The alpha Cragfang didn't move immediately. It simply stood atop the ridge, observing them with unsettling focus. The violet gleam in its eyes wasn't mere rage or instinct. It was the kind of awareness that hinted at something worse—strategy.
Caleb shifted his weight, the Riftbone glove tingling against his wrist as he gathered his energy again. His body ached from the earlier skirmish. His soul core buzzed with exhaustion. But beneath all that, something inside him had settled.
He wasn't running anymore.
Gorrin motioned with two fingers and turned back toward a narrow path between two slabs of obsidian-like rock, about fifty meters behind them.
"The choke point," Gorrin said, voice low. "We draw it in. It won't come alone."
Caleb nodded. "It's the alpha. It'll bring backup."
"Exactly. That's why we choose the battlefield."
As they moved quickly and quietly toward the passage, Caleb couldn't help but glance back at the alpha. It still hadn't followed. Instead, it let out a guttural hiss—too quiet to be a roar. A signal.
From the trees behind it, three more Cragfangs emerged, moving in eerie silence. Their eyes shone with the same intelligence, like the alpha had somehow elevated them. These weren't just D-class monsters anymore.
"These aren't feral," Caleb said.
"They're organized," Gorrin muttered. "Which means we need to take them apart fast."
The two reached the narrow path. It curved slightly around a stone outcropping, creating a bottleneck that only allowed one or two enemies to approach at once.
"Stand behind me until you see an opening," Gorrin said, twirling his spear and embedding the base into the ground like a flag.
Caleb inhaled, closing his eyes briefly. He shaped a pair of energy gauntlets—thicker than before. He gave them jagged edges this time. If they were coming close, he'd tear through their hides.
Moments later, the pack entered the path. The first of the Cragfangs lunged, jaws snapping. Gorrin pivoted, slammed the flat of his spear against its throat, and then pierced its eye in a fluid motion.
Another followed instantly. Gorrin held the line, deflecting one strike and driving his foot into its chest to push it back. Caleb moved in, catching it as it staggered. He struck low, then brought both fists down on the beast's skull with a flash of Riftenergy that sent cracks through the dirt.
It went still.
The third Cragfang didn't charge. It hissed, then backed off, letting the alpha step in.
"Stay back," Gorrin muttered. "That one's not like the rest."
But Caleb stepped forward. "I need to try. I need to see how far I've come."
Gorrin glanced at him but didn't stop him. "Don't die."
The alpha moved with eerie precision. It didn't lunge—at first, it circled, as if measuring Caleb. Its violet eyes never left him. Then, without warning, it darted forward with surprising speed, claws slicing toward Caleb's chest.
Caleb barely blocked with a shaped shield, but the alpha shattered it instantly. He backpedaled, reforming his gauntlets and striking forward. The alpha dodged left, grabbed his wrist mid-punch, and hurled him into the cave wall.
Caleb groaned, dragging himself up as the alpha charged again. This time, he threw a wave of Riftenergy forward, forcing the alpha to dodge. It stumbled slightly on the rocks.
Caleb shaped a blade—short and jagged—and lunged.
The alpha caught it in its claws. And grinned.
It grinned.
Caleb's blood ran cold. "What…?"
The monster shoved him down. Caleb rolled just in time to avoid its bite, coming up gasping.
Gorrin launched his spear at the alpha, forcing it back. "Now we're leaving."
"I almost had it—"
"No, you didn't. That thing thinks, Caleb. It plays. And we're not ready for the next move on its board."
Reluctantly, Caleb backed up. They escaped through a narrow ridge, the alpha watching from the shadowed path, but not following.
Not yet.