A towering, slick shape burst from beneath the rubble, one of the inhabitants of the desolate ruins, driven mad by the subterranean collapse.
The blind, eight-limbed beast had been trapped in the upper fissures.
Its pale, hairless hide was torn and dripping with black blood.
Spurred on entirely by instinct and blinded by rage, it let out a wet, screeching roar that echoed off the cliff faces, its massive, scythe-like forelimbs snapping directly toward Sye's throat.
Valerius and Sye remained still even as the creature advanced at a frenetic speed.
Its chitinous joints rustled eerily, emitting a disturbing sound that bounced off the walls, thd echoes of which coalesced into a haunting dimminuendo of sound in tandem with the sloshing of jagged debris shifting down the mountainside.
Sye casually moved forward to intercept it, his movements carrying an inhuman grace to them.
His eyes narrowed, a hint of dark amusement flickering in their depths.
