Ahce's breath hitched as the monstrous figure unfurled itself from the shadows of the cavern. A low, guttural sound vibrated through the stone walls, half hiss, half growl, entirely unnatural. Eros stepped instinctively in front of her, his arm extending like a shield. His cyan combat coat fluttered in the wind created by the creature's movement.
The beast crawled forward, its limbs scraping against the cavern floor with a sickening screech. It was taller than both of them combined, its upper half humanoid, disturbingly so, yet twisted in proportions that defied any natural biology.
Its torso had a vaguely human rib structure, but its skin gleamed with chitinous sheen, and the lower half resembled the hind legs of an armored beetle. Its elongated arms dripped with acidic mucus that corroded the stone.
