Jason was resting against the wall. He hadn’t gone to sleep yet because he was afraid if he did he might not wake up. I don’t have any of those fruits anymore so I might be killed by the dependency. I only have limited time and I can’t level up or gain experience again without falling asleep. I’ll be stuck at 262 out of 700 for a while probably.

Jason waited and watched as his stamina ticked up ever so slowly. Once it reached 50 he set off at a run again. It didn’t take long for it to tick right back down to 40 and then 30, 20, and finally 10. Once it reached that Jason stopped and waited once more forcing his body to stay up until it reached 50. Then he started running again.

I should’ve fallen unconscious by now. Hell I know just from the regeneration that I haven’t slept in 32 hours. Four times I let my stamina reach 10 then build back up to 50. I shouldn’t be able to move while being this aware and awake let alone run and avoid traps.

Yet Jason could feel sleep trying to worm it’s way into his mind. He knew that this wouldn’t last forever. Eventually he’d fall asleep and then he’d die. But until that point the only thing he could do was keep running. On and on and on he ran.

Ruuuuummbblleeeee. The caves shook fiercely as a rumbling set in. This wasn’t like the first time Lodenstone activated. This didn’t feel like an earthquake. It sounded like tunneling.

Jason froze and then ran backwards a hundred meters or so and paused, crouching low to the ground and pressing himself up against the wall. He could hear it. The crunching of jaws and the scratching of talons. He could hear screams and squishing sounds as images of those adventurer’s being ripped apart danced through his mind.

This is it. This is what killed them. This monster is the reason I chose to build into Luck. This beast.

Then the wall ten meters in front of him erupted. Stone and dust was blown out as if from a shotgun. Then Jason saw the thing’s shadow. It loomed large and had a crocodile shaped head, but with what looked like a snake body. Just like an olm except bigger… much bigger.

Jason stopped breathing, determined to not give away his position no matter what. After almost a minute he saw something crawl out from the new tunnel. It was exactly what he thought it was. A bigger olm. Yet instead of the gigantic creature he was assuming it was based on the shadow and hole he got a cat sized olm.

It was actually kind of cute. It didn’t have any eyes like an olm and it’s two frills on either side of it’s head were a dark grey. It’s body looked like it was coated in some type of ash and it’s long body was scaled and armoured. The creature just kind of sat there and moved it’s head side to side. It paused, looked right towards where Jason was and started approaching.

He was ready to bolt. To run for it. It’ll probably catch me though. It’ll kill me. I’m dead if I move and probably dead if I don’t. Oh Lady Luck please be on my side. Just before the creature would’ve had its snout touch Jason’s leg another noise sounded. This time the creature Jason was expecting crawled out of the tunnel.

It. Was. Huge. The diameter of its round cylinder-like body was the size of an adult person. It could swallow me in one gulp and not even struggle to get me down it’s throat. It had dark grey almost obsidian looking scales and the frills were a bright blood red. Talk about looking threatening. The thing looks like a black knight in olm form for fuck’s sake.

The thing’s mouth opened and gave a shrill cry and at its cry the younger one in front of Jason turned and ran towards it yelping happily as it danced through and around it’s father’s(?) legs. Before Jason could even enact his last ditch plan of “sprint and hope” the older one started to dig a new tunnel. It might’ve been the most disturbing thing Jason saw until that point.

The mouth didn’t eat the stone as much as inhale everything that made the stone… well stone. The wall of the tunnel that the larger one targeted turned a bit softer and mushier even slightly dripping after the creature had inhaled it. Then the olm simply hit it with one of it’s claws and the rock, if it could even be called that at this point, dispersed with some of the surrounding rocks exploding.

Then quick as it came it exited and the rumbling faded away into the distance.

Jason was paralyzed. That thing is terrifying. Ya no I’m glad of my choice. My luck definitely shined through there. I expect to get 110 experience in the Well of Fortune next time I level up. If I survive that long. No way in hell would I have stood a chance if I tried to fight or run. I’d be dead.

Just it’s shadow was terrifying. Wait… shadow. Shadow’s need light. LIGHT! There’s an exit. The olm-thing tunneled in and gave me an exit!!

Jason sprinted to where the thing had tunneled through and peered into the tunnel. Sure enough he couldn’t see the exit but there was an easily visible light source somewhere at the other side and as a bonus. It was close. Another bonus was that the tunnel was digging upwards.

Jason clambered into the tunnel only struggling a little bit when his grip slipped as the rock gave away. Once he was inside he started sprinting through it.

A while later Jason emerged into the world. He was free from those damn caves. Hopefully it would stay that way and hopefully he could find a town or city and live through the night. Even without those damn fruits. Before Jason even got to celebrate though he felt himself slipping. His control over his mind falling away and sleep taking over.

No NO NOOOO!!