The Mudmule was a sight to behold when I last saw it. It was a brown and greyish mule half the size of a mountain, covered in armor built of dried mud. It crushed trees like twigs, tearing them out of the ground with its molars and chewing them to a pulp as if they were the alternative to grass while turning the ground into mud so malleable that its hooves fell to bedrock as if it were wading through water.

When we found The Mudmule’s path, Maladrain stopped to observe our surroundings. It was a massive line of mud that spanned far past Cobold Valley, plowed through by the mudmule. Long-fallen trees scattered the ground near it, some half-buried in the dirt and others tilted and only barely holding themselves upright in the ground. Large rocks were scattered around the path in a strangely haphazard manner. While the path may have been mistaken for a dried-up river in other circumstances, the hoofprints etched deep into the ground, where bedrock was exposed, made it clear it wasn’t anything natural.

I leaped off Maladrain and into the mud. He surveyed the path with wide eyes. “The collateral damage from the creature is amazing. I’m having second thoughts, looking at this. Kid, you clearly saw this thing for yourself. Why do you want to fight it so much?” Maladrain sounded genuinely interested in my reasons.

I nodded, not looking up at him. Something seemed off about where we were. Despite the heavy rain from a few days ago, there was no water stream. Although it usually looked like a dried river, water would pour down it from the mountain after rains.

Maladrain started walking closer to the center of the path, taking note of the many features of the path.

I quite clearly remembered the path being flooded with water at points, but perhaps it just hadn’t rained hard enough...

He looked down a hoofprint. He then began climbing down, attaching a rope to the mud at the top as a precaution.

Meanwhile, I tried to look further up the path. It was particularly rocky here, with massive rocks scattered about for the next hundred or so feet. Rocks would normally melt away under the magic of The Mudmule, so how could they be here?

Maladrain exclaimed from inside the pit, “Hey, come look at this. There are small bits of gold down here!

Rocks, no stream, recent rains, [cobalt]s, and now gold?! What’s going on here?!

Troubled, I stood still, trying to piece it all together. Then, I heard it. Something was approaching. Something massive. As the sound grew louder, I identified what it was.

Rushing water.

Oh no. It was a trap. The cobalts must have made a dam and prepared to break it to kill powerful creatures. Was that the ingenuity of a [master trapper]?

I had to tell Maladrain. He would be a goner if I didn’t, and I could tell that in about thirty seconds, the flash flood would thrash him, killing him without a shadow of a doubt. I could’ve run away, but I couldn’t ever call myself better than rubble if I abandoned others to get what I wanted.

I thought quickly, running up to the hole he’d unwittingly trapped himself in while scribbling on my slate.

He raised his hand into the air, showing grains of precious gold in his grasp. “Look! we could profit just off this thing’s mining!” What an idiot! Did he really think gold is just found at bedrock?! I mean, I wouldn’t have known, to be fair...I threw my slate at his head, taking him by surprise. It hit him in the knee. I was aiming for the head, but that was fine too, “GAHH! That hurt! what the hell?!” He turned his head to face the slate.

{Getthefreakoutofthere!} was rushedly scribbled on it.

He looked at the slate for a moment, then back up at me, confused. I sent him the most terrified look I could, looking between the direction of the growing sounds of rushing water and him. Eventually, his face turned from angry to petrified in realization as he heard the crashing of water and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Faster than I had ever seen someone dash, he leaped towards the rope in a blur and began climbing. I looked to the side to see a massive flood of water crashing down the path, headed straight for us. He would have climbed extremely quickly, but the mud kept sliding beneath his feet, and the piton the rope was set on was slowly moving through the mud, getting close to the edge of the pit, ready to fall at any moment and take Maladrain down with it. Maladrain started climbing more carefully, quivering in anxiety. He started to grab the last part of the rope, but I instead gave him my hand just as the piton began to slip. Using all the strength I had, I pulled him up onto solid ground. He wasted no time snatching me up with one of his hands and dashing out to the safety of the trees.

I could now see the flood approach from the bend, a tide so massive that it nearly overflowed, crashing forward like thunder, loud enough for me to hear it echo against the mountains surrounding us.

As he ran, I saw Maladrain’s eyes widen in fear, his breaths studdering as he climbed out of the soon-to-be river with his open arm and legs. Seconds before impact, however, it was clear: the flood would hit him.

Then, in a last-ditch effort, as we were so close to reaching the safety of the trees, Maladrain threw me into safety. I landed on the mud five feet up, but Maladrain was hit by the avalanche of water. The impact instantly threw him along with the flood with a loud, terrifying thud.

Luckily, his torso hit a tree that stuck out of the mud about ten feet away, snagging him in place and knocking him out in an instant. If I didn’t act fast, he’d be dragged off the tree and down towards the rocks, where he would certainly die. Like Hell I was letting that happen!

I ran to the tree, then leaned in to take and grasp his arm, then pulled with all my strength, tugging him towards the safety of the mud.

