“Up,” Seep croaked, because he was not socializing with stone golems of all things, and ceraintly not today. “The exit was up.”

The first step the golem took sent an impact so loud that it reverberated through Seep’s bones. The ground cracked beneath the force, and the golem’s attempt to stand up made it feel like the very earth beneath him was on the verge of collapsing. Seep leaped down the golem’s leg but nearly stumbled when chunks of stone and rock snapped against his hooves.

“Nope,” Seep said as he began to slide down the arms, legs, or back—he wasn’t even sure what part of the stone golem he was on. There were multiple golems, and when he glanced up, his lantern’s light caught the sight of more than one face made of stone. Sliding down felt far more daring and dangerous than it actually was, but his hooves refused to catch on any crevices or gaps. He couldn’t get a good grip on the wet moss or the slippery stones.

“Nope,” Seep said again, shivering as he pulled his muscles tight. A stone foreleg of the giant swung past him, and he leaped with a muffled curse. “Fuck,” he spat, galloping further down the crooked edge of the leg. He was almost there—almost out of time but not out of practice. He had leaped over higher fences in several chases. This one he could take, proper and all. There was no wood here to cut his forelocks open this time around.

Seep jumped.

The clatter of hooves on moving stone sent another bone-rattling shockwave through his still-sensitive skull. His hooves skidded on loose gravel as his hind legs hit the second giant. This one was halfway to standing up. He rounded its arm as if rounding a sharp corner, nearly losing his balance when his foreleg slid off a patch of moss. He stumbled, catching himself just in time to avoid a fall. He couldn’t afford to slow down—not if he wanted to reach the exit in time. The way forward and his escape route lay above the golem’s shoulders. A small gap in the cavern ceiling. It was the only way forward that he could see.

“Nope,” he repeated, just to reaffirm his determination, and ran like a vampire bat flying out of the cavern to find prey. Scaling the golem. His heart pounded in his chest as he gathered his strength. A third giant rose up behind the second and Seep blanched. This one was closer and standing up straight- blocking the exit. He would have to jump again.

The cavern blurred in Seep’s peripheral. He could feel the golem tremble beneath him with each move it made, each step it took. His lungs burned as he pushed himself harder, his legs straining with every stride. He had to keep his focus on the gap- his only chance of survival. His only chance at finding his friends.

Arms crossed, one golem holding on to the other. He jumped over their clasped hands to climb the third golem up. Almost there. The gap in the ceiling was so close, just a few more steps. The golems behind him were moving faster now, their massive forms scraping against the cavern walls, filling the air with a deafening rumble. Seep didn’t dare look back. With a final burst of energy, he propelled himself upward, hooves scraping against the stone as he launched himself toward the narrow opening. For a brief, terrifying moment, he felt weightless, suspended between the golems below and the uncertain safety above. Then his hooves connected with the ledge, and he scrambled up, muscles straining as he pulled himself into the gap.