The Dreadvex Ape raised both hands high above its head.
The beast's massive arms stretched toward the golden sky of Sylvaris, fingers splayed wide like the roots of an ancient tree, palms facing the ground like two mountains about to fall. Muscles coiled and bulged beneath its matted black fur, each cord of sinew standing out in sharp relief, each vein pulsing with dark blood.
The creature's chest expanded with a deep, rumbling breath that sounded like stones grinding together at the bottom of a river. Its amber eyes, burning with cruel intelligence, fixed on the small body lying in the dirt below.
This was not going to be like the previous blows, quick and brutal and over in an instant. The ape had grown bored of simple crushing. It wanted to savor this moment.
