Maalick was falling into the void of the Hole 'I have to slow down my fall !!!'
He began to stabilize his position so that he was in front of the wall and dug his claws into it.
The pain was unbearable, but it allowed him to slow down his deadly descent. Nevertheless, three of these claws let go of him, causing him to tumble again.
"Fuck !"
He only fell about ten meters, which was enough to keep him alive. But also enough to make him feel stunned.
Yet his vision of horror evolved into the horrific reality that was his.
He saw in this hell, a sea of corpses of children, men and women in various stages of decomposition. They were all infected by flies and worms.
This infinite horizon was overhung by mountains of bones and fresh bodies, which had been partially consumed.
Maalick's only reaction when he saw this was a desperate roar in this field of desolation.
[ Regeneration activated ]
[ HP : 2/7 ]
The liquid flowing through him did not comfort him. On the contrary, it accentuated this sense of reality "I can't die here! I have to get up, I have to fight for Charlotte and Raz !"
As he lifted his chest, he felt the various body fluids of the corpses come off one by one behind his back, as if these thousands of dead wanted him to stay asleep with them for eternity.
But he did it anyway. With all the determination and rage he had.
Then a new kind of notification appeared.
[ Your Moult will begin soon ]
[ We advise you to find a discreet place for the transformation ]
[ Start of Moult : 59min : 59sec ]
As time passed, his claws regenerated and the bullet in his side came out on its own 'It fucking hurts ! But at least the bullets came out'
But he also regained his sense of smell.
The scent of decay hit him like the fists of the instructor David. That smell was suffocating him 'I have to find a solution... and fast !'
He took a deep breath of the putrid air, and began to wait for his PVs to be filled.
The pain of feeling new bones grow in his fingertips and the internal reconstruction, caused him an indescribable pain 'Do it for Raz ! Do it for Charlotte !'
Both of them were people who had helped him, supported him, and perhaps in some way, saved him.
[ HP : 6/7 ]
'This is it!'
He cut his arm slightly to get his blood out and smell it. His didn't have the metallic smell compared to the human's. It was totally different. It was a smell he had never smelled before.
"The smell is not pleasant, but it should do the trick"
Maalick walked in the direction of where he had fallen. That's when he heard something whistling in the air. He looked up and saw the load falling towards him at full speed.
He rolled to dodge the object.
The cart fell headlong onto the corpses of the Hole. Reducing the merchandise to an unrecognizable pile of exploded dead people.
The Lizardian approached the cart "Maybe I should search them to see if they have anything useful"
At the thought of this desecration, he recalled a memory of Margaret. She used to lecture him about the dead when he was young.
'Respect the memory of the lost, you idiot !' she had said, forcing him to put flowers on the graves of the nuns of the church.
That day she had taught him the meaning of the flowers "The White Carnation is the flower of eternal mourning and the Chrysanthemums are the flowers of death. So be respectful when you put them down and don't forget...'
'To pray for the dead' he replied at that time.
Maalick withdrew his hand "It would be an insult to her if I did that"
Suddenly he heard grunting around him and the sound of footsteps crushing the rotting bones of the dead.
"No rest for the brave, eh?"
***
On the second level, Raz and Charlotte were in a cell with humans. All of them, without exception looked down on them.
A woman in pretty good shape walked up to the two of them "I'm Verräter and you are in my cell. So you do as I say, understand?" she said, looking at Raz's burns in disgust.
She crouched down to be at the same height as Charlotte and wore a fake smile "And you little one. You could have a good life if you followed me. What do you say? All you'll have to do is do a few favors for the soldiers instead of me"
Charlotte tugged at the end of Raz's outfit.
He lifted the little redhead with one arm and she whispered in his ear.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
The Witch nodded excessively to indicate that she was sure "She's mean and lying" she muttered.
The woman tried to keep her composure 'How does this brat known ?!'
"Come on, you must be tired from the Promenade. Come and sit on my lap my dear. I could brush your beautiful hair" she said, crossing her fingers behind her back.
Evil smiles appeared on the faces of these men and women. They began to corner Raz and Charlotte near the bars to intimidate them with their numbers.
Behind her human wall, the woman revealed her true face "Kill the Troll and take the girl !"
The humans rushed toward Raz like an uncontrollable tide toward a tree.
Charlotte was protected by his muscular body.
"Close your eyes" Raz told her.
She did as Raz asked, by putting both of her hands over her face.
Raz got into a fighting stance and drew a semi-circle. As they entered his zone, the humans were showered with slow, destructive, sweeping kicks and punches.
Each of his movements exuded such animosity that some backed away in fear of his devastating power.
'We can't fight against this !'
'Who the hell is this man?' wondered one of the captives.
Raz had wounded many of his enemies, but he didn't kill them.
Verräter continued to force his fellow captives with the promise of a reward "Hit him with mana, you fools ! He can't get out of his circle. If you kill him, I will gladly give you my body for your pleasure !'
A purple aura emerged from Charlotte. Unconsciously, she had activated her magic to protect Raz. The Witch had launched an attack on the emotion she felt, Fear.
