The liquid creature poured into the log like a slow, silent tide of death. It didn't have a smell, but it had a presence, a cold, suffocating pressure that made the air thick and hard to breathe. It was the physical manifestation of the queen's will, a living, breathing trap.
"Get back!" Shi roared, shoving me behind him. He was on his knees in the narrow space, his stone-hammer raised. The creature flowed towards him, undulating, a silent, shimmering horror.
He brought the hammer down. It passed through the creature's body with a sickening schloop, like hitting a bucket of water. The liquid simply parted, then flowed back together, completely unharmed. It stretched a tendril towards Shi's injured arm.
"It's no use!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulder. "You can't smash water!"
He knew it. I could see the frustration and the dawning horror in his eyes. He was a creature of rock and earth, of brute force. This enemy was his antithesis. It was formless, patient, and utterly relentless.
