Chapter 89: Vile

Chapter 89: Vile

The hallway leading to the next room greeted them with the scent of the sea and stale breath. Familiar green crystals ran along the path at their feet, jutting out and seemingly doing their best to stick themselves right in front of their ankles whenever they took a step.

Water dripped from the ceiling in a rhythmic pattern and plinked against pools of water around them. Moisture covered the walls and gave life to moss that hid in the cracks and corners of the stone.

The hall grew narrower until there was just barely enough room for two people to walk side by side but they remained in a single file line anyway. Standing shoulder to shoulder would have forced them to squeeze and the crystals likely would have poked them every few steps. The scent of fish and salt intensified the deeper they headed.

“If the smell gets any worse, I think I might throw up,” Reya said nasally, pinching her nose shut and grimacing. “Where are we headed, the ocean’s ass crack?”

“You’ve been near the ocean?” Arwin asked, glancing back at Reya in surprise. “Is Milten near a large body of water?”

“Yeah,” Rodrick said. “It’s at the edge of the continent, at the farthest reaches of Lian. Honestly, it’s only part of the kingdom by name. Have you seen the governor’s mansion? Judging by its size, I’d reckon he hasn’t paid taxes to Lian in quite some time. Milten is just too far out and small to bother giving a shit about.”

Well, I guess that means my assumption of where Milten was happened to be pretty accurate. Did that explosion really throw me this far? How in the world did I survive the landing?

More questions, and still no answers. Arwin shook his head and dismissed his thoughts. There wasn’t any room for that inside a dungeon. He could deal with his worries when there weren’t monsters waiting to rip his heart out through his chest.

His nose scrunched in distaste as he drew in a breath. Reya was right – it smelled horrendous. A stain of rot had marred the already disgusting fishy scent, somehow making it even worse than it had been before.

When the hallway finally turned a corner and stopped at the opening of a large room, Arwin wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disgusted. The scent was definitely coming from within it. Glowing green moss reflected off a pool of murky water at the back of the domed cave and illuminated the sparse crystals jutting out of the walls and shimmering beneath the small lake’s surface.

“What are the chances we’re up against some slippery piece of shit that’s waiting underwater?” Rodrick whispered.

“Depends. Are you a betting man?” Arwin asked.

Rodrick grunted. “I’ll take that as one hundred percent. Nobody offers up a bet they don’t think they’re going to win.”

“Good choice,” Arwin said. “Everyone ready?”

“As ready as we’re going to get,” Anna said. “I’m standing back here. I don’t fancy the idea of tentacles.”

“What makes you think there will be tentacles?” Arwin asked.

“It smells like shit and there’s water. It’s going to be tentacles.”

Arwin shrugged. He stepped into the room, keeping Verdant Blaze ready at his side and prepared to activate [Scourge] at a moment’s notice. The steady drip of water rang in his ears as he walked closer to the lake.

Both his armor and greaves still had energy stored within them. The gem in the center of his chest piece had stopped humming but dim blue magic still sparkled within it. His greaves hummed with energy from the fight with the Chiropire, but he’d need to tank another strong hit or two before they activated.

The room was still silent. An outline in the wall at the edge of the lake marked what Arwin suspected to be a closed passageway. That was unfortunate. They’d probably have to find a way to open it. There wouldn’t be any way to sneak past the room.

That’s fine. Not a good idea to leave enemies behind you anyway. I just wish whatever is in this room would just come out already. I really don’t want to get any closer to the water and get pulled in.

Arwin coughed into his fist. It echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls, and faded away. The only response the room gave him was silence. Evidently, the monster here wasn’t planning on giving up its advantage.

“Lillia?” Arwin called.

“Yeah?”

A surprised roar escaped the giantling’s mouth and it kicked at Arwin. He dodged out of the way and scrambled back as the giant brought its foot down where he’d been standing, shaking the room with a resounding crash.

Rodrick darted forward as the giantling swung at Arwin again. His sword ignited with glowing yellow energy and he thrust it for a gap in the monster’s armor. It scraped against a plate of old armor, its approach slowed, but still bit into the flesh beneath.

The giantling’s attack missed as Arwin dodged to the side, but it didn’t so much as slow its momentum. In an insane feat of strength, it yanked back on the blade and redirected its path toward Rodrick.

“Godspit,” Rodrick swore, stealing Lillia’s favorite insult as he dropped to the ground. The sword scraped past his head and Arwin used [Scourge] to launch himself forward. The Rot Giantling’s free hand reached for him and a shimmer of blue passed over it, passing so quickly that it may as well not have ever been there.

Bands of shadow slipped out of the ground and reached up for its hand. They wrapped around it and tightened, restraining the monster for just long enough to buy Arwin time to land another blow on its knee.

This time, he was rewarded with not a clang but a crunch. The metal dented beneath Verdant Blaze, the crystals at its head ripping into the rotting flesh beyond. A furious scream ripped out of the giantling’s mouth and it lunged for Arwin.

The shadows snapped and fell away. Another flash of blue passed over it and failed to take purchase as it reached out, hand extending to crush Arwin’s head like a grape. [Scourge] coursed through his legs and he leapt back, just barely avoiding huge, bony fingers as they slammed shut on the air.

A shudder shook the ground as the giantling crashed to the ground. It was joined by a loud, scraping screech of armor grinding against stone. Rodrick darted forward and thrust his blade for one of its large eye holes.

The giantling lowered its head and Rodrick’s sword rang harmlessly off its helm. Rodrick jumped over the monster’s hand as it swung at him, then darted out of the way of its sword as it clambered back to its feet.

“Do it again!” Arwin yelled to Lillia. He ran forward, not waiting to see if she’d heard him. Arwin dropped to the ground, skidding across the stone on his knees to avoid the blade that carved the air above him apart, then drove himself upward and swung Verdant Blaze with all the power [Scourge] would impart into him.

Shadows erupted from the ground, binding around the Giantling’s other leg and pulling at its free hand. It ripped itself free, but not fast enough to avoid the hurtling hammer. It slammed home and metal crumpled beneath it.

Verdant Blaze roared in Arwin’s mind as it ripped through flesh and bone, emerging from the giantling’s leg in a spray of viscera. The blow had separated knee from leg entirely. A scream of pain filled the room as the giantling pitched back and crashed to the ground.

“Yes!” Rodrick yelled. “Nice! Let’s finish it off!”

“Hold on.” Arwin held a hand out to stop Rodrick from advancing and the other man froze in place.

The Rot Giantling rolled itself over and slammed its sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to raise itself back up. A deep growl emerged from within its chest, rancid air washing over them like a filthy blanket.

Chitinous legs pushed their way out of the hole in the monster’s chest and a bulbous grey spider clambered out from within it. More legs sprouted from the severed leg and its stump, hissing and popping as they crawled free.

[Corpse Burrower – Apprentice 4]

“Oh, that is just vile,” Rodrick muttered.

“Focus on killing them. Don’t let them touch you for obvious reasons,” Arwin said. “Something tells me that they don’t care if the bodies they infest are alive or not when they start.”

“Trust me, I’m not letting those creepy little shits anywhere near me,” Rodrick muttered, taking a step back as the spiders started toward them.

The Rot Giantling grabbed its severed leg and jammed it onto the stump. Flesh squelched as it drove a bone back into rotted muscle. The leg was mutilated and a little shorter than the other one, but the giantling was able to stand once more.

“Oh, that is bullshit,” Rodrick said. “That’s not how legs work.”

“Just keep the spiders off our backline.” Arwin hoisted Verdant Blaze. “I’ll handle the big bastard.”