The cave's entrance was deceptive. What looked like a simple shelter from the outside opened into a much larger space, the ceiling stretching up beyond the reach of Vera's violet glow. Their footsteps echoed strangely, the sound bouncing off unseen walls and creating phantom noises that made Kael's heart race.
"This place is huge," he whispered, his voice carrying further than he'd intended. Through their bond, he felt Vera's agreement mixed with wariness. Her crystalline patterns pulsed brighter, casting dancing shadows across rough stone walls.
They moved deeper, Kael keeping one hand on Vera's shoulder for comfort as much as guidance. The cave seemed empty—no bones, no droppings, no signs of recent habitation. Just cold stone and the musty smell of earth and minerals. Maybe they'd gotten lucky. Maybe this place really was abandoned.
Then Vera froze, her entire body going rigid. Through their bond, Kael felt a spike of alarm followed by something he hadn't felt from her before: genuine hostility mixed with... recognition?
A sound rolled out of the darkness ahead—a deep, rumbling vocalization that was part growl, part roar. It resonated in Kael's chest like a physical force, primal and threatening. Something big was in here with them.
The creature emerged from the shadows like a nightmare given form.
It stood at least eight feet tall on two legs, with arms that nearly dragged the ground, each one as thick as Kael's torso. Its body was covered in dark grey fur that seemed to absorb light, making its exact outline hard to pin down. The head was distinctly gorilla-like—heavy brow ridge, powerful jaw, intelligent eyes that glowed a dull red in the darkness. But the similarities to Earth primates ended there. Crystalline formations jutted from its knuckles like natural brass knuckles, and its muscles rippled with a density that suggested it could punch through solid stone.
Kael's interface flickered urgently.
[Mythbeast Detected: Rock type]
Status: Aggressive - Territory defense
Threat Level: High
The Ape-creature beat its chest with fists that rang like hammers on anvils. The sound was deafening in the enclosed space. Its red eyes were fixed on Vera, and the hostility radiating from it was palpable. Through their bond, Kael felt Vera's response: a surge of aggression that surprised him with its intensity.
There was history here. Not between these two specifically, but between their kinds. Some ancient enmity that ran deeper than logic or reason.
"Vera, wait—" Kael started, but it was too late.
The Ape-creature charged with shocking speed for something so massive, and Vera launched herself to meet it. They collided in a fury of claws and crystalline-studded fists, the impact sending shockwaves through the cave. Kael stumbled backward, barely keeping his feet, as the two mythbeasts tore into each other with savage intensity.
Vera was fast, her psychic heritage giving her preternatural reflexes. She darted around the Ape-creature's powerful swings, her claws raking across its thick hide. But the creature lived up to its name—her attacks left only shallow cuts that barely seemed to register. In return, when the Ape's fists connected, they hit like sledgehammers. Vera yowled in pain as one blow caught her shoulder, sending her sprawling.
Kael's mind raced. They couldn't win this straight fight—the Ape was too strong, too heavily armored. But they couldn't run either; the creature blocked their only exit, and turning their backs would be suicide.
His telekinesis. It wasn't strong enough to lift the Ape itself, but maybe...
Kael reached out with his mind, grabbing for loose rocks on the cave floor. Three stones, each about the size of his fist, rose into the air. His half-hour of practice had made him faster, more precise. Not deadly yet, but maybe enough to make a difference.
The Ape swung at Vera again, and Kael sent all three rocks flying at its face. They weren't moving fast enough to cause real damage, but one caught the creature square in the eye. It roared, stumbling back, and Vera used the opening to rake her claws across its exposed throat.
Still only shallow cuts. The thing's hide was like leather armor.
They fell into a desperate rhythm. Vera would engage, using her speed and agility to stay ahead of those devastating fists, and Kael would harass from range. He learned quickly—the Ape's eyes were its weak point. Every time it tried to focus on Vera, Kael would send a stone or branch jabbing at its face, forcing it to flinch, to defend, to lose its momentum.
His telekinesis was improving under pressure. What had taken concentration and effort an hour ago now felt almost instinctive. He could grab objects faster and throw them with more accuracy. One stone caught the Ape's right eye dead center, and the creature's roar of pain shook dust from the cave ceiling.
But they were losing ground. Vera was tiring, and Kael's head throbbed with the strain of maintaining so much mental output. Worse, the Ape was adapting. It started keeping one massive arm raised to shield its face, limiting Kael's effectiveness.
Then disaster struck.
The Ape feinted left, and when Vera committed to the dodge, it pivoted with shocking speed and backhanded her into the cave wall. The impact was sickening—a wet crunch that Kael felt through their bond as much as heard. Vera slid to the ground, dazed, blood matting her crystalline-marked fur.
"Vera!" Kael screamed, and something in him snapped.
The Ape advanced on her, raising both fists for a killing blow. Kael didn't think. He just acted. Every loose object in the cave—rocks, branches, even chunks of old bone—rose into the air at once. His vision tunneled, his entire being focused on a single point: the Ape's eyes.
He sent everything flying in a storm of projectiles.
Most missed or bounced harmlessly off the creature's thick hide. But enough hit their mark. Sharp stones and splintered wood jabbed at the Ape's face, poking, scratching, blinding. One particularly jagged rock caught its already injured eye, and the creature reeled back with a bellow of agony, both hands clutching its face.
Vera, recovered enough to move, saw her opening. She lunged forward with the last of her strength, her claws finding the Ape's throat again. This time, she didn't pull back. She hung on, raking and tearing, her psychic energy blazing through their bond as she poured everything she had into the attack.
