OP Absorption

Susan cursed, ducking under a scything claw that sheared through the air where her head had been moments before. The mutated mantis-scorpion, whatever, shrieked, its segmented tail whipping around, dripping viscous green fluid. "This thing’s hide is too damn thick!" she yelled, her blades flashing as she parried another blow, the impact jarring her bruised arm. Sweat plastered strands of hair to her face.

"Focus fire on the joints!" Gary shouted, loosing a crossbow bolt that ricocheted harmlessly off the creature’s main carapace.

Susan gritted her teeth, danced back from a spray of acid, and lunged forward again. She saw an opening – a momentary gap where the leg met the thorax. She drove her right blade in, feeling resistance give way slightly.

The monster shrieked again, not just in pain but rage. Ignoring Mary’s flanking attack, it spun with unnatural speed, its heavier scorpion tail blurring toward Susan faster than she could react.

Her eyes widened. She tried to twist away, bring her blades up, but she knew she wouldn’t make it. This was it.

CLANG!

A black polearm materialized between her and the incoming stinger, intercepting the blow with a shower of sparks. The force of the impact echoed through the clearing, but the weapon held firm.

Susan stared, stunned, as Fin stood before her, staff planted, effortlessly holding back the attack that would have impaled her.

He glanced back at her, his expression unreadable. "You okay?"

Before she could answer, he turned back to the monster. He didn’t just block the next attack; he deflected it with contemptuous ease, using the creature’s momentum to spin it off balance. Then he moved.