It's not intelligent, only weakened.
Liam chuckled to himself as he made use of the opportunity, ruthlessly stabbing at the large carp.
[-250!]
[-125!]
As luck would have it, the effect on Liam's sword triggered. A stack of bleed was added on the carp.
Liam's expression stayed calm as he waited a second before he was able to attack again.
[-258!]
[-129!]
[-30!]
The carp finally managed to recover as it's Hp were dwindling at insane speeds. It shook its body in panic before diving deeper into the water.
For a moment the swamp fell silent again. Liam gradually got a bad feeling. He let out an exasperated sigh as the water began to ripple again.
Looking at his HP affected by the poison Liam didn't hesitate to use a health potion. With more than 50 gold to his name Liam could already be considered a tycoon. A single health potion didn't hurt much anymore.
Next, small carp jumped out of the water again. With the earlier experience Liam managed to dodge most of them, only getting hit once.
However, as his skill was still on cooldown Liam had no way to locate the weakened carp. He randomly checked his surroundings a few times without success.
Thus, he could only fall silent.
The carp swam through the deeper waters, circling its prey. Blood trailed behind it. It didn't have any deeper thoughts, only knowing that it had to defeat the nephilim intruding in its territory.
Preparing itself the carp slowly approached Liam's back. When it felt that it was close enough, it suddenly accelerated, aiming for Liam's thigh with its sharp teeth.
Liam felt the movement behind him. He grinned, waiting until the carp was just about to hit him.
Suddenly mana raced through his body. Sparks flashed around him as he vanished from the spot. He traveled a minimal distance, just enough for the carp to miss him.
Reappearing he instantly activated his skills. His swords flashed through the air.
The carp fell back into the water, wounds crisscrossing on his body. A moment later it resurfaced, its belly towards the sky, having lost all signs of life.
Liam looked at the dead fish with a hint of excitement in his heart. This fight had turned out more interesting than he expected, mainly because of the muddy ground and the unknown skill.
Rubbing his hands he stepped forward, looting the carp's body. He quickly skipped over the two pieces of green equipment, taking a closer look at three bottles filled with a sour smelling transparent liquid.
Antidote? This might come in handy.
Glancing at his HP which were still slowly consumed by poison, Liam put the antidote away. It would be a waste to use it now that the fight was already over.
Now that the carp was gone, he didn't need to fear anything as he walked deeper into its territory.
Slowly a strange metallic smell mixed into the moldy air. Liam quickened his steps, circling a thick tree.
An eerie scene could be seen on the other side. The ubiquitous fog carried a red tinge, wafting around a pile of bones. They stuck out of the mood, encircling a scary bone structure attached to the tree.
A dead person was hanging from the sharp bones. Their clothes were torn into pieces and streaks of dried blood ran down their body.
Liam scrunched his face. This was not a sight for the fainthearted.
[Discovered Infernal totem; EXP: 50]
[EXP: 1650/2500]
Liam ignored the notification as he already knew the meaning of the sight before him.
It was the doing of infernals, which was how the people of Crunaboul collectively named the many creatures born in hell.
Infernals spent much of their time trying to find ways into the lands of mortals with the aim to cause as much chaos as possible.
Serving the devils of hell they were the mortal enemies of godspawn, embroiled in an everlasting war.
The totem erected in the swamp could have all kinds of effects but none of them were positive for the locals.
If a player found such a totem their actions were usually dictated by the alignment of the faction they belonged to.
Liam, however, as an original nephilim had more than one option.
But there isn't much value in keeping this thing as long as the original nephilim aren't reconnected with hell.
The veteran didn't have to think much about it as he raised his swords and cut down the totem.
The bones fell apart, sinking into the water. Meanwhile, the dead human attached to them mysteriously vanished into thin air, a small relief granted by the game.
With the corpse gone the eerie bone structure behind it was clearly visible. Liam scanned it for a second before finding a small silver coin attached to it.
The coin was engraved with two devilish horns, giving of an evil energy. Despite all the blood running from the corpse, none of it stuck to the coin.
Liam ignored the unwell feeling in his stomach as he quickly pocketed this coin. He knew that depending on whom he presented it to, he would receive rewards and potential quests.
With nothing more to get from this secret place Liam trudged back to the path. He was glad to leave the muddy water behind.
But when the buzzing of mosquitos reached his ears, Liam felt he got out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Annoyed, he fought his way through the insects until Sentrav's hut finally appeared in his vision.
Calling it a hut was an understatement, however. The building was a solid wooden house with a nice patio, mostly built on wooden pillars which held it above the water.
Broad stairs led to its door which was adorned by artful engravings.
However, years of neglect left traces on the house. Plants overgrew from all sides, its roof showing a few obvious holes.
Yet a keen observer would notice that no animal dared to get close. Liam naturally knew that the reason for this was Sentrav's pet which protected its home.
He didn't dare to behave hastily, readying his swords and approaching tentatively, step by step.
The tall grass below his feet rustled quietly as Liam advanced, his eyes focused on the water which began on the other side of Sentrav's hut.
A movement could suddenly be seen as Liam got closer. It was extremely covert but couldn't escape the eyes of an experienced player.
Already knowing what to expect Liam quickly dived to the side, seeking shelter behind the hut.
Immediately sharp bullets of water shot out of the lake. Wood splintered as branches broke apart. The entire coast got bombarded except for the solitary hut.
A moment later an angry roar shook the surroundings as a creature got out of the water.
It looked like a large alligator, its skin a faint grey with small but sharp horns growing from its head.
The creature was longer than a sportscar and had four thick but surprisingly agile legs ending in dangerous claws. A threatening snap could be heard as it opened and closed its mouth, tantamount of the incredible power its jaws were capable of.
Liam took a few steps away from the hut as he checked the monster's status.
[Dorn, Sentrav's Pet
Rank: Lord
Level: 18
HP: 3500/3500]
Immediately Dorn turned her head, her angry eyes focusing on Liam. The monster let out a low roar, as if telling Liam to get away from its home.
Seeing that the intruder didn't comply the two horns on the alligator's head began to glow in a bright blue.
Two water bullets shot at Liam at incredible speeds. If it weren't for the signs beforehand even Liam wouldn't be confident in dodging.
[Stance -14]
Liam looked at the notification and didn't hesitate for long. He instantly used his ultimate skill [Holy Tempest]. Because of its long cooldown he refrained from using the skill in the previous fight against the carp but now the time had come.
With a light golden shimmer on his skin Liam dashed towards his opponent. His swords landed on the monster's head.
[-81!]
[-40!]
Dorn fletched her teeth, retaliating by biting towards Liam's legs.
The veteran hastily drew back letting the pet snap at empty air.
[Stance -10]
Dorn still had her head stretched forward as Liam crossed his swords. A glint flashed along them as Liam's rapidly used his skills in quick succession.
Cross slash, holy wave, and double slash flowed beautifully, stacking holy marks and decimating the enemy's HP, taking away more than six hundred points.
Instantly the anger in Dorn's eyes intensified. A shimmer ran along her body. Her speed suddenly exploded as she snapped continuously at Liam.
Rows and rows of incredibly sharp teeth were revealed. Liam didn't manage to dodge the first attack, before a hasty flash step brought him out of danger.
[-395!]
Unfortunately, Liam had extremely limited means of attacking from a distance. He could only approach the opponent again, hacking down with his swords before evading the counterattack.
Dorn and Liam exchanged two more rounds of attacks before the player's skills were off cooldown.