If it was from afar, he would have thought the rockslide to be a small one. But up close, it seemed like a hurricane. The rocks were large and heavy, and as the first one landed on him, his Kinetic Absorption ability from the suit absorbing seventy percent while thirty percent impacted him greatly, Tatehan turned into a maniac, stretching his speed to the limit.
Cosmic speed!
With an insane burst of speed, Tatehan used his gravity manipulation powers to deflect the remaining rocks, making them bounce off the walls and hit the ground.
Phew!
But then, he had created another problem. The rocks hitting the walls and bouncing off triggered more rocks to start falling down.
Tatehan looked at the scene, his face a grimace of disbelief.
"Shit!" he shouted as he broke into a run. A mad, ferocious run. He unsummoned the rock sword immediately, sending it back to his inventory with the speed of light.
Right now, he had to save his life.
The rocks fell like drumsticks on a drum, doing so with loud thuds that seemed to fracture the ground. Tatehan paid no deep attention to that. He only glanced back once and never again, because right now it seemed like the entire canyon was collapsing, and all that mattered to him at this point was his life.
In the middle of the run, he had the thought that the spaceship hadn't even given him a map before he left.
He had just been sent on a mission like that—to risk his life without an actual map that would make it easier for him. The reason he had this thought at such a deadly moment was that the canyon was collapsing. The collapse wouldn't affect it permanently, though, as Tatehan couldn't imagine how many times the rocks had collapsed before. They would fall and the canyon would still be there.
With a map, he could have avoided some paths and, in a dangerous time like this, known shortcuts to escape. Or avoided this situation in the first place.
But then, he wouldn't blame the spaceship's AI. It must have been as clueless as he was about a detailed map. It did try, though, it told him the specific places to go and what he would encounter. The only place it seemed to falter was with the bruteneck region, telling him he'd face minimal threats.
Tatehan ran like a maniac, his breathing controlled, his heartbeat still beating more slowly than it should be at this moment.
If he breathed with too much effort, he might suffocate or just collapse on the ground right here. Also, it would make him exhausted after the run.
Tatehan avoided the walls, or at least he tried to, staying ahead of the falling rocks. Soon, after three full minutes...
Three crazy full minutes!
...of running like a madman, he arrived at a junction.
A junction?
A junction because it was a place that led to other places. It branched out into many narrow paths that would probably lead out of here.
Tatehan looked back at the path he had come from. It was now littered with rocks. Rocks that had collapsed and completely blocked the entrance, so there was no possibility of going back and finding another way.
He now stared at what was in front of him. So the canyon was some sort of maze?
Tatehan cocked his neck to the side as he examined the walls. He needed to find a way out, but first he'd do so by checking for the right path.
The paths ought to be six in number, but the one he had just run from was already blocked.
He examined the walls closely, and squinting his eyes, he could see markings of large claws, two sets, actually. Tatehan felt himself blink in surprise.
Sharp claws...
Damn!
This was a clear sign that he had to get out of here fast. He needed out now.
He looked at the five remaining paths and felt confused. Which should he choose?
He scratched the back of his helmet and decided to scan the paths, hoping his system would be useful this time. He looked at all the paths and focused hard, then he saw words appear in front of his eyes:
[Analyzing paths...]
Tatehan waited for a few seconds, his breathing steady despite the urgency.
[Analysis complete]
[Path 1: Unstable - High collapse risk]
[Path 2: Blocked 200 meters ahead]
[Path 3: Leads north - Exits to riverbed system]
[Path 4: Circular - Returns to starting point] [Path 5: Unknown - No data]
Path one was clearly a death sentence so going through that did not cross his mind at all. Path two was a death sentence, without his system, he might have followed it thinking it led to an exit only to meet a blocked end after 200 meters
Tatehan's eyes locked on Path 3.
North. Riverbed system. That was exactly where he needed to go. There was no point accessing the others.
Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint toward the third passage. The path was narrow, forcing him to turn sideways in places, but it was stable. No rocks fell and no ominous cracks appeared.
He moved quickly, his armor scraping against the stone walls as he squeezed through tight sections. Minutes passed. Five. Ten. The passage began to widen gradually.
And then, finally, he saw it.
Light.
Real light, not the dim filtered glow from above, but actual open sky.
Tatehan pushed forward, and suddenly the walls fell away completely. He stumbled out of the canyon entrance, gasping, and found himself standing at the edge of a vast, dried riverbed.
The ground was cracked earth, stretching out in a wide, flat expanse. Ancient channels carved deep into the surface showed where water had once flowed freely across Mars. Now it was just dust and stone.
And scattered across the dried riverbed, gleaming white in the Martian sun, were bones.
Lots of bones.
Tatehan quickly summoned his sword, his grip tightening on it as he scanned the area.
He had made it through the canyon.
Now came the next part of the journey.