Regis 10

All our attention—even the giant millipede’s—was drawn to Regis. The shadows melted away from him, revealing the full extent of his Destruction form. Just like when we’d fought against the so-called “Wild Things,” he was huge. His chest and forelegs grew thick with corded muscles, his back sloping down slightly and afire with jagged, unnatural purple flames. Horns like sharpened battering rams curved forward like a bull’s, while his snarling maw was filled with serrated daggers.

When he spoke, his deep voice reverberated through the den, more primal growl than speech. “Try shitting this out, bitch!”

Regis leapt half the length of the den to crash into the coiled millipede, his Destruction-infused jaws rending and tearing. He ripped off legs and tore huge gashes in the carapace, through which a thick, reddish muck spilled out. But the millipede was fighting back. Despite Regis’s size, the giant beast was still much larger, and it curled around him like a python, using its bulk to crush him. Legs stabbed like daggers all over his body, deflecting off the hardened fur.

Burning black bolts of soulfire pelted the creature, firing even faster than before. The thick barrier of aether was fading, and for every ten bolts that dissipated against it, one made it through, causing the chitin to pop and hiss as the soulfire burned it away.

Suddenly the millipede went into a death roll, crashing manically through the cavern with Regis pinned against its body. Caera’s artifact flashed back into defensive mode as part of the millipede’s body crushed her against the wall.