The light in the Corrupted Realm was always wrong—slanted, greenish, like the sun was sick. Caleb knelt beside Gorrin in a thicket of warped brambles, staring into a clearing where six Rift monsters paced between jagged rocks and twitching roots.
They were Cragfangs—D-class Rift monsters, each about the size of an average man, but bulkier, their bodies covered in hardened plates that looked like cracked stone. Their heads were wide, their jaws hinged unnaturally to allow a second set of fangs to protrude when they lunged. Fast, territorial, and aggressive in groups.
Gorrin pointed with his chin. "The one on the edge. It's the scout. Thin armor on the chest and back legs. You'll take it out first. Quietly."
Caleb nodded. He'd fought lesser monsters, but never alone. Never like this. His pulse was quick, but his hands stayed steady. The Riftbone glove wrapped around his right forearm vibrated faintly as he gathered Riftenergy into his palm. A thin ripple of energy shimmered across his skin.
He circled left, keeping low. The Cragfang scout was sniffing the air but hadn't noticed him yet. Caleb reached into the current of energy, shaping it—slowly, deliberately—into a dagger. The blade was crude, but sharper than steel. It pulsed with blue light.
Ten paces.
Five.
He lunged.
The dagger went into the beast's ribs, but not deep enough. The Cragfang shrieked and lashed out, catching Caleb across the shoulder with a claw. Pain burned hot. He rolled backward, came up low and fast, now shaping a shield just in time to absorb a second strike.
His shield cracked, but didn't break.
He struck again, this time into the Cragfang's exposed chest. The creature snarled and snapped at him, barely missing his neck. Caleb ducked and drove the dagger deep under the jaw.
This time, the Rift monster collapsed.
He stood panting over the body, heart hammering, the taste of iron in his mouth.
Gorrin emerged from the brush a moment later. "Sloppy," he said. "But you didn't die. I'll count that as progress."
Caleb wiped blood from his chin. "Thanks, I guess."
A low growl answered them—from the far side of the clearing.
Two more Cragfangs had spotted the scuffle. Their eyes glowed as they bounded forward.
"Now it's a real fight," Gorrin said, drawing his spear. "Focus, Mark. Show me what you've learned."
Caleb gritted his teeth, letting new energy flow into his palms. The ground was about to run red.