The trenches Vargan had pointed toward were farther than they first looked.
Kenji moved for what felt like hours.
At some point, the ground changed again.
Less flat.
More broken.
Long cracks spread through the earth, cutting the land apart into uneven ridges.
The red mist pooled deep inside those cracks like liquid.
And the sounds here were different.
Lower.
Heavier.
No frantic skittering.
No weak cries.
Everything here sounded slower.
As if the creatures moving through this place did not need to rush.
Kenji slowed and crouched near the edge of a trench.
The moment he peered down, a smell hit him.
Fresh blood.
A lot of it.
His grin widened.
At the bottom of the trench, several corpses lay tangled together.
Most were half-eaten.
One was still twitching.
And crouched over them was a creature even larger than the werewolf he had fought before.
This one had no fur.
Its body was covered in thick, plated flesh, with long forelimbs ending in hooked claws.
Its head was low and narrow, almost reptilian, with rows of slits along its neck that pulsed each time it breathed.
It was eating slowly.
Deliberately.
Kenji watched it for a moment.
Then the creature stopped.
Its head lifted.
It had sensed him.
Good.
Kenji dropped into the trench without hesitation.
He landed hard enough to crack the ground beneath his feet.
The creature rose immediately and let out a low, guttural sound.
Kenji rolled his neck.
"Let's go."
The beast lunged first.
Fast.
Faster than something that heavy had any right to be.
Kenji twisted sideways, but one claw still raked across his ribs.
Pain flashed through him.
His grin only widened.
He slammed his hand into the creature's side.
The impact made a dull sound.
Too hard.
Its flesh was like armor.
The beast spun, tail whipping toward his head.
Kenji ducked and felt the air split above him.
Then he drove both hands into the ground and kicked upward, smashing his heels into the creature's jaw.
It staggered back.
Not far.
But enough.
Kenji landed and immediately rushed in again.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just movement.
The creature opened its jaws wide and snapped at him.
He shoved one arm into its mouth before the jaws could close fully.
Pain tore through him as its teeth dug into his fur and flesh.
Still, he laughed.
"Got you."
He forced that strange energy through his trapped arm.
Heat surged from his chest down into his shoulder and fist.
His muscles swelled.
Then he punched upward from inside the creature's mouth.
The top half of its skull burst open.
Hot blood sprayed over his face.
The beast spasmed violently, then collapsed.
Kenji yanked his arm free and stumbled back a step, panting.
Blood dripped from his shredded forearm.
He glanced at it.
Then at the corpse.
"...Worth it."
He dropped to one knee beside the still-twitching body and bit down immediately.
The taste hit harder than the last few meals.
Dense.
Heavy.
Rich.
The kind of flavor that made his whole body feel like it was filling with fire.
He tore off another chunk before the life fully left it.
Then another.
By the third bite, the beast stopped moving.
Kenji spat to the side in annoyance.
"Too slow."
Still, the heat remained.
More than remained.
It spread.
His torn forearm twitched.
He stared as the bleeding began to slow.
Not instantly.
Not like magic.
But fast.
Too fast.
The shredded flesh pulled together slightly.
The pain dulled.
Kenji blinked.
"...No way."
He flexed his hand.
It still hurt.
But it worked.
He grinned down at the corpse.
"Did I just get tougher again?"
The answer was obvious.
Yes.
But what interested him more was this:
The creature down here had been stronger than the usual prey above.
That meant Vargan was right.
There really were zones where things got better.
Kenji stood.
Then froze.
A sound came from deeper in the trench.
He turned.
Another creature had appeared at the far end.
Smaller than the plated beast.
Leaner.
Its body was almost humanoid, but bent forward with arms hanging too low.
Its face was hidden under long strands of dark, wet-looking hair.
At first, Kenji thought it might charge.
It didn't.
It simply stood there.
Watching him.
Kenji narrowed his eyes.
"...You want some too?"
The creature did not move.
Then, very slowly, it opened its mouth.
Its voice came out thin and rasping.
"That one... was mine."
Kenji blinked.
Then grinned.
Another one that could talk.
"Finders keepers."
The creature tilted its head.
A bad sign.
Its fingers twitched once.
The mist around its feet began to stir.
Not from wind.
From something else.
Kenji's grin sharpened.
Good.
Very good.
He had been starting to think this place would only give him beasts for a while.
He rolled his shoulders and took a step forward.
"Alright then."
The hunger inside him rose again.
But this time it was different.
More focused.
Less wild.
He licked blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Come take it."