AWAKENING PART 6B

Day 6; 1341 (Afternoon)

Focus: 513

Scrambling to flee, the echo serpent quickly unravelled its oversized wings which wrapped around its body like plate armor.

Though it had escaped certain death by launching itself into the air like a coiled spring, it still needed to gain distance away from its attackers -- rival hunters drawn-in by the noise it made.

*FWOOP* *FWOOP* *FWOOP*

With wings fully spread, the echo serpent flew high into the air, leaving its ambushers to dawdle on the ground. As it rose in elevation, the powerful flaps of its wings sent waves of cyclonic winds to wreak havoc on the land below.

The mighty gusts impacted the ground with such force that entire layers of topsoil was blasted into the air, exposing the intricate network of interwoven tree roots underneath.

As the wind picked up speed, it hurtled large pieces of uplifted dirt and debris in every direction like a barrage of missiles. Broken twigs and tree branches shot into tree trunks like impaling spikes, burying themselves deep within the meter-thick bark; large rocks and stones collided with the ground like meteors, creating miniature craters. Their impacts tossed even more shrapnel into the air, perpetuating the echo serpents’ chaotic attack.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

*BOOM* *CRASH*

A large stone the size of a bowling ball crashed into the cramped cavity 513 hid in, destroying a large portion of the ceiling and exposing him to the world outside.

Surprised by the event, he stared blankly at the gaping hole in the ceiling with awe and frustration, before coming back to his senses. [...time to move.] He mentally noted, readying himself to evacuate the cavity; now was the time to sneak away unnoticed as ground predators were suppressed by the echo serpent’s wind.

However, before he could celebrate his freedom from the chaos, he quickly realized that he misjudged the situation.

*WHOOSH* *THUD*

Just as he lunged forward to break through the blockade of moss and twigs blocking the exit, the echo serpents’ chaotic winds invaded the large opening in the ceiling, blasting him backwards into a thick clump of tree roots.

513: “Gah...fuh.” *wheeze*

513 reeled in pain as he gasped for air. The impact from slamming into the tree roots had knocked the breath out of his lungs.

513: “Hrrrgh.”

He let out a struggled moan as he grabbed hold of his chest. His breathing was erratic and panicked.

He needed to regain control.

In an attempt to normalize his breathing, he ignored the burning sensation in his lungs and slowly inhaled through his nose. Tightening his stomach, he continued to suck-in air until his lungs ballooned, causing intense pain to spread like wildfire inside his chest.

Tears ran down his cheeks as his lungs felt like they were being torn and ripped apart, but he maintained the course.

Once his lungs were completely filled, he held his breath until he could no longer withstand the excruciating pain. Only then did he release the air in his lungs; pursing his lips to control the airflow, he slowly exhaled through his mouth, releasing the tension from his lungs and relieving some of the pain in his chest.

He repeated the process until the pain in his lungs had subsided -- for the most part -- and his labored breathing returned back to normal. [Nice, it worked.] He lauded himself, before turning his attention back to escaping.

*THWAK* *THWAK* *THWAK*

Rock shards, bark splinters, and stripped branches bombarded the ground above his location as the wind outside grew more vicious. [Shit, I need to-] His monologue was cut short as another gust of wind flooded the cavity, slamming 513 back into the thick clump of tree roots he had just peeled himself off of.

513: “Fu...ck!”

He cursed weakly as the thrashing wind stifled the air inside.

*WHOOSH* *THUMP* *THUD*

More air rushed-in like a tempest. This time, it carried small rocks and plant litter, which pelted 513’s body like projectiles launched from a slingshot. [I’m going have those fucking dreams again, aren’t I.] He complained in his mind, temporarily ignoring the pain inflicted on his body, as he was tenderized and broken by sticks and stones.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

*FWOOP* *FWOOP* *FWOOP*

In the air, the echo serpent continued its ascent towards the tree tops.

The tempestuous winds generated by its wings only increased in violence as it exerted more force behind each wingbeat.

Luckily for 513, his existence was now nothing more than a distant memory for the echo serpent.

Unfortunately for him, the echo serpent sought vengeance against those that had recently offended it, and it didn’t care if it destroyed the land below, so long as its debts were settled.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

*WHOOSH* *WHOOSH* *WHOOSH*

Each burst of wind that flooded into the cavity, had more vigor than the last. And with each burst, 513 was pushed deeper inside the entanglement of roots that made up the cavity’s structure.

He was now tightly wedged into the very same clump of tree roots that he had slammed into earlier.

To make things worse, he was buried from the waist down by the debris that had been pelting him non-stop.

At the rate things were going, he would be buried alive with no way to move or dig himself out.

*THUD*

In desperation, 513 slammed his fists against one of the thick tree roots that pinned him in place.

513: “Nope. I’m not dying like this.”

