The bone-chilling cold of the morning mist still hung at the cave mouth when Leo scrambled out, gasping, his clothes tattered and covered in drying mud. His breath formed small white clouds in the air.
Tucked behind his torn collar, something small and scaly trembled violently on his back. Drake. The mighty S-Rank dragon was now no bigger than the cabe slug he'd eaten, his tiny body almost invisible behind the coarse fabric. Behind them, from the cave's darkness, the growls and scrabbling of the E-Rank monster that had nearly devoured them moments before still echoed. They owed their escape to Drake's final aura blast – a mere scare tactic, not lethal – which had completely drained his remaining power, shrinking him to this state.
"Run! Don't stop!" Drake hissed, his voice barely audible, more like a terrified squeak than a dragon's roar. Leo could only nod weakly, his face pale with fresh blood streaked across his cheek. He had almost become the meal of that iron-furred cave wolf. Only Drake's desperate shriek, utilizing the last vestiges of his terrifying aura – remnants of his identity as an S-Rank dragon – had made the monster hesitate for a crucial moment. Long enough for Leo to grab his broken shortsword and stab the monster in the eye.
That, combined with the shock of seeing their prey suddenly emit a terrifying aura moments before its source drastically shrank, had given them a narrow chance to escape.
They ran blindly, Leo carrying the trembling little burden on his back. The wilderness gradually thinned into sparse shrubs, then opened into vast grasslands stretching as far as the eye could see. The sun was high when Leo saw it, an outline on the horizon. Civilization.
"That's Nexus..."
"A city..." Leo murmured, his voice hoarse, eyes shining with fragile hope. "Nexus? Is that...?"
"Careful," Drake whispered from his hiding place, his voice weak but wary. "What we're approaching... isn't the main gate." He was right. Tall fortifications loomed majestically in the distance, promising protection. But their path had led them to the outskirts. And the outskirts of Nexus City were not a friendly place.
The hope in Leo's eyes quickly faded, replaced by fresh horror. Buildings made of rotting wood and scrap metal crowded chaotically. Narrow, muddy streets were filled with stagnant, murky puddles and rotting garbage. An acrid cocktail of feces, waste, and decay assaulted their senses instantly.
This was the Slums. The dark heart of Nexus. A place for the discarded and the desperate.
"Drake..." Leo whispered, his steps faltering, his hand reflexively covering the small bulge on his back. His eyes scanned the shadows moving behind broken windows. "This... is terrifying."
"Keep moving," Drake hissed, his tiny body pressing against Leo's back, trying to scan for danger with his still-sharp ancient instincts, though his body was powerless. "Trust no one. I... I can't do much now." His voice was full of bitterness and a vulnerability Leo never imagined he'd hear from the dragon.
They navigated a narrow alley. Leo's ragged appearance and wild gaze immediately drew the wrong kind of attention. Suspicious and hostile stares followed them. Dirty children with empty eyes stopped playing. Adults peered from behind ripped tarps.
Suddenly, three figures blocked the way. Larger, more brutish. Their clothes were also ragged, remnants of uniforms, wielding primitive weapons: rusty iron bars, blunt knives, and a heavy club held with practiced menace.
Slums Thugs. Rank F+.
"Who are you?" growled the one in front, his face scarred, eyes small like a rat's. His gaze swept over Leo and stopped at his worn bag. "First time here? Looks like you brought tribute for us, huh?"
Leo stepped back, his hand trembling as it reached for the hilt of his broken shortsword, while his other hand shielded his back. "I... I'm just passing through," he said, his voice shaking. He could feel Drake shrinking smaller, trying to hide completely.
"Just 'passin' through'?" The lead thug laughed harshly, echoed by his companions. "In the Nexus Slums, nobody 'just passes through'. Pay the toll. Or..." His eyes narrowed, full of threat. "...leave everything. Your life too, if necessary."
The club swung lazily, and a knife blade was licked. The oppressive aura of their F+ Rank violence pressed down on Leo. He could feel the small heart against his back pounding frantically like a trapped bird.
Drake felt Leo's piercing fear. His ancient instincts raged. He had to protect his master. Though initially furious and distrustful of the human who had tamed him, facing death in the cave had slowly opened him up. Besides, the bond forged between them had a tangible impact.
Now, his only weapon was fear itself. Summoning all his will and the last shreds of his S-Rank spirit trapped in this tiny body, he tried to project a shadow of his terrifying aura.
"Go away."
The word came out as a hoarse whisper, almost drowned by the thugs' jeers. No deathly echo, no trembling earth. Just a weak, small voice.
The effect? Almost nil. The lead thug frowned, confused. "What was that? A rat?" He looked around Leo's feet, searching for the sound. The other thugs laughed mockingly.
"Kill the damn vagrant!" roared the lead thug, his face reddening at being mocked. Clubs and iron bars were swung. Knives were raised.
Leo yelled, jumping back, then twisting his body to shield his back. He could feel Drake's tiny form trembling with terror. The snare of the Nexus slums tightened cruelly. Drake, the mighty dragon, could now only hide and hope his human master and caretaker, this F-Rank boy, could find a way out of the rapidly approaching death.
Running wasn't an option. They were surrounded. A grossly uneven battle between one weak youth and a lizard-sized dragon against three bloodthirsty F+ Rank thugs had just begun.