Carter got up, stretching his muscles only to feel a stinging pain on his forearms. The beast really did a number on him, even though he had been defending flawlessly.
Corvan approached the Mutated Prisoner carefully. He kicked its leg to test for any reaction. Its lifeless leg bounced back to its original position and then was motionless. The Hunter couldn't even believe his eyes. He hadn't encountered the Mutated Prisoner before but he knew that these creatures were no joke. It could be as dangerous as a bear in heat, if not even more.
"How?" Corvan mumbled, looking over to Carter.
Carter groaned a bit, removing the armor plates on his forearms. They were dented, defective, and keeping on wearing them would only result in injury sooner or later. They could be easily shattered in combat and carve into Carter's skin.
No armor is better than bad armor. At least with these overpowered beasts in the dungeon.
Carter picked up his shield, checking its current condition. Its edge was a bit curved, but no major damage, it should be fine to keep using it. The spear, however, was completely wrecked. Carter didn't even bother picking it up.
"Its saliva mixed with its blood will create a concrete-like substance. It hardens quickly and blocks the beast's airway."
Carter came and stood beside Corvan. Both were looking at the deceased Mutated Prisoner.
"These big creatures must have needed a lot of air to survive. It is incapable of holding its breath for too long. Cutting off its source of air, and it will die in seconds."
A visible ball of sweat ran on Corvan's forehead. This measly nobleman suddenly became more dangerous than anything in the dungeon. A mindless beast, Corvan could deal with. But a cunning strategist? He wouldn't be able to comprehend what they would do.
The thought of saving his wife became more real than ever. "A man of this magnitude must know how to save her," Corvan thought.
"I am curious. How are you going to save my wife?"
Carter glanced at Corvan. The hunter flinched but quickly regained his composure.
"With a cure, of course. Do you know where we are, Corvan?"
"Well… Kintara's soldiers told me this was the source of Ascador's connection to the divine and supernatural. But you told me that this place was built for Alchemists."
Carter nodded, "Correct! This is no ancient magical dungeon, Corvan! It is a secret experiment complex. See this creature, right here? It was once a normal man. Probably a death-row prisoner of Ascador. It was experimented on and mutated into a soulless, bloodlust shell. A man turned into a beast.
Your wife's poison goes deep inside her. The only way to cure her is to mutate her."
"You want her to transform into this beast?! No way! On my life, I wouldn't allow you to do it!"
"Relax. This guy here is a failed experiment. They have the good stuff deeper in the dungeon. A concoction that can boost the vitality of an ordinary person so that they can fight off the River Sly poison.
And of course, it won't have any side effects."
Corvan calmed down, and his breath became light again. "Are you sure?"
"I swore on my father's soul before, right? Don't worry, and trust me."
Carter tapped on his small biceps. He stopped midway when he felt that he didn't have any muscle at all.
Damn you, blank character!
"Let me check this guy's pocket first and see if there is anything valuable on him." Carter squatted down and checked the body of the Mutated Prisoner. He tapped lightly on its torn pants.
"Oh! One more thing. Do not touch the creature of this dungeon if they're dead. Almost all the creatures inside this level are venomous. One simple touch and you're dead sooner or later."
Corvan nodded, accepting Carter's advice. He ignored the weird vocabulary Carter used when referring to the dungeon as 'level'.
"How can you touch them then?"
"See my gloves? This is a special pair of Alchemist gloves that could prevent the venom from entering your skin."
"You have any spare?"
Carter shook his head. "I have only one pair. There are a lot of these back where we came from, but it will be a long road. We don't have time for that right now."
Carter didn't find anything useful on the Mutated Prisoner's body. He gestured at Corvan to keep moving forward.
This long passage, nicknamed the 'falling room' by the community, should have a marked room for Carter to rest. He had been going at it all night, and it should be very late already. The time for the change-up should be coming soon.
After that, midnight would come, and he had to locate the herbalist quickly. The event should happen somewhere near the marked room. Carter was confident that he would arrive at the scene to save her.
The two strolled for a while. Corvan always had a look around every few seconds, making sure nothing would come at them. Carter, on the other hand, was observing the floor intensely. He tried to spot any trap mechanism before they activated it.
The journey was peaceful. No monsters. No traps. Only silence fell upon the two adventurers.
And Carter spotted it. A large steel double door on the side of the wall.
"Lower your guard, Corvan. We have found our little save room." Carter smiled.
"Safe room?"
Corvan misheard Carter. What Carter had actually referred to was a SAVE room, not a SAFE room. A room where the player could save the game and their progress. Even for a deranged game like Darkness and Bloodlust, saving mechanics was a must. The player needed to have a way to save their progress for the next playthrough.
Carter stood before the room and touched the dial on the door. It had two dials on each door, and the player must know its combination in order to open it. The Alchemist had always used one combination, so Carter was able to open it easily.
The steel door opened up, and inside was a small room with a few bunk beds. In the middle of the room was a fireplace that had its own airway system. There was a reading table next to the wall and a small bookshelf right beside it.
"Come in! Come in! We better be quick before some creature spots us!"
Carter and Corvan entered the room. The speedrunner closed the door behind them immediately, making the room engulfed in darkness. Thankfully, Carter's lantern was there to illuminate the room.
Actually, it had been Corvan's lantern, but it was Carter's now.
"You have any flints?" We need to start the fire inside the fireplace."
"Leave it to me."
Carter unstrapped his shield and let it rest on the wall. He also laid down the sword and mace on his waist, keeping only the knives behind his back that were carefully concealed. While Corvan started the fire, Carter raised the lantern to browse through the book on the shelf.
The most valuable thing in the save room had never been the save location itself. It was always the books in there. It could contain skill or magic books that were very useful. Carter didn't know if he could use or even read these books, though. That was why he was very curious.
"Jackpot!"