The rain hadn't stopped.
Outside the cavern, the storm howled like some ancient beast mourning its own birth. The sky cracked open again and again, lightning forking through the night, painting the cliffs in brief, violent white.
Beneath a rocky outcrop just meters from Great Beast, three figures crouched beneath, shadows dancing from a single flickering fire from Leo's finger
"It's still there," Leo said, voice low. "Haven't seen it move."
"Which means we only get one shot," El muttered. She crouched beside him, eyes sharp, hair dripping. "We either kill it in its sleep… or die when it wakes."
Matthew sat a few paces back, fiddling with a cluster of thin metal blades. His fingers worked in rhythm, checking each edge. "Let's not aim for the first one."
Leo gave a thin smile. "Agreed."
They fell silent again.
The storm raged above, but the cave itself remained quiet, too quiet. It wasn't natural, Leo thought. Like the whole mountain was holding its breath.
