Dumb Mistake

They took a deep breath in. Their mind was at a standstill in shock and regret. Maybe they shouldn't have followed a random broken compass to a gate hidden in the forest outside of town. Maybe they should've called the authorities before going into the gate after feeling it call to them. It felt like it whispered to Augury's soul. But that was all in the terrible past and the present was somehow worse. And the door to the dungeon was gone.

They took a deep, long breath in. This wasn't a low-ranked gate. It wasn't obvious from the outside but no one could tell a gate's rank just by looking at it—but Augury was now in an S-class dungeon. There was a massive difference between F and S classes which is evident in how their dungeons form. An F-class dungeon, which they could enter without a license, was hardly more than an imitation of its outside surroundings with small monsters. For instance, an F-class spider dungeon in an office building would look like the same office building once you stepped through the gate; there would be a couple more spiders and spider webs than before. However, if that were an S-class dungeon, then the inside would be a looming cavern with giant monsters that half-resemble spiders.

The place Augury found themselves in was by all means an S-class dungeon. The towering mountains in the distance, the expansive snowy forest they were sitting in, and the more they couldn't see just behind a large boulder, all of it was nothing like the small government-planted trees they were used to. Now was the question of how to get out, if that was even possible. They hadn't died yet so all hope didn't seem lost. It would be nice if they knew their own rank, but hindsight was 20/20 and they skipped every mandatory test and opted to go to dungeons as more of a part-time job than as a professional. If they knew their rank now they could form a plan, but for now, it was safe to assume they were F-rank. Augury looked around the snowy forest from where they could see. Nothing. Not a single lifeform monster or otherwise. They found that strange as well that the 'Mandatum' system as the media called it was nowhere to be seen. They'd seen it a few times, it appears when a dungeon is cleared as it's not controlled by the government, the government may decide rankings but this otherworldly system decided the skills.

Augury peaked around the dark pines and into the bright snowy forest but still saw nothing. There was no ambiance to speak of, even in an S-class dungeon it didn't feel that scary. Was it because it was daytime or the lack of monsters? Augury wasn't complaining. They slowly wandered deeper into the woods, they weren't dressed for this. The sweatpants and t-shirt they had on hardly warmed them, so their goal was to leave as fast as possible, they needed to find the door. They eventually came to a trail that cut through the forest. It looked well used and there was a good amount of sunlight able to filter through the snowy branches of the trees. If it wasn't for the fact this was an S-class dungeon, Augury would be enveloped in the beauty that surrounded them. They made their way down the path at a good pace.

As they reached the end of the trail and neared the massive boulder they could spot from earlier, they saw a message pop up.

[New Quest!

Escape from the Hollow.

Reward: ???]

'Finally a message from Mandatum! A quest? Why would I be given a quest now of all times? And what's with this reward?' Augury thought as they stared at the semi-transparent screen in front of them. It would be nice if they could access their status window, but that was something you were taught when registering with the government. Augury shook their head with dissatisfaction at their lack of experience. They looked up at the bolder and back to the quest. So this place was called the 'Hollow'? Was that the dungeon's name? Now that they thought about it, they had heard of Dungeon names before but never a one-word one. And what did it mean by escape? Better to get a head start than figure out the hard way.

They stared up at the towering bolder deciding whether they were meant to go over or around it. Left was the forest and right was further up the mountain, whereas the bolder was sheer and nearly three stories tall. Around it is easier, they decided. Going left, and back into the forest proper, they scanned the undisturbed snow. Augury froze as the distinct crack of a branch broke the deafening silence. They took a single glance behind them at the weird monster-bear-thingy and ran straight into the forest. Their pounding footsteps slowed by the piled snow they had to trudge through now that they were off the path. Their blood was rushing through their veins, warming their freezing body, because of the adrenaline. Their frozen desperate breaths fogged the air. They heard the strange monster gaining ground, stealing a glance to see it biting at their heels. They hissed and ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding being gutted by its sharp claws.

They looked around frantically for anything to fight with, but the only thing they had was the stupid broken compass that now only spun aimlessly. They took too long to think. The monster came crashing down, scoring their leg with its long jagged claws. The pain was more than anything Augury had ever experienced before. They wailed in pain only being given a moment to writhe until the monster slammed them into a tree. They sunk into the snow, its looming matted, mangled form standing over them. It was probably trying to see if they were dead or not, so they stayed still for what seemed like forever. Moments stretched for eternities. Augury heard the hefty footsteps stride away. They sighed in relief as they cautiously looked around, their eyes bulging as they tried desperately to see anything through the blinding snow and bulky trees. Nothing. Like it never even existed. But the paw-prints were proof of that.

