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Once over the trunk, John kept running, relieved that the sounds had ceased, but he hadn’t kept track of his direction, constantly glancing over his shoulder to watch for his pursuer.

His stomach lurched as he began skidding down the sudden embankment, stumbling forward and landing hard on the ground below. He muttered, “Fuck,”, as he stood, looking back at the slope he’d come down.

It wasn’t all that tall, only up to his chest, but the loose dirt and slick patches of mud made the climb back up impossible. The other direction was slightly better, though far from ideal.

With no other option but forward, John started moving through the brambles. He’d lost his bearings now, with no trail to follow or indication of any direction. All he knew was that something was still in the fog.

One silver lining was that, at least for now, he seemed to have lost it. As he pushed on, the scratches from the brambles stung, but they were minor and healed almost instantly. His annoyance rose, however, and he began to use his claws to slice through the undergrowth, making it easier to pass.

Though not physically fatigued, a blessing from Gamer’s Body, he eventually stopped to rest, leaning against the trunk of a tree to gather his thoughts. His previous encounter had shaken him somewhat, and he was growing increasingly concerned for the others. He didn’t know where the creature could be, why it backed off or what it could be.

His first thought was some kind of demon. From what he could gleam, it fit some key traits, though they could also be attributed to other mythical creatures he knew about. It could also have been something entirely unknown to him.

“It didn’t want me to come this way,” he muttered. “Either it was trying to direct me somewhere or there’s something this way keeping it away…”

He let his head fall back and lean against the tree, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. ’It brought down that tree,’ the thought nagged at him. ’Either it got ahead of me or it had a powerful enough ranged attack to bring it down from a distance. Either way, that means whatever it was could have attacked me at any point… So why didn’t it?’

“None of this makes sense,” he intoned. “Was it treating me as some kind of toy? Was I just entertainment?”

As if in response to his questions, he heard the unmistakable snap of a branch, only it came from directly above him. His eyes snapped open, scanning the limbs above him, but there was only a cluster of leaves.

Another twig broke to his right, maybe a few metres away, followed by another to his left, almost like each was answering the last. Knowing that this weren’t just idle forest sounds, John sprang to his feet, and began running, flinching as thorns tore at his legs.

Leaves rustling joined the sounds of wood breaking, following him from several directions just behind him. This wasn’t like the last time, it felt like he was being surrounded, but he pushed on, then he grunted in pain as he stumbled, barely able to keep his footing.

Glancing down he could see his trouser leg torn, blood soaking into the fabric. His wound healed quickly, but the injury wasn’t caused by the hostile plantlife. He grit his teeth and **** himself to run harder. Another sting struck his other leg, and another. Each hit doing minuscule damage, but it was beginning to wear on him.

Seeing his health bar drop by a quarter, he knew he needed to act. He halted and began slashing at the brambles around him, attempting to ignore his repeated wounds and only catching momentary glimpses of movement within the thorns.

He felt more comfortable once he’d made a clearing, almost three metres wide. The attacks had slowed almost to a stop as he stood in the centre, claws out and ready for their next attack. He scanned the area intently, waiting for any signs.

A sound prompted him to twist his body left; he saw a slight shift in the underbrush. That was all he needed; he lurched forwards and kicked into the brush, not entirely expecting to land his mark, and hoping to at the very least scare whatever was in there to give him some room.

To his surprise, his foot connected with something solid, and instead of the pile exploding into scattered leaves like he expected, it flew through the air, as one lump of forest debris, disappearing into the fog.

9 DMG

The strike gave him pause. Whatever he’d hit, it wasn’t the same creature which had chased him earlier, it was much smaller, maybe the size of a house cat or small dog.

Another quick, biting pain snapped him back into the moment

-4HP

John twisted in time to see something dart back into the brambles, only to feel another attack on his other side.

-3HP

It should have been obvious before, but he wasn’t dealing with just a single enemy, there were several, all using the brambles as cover.

It was clear that the creature he’d kicked just moments prior couldn’t have recovered and repositioned that quickly. ’At least three, then’ he thought.

John grit his teeth as another prickling sting radiated up his leg. He adjusted his stance, scanning the tangled underbrush more intently.

He **** his breathing to steady in an attempt to control his nerves, but the sound of his heartbeat pounded in his ears.

-3HP

He winced as another attack landed before he could react. His thoughts raced, but he dismissed each idea as quickly as they appeared. ’Wait,’ he thought, his mind focusing on a detail. ’They’re barely doing damage. They have to be low-level. That’s why they’re playing this hit-and-run game. If I can just manage to land a good solid hit, it might be enough to take one out of the fight.’

-5HP

Another sting jolted him, and he grimaced. ’Just one hit, that’s all I need. It’s harder to fight them because of their numbers. If I can just thin their numbers, even by one, it’ll make it easier to pick them off.’

