336 Diggers

Arran attacked the two creatures cautiously, staying just out of reach of their snapping jaws as he struck at them with his sword.

This wasn't because he feared their power. While the creatures were strong, he'd determined almost instantly that they were no threat to him.

Tough though their steel-like skin might be, it was no match for Arran's Living Shadow blade, and he easily bested the creatures in speed and strength as well.

But while killing the creatures — the diggers, as the overseer had called them — would be easy, Arran wanted to study them, first. There might be stronger ones deeper in the mines, and anything he learned now could only help him later.

But it wasn't long before he realized there was little to learn. While the creatures were strong and fast, they fought with the mindless viciousness of wild beasts, and fooling them was a simple matter.