The moment I stepped into the chamber, the temperature dropped.
A low, guttural growl echoed through the darkness, followed by the sounds of the floor rumbling as the beast begun to move. My breath hitched as a hulking shape crouched at the far end of the room.
Bone white plates of armor jutted from its body like jagged stone, many cracked or shattered. Deep, ancient scars marred its hide testaments to long forgotten battles. This wasn't just a beast. It was a remnant. A survivor from a different age, clinging to instinct and rage.
The Warden of the Forgotten Hall.
In the game, this boss was considered an early challenge for seasoned players. Optional and easy to miss. But hidden behind it was the Crimson Fang Pendant, which unlocked a rare skill tied to agility builds. The kind of edge I couldn't afford to pass up.
The Warden's head tilted, then it lunged.
I dove to the side just as the creature's clawed fist shattered the stone where I'd stood. Dust exploded upward. The shockwave knocked me against a pillar, and pain lanced through my shoulder. I gasped but forced myself to roll before another swipe came down, carving a jagged trench in the floor behind me.
"Focus. You know this boss. You know its tells."
The game had shown this thing as a slow brute telegraphed moves, wide swings, heavy recovery time. But in reality? It was faster, stronger, and far more terrifying. Still, those basic patterns held true.
The Warden reared back, muscles tensing.
Heavy overhead smash. Dodge left. Stagger window: 1 second.
I moved before it came down. The floor cracked, and I dashed in, slashing my dagger across the exposed joint beneath its plated arm. The beast roared and swung blindly.
I was already retreating.
Just like the game. Just like the game.
Its roar shook dust loose from the ceiling. My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear. My breathing was shallow, sharp panic threatening to take hold.
No. Not now. Not when I'm this close.
I backed off, putting distance between us as I reached into my pouch. My fingers closed around a small wrapped bundle, the makeshift distraction dust I'd created earlier.
I flung the vial toward the Warden's face and ducked behind a broken pillar.
A puff of dark haze burst into the air, and for a split second, the monster paused snarling and clawing at its eyes. It didn't last long, but it was enough.
Go. Now.
I sprinted forward. My hand tightened around the dagger as I ducked under the Warden's wild backhand.
It reared back tail swipe incoming. I ducked low, just like the animation wind up used to show, the tail whooshing overhead with a rush of wind. Its stance was off now.
I slid across the floor, skidding to a stop just behind its massive leg. With every ounce of strength I had, I drove the dagger deep into a large scar on its right side. The weak point I remembered from the game.
The blade slid in. The Warden let out a shriek that rattled my bones, then stumbled forward, momentarily stunned.
And that's when I saw it.
The pendant.
It hung from a broken chain embedded in the altar behind the Warden its red crystal glinting faintly in the dim light. Like a heartbeat. Like it was calling to me.
I didn't hesitate.
I ran.
Stone crunched behind me as the Warden recovered and gave chase. I dove over the altar, grabbing the pendant in one desperate lunge and crushed it in my hand just as the monster's shadow fell over me.
A sharp pulse of heat surged up my arm, rushing through my veins like fire. My vision flared red, and a searing pressure flooded my skull.
Skill Unlocked:
Predator's Insight Your instincts sharpen. Your senses heighten. You are prey no longer.+3 Agility. + 2 Strength. Active effect: [Predator's Glare] – momentarily heightens senses and exudes hostile intent.
I gasped, the world spinning. Then clarity.
Everything slowed.
I could see the tension in its muscles before it moved. Smell the iron in its breath. A part of me wanted to run. Another part wanted to try my newfound strength and strike again. The skill pulsed behind my eyes, primal and hungry.
The Warden's next swipe was already coming. But I felt it before it moved. A tingle along my spine. A shadow in my mind. I ducked low, just in time, and the claws screamed past inches from my head.
So this is what it feels like.
My body moved more fluidly now. Still slow compared to the Warden, but the gap had narrowed. I dodged another blow, then another, my footwork cleaner, more deliberate. A backstep here. A sidestep there.
Still can't win. Not head on. But maybe...
I baited a charge.
The Warden lunged again, and I dove aside at the last second. It smashed headlong into the altar, breaking through it in an explosion of dust and stone. Rubble fell from above, crashing down on its back.
It wasn't dead.
But it was buried. And it bought me a moment.
Bleeding, panting, nearly spent, I turned and ran.
I stumbled through the corridor I'd come from, heart slamming against my ribs, lungs burning. Behind me, I could hear the Warden's muffled roars, shaking the dungeon's foundations.
But it didn't follow.
Not yet.
Outside the chamber, I collapsed against a wall and slid to the floor.
I was alive.
I looked down at my trembling hands. Blood some mine, some the monster's, coated my fingers. My breath came in ragged gasps, but I smiled.
I survived.
Barely. But I did.
And from my eyes, the faint crimson glow of the Predator's Insight skill still shimmered like fire.
This was just the beginning.
But now, I had something.