179 Escaping (2)
Eric’s heart pounded in his chest as the ground trembled with each thunderous step of the dragon. He pressed himself deeper into the shadows, his body tense with fear. His breaths came in shallow gasps as he tried to quiet his racing mind and listen for any clues to the dragon’s location.
The darkness of the shadow offered a small comfort, but Eric knew it wouldn’t be enough to protect him if the dragon found him. He desperately wished he had some sort of weapon or protection, but he was woefully unprepared for this encounter.
As the dragon drew closer, Eric could feel the cold of its breath and the weight of its presence bearing down on him. He closed his eyes and held his breath, hoping beyond hope that it would pass him by without noticing him.
But as the dragon’s snout sniffed at the air, Eric knew his fate was sealed. He opened his eyes to the icy gaze of the beast, its scales glinting in the sunlight. He could feel the panic rising in his throat as the dragon leaned in closer, its jaws gaping wide.
As Eric peeked from behind the boulder, he saw the dragon’s chest expand as it drew in a deep breath. In a split second, a chilling wind swept across the landscape as the dragon unleashed its icy breath. Eric shuddered as the frigid air brushed past him, causing his hair to stand on end.
He knew that he had to act fast before the dragon could launch another attack. As the dragon reared its head back to take another breath, Eric dashed out from behind the boulder and sprinted towards the cover of a nearby tree.
The dragon’s ice breath continued to wreak havoc on the environment, causing icicles to form on trees and turning the grass into a slippery sheet of ice. Eric could feel the cold creeping up his legs, threatening to immobilize him.
But he kept running, ducking and weaving to avoid the shards of ice that rained down from seemingly every direction. Just as he thought he was safe, he heard a deafening roar behind him, and a gust of wind sent him flying towards the dragon.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Eric rolled to the side and narrowly avoided the dragon’s icy breath. He scrambled to his feet and looked around for an escape route, but the dragon had him cornered.
.....
“It feels like he’s playing with me...”
Eric’s heart pounded in his chest as he slowly retreated from the towering dragon, his every move measured and cautious. His eyes locked onto the creature’s predatory gaze, filled with primal
strength and an intense desire to devour the prey before him.
Roar...
Of course, the monster didn’t stand still and lunged at Eric, its massive jaws closing in on him. Eric tried to run, but his legs felt heavy as if they were rooted to the ground. The sound of the beast’s heavy breathing and the flapping of its wings filled the air. Eric knew he had to act fast if he wanted to survive.
With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Eric dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the dragon’s jaws. He could feel the wind from the beast’s wings brushing against his face, sending shivers down his spine. As he stumbled, he noticed the creature’s wings were shredded and torn, but it didn’t seem to slow it down.
Eric’s mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. He spotted a massive nearby tree with low hanging branches and made a dash towards it. With lightning-fast reflexes, he scrambled up the tree, pulling himself up onto the thick branches. He looked down and saw the dragon staring up at him with icy eyes, its massive wings beating the air furiously.
Eric knew he couldn’t stay there for long, as the dragon was already clawing at the tree trunk, trying to knock him down.
“At least I have time to recover Mana...”
He frantically searched through his inventory, his face slightly pale. With trembling hands, he pulled out a small, blue vial and quickly uncorked it, downing the contents in one gulp.
Crack...
Somehow the dragon managed to jump high in the air, getting into the same height level as Eric.
The dragon’s jaws snapped shut, just inches away from Eric’s face, but he was able to dodge the attack, stumbling backwards. He leapt to the side, instantly bolting away as he landed on the ground.
He suddenly spotted a city in the distance and his hope was rekindled. Eric sprinted towards the city, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of help. As he drew closer, he could see the walls of the city rising up ahead of him, offering some measure of protection from the dragon.
As he entered the city gates, he could see the panicked faces of the citizens as they scattered in all directions, trying to avoid the monster’s wrath. He could hear the screams and cries of the NPCs, and he knew that he had to act fast if he wanted to save any of them or himself.
He quickly made his way towards the center of the city, hoping to find some sort of powerful NPC or a group of them who could help him take down the dragon. As he searched, he could hear the sound of the monster getting closer with each passing moment.
Finally, he spotted a group of NPCs gathered in the town square, all of them armed to the teeth and ready for battle. Eric quickly made his way towards them, hoping that they would be willing to help him.
“Hey, we need to take down that dragon!”
Eric yelled, gesturing towards the monster as it swooped down towards them.
The group of players turned to face Eric, sizing him up quickly before slowly nodding in agreement. One of them then stepped forward and placed his sword near Eric’s neck making him flinch in surprise.
“The dragon doesn’t get infuriated for no reason. You will come with me and we’ll talk once the fight is over...”
Eric’s heart pounded in his chest as the cold steel of the sword pressed against his skin. He knew better than to resist these guards; they were heavily armored and armed, and he was at their mercy. With a defeated sigh, he allowed them to place the handcuffs on his wrists, feeling the weight of his impending doom settling heavily upon him.
As they led him through the city, Eric couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the chaos that had befallen it. The screams and cries of those running in the middle of the streets filled the air, and Eric couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for his part in causing this chaos.
As they approached and descended into the underground prison, Eric’s mind raced with questions. Who were these guards NPCs? What did they want with him? And most importantly, what was going to happen to him now?
Whoosh...
As Eric walked deeper into the underground prison, the sounds of the battle above grew louder. The tremors caused by the dragon’s wrath could be felt even down here, but Eric knew that he was safer here than out in the open.
The guards led him through winding tunnels and past rows of cells, each containing prisoners of different races and levels. As they walked, Eric couldn’t help but wonder how many of these people were innocent, wrongfully accused and imprisoned in this dark, damp place.
Boom...
Suddenly, the sound of an explosion echoed through the tunnel and the ground shook violently. The guards looked at each other with concern, but Eric remained calm.
As they approached a large metal door, the guards stopped and one of them spoke.
“This is where we’ll leave you. Wait here until the battle is over. If you try to escape, you’ll regret it.”
The guards unlocked the door and pushed Eric inside before quickly slamming it shut behind him. Eric heard the sound of the locks clicking into place and was plunged into darkness.
He fumbled around until he found a small torch and lit it, illuminating the small cell he had been placed in. The walls were damp and covered in moss, and the air was musty and smelled of decay. Eric took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
“Should I just kill myself and respawn in my last checkpoint?”
Eric’s mind raced as he weighed his options. Suicide was always a quick way out, but it came with a cost. Respawning at his last checkpoint meant losing two of his levels. All the time and effort he had put into leveling up and grinding would be for naught. He couldn’t afford to start from Lv. 24 again.
He looked around the dimly lit cell he was in, searching for a way out. But it seemed that the system had locked all his equipment and weapons, leaving him defenseless.
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