The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 100 - The Uncatchable Tave

Almost every single one of the monsters hissed, their eyes locked onto Tave and Panpan, who stood right at the center of it all. There was no way out. Every possible exit was nearly sealed off, the creatures creeping in from every direction.

Worse still... these weren’t just any monsters. These were tier five. No, it was even worse than that. These monsters could charge. Blindingly fast. They could cover ground in fractions of a second and pounce without warning. Practically speaking, a single wrong move from either of them meant death.

Yes, death. It was that serious!

"Tave, we’ll get through this together," Panpan whispered. "Just tell me what needs to be done. I trust you."

There was no way Tave and Panpan could fight back. Maybe they could handle one of them. But this... this was a dozen of them, at least.

These monsters weren’t just fast. They were brilliant at blending in. Nearly invisible until they struck. And they weren’t stupid either. They surrounded their prey patiently, waiting until every route of escape had been choked off.

Their speed? Explosive, short bursts of sheer velocity, enough to blur through the air, but only for a few meters.

Tave reached out and gently took Panpan’s left hand, the touch quiet but full of urgency. He tried to pass on everything he could, any plan, any signal. Without saying a word. And it was clear Panpan understood. Her calm stance, her refusal to make even a slightly reckless move, showed it all.

Her instincts as a hunter were sharp, unshakable. The only reason they’d been overwhelmed like this was because their enemies were in a completely different league. Every single creature closing in on them now was a harbinger of death.

And then... Tave’s instincts screamed. Loud and wild, echoing in every fiber of his body!

All at once, the monsters lunged. Every single one of them. From the ground, from above, leaping, charging, rushing in like death incarnate.

Tave clenched Panpan’s hand tighter.

It happened so fast, a blur of fangs and claws and hissing breath. Death was hurtling toward them, unstoppable and savage.

Anyone, anyone, in this situation would panic. Staying calm? Impossible. Madness. This was death! Death itself, stretching out its arms, ready to pull them under.

But still. They had to stay still. Completely still. One wrong move meant instant death.

Tave’s grip didn’t loosen. He silently begged Panpan to trust him, to hold steady just a little longer, to believe in his decision. Because right then, at the same heartbeat, both of their stealth skills activated. The magic cloaked their presence, a veil as thin as air and just as vital.

The monsters closed in, closer, seconds from impact.

Panpan closed her eyes, and Tave could feel it, as if their breath had synchronized in a final moment of silent surrender.

And then. Tick tick tick. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions erupted in the distance. Bursts of fire and smoke tore through the air in scattered locations, far ahead, to the right, behind them. Rocks blasted into the sky, earth scorched.

The monsters stumbled. Their charge faltered. Some slammed straight into each other, snarling and shrieking in confused rage. Others hissed and stumbled, their formation shattered by panic.

Tick tick tick. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Another wave of explosions, this time closer, surrounding the area in a storm of chaos. Flames licked the ground, shockwaves rippled through the terrain, and the monsters were thrown into disarray, running, lunging in wrong directions, colliding wildly, breaking their own rhythm.

It was working.

These monsters could move at frightening speeds. But it was a predictable kind of speed. Their instincts always led them to corner, overwhelm, and crush their prey in coordinated waves.

And that predictability? It was a weakness that could be exploited.

They had poor vision, relying far more on vibrations and movement to hunt. Their bodies were built for sudden, explosive bursts But not for endurance. Every lunge and charge drained them. And they didn’t attack proactively. They struck in reaction to motion, to sound, to anything that triggered their senses.

Fang had done his job perfectly. The explosives were scattered in just the right places, creating pockets of chaos and confusion. And now, now, as the monsters reeled from the end of their charge, panting and disoriented, trying to recover their strength...

Tave moved. Swift and certain.

He sprinted forward, and Panpan followed without hesitation. She didn’t question his lead, didn’t falter for even a breath.

As they darted past one of the stunned creatures, they saw its body twitch in response, trying to react. But it was too slow. Tave and Panpan were already gone, their pace unmatched.

Run. Run. Run.

That was all they could do now. No fight. No tricks. Just run. Let the shadows swallow them, let the darkness hide them from death’s grasp.