They hissed in pain, if they get caught like that again, they'd be screwed. Fighting the urge to double over, they slowly picked up the compass they had absent-mindedly dropped when being attacked. They looked at the compass. It spun now without any reason which only infuriated Augury. They shook their head and ground their teeth, fighting the pain, sluggishly pulling themselves in the direction they thought was the path. Was the path even the way out? Yeah, it probably wasn't that simple, they guessed, not unless the path was covered in monsters like that bear. Augury huffed and slumped down against a tree to take a break. They had no idea how long they'd been walking but it was slowly becoming night. They needed any sort of a plan. This would be easier, even if it was trivial, if they had a skill to use. D-ranks were usually the first-rank people who had skills, small, usually useless, but a show of power to the weak. All they had was this compass. They heard a rustle behind them in the snow.

Quickly, Augury flattened down, trying to keep their profile low. They watched as a monster, one they could only equate to a moose, trudged through the trees. They held their breath. The adrenaline in their veins caused their breath to hitch. They quickly covered their mouth, watching the thing stop and glance around. Their eyes followed its movements until it vanished into the trees. A-class at least, Augury thought.

They stood. If the monsters here could appear and disappear without much sound then they would have to get out all the more fast. From where they were, they could see the edge of the large bolder through a gap in the snow-covered branches. They would use that as a landmark to guide them through the forest and hopefully back on the trail. From what they remembered it was close to the bolder. They shook the fog from their head, picked themselves up, and carefully snuck through the forest, watching the twisting shadows, hearing the faint forest ambiance, smelling the frost. They shook with every grueling step. Every twist of their shoulders shot pain through their side but they endured until they saw the gap between the trees. The path! A glimmer of freedom! Even if the path didn't lead out it was a start. They desperately stumbled through the trees. Not seeing the kick to their stomach coming. They were thrown sideways and slid over the snow, dropping the compass once again as they screamed in pain. They looked at the abomination of a deer staring down at them. Their words were incoherent as they hardly missed its crashing hoof trying to smash their skull in.

Their mind went blank as they waved their arm to cover their face, not having the energy or the thought to move away. They heard a clank and opened their eyes, the compass floating midair having slammed itself into the side of the 'deer's' face. The monster looked around confused as Augury lowered their hand. The compass lowered as well. Their blank mind erupted in thoughts as they scrambled back and hit the compass on the other side of the monster's head. In its confusion to find what was hitting it, it turned from Augury. They took the opportunity to drag themselves up and dashed to the path, fumbling the compass as they ran. The monster screeched in annoyance and rage as it rushed after them. Their heart pounded in their throat as they burst onto the path, rocketing down the dirt and snow through the last embers of the day as the abomination of a deer crashed after them. They gripped the compass they had managed to finally get ahold of, they watched the ground under their feet rumble and shake as the grotesque monster gained ground. They had a hard time keeping track of where the trail wound, they needed to hide for the night, but first, they needed to shake off this monster.

They dropped the compass, waiting a couple of seconds until they slammed it into the monster's leg as it was lifted. The monster howled like a child cries. Augury dipped just past the tree line, finding a small ditch to wedge their small, frail, frame into. Augury froze like a statue, their veins as cold as ice, their breath drying up. The deer amalgamation huffed about like a spoiled brat. It peaked through the trees, its nose flaring as it tried to catch their scent. It would vanish through the bushes on the other side of the path. The inky darkness that surrounded Augury now made their mind imagine the shadows as monsters unseen. They shivered. They needed to lay low until the day. They took a look at their wound the best they could with practically no light, and they couldn't light a campfire unless they wanted the attention of any beast higher than F-class. They say the blood, the wound wasn't fatal nor was it that deep, but there was still a lot of blood and it still hurt like a bitch. Their other side was probably mottled with bruises and minor cuts. They sank into the snow in a ball as their mind raced and they were left alone with their thoughts and a broken compass.

[Main Quest!

Escape the Hollow.

Reward: ???]

The ding woke them up. They must've fallen asleep last night but their mind felt foggy, the Mandatum rang strongly in their mind. They looked around the picturesque forest, remnants from last night's chase remained but no sign of any monsters. They stood slowly. Their wound stung but there wasn't any new blood gushing out. They looked at their other side covered in bruises that stretched down to their leg. They were alive.

