The Venom Drake coiled around its stone pillar, yellow eyes burning with ancient malice. Its scales shimmered like poisonous oil, each breath sending a fine mist of toxin into the already thick air. The phosphorescent fungi cast the cavern in a sickly blue glow, turning the beast into a silhouette of death.
Alex and Saeko did not hesitate.
Saeko moved first.
The wind answered her call, lifting her from the ground, propelling her across the cavern floor. Her katana trailed behind her, a silver comet's tail. She closed the distance in a breath, her blade already arcing toward the drake's exposed neck.
The drake was faster.
Its tail whipped around, a serpentine blur of green scales and bone. Saeko twisted in mid-air, the wind shifting her trajectory, and the tail passed beneath her feet. She landed on the pillar, crouched, and lunged again.
This time, her blade found purchase.
