The Abomination writhed on the forest floor, its body pinned beneath Jacob's boot. It was a Mirehound. The creature's toxic mist glands along its spine had been crushed, leaving it unable to deploy its primary defense.
Jacob raised his waraxe and brought it down in a swing that opened the Mirehound's belly from sternum to groin. The creature's entrails spilled onto the dark earth, steam rising from the corrupted organs as they met the cool air.
The Mirehound didn't die immediately. It thrashed and convulsed, its limbs scrabbling uselessly at the ground as Jacob methodically began peeling back layers of flesh with the edge of his axe.
Black blood pooled beneath the dying creature, soaking into the moss and dead leaves.
Jacob's expression remained completely neutral throughout the entire process.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only thirty seconds, the Mirehound shuddered one last time and went still.