They looked at the compass, intact with not a scratch on it. Augury looked at it for a long moment. They opened the palm and let it drop to the ground before catching it with their power. They were psychic? Augury stared at the floating compass, waving their hand up, the compass followed up to their hand. Magic. Magic! They could do magic! Augury smiled a wide smile as they bounced with excitement only to double over with pain. They inhaled the fresh morning breeze with renewed confidence and a plan to escape. First, they needed to find a way to open their skill window. It was vital to know their abilities before any more battles. Second, the door. This dungeon was large but there had to be a boss arena somewhere, it would either be there or show up after the boss was defeated, that was Augury's educated guess. And third, they needed something to bandage these wounds before they opened up again.

They peeked around the screen the Mandatum System was showing, trying to dig up any of their rudimentary knowledge. They huffed in frustration. There was nothing said in the media about this! If only their brother talked about being a hunter more, Augury would have listened to him. They looked at the floating window long enough for it to vanish. 'Wait!' Augury thought frantically looking around, 'come back!'. The pop-up came back in front of Augury quickly. Huh? They thought as they thought of the status screen. Nothing. What was the status screen anyway? It was described as a place for skills to go but maybe that was misleading. Augury thought of a screen with a compilation of all their magical and non-magical skills as well as themself.

[Augury Delroy - Level 6

Age: 17, Gender: Null

Skills: [Telekinesis], [Arcane Arts], [Gusoyn's Liturgy]

Charisma: 8, Constitution: -7, Intelligence: 13,

Wisdom: 11, Dexterity: 3, Strength: -18

Item: [Compass Ouroboros]

Weapon: None

Current Quest Active, The Hollow]

It took a moment for it to fully form and it was a little glitchy, they didn't think redacted content was normal but this was just their first time. It might have been a mental barrier. Thats it. What worried them more was their physical stats- negative? They could be negative?! Why was their strength negative eighteen?! And why was their constitution also trash? Negative eight?! The bright side was their wisdom and intelligence but that only made their physical stats look all the worse! And what were these skills? Arcane arts and Gusoyn's Liturgy—what even was that? This wasn't helpful at all but it was better than not knowing. Compass Ouroboros, so that's what this strange thing is called. Still didn't help them understand it better but also a start.

They palmed it and decided to start on their third goal next before seeking out any more trouble. In this snowy forest, where the white blanket of snow hid where monsters slept, Augury would have to find bandages. There wasn't much hope. They walked down the dirt path. The thin layer of snow that sat on the ground crunched with every step they took. The trees lazily creaked with the warm northern breeze that wafted through the forest. They looked to the trees first, the pines didn't look helpful and what they guessed was oak were all barren. They guessed easily snow wouldn't be of use for a wound, but what else was there? They didn't want to take off any of their clothes since they were already freezing. They watched as the path trailed off and disappeared into the low viridian brush. They carefully pushed past the bushes; they nearly fell off the tiny cliff that appeared before them. Augury looked from the mini cliff to the massive river that was stopped in time. Augury took a couple of minutes fussing about how to get down the cliff before tumbling face-first into the riverbank. They shook the sand off their face. The drop was only a couple feet but it still stung as if it were a couple meters. Damn physical stats. They looked at the river. Huh. It looked like a painting, what they were walking through, the river stuck in motion. White frothing was at the riverbanks, and bubbles popping stopped in time, the same was said for the rapids upstream and the Ice that littered the surface. All around them. The strangest of all was that they could walk on the water. The glassy surface supported their weight easily.

They walked further onto the open area, feeling more exposed than they ever had in their life. From near the middle of the river, they could see the mountains past the tree line. They would take a picture if they had their phone, but alas all they had was a compass. They wandered to the dead center of the river. They winced from the splitting roar that cut through the silence. Oh shit, not again. They turned to backtrack and hide in the trees, but the massive, hulking monster blocked their path. When did it get behind them? They didn't have time to answer that question as they stared into its eyes for a long, queasy moment.

