Caleb awoke with the dull ache of exhaustion wrapped around his limbs like leaden chains. The flickering light from the campfire painted shifting shadows on the stone walls of Gorrin's cave. The older man was still asleep, but Caleb sat up slowly, reaching for the hilt of his training blade. He'd barely grasped it when a strange vibration thrummed through the ground beneath him.
He froze.
A deep growl rolled through the cave entrance—a guttural, animalistic warning. Caleb turned just as Gorrin's eyes snapped open. The old warrior's instincts were sharp; in a heartbeat he was on his feet, retrieving his massive greatsword without a word.
"It found us," Gorrin muttered.
Caleb didn't need to ask what "it" was.
A monstrous figure appeared at the mouth of the cave, silhouetted against the pale morning light. The Cragfang Alpha. Its body was thick with armored gray hide, its four limbs ending in claws like blades. Crimson Riftenergy pulsed faintly through veins visible beneath its skin. Its snout curled in a snarl, fangs glinting as it took a step forward, eyes fixed on the two Riftborn.
Gorrin stepped ahead of Caleb, lowering into a defensive stance.
"Stay back unless I call for you," he said without looking back.
But Caleb wasn't listening. He couldn't stop staring. The Cragfang Alpha was unlike any monster they had faced. There was intelligence behind its gaze—a savage cunning that made the air feel colder, thicker.
"Why is it here?" Caleb asked, gripping his sword tighter.
"Most likely followed the scent of the others. Maybe it wants revenge," Gorrin answered. "Whatever the reason, it's not leaving."
The Alpha lunged.
Gorrin met it with a roar of his own, blade clashing against claw as stone beneath their feet cracked. The force of the Alpha's charge nearly threw Gorrin back, but he dug in, feet sliding only slightly. Sparks flew as steel met bone-hard hide. Caleb staggered back, shielding his face from a spray of pebbles.
The cave echoed with every blow, each strike louder than the last. Caleb's heart thundered. He had seen Gorrin fight—but never like this. Each swing of his sword was heavy, precise, driven by years of brutal combat. But even so, the Alpha pushed him.
The monster was fast, faster than it looked. It dodged, circled, then attacked from angles Caleb could barely follow. Gorrin's blade met its claws, and for every wound inflicted, the Alpha retaliated with savage intent.
Then it spoke.
Not in words, not like a human. But something about the way it tilted its head, the way it sized them up—it knew. It recognized Gorrin as the threat, and Caleb as the prey.
Caleb's jaw clenched.
He couldn't just stand there.
The Riftbone pulsed at his side, warm with stored energy. He focused, reaching inward, drawing on the still-new sensation of Riftenergy. A ripple of silver light shimmered over his arm as he formed a crude, jagged spear.
He threw it.
It missed. The Alpha dodged without even looking.
But it looked at him now. And that was enough to give Gorrin an opening. With a shout, the old warrior slashed low, drawing a deep gash across the monster's flank. The Alpha howled—not in pain, but fury—and leapt backward, pacing.
It wouldn't retreat. Not yet.
It was testing them.
Gorrin spat blood. "This thing's not just some mindless beast. It's planning."
Caleb stepped up beside him, breath shallow. "Then let's ruin its plans."
They stood side by side as the Alpha crouched again, muscles bunching.The next attack would be brutal.