Lucien did not pause. He barked the orders over the shrieking. "Zuri, left side. Cut the manus. Don't let them grab you. Zeph, right side. Heads only. No bites. If one head closes its mouth on you, you're dead. Keep moving."
He ran straight at the monster's body.
The fight became fast and ugly. Zuri went left. Two manus reached for her. She ducked under the first and brought her Gayang sword up. The curved blade sheared through the second manus at the joint. The claw fell twitching. She rolled away before the first manus could swing back.
Zeph went right. A head lunged at him from above. The fangs were open, aimed at his shoulder. He swung his Ngulu sword in a flat arc. The heavy blade hit the neck just below the head. The head came off in a spray of black blood. The neck stump flailed, spraying droplets across the cave floor. The remaining six heads screamed.
