Chapter 235 – Night

Chapter 235 – Night

 

A viridian river swirled overhead, a fault line in the confines of his prison. Its eerie light bathed the jungle on the western side of the Spike, granting a moment of sight.

Colossal trees surrounded him, indifferent beholders to the carnage below. Rat-sized insects skittered for cover in the underbrush as slit yellow eyes searched for prey. The spatial disturbance dispersed from the starless sky, plunging the world into darkness.

Kai heaved for breath. Nights lasted longer in this realm. He had lost track of where he was or how long he had been awake. As if boulders had been chained to each of his limbs, he pushed himself forward, ignoring his body’s plea for rest.

He didn’t know how much longer until the false dawn brought him relief. Daylight carried its own danger, still better than the ravenous predators that stalked the moonless hours.

Somewhere on his right, an elder drake shook the ground with a raspy roar. A chorus of howling snarls rose behind him in response. Weak species didn’t survive in the Sanctuary. Blood Crawlers hunted in packs, making up for their lack of sheer Strength with cunning and savagery.

A sharp branch tore into his arm. Kai stumbled, clamping his wound shut to staunch the bleeding. How long had he been running? Pushed beyond exhaustion and covered in an array of cuts and bruises, Hallowed Intuition urged him onwards with a requiem of whispers.

I can’t stop.

That single truth held him together. Peril lurked from every patch of grass and silent tree. Slowing meant certain death. Kai rushed where the murmurs seemed most feeble, he couldn’t die without letting his family know what happened.

His grazed bare feet scrambled over a chitinous carapace. Under the might of Empower, the insect crunched loudly, spraying his foot with a slimy gore that stung his skin. Another somber tune joined the chorus of warnings in his head. Venom wasn’t a priority.

I need to keep running.

Kai leapt over a ditch. In the dark, he landed at the wrong angle and twisted his ankle. His face slammed into the ground, the force of the jump rattling his brain. Unconsciousness was ready to embrace him and end the suffering. What was the point of struggling anyway?

The howls of his pursuers sang with the thrill of a meal.

I can’t stop.

Kai dragged himself up and stumbled on. He gritted his teeth to ignore the pain in his leg and sent the last wisps of mana to fuel Empower. As the thumping claws beat the ground behind him, Hallowed Intuition continued its mourning song, a hundred ways to die woven in one.

He couldn’t outrun the pack.

I need to find shelter.

Conscious it would give his position away, he scanned his surroundings with Mana Observer.

There.

The hungry howls were almost upon him. Kai stepped towards a dark pond. He rubbed his blood-slick fingers on a stick and threw it forward. Deactivating his skill, he bolted in the opposite direction.

He threw himself under a fallen trunk and scraped his mana veins far below the safety threshold to wrap Shadow around him. The blood crawlers would rip him to shreds far quicker than overstrain.

The log smelled of death and decay. He pressed a hand over his mouth, ignoring his need for oxygen to muffle his breathing. Tiny legs skittered over his back. Kai paid them no mind. Pained snarls and angry howls resounded in the jungle as the forward hunters clashed with whatever horror lurked in the pond. Water and acrid blood splashed around him.

Kai allowed himself a half breath of reprieve. His end had been pushed a few hours further. He flicked off the centipede trying to burrow under his clothes and began to restore his reserves from the dense essence, careful to avoid drawing the attention of the pack.

Another hour, another chance to survive.

I must—

The rotten log burst apart, sharp jaws closed around his shin. Kai screamed, trying to kick off the blood crawler, but another beast seized his foot and dragged him outside. A cyan disturbance snaked through the sky, revealing the obsidian maws and segmented limbs of the predators before darkness swallowed them again.

Empower and Water Magic surged amidst the agony to free himself. Ice blades cut into the thick hide, he swung his sword towards the slit yellow eyes. For a moment, he thought he would succeed, then more crawlers chomped onto his arms to force him still.

Jaws ripped into his flesh and crunched bone in no hurry to kill him. No matter how much he struggled and overdrew his mana, more beasts kept coming to tear him to pieces. His screams drowned by the blood gurgling in his thro—

His eyes shot open. Kai jolted back in a crouch and took stock of his surroundings. White plaster walls, a torn blanket, wooden splinters and a toppled leather couch. A crystal half-illuminated the shadow looming over him. A young man approached with open palms, speaking “…okay?”

Flynn…?

“Are you okay?” Flynn repeated and offered him a hand. “You were screaming in your sleep, so I tried to wake you.”

I’m safe. I’ve escaped.

“I—” Kai released the hold over Empower and elemental mana, glad he hadn’t cast any spells. He accepted the offer to stand up, realizing too late his palms were clammy. “I’m good. Just had a bad dream.”

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“It must have been quite the nightmare.” His friend forced a smile, standing awkwardly.

“Yeah…” Kai dried his cold sweat on the torn blanket and straightened the makeshift bed, though he couldn’t do anything for the broken armrest. “I’m sorry about the blanket.” His eyes shifted down, “And the couch.”

He had finally escaped the island, yet his mind insisted on dragging him back.

Flynn dismissed his worries with a casual wave. “I was thinking of buying a new one anyway.” A bruise was swelling beneath his eye, though he angled himself away from the light.

Did I? Fuck.

“I’m sorry about your face too. I didn’t mean to hit you. It— it’s never happened before.” Kai rummaged through the clutter of mana materials in his spatial closet. He had already consumed the potions he brought into the Sanctuary, and brewing more had been a challenge until he crafted a passable cauldron. “Here.” He took out a balm.

Flynn eyed the weird dwarf coconut carved into a jar. “I’m fine, you just grazed me. It’ll be gone in the morning.” The lie crumbled under another grimace, blood already darkening the bruise.

Not even one night and I’ve already fucked it up. Thank the spirits I didn’t summon my sword and start swinging.

“You don’t need to lie to make me feel better. This is the least I can do. I know how hard I hit.”

“It’s—” Flynn sat on the broken couch with a sigh. “It was like getting hit by an iron bat. Shouldn’t mages be all brains with scrawny bodies and stick arms?”

Kai welcomed the attempt to lighten the mood with a laugh, perhaps a bit too loud. “I must have missed the memo. And I’ve also reached Yellow.”

“Of course you did.” Flynn winced when the balm brushed his cheek. “Don’t take it personally, but next time I need to wake you up, I’ll use a stick.”

“That’s only fair. I can sleep in a tavern till I find a place to stay.”