Chapter 41: The Rotted Wolves
When Fuu stepped in, for the first five seconds, nothing happened.
It was quiet and calm and normal dark, as darkness always is. Fuu exhaled a sigh of relief.
"See," he looked back at Hide. "I think it’s actually—"
The growl came from the left, at first.
It was a beastie growl, and it did not come from some skeleton, it was obvious because skeletons don’t have lungs, but this came from something that had a chest cavity large enough to produce that much volume. Low and sustained, the kind of growl that was not a warning so much as a preamble.
Then from the right as well.
The same sound, mirrored. Now there were two of them, one on each side of the hall, somewhere in the dark beyond the flame’s reach, and with the growls came the other sound.
The sounds of rattling chains.
Heavy chain, iron links, the weight of restraint on something that was pulling against it. The rattling started deep and became louder with each second, the rhythm of something that was moving toward a presence they had found, with increasing intent, the chain singing as it played out link by link through whatever it was anchored to.
The growling and the rattling grew louder together.
Closer together.
From both sides of the hall simultaneously.
Fuu did not move. He was standing in the middle of the entrance and his body was trembling without him even noticing. His hair stood to the end, as he looked in both directions but only saw darkness.
The growls stopped for a split second, and Hide grabbed his collar and pulled him out, throwing him, butt first against the stone street.
Fuu came backward through the threshold with approximately the same effort as moving a large piece of furniture and they cleared the doorway in the half-second before the two shapes came together in the hall where Fuu had been standing.
The collision was enormous.
Two bodies, bone-made, with rotted flesh hanging to them like cloth. They were on four legs each — as tall as a human at the shoulder, the limbs thick and fused rather than the single-bone delicacy of the Ossian Thralls, these built for weight and impact.
They hit each other at full speed, jaws closing with sickening sound in the space where Fuu had been. The sound like a large crack was produced... that echoed off every wall in the entrance hall simultaneously.
The force of it drove both of them sideways — one into the left wall, one into the right — and the skull of the left one, mounted forward on a thick neck-vertebrae column, sheared clean off the spine on impact.
It flew across the hall and hit the far wall.
It rattled across the floor and came to rest three meters from the doorway, facing upward, the empty sockets, with rotted eyes of it looking at the ceiling.
The body it had come from was still moving, upright and growling from a throat that no longer had a head.
Fuu stared at it from outside the doorway.
Then he looked at Hide.
"What," He opened his mouth and then vomited a little. Because of the smell, even Hide had to close his nose.
And then a window appeared in front of him.
[Adaptive Override — Analysis Active]
Rotting Virus
Location - Blood
Source: F-Rank Calamity Beast — wolfthrall
Severity: Moderate
System query: Initiate adaptation sequence for this damage type?
[Awaiting command.]
Hide looked at it and his eyes narrowed, with a disgusted expression clawing to his face.
’A rotting Virus, so that’s why Fuu is vomiting. The smell is a Virus in the air.’
"Evolve" He commanded.
[Adapting - 5%]
[Adapting - 10%]
But there was still a problem, he could save himself with this, but what about Fuu... how would he help him surviving it.
Just then, Hide remembered something. he had seen something in the shop related to this issue just now.
He summoned the system window once again and opened the shop. He scrolled through the options available in potions and found what he needed. He clicked on it and the information about the potion opened in front of him.
[Anti Virus Potion (E) - 3,000]
[Provides user with a shield against all kinds of viruses for 10 minutes. Effects can not be stacked and only works against weaker rank Viruses.]
Well, there was a better option too, the potion was available in all ranks from F to A, but seeing as the beasts in front of them were only F-Rank, Hide chose this one.
’Better not waste too much money.’
He brough one of these potions as he didn’t need it. He looked back at Fuu, who’s eyes had gone white and he was lost deep in his thoughts and dreams. It was the effect of the castle’s mind attack and Rotting Virus working on his body at the same time.
’This place is far more dangerous than a normal dungeon gate, chances are that the Dungeon master is no simple beast but a lesser Calamity Lord.’ He ground his teeth at the thought.
’Why the fuck did that bastard push me here? what did he want to show me in this place? Did he knew that this would be a dungeon gate?’
All kinds of questions assaulted his mind. But they went away the moment a new window appeared in front of him.
[Adaptive Override — Adaptation Complete]
Analysis: Complete.
Counter Skill Generated
[Virus Immunity - Rank C (Passive)]
– Provides Immunity to Various Kind’s of Viruses and Fungi
– Skill acts more actively the stronger the Virus
Hide closed the window, having received the skill, he now suddenly felt that the smell was not that bad, his body regained its vitality.
He turned to Fuu and smacked him in the head, bringing him to his senses.
"Wha... what the? Who is that? Why can’t I... ?" He blinked and realized where he was.
Hide threw the potion to him. "Drink it and stand. We only have ten minutes. We are going to get to the other side."