The tunnels stretched endlessly before us, twisting and dark. The egg pulsed faintly in my arms, its warmth seeping into my skin. Rhia moved silently beside me, her silver hair catching the dim torchlight as we navigated the underground.
We had to move fast.
The Dragon Cult wouldn't just sit back and let us walk away with this thing.
And sure enough—
[Warning! Hostile presence detected.]
I froze.
The system's notification appeared in the corner of my vision. Something—or someone—was coming.
The First Pursuers
A deep, guttural growl echoed from behind us.
Rhia tensed. "Leon… we're not alone."
I turned slowly, my grip tightening around the egg.
Then, from the darkness, they appeared.
Three figures emerged, their bodies wrapped in dark robes, each adorned with a crimson dragon emblem. Their faces were hidden beneath hoods, but I could feel their gazes burning into me.
Cultists.
One of them stepped forward, his voice smooth yet venomous.
"You have something that does not belong to you."
Fight or Flight?
Rhia stepped beside me, her dagger already in hand. "Leon, we can't let them take it."
I knew that. But I also knew we weren't exactly in the best position to fight.
The cultists weren't normal opponents. Their auras flickered with an eerie glow—they had magic.
And I was still just a low-level goblin.
Options:
Run deeper into the tunnels. (Risk getting lost, but avoid a direct fight.)Fight them head-on. (A dangerous gamble, but could let us test our new powers.)Try to negotiate. (Unlikely to work, but might buy us time.)A Desperate Gamble
I took a deep breath.
We couldn't outrun them forever. And I wasn't about to hand over the egg.
"Rhia," I muttered. "Get ready."
She nodded, gripping her weapon tighter.
The cultist chuckled. "So, you choose to fight?"
The air crackled with energy.
Then—they attacked.