They blinked and the creature was gone. It looked like a giant deformed rabbit, at least as tall as a bus with a very unique skill. They whipped around to stare face-to-face with the monster. They could smell its rank breath. Its huge glazed eyes barring down on them. Its matted fur subtly rising and falling with every slow, hungry breath. They gasped as they slammed the compass into the boss's eye, taking off across the river.They took a deep breath in. Their mind was at a standstill in shock and regret. Maybe they shouldn't have followed a random broken compass to a gate hidden in the forest outside of town. Maybe they should've called the authorities before going into the gate after feeling it call to them. It felt like it whispered to Augury's soul. But that was all in the terrible past and the present was somehow worse. And the door to the dungeon was gone.

They took a deep, long breath in. This wasn't a low-ranked gate. It wasn't obvious from the outside but no one could tell a gate's rank just by looking at it—but Augury was now in an S-class dungeon. There was a massive difference between F and S classes which is evident in how their dungeons form. An F-class dungeon, which they could enter without a license, was hardly more than an imitation of its outside surroundings with small monsters. For instance, an F-class spider dungeon in an office building would look like the same office building once you stepped through the gate; there would be a couple more spiders and spider webs than before. However, if that were an S-class dungeon, then the inside would be a looming cavern with giant monsters that half-resemble spiders.

The place Augury found themselves in was by all means an S-class dungeon. The towering mountains in the distance, the expansive snowy forest they were sitting in, and the more they couldn't see just behind a large boulder, all of it was nothing like the small government-planted trees they were used to. Now was the question of how to get out, if that was even possible. They hadn't died yet so all hope didn't seem lost. It would be nice if they knew their own rank, but hindsight was 20/20 and they skipped every mandatory test and opted to go to dungeons as more of a part-time job than as a professional. If they knew their rank now they could form a plan, but for now, it was safe to assume they were F-rank. Augury looked around the snowy forest from where they could see. Nothing. Not a single lifeform monster or otherwise. They found that strange as well that the 'Mandatum' system as the media called it was nowhere to be seen. They'd seen it a few times, it appears when a dungeon is cleared as it's not controlled by the government, the government may decide rankings but this otherworldly system decided the skills.

Augury peaked around the dark pines and into the bright snowy forest but still saw nothing. There was no ambiance to speak of, even in an S-class dungeon it didn't feel that scary. Was it because it was daytime or the lack of monsters? Augury wasn't complaining. They slowly wandered deeper into the woods, they weren't dressed for this. The sweatpants and t-shirt they had on hardly warmed them, so their goal was to leave as fast as possible, they needed to find the door. They eventually came to a trail that cut through the forest. It looked well used and there was a good amount of sunlight able to filter through the snowy branches of the trees. If it wasn't for the fact this was an S-class dungeon, Augury would be enveloped in the beauty that surrounded them. They made their way down the path at a good pace.

As they reached the end of the trail and neared the massive boulder they could spot from earlier, they saw a message pop up.

[New Quest!

Escape from the Hollow.

Reward: ???]

'Finally a message from Mandatum! A quest? Why would I be given a quest now of all times? And what's with this reward?' Augury thought as they stared at the semi-transparent screen in front of them. It would be nice if they could access their status window, but that was something you were taught when registering with the government. Augury shook their head with dissatisfaction at their lack of experience. They looked up at the bolder and back to the quest. So this place was called the 'Hollow'? Was that the dungeon's name? Now that they thought about it, they had heard of Dungeon names before but never a one-word one. And what did it mean by escape? Better to get a head start than figure out the hard way.

They stared up at the towering bolder deciding whether they were meant to go over or around it. Left was the forest and right was further up the mountain, whereas the bolder was sheer and nearly three stories tall. Around it is easier, they decided. Going left, and back into the forest proper, they scanned the undisturbed snow. Augury froze as the distinct crack of a branch broke the deafening silence. They took a single glance behind them at the weird monster-bear-thingy and ran straight into the forest. Their pounding footsteps slowed by the piled snow they had to trudge through now that they were off the path. Their blood was rushing through their veins, warming their freezing body, because of the adrenaline. Their frozen desperate breaths fogged the air. They heard the strange monster gaining ground, stealing a glance to see it biting at their heels. They hissed and ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding being gutted by its sharp claws.

They looked around frantically for anything to fight with, but the only thing they had was the stupid broken compass that now only spun aimlessly. They took too long to think. The monster came crashing down, scoring their leg with its long jagged claws. The pain was more than anything Augury had ever experienced before. They wailed in pain only being given a moment to writhe until the monster slammed them into a tree. They sunk into the snow, its looming matted, mangled form standing over them. It was probably trying to see if they were dead or not, so they stayed still for what seemed like forever. Moments stretched for eternities. Augury heard the hefty footsteps stride away. They sighed in relief as they cautiously looked around, their eyes bulging as they tried desperately to see anything through the blinding snow and bulky trees. Nothing. Like it never even existed. But the paw-prints were proof of that.

