Heir of Anubis: Survive the God's Deadly Game

Chapter 8. Escape to the Dark Mountains

"Stay right there!" Devon demanded, telling his sister to remain still.

[Target Eliminated: Skeleton Scout]

[Experience Gained: +31 EX]

[Mortuary Essence Absorbed: +21 ME]

[Corruption Increased: +0.25%]

[System Calibration: Stable]

A golden panel, exactly like before, suddenly popped up in front of him, the black text showing what he'd gained after killing the Skeleton.

Devon saw the actual numbers on his system, but for him, it wasn't important now. What mattered was whether the Skeleton he'd killed could summon others. He worried this scout was connected to a leader, or to whoever had awakened it.

After grabbing the short sword the skull had carried, and glancing at the open elevator doo, confirming the lift box was already at the ground floor, he ran back to Raline.

"We need to get out of here, now," he said, quickly gathering their few belongings in the dark. He didn't forget to sling the short sword, taken from the Skeleton, onto his belt, alongside the other knife he'd found tucked into its waist.

"Where are we going...?" Raline asked, her voice uncertain, but she still helped pack the meager supplies, squinting, since she couldn't see well in the darkness.

Devon paused briefly, then hefted the backpack onto his shoulders. "We're heading toward those mountains, maybe going beyond them."

Raline's eyes widened. "... But..."

Before she could finish her thought, Devon was already beside her on the mat. He scooped her up instantly, carrying her in his arms, then sprinted towards the now-open lift shaft. He leaped down the elevator shaft without hesitation, making Raline shriek bloody murder. 

Devon gambled he could make the jump and survive because, if the Anubis system was anything to go by, he would manage it.

He was right. He landed easily on top of the elevator car, then slipped inside the box where the Skeleton he had killed had ripped the ceiling open.

Then he ran as fast as he could, out of the building, racing towards the city limits. Raline hugged Devon's neck tight, squeezing her eyes shut as he ran full speed.

His fear came true. Suddenly, a high-pitched, echoing shriek sounded from the city, not far from their location.

Using his Death Sight, he knew several auras—no, not a few, but a horde of Skeletons were chasing them. Raline, hearing the shrieks too, opened her eyes and glanced behind them.

Her eyes went wide, seeing the many Skeletons in pursuit. ".... Dev..."

"Yeah... I know," Devon said without stopping. He kept running, sometimes vaulting easily over cars.

Raline no longer screamed when Devon jumped up and down. She was more afraid the Skeletons would catch them. Instead, she urged her brother to run faster.

"Faster, Dev... faster."

The Skeletons, too, had speed and agility that surpassed ordinary humans. However, Devon was already nearing the city limits.

And then the cloaked mounted rider from yesterday joined the chase. A horse, of course, would be faster than running humans or Skeletons.

In a flash, the skeletal horse and its rider were close to Devon. Raline, who had been looking back the entire time, was speechless with terror, seeing the rider raise its long sword, ready to swing it down and strike them both.

"Just a little more to the boundary..." Devon mumbled, trying to increase his speed. He was acutely aware of the thicker aura, distinct from the other Skeletons, drawing level with him.

The horse and rider caught up, now right beside them. The sword held by the skeletal rider swung down towards Devon, making Raline let out a hysterical scream.

SWOOOSHH

But the sword only met empty air. Devon had leaped off the city boundary. He had noticed earlier, when they'd stopped on the motorcycle, that the cutoff between Newark and the mountains had a height difference of about ten meters.

Shielding Raline's head and body, he jumped and landed on both feet, then tumbled onto the black earth of the mountainside. After they stopped rolling, he looked at Raline.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, her face pale. Devon looked back at the city edge, where the other Skeletons had stopped, peering down.

The horse and its rider, unaware of the drop, were thrown a short distance because of their speed. But Devon could still see its dark aura, and he stood up, hoisting his sister again.

They bolted towards the mountains. When they reached the foothills, the sun was just beginning to cast its light. The mountains glowed when struck by the sun, making the surface look like sparkling precious stones, primarily obsidian color, due to its intense dark hue.

His Death Sight mixed with normal vision, allowing him to see several faint, gentle auras from living creatures dwelling in the mountains. At least none of them had the deep, crushing black color of the undead.

Crucially, he knew the skeletal horse and its rider were already back up, chasing them again. The distance between them was quickly closing, and Devon knew, one way or another, he had to fight.

When he spotted a wide, flat stretch of ground, he ran across it, then set Raline down behind a large boulder at the edge of the plateau.

"Wait here... I have to fight that stubborn thing," Devon told Raline, placing the large backpack beside her.

She grabbed his hand, her expression truly frightened. "No, don't..."

With a faint smile, Devon gently pulled his hand free. "Didn't you say last night that you wanted me to get strong, so you could watch me win?"

".... But... but not like this," Raline frantically shook her head, her hand still reaching for her brother's.

"Just wait here, sis. You forget I'm a hustler?"

"..."

Raline couldn't answer for a moment, but just as she was about to argue again, the sound of hoofbeats thundered toward the far side of the clearing. The skeletal horse and rider stopped there, peering toward the siblings with empty eye sockets.

Devon glanced at the horse and rider, then stood, drawing the short sword he'd taken from the Skeleton he had killed. He stepped into the middle of the flat ground, sword raised in his hand.