Echoed Lands

It's time to flee, Colm thought, as he sent a mental command for his phantoms to charge the beast. Colm followed closely behind, feigning an advance of his own to bolster their attack. As the Phantom Spearman reached the creature, it lunged forward with a fierce thrust, its spear aimed precisely at the beast's torso. The Phantom Warrior was right behind, following up with a mighty swing.

But the beast barely acknowledged the assault; with a swift leap backward, it evaded both strikes effortlessly. Letting out a guttural roar, it seemed to mock their futile attempt, its eyes glinting with a feral, taunting intelligence.

Colm gulped. "This is going to be tough. It's faster than me, stronger than me—and my phantoms aren't enough. I need to join the fray." He directed his phantoms to circle around, but the beast barely glanced at them, its gaze cold and dismissive, as if daring Colm to make a move.

Colm moved in cautiously, closing the distance with his two phantoms to form a loose triangle around the creature. Together, they all stepped forward in unison, attempting to close in and overwhelm it. But the beast did nothing. It stood there, watching, almost as if waiting to see if its prey would prove worthy of a fight.

The Phantom Spearman reached the beast first, driving its spear forward in a powerful thrust. The beast dodged the strike with ease, and as Colm followed up, he thought he caught a glint of mockery in its eyes. With a single swipe of its massive claws, the beast shattered Colm's wooden spear, snapping it in two.

Before Colm could fully grasp what had happened, the Phantom Warrior lunged in, swinging its sword toward the beast's extended claw. The beast retracted its arm with astonishing speed, but not fast enough to avoid the blade's edge—it grazed the beast's forearm, drawing a shallow cut.

The beast roared, its fury ignited by the mere fact of being wounded. With shocking speed, it pounced on the Phantom Warrior, sinking its massive fangs into the spectral form.

Your Phantom Warrior has been destroyed.

Colm dismissed the notification with a quick glance, panting. "Now's my chance," he muttered, sprinting toward the path he'd noted mentally earlier. Seizing the brief opening to escape, he summoned his Phantom Warrior once more to cover his retreat while the Spearman trailed close by his side, ready for anything.

The creature, satisfied with destroying the warrior, looked enraged as the phantom reappeared, defiant once more. At that moment, Colm directed his Phantom Warrior to hover at the edge of the abilities range, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the beast while using the phantom to taunt it.

"This should buy me some time," Colm muttered through shallow breaths, sprinting as fast as he could. His goal was simple: escape, regroup, and return stronger.

It was a desperate, chaotic dance. Colm ran with everything he had, the Spearman flanking him to cover any slip-ups while the Phantom Warrior distracted the relentless creature trailing behind. Forced to keep up with Colm's pace, the warrior couldn't maintain a solid combat stance, and time after time, the panther-like beast landed swipes the phantom couldn't dodge or parry.

Colm lost count of how many times the notification flashed—Your Phantom Warrior has been destroyed—only for him to re-summon it instantly. Each attempt drained his mana further but bought him just enough time to keep running. The frantic cycle continued, a dizzying rhythm of sprinting, re-summoning, and evading, all while Colm worried his mana regeneration couldn't keep up with the relentless pace. Desperately, he fought to stay one step ahead of the creature, hoping against hope to lose it finally.

"I didn't know I could run this fast for this long," Colm panted as the chase continued. "If I weren't running for my life, I'd almost be impressed." Somehow, he found humor in the absurdity of it all. "Will this beast ever stop? It feels like it's just toying with me now. I swear it has a personal vendetta against my Phantom Warrior—it's killed it so many times I've lost count."

I can't keep this up forever, he thought, his mind racing. Eventually, I'm going to slip up or run out of options. I need to turn the tide and buy myself some breathing room. He pushed forward, weaving through a dense thicket of trees, hoping to gain even the slightest advantage.

As Colm pushed through the brush, he caught sight of a unique patch of terrain off to the right—a natural choke point where twisted trees wrapped around the stone. "This might be the best opportunity I'll get," he muttered, veering toward it.

Your Phantom Warrior has been destroyed.

"Damn it," he hissed through gritted teeth, but he kept his pace, re-summoning the Phantom Warrior as he sprinted toward the rocky terrain. Reaching the narrow passage, he squeezed through the tight space, barely allowing him to fit. As he shimmied forward, he directed his Warrior and Spearman to stand guard at the entrance, buying him precious seconds to move further in.

Your Phantom Warrior has been destroyed.

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Your Phantom Spearman has been destroyed.

"Hopefully, I'm safe in here," he whispered, his breath ragged as he pressed through the narrow gap, his heart pounding as he strained to listen for the creature. He could barely turn his head, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a menacing, gleaming eye fixed on him through the narrow passage, followed by a furious, guttural roar that echoed off the stone walls.

"Good thing I'm not claustrophobic," he chuckled weakly. "Looks like I might be in here for a while."

As Colm shimmied forward through the crevice, he heard the creature behind him swiping, scraping, and thrashing against the stones wedged among the twisted trees. For the first time, a sense of calm washed over him, and he allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. I don't think it can reach me. I'm safe for now. He let out a long exhale he hadn't realized he was holding, his shoulders slumping despite the jagged stone pressing against him from all sides.

