The Keeper Beetle loomed, a two‑meter tall brute whose hulking body blotted out the dim glow of the midden. Its chitin shimmered like stone, every plate locking together in an impenetrable fortress.
Blades rang uselessly, arrows clattered, shadows scraped in vain—their attacks found no purchase. Frustration boiled quickly.
Ash darted in with a snarl, feinting through the gloom.
SHHHK!
His claws scraped sparks across its armor, bouncing away. The strike left a faint line, but the beast only hissed, shaking off the scratch as though brushing aside an insect.
Tholn prowled like a wolf, his daggers snapping at seams.
CLANG!
Steel skittered off the plates, and though one blade nicked softer flesh between joints, ichor welled only briefly before the Keeper twisted, shrugging off the pain with a furious snap of its mandibles. Tholn growled in anger, more at its resilience than his own failure.
Above, Veyra's bowstring sang.
TWIP-TWIP-TWIP!