A serpentine shape burst from the darkness, gray flesh flashing in the firelight. Tomlin barely had time to raise his spear before the creature was upon him. He caught a glimpse of multiple gleaming eyes and needle-like teeth. With a yelp, he stumbled back, jabbing desperately.
The monster swatted his thrust aside with a heavy flap of rubbery hide, nearly knocking the spear from Tomlin's hands. Its jaws snapped where Tomlin had stood a heartbeat before, but Liam had tackled Tomlin out of the way just in time. They hit the ground hard as the Fleshburrower's teeth clamped on empty air.
The beast skittered back on six spindly legs, snarling. It was low to the ground and unnaturally long, pale skin stretched over corded muscle. Loose flaps of flesh hung along its sides, quivering as it moved, and a grotesque cluster of eyes glared from its elongated face.
Tomlin scrambled up beside Liam, heart pounding. "F-Fleshburrower," he managed to gasp. Knowing its name did not make it less terrifying.
The creature hissed and sprang at them again. Liam's sword flashed, slashing across the leaping creature's flank. A dark gash opened and the monster screeched, veering away as black ichor dripped to the ground.
The Fleshburrower began to prowl in a wide circle, lips pulled back over its fangs. Tomlin tightened his grip on his spear, trying to ignore the tremor in his hands.
All at once, the creature lunged forward—and then vanished into the soil. In a blink, it burrowed out of sight, leaving only churned dirt where it had been.
Tomlin and Liam stood back-to-back, straining to hear any sign of it. A faint rumble beneath their boots was the only warning. "Move!" Liam shouted. They dived apart as the Fleshburrower exploded up from the ground between them, snapping at the air.
Dust swirled. The beast landed and whirled toward Tomlin. He was still scrambling to his feet, eyes wide. The Fleshburrower charged, and as it did, its form seemed to blur and split. Tomlin saw double—two identical monsters barreling at him.
He hesitated, unsure which threat was real. He thrust at one, but his spear met only empty air: an illusion. In that instant of confusion, the real Fleshburrower slammed into his side. Tomlin was knocked off his feet with a cry, pain jolting through his ribs as he hit the ground on his back.
The monster loomed over him, pinning his crude weapon under a clawed foot. Its jaws gaped, drool hanging in ropes as it prepared to bite. Tomlin threw up an arm in a feeble attempt to protect himself, a scream caught in his throat.
A furious shout rang out. Liam charged in and slashed deep across the creature's back. The Fleshburrower howled and recoiled off Tomlin, whirling to face Liam. A claw lashed out, catching Liam across the chest and sending him stumbling back with a grunt.
Freed, Tomlin scrambled backwards, gasping for air. He saw blood on Liam's shirt, but Liam still held his sword firm, determination etched on his face.
In the flickering firelight, the creature's outline flickered too. One instant it was one, then it split into multiple silhouettes encircling them. Tomlin spun around, panicked by the ring of identical snarling beasts closing in. "I can't tell which one is real!" he shouted.
Liam's mind raced. Cornered by illusions, there was only one thing left to try. He drew a sharp breath and focused power into his right eye — the secret ability he rarely revealed.
At once, the false copies dimmed in his vision, mere pale shadows compared to the vivid shape of the real Fleshburrower creeping toward Tomlin. Through the Eye of the Abyss, Liam also glimpsed a throbbing red glow within the monster's chest — its vital core.
"Tomlin, the middle one!" Liam yelled, his right eye glinting with eerie light as it saw through the deception. "Aim just below its top eyes!"
Trusting Liam completely, Tomlin lunged from the ground and drove his spear straight into the spot Liam indicated. The point punched through tough hide and sank deep. The Fleshburrower shuddered, and all its mirages instantly vanished.
The monster let out an ear-splitting shriek. Dark ichor gushed from the wound as Tomlin yanked his spear back. "I-I got it!" he exclaimed, equal parts astonished and elated.
But the fight was not yet won. In a final frenzy, the wounded beast lashed out wildly. Its tail caught Tomlin and flung him aside like a rag doll. He crashed to the ground a few yards away, the breath knocked from his lungs.
Crazed with pain, the Fleshburrower turned on Liam. Before Liam could dodge, the creature pounced. The full weight of it slammed him down onto his back.
Liam choked out a gasp as he found himself pinned. He grappled with the thrashing beast, straining to keep its snapping teeth away from his throat. The creature's muzzle snapped closer and closer, hot breath flooding Liam's face.
For a heartbeat, fear flashed through Liam's mind — he was losing this struggle.
Tomlin saw his friend in dire peril and something in him surged. Despite the aches in his body, he forced himself up. Every muscle protested, but he gripped his spear and roared, charging straight at the monster.
With a determined yell, Tomlin rushed forward, spear poised for one final, desperate strike to save his friend.