alphonse sighed. He put his arms around the old man and bolted out of the cave.

“I thought you would leave me to die… again.” The old man spat. The breeze from moving fast sent his hair into chaos.

“I’m feeling charitable,” Alphonse said. “Where are we going?”

The tropical heat immediately hit his body as they ventured into the jungle. The air within the thick canopy was stifling.

“I have another base. Go that way.” The old man pointed in a direction.

“How do you know where we’re going?” Alphonse wondered. Everything looked the same to him. There were no landmarks to speak of. Just endless trees.

“Look at the ground. It’s not as soft as a dirt floor would be, right?” The old man said.

Alphonse looked down. He was right; the ground was hard. Every now and then, dark grey stone was visible underneath.

“This used to be my home…” the old man mumbled. “This entire jungle used to be a sprawling city, filled with life. Those young and old spent the day going about, laughing… crying.”

Alphonse’s ears perked up. He heard a familiar sound of energy being condensed… and then fired. He looked back, a flash of bright light decimated the trees and continued towards them.