The subterranean drainage passage trembled as three predatory mouth-seams tore through the surrounding bedrock in savage pursuit.
Rumi sprinted along the flume, her lynx tail flicking with sharp focus as acoustic shrieks bounced between the rock surfaces.
Serrated coral teeth snapped violently in her wake, chewing through ancient foundation blocks and spraying jagged chips across her path.
"Three hungry beasts on my tail, and not a single one knows how to navigate an exit," she laughed between breathless strides.
"You followed my scent down a dead-end corridor, thinking speed was the only rule that mattered in this mountain!"
The leading predator lunged forward with blinding swiftness, opening its gaping seam to swallow the spatial runner whole.
Rumi kicked off the vertical cliff face, twisting her slender body in midair to slide gracefully beneath the snapping coral jaws.
"Too slow on the snap!" she taunted, landing in a sprint and channeling crimson mana into her heels.
