Tears streaked across Kopius's face as if he were a windshield in a touchless car wash. He wasn't crying; now was not the time. He was moving at such a fast clip that his eyeballs needed constant lubrication. With no eyewear or visors on hand, he blinked off tears about just as fast as he was running. Many of the dribblets simply flung out into open space while a few dragged their way back to his ear cavity.

With only a few hundred yards until he reached the jagged stalagmite forest Kopius took a quick glance over his shoulder. His heart sank and he came to a quick stop as he watched Cici and the rock golem exchange words. At least, that's what it looked like from this distance. Kopius breathed heavy, trying to recoup from the fifteen hundred yard sprint he had just traversed.

While he attempted to heave massive amounts of oxygen into his lungs, Kopius pulled up his HUD and saw an egregiously low Stamina bar. With less than a thought, he summoned a yellow vial, took a few more breaths and then drank the contents in quick fashion. His eyes never left the short interaction and as he attempted to place the empty vial back in his ring the golem roared in the face of the Bard who was gesturing, roughly, in his direction.

The rock monster took off like a car doing burnouts on someone's lawn and there was no mistake where the thing was headed. Though Kopius was thankful his friend had not been harmed, the interaction had left him in a state of confusion or awe; it was hard to tell.

As he turned to flee some more, he didn't notice the vial still in his hand. Several paces into his re-retreat is when he saw it and tried a second time to place it in his inventory while running.

"Godammit," Kopius spat as he recalled his ring was full. With no time to stop and get situated he tossed the vial in a small shrub, well off to the side. In the hopes of retrieving it later, Kopius broke out into a full sprint towards the narrow path through the giant spires.

Even with a gracious head start, things got lop-sided when he entered the narrow trail that snaked its way between the two large spires. Where the straight path of the Hall and the open aspect of the glen had benefited Kopius; the slight twists, coupled with elevation changes favored only the golem.

The path felt claustrophobic, forcing Kopius to keep in the middle. All he had to do was get clipped by one of these stalagmites; one fall and he would be pulp. The way the rocky formations loomed at the edge of his vision kept giving him the impulse to duck, slowing him to a degree. He moved like an F1 racer, taking every twist and deviation in the path as quickly as possible all while hoping a straight-away was coming soon.

Smashing onto the scene, the golem made no attempt at subtlety. If Kopius were to look back–and he did not–he would have seen a grand explosion of rock, dust and debris. He would have noticed that the creature did not follow the path, instead it carved its own straight trail through the stone forest like a bulldozer in a corn field.

Chunks and chips flew indiscriminately about the small valley, eventually raining down on Kopius as the monster gained ground. It started off as a few small stones ricocheting about, harmless for the most part. As the noise of stone being violently displaced grew, the small pebbles turned into small rocks with a random cinder block sized one every now and again. It all escalated quickly and Kopius soon found himself being bombarded.

Throwing his hood on mid-stride to give his head a modicum of protection, Kopius navigated the trail. His speed came in bursts as he managed the uneven terrain. Still, with every well-timed turn or jolt forward, he was losing ground. Even on some of the longer, straighter lengths, the best he could do was maintain the current distance. The space between the two was shrinking faster than he could account for.

Rocks rained down on Kopius, a few testing the integrity of his hood. Approaching a short rise, a boulder careened off his shoulder, causing him to trip and stumble. He kept his feet by catching the slight embankment and scurrying up with the help of his hands. The short rise gave a brief glimpse of the land beyond before it dipped back down to a narrow sullen trail.

Not too far off, the stalagmite forest ended and an open area lay beyond. There was an added bonus when Kopius descended the miniature hill and found that the rest of the way out was straight too. Wasting neither time or momentum, he renewed his effort to stay alive and maxed out his pace. It only took a few strides to reach full speed and that's when things went silent. Before he could get distracted as to why the noise had stopped, the answer presented itself in his periphery.

Only a few feet above the stalagmite forest, still on the upward path of its arc, the rock golem soared gracefully through the air. Kopius had to do a double-take over his shoulder to verify the scene and was fortunate his feet did not falter.

As the golem reached its apex, its small oblong head shifted as if to face Kopius and then pointed one of its slender, oblong arms in his direction. The scene came and went but in that split-second of slow-motion reality, the message was clear.

The ground shook and rumbled as the golem crashed back into the forest. Kopius put his head down and finished the last three hundred yards in what felt like a blink. Breaking free from the confines of the forest, Kopius was not out of the proverbial woods yet. A quick glance at his vitals showed his Stamina at half-empty. Before he could render a thought to consume another vial, the rock golem broke through the last line of stone trees.

