(Opening Scene: The tense standoff in Astrid's chambers continues. The Montaigne guards hesitate before Eclipse, coated in lethal black venom. Astrid's warning hangs in the air, but Lady Elara's resolve remains.)
Despite Astrid's desperate plea, the first Montaigne guard, a burly man clad in polished steel armor, moved forward, his duty overriding his caution. He reached out, his gauntleted hand intending to grasp Eclipse firmly.
The moment his armored fingers made contact with Eclipse's venom-coated scales, a horrifying transformation began. The once gleaming steel of his gauntlet began to corrode, as if exposed to a potent acid. A hissing sound filled the air as the metal bubbled and warped, turning a sickly gray.
The decay spread with terrifying speed, traveling up the guard's arm. His flesh beneath the armor blackened and withered, and a silent scream stretched his lips before he collapsed to the floor with a sickening thud, his armor now partially dissolved and his body lifeless.
A collective gasp of horror filled the chamber. The remaining guards recoiled in terror, their faces pale with shock. Lady Elara stared at the fallen guard, her resolve finally cracking as the true lethality of Eclipse's venom became brutally apparent.
Astrid stood frozen, her initial fear for Eclipse now replaced by a horrified understanding of his power. Even she hadn't fully grasped the speed and deadliness of this particular venom.
The sweet, metallic odor intensified, a tangible presence of death in the room. Eclipse remained coiled, his golden eyes fixed on the horrified onlookers, a silent warning radiating from his venom-coated form.
Lady Elara took a step back, her voice barely a whisper. "By the ancient ones… what is that creature?" The sight of the guard's rapid decay had shaken her to her core. Her priority now shifted from containment to survival.