The first limb emerged slowly.
Black chitin dragged itself over the edge of the crack with the sound of wet stone splitting apart. The limb was massive, segmented plates glistening beneath corruption-light, each movement scraping sparks from the ancient floor. Hooks lined the underside like inverted ribs, twitching as though tasting the air.
In the carvarn the practitioners continued oblivious to the emergence of the thing.
[Corruption resonance increasing.]
[Anchor stability at 19%.]
[Continue synchronization.]
Mana tore through him harder.
His fingers cramped instantly. Blood slipped from beneath his nails where the pressure split skin open, the smell of iron mixed with mana ink and old dust until the cavern tasted metallic.
Its second limb slammed into the cavern floor.
The impact cracked stone.
One of the floating light artifacts burst apart overhead in a spray of glass and silver fire. Darkness swallowed half the chamber instantly.