And though it was clear now, when they ran side by side, that Panpan was the faster of the two, she never left him behind. Her movements were fluid, silent. Every step she took was precise and quiet, her agility blending seamlessly with stealth.

Tave could feel it. The flicker of a shadow slipping past them in the dark. Fang. He was already ahead, weaving through the chaos, scouting a way out for them without a single word.

There was no need for speech now. Only movement. Only silence. They ran, swift and soundless, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the monsters left behind.

Tave had acquired these escape skills for a reason. Ever since he succeeded in performing a bloodline override with the shadow wolf, every step he took felt more in sync with the darkness. The blood of a hunter flowed in him now.

The night, the silence, the hidden corners of the world. They weren’t just familiar anymore. They were home.

Still, none of that dimmed his respect for Panpan. Not even for a second.

She had adapted to the dark like she was born to them. Her movements were so precise, so clean, that he found himself admiring her all over again. Underneath that cheerful, warm surface, so considerate, so effortlessly kind to everyone around her, was a predator of incredible skill. A true hunter. Silent. Deadly. Unshakable.

They were hunters by nature. And now, they were the hunted. But together? They were perfect.

They reached a rocky area at last, leaping over outcrops and weaving through trees that were now spaced farther apart. A cluster of massive stone formations stood off to one side, and there, finally, Fang came to a stop.

Tave and Panpan halted too.

Only now, in the sudden stillness, did the exhaustion catch up with him. Tave dropped to the ground and sat, breath ragged, muscles trembling.

Panpan sat across from him, just as breathless. Both of them were panting, their chests rising and falling rapidly. Sweat streamed down Tave’s body, soaking into his clothes. The silence between them was filled only with the sound of their breathing, sharp and heavy.

They stared at each other. Faces flushed, lungs burning, and then, almost at the same time, their expressions broke. A grin. A chuckle. A laugh.

They laughed. Both of them. Without needing to say a word, their laughter said it all. It was the laughter of survivors. The laughter of people who had outrun death itself.

And then, leaning forward, their foreheads touched gently.

"Tave... thanks for the deadly experience," she finally said, still catching her breath.

"Yes... I was honestly terrified. Good thing I didn’t piss myself."

"What?" Panpan gasped, then burst into laughter again. "I almost forgot this was an emergency rift. I thought all the deadly stuff just started happening because I was with you."

"Of course it’s because you’re with me," he replied dryly. "If you’d stayed with the others, none of this would’ve happened."

She giggled in response. "But... would you have survived if I wasn’t here with you, Tave?" she asked, her gaze locking onto his in the dimness.

They were cloaked in shadow, hidden from the world. But Tave’s eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness. He could still see her face, her smile, even after everything they’d just escaped.

"Thanks for trusting my decision," he said instead of answering her question. "If you’d moved even a little earlier..."

He trailed off and shook his head.

Panpan only giggled in response. "No... I froze because I was terrified."

"So it wasn’t because you trusted my decision?" Tave raised an eyebrow, smirking.

She laughed softly, still catching her breath. "No... who do you think you are? You think you know everything?"

Tave chuckled too. "Come on. Now you have to praise me. Boost my ego a little! You did say you’d follow whatever I told you, didn’t you?"

"Oh? I don’t recall saying that. Maybe you were just hallucinating?" she replied with a soft laugh, clearly enjoying the moment as much as he was.

It was a laugh full of pure relief. A laugh that came from somewhere deep inside, where the fear had finally let go.

This whole time in this world, Tave felt like all he ever did was escape. One close call after another, always slipping just out of reach from whatever horror came for him.

At this point, he figured he deserved some kind of honorary title. Something bold, something fitting.

Master of Escape? The Shadowrunner? Survivor Supreme? Maybe even The Uncatchable Tave?

Too bad this world didn’t hand out titles for that kind of achievement. No recognition for dodging death. No reward for simply staying alive.

A little disappointing, honestly.

"You really are the Master of Escape, Tave," Panpan said with a teasing smile.

"Really? I kinda like The Uncatchable Tave better. What do you think?"

She let out a small laugh. "Why not go with Survivor Supreme instead?"