Page 50 of Emerald

One of them is particularly fast. It darts between my limbs, slicing at my underbelly with razor-sharp claws. I howl, the sound more of a high-pitched hiss than a growl, and twist my body, trying to catch it, but it's already gone, vanishing into the shadows before I can retaliate. My middle section flares with a dull, throbbing pain where the claws left their mark, and I know I've taken damage that won't easily heal.

I rear up on my hind limbs, towering above the pack, and let out a screeching hiss, hoping to intimidate them, but they are unrelenting. Their growls echo in the cave, low and guttural, as they prepare for another coordinated strike.

The leader—larger, more menacing than the others—steps forward again, its amber eyes locked onto mine. It lunges, faster than I expect, and its claws rake across my chest. I roar, swinging one of my massive arms in retaliation, catching it across the face and sending it sprawling. But the effort costs me. Another beast leaps onto my back, claws digging deep into my flesh.

I screech and thrash, managing to throw it off, but not before it tears a chunk of my skin away. My whole body burns with pain, but there's no time to stop. I can feel my strength waning, my movements slowing, and the creatures know it. They're circling tighter now, sensing victory.

I slam my forelimbs down again, sending a shockwave through the ground that makes the creatures pause for a moment, but it's only temporary. They're back at me in an instant, their claws and fangs a blur of motion as they tear into my flesh. I manage to crush two more, my powerful limbs splintering bone and flesh beneath my weight, but it's not enough. There are too many.

My vision blurs as another swipe catches me across the side of my head, sending me reeling. I stumble, my limbs buckling beneath me, and for a moment, I think I'm going to fall. But I can't. I won't. I have to get back to Olivia. The thought drives me forward, even as my body screams in protest.

With a final, desperate surge of strength, I throw myself into the thick of them, my arms flailing, lower limbs kicking, tusks bared in a primal display of fury, my skin casting a bright purple glow on the cave walls around us. I manage to knock several of them away, but not without taking more hits. My skin flashes red now, fear and desperation mixing with the burning pain that courses through me.

Then, in the midst of the chaos, something shifts. The creatures pause, their heads turning as one, ears pricked. I don't know what they sense, but they suddenly retreat, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as they came. I'm left alone, panting, blood dripping from a dozen wounds, my body trembling from the exertion.

I drop to all six limbs, the adrenaline fading and the full weight of my injuries hitting me at once. I'm not dead, but I'm close. My skin flickers a dull, exhausted orange for a moment before settling into a deeper purple. I glance around the cave, my vision still hazy. The crystals… my hoard… they're scattered across the floor, a glittering reminder of why I came here in the first place. But I can't take them with me now. Not like this.

I know I can't make the journey back to Olivia in this state. Even if I could, there's no guarantee those creatures won't come back. I need to heal, and quickly. I scan the cave, looking for a solution, and my gaze settles on a loose patch of ground near the far wall. It's soft enough.

Without hesitation, I begin to dig, using my powerful limbs to tear into the ground, creating a large enough hole to accommodate both myself and my treasures. My movements are sluggish, each stroke of my arms sending sharp jolts of pain through my body, but I don't stop. I can't.

Eventually, the hole is deep enough. I gather the crystals—what little I managed to collect—and place them inside, careful not to damage them further. Then, with a groan of pain, I crawl into the hole beside them. My body protests every movement, but I force myself to curl up tightly, pulling some of the loose soil over myself and the crystals.

The darkness closes in around me, and for a moment, I wonder if I'll wake up again. My wounds are severe, and though my body will heal, it will take time. Time that I might not have if those creatures return.

But there's nothing more I can do now. I close my eyes, my body sinking deeper into the ground, and allow myself to drift into a deep, healing sleep. My skin flickers one last time, a faint pulse of red fading into black as I let the darkness take me.

15

Olivia

It'sbeenhourssinceKroaicho left, and the silence in the cave is deafening. I sit in my little corner, arms wrapped around my knees, trying to suppress the growing unease gnawing at the edges of my mind. I took another long drink, but it didn’t do much for my hunger. The mushrooms pulse faintly beside me, their soft glow casting ghostly shadows against the walls, but even their calming presence is starting to lose its charm.

I doubt they are edible, dammit, no matter what Kroaicho says.

At first, I tried sleeping. That lasted all of ten minutes. My mind wouldn't shut up, images of home, of my mom, and, disturbingly, of Kroaicho flickering behind my eyelids. Then I tried talking to myself. That went even worse. Something about hearing my own voice echoing in this creepy cave made me feel like I was one step away from losing my grip on reality altogether.

I shake my head.

This is ridiculous. I am not going to go insane here. I refuse to.The bugs couldn’t break me and neither will this damn cave, I chide myself.

I've been stuck in here for days now, kidnapped by a weird, glow-in-the-dark handsy alien, and, on top of that, my body is changing in ways I can't even begin to comprehend. First the spiky growths on my ears, and now… what?

I glance down at my arms, holding them closer to the mushroom light. At first glance, everything seems normal. I mean, as normal as it can be when you're stranded on an alien planet with a giant glowing captor. But then I notice it—a shimmer. A faint, silvery glint across my skin, like someone dusted me with microscopic glitter. I hold my breath and bring my arms even closer to the glow of the mushrooms, twisting them back and forth in the eerie blue light.

"Great," I mutter, biting back the rising frustration. "Just great. First the ears, and now this. What's next, wings?"

I resist the urge to scratch at the strange sensation prickling beneath the surface of my skin. It's like the texture has changed—softer, but not in a good way. More… alien. A shiver runs down my spine as I stare at the silvery glimmer on my arms.

Either I'm turning into some freak of nature, or I've contracted alien cancer. Probably both,I decide.

I huff, tossing the thought aside. I'll wait for Kroaicho to come back, whenever that may be, and I'll demand—no, beg—it to take me somewhere else. I can't stay in this cave much longer. I refuse to sit here and let my body morph into something unrecognizable.

But as more time passes, and the familiar rhythm of the cave's dripping water returns, my patience wears thin. Every moment that Kroaicho stays away, I grow more restless, more convinced that sitting here is a waste of time. I glance toward the cave entrance, my mind buzzing.

Screw this. I need to get out of here. If Kroaicho won't help, I'll figure it out myself.

I push myself up onto my feet, swaying slightly from sitting too long. The cave stretches ahead, dark and oppressive, but now's as good a time as any to make my escape. I let out a quiet groan, massaging my temples.

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