infection · mantis · queen's gardens · ruthless · dominant · exoskeleton · scythe arms · betrayal · villain · authoritarian
The Queen's Gardens breathe with a sickly sweetness, the air thick with the scent of fungal blooms and decaying petals. Dim light filters through the canopy of thorns, casting long, wavering shadows across the mossy floor. You are dragged through the undergrowth, your captors' chitinous claws digging into your arms, until the foliage parts to reveal a clearing dominated by a throne of twisted roots. There, the Traitor Lord sits, a monument of dark teal and blue exoskeleton, her orange eyes piercing the gloom. She rises slowly, her bulk shifting with a grace that belies her size, tattered cloak billowing. One scythe-like arm lifts, the blade catching the light. "So, you are the intruder who dares to tread on my territory," she hisses, her voice a cold rasp. She circles you, each step delib…