They hissed in pain, if they get caught like that again, they'd be screwed. Fighting the urge to double over, they slowly picked up the compass they had absent-mindedly dropped when being attacked. They looked at the compass. It spun now without any reason which only infuriated Augury. They shook their head and ground their teeth, fighting the pain, sluggishly pulling themselves in the direction they thought was the path. Was the path even the way out? Yeah, it probably wasn't that simple, they guessed, not unless the path was covered in monsters like that bear. Augury huffed and slumped down against a tree to take a break. They had no idea how long they'd been walking but it was slowly becoming night. They needed any sort of a plan. This would be easier, even if it was trivial, if they had a skill to use. D-ranks were usually the first-rank people who had skills, small, usually useless, but a show of power to the weak. All they had was this compass. They heard a rustle behind them in the snow.

Quickly, Augury flattened down, trying to keep their profile low. They watched as a monster, one they could only equate to a moose, trudged through the trees. They held their breath. The adrenaline in their veins caused their breath to hitch. They quickly covered their mouth, watching the thing stop and glance around. Their eyes followed its movements until it vanished into the trees. A-class at least, Augury thought.

They stood. If the monsters here could appear and disappear without much sound then they would have to get out all the more fast. From where they were, they could see the edge of the large bolder through a gap in the snow-covered branches. They would use that as a landmark to guide them through the forest and hopefully back on the trail. From what they remembered it was close to the bolder. They shook the fog from their head, picked themselves up, and carefully snuck through the forest, watching the twisting shadows, hearing the faint forest ambiance, smelling the frost. They shook with every grueling step. Every twist of their shoulders shot pain through their side but they endured until they saw the gap between the trees. The path! A glimmer of freedom! Even if the path didn't lead out it was a start. They desperately stumbled through the trees. Not seeing the kick to their stomach coming. They were thrown sideways and slid over the snow, dropping the compass once again as they screamed in pain. They looked at the abomination of a deer staring down at them. Their words were incoherent as they hardly missed its crashing hoof trying to smash their skull in.

Their mind went blank as they waved their arm to cover their face, not having the energy or the thought to move away. They heard a clank and opened their eyes, the compass floating midair having slammed itself into the side of the 'deer's' face. The monster looked around confused as Augury lowered their hand. The compass lowered as well. Their blank mind erupted in thoughts as they scrambled back and hit the compass on the other side of the monster's head. In its confusion to find what was hitting it, it turned from Augury. They took the opportunity to drag themselves up and dashed to the path, fumbling the compass as they ran. The monster screeched in annoyance and rage as it rushed after them. Their heart pounded in their throat as they burst onto the path, rocketing down the dirt and snow through the last embers of the day as the abomination of a deer crashed after them. They gripped the compass they had managed to finally get ahold of, they watched the ground under their feet rumble and shake as the grotesque monster gained ground. They had a hard time keeping track of where the trail wound, they needed to hide for the night, but first, they needed to shake off this monster.

They dropped the compass, waiting a couple of seconds until they slammed it into the monster's leg as it was lifted. The monster howled like a child cries. Augury dipped just past the tree line, finding a small ditch to wedge their small, frail, frame into. Augury froze like a statue, their veins as cold as ice, their breath drying up. The deer amalgamation huffed about like a spoiled brat. It peaked through the trees, its nose flaring as it tried to catch their scent. It would vanish through the bushes on the other side of the path. The inky darkness that surrounded Augury now made their mind imagine the shadows as monsters unseen. They shivered. They needed to lay low until the day. They took a look at their wound the best they could with practically no light, and they couldn't light a campfire unless they wanted the attention of any beast higher than F-class. They say the blood, the wound wasn't fatal nor was it that deep, but there was still a lot of blood and it still hurt like a bitch. Their other side was probably mottled with bruises and minor cuts. They sank into the snow in a ball as their mind raced and they were left alone with their thoughts and a broken compass.

[Main Quest!

Escape the Hollow.

Reward: ???]

The ding woke them up. They must've fallen asleep last night but their mind felt foggy, the Mandatum rang strongly in their mind. They looked around the picturesque forest, remnants from last night's chase remained but no sign of any monsters. They stood slowly. Their wound stung but there wasn't any new blood gushing out. They looked at their other side covered in bruises that stretched down to their leg. They were alive.

