Powerful

Alex swallowed and remained locked in place, not daring to make a noise. A rippling purple portal sprang open before the City-Eater Centipede, which swam into it. The portal snapped shut behind the monster, leaving the sky empty once more.

City-Eater seems like an apt name. Holy shit. Where the hell did Teddy send me? There's absolutely no way I'm supposed to be here.

A moment later, a second thought struck him.

If a bug can get that powerful in this world… then I can too.

A flicker of excitement swirled in his stomach, but Alex crushed it. He couldn't afford to start fantasizing about the future yet. That could be something he'd worry about once he managed to find a way out of the Mirrorlands — assuming such a thing was actually possible. The idea of being stuck here for the rest of his life sent a spike of ice down Alex's spine.

He shook his head. There was no reason to panic. Panic wasn't going to help him. What he needed was a plan. And, for a plan, he was going to need information. Alex glanced left and right to check for monsters, then crept out into the street with Glint in his wake.

They kept to the shadows of the buildings, moving slowly but confidently. Alex did his best to stay out from under the sky. Flickers of purple occasionally flashed as other centipedes, not quite as large as the first but still far bigger than a building, swam above him.

Alex couldn't shake how eerily silent everything was. Even though there were monsters larger than city blocks above him, their arrivals and departures through the purple portals didn't make a single noise. The only noise in the city seemed to be him.

His only saving grace was that it didn't seem like they were all that concerned with the city below them — but that was a theory he had absolutely no desire to test. Alex continued along the streets, scanning them for literally anything he could use.

 He wasn't sure what that would actually be. A flashing neon 'exit' sign certainly wouldn't have gone amiss, but he was more than willing to settle for just a clue as to where he could go.

The back of Alex's spine prickled. He couldn't place quite what it was, but something felt off. That sentiment should have been laughable considering literally everything was off, but he couldn't shake it.

Alex pressed himself against the twisted wall of the building beside him as he tried to figure out what was nipping at his subconscious. He re-scanned the street, adrenaline pumping in his veins and causing his heart to beat so loudly that he feared the City-Eater Centipedes might hear it.

Am I just deluding myself? I don't see —

There was a flicker of movement across the street. Alex's eyes snapped over to the window of a building just a short way in front of him and his breath caught in his chest. Within the darkness behind the glass were two yellowed eyes — and they were staring right at him.

The eyes vanished from the window. Alex tensed and Glint flexed his claws, ready to jump into battle at a moment's notice. He couldn't help but notice that there hadn't been any sort of identification as to what the creature within the house was.

Maybe spotting the eyes isn't enough to actually reveal it and I need to see a certain amount of the monster's body or something like that?

It was a moot point. The pressing matter was twofold. First, there was a monster that had spotted him. It was small enough to fit into a house, which was good. That led to the second part of the problem. If he got into a fight in the middle of the street, it wasn't going to be quiet.

I need to kill it without making any noise or somehow bring the fight somewhere where nothing can overhear us.

Alex's fingers twitched as his mind raced, but his opponent made their move before he did. The door to the building swung open. He couldn't make out anything in the darkness beyond, but it was a clear invitation.

It's intelligent. Does it also want to avoid the street? It wouldn't surprise me if monsters ate other monsters. Maybe it wants this fight to be just as quiet as I do. Well, I can oblige. If something wants to challenge me and is scared of the other monsters, then we're likely to be at least a bit closer in strength — and I'm not backing down from a challenge.

The idea of continuing on without investigating the house didn't so much as pass his mind. Leaving a monster behind that knew of his presence was the same as leaving his back wide open and painting a target on it. It was better to take the fight when he knew the general area from where his opponent would strike.

"Glint, you first," Alex whispered. "Prioritize surviving and scope out what we're up against. If it attacks or makes any aggressive moves, do your best to avoid the attack and then go for the kill. If it does look like they're going to kill you, make sure you die in front of the doorway or where I can see it."

Glint crossed the street and Alex followed after his monster, only pausing to scoop a rock off the ground. He wasn't going to be very useful until Glint was dead, but he got the feeling nothing would enjoy getting pelted with a stone.

They reached the opened door and Alex hung back, letting Glint take the lead and leaving enough space for himself to reposition or flee if he had to. He didn't know what he was up against. And, until he did, he couldn't let himself overcommit. Alex's grip tightened around the rock and he raised his hand, preparing to throw it at a moment's notice.

Glint stepped into the darkness. The spined monster managed two whole steps before it spun to the right and lunged, letting out a grating snarl. He vanished from view for a brief instant before there was a loud thunk. Glint went flying back past the doorway and disappeared into the darkness on the far side.

///Author's Note///

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