Rujark had long since stopped keeping track of time.
The cave stretched on without pattern and seemed endless.
At first, he had counted steps, marked turns in his mind, noted the slope of the ground and the direction of airflow.
That habit faded quickly.
Nothing here behaved like a natural cave.
The tunnels curved too sharply in some places, then opened too wide in others.
Paths that should have looped back never did.
They had been walking for hours.
Maybe longer.
Yet, it had gotten easier to see.
Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, picking up the faint outlines of stone and depth, whereas before, there had been nothing but black.
And still no sign of the girl.
Amalthir.
Rujark kept her name locked in his thoughts.
He couldn’t afford to let it slip.
Not here.
Not in front of Kaizer.
The other children didn’t know who she really was.
All most of them knew was how many of them left the settlement together for the hunt.
But not Bruknash.
He took notice of her from the beginning because he’s the type that seeks recognition from not only his father but also the chieftain.
The constant obsession to do everything to perfection hardly allows anything to slip past him.
If word spread that the chieftain’s only daughter had been taken under his Rujark’s watch…
He clenched his fist slightly.
That was not a story he would return with.
“…Nothing?” Kaizer asked, his voice quieter than usual.
Rujark shook his head.
“Nothing worth following.”
Kaizer didn’t look surprised, just tired.
His steps had slowed, and the way his eyes kept drifting half-closed didn’t escape Rujark’s notice.
“…Your ability,” Rujark said, glancing at him.
“Still using it?”
Kaizer hesitated.
“It’s there… but it’s not as clear anymore.
It’s like trying to hold onto something that keeps slipping”.
Rujark exhaled through his nose.
“That’s because you’re forcing it.”
Kaizer didn’t argue.
He didn’t need to.
Rujark stopped walking.
“We split up here.”
Kaizer looked up.
“…You’re serious?”
“I can cover more ground this way.
If she’s within range, I’ll find her faster.”
He paused, then added,
“rest here or slowly make your way, I’ll be back before you know it”
There was no doubt in his voice.
That caught Kaizer off guard more than the decision itself.
“…Alright,” Kaizer said.
“Don’t overuse that ability,” Rujark added, turning away.
“You’ll burn yourself out before you find anything.”
Kaizer gave a small nod.
“I’ll be fine.”
Rujark didn’t respond.
He disappeared into a side passage without another word.
Kaizer stood alone again.
The silence pressed in immediately.
He kept moving, but his pace dropped.
His head felt heavy now, his thoughts slower.
Surround sense was still there, faint and distant, but every attempt to pull it closer only made it blur further.
After a while, he stopped and leaned against the cave wall.
“…Just a minute.” Kaiser said while’s letting out a deep exhale.
The stone behind him was uneven, rough against his back.
He shifted slightly and noticed something strange.
Holes.
Small, circular indentations scattered across the wall.
Not natural.
They felt as if something had been punching into the stone.
Again and again.
The spacing was uneven, but the depth was consistent.
Kaizer frowned.
“…What kind of place is this…”
Nothing.
Just darkness.
“…Yeah… that’s not working.” Kaizer said to himself
A hand tapped his shoulder.
Kaizer’s eyes snapped open.
Rujark stood beside him.
“…Couldn’t find anything,” Rujark said, crossing his arms.
“We’ll continue tomorrow.
No point pushing deeper without a lead.”
Kaizer nodded without hesitation.
“…Yeah.
I’m getting tired too.”
“Good.
Then let’s go, we don’t know how dark it’s gotten outside the cave and we are pretty deep into the forest”
Rujark turned and began walking.
Kaizer followed.
Step after step, the cave stretched on.
Something felt off.
Kaizer’s eyes shifted, scanning the walls, the floor, the direction of the tunnel.
His fatigue was real, but it didn’t dull that instinct.
“…Hold on.”
Rujark stopped but didn’t turn.
“What is it?”
Kaizer pointed behind them.
“The exit is that way.”
There was a pause.
Then—
Rujark turned.
A grin spread across his face.
“…Took you long enough.” The creature pretending to be Rujark said, mimicking Rujark’s voice.
Kaizer’s confusion lasted only a fraction of a second.
Then his expression changed completely.
“…You’re not him.” Kaizer said.
The thing wearing Rujark’s form tilted its head.
Then it began to break, Its body twisted unnaturally, stretching and tearing.
Flesh peeled away, limbs splitting into writhing extensions.
What stood in front of Kaizer now was something grotesque—an octopus-like creature with too many tentacles, its skin slick and pulsing, its eyes bulging and rolling wildly.