Kopius's top speed had been achieved a few paces into the open area, he wasn't holding back. If there was a burst to be had, nothing occurred when the golem exited the forest. The path through the giant spires had cut his lead in half and that gap was slowly closing. Now that Kopius was in an open space his mind found it easier to formulate ideas.

"No. No. No." Kopius spat aloud as he ran.

One particular plan kept beating down all the other plans(there were no other plans) in his mind. Why his own brain would put him in harm's way and then not allow any other options was concerning. It was one thing to be lazy, this just seemed purposefully reckless.

Though, the plan did have merit. It could work but… F me, Kopius whined internally. He would have yelled it but he needed the air.

Quicker than he would have guessed, Kopius turned a short bend to find the junction to the main trail not too far ahead. His feet barely scratched the surface as he sped across the land. Everything had been a blur, his only focus was on the trail ahead and the irresponsible plan he was going to attempt. Now the time had come to shit or get off the pot.

The plan was to stand at the edge of the gap they had jumped the day before and play–an oldie but a goodie–'Dodge the Train.' The golem being the train in this instance. One saving grace was that he was running so fast, he didn't have the focus to consider any outcome; good or bad. If executed correctly, he'd be alive. If not, then maybe he finds himself trapped at the bottom of the pit in a Mexican standoff between the stone golem and a tailless redwhip.

Kopius never considered heading in the other direction. Besides not knowing what lay ahead, his lungs had developed an ache that the vial of Stamina was not alleviating. The Stamina potions would keep his muscles going but nothing was accounting for the growing burn in his lungs. He slowed his pace to make the turn and mentally crossed his fingers.

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As Kopius sprinted back towards the gap they had jumped, the sound of an avalanche made him look back. He saw a large swath of dust plume into the air, while boulders, rocks and other fragments flew off in all directions. It took a moment, but when it cleared the rock golem stood just before the main path, apparently looking up and down the trail.

"Oh shit," Kopius exhaled as he slowed down to a walk. "Cici was right?"

He came to a stop, taking in as much air as he could.

"Oh man," he continued, wanting to laugh but instead leaned over gasping for breath. "Thank the fuckin' Univer–," Kopius cut short as the golem slowly rolled on to the trail. As it settled completely on to the path, its color changed to a darker grey and even from his distance he saw that it had shrunk in size.

"That's. Not fair," Kopius complained, starting a new retreat.

The golem looked over its new color and condensed size. It roared and the sound had a deeper, more menacing bass to it. Kopius slammed his second Stamina potion, tossing this vial off to the side. He caught one last breath of air and then took off anew.

A notification window popped up and minimized just as quickly. It was all too fast to see any information but Kopius guessed that was the point. He mentally thanked whomever created the auto-minimize feature on Metem as his feet raced across the landscape.

He could hear the monster getting closer. With every stride forward the sound of tires on gravel grew exponentially. Within a minute, the sound was louder than his own lungs gasping for oxygen. By the time he saw the slain redwhip in the distance, the golem was practically breathing down his neck.

Kopius flew past the downed redwhip only to be confronted with the steep incline they had to ski down the day prior. It was the whole reason they fought the redwhip on the first place. Now it was going to be the reason that Kopius was reduced to the width of a pancake.

While Kopius was preparing to give up hope, a louder grating sound came from behind him as the golem came to a sliding stop just before the dead redwhip. He looked back to see the stone golem attack the redwhip as if it were a threat. It pummeled the corpse as if there might be money involved; maybe a personal matter. Any way the situation was diced up, Kopius would take whatever bit of luck he was given.

In one motion, Kopius removed his two kunai throwing blades, stuck a pointer finger through the eyelets at the ends, and gripped the weapons with the blades down. Four strides later and he began to scale the incline using the knives like claws. The blades moved in and out of the rock and dense soil with ease giving him the hand holds and leverage needed to scurry uphill with speed. He crested the steep hill in quick fashion and glanced back to see golem crushing the exo-skelton as if it were a tin can.

"I killed. That shit!" Kopius managed to yell between gasps of air. He collected a few more breaths before continuing. "Whaddaya say. Big guy? Enemy. Of my enemy?" Kopius put both of his arms out in a 'come-on, let's put this whole ordeal behind us' gesture.

The golem roared and Kopius was quick to discover that the two were not on the same page. The monster peeled out from inside the corpse, painting the trail with chunks and redwhip viscera. It surged forward and Kopius wasted no time fleeing.

