My heart pounded with each close call as the relentless beast nearly captured me twice. Despite my exhaustion, I pushed forward, determined to stay ahead of its powerful chase. Normally, it took us 40 minutes to walk to the edge of the marshlands, but driven by the desperate urgency of hunted prey, I covered the same distance in less than 15 minutes.

  I managed to lead the beast right where I wanted it. I was baffled by its endless vigor and the relentless power it possessed in its pursuit.

  I wished I could say my plan unfolded perfectly. That I caught the caravan off guard and took them by surprise. But with the Rokus on my tail, there was no chance of stealth. Its thunderous footsteps gave us away long before we arrived.

  The colossal beast barreled after me, and as I arrived at the spot where I hoped to find the caravan, I was met with soldiers holding up swords in defense. The odd thing was they didn’t even register me as a threat with all their attention focused on the massive beast barreling toward them. Gasping for air, I stumbled into their midst, but they barely acknowledged my presence. The Rokus was mere seconds away from grabbing me when the soldiers intervened.

  If the soldiers had attacked me or tried to block my path, the outcome might have been drastically different. Perhaps the Rokus, seeing its prey overwhelmed by numerous foes, might have retreated, satisfied with my demise. But that didn't happen. Instead, they allowed me to slip right between them, heading straight for the wagons at the center.

  I couldn’t tell if they mistook me for an ally.

  Panting, covered in sweat and mud, I might have looked like one of their own. They seemed too preoccupied with the bigger threat to give me much notice. I was in no condition to speak, even if I had wanted to, as my breath was coming in ragged gasps.

  Taking cover behind a cart, I watched as the Rokus advanced and the soldiers reacted in the only way they knew how.

  Chaos erupted. Some fought valiantly while others fled in panic. Soldiers scrambled in every direction. A few braved an attack, striking at the giant with their swords. The more tactically minded soldiers, armed with bows, fired arrows, but these efforts were in vain. Instead of subduing the beast, their attacks only fueled its rage, redirecting its fury toward them.

  Amidst the frantic chaos, the Rokus was unable to track my movements as I blended into the swarm of ants. My part was simple. I planned to take cover beneath a wagon and pray that the beast assumed it had finished me off in the midst of the bedlam.

  Meanwhile, Jack, Bass, Kaylie, and Sana focused on their primary objective of freeing the prisoners. They weren’t supposed to come get me or even assist me. Their second objective was to meet at our last camping spot, outside the temple, if we were separated.

  Odds were that if something happened to me, I would recover enough to return to the group. With soldiers everywhere, it was likely that some might try to chase or fight us. Instead of taking the risk of a battle with the Union, we all planned to run. This plan was a lot easier for me than it was for our group and the freed Dwarves.

  Fortunately, I had a backup plan. If I were being pursued, I planned to retreat into the marshland and use what I knew to have a slight edge to escape. Although not foolproof, it was my best escape route if needed.

  In the chaos and confusion, I prayed that the Rokus would either kill everyone who was still around or knock them down into the fissures. Hopefully, the beast didn’t see me.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I decided to hide a little better by actually climbing beneath a wagon. Collapsing to my knees, I chose the farthest wagon from the fight and crawled under it. If someone looked directly underneath the floor, they would have seen me at a glance. A couple of the soldiers had seen me go under here, but I wasn’t sure if they would be alive in the next minute.

  While hiding, I panted, listening to the chaos around me and hoping to regain some endurance. The ground trembled beneath me, and I could hear the battle between the Rokus and the soldiers not far off.

  If anyone realized I had lured the beast to them and decided to fight me, I would quickly be outmatched, given how exhausted I was. It sounded like the fight wasn’t as one-sided as I’d expected. The soldiers who didn’t flee had joined the fray. I could hear commands being shouted, people crying out in pain, and even the beast screaming.

  The earth shook as I hid, and then, I felt the creature stumbling closer. My eyes darted around for the nearest wagon to crawl under as the Rokus was right next to mine. However, the moment my wagon was lifted into the air to reveal me, I was up on my knees again.

  “Run!” Rabbit yelled.

  There was no need for the reminder as I sprinted away. My fear escalated, and I was too distracted to speak to Rabbit.

  Slam!

  The monster's foot crashed down just inches behind me, leaving a deep imprint in the earth. The ground trembled with the impact, sending me stumbling off-balance, but I quickly regained my composure.

  Slam!

  This time, the monster’s earthshaking footsteps reverberated close to my side, causing me to falter and lose my balance. Desperately reaching out, I managed to break my fall with my hands, gritting my teeth as pebbles and blades of grass scraped against my cheek. Quickly recovering, I rolled onto my back, locking eyes with the fearsome Rokus.

  In an instant, terror gripped me as the colossal beast lifted its leg and brought it crashing down toward me. Instinctively, I rolled out of the way, my heart pounding.

  Adrenaline surged through me as I scrambled to my feet, knowing I couldn’t fight it. Despite my fatigue, I desperately searched for an escape route. Spotting a group of wagons, I sprinted toward them, hoping to disappear among the cover.

  The soldiers behind the wagons adjusted as I charged toward them. Some were frozen in terror, while others foolishly pointed their swords, bracing for combat. Despite the futility of their efforts, three of them charged at the Rokus, determined to face it head-on.

  I ran into the crowd of wagons until I lost my sense of direction.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I figured the beast was far enough. My breathing was erratic, and my heart could barely keep up with my lungs. Hyperventilating, I hid behind a cart to regain composure. Stealing a few moments of rest, I recovered a bit of my breath and stamina, but my pulse was still racing too fast.

  The earth trembled, and screams filled the air. My survival instincts kicked in, heightening my senses. Carefully, I peered around the cart and saw the Rokus chasing a Union soldier toward my direction. I pressed my back to the cart, hoping that they’d run past, but the universe had other plans. The soldier lured the monster nearby, and if it saw me, I didn’t see anywhere good to run now. Heaving, I crawled beneath the vehicle once again, hoping this time it would work out.

  Then I felt the cart being carried off the ground. I couldn’t run anymore. Instead, I grabbed onto the frame structure underneath the vehicle and was lifted into the air. It was too careless of me to think that the Rokus would assume I had disappeared.

  There was a moment of silence that followed. I could hear it huffing as well, staring at the spot where I had been. My hands clung to the cart with as much strength as I could, but my muscles were trembling.

  “Steady your breathing,” Rabbit warned in my head.

  I didn’t realize how loudly I was gasping, so I took deep, stable breaths. But when the cart was lifted higher, I knew then that the Rokus was staring up at me.

  The cart jolted, and suddenly I was spinning, with no sense of up or down, as centrifugal force pulled at my grip. My stomach lurched as the Rokus hurled the cart, me still clinging to it, through the air. The world blurred until we slammed into solid rock, the impact shattering wood and sending pieces flying in a burst of silver light. Splinters and jagged debris tore past me. Something hard struck my head, and the rest of the world faded into black.