With a groan, Traebus pushed himself up, only to realize that the mud had other plans. His boots were thoroughly trapped in the thick, sludgy depression, suctioning him in place with an almost comical level of stubbornness. He wiggled his legs, twisted his torso, even flailed his arms in an attempt to gain leverage, but all he managed to do was sink deeper.
"Oh, great. Perfect. This is how I go out. Not in a heroic last stand, not in a desperate, self-sacrificing act to save the world—no, I get the slow, humiliating demise of becoming one with the mud. A tragic tale of a man who dared to dream, only to be devoured, inch by inch, by the world''s most aggressive puddle. Truly, history will weep for me."
Behind him, the beast let out another wheezing groan, shifting its bulk. The ground trembled as it flexed its claws, slowly gathering itself up. A deep, rumbling growl followed, lower this time—more determined.
Panic surged through Traebus as he redoubled his efforts, thrashing against the mud like a particularly angry fish in a drying pond. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I refuse to be eaten standing still. I refuse to be eaten at all! Any time now, universe! Any divine intervention would be—"
His frantic tirade cut off as something firm clamped onto the back of his pack. For a split second, his entire body tensed—until the unmistakable sensation of pulling yanked him backward. The pressure around his legs lessened, and he felt himself slowly being dragged free.
Dusk.
The lizard had his pack gripped between his teeth, bracing his legs against the mud and hauling with steady determination. Traebus flopped unceremoniously onto his stomach as the drag continued, inch by inch, until his legs finally popped free of the muck with an undignified schlurp.
The moment he was loose, he scrambled to his feet, only to glance over his shoulder and see the beast rising, shaking off its own coating of mud. Its massive, predatory gaze locked onto him once more.
"Oh, come on! You look like a half-drowned chicken and you still think you''re scary? Face it, you''re not a majestic apex predator right now—you''re a giant, angry turkey that lost a fight with a swamp!"
The beast froze, its ridged back bristling. Then, in an instant, its exhausted posture shifted. The groggy frustration in its eyes sharpened into something far more dangerous. Its nostrils flared, its claws flexed, and deep in its throat, a guttural, building growl began to rise.
Traebus barely had time to register his mistake before the beast roared, shaking the very air around them. Mud and debris trembled under the sheer force of its fury, and Traebus felt the pressure rattle through his ribs like a drumbeat of impending doom.
He blinked. "Oh. So you do understand insults. Good to know."
Then the beast lunged.
"Nope! We''re leaving!" Traebus yelped, spinning on his heel and taking off at full speed along the riverbank. Dusk needed no further encouragement. The lizard bolted beside him, claws tearing into the wet earth for traction as the massive predator thundered after them, each of its footfalls shaking the ground like an earthquake set to a personal vendetta.
Traebus barely had time to think, barely had time to breathe—just run, run, run. The river glistened to his right, a reminder of yet another death trap he could not afford to stumble into, while the thick jungle loomed to his left, filled with tangled roots and obstacles that would trip him faster than he could curse his own luck.
Behind him, the beast was not faring much better. The mud made every step an unpredictable gamble, causing it to slip, slide, and snarl in fury. At one point, it miscalculated its footing and face-planted into a fallen log, snapping it in half with sheer force before pushing back up with another enraged bellow.
Traebus spared a glance over his shoulder and immediately regretted it. The sight of the towering, mud-streaked monster gaining ground sent another burst of adrenaline through his veins. "WHY ARE YOU STILL MAD?! YOU FELL ALL ON YOUR OWN! THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!"
Dusk, wisely, did not engage in this conversation and instead flicked a thought at him that felt suspiciously like stop taunting it and focus on running.
Another crash—this time the beast skidded sideways, sending up a wave of mud and nearly taking itself out again. Traebus cackled breathlessly. "Oh, sure, I’m struggling, but at least I’m not out here making a fool of myself—"
His foot caught on a root.
Gravity did the rest.
With a spectacular loss of dignity, Traebus went down like a sack of wet laundry hurled off a rooftop, limbs flailing in all directions as he tumbled through the mud. His arms pinwheeled, his legs kicked up useless sprays of filth, and his voice—previously a half-formed scream of protest—cut off as he collided with the ground in a series of undignified splats.
Dusk, mid-stride, skidded to a halt, eyes flicking toward the disaster unfolding beside him. He hesitated for only a moment before doubling back, just in time to see Traebus reach the grand finale of his descent—skidding face-first into a particularly deep puddle with a sound best described as ‘squelchy defeat.’
Mud sloshed up in a wave around him, soaking his already ruined clothing as he lay there in absolute stillness, as if contemplating the many decisions that had led him to this exact moment.
The rumbling growl behind him was far too close for comfort.
Traebus, still face-down, groaned. "Let me guess. It didn’t trip that time, did it?"
