Kapitel 13: Struggle

There was no place to run. Though the larger beasts were now preoccupied with their violent clash below, smaller creatures still circled the area, cutting off any easy escape routes. Alex's mind raced, weighing his limited options. The only possible way out was upscaling the massive mountain behind him. But with just one hand, his left, climbing such a steep surface would be so difficult than climbing up with two hands.

His eyes scanned the towering cliff. It stretched into the sky, far higher than he could hope to climb with his limited mobility. But staying put was certain death. He had no choice.

"I could use float magic," Alex muttered to himself, glancing at the beasts below. "But it'll drain all my mana. I only have 70% left. At best, I can make it halfway up before I run out."

He gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of the decision. "I'll bet on this one… I don't have a choice."

With that, Alex focused his wind element beneath him, letting it lift his body slowly into the air. The winds swirled around him, carrying him higher as he rose from the chaos below. The battle between the beasts rumbled, shaking the ground as debris flew in all directions. He soared past the first few hundred meters, every second stretching his mana reserves thinner and thinner.

At 300 meters, he spotted a small ledge jutting out from the mountainside, just large enough to land on. His mana was draining fast, but he guided the winds carefully, stepping onto the stone platform. As his feet touched the ground, his senses immediately flared with danger. Something was wrong.

His eyes scanned the area, and then he saw it—a cat, but not just any cat. This was a massive creature, its fur dark as the night, its gold eyes burning with a cold fury. The beast let out an angry hiss, baring its sharp teeth. It locked eyes with Alex, and without hesitation, it began scaling the mountain with terrifying speed.

"I need to move. Now."

Alex leapt upward, pushing his wind magic to its limit. His body surged higher up the mountainside, but his mana was draining fast. With every gust of wind carrying him farther, he could feel his energy slipping away. Finally, at 500 meters, his magic faltered. His body lurched, and Alex scrambled to grab onto the rock wall before he plummeted.

His hand caught onto a jagged outcrop just as his mana depleted entirely. He hung there, gasping for breath, his muscles burning with the effort. Looking down, the massive cat was still pursuing him, though it had slowed due to its size. But it was only 150 meters away and closing in fast.

His left hand, the only one supporting his weight, was starting to go numb. Below, the battle between the beasts raged on, sending shockwaves through the air that rippled up the mountainside. Stones and debris rattled loose with each impact, making it even harder for Alex to hold on. His grip was slipping.

And then, just when he thought things couldn't get worse, he felt something crawling on his hand.

He froze, eyes widening as he turned his gaze. A centipede, long and bristling with legs, was slowly making its way up his wrist, its segmented body glinting in the dim light. It was moving toward his face.

"My luck is worse than anyone's," Alex muttered through gritted teeth.

The centipede continued its relentless journey up Alex's arm, its tiny legs pricking his skin and sending tingling waves of discomfort through him. As it reached his wrist, he felt a surge of revulsion, but he couldn't afford to lose focus. He fought against the instinct to swat it away, knowing that any sudden movement could send him plummeting to the ground.

But then the creature made a startling turn, climbing higher. Alex's heart raced as he felt the centipede approach his face, inching closer to his eyes. Panic surged through him. "No, no, no!" he thought, trying to shift his focus back to the mountain, but the creeping sensation was overwhelming.

The centipede crawled along his cheek, its legs sending jolts of itchiness across his skin, leaving him fighting against both the climb and the crawling horror. "Just stay still," he muttered, attempting to concentrate despite the creeping creature.

The centipede crawled slowly across Alex's forehead, its tiny legs sending waves of discomfort through him. His heart raced as it inched dangerously close to his hairline, and he felt a mix of revulsion and panic. This was not the time for distractions—he had to eliminate this creeping horror before it drove him over the edge.

In a moment of grim determination, he spotted a jagged rock just in front of him, a sharp piece of stone jutting out from the mountain's surface. "This ends now," he thought, gritting his teeth against the rising urge to swat it away. He couldn't risk losing his grip again; he needed a solid plan.

With a swift motion, he positioned his forehead closer to the rock. "Just a little more…" he whispered, focusing intently on the centipede as it made its final crawl across his skin. The world around him faded as adrenaline surged through his veins, his only thought centered on that tiny creature.

In one explosive action, he slammed his head against the rock. The impact reverberated through his skull, a sharp pain shooting through him. But in that moment, he felt a rush of satisfaction as the centipede was crushed, its green blood splattering across his forehead and mixing with the red blood from the gash he had opened on his head.

