She takes her chances with the portal

Athisz coils this way and that, sniffing the air – hunting. “This is not over!” she snarls. “I will not be denied my kingdom!”

Heart racing, Lux weighs her scant options. Invisibility won’t do her much good against a creature that tracks by scent. She knows she’s too weak to outfight or outrun this monster.

She turns her attention to the portal hanging within the stone archway. Through the haze, she can see what’s on the other side – it’s hard to make out, the details are constantly changing, but it doesn’t look like it leads into the depths of the abyss. Could it be that her best chance of survival is on the other side…?

With a hiss, the naga turns suddenly, eyes narrowing. Lux knows her time is up – it’s now or never. Whatever danger awaits on the other side of the portal, it’s better than ending up as a meal for this monster. Or a mind-controlled ****, come to that. Gathering her strength, and trying not to cry out in pain as her wounded ribs protest, she takes the leap into the shimmering rift. There’s a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach as she goes into freefall between worlds.

She has just enough time to reflect on how incredibly stupid it was to hurl herself into an unstable portal to gods-know-where – a long and painful moment of feeling as if she’s being squeezed through a mesh of tiny, heated needles. Then, all at once, she finds herself falling – tumbling – rolling downhill, each jolting impact jarring her aching chest, stones and twigs scraping at her exposed skin, the world flashing past her eyes in a rush before she blacks out…

How much is this going to hurt? [5] More than expected

Doom increases to 2

The air is thick with mist. Up here, from the hilltop, the view is a little clearer – clear enough to see out some way across the treetops of the forest below. Birds sing, somewhere out of sight. Their songs have never been heard in any earthly woodland.

The hillside has been recently disturbed – dirt kicked up, stones sent tumbling, twigs snapped. The disturbance marks a trail down the earthy slope, between the thin saplings that grow here – down toward the forest floor below. Further down, where the mist is heavier, making it hard to see far even in the gaps between the dense verdancy of the trees. Everything here is replete with life, branches heavy with leaves of differing sizes and shapes, flourishing undergrowth around the ancient roots.

At the bottom of the slope, slumped on her back, is a tiefling girl, her skin starkly white against the carpet of greens and browns. Her black hair has pulled free from its ponytail and lies loose across her bare shoulders. Her eyes are closed, her lips slightly parted. Her top has torn open, letting her noticeably large, round breasts spill out into view. They rise and fall softly with her sleeping breaths, but otherwise, she lies still.

But who has seen her?

Lux awakens to a dull, steady ache in most of her body. Memories of recent events filter back to her slowly: confronting the snake-monster Athisz, biting off more than she could chew, narrowly escaping through the unstable portal. Although she’s not exactly eager to go anywhere, there’s a nagging sense at the back of her skull – some instinct that tells her she’s not alone…

Her eyelids flutter – and then snap open at what she sees. Another pair of eyes, yellow-orange, bestial, stares into hers. A red-furred face with a white muzzle and a somehow curious expression.

Lux jolts back reflexively, or tries to – the attempt sends hot needles of pain through her body. Her vision doubles; for a moment there are two little foxes instead of one, starting back in surprise at her sudden reaction. She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment to try and clear her vision, and in that blink the animal is gone. In the distance, she makes out a flash of red and white vanishing into the mist between the trees.

With a low groan, Lux drags herself up to sit against a tree stump. What’s left of her clothes are tattered, torn, and covered in dirt. Most of her supplies are gone, having parted company with her somewhere down the slope. And any exertion greater than breathing reminds her of what that wretched snake did to her – not to mention the extra bumps and scrapes she picked up on her way down the hill.

She manages to tie the tattered cloth and leather of her top together well enough to form a makeshift sling around her breasts, covering herself up a little and easing the burden on her ribs. Then, painfully, she picks herself up and stretches her aching back as she weighs up her options.

All around is forest, with that strange mist lingering – apart from the steep hill to one side, which she’s not sure if she’d dare to try and climb back up right now, there’s nothing to mark any particular path apart. But just waiting here isn’t going to do any good…