As the soldiers caught their breath, a tense silence settled over the cavern.
The creature lay battered, disarmed, and still, and for a heartbeat, a flicker of hope appeared in their exhausted eyes. But that hope was quickly snuffed out as Lyerin's voice, calm and cutting, broke through the quiet.
"Don't lower your guard," he warned, his eyes narrowed as he watched the beast intently. "It's far from over."
The soldiers turned, surprise flashing across their faces, but the moment they did, the creature's hulking form twitched.
A low, rumbling growl began to emanate from deep within it, growing louder and deeper, like thunder building in the belly of a storm. Its many eyes glowed with renewed fury, and, impossibly, its form began to expand, its shell creaking and cracking as it grew.
