Chapter 266: Will he actually do it?
The arrow thunked harmlessly into Damon’s chest. Damon didn’t flinch, but the glare he turned on Riven could have peeled paint off a fortress wall.
The old alchemist, for his part, didn’t even seem to notice. He was crouched by a crack in the cave wall, cooing softly to a glowing centipede and feeding it something that looked disturbingly like a human molar.
"Do you have a death wish?" Damon hissed, yanking the bow from his arm and tossing it back at Riven’s feet. "Just use something else to fight, okay?" How could someone be so bad at this? Fuck, this bastard better be good at some other weapon.
He curiously observed Riven once again, standing in front of the old guy, just to make sure he doesn’t end up dead.
Riven rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and gave a thumbs-up. "Right. No more arrows near the crazy guy. Got it, boss."
Damon didn’t respond. He just stared.
Under the intensity of that gaze, Riven sighed and muttered, "Fine. Melee it is." He drew his dagger and jogged forward with the expression of a man heading into tax season without half his bills.
One spider that was left behind half-dead, lay on the ground with barely a sliver of its health left. Riven spotted it and grinned like he had just found a jackpot. "Perfect," he muttered and charged.
The spider twitched once. Riven screamed like it was a fire-breathing demon. He leapt over it, stabbed wildly, once, twice, three times, only managing to hit the floor, the wall, and possibly his own foot.
The dagger finally connected on the fourth strike, but by then, the poor thing had probably died of embarrassment. "Victory!" Riven declared, striking a pose. "Did you see that precision? My lord, I have killed for you!"
Damon pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. This was going to be a long fucking day. He might just end up killing this bastard before he ever awakens his true form. If there was anything hiding inside at all, it was deep down, way, way deep down.
Not knowing his thoughts, Riven was over the moon. "Thank you, my lord. For giving me this opportunity. I suddenly feel like I can do anything."
"Hmmm?" Damon raised a brow, momentarily doubting if he had jumped to conclusions too soon. He watched keenly with growing interest as Riven spotted another spider in the distance and charged towards it.
There was determination in his eyes. A fire. Damon could almost see the demonic madman he knew in his last life. His pulse raced as he watched Riven. There was no fear in his steps as he boldly faced the level 50 monster.
Damon watched without blinking. Riven raised his dagger and slashed down with conviction. The way his hand moved was smooth and without hesitation. Riven’s strength was no match for the spider, but it did not matter. The madman could beat foes way above his power level.
And this guy might just pull it off. He watched with his anticipation building as the dagger was about to connect with the beast. Was it going to be a critical strike? Was it going to contain some sort of dagger aura he inherently unleashed?
However, the next moment, Damon froze in shock, staring at the unbelievable scene in front of him. The dagger never connected, and the man was missing in action.
Damon’s gaze moved downward as he watched the spider look at him in disdain. Riven lay on his stomach, his limbs twitching uncontrollably before ending up completely still and silent like a statue.
Ellora was the first to speak, her voice dry. "Did... did he just knock himself out?"
Kaelthorn walked over and gave Riven’s foot a nudge with the end of his greataxe. No response. "Yup. He’s out cold, paralyzed. Face-planted so hard, I think the floor took more damage than the spider."
The spider, for its part, didn’t even bother finishing the job. It just turned and skittered away like it had accidentally stumbled into a tavern brawl it wanted no part of. Kaelthorn simply used his leg to squish it like it was nothing.
Damon stared at the crumpled body on the ground, trying to process what the hell had just happened. "I thought... I really thought for a second..." He let out a sigh.
The old alchemist tottered over, peered at Riven thoughtfully, then patted his head. "Hmm. Still fermenting," he muttered. "Needs more chaos. Perhaps some trauma. Or a stronger cheese."
Damon sighed and rubbed his temples.
Ellora, trying not to laugh, flicked her wrist and summoned a blood rune to gently float Riven’s unconscious body behind them like luggage. "Do we leave him like this, or...?"
"No," Damon grumbled, already regretting every life decision that had led him here. "He’s my responsibility. Sort of. Let’s just get to the corrupted lab before something else implodes."
As the group began moving again, the alchemist suddenly gasped. "Wait! Don’t step on that rock—it’s a hallucination trap!"
Everyone froze.
The alchemist chuckled to himself. "Ah, no. My mistake. That was a hallucination of a hallucination trap. Continue!"
Kaelthorn growled, "I am going to kill him before the dungeon does."
Damon didn’t reply. He understood the sentiment way too well.
The descent into the dungeon continued with the faint echo of Ellora’s blood magic still lingering in the walls and Kaelthorn’s axe swinging through the air like punctuation marks on a war hymn.
Behind them, Riven floated like a deflated parade balloon, blood rune tugging him gently along. His mouth twitched once as if dreaming of spiders and glorious victory. Damon sighed again.
More and more spiders poured into their path, which were swiftly taken care of by Ellora and Kaelthorn. Damon did not even have to raise a finger. Soon, the entire first floor of the dungeon was wiped clean, naturally in record time.
They had just walked from the dungeon entrance to the end of the lair and the first floor of the cave network was cleared.