The cave smelled of old blood and musk.
Owen ducked through the entrance, his Cosmic Impact Fist already gathering at his knuckles. The light dimmed fast. Twenty meters in, the passage widened into a den.
The Crimson Hide was massive.
Imagine a great cat—but built like a bull. Thick, slab-muscled body covered in deep crimson fur that looked almost black in the dim light. Six legs instead of four. A heavy, blunt head with two pairs of obsidian-black eyes. Tusks curving down from its lower jaw. It was easily the size of a small truck.
It lifted its head as Owen entered. The four eyes locked onto him. A low rumble started in its chest.
Owen didn't wait.
[Cosmic Impact Fist]
He fired a directional burst across the den—not at the beast, but at the wall behind it. The shockwave exploded against stone, sending fragments raining down. The Crimson Hide roared and surged to its feet, charging him.
He sprinted backward toward the entrance.
