The first trees fall to the north.
More impacts come from the west and the south, advancing at different rhythms. The Pincer Magnatos at the center of the clearing raises its pincers and answers with another call, spreading the vibration through the roots.
The reinforcements are close.
I shift my grip on Kraken and look for a point behind the creature. There's a wide tree at the edge of the clearing, part of its trunk exposed above a pool of brackish water.
I throw the sword.
Kraken passes over the Magnatos's shell and punches through the tree. The trunk bursts in a shower of wood, moss, and bark. The upper section topples to the side, snapping the branches of the smaller trees around it.
Every one of the creature's eyes swings to the impact.
"Into the water!" I say.
Freya looks at the pool.
The dark surface is covered with leaves, small insects, and an oily film moving between the roots.
"No."
I step in before she finishes.
