Free Descent Into Darkness (Book 2) by James R. Vernon

by the sounds of cheering and yelling, most of the words lost in the din above. When Ean could pick out a particular voice from the mess, it was usually in a language that he didn't understand.
    As the noise from above increased, the creature across from Ean began to move, slowly weaving to the left then right, as if it was impossible for the Amalgagrim to move in a straight line. In response, his host let out a primal roar and lifted his four arms into the air, spreading them wide.
    That's when things started to click into place--the four fingers, yellowish skin, four arms...he was in a Cruxlum!
    As Ean watched the creature across from him move slowly in his direction, a thought appeared in his head that he knew was not his own.
    Testing me, to see if I will blindly rush in and attack.
    The words came to him in the Cruxlum's language, but he understood them as if the thoughts had been in his own native tongue. Was it because of the dream, or was this more than a dream? As usual, Ean had multiple questions and absolutely no answers. He was forced to simply ride along in the body of the Cruxlum and see what happened.
    "I need to be ready for it," the Cruxlum thought, its eyes locked on the other creature. "It's faster than the size of its body would imply. It will feint with its pinchers. Its usual attack is to try and skewer its victim's legs with the points of its own front legs. That is how it will attack first and will be my best chance to counter and kill it quick."
    An image of the Cruxlum getting behind the other creature quickly flashed in Ean's mind. He pictured himself, the Cruxlum, grabbing the head of the monster with all four hands and twisting as sharply as possible. In the brief image, he saw that the Cruxlum would probably lose a finger or two to the Amalgagrim's powerful mandibles, but it would be an acceptable loss if it assured him a quick victory.
    All Ean could do while the thoughts of the Cruxlum bounced around his head was silently wish it luck.
    Without warning, the creature rushed straight at him, its four pointed legs making loud clicking sounds as their points struck the stone floor. As the Cruxlum expected, it was fast, closing the distance between them in an instant. Its left pincher struck out towards his right side.
    The Cruxlum dodged the blow, moving just enough that the shelled appendage harmlessly brushed against his side. Then he rolled forward underneath the creature, narrowly dodging the creature's front right leg as it crashed down where the Cruxlum's left thigh had been only moments before.
    Grunting, the Cruxlum let his momentum carry him underneath and completely past the Amalgagrim. He rolled to his feet, turning around and leaping back without looking, hoping the creature was still standing in the same place. When all he felt was air, both the Cruxlum and Ean knew that the plan had failed.
    All the Cruxlum could do was watch as he sailed over the monster, which had spread its legs out wide and dropped low to the ground. Ean watched as well, his host's body twisted in the air and tried to dodge the pincher that reached up for him. It clamped down on the Cruxlum's ankle, sending a jolt of pain through his body. The pincher tried to crush through skin and bone, causing such an intense pain that Ean knew if it had been his body, he would easily have succumbed to unconsciousness.
    The Cruxlum, however, stayed focused, even as the pincher stopped his momentum and slammed his body down to the ground. Ignored the pain, the Cruxlum was able to twist in the creature's grip so that he was on his back. This allowed him to get his two lower hands up just in time to catch the Amalgagrim's leg as it tried to slam down and impale his body.
    The Cruxlum struggled with the leg while the pain of the creature's pincher slowly bit deeper into his ankle. That pain suddenly increased as the creature used its pincher to hold its own body up enough so that it could send the end of its other front leg straight