A blast of hot breath hit the back of his neck, accompanied by the wet, rancid stench of something that very much wanted to eat him.
Panic seized his limbs before logic did. He dug his hands into the mud and crawled, kicking his legs and dragging himself forward like a man possessed. Behind him, a guttural snap echoed through the air—the sound of a jaw clamping shut just behind where his feet had been a second ago.
"Nope! Nope! Nope!" he chanted, scrabbling through the sludge like a particularly desperate swamp creature. His fingers caught the edge of a fallen log, and he wasted no time, throwing himself underneath it just as another set of teeth snapped where his head had been.
For a brief, miraculous second, he had cover.
Then the log lifted.
A deep, predatory growl rumbled through the wood, reverberating through Traebus'' bones as he felt himself rising, an involuntary passenger on the worst elevator ride imaginable. The log remained wedged between him and a very large, very irate mouth, the beast having clamped its powerful jaws onto the opposite end and hoisting it—and by extension, him—into the air with an unsettling amount of ease.
Mud dripped from his clothes in thick globs as he dangled, clutching the underside of the log like a man clinging to the last shreds of his dignity. The beast gave an experimental shake, sending a jolt through the log that nearly dislodged him.
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"Oh, great. Now I’m a chew toy. Excellent. This is exactly how I envisioned my career in arcane magitech going," Traebus muttered, gripping tighter as another violent shake nearly sent him flying. "I promise you, I taste terrible! Do you even season your meals, or is this just blind spite at this point?"
The monster snarled, snapping its jaws in irritation, but the log was still wedged too tightly for it to crush properly. Another frustrated shake followed, sending Traebus swinging wildly, his stomach lurching as the world turned into a nauseating blur of motion.
Somewhere below, Dusk observed this mess of a situation, his expression unreadable. A slow exhale came through their mental link, carrying a single, dry impression.
Why are you like this?
"Believe me, I wish I knew!" Traebus barked back before the log jerked violently again, reminding him that witty banter was probably not a priority right now.
Traebus clung to the underside of the log, dangling several feet off the ground, mud dripping off him in globs. "I just want to point out," he wheezed, "that this is completely unnecessary! You already won!"
Another growl, another shake. The log jostled violently, sending Traebus swinging like a loose rope on a ship mast. He yelped, tightening his grip. "This is an excessive level of commitment to the whole ‘chasing me’ thing! I was flavored with mud five minutes ago, I can’t possibly taste that good!"
Before he could be snapped in half alongside his wooden shield, another force yanked hard at his pack. A set of sharp teeth clamped onto the straps, and suddenly, he was being pulled—not up, but sideways.
Dusk.
With slow, determined steps, the lizard dragged Traebus out from under the lifting log, pulling him toward relative safety as the beast shook its makeshift prize in frustration.
"Dusk, you are absolutely my favorite person today!" Traebus gasped, not even caring that the lizard technically wasn’t a person. The only response he got was a grunt and another firm tug as they made their escape.
Behind them, the beast let out a choked snarl, violently thrashing its head side to side as the log stubbornly refused to be swallowed. The massive chunk of wood had wedged awkwardly between its jaws, turning what had once been a terrifying apex predator into a flailing, overgrown dog with a very unfortunate chew toy. The more it shook, the deeper the log wedged, its ridged back arching in frustration as it stomped in place.
Traebus, still sprinting for his life, risked a look back and cackled breathlessly. "Oh, that is so satisfying. If I die today, at least I’ll go knowing you look ridiculous."
The beast snarled louder, finally rearing up and slamming the log down onto the ground hard enough to shatter it in a rain of splinters.
"Aaand that’s our cue to run faster!" Traebus yelped, doubling his speed along the riverbank, feet barely keeping ahead of the now reinvigorated and extremely offended predator.
Dusk let out a low grunt, surging ahead, claws digging into the wet earth as they fled down the twisting shoreline, the thundering footfalls behind them shaking the ground with every enraged step.
As they sprinted, the river beside them shifted—what had been a slow, meandering flow now roared with energy, the current gaining strength as it snaked through the terrain. Traebus barely had time to register the change, too focused on not tripping over his own feet as he pounded forward. The ground beneath them transitioned from thick, clinging mud to packed dirt, then to uneven rock, jarring his already aching legs with every step.
"Oh great, now the river is waking up too! Because that’s exactly what I needed right now!" he huffed, dodging a protruding root just in time to avoid another humiliating face-first landing.
The beast behind them was struggling to adjust to the terrain shift as well. It skidded on the loose dirt, nearly losing its footing again, but its relentless determination was keeping it in pursuit. Each misstep sent stones scattering, but it was adapting—too fast for Traebus’ liking.