With a steadying breath, he pulled up his status screen and assess the toll this relentless chase had taken on him.

Health: 432 / 520

Mana: 128 / 290

Fortunately, the beast never landed a solid hit on me—it was too focused on my Phantom Warrior. Still, I'm under half mana. That was cutting it close, he thought, continuing his mental assessment. Most of the time, my warrior held out just long enough for my mana to regenerate. He made a mental note to test his exact regeneration rate later.

Satisfied with his quick check, he closed his status screen and considered his next move. Colm craned his neck again, and he caught sight of the creature furiously swiping into the crevice, its claws scraping against the stone just out of reach. He couldn't help but smirk, a slight sense of satisfaction settling over him. He'd outwitted the relentless beast, at least for now.

"You were relentless, you bastard," he muttered. "The only way you're getting me now is if you magically teleport in here—or pull something like the Stone Gnawer." He chuckled under his breath. "Lucky for me, you seem a bit too focused on brute force over magic."

Wait, Colm thought. Teleporting on top of me? Could I do that with my phantoms? I've only ever summoned them next to me. Quickly, he pulled up the descriptions of his abilities:

Active Ability: Phantom Warrior (Level 7)

Mana: 25
Summon a single spectral warrior to aid you in combat, engaging enemies in close-range melee attacks with powerful, precise strikes. Only one Phantom Warrior can be summoned at a time; attempting to summon another will replace the current warrior.

Active Ability: Phantom Spearman (Level 6)
Mana: 25
Summon a single spectral spearman to aid you in combat, who wields a long spear and is effective for keeping enemies at a distance. The Spearman delivers powerful thrusts that can push back enemies, making it useful for maintaining control over the battlefield. Only one Phantom Spearman can be summoned at a time; attempting to summon another will replace the current spearman.

It doesn't specify a set summoning distance, Colm realized. I know I can control them within about 80 feet—but maybe I can summon them right on top of this thing.

Colm's mind raced. If I can summon one directly above the creature, it might give me the edge I need. With enough mana for five summons, this could be my chance.

He steadied himself, gathering his focus while the creature continued to thrash outside the crevice. Calm and calculated, he reminded himself. Taking a slow breath, he twisted as much as the narrow space allowed, just enough to get a line of sight on the beast.

Focusing on the space above the creature, Colm activated his Phantom Warrior ability. He watched as the spectral warrior faded into existence directly above the beast. Trusting his warrior to engage on its own, Colm quickly shifted his focus to the ground beneath the creature and summoned his Phantom Spearman.

As the Spearman's form materialized, the Phantom Warrior completed its fall, plunging down onto the creature's back with its sword outstretched. The blade pierced the beast's spine, cutting clean through its thick hide. The panther-like creature let out a furious, pained roar, thrashing wildly to dislodge the warrior from its back.

At that precise moment, the Spearman fully appeared, driving a powerful thrust into the creature's gut. The impact forced the beast to stumble, momentarily shifting its attention to the new threat. With a swift, enraged swipe of its razor-sharp claws, it tore through the Spearman, dissipating it instantly.

Your Phantom Spearman has been destroyed.

As the spearman vanished, the beast turned its attention back towards the warrior. Colm acted quickly, resummoning the spearman behind it. With a mental command, he directed it to target the creature's legs. "We might not kill it outright," he muttered, "but we can still slow it down, maybe even cripple it."

The beast thrashed violently, desperate to shake the warrior off its back, but the phantom held firm, twisting the spectral blade deeper into its flesh, drawing a furious roar. Meanwhile, the newly summoned spearman advanced, slipping into position for a precise strike at the beast's left hind leg. With a swift thrust, the spear pierced through muscle and bone, and the creature bellowed in agony as it stumbled, collapsing under its own weight.

The warrior leaped from the beast's back just as the spearman drove in for another blow. The beast swiped sluggishly at the phantoms, but its claws missed, slicing only through the air. The two phantoms moved in unison, their weapons striking down on the creature's outstretched paw, severing it completely.

A primal, furious roar erupted from the beast, the force of its anger so intense that Colm felt briefly disoriented. Before he could gather himself, a notification flashed across his vision.

Your Phantom Warrior has been destroyed.

Your Phantom Spearman has been destroyed.

As Colm gritted his teeth. He had enough mana for just two more summons, and then he'd be spent. As he weighed his next move, the beast's enraged eyes locked onto him, its body trembling as it struggled to stand up on its mangled limbs, blood seeping from the wounds left by the phantoms.

"You should've taken me out when you had the chance," Colm taunted. The creature snarled, baring its fierce fangs, radiating an unyielding will to fight. Its brute strength and savage determination were undeniable. By sheer luck alone, Colm had survived this long, dodging and hiding, even wedging himself into a narrow crevice when to survive.

"Your mistake was trying to toy with me," he continued. "It gave me time to learn more about my abilities. This ends now."