The air crackled with energy as razor-sharp gusts cut through it, away from Erik by just a couple of millimeters. Wind blades flew past his ears, their intangible energy brushing his skin and delivering an alarming reminder of the beast that pursued him.
Erik's muscles ached with exertion as he pushed his body to its limits, especially since a torrent of wind blades swooped down on him. If he allowed one of those attacks to hit him, there would be nothing to do; he wouldn't survive. The kid was anxious to dodge the Galewing's bombardment.
The wind blades slashed through the air with precision, their power seen in the devastation they left in their path as the grass blades in his immediate vicinity were chopped in half. Each close call made the young man's heart skip a beat, his body reacting with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, back, and legs.
"Fuck! FUUUUCK!" he cursed under his breath, his mind racing for a way out of this situation. He couldn't keep dodging forever, and he knew it. His eyes darted around, searching for any possible escape route, but the space in front of him stretched for kilometers, and he was already pretty far into the grassland to go back to the forest; he had to go forward.
Fear had Erik's heart in its grip and was threatening to upset his composure. Despite this grave situation, he summoned the strength inside himself to remain focused and steadfast. He was aware that panic would be his undoing, so he relied on his determination and survival instinct while running.
He threaded through the maelstrom with each stride, his mind a beacon of concentration amid the raging storm. Each wind blade he somewhat dodged heightened his concerns, urging him to push harder to evade the impending danger.
The lightness of his resolution countered the weight of his anxiety, allowing him to maintain a delicate balance between panic and control.
However, Erik's dread was heightened even more as the Galewing fired a second wave of wind blades. He dodged, weaved, and sidestepped with hair-breadth accuracy, the wind blades brushing his flesh but never finding their mark.
The beast shrieked because its attacks were missing their target, which was unusual. The creature hadn't used all of his power until now, but it was evident that it needed to pick up its game to eat tender meat that day.
Erik was in the midst of a chaotic scene of carnage. The air was filled with tension and the deafening sounds of chaos. The Galewings' beaks and talons struck with merciless efficiency, unleashing devastation upon the unfortunate Venomstrike Packstalkers. The Packstalkers around the kid were dying in droves.
Feathers scattered through the air as the Galewings swooped down, attacking their targets with swift, calculated movements. The grassland floor was stained with crimson blood, evidence of the brutal encounters between predator and prey.
The cries of the Packstalkers filled the air, a chorus of pain and desperation as they fought for their lives. Their attempts to defend themselves were met with ruthless aggression from the Galewings, who seemed to possess an instinctual drive to dominate and conquer.
All of this sent shivers down Erik's spine. If he didn't do something, he was going to end up like them.
The young man made a mistake by looking around, something he didn't dare to do again, instead concentrating exclusively on the road ahead. The Galewing screeched above, launching another salvo of wind blades. They seemed to flood the air around him this time, as they were more numerous than before.
Erik felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate with each gust, and the bitter tang of chopped grass filled his nostrils. With each stride, he darted right, then left, dodging and turning. The deadly blades slashed millimeters from his skin, but each one missed, making the Galewing's displeasure audible in its ear-splitting screeches.
The adrenaline rush had enhanced Erik's senses. His heartbeat became a drumbeat, syncing with the Galewing's screeches and the wind blades' whispering whoosh. Each stride felt like an eternity as he pushed himself forward, one hard breath at a time.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him /gave way. As he dropped, a sharp scream ripped from his lungs as he was swallowed by a massive hole hidden beneath the long grass. His fearful scream resonated into the abyss as he fell into nothingness.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
He landed hard on the tunnel-like slope, knocking the air out of his lungs. Erik found himself speeding down a massive black slide in an instant. The smooth, cool stone on his back and the momentum dragged him farther into the darkness, making his head spin.
His heart hammered in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins like a scorching ichor. In a hopeless attempt to slow his descent, his hands clutched at the tunnel's slippery walls, but he only managed to spark tiny showers of light as his Flyssa scraped against the rocks.
Erik's world had been limited to the dizzying sensation of freefall and the rush of chilly air past his ears due to the darkness and his inability to see anything.
As he continued his perilous descent into the abyss, the young man felt as if each second stretched into a minute. Despite his anxiety, he clung to the bleak hope that this unforeseen diversion had saved him from a terrible fate above, and he tried his best to slow his descent.
The young man waited thirty excruciating seconds before realizing the slope was diminishing—a faint light at the end of the dark tunnel. As the slide leveled out, relief swept over him as he braced for the expected harsh landing.
With a thunderous thump, he landed on flat ground, rolling head over heels before coming to a stop.
"Ah… fuck…shit…" The young man could do nothing but swear due to the situation.
Erik lay on the ground, bruised and out of breath, staring at the blackness before him until he became accustomed to it.
His heart pounded, but it wasn't from fear; for the first time in what felt like hours, it pounded due to relief. He was alive, safe from the Galewing and Packstalkers, and although battered and exhausted, he had survived for the time being.
He didn't have time to waste, though. Erik reached inside his rucksack and took out an apple he kept for emergencies. He tossed it to the ground and used the little mana he had to make the plant grow in that hostile environment. It worked, but because of his poor mana pool, it didn't grow very big.
Erik was still near the hole from whence he had emerged; therefore, there was enough air to make a torch starting from the tree's branches without depleting all of the oxygen, at least according to his assessment. So he cut some branches and twigs from the tree and set them on fire in one of the buckets he had taken with him by using a lighter.
When his surroundings brightened, at least a bit, he took a couple of apples from the tree and began eating to refuel his energy.
The air was chilly and damp, with the sole source of heat coming from the crackling fire he had managed to start within the metal bucket. The shimmering shadows of the flames revealed the shapes of the tunnel that encompassed him.
Erik sat on the ground for a few minutes, eating a few apples he had gathered from the small tree. They were small but sweet. Their crisp and refreshing flavor provided a little reprieve from his exhausting journey.
The interior of the tunnel was breathtaking. Its smooth, curved walls made it appear that some colossal beast had fashioned them. Specifically, the tunnel's evenly rounded shape reminded Erik of a giant worm's burrow, inspiring both awe and wonder as well as terror and apprehension. Of course, he didn't allow those feelings to overpower him because that would just be harmful.
The awakener relaxed with each bite of the apple, allowing him to fully immerse himself in the quiet seclusion of the tunnel and replenish his energy and mana.
The young man expended basically all of his mana to evade the Galewings wind blades; he had only 50 points left, making him a sitting duck in this dangerous environment. He would not have survived in the wilderness without his other abilities, and he clearly saw the irony of the situation. He would have been dead by now if he didn't fall here. He could hear his breath blending with the crackling of the fire, producing a relaxing symphony of sound.
"I hope there are no thaids around here…" That was his hope, but it was clear that monsters were bound to be present in a place so big.
Erik took a moment after finishing his dinner to appreciate the silence of the tunnel. The quiet gave him a rare time to contemplate, organize his thoughts, and rest.
The kid took a little break, allowing his body and mind to rest. He closed his eyes and leaned against the tunnel wall, concentrating on breathing. He felt the mana in his body increase and stream through his neural linkages with each breath, replenishing his energy reserves. After a few hours of rest, he felt his mana reserves were sufficient and ready to be used again.
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