The heavy stone archway sealed completely with a dull, bone-rattling thud, locking the group inside a tight room thick with a sickly, pulsating amber light.
There was no time to panic about the lack of an exit.
From the deep shadow directly beneath the raised dais where Darius hung, the ground broke open.
A towering creature surged upward, its massive frame a shifting, grotesque mix of calcified bone plates and glowing, thick amber sap.
It didn't have eyes, but it turned its massive head toward the center of the room, tracking the immediate panic with terrifying speed.
"Get back!" Captain Gideon yelled, his voice cracking as he shoved two of his vanguard soldiers behind him.
Stripped of their heavy iron shields and weapons, the elite fighters looked completely defenseless.
Lieutenant Talia scrambled backward until her spine hit the sealed stone door.
She lifted her hand to her belt, her fingers instantly realization-struck as she remembered her crossbow was empty.
