- Trees with leaves that glowed faintly
-
Air thick with a sweet, almost cloying scent that made his nose wrinkle -
Sounds that were wrong—alien chirps and a low, pulsing hum from the plants
He barely had time to swing his legs out of the tent when the beast burst into the clearing. A massive creature, the size of a rhinoceros, with scales like bark that blended into the forest. Its eyes glowed with a predatory light, and as it snarled, a rotting stench wafted from its maw, revealing jagged teeth. Ray's heart slammed against his ribs. "What the hell is that?" he muttered, scrambling to aim his shotgun.
The creature didn't give him a chance to think. With a guttural snarl, it reared its head, and the ground erupted. Roots—thick, twisting roots—shot up from the dirt, wrapping around the Land Cruiser like pythons. Metal screeched as the vehicle buckled:
- Windows shattering
-
Frame crumpling under the magical grip
Ray leaped off the roof just as the tent collapsed, hitting the ground hard and rolling. Pain flared in his arm as he scraped it on a jagged rock, blood welling up, but he gritted his teeth and sprang to his feet.
The beast charged, its claws scraping the earth with each step, sending tremors through the ground. Ray dove behind a tree, shotgun clutched tight, as the creature's tail whipped the air, splintering bark inches from his head. His mind raced. Roots moving on their own? That's not normal. That's… magic? He'd coded AI for fantasy games, but seeing it—feeling it—was insane.
As he gripped the shotgun, a memory flashed through his mind. Just last week, his boss had called him into the office, dumping yet another project on his desk. "You're the AI guy, Ray. Make it work." He'd stared at the code later that night, the lines blurring together, feeling like a failure. That's why he needed this trip—to escape, to breathe. But now, escape had taken on a whole new meaning.
He peeked out, scanning the creature. Its scales looked tough, but he remembered big animals usually had weak spots—underbelly, eyes, maybe the throat. The beast snarled, stomping closer, and vines whipped toward him from the undergrowth, summoned by its power. Ray dodged, firing a wild shot that pinged off its bark-like hide. "Come on, come on," he growled, adrenaline pumping.
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He took a deep breath, remembering his mom's words: "Kapag may tiyaga, may nilaga." If you persevere, you'll have stew. Well, he needed to persevere now more than ever. He could almost hear her voice, smell the adobo simmering on the stove as she taught him to cook. "Patience, anak. Good things take time."
The creature reared up, roaring, and Ray saw his opening—its soft, pale underbelly exposed. He sprinted forward, skidding under its bulk, and unloaded the shotgun. Boom! Boom! Boom! Pellets ripped into flesh, and the beast screeched, a sound that rattled his bones. It thrashed, slamming its tail down. Ray rolled aside, but the tip caught his leg, sending a jolt of pain through him.
"Okay, Ray, don't panic," he muttered. "Just like debugging—find the weak spot." He peeked out, scanning the creature. "Underbelly, maybe? Or the eyes?" The beast's tail lashed out, splintering bark inches from his head. "Whoa! Too close!"
He stumbled up, reloading with shaking hands. The creature was hurt—blood oozed from its underside—but it wasn't done. It lunged, jaws wide, and Ray fired again, aiming for its eyes this time. One shot missed, but the next hit home, blasting into its left socket. The beast bellowed, rearing back, and Ray seized the moment, pumping three more rounds into its underbelly. With a final, shuddering groan, the creature collapsed, its massive body crashing to the forest floor.
Ray stood there, panting, shotgun barrel smoking. The clearing was a wreck:
- Splintered trees
-
Churned earth -
His Land Cruiser a mangled heap
He limped over, wincing at the gash on his arm and the bruise forming on his leg. The vehicle was toast, roots still coiled around its corpse, but—miracle of miracles—his gear had survived. The solar panels, battery bank, laptop, and emergency kit lay scattered but intact amidst the debris.
He sank to his knees, digging out the emergency kit. "Lucky break," he muttered, popping it open. Antiseptic stung as he cleaned the cut, and he wrapped it with a bandage, popping a painkiller for good measure. The leg was just bruised—no breaks, nothing he couldn't handle. He'd be sore, but he'd live.
Sitting back against a tree, Ray stared at the dead creature. Its scales still camouflaged it against the forest, even in death, and those roots—magic roots—still gripped his ruined ride. "Magic," he said aloud, half-laughing, half-disbelieving. "Actual freaking magic." He'd built game worlds with stuff like this, but facing it? That was next-level.
The forest hummed around him, alive with shimmering leaves and that strange, sweet air. His Cruiser was gone, but he had his tech, his shotgun, and his wits. Whatever this world was—however he'd gotten here—Ray knew one thing: he wasn't in San Francisco anymore, and survival was his new game.