The next group came faster than the first.
They didn't wait this time.
From the darkness ahead, shadows rushed forward, claws scraping hard against stone, their growls louder, sharper. The scent of blood from earlier had already spread through the tunnels.
Aiden stepped forward to meet them.
Not rushing, just walking.
The first beast lunged straight for his throat.
Aiden moved.
Not smoothly, not like a trained fighter, but with raw, direct motion. He tilted his body just enough to avoid the bite, then swung his sword down.
Too wide.
The blade clipped the beast's shoulder instead of killing it outright. It let out a sharp cry, rolling across the ground before scrambling back up.
Aiden frowned slightly.
"…Too much force."
Before he could adjust, another one came from his blind side.
Graveknit moved.
A thin black thread shot out from its fingers, wrapping around the beast's leg mid-leap and yanking it off course. It slammed into the wall with a dull crack.
