Why must you forsake me, left tunnel? I thought we were friends—tunnel buddies, cave cousins. You're not supposed to add even more danger to my already precarious situation! Oblivious to my growing protests, a wall of sound continues to echo through the tunnel, quickly escalating in intensity. From the sounds around me, it seems I'll soon have some new companions in the cavern, and they don’t sound too happy. Roars and crashes reverberate throughout the area, sending my internal radar into a chaotic frenzy that I don't even attempt to sort through. I know I probably could if I really tried, but I need all my focus for what’s about to happen.
The cavern groaned as the Shadow Bison lumbered awake, its massive form unfolding with a mighty stretch followed by a yawn. Its beady blue eyes, sharp and cold, snap towards the sudden commotion at the tunnel entrance. Just as the bison lifts its immense, horned head, a chaotic wave of gnashing teeth and tearing claws erupts into the cavern.
From my cramped hiding spot, the onslaught is a bewildering storm of violence. Gnashing teeth and flashing claws fill the once quiet cavern, but as the dust and shadows shift, a gruesome scene shows itself. Not one monster, but five, and the largest of them was a horrifying spectacle. Resembling a wolverine, but swollen to the size of a bear, its immense frame is coated in a nightmare of smaller, equally vicious creatures that cling and bite relentlessly. Covered in small weeping wounds, blood leaks down its tar-soaked body; A viscous, black substance, like congealed tar, coats its fur in heavy, ominous clumps that shift with its every move. Above this gruesome display, its eyeless, blackened skull is starkly visible in the dim light, a bony mask of silent fury that snaps at its tormentors.
With surprising speed despite its size and the clinging horde, the monstrous wolverine rears up on its hind legs. Its massive front paws, tipped with claws like obsidian shards, snatch one of the smaller beasts latched onto its side, and sickening crunch echos through the cavern as the giant slams back down, the tar-like substance oozing around the crushed form beneath its weight. So heavy is the force of the blow that it shakes free the remaining monsters, causing them to tumble. The Shadow Bison, now fully alert, lets out a bellow that shakes the very stone, its icy gaze fixed on the monsters that would dare invade its home.
As all four monsters turn to look at the behemoth, I move. My claws scrabble against the rocky floor, and my tail drags behind me as I run for my life. With an ear-shattering screech, the wolverine charges the Shadow Bison, the giant answering with its own roar and bounding forward on its knuckles. I duck behind an outcropping of stalagmites just as the monsters meet, and as I peek my head out, I'm shocked by what I see.
The wolverine has leapt into the air, latching onto the bison’s face before scrabbling across it like a jungle Jim, leaving deep gouges in the sensitive tissue and almost ripping out an eye. The bison bellows in furious rage as it smacks at its face, trying to dislodge the demon creature, but the wolverine is too quick, dodging the meaty whacks with all the grace of a suped-up chainsaw. All the while, the three smaller monsters, which I can now see are some form of stoat, prowl the edge of the battle, circling the titans currently locked in the vicious melee. Every so often, they rush in, cutting small wounds with their long fangs before dashing back out, beginning the prowl once again.
They must be out of their tiny minds if they think they can fight on equal grounds with those things. I, on the other hand, will not be sticking around. Another cautious dash, behind a boulder this time, puts me almost directly between the left tunnel entrance and the ensuing chaos. I'm about to book it inside when a strange chic-chic-chic sound draws my attention back to the battle.
Looking back, I'm agast to see the wolverine perched on the bison's back, its enormous paws clenched tightly as it locks itself onto the bison's hump. Like a macabre cowboy, the two engage in a battle of attrition—the bison trying to buck off its rider while the wolverine aims to dominate the massive beast. Strangely, the clicking sound I heard is coming from the rider, and unfortunately, it doesn't take long for me to realize what it was doing.
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With one final grotesque ker-chic! of the wolverine's jaws, all hell breaks loose. A single spark ignites another, then two more, and soon the cave is illuminated by a brilliant blaze. The wolverine suddenly bursts into flames, casting an ominous purple glow throughout the cavern. Fiery orbs alight its hollow eye sockets, and it releases an otherworldly yowl that sinks deep within my bones, making me feel sluggish and weighted down. Damnit, this must be a skill! Looking around, I notice that the other monsters have also been affected; the bison slows its panicked bucking momentarily, and the stoats practically freeze in place, unsteady in their stances. If I had to guess, I was less affected thanks to my Hearing skill and my Ears, but I can't be sure.
