Skrt—
With a sharp tug, Ereskia wrenched her darkness-forged spear free from the corpse at her feet. A spray of black blood arced through the air, thick and oily, splattering across her robes in uneven streaks.
She exhaled slowly, letting the tension ease from her shoulders as she stepped back from the body.
The creature was grotesque. It was some twisted hybrid of wyvern and scorpion, a monster born from nightmare. Its leathery wings were tattered but strong enough for short bursts of flight, while a thick, segmented tail curved up behind it, ending in a jagged stinger nearly the length of a longsword.
Its body was covered in obsidian-like scales, and its four clawed limbs were built for ambush and speed. A set of too-many eyes, lidless and glowing deep purple, were still twitching even in death.
It had taken all three of them to bring it down.