It let out a broken sound.
“Y…you… w…weak… in…insect…”
Then it shrieked.
A high-pitched, grating screech that echoed violently through the cave.
It wasn’t anger.
It was excitement.
Kaizer tightened his grip on his axe, then unexpectedly, he grinned.
Just as Kaizer was about preparing to defend himself, the creature lunges several tentacles at Kaizer.
He jumps and dodges the first, the second, the third… he was about landing back down when another tentacle suddenly appears right infront of his face.
The hit lands and sends Kaizer tumbling down and crashing into a wall.
The creature making a screeching noise like it was happy, elated, experiencing crazy amounts of dopamine, a rush
“…You’re enjoying this way too much.” Kaizer said as he was planted firmly into the wall.
The creature lunged.
One tentacle shot forward.
Then another.
Then another.
Kaizer moved cleanly, dodging each strike with sharp, efficient steps.
First.
Second.
Third.
He shifted his weight, preparing to land—
A fourth tentacle crashed against his side too fast.
It hit him squarely, sending him crashing into another cave wall.
Stone cracked on impact.
Dust fell around him.
The creature shrieked again, louder this time, its body trembling as if overwhelmed with its own excitement.
Kaizer pushed himself up slowly, brushing dust from his shoulder.
“…Yeah… I get it.” Kaizer said.
He picked up his axe.
“…You’re having fun.”
The creature didn’t wait.
It rushed forward again, this time unleashing everything at once.
Dozens of tentacles slammed into the same spot over and over, shattering rock, sending debris flying in every direction.
It didn’t stop even after there was nothing left to hit.
Finally, it paused.
The dust settled. Get faster updates on g.com.
It leaned forward, its eyes rolling wildly, searching for the result.
Nothing.
Its expression shifted.
Confusion.
Anger.
It began searching, turning left, right, tearing through rubble, lifting chunks of stone.
“…Where…?” The creature said.
A voice echoed from behind it.
“I enjoyed watching you get excited over nothing.”
The creature froze.
It turned.
Kaizer stood in the shadows, leaning slightly against the wall, his axe resting casually on his shoulder.
Just before the creature’s attacks had landed, he had thrown his axe upward into the ceiling and teleported to it, watching from above as it destroyed empty space.
“…My turn now?” Kaizer said with a playful smirk and excited eyes full of curiosity.
A tentacle lashed out toward his voice.
It hit nothing.
Slice
One tentacle dropped.
Slice, slice, slice
The rest followed almost instantly.
The creature recoiled, staring at him, then at its severed limbs, then at the axe in his hand dripping with thick, dark fluid.
“…What is this…” it thought, panic creeping in.
“This… thing…How dare you?
HOW DARE YOU…?”
Its body pulsed.
Foomp.
Foomp.
The tentacles grew back.
Stronger.
It steadied itself.
Kaizer’s grin widened.
“…Good.”
He adjusted his grip.
“…Don’t stop now.” Kaizer said excitedly.
The creature charged again.
Kaizer threw his axe.
The creature reacted immediately, anticipating the teleport— But Kaizer didn’t follow.
He slipped beneath it instead, grabbed its lower body, and slammed it into the wall.
The impact cracked the stone.
His axe dropped, He kicked it mid-air toward the creature—
Then teleported.
CRACK
A clean strike split the creature’s head down the middle.
Its body collapsed.
Kaizer landed and turned away, resting the axe against his shoulder.
“…That should—”
A wet, tearing sound interrupted him.
He glanced back.
The creature’s body was stitching itself together.
“…Seriously?” Kaizer thought to himself.
It stood again, its voice clearer now.
“Did you think… you could end me?” The creature asks the boy.
Kaizer frowned.
“I’ve cut you how many times now?” Kaizer asks in curious confusion.
He tilted his head.
“…Why aren’t you dead?”
The creature laughed.
Loud.
Echoing.
It began to get excited again at watching the boy look confused thinking of how it was going to beat him to a bloody pulp.
Kaizer sighed, letting his shoulders drop slightly.
“…Tch.
This is getting annoying.” Kaizer said.
He lifted his axe again, pointing it directly at the creature.
“This time, you stay cut.”
As he said it, he noticed something.
A faint, smoky thread trailing from the creature’s body.
It stretched into the cave wall behind it.
There were smaller fragments too, clinging to its form like residue.
Kaizer’s eyes narrowed.
“…What is that…” he asked.
He covered his mouth slightly, hiding the grin forming beneath.
“…Is that your weakness?” Kaizer thought to himself while’s feeling so much excitement.