A furious bellow ripped through my thoughts as the Shadow Bison unleashed its rage at the debuff. Its shadowy, obsidian fur writhed, tendrils somehow snaking around the wolverine's legs even as they were scorched away, digging deep into the flesh. Oblivious to the encroaching danger, the wolverine continues its savage assault on the bison’s back, tearing away large chunks of muscle with its burning fangs. And then, the bison charges. Straight. At. Me.
OHH SHI—
I throw myself from behind the boulder and into the tunnel, but the lingering debuff hampers my speed. Not fast enough. My tail is clipped, and a sharp pain shoots through me as I spiral into the dirt. Looking down, the end of my tail dangles at an unnatural angle. Gah, he broke something. Shooting a quick look at my HP, I see I've lost seven points. Damn bison, and here I was rooting for you!
Utterly indifferent to my taunts, the Shadow Bison maintains its inexorable charge towards the cavern's far end. At first, I figured it would simply slam into the wall, a crude attempt to crush its passenger. But after seeing a wolverine literally light itself on fire, I should know better by now; the creatures in this place defy convention. As if a gate were rising from the abyss, shadows coalesce on the wall directly in the bison's path. Instead of slowing, the monstrous beast accelerates, its powerful form surging forward in a knuckled fury, foam flecking its maw. It reaches the wall and then, impossibly, enters it. Unable to follow, the wolverine is slammed against the solid stone, the impact knocking it senseless to the ground. Groggily, it wobbles back to its feet, just in time for the Shadow Bison to emerge from the strange, shadowy portal at full speed and gore it with its wickedly glittering horns.
The wolverine's fiery life force sputtered and vanished as the Shadow Bison's wickedly sharp horns plunged straight through its brain and abdomen. Its last, involuntary spasms are brutally extinguished as the colossal bison screeches to a halt, then with a savage heave, tears the limp body from its horns, rending the once-fearsome creature into a gruesome, bisected ruin. Bringing one of the tattered halves to its mouth, it bites down with a sickening crunch and begins to eat.
Annddd that's my cue, ladies and gents! With the wolverine dead and the debuff finally gone, the urgency to escape floods back. I shoot down the tunnel like a bullet, my tail curled tight for protection. Bursts of echolocation pulse from my mouth as I run, sketching a swift layout of the passage ahead, revealing an imminent three-way split. I skid to a halt at the junction, a moment of indecision clouding my mind. Which route? Time is a luxury I can't afford for a proper echolocation sweep, yet the thought of blindly choosing feels reckless. Bah, focus, Aria. Just pick one and be done with it; you need to get away from here and find a place to hunker down. Deciding on the rightmost tunnel, I send as strong and far-reaching an echolocation pulse as I can manage before plunging into its shadowy depths.
[Echolocation has reached Level 2!]
So, skills level from repeated use? That's good to know. As I press onward, my internal radar pings to life, and the layout of this tunnel section snaps into sharp focus. It stretches out for what feels like a considerable distance – a mile at least, if the pulses are to be believed. Intermittently, smaller shafts peel off from the main passage, creating a disorienting sprawl of dead ends, sharp twists, gradual curves, and straightaways that my current mapping capabilities struggle to keep pace with. If this subterranean web continues, I’ll likely need to invest in that Tunnel Sense skill sooner rather than later.
Fourty five minutes pass as I continue my journey and my body is beginning to protest. Who knew breaking your tail and trying to walk a few miles in an unfamiliar body would be so taxing? I let out a groan as I step on yet another uneven foot hold, rolling my ankle. I'm deep in the labyrinth of tunnels now, the twisting branches spreading like the roots of a giant tree all around me. The main path I've been following is beginning to shift upward more and more, going from a gradual hill to a steep climb. I need to hurry up and find a hole in the wall or something because I'm not sure how much longer I can go without some rest; I don't think this body is built for endurance. Sending out another echolocation pulse, I initially expect to find just more tunnel, but I'm pleasantly surprised to feel the cavern widen slightly and hear the sound of trickling water.
I lick my lips. Good, I could use a drink.
