Warmth flooded through Kaiden's limbs as the damage he dealt bled back into the group, wounds knitting even as the fight raged on. Calypso felt it too; the ache in her shoulder dulling, then fading, strength roaring back into her muscles as if the injury had never happened. Each monster they felled fed the engine, turning violence into momentum, and momentum into dominance.

[You've slain Terramaw Prowler (Level 61).]

[You've gained 27,219 XP.]

[You've gained 3 DMP.]

Kaiden had to admit it.

Slowly, inevitably, they were becoming a terrifying team.

Just days ago, there was no way this strategy would've worked. No way the two of them could have driven a wounded but dangerous pack forward without being swallowed by numbers, no way they could've held the line while deliberately herding.

Now?

Now they carved a path through.

The survivors fled uphill.

"Off you go!" Luna shouted, giddy and sharp.

A stormy slash tore across the ridge, lightning ripping through the air and detonating against the monsters rushing her way. Thunder cracked. The pack veered hard, panic overtaking coordination.

They ran straight into Nyx.

Her floating blades ignited into motion, a whirling array of steel and intent. She gestured once, and the air filled with screaming metal. Monsters dropped mid-stride, cut apart from angles they couldn't even see, their escape collapsing into chaos.

Behind them, Kaiden and Calypso closed the distance.

Then the world ended.

A massive lunar charge descended from above, slamming into the center of the formation with crushing force. Before the shockwave could settle, a solar boom followed, heat and pressure folding the battlefield inward.

The remaining monsters staggered, disoriented.

They looked around.

Six figures closed in from all directions, all sporting the expressions of sadistic hunters.

No mercy was shown on this day.

…

Later, silence reclaimed the field.

Scorched earth. Ruined stone. Broken bodies cooling where they fell.

The six of them stood amid the aftermath, breathing steadily.

They exchanged a look.

No words were needed.

Hands came up at the same time, palms slapping together in a single, solid clap at the center of the circle.

Luna grinned with stormlight flickering faintly at the corners of her eyes. "Warm-up's done. Let's look for a real challenge."

Calypso's lips curled, tail swaying behind her with anticipation. "How about the apex that sent these poor little things packing?" she purred. "It's rude to ignore the host."

Bastet's solar aura hadn't fully receded yet, heat still shimmering around her tanned frame as she nodded once. "If my guess is correct and it truly is nesting, then it will be stationary. A cave, perhaps. If that's the case, I can flush it out."

Nyx cracked her neck once, blades drifting lazily at her sides. "Figures. Apexes always pick somewhere annoying once they make their own territory. It's rare to find them out in the open field. If they show up there, they're either dumb brutes or think they can easily kill you."

They moved.

Tracking it wasn't difficult. Broken stone, gouged walls, the occasional half-melted bone embedded into rock where something very strong and very territorial had made its displeasure clear.

The cave mouth finally came into view, wide and jagged, its interior swallowed by shadow. Heat radiated from within.

Luna crouched immediately, already pulling a compact device from Kaiden's backpack. "My time to shine. All filthy causals, take a step back and shut your yappers."

She unfolded it with practiced ease: a squat, armored little car with reinforced wheels and a forward-mounted camera array. The controller was already in her hands by the time the drone hit the ground.

They gathered around her without taking her arrogant words seriously at all, five figures huddling close as the feed flickered to life. Luna stuck her tongue out, brows furrowed in focus as her thumbs danced.

"Alright… suspension check… torque up… and we're in."

The drone zipped forward, hugging the uneven cave floor with surprising finesse. Luna navigated tight turns, hopped debris, eased past stalagmites like she'd been born doing this. Nyx watched over her shoulder, impressed despite herself. Even Kaiden caught himself smiling.

His gamer girl was way too cute right now, with her tongue out. He wanted to eat her up. 'Focus, Kaiden…' he ordered himself.

Then the camera rounded a bend.

The cave opened up.

The thing inside filled the frame.

It was massive, easily ten times the size of a brown bear, its body low and broad, plated with thick, earthen armor. Its limbs were heavy, built for crushing force rather than speed, claws embedded deep into the rock as it rested.

"Yeah," Nyx muttered. "That tracks."

Luna swallowed, fingers tightening. "Okay… Let's gather some info on this thing before we go in. Maybe we can find a natural counter."

The monster's eyes snapped open.

A deep, molten amber glow flared in the darkness, locking directly onto the camera.

"Oh shit!"

The creature lunged.

The feed jolted violently as the drone tried to reverse, but it didn't matter. A colossal claw slammed down, the image exploding into static as metal screamed and shattered.

The screen went black.

Luna stared at it for half a second.

Then she snarled, hurling the controller into the cave wall hard enough for it to break. "Fuck! That was faster than I expected from a fat monster like that!"

She straightened, sparks snapping along her aura as she hissed, eyes blazing. "Choco Kitty, get your tanned butt ready. We're roasting this bitch alive."

Bastet turned her head slowly.

Unamused didn't even begin to cover it.

"That name," she said flatly, golden eyes narrowing. "It's going to stick, isn't it?" She exhaled, long and resigned. Then scoffed. "I refuse to dignify it."

Her gaze slid sideways. "It's you. It's always you. Master should've just kept you as a minion, but he had to have a kink for red-skinned, feisty, muscled demons… Haaah…"

Calypso met the felinid's gaze without shame, lips curved in a smug, entirely unapologetic smile.

Kaiden sighed, already rolling his shoulders as the cave began to tremble from something very large starting to move inside.

"Well," he said, gripping his greatsword, "ladies, it's time to work."

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