"What the actual fuck is that thing?" Stephan said, his voice low, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
The creature hung upside down, its long fingers hooked into the stone like talons. It was a Sanguivore, a Hanging One. Its body was a twisted mixture of man and bat, gaunt and wiry, every muscle stretched tight beneath pale, leathery skin. Veined wings folded against its sides like a shroud, and its face was a nightmare parody of both human and beast, sunken eyes gleaming in the torchlight, pointed ears jutting back, and a jaw lined with jagged fangs.
A thick strand of saliva dripped from its maw, landing on the stone with a wet hiss.
"That's a fucking Sanguivore!" Fizzwigg shouted, his voice sharp with panic, though Stephan caught the edge of something false in it.
Stephan smirked. What's this gnome playing at? he thought. Well… whatever game it is, I'll play along.
"Relax, Freezewig," he said, hands in his pockets. "This is nothing I can't handle."