The sticky mixture coated his face, blurring his vision and adding to the chaos around him. He could feel the warmth of his blood trickling down his cheeks, but the thrill of victory over the centipede momentarily overshadowed the pain. "Got you!" he thought, fighting against the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him.

Just then, a sharp cracking sound reverberated through Alex's arm, causing a jolt of panic to surge through him. "No, not now," he thought, grimacing at the pain that shot through his shoulder. The weight of his own body felt heavier than ever, and he knew that climbing any higher would require every ounce of strength he had left.

He desperately scanned the rocky surface for a ledge or any kind of support that could help him ascend. His vision blurred from the blood trickling down his face, obscuring his view of the mountain. Each blink felt like a struggle against darkness creeping in at the edges of his sight. "Focus!" he muttered to himself, shaking his head to clear it.

As he turned to his right, his heart raced when he spotted a small ledge jutting out just a couple of meters away. It was narrow, barely two feet wide, but it was his only chance. The moment he spotted it, a surge of determination ignited within him. He struggled to maneuver his left foot toward the ledge, the muscles in his leg protesting as he shifted his weight.

"Just a little further!" he grunted, his voice hoarse. With a final push, he managed to plant his right leg firmly onto the ledge. The relief was short-lived; he needed to act quickly. Without wasting another moment, he jumped up, reaching with his left hand to grab the rock above him.

The moment his hand connected with the rough stone, a wave of hope surged through him. He felt the solid grip beneath his fingers, grounding him. With a desperate pull, he pushed himself upward, using the strength in his left leg to propel him higher. The rocks scraped against his palm, and the pain was sharp, but he welcomed it as a reminder that he was still alive and fighting.

"Come on, come on!" he urged himself, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He strained every muscle as he climbed, his body screaming in protest, but he refused to relent. He needed to escape the threat of the cat climbing below him.

With one last powerful thrust of his left leg, he managed to swing himself onto the ledge. It was a tight fit, and he nearly lost his balance as he landed. His heart raced as he steadied himself, taking a moment to breathe deeply and assess his surroundings.

The ledge provided a brief respite, but it was no time to relax. The cat was still behind him, its growls echoing in the air like a death knell. He could feel its presence, the heat of its pursuit palpable against his skin. There was no way he could linger here for long.

"Think, Alex, think!" he shouted to himself, scanning the area for a way to continue climbing. The ledge was narrow, with loose rocks on either side that threatened to give way with the slightest shift. He needed to find a route that would lead him higher, away from the hungry predator.

After a quick assessment, he noticed a series of smaller rocks that formed a sort of natural staircase to his left. They looked stable enough, and they led up to a higher section of the mountain. "That's it!" he thought, his mind racing with renewed purpose.

Pushing past the fatigue that weighed him down, he carefully maneuvered himself along the ledge, making sure to keep his balance. He felt the cool breeze against his skin, a stark reminder of the danger still lurking below. As he stepped onto the first rock of the staircase, he could hear the cat's growl intensifying, its frustration palpable as it struggled to find its way up.

With each step, Alex climbed higher, his left hand gripping the rocky surface while his right remained free to steady himself. The ground dropped away beneath him, and he could see the chaos of the battle below, but he focused on the rocks in front of him, blocking out everything else.

"Almost there," he muttered, determination fueling his every move. The path was steep and uneven, but he was gaining ground. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, echoing in time with his footsteps as he climbed, the world narrowing down to the rhythm of his struggle against the mountain.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached another ledge. This one was wider, offering a momentary reprieve. As he looked up there are no more rocks it was like a plain road staright to the other side of the mountain. When he saw this he felt happy as he ran faster and faster as he reached the edge of the cliff. The cliff on this side was steep without any ledges or gap to support me while going down.

Just then, a sudden, low growl echoed around him, sending a chill down Alex's spine. He knew that sound all too well—it was the Cat Beast, the massive dark feline that had been relentlessly pursuing him. He could feel the intensity of its gaze burning into him, a predator zeroing in on its prey.

With a flick of its powerful paw, the Cat Beast lunged forward, its sleek body moving with a deadly grace. As Alex scrambled to escape of the Cat Beast, his footing faltered again. The ground beneath him crumbled as he slipped, his heart racing. He barely had time to react as he felt himself tumbling backward down the steep mountain.

With each bump against the unforgiving rock, pain shot through his body. He felt the sharp edges scrape against his skin, and his head collided hard with the stone, sending a jolt of agony through him. Dizziness washed over him, blurring his vision as he continued to roll down the slope.