They looked at the compass, intact with not a scratch on it. Augury looked at it for a long moment. They opened the palm and let it drop to the ground before catching it with their power. They were psychic? Augury stared at the floating compass, waving their hand up, the compass followed up to their hand. Magic. Magic! They could do magic! Augury smiled a wide smile as they bounced with excitement only to double over with pain. They inhaled the fresh morning breeze with renewed confidence and a plan to escape. First, they needed to find a way to open their skill window. It was vital to know their abilities before any more battles. Second, the door. This dungeon was large but there had to be a boss arena somewhere, it would either be there or show up after the boss was defeated, that was Augury's educated guess. And third, they needed something to bandage these wounds before they opened up again.

They peeked around the screen the Mandatum System was showing, trying to dig up any of their rudimentary knowledge. They huffed in frustration. There was nothing said in the media about this! If only their brother talked about being a hunter more, Augury would have listened to him. They looked at the floating window long enough for it to vanish. 'Wait!' Augury thought frantically looking around, 'come back!'. The pop-up came back in front of Augury quickly. Huh? They thought as they thought of the status screen. Nothing. What was the status screen anyway? It was described as a place for skills to go but maybe that was misleading. Augury thought of a screen with a compilation of all their magical and non-magical skills as well as themself.

[Augury Delroy - Level 6

Age: 17, Gender: Null

Skills: [Telekinesis], [Arcane Arts], [Gusoyn's Liturgy]

Charisma: 8, Constitution: -7, Intelligence: 13,

Wisdom: 11, Dexterity: 3, Strength: -18

Item: [Compass Ouroboros]

Weapon: None

Current Quest Active, The Hollow]

It took a moment for it to fully form and it was a little glitchy, they didn't think redacted content was normal but this was just their first time. It might have been a mental barrier. Thats it. What worried them more was their physical stats- negative? They could be negative?! Why was their strength negative eighteen?! And why was their constitution also trash? Negative eight?! The bright side was their wisdom and intelligence but that only made their physical stats look all the worse! And what were these skills? Arcane arts and Gusoyn's Liturgy—what even was that? This wasn't helpful at all but it was better than not knowing. Compass Ouroboros, so that's what this strange thing is called. Still didn't help them understand it better but also a start.

They palmed it and decided to start on their third goal next before seeking out any more trouble. In this snowy forest, where the white blanket of snow hid where monsters slept, Augury would have to find bandages. There wasn't much hope. They walked down the dirt path. The thin layer of snow that sat on the ground crunched with every step they took. The trees lazily creaked with the warm northern breeze that wafted through the forest. They looked to the trees first, the pines didn't look helpful and what they guessed was oak were all barren. They guessed easily snow wouldn't be of use for a wound, but what else was there? They didn't want to take off any of their clothes since they were already freezing. They watched as the path trailed off and disappeared into the low viridian brush. They carefully pushed past the bushes; they nearly fell off the tiny cliff that appeared before them. Augury looked from the mini cliff to the massive river that was stopped in time. Augury took a couple of minutes fussing about how to get down the cliff before tumbling face-first into the riverbank. They shook the sand off their face. The drop was only a couple feet but it still stung as if it were a couple meters. Damn physical stats. They looked at the river. Huh. It looked like a painting, what they were walking through, the river stuck in motion. White frothing was at the riverbanks, and bubbles popping stopped in time, the same was said for the rapids upstream and the Ice that littered the surface. All around them. The strangest of all was that they could walk on the water. The glassy surface supported their weight easily.

They walked further onto the open area, feeling more exposed than they ever had in their life. From near the middle of the river, they could see the mountains past the tree line. They would take a picture if they had their phone, but alas all they had was a compass. They wandered to the dead center of the river. They winced from the splitting roar that cut through the silence. Oh shit, not again. They turned to backtrack and hide in the trees, but the massive, hulking monster blocked their path. When did it get behind them? They didn't have time to answer that question as they stared into its eyes for a long, queasy moment.

They blinked and the creature was gone. It looked like a giant deformed rabbit, at least as tall as a bus with a very unique skill. They whipped around to stare face-to-face with the monster. They could smell its rank breath. Its huge glazed eyes barring down on them. Its matted fur subtly rising and falling with every slow, hungry breath. They gasped as they slammed the compass into the boss's eye, taking off across the river.