Zero's legs moved on autopilot-mode, driven by pure terror of deth. His breaths came in quick, panicked gasps, and his arms flailed wildly as he struggled through the dense jungle. The wolf's snarls echoed behind him, each one a harsh reminder that he was one misstep away from becoming dinner.
"Okay okay let's get this potrayed, " Zero said while getting out of their paths from getting wedged in between trees, "Let's continue with step one: don't die, in order to later find humor in this, reach step two. There will definitely be no step three if I attempt to think of one whilst approaching the above mentioned steps."
Zero looked back ignoring the fear gushing through his heart which made him feel like his heart was about to bust. It was everything but comforting for Zero that the wolf was frighteningly and scarily close to him. What was at least beneficial was that the wolf's eyes were coated with a tempting glimmer as it was fixed at Zero, It was wider because the intent was to chew off both the arms, still contain the threat that it would swallow them both in one motion.
"Why can't you just let this go?! It was one rock! Are you seriously holding a grudge over that?!" Zero shouted while running.
The wolf, unsurprisingly, did not respond—unless accelerating its pace counted as a response then I surely was getting a response that would directly put me in my grave.
"Fine, be that way!" Zero snapped, racing between trees in a desperate attempt to put some distance between them.
The snake gripped his neck tightly as if it was trying to suffocate him while hissing angrily, and the fire lizard peered his head out of his pocket and looked at him with wide eyes – an exact reflection of panic that Zero felt.
"Great teamwork guys!" Zero barked sarcastically, "I am happy I have you two on my team!"
As Zero ran through the deep jungle, in haste and panic, his gaze landed on what seemed like a wide opening up ahead though still had trees but the ones he could climb. That sense of relief was beautiful. An open area would mean possibilities am I right? He could go around, duck, and who knows even maybe jump—.
All of a sudden, the posture of the ground shifted below him, and instead of something as firm as soil, the ground was becoming crumbling dirt. It was only a fraction of the opinion, change because he was more concerned about the wolf's snarls that he suffered.
And then his foot struck a region that was hard with one step and it was a mistake that could turn fateful.
He kept running.
It took a second for his brain to catch up to what his body had just done.
The wolf skidded to a halt at the clearing's edge, its growls fading into a confused whine.
Zero, however, continued forward—straight into thin air.
The realization hit him a moment too late. And as usual Zero cursed his "Damn Luck"
"Wait. Why does it feel like I'm—"
Gravity, ever the punctual force, pushed him downward to his soon death.
The wind rushed past him as Zero plummeted, but the sensation of sharp angry winds rushing past him as his arms struggled to grab something to help him crashing into the ground. Everything around him turned into a complete blur due to his terrible landing and the only thing that was now in sight was the serene blue sky that was even more infuriating.e canopy became a blur above him, the distant sky mocking him with its serene blue.
"That… no, this is the exact opposite of how it was supposed to go!" Zero threatened everyone in the chasma with his screams as he was on the verge of sinking somewhere deep.
All the tension and anxiety that surrounded him was further deepened by the sound of a panicking snake that tied itself around his neck, while a fire lizard with small adorable claws remained on the collar of his shirt with its tail ringing loudly.
Zero closed his eyes to witness the inner voice as it began infecting him and all the noise around him subsided.
"It all makes sense now. So this is how it ends, right? 2 days! It has only been 2 days since I've existed in this world, now I'm apparently dying too? So this is all a universal prank huh?! Talk about a joke like this pulled on you for no reason."
After floating around the inner voice, he finally opened his eyes only to see the sky for himself, and then without any surprise got angry at it for everything bad that had happened until this time.
"I didn't even get a cool cheat ability! Where's my overpowered magic and my harem?! No, I just get chased off a cliff by a wolf with anger issues!"
Even though he was prepared to come to terms with anger and frustration and his untimely death, everything around him turned soft as the deep rage he had melted away bringing in a peace that had not ever been witnessed by him.
Thud.
"What the…?" Zero groaned, his body sinking slightly into a massive, green surface.
He blinked his eyes in confusion as he looked around, what looked like a huge leaf was in front of him. Shining under the sun, it was so large that it could hold around ten people comfortably. The snake loosened its hold on him, hissing as it slid down. At the same time, The lizard jumped onto the massive leaf, so visibly perplexed.
Zero deeply exaggerated his breathing while lying on the leaf spread out for a moment, trying to make sense of the recent events that transpired. "I'm alive," he muttered quietly, then roared "I'M ALIVE" much louder than before.
To him, the snake hissed like it was rolling its eyes and the lizard shook its tail.
"Don't give me that face," Zero hissed as he turned on one elbow. "You two didn't do anything, yet here we are, somehow managing to stay alive. The odds were completely against us. Thank you very much."
The leaf seemed to shake.
Zero froze. "Wait… why is it shaking?"
But before he could understand as to what was going on, in one swift motion, the leaf inverted. Straightening Zero and every other creature like a rag doll out to the sky. "What the... NO WAY!" Zero could be heard marching alongside other panicked voices as they all jumped alongside the leaf.
The scenario was changing, it was basking in an array of varying shades of blue and green. He forcefully crashed into the upper layer of trees snapping branches that dotted his path, only to stop his fall rather violently on the cold ground.
Zee moved his limbs, stiff from pain, as he managed to stand up and stretch, letting out a groan or two. The snake, hissing slightly, slipped off him while the lizard pushed his body further inside the pocket.
"What now?" asked Zee dazedly, looking for familiar sights around him.
It's clear that he's in an area that seemed to be an ancient ruin. There are stone walls enclosing him which are partially covered with vines, with some glimmering runes scribbled on the walls. The atmosphere is damp with an eerie chill.
******
It was very quiet until the narrator spoke to the audience.
"Let me offer a disclaimer so that there are no misunderstandings: this was not just some random ruin. This was a dungeon. A proper, honest-to-magic dungeon. But Zero, being Zero, had no idea what he had stumbled into."
******
Zee shook his head and dusted off his body. "Great! These managed to create even more hassle for me as if I needed it today. Abandoned ruins," he said angrily.
He decided to step forward with caution only for the ground to move underneath his right foot. There was an almost inaudible click throughout the hall.
Zee quickly stopped moving, his body tensed and his heartbeat slowed.
"Not good…"
Slowly but surely, he started to hear hints of gears grinding against one another. Each sound merging with the other until they created a symphony of rough sounds.
After his shoulders drooped, Zero let out a Registered sigh. "Right, how could I forget. We've almost had nothing except today's pressure."
And with that, the floor started to shift.
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*****
[Author]- I think the last chapter was well garbage same for this one too.
-As its too unrealistic to outrun a wolf with those feeble stats.
- I will try making next one better and more well real not just fantacy.