It came back.
The same thing that stalked him before — its limbs scraping and sniffing. A towering, stitched mass of bone and sinew, glowing cracks splitting across its torso. Its face, if it had one, was a melted curl of ribs and wet eyes.
It screeched. Loud, sharp. And it turned toward him.
Renric froze. The shard of bone in his hand rattled against stone.
He ran.
It gave chase.
He didn't scream. He knew better. He just ran — down a twisted spine-tunnel, past holes leaking black ichor, deeper into the unknown.
His foot caught on a root. He stumbled. He fell. The monster's claws scraped stone just above his skull.
Then — a shadow moved.
Not fast.
Not loud.
Just... certain.
A tall figure stepped from the wall of darkness itself. Broad. Cloaked. Two chains wrapped across its back, and a blade of cracked silver in one hand.
It moved like a whisper.
Steel flashed.
The creature let out a gurgled hiss — not a death sound, but a warning.
The tall figure turned its head.
"Get up."
Renric did.
The creature lunged again — but the figure caught it mid-air, wrapping one chain around its midsection and pulling hard. A sickening crunch echoed.
Silence followed.
Renric backed away. His legs trembled.
The tall figure looked down at him. Its eyes weren't visible beneath the hood, but Renric felt them — a pressure without malice.
"…You're not dead."
It wasn't a question. Just a fact.
Renric opened his mouth — nothing came out.
"Then don't make noise."
The figure turned, motioning.
"This tunnel's a bad place to die. Come on."
Renric didn't move at first.
Then, finally, his legs obeyed.
And he followed the first living thing he had seen since the Deep swallowed him whole.
End of chapter 1.