The air inside the cave was damp and heavy, thick with the smell of wet stone and something musky—wild and animal.The hunters moved in first, torches flickering as they crept along the jagged walls.
"There!" whispered one.Two glowing eyes stared back from the darkness, low to the ground. A hulking shape shifted, scraping claws against stone. The stone‑back crawler—massive, plated in jagged, slate‑like scales. Its breath came in heavy gusts, steam curling in the cold air.
The leader raised his hand. "Wait for my mark—"
A smaller shape moved from behind the beast, scampering close to its side. A juvenile crawler, no larger than a hound, nuzzling against the larger one. The hunters exchanged uneasy glances.
"Didn't hear about a baby…" one muttered.
"Two for the price of one," another hissed, licking his lips.
Steel rasped as blades were drawn. They stepped forward.
Behind them, unnoticed, Talon entered the cave.He didn't bother to hide. His steps were slow, echoing softly. The hunters didn't hear him over their own rising excitement.
The crawler roared, lunging. Stone shattered as it struck the first hunter, hurling him against the cave wall. His scream ended abruptly with a crunch.The others shouted, spears plunging. Arrows clattered harmlessly off the stone‑like plates. Blood sprayed the cavern floor as claws swept through another man, splitting him from shoulder to hip.
"Hold it—! Hold it steady!" the leader barked, driving his blade into the beast's leg. The crawler shrieked, thrashing.
Amid the chaos, Talon sighed."Messy."
He unslung his sword, the steel whispering in the dim light. He strolled forward as though wandering into a tavern. The hunters saw him then, eyes wide with confusion.
"You—!" the leader began, but his words drowned under the sound of the crawler's dying roar. Talon moved faster than thought, his blade flashing once, twice—cutting deep. Plates split, blood gushed hot across the stone.
The crawler staggered, collapsed. The baby crawler shrieked, clawing at the ground, trying to crawl back into the shadows.
Talon's eyes half‑closed. "Hmph."
A single stroke silenced it.
When the echoes faded, three hunters remained, staring in horror.Talon crouched by the crawler's corpse, running a hand over the meat under the scales, testing the give of it. He smiled faintly, almost boyish.
"Smells good."
The hunters backed away. "Wh‑who are you?" one stammered.
Talon looked up, eyes unfocused, drunk and bored. "Me?"He pointed lazily with his sword toward the exit. "Go. Or not. Don't care."
For a heartbeat, they hesitated—then one bolted for the entrance. Talon's blade moved like lightning. The man's head hit the ground before his body did.The other two froze, terror rooting them in place.
Talon sighed. "Annoying."
Two more strokes. Two more bodies fell.
Silence returned, broken only by Talon rummaging through his pack.