A few strides into his flight and another notification auto-minimized itself. For a brief moment it felt as though he were running in water. His legs pushed against an unseen resistance but he wasn't losing speed. As the sensation passed, his entire system felt instantly rejuvenated and picked up an even swiffer pace. There wasn't time to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kopius took in the relief and pushed himself harder.

Several strides later and the ground trembled as the rock golem finished the incline ramp; landing back on the trail. While Kopius created some much needed distance between himself and the golem, a bit of doubt crept in the back of his mind.

Things had calmed down enough that Kopius could now see some faults in his plan. Mainly the part where he wouldn't have enough time to stop at the pit's edge, turn to face the golem and then dodge the beast. There were other faults to consider but everything was dependent on dodging the train.

The surrounding land flashed by in a blur. Kopius kept his eyes to the front and his ears to the back. What he heard was several tons of angry rock bearing down on him as if he had just punched his girl. As he pumped his arms Kopius finally noticed the two kunai's still gripped tightly, one in each hand. Their sharp ends and slender blades were like mini strobe lights as they reflected the sunlight. A moment or two later and Kopius saw the cliff they had jumped off of while escaping the redwhips.

"Fuck. You." Kopius said to himself as his brain relinquished the train plan and inserted a newer, more dangerous endeavor.

He had less time to think on the matter than needed. With every long galloping stride the pit grew closer; as did the golem. Small rocks began to pelt Kopius in the back again, letting him know the golem was right there.

With four hundred yards to go, Kopius knew the train plan was a death sentence. With one hundred yards to the pit Plan B wasn't looking any better but he was now tasting the dust that the monster was kicking up behind him.

Kopius covered the remaining distance in a blink. His feet moved across the ground as if he were attempting to take flight. He saw the embedded stinger as the shadow of the golem breached Kopius's personal space.

Mentally girding his loins, he reaffirmed his grip on both kunai's. Kopius took three more long strides, timed his last step just before the pit's edge and leaped. As his foot left the ground a notification window auto-minimized and Kopius instinctively knew he would cover the distance. Whether he would survive the collision against the cliff wall on the other side was still… up in the air. Pun intended.

His momentum took him in an upward arc and he would make the jump across. What was unclear was whether or not he would stick to the other side. The scene wasn't offered in slow motion. One moment he was leaving the ground and the next his body was slamming into the side cliff of the other side of the pit. Having rammed the kunai's into the side wall a split second before his body collided with it, Kopius let out a roar of his own.

"AHHHH!" Kopius yelled in pain as the finger looped in one of the kunai pommels snapped. Another notification had come and went. He tried to breathe through the pain as he clung to the embedded kunai's for dear life. His feet scrambled for a perch, a shelf, or any other form of stability to aid his predicament. He found one in time only to be shaken free as the wall he was pinned to shook violently.

Kopius looked just below him to see the golem careen off the pit and fall to the bottom in a giant racket of noise and debris. Dirt and rocks rained from above as the whole landside took the brunt of the impact. A loud crunch escaped from below, followed immediately by a familiar gurgling roar and another tremor as the golem landed on the, still alive, redwhip.

Another notification flashed as he rearranged his grip, thankful it was just a finger and not his face. His feet snaked around again until they located a proper hold. Once mildly secure he began to reel in his beating heart and lungs. Glancing down, he witnessed the mayhem roughly forty feet below him.

To Kopius's initial shock, the redwhip had survived the golem landing atop it. It was noticeably hobbled but still traded blows with its anvil-like pincer. Yet, with its stinger missing, the redwhip was nothing but a sparring partner. The next few moments were an array of thuds, cracks, gurgles and roars until only the roars remained.

{NX: Circle Back +.25 Deception}

Apparently I am safe enough to get these now? He wondered as he clung the side of the pit cliff.

Activating his healing ring, Kopius closed the window and counted his lucky stars. He grasped his embedded kunai's and adjusted his footing. The golem roared below seeing it had no way out and began to punch the wall, maybe in an attempt to dislodge Kopius. Before he could formulate his climb out, he was hit with another notification.

{NX: Live to fight another day. You've taken this to heart. +.25 Deduction and +.25 Perception}

Kopius chuckled at himself as he closed the notification. Despite his clingy condition, he was able to rest. Flexing his finger, he decided to give it another minute or two before looking up the twenty feet–or so–that needed to be climbed. Figuring out the best way up was going to be easier than the first climb he had in Metem but that didn't make it easy.

His stomach chimed in and he noticed for the first time that the day was waning. At his best guess it was mid-afternoon, so he had a few hours til dusk. Unless he wanted to rely on his Night Vision he knew he should get moving. More noises came from his belly, so he began climbing; the whole time hoping Cici had something cooked up by the time he returned.

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