Behind the rocky outcrop, the countdown continued to glitch downward, each update more erratic than the last.
[Time Remaining: 00:02:00]
Jimmy exhaled slowly. Then, calm but firm, he said,
"Luna… now. Go get as many as you can. You've got less than two minutes."
Luna stepped forward, body coiled like a spring, her glowing white mane pulsing with subtle static.
She nodded silently—ready.
Jimmy dropped his satchel beside a moss-covered root and knelt beside it, digging through his pouch. "We'll need to make a wall if they chase us. Eloa, get your bear ready to tunnel. We'll need escape holes—now."
Eloa nodded, setting Pookie gently down. "He's ready."
Jimmy paused mid-motion. His expression tensed. "Wait."
He stood slowly, eyes narrowing toward the pond again.
"There's another Whisp," he muttered. "Intermediate-level… hidden, just past the far rocks."
Eloa squinted. "Another…? One of the alligator?"
"Yes. It's seem
like them. It's lying in wait. Might be guarding the far side."
Luna's ears flicked, picking up the same thing. She looked back over her shoulder.
"Careful, Luna," Jimmy warned. "The first Whisp is stalling. But this one—might not."
He stood up fully, now speaking with precise intent.
"Use the uneven ground. Make diversions, fake holes. Eloa, have Pookie collapse the back trail just after Luna's return path. We'll reroute downhill if we're pursued."
"Got it," Eloa said, pointing quickly. "We'll draw them away if it turns into a chase."
Jimmy turned to Luna. His voice dropped an octave from his mind.
"You're faster than anything here. Move like you're born of lightning. Cut through. Grab what you can. If that second guardian lunges—don't engage. Flow like water."
Luna lowered her head, her mane glowing brighter.
Then—without another word—she vanished in a blur of charged wind.
..........................
Luna bolted down the slope, her hooves barely touching ground. She triggered Volt Charge mid-stride, creating a pulse that left crackling electric threads behind her. In the blink of an eye, she reached the pond.
[Time Remaining: 00:01:45]
With a graceful leap, she hit the shallow edge—water arcing from her motion. The seven flags, embedded in rocky pedestals across the middle pond, shimmered with coloured lights.
She snatched one. Then another. Then two at once, her body weaving between flares of elemental residue left from earlier clashes.
Suddenly—
SPLASH!
From the left side of the bank, another alligator-like Whisp surged out, this one smaller but faster, with spiraling water cannons forming near its mouth. Its scales shimmered with brown and blue hues.
[Whisp Detected: Mudreak – Intermediate]
Water Gun!
Mud Spray!
Tail Whip!
Crunch!
The creature launched a rapid combo in every direction. A watery jet shot past Luna's ear, followed by a thick splatter of mud aimed at her legs.
But Luna danced between them—sliding like a dolphin, her hooves skimming the pond's surface, flicking the tail strikes with grace.
Jimmy and Eloa watched from afar, breath held.
"She's using the water like a runway…" Eloa whispered in her mind.
Jimmy said nothing. "She's making herself untouchable."
One final flick of her tail—Luna twisted mid-air and vaulted backward, a fourth flag clenched between her jaws.
Return Under Fire
[Time Remaining: 00:00:20]
Luna bolted back toward the treeline—but Mudreak didn't stop. It chased her, snapping and firing blasts of sludge that tore holes in the soft dirt.
Jimmy shouted, "Now, Eloa!"
The bear let out a high-pitched growl and stomped, causing the prepared tunnels to collapse and block the narrow path. Mudreak smashed into the dirt wall, snarling.
Luna cleared the final stretch, bounding past crumbled roots and skidding to a halt beside Jimmy, laying all four flags on the ground.
[Time Remaining: 00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
>> Final Survival Phase Activated <<
Jimmy knelt beside Luna, stroking her mane, which still sparked faintly with residual volts.
"You did it," he whispered. "Now comes the harder part."
Eloa was already packing up. "You mean… survive fifteen minutes with the flag holders being hunted?"
Jimmy picked up flags. The light on it turned blood-red.
He smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
.........................................
Luna darted back, sleek as a silver streak. Her fur dripped with pondwater, her tail sparking faintly as droplets rolled off. She dropped the captured flags near Jimmy and gave a proud toss of her head.
"on onnnn... Jimmy! We got 'em. Still… 20 seconds left," she panted.
Jimmy gave a quick nod, eyes already scanning the terrain behind her.
Something was wrong.
Another shape was surfacing from the deeper side of the pond — another Alligator-type Whisp. It was massive. Its eyes glowed with a deep blue, its ridged back slicing the water like a blade.
Jimmy turned his head.
"onnnnn.... pookie... Eloa?"
No response.
He spun around, scanning the area. No sign of her. Only Luna beside him, and the faint bubbling of pond water.
"onnn.... Eloa?" she called again, voice low but sharp.
Still nothing.
Then—Jimmy caught something.
A hole.
Just a few meters off the side of the battlefield, behind a cracked tree trunk. It looked freshly dug — a tunnel opening, barely noticeable unless you knew to look.
His eyes narrowed.
Did she make that?
Just then, a rustle. Dirt crumbled. A head popped out from the hole.
Eloa.
Her hair was slightly messy, cheeks puffed with dust. "There you are," she whispered, brushing off her sleeves. "I made the path…"
Jimmy blinked. "No one came through it."
"I… I know," she said, tugging nervously at her sleeve. "But just in case. If we had to run, I thought… maybe."
Jimmy smiled faintly. "You think ahead."
She nodded quickly. "I—I tried."
She climbed out, Pookie following behind, his nose covered in soil. He gave a little vor vor grunt and waved a twig like a sword.
Luna giggled softly.
Eloa pointed to the tunnel. "This way… there's a small ridge at the end. Safer."
Jimmy walked with her toward the hole, flags in hand. Just as they approached, a strange mist began to drift across the pond's surface—thick, low, and swirling like breath in winter.
"Wait," Jimmy said, pausing.
The mist curled unnaturally.
Luna stepped closer to his side.
"Something's here," she whispered.
Eloa glanced behind her, eyes wide. "Did the gators follow?"
Jimmy checked his watch.
The numbers that had slowed earlier were now racing forward like a ticking bomb.
00:00:30
00:00:25
00:00:20
Behind them, they could hear faint footsteps. Not heavy. Not dragging.
But precise.
Quick.
Multiple.
"Get in the tunnel," Jimmy said.
Eloa didn't argue. She grabbed Pookie, who tried to protest until she whispered, "Pookie, turn around now!"
He groaned dramatically but obeyed.
Jimmy turned to Luna. "Hold the flags. Stay near."
Luna nodded and floated near the entrance of the tunnel, casting a light mist barrier with her tail.
Suddenly, they heard splashing — but the Alligators weren't chasing anymore. They'd frozen, statues in the mist. Their glowing eyes dimmed.
And the sound of footsteps stopped.
Everything was still.
................................
Then, a single note rang out—
A whistle.
Not from any of them.
A high-pitched, shrill sound echoing through the fog. Mechanical. Almost… deliberate.
Jimmy's eyes widened slightly.
"What was that?" Eloa whispered, barely audible.
......................................
Jimmy checked his watch.
00:00:00.
But time didn't stop.
It flowed again — smoothly now, as if released from its earlier glitch.
And on the display:
FINAL PHASE LOCKED. POINTS DISABLED. SURVIVAL ENGAGED. HOLD FLAGS SILENTLY.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes.
"So that's how it starts."
Again moving sound started.
To be Continued...