Grub realized his mistake the moment the creature stepped fully into the chamber. He had forgotten his club. It was still all the way back at his camp. The realization struck him harder than the growl echoing through the cave. His weapon—the crude but reliable length of hardened wood that had carried him through most of his fights in this world—was resting comfortably inside the shelter he had spent so long building.

  Which meant he had nothing. He had no weapons, no pack, no tools. And at the moment—No clothes. He had nothing at all.

  Grub berated himself in his mind, STUPID, STUPID, I AM SO STUPID. HOW COULD I FORGET THAT?

  Grub moved instantly. He exploded out of the river, water splashing violently against the stone as he scrambled toward the edge of the bank. His feet slipped once against the wet rock before catching, and he stumbled forward onto the cave floor with nothing but bare skin and raw instinct between himself and the monster staring at him.

  Cold cave air wrapped around his wet body as he staggered upright. Every injury he carried screamed to life the moment he moved. He was now out of the relieving water and his pain came back tenfold. But pain meant nothing right now.

  The creature stepped further into the dim light. And Grub’s heart dropped. It looked like a bear. If someone had taken a bear and twisted it into something far worse. The creature’s body was massive—easily several times larger than a normal bear that Grub thought he remembered. Thick cords of muscle rolled beneath dark, coarse fur as it moved forward, each step heavy enough to echo across the stone chamber.But it wasn’t just a bear. It had six limbs.

  Four massive legs carried the weight of its body while two additional limbs near the shoulders flexed with thick hooked claws that scraped loudly against the stone floor. The extra limbs were slightly shorter but no less powerful, shifting constantly as if ready to grab, tear, or climb.

  And its face— Its face was strange. Bone covered the front of its skull like a natural mask. Thick plates of hardened white material stretched across its snout and forehead, forming jagged ridges that curved outward into two long horns.

  The horns scraped the cave ceiling as the creature lifted its head. The bone mask wasn’t decorative. It was sturdy and thick and its horn ended with sharp points. Scars marked the surface of the mask, thin cracks and scratches running across the hardened plates as if the beast had survived many violent encounters before.

  Then it growled. The sound rolled through the cave like distant thunder. Grub felt the vibration of it through the soles of his feet. For a single second he froze.

  Run? Fight? Hide?

  His mind raced through every option at once. Running might work. Maybe. He was light right now—lighter than he had been in days without his gear or clothes weighing him down. His movements felt sharper, faster.

  But the creature was huge. Huge things were usually slower. Usually. Could he bet on that?

  Grub glanced toward the tunnel entrance. It was quite far.

  The bear thing shifted its weight. Muscles coiled beneath its fur. Grub didn’t wait to find out how fast it was.

  He ran. Bare feet slapped against the cold cave floor as he sprinted away from the river chamber, his body moving on pure instinct. Water still clung to his skin and splattered behind him with every stride.

  The sudden burst of movement made him bite his lip in pain but the pain barely registered beneath the surge of adrenaline flooding his veins. Behind him— The creature roared. The sound was deafening.

  Heavy limbs slammed into the stone as the beast lunged forward in pursuit, its claws scraping loudly as it barreled after him. It was fast. Far faster than he expected.

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  Grub pushed himself harder, lungs burning as he sprinted through the dark tunnel. The cave walls blurred past him as the pounding footsteps of the creature echoed behind him like rolling thunder.

  The beast was gaining on him. He wasn’t going to make it. The tunnel to the exit was still too far away. Grub realized that in an instant. So he changed direction. He veered sharply to the right and leapt toward the cave wall. His fingers dug into a narrow crack in the stone as he pulled himself upward, feet scrambling for purchase as he began climbing the rough surface. The rock scraped his palms and toes as he hauled himself higher, muscles straining with the effort.

  The creature reached the wall seconds later. And followed his lead.

  Its claws dug into the stone like iron hooks, tearing chunks from the rock as it hauled its massive body upward after him. The sound of cracking stone filled the cave. Grub didn’t look down. He climbed as fast as he could, muscles searing as he pulled himself higher along the jagged wall. Loose stones broke away beneath his feet, clattering down into the darkness below.

  The creature climbed with terrifying strength. Its six limbs worked together in brutal efficiency, each claw finding purchase in the rock as it dragged its enormous body up the wall. When Grub finally reached a narrow ledge near the upper layer of the cave, he didn’t stop. He went straight into a full sprint again.

  The ledge curved along the side of the cavern, just wide enough for him to keep moving as the river thundered somewhere below. Behind him the creature roared again. Grub’s mind raced. He was naked. Being chased by a six-limbed horned bear. Inside a cave. And the thing was making enough noise to wake half the forest above them. This was frankly the worst situation he could’ve found himself in.

  Was this the reason the lizards didn’t come here? Did they even know this monster lived here in their territory?

  The creature suddenly slammed its horned skull into the cave wall. The impact shook the entire ledge. Stone cracked beneath Grub’s feet as the shockwave rattled the cavern. Grub lost his footing and nearly fell.

  His foot slipped on loose gravel and his body tilted dangerously toward the drop below. He grabbed the wall with both hands, barely catching himself before gravity pulled him over the edge.

  The beast roared again. It was closer, much closer.

  Grub’s fingers closed around a loose stone embedded in the wall beside him.

  Without thinking, he ripped it free. The moment the rock came loose he felt the familiar pressure in his chest. The weight. The blackness. His strange power stirred in him.

  He hadn’t absorbed much death recently. The pressure inside him was faint compared to what it had once been. But it was still there. It was more than enough. Grub focused his mind.

  The cold heaviness gathered in his chest and flowed down his arm like thick smoke as he surged it into the stone. The rock grew heavier in his grip as it was charged with the pressure of death itself.

  Then he cocked his arm back and threw it. This maneuver was something he had gotten from the self proclaimed leader of the ridge, Chop. He had seen Chop throwing stones with such incredible strength, so he decided to take a page from the raspy voiced leader’s book.

  The stone flew through the air with unnatural force and slammed directly into the creature’s face.

  Crrrackkk.

  The impact shattered part of the bone mask covering the beast’s snout. Fragments of white bone splintered outward as the creature howled in rage. Grub didn’t wait. Using the moment of distraction, he pushed off the cave wall and sprinted down the ledge deeper into the cavern. Behind him the creature shook its head violently, dark blood dripping from the fractured mask. Then it resumed the chase. Grub was running as fast as his injuries let him.

  The ledge curved sharply around the cavern before opening into a wider tunnel that sloped downward along the river’s path. His feet pounded against the stone floor as he pushed himself harder, lungs burning as the roar of rushing water grew louder ahead. Then the ground ended. Grub skidded to a halt, tearing off some skin from his bare feet.

  The river plunged into darkness. And then he suddenly heard the sound of rushing water. Grub realized what this was—a waterfall.

  The underground stream dropped off the edge of a massive cliff, disappearing into a roaring black abyss far below. The sound of crashing water filled the cavern, echoing off the stone walls like distant thunder. Cold mist rose from the unseen depths. Grub stood at the edge of the drop, chest heaving as he stared into the endless darkness below.

  Behind him— The creature climbed onto the ledge. Its six limbs gripped the stone as it hauled itself forward, cracked bone mask glinting faintly in the dim cave light. The beast growled again. The noise was slow and raspy. The bear-looking creature’s face plainly expressed its hunger.

  Grub looked down at the endless drop in front of him. Then back at the monster behind him.

  He was naked, cornered, and very likely about to die.