They did not hide their reactions for long.
Kerr let out a low whistle as Nev wiped his blade and stepped back from the last fallen Amenta. "You move fast," he said. "Not reckless fast. Clean fast."
Bran rested his mace against his shoulder and laughed. "Fast enough that I almost felt useless back there."
Lyra smiled as she knelt beside one of the corpses, carefully extracting the core. "You kept the pressure off us. That matters more than strength."
Nev said nothing. He only nodded once and helped where needed.
They worked efficiently after that.
The forest settled as the bodies were cleared. One by one, the cores were removed and placed into sealed pouches. Their faint glow pulsed softly through the leather, warm and steady. Kerr counted quietly as they moved from corpse to corpse.
"Fifteen," he said. Then a moment later, "Sixteen."
They continued deeper, following scattered tracks, dealing with smaller groups that posed little challenge now that they understood the rhythm. Each encounter went smoother than the last. The team adapted naturally, adjusting spacing and timing without needing words.
By the time the sun dipped lower, they had collected just over twenty cores.
"That should be enough," Lyra said, tightening the pouch at her belt. "No reason to get greedy."
Bran nodded. "Agreed. Let's head back before something decides we're worth hunting."
Nev was about to respond when the forest changed.
It was not subtle.
A sound tore through the trees, deep and wet, like stone breaking bone. Birds burst from the canopy in a frantic cloud. Somewhere ahead, branches snapped, not under weight, but under force.
The team froze.
"That wasn't Amenta," Kerr said quietly.
Another sound followed. A scream. Cut short.
Nev was already moving.
"Wait," Bran hissed, but Nev did not stop.
They reached the clearing seconds later.
What remained of the other squad lay scattered across torn earth.
One body was folded unnaturally against a tree, chest crushed inward. Another lay face down, limbs twisted at angles that made Lyra turn away instinctively. Blood coated bark and leaves, splashed in wide arcs that told a story no one wanted to finish reading.
Then Nev saw it.
The monster stood near the center of the clearing.
It was taller than a man, broad-shouldered, with thick, knotted arms that looked carved from muscle and stone. Its skin was dark and rough, layered like hardened bark. Its head was heavy and blunt, mouth stretched wide enough to tear flesh without effort.
In one massive hand, it held a man by the torso.
The man was still alive.
The creature squeezed.
There was a sound like wet wood snapping.
The head came away first.
The monster tossed it aside and bit down into the body without pause.
Nev's breath caught.
To the side, near a fallen tree, a girl lay on the ground.
Her legs were ruined.
Blood soaked the grass beneath her, smeared across the bark where she had been dragged. She tried to crawl, fingers clawing weakly at dirt, but her lower body did not respond. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, locked on the monster as it turned toward her.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Something inside Nev snapped.
He moved before thinking.
"Nev," Lyra shouted.
He did not hear her.
The monster sensed him instantly.
It turned, eyes locking onto Nev with predatory interest.
Nev raised his blade and charged.
He struck at the arm, aiming for joints, for tendons, for anything. His sword bit into the thick hide and bounced. The impact sent a shock through his arms.
The monster responded with a single, casual swing.
Nev saw it coming.
He still could not stop it.
The blow struck his side and launched him through the air. He hit a tree hard enough to crack bark, pain exploding through his chest and back as the breath was driven from his lungs. He slid down, vision blurring, ears ringing.
The forest went silent.
When his team reached him, they froze.
Lyra's face went pale. Bran's grip tightened on his weapon, then loosened as reality settled in. Kerr swallowed hard, eyes locked on the creature.
"That's a Knocker," Lyra whispered.
The monster loomed over the injured girl now, its shadow swallowing her whole.
Bran shook his head slowly. "No. No, no. We can't."
"We have to run," Kerr said urgently. "That's Tier Three. We can't handle that."
The Knocker lifted its foot.
The girl screamed.
Nev forced himself to breathe.