Finishing that thought, a rustling drew his attention. He spun and lunged, kicking hard into the undergrowth. His foot struck the vines, causing thorns to scratch at his leg in return.

Cursing under his breath, he clenched his fists, turning his knuckles white. It annoyed him that he knew the creatures were lurking just out of his reach, hidden within the brambles. The thorny cover was perfect for them; they could stay hidden while any attempt at attacking only served to injure him more.

-4HP

John inhaled sharply through his teeth, more irritated than hurt, and whipped around, catching just the barest movement of a leaf and vine vanishing into the thicket.
Determined, he redoubled his focus. Trying to drown out every other distraction and devoted his attention purely to any movement, ignoring the sounds around him. He adjusted his stance, widening it to ground himself, ready to strike.

-4HP

As soon as he felt the barest of touches, he twisted his entire body, raking his claw against his attacker.

12 DMG

The bundle of twigs and leaves flew through the air, and collided with the trunk of a nearby tree.

4 DMG

Almost surprising himself with his quick thinking, he triggered Observe, hoping for anything which might help. John felt relief as a window appeared in his vision

Name: Common Forest Drake

Family: Dragon | Branch: Diminutive Drake
Size: 38cm Head-to-tail | Weight: 8.1kg | Sex: M
Level: 6
Creature Description:

Common forest drakes are small dragons with features camouflaging them as forest flora, making them adept at ambushing prey.

Though winged, these drakes are only able to glide and prefer hunting from the forest floor where they’re more easily able to blend in.

Despite their size, they are quite formidable, especially in larger packs where they employ hit-and-run tactics to whittle down much larger and stronger creatures.

Known for their territorial nature, they will attack relentlessly until any intruders either die or retreat.

Personal Description:

This drake sees you as a highly dangerous threat. You have managed to strike it and another pride mate. Due to the damage you have inflicted, it has deemed it necessary to retreat and allow its other pride members to take its place and continue their attack.

-6HP

-4HP

Distracted by the information, the drakes took advantage and John winced in pain. He snarled in irritation and brought his attention back to the fight. Oddly, one of the drakes broke from cover, stepping into the clearing in full view, only to vanish into the thorns once again as John rushed towards it.

Movement drew his gaze and three more drakes crept out from under the brambles, leaf-like scales puffed up in a display, making them look larger. More rustling came from around him as more emerged, until he was surrounded by nine in total.

They quivered in sync, causing a loud rustling, then opened their mouths to emit harsh snapping sounds.

John attempted to prepare himself for whatever might happen, the drakes obviously altering their method of attack. One of the drakes darted forward, and he attempted to strike first, but it slipped back under the thicket before he could land his attack.

-2HP

-6HP

Two from behind nipped at his heels, and he grunted as another sprang forward, forcing him to turn and attempt to intercept the ones he knew were advancing from his rear. Unfortunately, they all jumped back, again just out of reach.

-4HP

John seethed through his teeth. He tried to think of another way to deal with this swarm, but as he adjusted, another drake struck from a different angle, retreating before he could react.

-4HP

Frustration bubbled over, and John finally had enough. He let out a deep, ground-rattling roar, unleashing an unaligned Dragon Breath.

The drakes scattered in an instant, darting back into the underbrush. He could hear as they skittered away, no longer trying to hide their presence as they fled. The clearing fell silent once more.

John would have liked to rest for a moment, but decided not to wait for the drakes to regroup. He sprinted forward, pushing through the brambles. The thorns snagged and tore his trousers, biting into his skin, but he ignored the negligible damage. Eventually, the undergrowth thinned, and he broke free into a clearer section of the forest.

Out of breath, frustrated and feeling fatigued, he slumped against a tree to catch his breath, though the reprieve was short-lived. A heavy thump echoed through the ground, one he recognised. His head snapped up in the direction of the sound, and a dark shape loomed ahead, waiting for him.

“You know what? FUCK THIS!” he roared, launching himself away from the tree. He sprinted directly towards the shadow, but the distance never seemed to close. The familiar stench of rotten eggs began to grow stronger and the air began to warm.

As he pressed on, he noticed a change on the forest floor, softer, covered in pine needles and cones instead of the leaves and branches he’d become accustomed to. The number of trees increased, and they stood closer together, yet the fog somehow felt emptier.

The shift in scenery was almost comforting, signalling that he was moving through the forest and the scent of pine masked the foul odour which had clung to the air.

Keeping his pace, John’s eyes remained fixated on the dark figure, but as he crossed a line of mushrooms on the forest floor, a thought crossed his mind. ’Uh oh!’

Immediately as that realisation struck him, the fog abruptly vanished.

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