'Move'
Achre simultaneously undid his knot and rolled off the root. A thinner root lay below him- one of the two escape routes he had planned.
BOOM
Above the boy's head a swath of wood shards rained upon him.
Achre sprinted down the root's exterior, quickly transitioning into a practical slide to descend faster. The boy could sense the gangly monster darting from root to root, massive splinters exploding from the gargantuan wood shoots with its every movement.
'Hot damn that thing moves quick. Alright... can't outrun it and I don't know if I have the ability to kill it. Think Achre, Think!'
The boy rapidly descended the splayed roots growing from the walls and reached the tangled mess growing from the stagnant water. The roots along the bottom of the chasm were slicker than even the one he had slept on. His feet reached the bottom with a crashing thud, Achre dug into the root with his boot... and slipped.
Achre's four arms darted out from within his cloak, ruthlessly tearing at the mossy roots to stop himself. With a grace he had never exuded before, the boy managed to correct his footing. Once more, he ran.
Achre's mind was torn in three directions. He had to maintain his own footing in this slick, pitch black quagmire. More distinctly he had to hone his sensory ability on the rapidly moving monster. Hardest of all however... he had to figure out how he would survive this.
'Shit, shit, shit... for now just keep moving. What the hell do I even do? That mons-'
As if on cue Achre lost the location of the creature. He could no longer feel its slimy skin or see it with his fuzzy vision sense. He looked around hurriedly, before tightening the radial area of his senses, a small hope that it may potentially increase in sensitivity grew in him.
Half a second passed and the boy still ran before he realized his mistake. He had only been searching in the air and on the roots- he had completely overlooked the water.
The nape of his neck began to split, a writhing pain had instantly developed.
Danger.
Achre felt his mind bobble, the same feeling he had when 'Achre the child' took control of him prior. This time however, his veteran nature domineered total control. As if on instinct his body dove away from the viscous pool of stagnant water.
KROOOSH
The spot he had just been standing exploded in a hail of debris and water. The monster had once again entered his sensory ability's domain. His earlier thoughts had proven correct, the intensity of his senses evolved a step further whilst the range was diminished.
The moment the monster entered the domain proved to be a danger, as he received a heavy, almost electrical shock from the feedback. It seemed as though the feedback grew in proportion to the heightened detail his sensory ability provided.
Whilst Achre ran he felt the nape of his neck begin to tear itself apart. It was the most excruciating pain of all the times he'd felt it. His body was forced down by his veteran nature, a sharp whistle flew mere centimeters above his head.
With a dull crunch it shattered the root further along his path. From his senses he could see and feel it- it was some kind of sludge or mucus. The rotten odor it emitted was intensified by his ability, similar to hot sewage and vomit. Achre stifled his own throw up in his throat, his veteran nature forcing it back down.
'Absolutely beautiful... this thing has shit-smelling projectiles.'
Achre ran on, but noticed the monster act odd to how it had been, just a few moments ago. While it still thunderously darted from root to root, it was far more chaotic. Rather than rebounding like before, the creature's gangly, slimy body crashed into the roots followed by an near-immediate jump.
The difference was miniscule, hardly even present, but Achre noticed it. What's more is, he realized the monster's erratic movements were heading towards the sludge projectile- almost fervent to retrieve it.
Achre immediately changed course, his person locked on the sludge.
Just then his nape ripped apart again, the different sensations he'd felt thus far intuitively told him everything he needed to know; another projectile.
'This time from ahead.'
Achre dove again, his four palms taking the brunt of the fall.
Fwip
The whistling sludge sailed past his back, another dull crash resounded behind him. His focus remained on the monster, praying to find any further abnormalities he could potentially exploit. Despite launching a second projectile, the creature remained equally as erratic as before.
Achre could taste warm iron on his tongue, his heart and lungs burning. Even with the conditioning the boy had done until this point, a steadfast fact remained- Achre was just a boy of five.
'Fatigue has begun to set in on my organs... regardless, I need to maintain a steady head here.'
Achre stayed on course to reach the first projectile, his senses showed no further discrepancies in the monster. His plan was simple: stop the monster from retrieving the first batch of sludge.
He was fifteen or so metres from the first projectile's crash site. Another alarm of danger ripped at his nape, this time similar to when he awoke to the monster above him.
'Bastard is trying to attack me directly, huh?'
Achre attempted to stop on a dime, the slick root below him cared little for grip. Realizing he couldn't stop quick enough, Achre dropped into a front roll; his left leg lagging by a fraction of a second.
Too little too late.
The monster ripped through the root just left of the boy. Heavy wood shrapnel erupted conically upwards from the hole, jagged wooden 'spears' capable of bodily evisceration.
Searing pain erupted from Achre's left foot.
Two of his toes were jaggedly sheared off, his boot offering no protection. The boy winced, his nerves shooting agonizing pain into his mind: further amplified by his enhanced sensory ability of touch.
Yet Achre did not stop. He was certain, if he hesitated, even for an instant... he would die.
'Based on it's pattern prior, it cannot attack me again until it rebounds toward me or fires a projectile of unknown lethality.'
Achre had been decidedly lucky, only a couple of left foot toes were ripped off in the process; something he believed wholeheartedly.
He also believed he was roughly ten or so steps from the first projectile. His sensory ability told him precisely where the monster was, so long as it stayed in range.
'I can make it.'
Achre's steps drew quicker, the monster rapidly spun midair, it's eye's greedily set on both the boy and the mucus.
Another step, the monster had finally rebounded. It's gangly, slime-ridden body hurtling towards Achre.
Another step and Achre pulled his pouch from his waist, hands hurriedly opening the mouth. He planned to secure it within his pouch, lest he accidently touch it, it's effects still unknown to him.
The boy could feel his nape split open once more, the revelation he had no more time left quickened his pace.
The monster reached out, it's horrid grasp prepared to tear off the boy's head.
Thunk
A hollow thud was all that followed.
Achre looked up, the monster had vanished from all his senses. Although there were times prior the monster had left them, he had a intuitive feeling the creature was truly gone - for now.
'Thank the Lord that worked...'
Achre looked at the powder-blue pouch in his hands, it's mouth covered in a putrid mucus. It had only been a few minutes, from when he awoke until now, but Achre felt more exhausted than any other time in either life; moreso than even his death.
The boy wanted to lie down and rest, fatigue gleefully pulling at his eyelids. He did not relent however, and understood staying in the chasm any longer would be guaranteed death.
He would rather risk falling again than staying any longer. This did not change the fact however, that he did not want to attempt a direct climb up the slippery roots. Another way had to be found, and it had to be found now.
As his thoughts tried to forge a solution to his dilemma, he noticed that the depth of night began to shatter. Dawn finally beared it's head.
Achre tied the pouch back onto his waist, a study of the prior encounter gradually formed in his subconscious.
'I'll review my own idiocy later. Now, how do I get the hell out of dodge.'