The Ape thrashed wildly, trying to dislodge her, its fists hammering at her sides. Kael felt each impact through their connection, felt Vera's ribs crack under the assault. But she didn't let go.
Finally, with a choked roar, the Ape managed to throw her off. But it was done with fighting. Blood poured from dozens of wounds on its face and throat, both eyes swollen nearly shut. It staggered toward the cave entrance, one hand pressed to its neck, making wet, rasping sounds.
Kael scrambled to Vera's side as the Ape disappeared into the forest, its crashing retreat echoing back to them. She lay on her side, breathing in shallow gasps, blood seeping from multiple wounds. Her left foreleg bent at an angle that made Kael's stomach turn, and her ribs... god, her ribs.
"Hold on," he said, his hands shaking as he placed them on her shoulder. "Just hold on, Vera."
He knew what this meant. Divine Restoration had an hour cooldown—he'd learned that after healing Vera the first time. Using it on her now meant waiting another sixty minutes before he could heal his own injuries. But looking at her broken body, feeling her pain through their bond, there was no choice to make.
Golden-white light erupted from his palms, and he felt Divine Restoration activate. The warmth spread through Vera's body, and Kael watched in relief as her wounds began to close. Broken ribs shifted back into place with soft pops. The bent leg straightened. Gashes sealed themselves, leaving only matted, bloody fur as evidence they'd ever existed.
Within thirty seconds, Vera was whole again. She stood slowly, testing her weight on the previously broken leg, and sent a wave of gratitude so strong through their bond that Kael nearly cried.
"We're okay," he said, more to convince himself than her. "We're okay. We won."
Then the adrenaline wore off, and Kael became acutely aware of his own injuries. In the chaos, the Ape had caught him with a glancing blow—he'd been too focused on Vera to even register it at the time. His left arm throbbed, possibly cracked. His ribs ached with every breath. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead, getting in his eyes.
He checked his interface, already knowing what he'd see.
[Divine Restoration: 59 minutes until next use]
"Worth it," he said through gritted teeth, managing a pained smile at Vera's worried expression. He'd made the right choice. Her injuries had been life-threatening; his were just painful. An hour wasn't so long to wait.
Vera pressed against him, her concern washing over him in waves. She nuzzled his uninjured side, and through their bond, Kael felt her urgency. She wanted to help, to hunt, to provide. She'd seen normal animals in the forest during their walk—deer-like creatures, something that might have been sheep. Food that could help him recover.
"You want to go hunting?" Kael asked. Vera's affirmative response was immediate. "Okay. Okay, yeah. We need food anyway, and I need to... I need to sit down before I fall down."
She hesitated, torn between her instinct to hunt and her desire to stay with her injured tamer. Kael managed a smile despite the pain.
"I'll be fine. I'll make a fire, get things ready. Just... don't be gone too long, okay?"
Vera touched her nose to his forehead gently, careful of his injuries, then turned and padded silently out of the cave. Through their bond, Kael could still sense her, a warm presence that grew more distant but never disappeared entirely.
Alone, Kael let himself slump against the cave wall with a groan. Everything hurt. But they'd survived. They'd actually survived a fight with a creature that could have killed them both.
"Not bad for day one," he said to the empty cave.
Moving carefully, Kael began gathering materials for a fire. His telekinesis helped—he could drag branches and dry moss to a central spot without having to walk around too much. His head throbbed from the extended use of his powers, but it was manageable. The mental fatigue was nothing compared to the physical pain.
Getting the fire started was trickier. Kael had to use his good arm to work the method his interface helpfully provided—striking certain stones together to create sparks. It took fifteen minutes and more cursing than he'd done in years, but eventually, flames caught in the dry moss and spread to the larger branches.
Light and warmth flooded the cave, pushing back the shadows and making the space feel almost welcoming. Kael arranged some flat stones near the fire that could serve as a cooking surface once Vera returned with meat. His stomach growled at the thought.
An hour passed. Kael dozed fitfully, jerking awake at every sound, before finally feeling Vera's presence growing stronger through their bond. She emerged from the darkness, dragging something that looked like a cross between a deer and an antelope, its neck cleanly broken.
"You're amazing," Kael said, genuinely impressed. Vera preened, her tail swishing with pride.
Between them, they managed to butcher enough meat for Kael to eat—Vera doing most of the work with her claws while Kael directed with his good arm. Soon, chunks of meat sizzled on the hot stones, filling the cave with the smell of cooking food that made Kael's mouth water.
He was reaching for the first piece, steam rising from the perfectly cooked surface, when he felt it.
Eyes. Watching them.
Kael froze, his gaze sweeping the cave entrance. There, just beyond the firelight's reach, two small points of fiery orange glowed in the darkness. Low to the ground. Unblinking. Fixed not on him or Vera, but on the meat.
Whatever it was, it had been watching them. Waiting.
And now, drawn by the smell of food, it was making its presence known.
Vera noticed his tension and followed his gaze, her body coiling into a ready stance despite her recent hunt. Through their bond, Kael felt her uncertainty. The eyes in the darkness were small—nothing like the Ape—but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.
The eyes didn't move. Didn't blink. Just watched with an intensity that made Kael's skin crawl.
His hand moved slowly toward a branch at the fire's edge, something he could use as a weapon if needed. The meat continued to sizzle, the sound suddenly too loud in the tense silence.
Whatever was out there, it was waiting for them to make the first move.
Kael swallowed hard, his injuries forgotten in the face of this new threat, and prepared himself for whatever came next.