Ruach: Whisper of Dragons

At the bottom of the canyon, trying to seek shelter from the predator in the sky, the scorpion had no chance to defend itself against the sudden and powerful strike that slammed into its head, crushing it against the desert sand.

The weight of the spear was felt directly and abruptly, but the scorpion's jointed legs and the sandy ground helped dissipate much of the impact, preventing the spear's tip from piercing its ultra-rigid exoskeleton.

Made of a chitinous material, the exoskeleton served as a natural defense—rough and robust, yet slightly flexible. It was the perfect armor for balancing resilience and hardness while remaining lightweight and resistant to the scorching desert heat.

"By Aura… I couldn't even pierce the surface and the beast didn't even suffer any internal injuries." muttered the woman, still on the scorpion's back, on her knees and leaning on the spear as she tried to recover from the immense effort she put into the initial blow.

She was well aware of this characteristic. She had done her homework before embarking on this hunt and knew the creature's primary weapons and vulnerabilities. She also knew that the spear strike wouldn't be enough to end the fight or even cause significant damage.

However, she had hoped at least to stun the creature or create a fissure in its exoskeleton, giving her a clear advantage. Unfortunately, that gamble had failed, and she was forced to leap off the scorpion's back when one of its enormous pincers nearly grabbed her, ready to split her in two.

Nimbly evading the pincer, which resembled a massive pair of shears designed to cut through anything it caught, the woman jumped to the ground and retreated several meters from the creature.

The scorpion, almost unscathed despite the fierce attack, began to rise again after failing to capture the tiny enemy on its back. Moments later, it refocused on expanding the cave, sensing the vibrations emitted by the eagle above.

Its intention was to hide and wait until the bird gave up and flew away. The smaller enemy nearby posed a minimal threat. If it could secure protection against the imminent danger, it could then address this new adversary.

In this desert, creatures learn that fighting and expending energy is extremely risky, as it creates vulnerabilities for other predators and drives away potential prey in the area. The longer it lingered, the greater the chances another predator would appear.

Territorial disputes were rare in this desert, and even apex predators preferred to hunt easier prey, even if it meant capturing a larger number of smaller creatures instead of larger, more challenging creatures.

For this reason, rather than pursuing the woman, the scorpion turned and began pounding and clawing at the rocky walls inside the small cave. Its efficiency was evident, showcasing its digging abilities as the cave visibly expanded.

"That's not how the game works, friend. I'm still here."

Noticing the creature's intentions, the woman quickly grabbed her spear and rushed toward the scorpion. Using the blade imbued with her own aura to enhance its sharpness and power, she began thrusting at the scorpion's sensitive areas.

Clang!

The first strike landed on one of its leg joints, but the blade didn't even scratch the surface. It felt as though she were hitting a solid steel bar, causing the spear to vibrate and recoil.

Clink!

Another strike hit the base of the tail, a softer spot, but the thrust wasn't enough to penetrate—it only managed to leave a faint scratch on the exoskeleton.

Clink! Clink! Ting! Clink!

A succession of blows were fired by her, trying to somehow attract the creature's attention to herself. But no matter how many blows the woman inflicted, the giant scorpion seemed more interested in expanding the cave than defending itself.

In fact, the blows inflicted were not enough to cause injuries or damage enough to bother the scorpion. The most the blows did was cause a small disturbance in the senses, something similar to when an ant walks on someone's body.

Clink! Clink! Ting! Clink!

"Huff… Huff… Huff… By the depths of Naralk!" the woman shouted, retreating several meters as she panted heavily.

After a long series of strikes with no success in gaining the scorpion's attention, she decided to step back and rethink her strategy. Exhaustion was beginning to set in, primarily from maintaining the aura manipulation on the spear's blade.

"This disgusting creature doesn't even recognize me as a lethal threat. It's more concerned with running away and hiding... WINDOR, LAND AND REST, PLEASE…"

Using her aura to amplify her voice, she called out to the eagle circling in the sky, urging it to stop disrupting the hunt. After all, the scorpion was more intent on hiding than fighting her.

Kyaaaahhhh

Responding with a slightly weak and apparently sad squeak, Windor descended and landed on one of the canyon's edges and remained hidden, but in order not to miss any detail of his prey, he lowered his torso and stretched his neck, placing his head on the edge enough so that he could peer down into the canyon.

Kra-kra-kra

From time to time, it made clicking sounds, expressing its anxiety and interest.

From the canyon floor, Windor was well-concealed and invisible to observers. Unfortunately, the scorpion's heat-detecting senses were keen, and it could still sense Windor's presence just as clearly as before, though the perceived threat level had diminished due to the lack of movement.

Despite this, the scorpion continued digging and expanding the cave, now large enough to cover more than half its body.

"It definitely doesn't get it… Or maybe I was just too dumb. I should've told it to fly away. Unfortunately it will only listen to another order when I use the command wire again. *Sigh*... Anyway, there must be a way to provoke this scorpion."

Seeing the scorpion still focused on digging, the woman paced back and forth, studying the exposed parts of its body for a visible weakness or more vulnerable spot to attack.

Twisting and spinning the spear in her hand, she was trying to find some visible weakness or some more sensitive place to strike. None of the places she tried before were effective, so she decided to think and analyze calmly.

Kkkiiikkkiikkkiiikiii

Suddenly, the scorpion emitted a strange sound as it backed away from the cave, dragging a large mound of sand and dirt with its pincers. As it moved, it raised the back of its body higher than usual, likely due to the weight of the debris.

The movements were swift, but the woman quickly spotted a part she hadn't targeted before: the underside of the scorpion, where its stomach was located.

"Hehehe… I think I found it"

With a wicked grin and a sharper gaze, she wasted no time, charging fiercely and pointing her spear, this time imbuing the tip with even more aura.

"AAAAHHHH"

The size difference between her and the creature was so vast that she only had to lean slightly to get beneath it and deliver a direct thrust.

KIIIIIKIIIIIIIIIII!

The strike was precise, a powerful thrust that pierced the exoskeleton and drove the spear more than halfway in, impaling the scorpion as the spearpoint aimed toward its head.

The scorpion let out loud cries of agony, reacting violently and abruptly.

With a sudden twist, it turned and fully emerged from the cave. The woman, still gripping the spear and trying to push it further, was caught off guard and thrown violently to the ground several meters away.

She scrambled to her feet, but there was no time to recover; as soon as she looked at the scorpion, one of its pincers was already descending to crush her.

WHUUMMPP!

She narrowly avoided the attack by rolling to the side. The strike on the sand was powerful enough to kick up a considerable dust cloud, quickly dispersed as the scorpion lunged forward again.

Swoosh!

She dodged another strike, but this time, the creature swept the area with its pincer. The woman leaped high and fast to evade.

Plaack!

"Urggh!"

Caught off guard, the other pincer struck her mid-air, sending her crashing violently into a canyon wall. She fell to the ground, dazed and nearly unconscious.