"Highland Windrake!"
His luck was too good, in the worst way possible. The Highland Windrake is a fearsome creature with the head of an eagle, sharp golden eyes, and a hooked, obsidian-black beak. Its body is a blend of bird and dragon, covered in a mix of feathers and scales in shades of green, blue, and gray. Cultivators could hunt for this demonic beast for years and not see a single one, and yet he ran into one shortly after stepping foot here.
Where could he escape to? He was in an open area that stretched for miles. Even if he could flee into one of the distant pine forests, what good would it do? The Highland Windrake was a demonic beast Half-Step into the Earth Realm. If only he still had his World's Breath Talisman, he could escape back to the array. If he survived this, Larissa Vale would be paying him back with interest.
Laine, cloth sac in hand, withdrew and activated a Windwalk Talisman and fled toward the nearest forest of towering pines. While the pines were far off in the distance, they were still much closer than the array outpost. He had to at least attempt an escape. There was no way he would just sit around and be an easy meal.
The cries of Highland Drake grew ever closer. Glancing over his shoulder, he wasn't surprised to see that the distance between the two had shrunk over halfway already. Not to mention the beast's cultivation realm, just the 30-foot wingspan and powerful body alone would put him at a severe disadvantage.
He tried to contact Calla, but she wouldn't awaken, no matter how loudly he mentally shouted.
A wry smile formed on his face as he thought. "Sorry Calla, I think this is it."
Powerful gusts of wind came from behind, overshadowing the paltry amount, in comparison, generated by the Windwalk Talisman.
He urgently ascended another hill before he desperately descended on the opposite side. Halfway down the hill, Laine felt as though the earth had vanished beneath him. A quick glance down confirmed this to be true.
"A—"
Before Laine could voice out a scream, a forceful gust of wind slammed into the back of him, rendering him unconscious.
The power of the Highland Drake's wings had actually shot Laine's body downward, allowing him to narrowly avoid being grabbed by its razor-sharp talons. If the Drake could speak, who knew how many curses it would be spraying from its open beak? Instead, it let out a screech of rage.
All of this took place in less than a second. The Highland Drake still had a chance! From behind the Drake came a feathered, serpentine tail with serrated edges, it raced toward the fissure that Laine's body was plummeting into.
So close! The Highland Drake must have that at this moment. Its tail was almost fully extended; all it had to do was pierce through the prey's body; however, a rush of wind from the heavens blasted by, causing the prey to descend a hair's width faster. The Drake's empty tail snapped back after fully extending.
Caaaawrrr!
The Highland Drake's mental state shattered as it shot toward the heavens, ready to tear them down and make them pay for this transgression.
♦ ♦ ♦
Laine awoke midair, disoriented and tumbling through green and purple light. His stomach lurched as he flailed, his arms reaching out instinctively for something to grab. Before he could make sense of his fall, his body collided with something soft and rubbery. A deep, hollow thud reverberated through the air.
He bounced off the massive object; it propelled him into another dizzying spin. For a moment, weightlessness returned, and his senses scrambled until gravity took hold and yanked him downward once again.
This time, he hit something hard.
Pain jolted through his body as he landed roughly on a damp stone ground. The impact sent shockwaves through his bones, and he tumbled across the uneven surface, the rough ground scraping against his robe as he finally came to a halt. He lay there for a moment, dazed, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
"I'm alive, haha!" Laine's voice echoed.
His body may have ached, but he still pushed himself off the ground and stood tall. Thankfully, nothing broke, nor did he have any deep cuts. That thing he landed on initially saved him from departing this mortal coil.
He blinked, his vision still swimming from the tumble, but the eerie glow surrounding him slowly sharpened into focus. A cavern stretched out before him, vast and sprawling, illuminated by patches of strange, bio-luminescent fungi clinging to the rough walls.
Laine turned to see his savior—a giant mushroom, over 20 feet in height, towering over him like some ancient guardian. Its pale, rubbery cap stretched wide, glowing faintly with veins of purple light running across its surface.
There wasn't only this giant mushroom, but a multitude of others, all with glowing veins running across their surfaces. The veins on each mushroom were either purple or green, never mixed together.
A radiant region of purple and green is how he would describe this place.
This underground cavern, or more appropriately, underground world, stretched out beyond the range of his vision. He was also stunned by how bright it was here. He could see nearly as well as he did outside earlier. There was such an excessive amount of bioluminescent fungi covering every inch of this place.
Laine had a sudden realization. "Is this place the cause of the 'Great Decay'?"
"Calla!"
"What? Where in the world did you go?"
Laine breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you finally woke up. You can come out. I don't think we have to worry about random cultivators passing through and spotting you."
Calla's graceful figure materialized in front of Laine. "Care to explain to me what happened?" she asked, scrutinizing the fungi-covered walls up to the stalactite high above, which they illuminated.
His eyes followed hers up onto the cavern's ceiling. This portion of the cavern's ceiling dipped down, allowing them to see its appearance. Other parts of the ceiling were so high up that the luminescence of the fungi couldn't reach them.
"Where is it?" Laine walked toward the giant mushroom he had fallen onto and looked up. He couldn't see any light from the outside. How far did he fall? The fissure couldn't have resealed itself, right?
"Are you going to explain what happened or not?"
Calla's frigid voice cut him away from his thoughts.
Laine turned and raised his hands. "Woah, no need to get upset. I'll tell you what happened."
She pressed her pastel-pink lips together and waited, her foot tapping through the uneven stone floor.
After detailing all that had transpired, he waited for her response.
"Hmm, I agree. This place is most certainly the cause of the above ground's current state."
"You mentioned earlier that you've been to a similar place. Did it also have a place like this?"
Calla shook her head. "The opposite, in fact. Far above that place were islands in the sky that sapped away the region below."
"Islands in the sky?!"
"Why are you surprised? Take a moment to remember what you have experienced recently." Calla turned her back to him and headed deeper into the underground world. "Do not stand there like an imbecile. We need to explore this place and find an exit."
Laine frowned, but followed after.
What's going on with her? Her attitude wasn't always the most pleasant, but she didn't treat me like this.
Something was going on in her head. If her treatment of him deteriorated even further than it currently is, they were going to need to have a serious discussion.