The thunderous bangs stopped just outside the destroyed door, and we waited, breath held. Time crawled, my nerves stretching tauter with every long minute of silence. Neither of us relaxed, our eyes locked on the door.

Every hair on my neck stood on end, instinct screaming that whatever made that racket was far from friendly.

Clover eyed the now-quiet doorway and began gathering magic in her palm, just in case. “I don't like this…”

I couldn't agree more.

Just as the last word left her lips, chaos erupted.

A hulking form slammed into the destroyed doorframe, struggling to fit its massive bulk through the narrow opening. Vibrant flashes of red shell flickered in the dim light. Dark red legs poked through the doorway, skittering for purchase before vanishing again. A stinger lashed through the opening, striking the floor and cracking it under the lethal tip. My stomach sank.

“It's a scorpion,” I said. Clover grimaced.

“Fabulous. Be careful, Darling. Something about its shell makes my skin crawl. I've never seen such a vibrant, glowing pattern before.”

Taking a second look, I noticed what she meant. Pulsing orange lines ran like veins across its red shell. A low hum of wariness pressed against the back of my mind, the familiar presence offering both comfort and dread.

“Whatever it is, my spirit doesn't like it,” I muttered.

Clover nodded. “I'm right there with them. I know we planned on not using mana, but I really don't like the look of that thing.”

I didn't argue. She condensed the magic floating around her hand into a lance. Once the blinding light sat snugly in her palm, she reeled back and let it fly.

“Illuminating Lance!”

The shout echoed off the walls as the spiral of light tore through the room and slammed into the scorpion's body. Only…it did nothing.

The giant bug didn't even flinch.

A pit of dread formed in my gut, and I analyzed it, confirming my suspicion.

Combustion Crystal Scorpion

Level 5

Hit Points: 95/100

Mana: 0/0

Status: Starving

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Resistances:

Fire

Magic

It was resistant to magic?! Clover must have noticed the same thing because she cursed. “What a waste of a spell.”

I sucked in a breath to agree, or to come up with a different plan, but the scorpion had other ideas.

The lance had widened the doorway, and the scorpion, seeing its opportunity, contorted its frame through. Standing to its full height, stinger swaying above its head like a snake ready to strike, I got my first good look at it.

The pulsing veins connected to dark orange crystals scattered over its body. Whenever the veins pulsed, the crystals glowed like fire.

Its beady eyes watched us, saliva drooling from its mouth to puddle on the floor. Thankfully, the stone didn't sizzle or burn–it probably wasn't poison or acid.

I'd take what we could get.

The scorpion tensed, done waiting. I lunged between it and Clover just in time to stop its stinger from reaching her. It scraped harmlessly off my armor, leaving a brief trail of heat before the metal cooled.

I raised my sword, waiting for its next strike. “Careful, I have protection against this, but you don't.” I said over my shoulder. Clover sighed.

“With its magic resistance I'm basically useless from a distance.”

The scorpion lunged again, cutting off anything I would have said. I met it halfway, the collision sliding me back a foot. The stinger clanged off my armor, loud tings echoing as it tried to find a crack to slip through.

It would succeed eventually. We needed a plan before then.

I took the hits and considered the stinger. The veins spiraled into it, the tip glowing with the same power coursing through its frame. Thinking back to its name, realization hit with dread right on its tail.

“Clover, I'm going to test something. If I'm right…I might need you to heal me.”

Her head whipped around. “What in the hells are you thinking?!”

The scorpion attacked again, its stinger striking dangerously close to one of my armor's openings. I knocked it aside and spoke. “I’m going to cast Bolster and throw it into the wall. I have a bad feeling about those crystals, and this is the only way I can safely test it. But if it explodes like I think it might, the blast radius is unknown.”

She ground out a curse. “You're going to throw yourself into an explosion? And you thought I was being reckless with the spiders!” She shook her head. “No, we won't be doing that. For all we know, Bolster doesn't protect you from heat and the explosion will cook you in your armor.”

A valid point, one I hadn't considered.

A chill slid down my spine. “Alright, what's our plan then? Because it's smart enough to look for gaps in my armor, and I, for one, don't like that.”

Even now, it had backed off, its red eyes assessing me for weaknesses.

Clover considered it before tugging her pack off. “We can test it with this.” She pulled out a plain slingshot, no runes marking it as an enchanted item. Bending, she grabbed some loose stones.

“Use your Bolster on both of us. A boost to defense for you and a strength buff for me would be invaluable right now.” She loaded the slingshot, glaring pointedly. “But do not try your plan. If you get injured by being stupid, I won't heal you.”

I nodded. “Fair enough.” While the scorpion was still distracted, I pulled magic around us. “Bolster.”

The magic sank into my skin, fortifying my defense and strength. When the glow faded, I rolled my shoulders and braced. “Ready.”

Clover readied the slingshot. “Good, because if this works, it'll probably be pissed and heading right for us.”

Just what I wanted to hear…