The fear of seeing a loved one die.
The remaining humans were afraid of Raz. Their group felt such fear that they were unable to flee or counterattack.
They all thought the same thing 'We're going to die !'
Raz turned and saw Charlotte wrapped in her colorful cocoon 'I see. So that's the kind of magic you have'
He stepped out of his semicircle and quickly struck the rest of his opponents in the throat.
The burned man moved closer to the mastermind of these attacks, within 5cm of his face "A scholar from your country, had created a saying that described you perfectly...
"Humans are capable of the best as well as the worst, but it is really in the worst that they are best" he said while quoting his source.
Raz put his hand on her skull and smashed it against the ground, destroying the beauty she preserved.
He brought it near to the bars of his cell to present it as a trophy to the neighboring watchtowers 'Behold, Humans, the result of your schemes'
A young night guard had watched the scene of Raz's domination "I've seen a lot of things in this camp since I got here, but this... This was an act of pure domination ! What a monster that Raz the Butcher. I can see why he was one of the most wanted criminals by the Coalition and the Trolls'
'It looks like they've realised' he thought as he looked towards the soldier.
Then he swung his victim towards the other unconscious humans.
"Charlotte, you can open your eyes"
The redhead slowly opened her eyelids to see that to her relief, Raz had not killed anyone "Y-You didn't kill anyone. That's good !"
'Who would kill people in front of a child?'
The humans he had wounded in the throat were getting up. The Troll threatened them "If you try anything against us. I will kill you, understood ?"
His frightened victims nodded their heads.
Then the former Brotherhood soldier sat down with Charlotte near the bars.
But the little Witch had other plans "M-Mister, would you please teach me more about... Witches" she said embarrassed as she used the term.
Raz smiled for the first time in ages "Let me tell you the stories of these brave women"
In another watchtower, a copy of Arthur noted everything he observed in the newcomers' cell. Then he climbed down the ladder of the watchtower and headed for his superior's cabin.
***
Arthur was in the most luxurious barracks of the camp.
He was sitting on the couch, explaining the next events of the week to the Captain "Those who have broken the religious rules will purge their sins tomorrow morning, with the priest Alexander at 8 o'clock. We should go to boost the moral of the troops"
Maria thought of something else 'The little Witch has magic power far beyond her age. Maybe I should...'
"Team Alpha will probably return from their observation mission the day after tomorrow. Their team leader will report back to you as soon as they arrive. Team Bravo will give us the location of the last survivors on the Promenade to Team Charlie to deal with them during the week" Arthur continued.
'As for the Butcher, I'd better take him to the playroom. He might be able to give us some valuable information about his country. I'm sure the...'
"And finally, we also need to unload the rest of the containers. My team can do it during the night. On the other hand, it might take us longer than expected with the appearance of the dungeons and the natural monsters"
Maria couldn't stop thinking about Maalick's companions. Raz and Charlotte. Charlotte and Raz. Both of them intrigued and fascinated her.
"Captain, are you listening to me?" insisted his second.
The No Man's Land Hyena was bored "Nah. I'm thinking about something else right now. Can't we see do this tomorrow ? I'd rather read the files on the new deportees"
"Madam, this assignments are good to keep the camp running smoothly. Thanks to this, we will be able to better..."
Maria corrected him " "We" know very well why you want everything to go well. At the same time I understand you. The more you show your usefulness to the empire, the sooner you can join the special unit and the sooner you can avenge your family and the motherland"
Arthur clenched his fist in the pocket of his military uniform "If the interests of our nation and mine aligne... Then why should I complain ?"
"You know, when I met you at the Human Military Academy, you were so determined, more ruthless, like a reflection of our great empire. Did the flower of your hatred just happen to wander, Arthur? Are Linbar's victims no longer the reason of your vengeance ?"
Arthur pierced his hand with his nails "You can say whatever you want about me, break my body, humiliate me in front of the prisoners. But never, ever, question my vengeance" he said threateningly.
A heavy silence settled between them.
Then it was broken by Maria laughing "That's it Arthur ! It is the mindset that I had seen in you. That's what got you my letter of recommendation !"
Then the national treasure stretched out her two fingers and Arthur's daggers turned against him " However, don't you dare to threaten your superior again"
Maria put away the daggers suspended in the air in her sheaths thanks to her magic.
At the same time, his copy entered the barracks and gave to the original his notes. Once his mission was over, he melted on the spot, leaving no trace of his passage.
The young soldier handed him the document "Here, the data that you wanted"
Maria handed him Maalick's file "Take this too. It should teach you several things about the Lizardians and their abilities before they Moult. After all, they are your targets"
Both exchanged their information and went back to their lives.
Maria on her couch, flipping through Arthur's notes.And the second one on his cot, in his personal barracks looking at the only picture of his big family.
"I will accomplish justice, the only justice that fits for them. I swear to you that I will kill them all. I will exterminate all the Lizardians of the Ranzara Tribe. No one will have to go through what you have experienced"