Lucian clutched the tattered fabric of his new Forgotten, heart still hammering from the battle.
[Fallen Robe]
Css: Aberration
Veil: Lesser
The robes that the forgotten citizens used to wear, now just a memory of a civilization far gone into time's dust.
Enchantments:[Clear Mind] – You can resist and perform better when put under stress.
It was nothing special, but it was something. His first Forgotten. His first step toward surviving in this nightmare world.
Then the ground trembled.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled through the ruins, shaking loose dust and pebbles. Lucian’s body tensed instinctively.
Something was coming.
The others heard it too.
Iris gripped her bloodstained rebar tighter. Ay’s knuckles whitened around her metal pipe. Ronan gnced around sharply, while Daryl's jaw clenched.
Then came another tremor. Closer.
Lucian turned—just in time to see a nightmare emerge from the ruins.
A Predator's Arrival
The creature crawled from a crumbling tower, dragging itself forward on elongated, twisted limbs.
It was massive—at least four meters tall, hunched yet unnervingly agile. Its skin was bckened and cracked, like something had burned it and left it to rot. Its fingers were razor-sharp, curling like hooks.
But its face—or ck of one—was the worst part.
A gaping hole where a head should be.
Writhing tendrils pulsed inside, shifting and twisting in ways that made Lucian’s stomach churn.
And then—
It inhaled.
A deep, hollow sucking sound that sent a violent shiver down Lucian’s spine.
And then—
A notification burned into his vision.
[Css: Butcher]
[Veil: Compoused]
Lucian’s breath caught. Two ranks above a Lesser.
Then it moved.
The Butcher didn’t charge like the smaller creatures they had fought. It flowed—like liquid shadow, crossing impossible distance in an instant.
Lucian had one thought.
RUN!!!
"GO!" he shouted, already sprinting.
The others didn’t hesitate.
A Desperate Escape
They ran.
The ruins blurred past as they darted through crumbling streets, dodging rubble and broken walls.
But the Butcher was fast.
A shadow loomed over Lucian. He ducked—just in time for a cwed hand to swipe where his head had been.
The impact shattered stone, sending dust and debris flying.
"Move faster!" Ronan growled.
Lucian didn’t need to be told twice.
Iris vaulted over a fallen pilr. Daryl and Ay dashed into a tight alley. Lucian and Ronan followed—
But the Butcher didn’t stop.
It smmed into the alley wall—bursting through it like paper.
Chunks of stone exploded outward.
Lucian dived forward, rolling onto the cracked ground as rubble rained around him.
Daryl wasn’t as lucky.
A falling sb smashed into his leg.
Lucian barely had time to react before the Butcher lunged.
Daryl couldn’t move.
Lucian grabbed him and pulled—
Too slow.
The Butcher's cws were already descending.
Then—
Ay screamed and swung her pipe.
The impact did nothing.
But it bought a second.
Just enough for Lucian to yank Daryl away before the Butcher’s cws smmed into the ground.
A shockwave bsted outward, knocking them off their feet.
Lucian coughed, ears ringing. He forced himself up.
"We can't fight this," he gasped. "We need to lose it!"
Iris pointed ahead. "That way—through the ruins!"
Lucian didn't argue.
They ran.
Nowhere to Hide
They ducked into a colpsed structure, weaving through jagged debris. The Butcher shrieked behind them, smming into walls, ripping through obstacles with terrifying ease.
Lucian’s breath burned in his lungs. They couldn't keep this up.
"We need to split!" Ay called.
"Are you insane?" Ronan shot back. "It'll pick us off one by one!"
Lucian cursed. He needed a pn. Anything.
Then—
A chasm.
A massive fissure in the ground, cutting straight through the ruins. It stretched deep, filled with mist.
A dead end.
Or—
A chance.
Lucian made a decision.
"We jump."
The others stared at him.
"Are you out of your mind?" Iris demanded.
Lucian didn’t respond. There was no time.
The Butcher lunged.
Lucian jumped.
He plunged into the abyss.
