Dragon of Endless Evil

Inside the base, the atmosphere was relaxed. The men of the Venom Clan were sitting around campfires playing dice or eating.

Oswald, the heir of the Venom Clan, was sitting apart. He was a man in his thirties, with an angular face, brown hair and his eyes were a pale green.

Unlike most clans, the Venom Clan did not use bloodline to designate its heir. There was a master and disciple system, based on talent and skill, just like the Sorcery Clan or the alchemy clan. Oswald was therefore the sole disciple of Patriarch Jahel.

He was eating when a dull noise echoed in the distance.

*Boom*

Oswald raised his head, eyebrows furrowed. The noise had propagated through the stone walls.

"What’s going on?!"

A guy came running with a pale face. "Lord Oswald! It seems that some walls around have been destroyed!"

Oswald narrowed his eyes. "Huh? But how is that possible? The walls of the Catacombs are solid, they have held for centuries."

"We don’t know, Lord, but there are chain collapses, as if someone was bringing them down..."

"Shit," swore Oswald. "The noise is going to attract Daugrs in masses!"

He had barely finished speaking when they heard the first growls and that characteristic stench of rotten flesh.

"Get ready!" shouted Oswald while grabbing his short spear.

The men of the Venom Clan rushed for their weapons. But they had not had time to prepare. Some were still around the fire, their weapons out of reach.

About thirty creatures rushed toward the camp. The Venom Clan was not good at close combat but it still had to defend itself.

Oswald took a deep breath, then he exhaled a greenish cloud of smoke. His eyes lit up with a toxic glow, and his body was covered with a thin film of poisoned chi.

< Second Sense of Venom : Chimera Breathing. >

He felt his own Chi Core, then he modified its nature. Instead of simply strengthening his muscles, he saturated his chi with a toxic property.

Every cell in his body became a reservoir of poison. If he was injured, his blood would act like an acid or a violent venom for anyone who came into contact with it. The technique also boosted his physical abilities, but in an unstable way. His speed increased at the cost of extreme tension on his heart.

Since he could not yet cover his weapon with his chi, he made a cut in his palm and let it flow onto his spear.

He leaped on the first Daugr. His short spear sank into the creature’s torso, and a jet of corrosive blood spurted from the wound. The Daugr screamed, a hoarse and tearing sound, before collapsing, its flesh melting on contact with Oswald’s venom. The other Daugrs hesitated for a second, attracted by the smell of the poison, then they rushed again.

Oswald pivoted, parried a claw with a spear movement, and planted his weapon in the jaw of a second Daugr. The acidic blood splashed the creature’s face, which began to sizzle and smoke. It collapsed while writhing.

But the Daugrs kept coming. Each collapse noise attracted a new wave. Where there had been thirty, there were now fifty.

And the men of the Venom Clan were falling one after another. One man was grabbed by three Daugrs, his screams stifled by the claws tearing his throat. Another tried to flee, but he tripped over a corpse and was swallowed by the horde.

"Shit!!"

Oswald struck down another Daugr, then another.

"I won’t hold out much longer..."

The Chimera Breathing was costing him dearly.

"Pull back!" he shouted. "Pull back to the left!"

But panic had taken over the ranks. The men were running in all directions, some abandoning their weapons, others throwing themselves into the side corridors to try to escape. The Daugrs caught up with them, tearing them apart.

...

Oswald continued to fight, but every second that passed brought him a little closer to exhaustion. His body was covered in bruises, deep blue marks spreading across his arms and torso where the Daugrs had managed to touch him.

Fortunately, his blood was corrosive. Every time a claw or bite cut his skin, the blood that flowed acted like a violent acid, burning the creatures’ putrefied flesh and forcing them to retreat. But this protection had a price. His own wounds did not heal, and the blood loss was starting to slow him down.

He had just struck down yet another Daugr, his short spear driven into the creature’s jaw, when two of his men appeared in front of him. Their faces were sweaty.

"Pull back, Lord Oswald!" shouted one of them while parrying a claw with his shield. "We’ll cover your back! These Daugrs are becoming too numerous!"

Oswald hesitated for a fraction of a second. He did not like to flee. But he knew his men were right. The horde kept growing, and even with his corrosive Chi, he could not hold out indefinitely. Without a backward glance, he turned on his heels and fled into the opposite corridor.

He ran for several minutes.

He finally slowed down, leaning against the wall, panting. His breathing was ragged, and his heart was beating too fast.

"Fuck..."

He let his short spear drop beside him and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I really almost died..."

"You really have no honor," said Victoria as she stepped out of the shadows.

Oswald jumped and turned abruptly. He grabbed his short spear and pointed it at her. "You! What are you doing here?"

A second silhouette appeared next to Victoria. Daemon stepped out of the shadows.

"I greet you, Lord Oswald," he said.

Oswald narrowed his eyes. He observed the two intruders, then burst into a mocking laugh. "The former useless heir of the Sword Clan?" he sneered. "And his ex-fiancée from the elemental house of water? What a surprise to find you here. Did you go on a date to rekindle your love?"

Daemon frowned, clearly annoyed but he kept his voice calm: "Listen, Oswald. I didn’t come to chat. Give us the antidote to the poison you used to attack Victoria..."

Oswald shrugged, putting on a look of fake innocence. "Oh nooo... That’s too bad~. Your ex has been poisoned?"

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