He muttered to himself as he punched the same root over and over.

*THUD* *THUD* *CRACK*

With knuckles bleeding -- shredded by the hard impacts of his punches -- he finally managed to break...something. [Gah, what was that?] He questioned himself as he lifted both fists towards his face to get a better look.

513: “...”

The wind howled as more debris pelted his body, smacking his face, arms, and legs like a full-force shin kick. But the damage he suffered did not phase him. With all his focus directed at his bloodied fists, the adrenaline coursing through his veins worked to distract his mind away from the pain his body endured.

513: “...crystals? What fuckery is this?”

He mumbled into the wailing wind, confused and intrigued.

Eventually, the adrenaline wore-off.

With his pain receptors screaming at his brain to respond, his focus was lost. [Ack. Godamnit.] He complained. The pain that he had desperately tried to ignore had rushed back to the forefront of his senses.

513: “I’m definitely going to have those dreams again.”

Gritting his teeth, he muttered words of melancholy towards the ground. Amidst the throbbing, stinging pain that enveloped his broken and battered body, he felt dejected and defeated. He was not looking forward to returning to the dreamscape of tragic memories.

*WHOOSH*

Another gust of wind poured into the cavity. But this time, its power was drastically reduced.

While 513 was inspecting the crystal shards lodged into his shredded knuckles, the wall of moss and twigs that blocked the entrance to the cavity was finally blown away; the harsh winds that entered through the gap in the ceiling gradually weakened the wall’s structure until its inevitable failure.

With the entrance unblocked, the wind entering through the ceiling now had a clear path to escape the cavity -- the entrance acted like a pressure-relief-valve.

This meant that wind could no longer be funneled, accumulate pressure, or exponentially raise its power inside the cavity before slamming into 513. [That took a...fuck!] 513 quipped before tensing up in pain. Even the slightest breeze caused him to involuntarily flinch, further aggravating the injuries he had already sustained.

513: “A WHILE! A FUCKING WHILE!”

He screamed in anger, persistent in completing his thoughts.

Still incensed by the pain trickling up-and-down his body, he stared menacingly at the tree root he had just punched with his fists. [Of course the tree’s pith is made up of crystals...it ab-so-lutely makes sense.] He mused sarcastically, while switching his gaze between the crystal formation found inside the broken root and the crystal shards embedded in his injured fists.

513: “Fucking hell.”

He murmured to himself, dissatisfied by a discovery that made no sense.

513: “If this is what…”

Realizing his belligerence, he stopped himself from speaking out. [If this is what causes me to re-enter that forsaken dreamscape...no...No, my injuries aren’t life threatening, so I should be okay.] He rationalized internally.

[I can’t get side-tracked.] He lectured himself while delicately removing crystal shards from his knuckles. [Escape first, consequences later.]

◊◊◊◊◊◊

*THWAK* *THWAK* *THWAK*

The relentless wind continued to churn above ground, shelling the forest floor with windswept debris. Creatures unlucky enough to be caught inside the torrential winds were battered to death by fast moving rubble -- their lifeless bodies skewered by splintered branches or splattered against large trees and aged boulders.

Only the resilient were capable of surviving the echo serpent’s attack.

*FWOOP* *FWOOP* *FWOOP*

As the echo serpent hovered in place -- just below the forest canopy -- it surveyed the land below, reveling in the chaos and destruction it had caused.

*ROAR*

It roared in triumph, content with its masterful work. But it wasn’t satisfied. It still wanted revenge.

Peering through the dust and rubbish swirling in the wind, it searched for the four predators that had attacked it earlier. But after repeat failures, it lost confidence in its eyes.

*SQUAWK*

Unable to locate its targets visually, it opted to use sound as a medium for detection.

By bouncing sound off of multiple objects -- like reflecting light through a series of mirrors -- the echo serpent could identify the location of every solid entity within one-hundred meters of its position.

In addition, its advanced form of echolocation granted it the ability to foresee potential dangers in three-dimensions, but only inside a two-hundred seventy degree arc; though it was an impressive skill, there were still ways of avoiding detection -- it could not use the ability to audibly “see” what was directly behind it.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

Finding one of its attackers taking cover behind a tree, the echo serpent unleashed a volley of concussive sound blasts. Each blast, which looked like a warped, translucent bubble, exploded with such force that just one was able to annihilate the winds still wreaking havoc on the ground.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

More concussive sound blasts bombarded the attacker’s location, uprooting the enormous tree it hid behind.

Looking to end things quickly, the echo serpent initiated a dive-bomb attack. It used its large wings to accelerate its descent, quickly closing the gap in distance between it and its target.

However, just before it reached its destination, it was distracted by the figure of a half-naked, bipedal man, hobbling out from a hole in the ground.

---Chapter End