Combat Protocol

Ares didn’t breathe.The scraping sound echoed softly, shifting in intervals. Something was moving nearby. Watching.
"I can’t see it. But it can see me."
System: [ALERT—THREAT LEVEL ASSESSMENT IN PROGRESS.][ACTIVATING COMBAT PROTOCOL…]
His vision flickered. For a brief second, everything sharpened. His hearing became hypersensitive—picking up the faintest shift in the air, the subtle movements of his own body. Adrenaline flooded his system. His heart pounded, but his mind felt unnaturally clear.
Ares barely had time to process it before—
Skrrrrk.
A gust of air. Something lunged.He reacted purely on instinct. Ducked.
Something whipped past his head, skimming his hair. A rush of movement, then impact—stone cracked where it struck.
Ares scrambled backward, his hands scraping against the rocky floor. Too fast. Too close.
System: [WARNING—THREAT IMMINENT.] [PROCESSING ENVIRONMENTAL DATA…]
The flickering interface struggled, glitching between unreadable warnings. Whatever the system was trying to do—it wasn’t fully functioning.He didn’t have time to wait.
His breathing steadied. Think. What do I know?
The creature attacked with precision. It wasn’t blindly flailing. It knew where he was. How?
Ares clenched his jaw. Sound. Vibrations.It’s hunting me like a cave predator.Another scrape. It was circling him now.Ares’ mind raced.
No weapon. No light. No plan.