Chapter 313
"Check it out," one of the bolder Ratmen said, grabbing a rusted dagger from his belt. He crept cautiously toward the source of the noise, his senses heightened as he moved through the shadowed tunnels of the underground. His claws scraped the damp stone floor as he approached a large pile of waste, his eyes squinting to peer through the thick, murky air.
Suddenly, something moved.
It was subtle at first—just a ripple in the waste, as though something beneath the surface had shifted. The Ratman froze, his heart racing. A moment later, the surface of the waste seemed to swell, and without warning, something emerged from the filth.
A small, spindly leg, sleek and black like polished onyx, shot out from beneath the waste. The ratman staggered backward, eyes wide in terror, as more legs began to crawl out—thin, sharp, and disturbingly long. The creature that rose from the sludge was a twisted amalgamation of ogre and spider, its body drenched in filth but unmistakably powerful.
The hybrid’s eight eyes stared at the ratman before a web shot out, entrapping him. Having captured its prey, the hybrid moved forward to devour him.
The other ratmen, seeing this, roared out in alarm as they grabbed their tools to chase away the spiders. However, their courage was soon diminished when four more hybrids emerged from the waste, each shooting out webs that ensnared them in place.
The old ratman, who hadn’t picked up a weapon, slowly took a step back, watching in terror as his brethren were devoured by the hybrids, which grew larger the more they ate.
"What kind of abomination have those goblins cooked up this time?" the old ratman thought in terror. His eyes widened as his foot kicked a pebble, the sound echoing in the waste dump.
The hybrids, still munching on their half-eaten meals, turned toward the noise. Their attention locked onto the old ratman, who was now scrambling on all fours, trying to escape.