The first Cragfang came at Caleb fast—faster than it should've, given its size. It ducked low, then feinted right before leaping. Caleb barely sidestepped, shaping a small energy wall at his hip to redirect the charge. The Rift monster bounced off and skidded into a stone.
The second was already circling.
Caleb didn't wait. He shaped a spear—longer, more focused—and hurled it.
It stuck in the second Cragfang's thigh, pinning it to a twisted root. The beast screeched and clawed at the weapon, but the energy held for a moment longer, just long enough for Gorrin to arrive and finish it off with a thrust to the spine.
"Nice throw," Gorrin said, not turning. "But you still waste too much energy shaping."
"I'm working on it."
"Work faster."
The first Cragfang was back on its feet. Caleb rushed it this time, ducking under its swipe and driving his knee into its gut. He shaped a gauntlet mid-strike and slammed his fist into its jaw, snapping the neck.
He stepped back, chest heaving, Riftenergy flickering around his shoulders. The air tasted of iron and decay.
Gorrin glanced up.
A shape stood on the ridge. It was man-sized, like the others, but broader in the chest and covered in scars. Its plating was darker, with spikes that jutted like broken glass. Its eyes burned violet.
"The alpha," Gorrin said grimly.
Caleb stared. The monster didn't move, but it watched them—still and calculating.
"Same size," he said. "But... different."
Gorrin nodded. "More intelligent. More vicious. If it charges, we don't fight in the open. We fall back to the choke point."
Caleb looked at him. "We're not running?"
"We're hunting." Gorrin's eyes narrowed. "And that thing is the prize."