Ben's eyes widened. 'What the hell?'
The ground under him exploded.
Dirt and fungal roots flew in every direction.
Venom's tail shot up first, lunging straight for his throat.
Ben twisted his body at the last second.
Slash.
The jagged tip cut across his side.
Blood sprayed.
Pain flared along his ribs, sharp and hot, but he forced himself to ignore it.
His body was already moving to counter.
His arm shifted in mid-swing.
Muscle twisted and chitin folded in on itself.
It turned into a jagged, barbed spear.
"Nice trick.
Let's see you dodge this," he said.
Bam.
His spear drove straight through Venom's midsection and pinned it to the trunk of a tall mushroom tree.
The creature shrieked.
Its limbs flailed as venom spilled from the wound.
Its six eyes fixed on him, flickering between rage and fear.
Ben bared his fangs in a grin. "Not so slippery now, are you?"
He twisted the spear deeper and felt chitin grind against chitin.
Click.
Click.
Click.