Dusk, ever the more tactical of the two, sent a sharp pulse through their link—faster—before veering sharply to the right. Without hesitation, Traebus followed, trusting the lizard’s instincts more than his own increasingly panicked reasoning. His boots pounded over the uneven terrain as they rounded a jagged rock outcrop, dodging low-hanging vines and leaping over protruding roots that threatened to trip him at every step.
Behind them, the massive predator wasn’t as graceful. It barreled after them with sheer brute force, muscles coiling as it tried to adjust to the sudden turn, but the slick ground and its own momentum betrayed it. The beast’s enormous clawed foot clipped the edge of the rock at full speed, sending it skidding sideways in a spectacular, flailing mess of limbs and frustration.
For one glorious moment, gravity worked in their favor. The towering reptile stumbled, its balance faltering as it nearly toppled onto its side. A guttural snarl of irritation erupted from its throat as it flailed to regain control, sending chunks of dirt and shattered rock flying in every direction.
"YES! Trip again! Trip harder! Maybe break an ankle while you’re at it!" Traebus shouted between gasping breaths, the thrill of temporary victory surging through him.
Unfortunately, the creature recovered quicker than he’d hoped. It snarled, slamming a massive clawed foot down and regaining its footing in an instant, the momentary stumble only fueling its anger. Its ridged back arched, tail whipping as it pushed off with renewed fury, closing the gap between them once more.
Traebus groaned as the triumphant moment shattered. "Oh, come on! That was a perfect opportunity to quit! Take the loss! Nobody will judge you!"
The roar of the river grew louder—almost deafening now. Traebus’ brain finally connected the dots. They weren’t just running along the river anymore. They were running toward something—something big.
He shot a glance at Dusk. "Tell me you know what’s ahead!"
The lizard didn''t answer, but instead, a vivid image flickered into Traebus'' mind—a massive waterfall, its roaring cascade crashing into a deep, swirling pool below. Then another vision: him and Dusk leaping off the edge like it was a casual stroll through the market.
Traebus nearly tripped over his own feet. "Oh, absolutely not! That''s your plan? Jump? Into that?!" He gasped between ragged breaths, half from exertion and half from sheer, unfiltered horror. "Tell me there’s an option three. Or hell, even option four! Anything that doesn''t involve falling to my doom—"
Another mental nudge. The waterfall loomed ever closer.
"I hate that you think this is reasonable! I hate that you seem excited about it!" Traebus shouted, barely dodging an exposed root. "I am not built for dramatic, physics-defying stunts! That’s a specialized skill set!" He gestured wildly at the towering deathtrap ahead. "You can''t just assume I''m good at falling!"
Dusk didn’t bother arguing—just sent another pulse of acceptance.
Traebus groaned. "I swear, if we survive this, I’m making a list of things we never do again!"
The ground beneath them sloped sharply downward, and then, suddenly, there was no more ground at all. The river rushed over the cliff’s edge, vanishing into a deafening, mist-filled abyss. Traebus skidded to a halt, boots slipping dangerously close to the drop as he peered over.
"Oh, that is so much worse up close!" he yelled, voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the cascading water.
Dusk, utterly unfazed, simply kept running. With the grace of a creature that had clearly done this before, he launched himself off the edge without hesitation, vanishing into the mist below.
Traebus'' jaw dropped. "Oh, come on! You’re not even thinking about this?!"
A bone-rattling roar from behind reminded him that time was not on his side. He sucked in a breath, steeled his nerves, and took one last fleeting moment to regret all of his life choices—then he jumped.
For a brief second, he felt weightless, soaring through the open air with all the grace of a majestic bird of prey—if that bird had no wings, no control, and was screaming the entire way down. The wind howled past his ears, his stomach flipping as the mist-shrouded water below rushed toward him with deeply personal vengeance. His limbs flailed uselessly, trying and failing to grasp onto anything that might slow his descent. Then, as if gleefully waiting for the perfect moment, gravity remembered it had a job to do and yanked him down like a stone in a slingshot.
"I IMMEDIATELY REGRET THIS!" he bellowed as he plummeted.
The wind howled past his ears, the mist-cloaked water rushing up at him far too quickly. He flailed, trying to adjust his trajectory, when a shadow flickered in the corner of his vision. He turned his head just in time to see a very large, very angry, very airborne predator plummeting alongside him.
"Oh, for the love of—ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Traebus screeched, arms flailing wildly. "THIS WAS NOT A GROUP ACTIVITY!"
The beast twisted mid-air, its powerful limbs kicking as it tried to reorient itself, jaws snapping at the open air in sheer, stubborn rage. Apparently, its desire to eat him had overridden its sense of self-preservation.
Dusk, far below, sent a single, very dry thought through their link.
Very angry.
Traebus howled in frustration. "THREE’S COMPANY, THEN! HOPE YOU LIKE SWIMMING, YOU OVERGROWN NIGHTMARE!"
And then, with a tremendous splash, all three of them hit the water.