His weapon came down in a heavy arc, not aiming to kill, but to crush the creature into the ground. It slid aside at the last second, but Aeron adjusted with a twist of his shoulders and slammed the flat of his blade into its ribs.
Bam!
Skrrrreeeeee!
The creature suddenly screeched in pain as it flew sideways, crashing through a cluster of ferns.
"It's still alive," Aeron said loudly, mostly to remind himself. "See? I can be gentle."
Zenovia appeared beside the fallen creature before it could fully rise, her dagger aimed at the tendons behind its knee. She cut once in a clean and precise slice, and the creature shrieked, but instead of collapsing, it snapped its head toward her and opened its mouth.
A black tongue uncurled from within. The tongue had an eye on it.
For a split second, Zenovia froze in disgust; Her body recoiled as a pulse of dark mana burst outward from the eye.
Zenovia's body stiffened in place.
"Zenovia!" Aeron shouted.
