The cave air was dry and heavy, each step echoing softly off the stone walls. Kael, Feyla, and their three teammates moved deeper, their torchlights cutting through the shadows. The beast they had just defeated lay behind them, its cracked shell and fading glow marking Feyla's victory. The core pulsed faintly in her hand, joining the others already claimed by the different groups. Now, only Kael remained without one.
"Stay sharp," Feyla whispered, voice calm but carrying weight. The blue shimmer of water coiled around her fingertips as she glanced further into the tunnel.
The group pressed on. Beside her, Kairen, a wiry boy with sharp features, let wind stir at his boots, carrying dust with each step. His ability gave him speed, though his nerves showed in the twitch of his jaw. Behind him trudged Lira, a quiet girl who shaped shards of earth in her palms, while Daven, tall and broad-shouldered, kept a steady ember of flame flickering in his hand.
They moved as one until the cave widened suddenly into a larger chamber.
And there it was.
A second beast.
Like the one outside, its hide was stone-hard, tusks curving forward, its mole-like body clawing at the dirt floor. It turned toward them, eyes glowing faintly amber in the dark.
"Positions!" Feyla ordered sharply.
Kairen darted forward first, his wind wrapping around his movements as he slashed across the beast's side with a knife. Sparks flew where the blade struck but left only a shallow scrape. The monster roared and charged, tusks ramming forward.
Daven stepped in next, flame bursting hotter in his palms. He hurled a fireball that splashed across the beast's rocky hide, leaving black scorch marks but still failing to pierce through.
Lira planted her feet and slammed her hands against the ground. Spikes of earth jutted upward, striking the beast's underside where its armor thinned. The beast shrieked and stumbled just long enough for Feyla to act.
Water spiraled from her palms, shaping into a jagged spear. She hurled it forward with force and precision, striking deep into the creature's eye. The beast screeched once more before collapsing, its heavy body thudding against the cavern floor.
The glow of a core shimmered faintly within the husk. Feyla retrieved it, breathing hard. "Another one down," she said, holding it up for the others to see.
Each teammate now had a core. Except Kael.
He stood slightly behind the group, his fists clenched. Nathan's voice echoed in his mind.
"Don't forget to hold back. These beasts are weak, but you should be able to handle one on your own. Still, let them think you're ordinary—for now."
Kael exhaled slowly. I know.
The group began to turn back, relief settling in—
—when the ground shook.
A sound tore through the cave, a roar so loud and deep it rattled the stones and sent dust falling from the ceiling. Kael dropped to one knee, his ears ringing, while the others staggered and clutched their heads.
From the shadows behind the chamber, something stirred.
The earth split and cracked as a massive shape emerged. Its tusks were longer than a man, its body towering as large as a transport vehicle. Unlike the smaller beasts, its rocky hide was layered with jagged stone plates, glowing faintly with veins of orange light.
The air thickened, oppressive.
Nathan's voice came sharp and urgent.
"Kael. Level 5 beast. Type 3. This is not something your group can handle."
Level 5… type 3? What does that even mean? Kael asked in his mind.
But before Nathan could answer, Feyla's voice cut through the panic. "Run!"
Her face had gone pale, water shields already forming around her arms. "A type 3 beast—just move!"
The monster roared again, rearing back before launching a barrage of rock shards from its tusks. The stones shattered against the cave walls, exploding into shards that sent the students scattering.
"Move! To the entrance!" Feyla shouted.
Together, the group turned and sprinted, the ground quaking with every monstrous step behind them. Kael glanced back once—just once—and the glowing orange eyes of the beast locked onto him through the dust and shadows.