He gathered his courage and broke into a run, straight at the beast. He jumped atop the nearest uncut leg and ran its length even as it curled up behind him like a trailing wave.

Easy! In two seconds he would cut the creepy kid in half.

But as he swung his sword the tentacles whipped at him, smearing his armor with caustic poison and, worse in the short term, entangling his legs, so that Knightmare went sprawling. His outstretched sword arm stabbed right for Vincent, but three tendrils snatched at the blade, were cut through, but managed nevertheless to steer the blade harmlessly away.

Knightmare jumped up, looked down, and saw smoking holes in his chitin armor, but the pain was distant and the poison would never reach his bloodstream. He charged again, yelling, “Die! Die!” and swinging his blade like a scythe through the whipping worms, which sprayed poison like severed arteries pumping blood.

Monster, Chapter 27