Rex pushed himself up from the blood-slick stone, breath ragged, muscles trembling. The cave still echoed with the beast's dying convulsions. Its massive body lay twisted and steaming, ichor pooling beneath it. The Master lay crumpled nearby, chest barely rising.
Rex didn't hesitate.
He walked over, lifted his sword, and without a word slid the blade cleanly into the Master's neck. The body twitched once, then went still forever. Rex didn't spare him a glance afterward — his focus had already shifted.
Lyria lay where she'd collapsed, drifting in and out, the strange crescent-moon mark on her back dimming slowly. Rex knelt, scooped her up carefully, and slung her over his shoulder. Her breath was shallow but steady.
On the ground, half-buried in muck and remains, something gleamed.
The plate.
Rex reached down and lifted it. It was heavier than it looked, a flat oval of perfectly cut black stone. Set into the center was a single large amber gem that glowed faintly from within, warm like a heartbeat. Surrounding it were twelve empty recesses, each spaced perfectly from the next.
Rex turned it over in his hand as he walked. The back was etched with lines that felt older than any clan, older than the caverns, older than anything he knew. The symbols tugged at him, like they were whispering meaning he wasn't ready to hear.
But he didn't stop walking.
The tunnels grew brighter as he neared the entrance. The scent of fresh air cut through the blood and dust. Figures appeared in the mouth of the cave — hunters, guards, curious clan members rushing forward at the sight of him.
A greeter stepped ahead of the others, mouth opening in shock.
"Rex— you… you're alive! Where is— what happened? Is that—?"
Rex didn't answer.
He didn't even look at him.
His eyes stayed forward, fixed and burning with something cold and heavy. He shifted Lyria slightly on his shoulder as she began to stir, her fingers tightening weakly into the fabric of his shirt.
He walked straight past the greeter, through the crowd that parted silently around him. Dirt and blood dripped from his boots as he made his way deeper into the settlement.
No one dared speak again.
Rex's only destination was the Chief's chamber.
And he wasn't going to wait for permission.