Suddenly, another wave hit him hard, dragging him off the log. I adjusted to the sudden change in his velocity but got flown off my feet for just a moment, then dug my feet into the safe mud, just feet from the raging waters. PRAISE AND PLEAD SERAPH THAT HURTS! My sprained ankle was about to give out, and Maladrain’s body wasn’t dragged off by the river just yet, but he was skimming on the water, bouncing up and down like a ragdoll.

With every bit of willpower I had, I unleashed [life wing] to help propel myself away, jumping to the side. It wasn’t working. Each time I hopped to the side, the mud beneath me deteriorated beneath my feet, dragging me closer and closer to the raging death trap beside me. My only option was using my [life wing] in a way I hadn’t ever needed to before.

My [life wing] increases my jump, but it’s more of a second jump than anything else. It propels me in any direction I please. I usually just use it to jump high, but...

I allowed myself to be taken forwards, along with Maladrain, as a third wave hit him, sending him high into the air. Now that both of us were airborne, I propelled myself away from the river, redirecting my momentum midair. Then finally, in a dangerous maneuver, I used the last of my strength to throw him to the wayside, facefirst into the safety of the mud. The repelling force sent me tumbling uncomfortably close to the river, so I quickly scrambled back to the shore.

My job wasn’t done, though. After resting for a few moments and moving him to a non-suffocating position, I started shuffling through his pack. A decent adventurer like him probably had a stamina or health potion on his person during outings like this. I found a green vial with a small tag that has a big ‘S’ on it and popped the lid off, then chugged it down. It worked like a charm. My sores and tiredness melted away like a good drink of purewater.

[cobalt]s aren’t omniscient. To pull off a trap like this, they needed a way to know where we were, and they needed coordination. A [cobalt] must have watched us and tracked our movement. Knowing that, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. Their scout would doubtlessly make sure we were finished off.

I stood up, then hid behind a shrub, keeping my sword at the ready. [cobolds] have a good perception, and use slingshots and daggers. These [cobold]s are old, careful, and probably wise as well. Because of that, hiding would be unlikely to buy me much distance between their scout and me but would be enough to give me the edge I needed to potentially beat them in a fight.

I listened carefully for the inevitable appearance of a [cobold]. A minute, then two. Maladrain was still on the ground, unconscious. Then, the soft sound of a footstep-

You gained 1 Exp for perceiving a stealthed opponent!

You gained [perception tier 1]!

Cool, not the time, though, menu.

Hidden and clothed in dark-leaved camouflage, a small humanoid creature stood ready, holding a loaded slingshot. I couldn’t make out much of it. Slowly, it approached, scanning the ground carefully and flickering its gaze between the surroundings and Maladrain. It took another step forward into the sunlight of a setting sun.

You gained 1 Exp for stealthing yourself from a [precieving] opponent!

You gained [stealth tier 1]!

It took another step, revealing a scaled snout and predatorial eyes beneath its hood. The creature suddenly jerked its head in surprise, searching for someone. It probably remembered right then, right there, that there was a missing target. So, I capitalized on its distracted thought process.

I dashed from behind the bush with an unsheathed sword. It was fifteen feet away, my leap could take me nine. I took a bound towards it, and it moved its slingshot towards me at a ridiculous speed.

This [cobalt] wasn’t a [trapper], so it was probably a [sniper] general class if it aimed at such speeds. I took another bound, then prepared to leap forward. It began to aim, confident it could hit me with a killing blow before I could make the distance. I pointed at its face then used my magic spell, [water creation tier 1]. Water sprayed from my hand, splashing its face and hindering its aim for just a moment, stalling for enough time for me to leap. Shaking off the simple distraction, it began aiming again, readjusting for my leap. I waited just a moment extra to propel myself up with my wing. Confident it had me got, it tensed up, then fired.

My [life wing] suddenly propelled me an added three feet, causing the shot to miss. Dumbfounded, it reloaded and began to aim at me once more, but I’d already made the next three feet and raised my sword in a deadly arc.

I paid attention as it leaned to the side as it reloaded, and when I swung down, it attempted to dash to the side. I already expected that, though, so I changed my sword’s momentum, readied towards its neck. I hit square on. The constitution of the [cobalt] was far above my expectations, though, so I only cut through half its neck, stopped in part by its draconic [natural armor]. It squealed in pain and flailed around, its fate already sealed. I raised my sword again and decapitated it for real, cutting through its neck all the way through.

If I could talk, I’d monologue: ‘You put up a good fight, but you’ll never win one over me!’ I can’t, though, and my slate is washed away for good. Plus, it was already dead, so it would’ve been pointless.

You won!

You gained 79 Exp! You leveled up!

New bonus: [demisapient killer]- +5% strength growth rate

New skill: [decapitator]

You may contribute your Exp to your [class progress]!

I started writing in midair with my finger, hoping it would work with my menu, {79 Exp to [swordsman]}

Contributed 79 Exp into the [swordsman] general class! You have access to new classes!

You may become a: [sword gamer] [assistant guard] [bodyguard] or [war bounder]

Stats increaced: Str: +0 Dex: +1 Con: +0 Wis: +1 Int: +0 Cha: +1

You may increase a growth rate by 5%!

After a moment of consideration, I picked what I wanted, {str}

Done!

Do you have any complaints or concerns?

{No}

Goodbye then!