Chapter Twenty-Three: Lock the Door and Release the Dogs

Darkness surged.

A massive figure crept silently across the stone wall, gliding forward as swiftly as a fish. Suddenly, it halted, hanging upside down from the ceiling like an enormous spider.

Below, not far from its perch, three heavily-armed warriors advanced with utmost caution, torches held high, their eyes vigilant for any sign of peril lurking in the shadows. They were prepared for any trap or monstrous foe that might appear.

I must find a way to separate them...

Gazing down at the search party, Jan frowned. If possible, he would have loved to trigger a trap to split them up—facing one was always preferable to facing three. Unfortunately, traps required magical energy to activate, and his level-two dungeon had only four types of basic traps available. Aside from two sets he’d placed at the entrance, the rest were situated in the dungeon’s core; there were no spare traps for this corridor.

Still, Jan had anticipated this. In fact, he already had a plan.

Elise’s search party was composed much as before: the tiefling thief and spy led the way, while the serpent-man and the vampire flanked him on either side, alert and ready. Yet none of them suspected that death itself was quietly poised above their heads.

Now!

Once the three had passed below, Jan guided the xenomorph to silently extend its razor-sharp, slender tail, aiming at the back of the serpent-man who brought up the rear. In a flash, the tail shot forward.

The xenomorph’s tail strike was swift and subtle, barely making a sound. Yet its power was not to be underestimated; not even steel plate armor could do more than tissue paper to blunt its force. If the serpent-man were struck, there would be no hope for him.

But things did not unfold as Jan expected. Just as the barbed tail was about to pierce its target, a cold gleam flashed. The silent vampire at the serpent-man’s side whipped out his sword, the blade gleaming with magical energy as he precisely parried the attack.

Damn, elite vampires are such trouble!

Jan was stunned by the failed ambush, but quickly ordered the xenomorph to retreat. Yet as fast as the creature was, its foes were no less swift. Even as the half-vampire blocked the surprise attack, the serpent-man spun around with a furious roar, all four arms brandishing his longswords as he brought them down with lethal force.

Swish, swish, swish—

Sword-light crisscrossed the corridor, slicing into the xenomorph before it could evade. Its swiftly withdrawing tail was severed, blood spraying in all directions. Yet as Jan watched, his eyes lit up.

Attack!

At his command, the wounded xenomorph surged forward instead of retreating. Hissing, it raised its tail and slashed at its foes. With each movement, bright green blood gushed from its wound, spraying over the three warriors like a toxic rain.

“Get out of the way!”

Seeing the torrent of green blood, the three knew danger was upon them. They were no novices to the Underdark and well aware that the monsters here were far deadlier than any surface beast. But the xenomorph stood too close, and there was too much blood; no matter how they dodged, they were drenched.

“Aaaaargh!”

The serpent-man at the front screamed in agony as the xenomorph’s highly corrosive blood ate through his flesh in seconds. Not even armor of adamantine could save him. His terrible cries echoed through the corridor as his once-mighty form convulsed and collapsed, a mutilated, melting mess that told of his suffering.

“You damned monster!”

Enraged by his comrade’s death, the tiefling glared up at the xenomorph on the ceiling. He raised both hands, and several throwing knives appeared between his fingers—but that was as far as he got. In the next instant, a barbed tail sliced through the darkness and impaled him.

Blood spattered. The tiefling stared dumbly at the blade protruding from his chest, unable to comprehend what had happened. When he turned his head, he finally saw, looming above, a second xenomorph. It opened its fanged maw in a guttural, triumphant growl as his eyes met its own.

“You mon—”

He never finished his curse. The xenomorph’s supple, deadly tail wrapped around his neck; with a soft, slicing sound, his head dropped to the floor, silencing his unfinished words forever.

Watching his companions fall in quick succession, even the half-vampire felt a chill of dread. Though the serpent-man’s sacrifice had spared him from the xenomorph’s corrosive blood, his left arm had still been splattered. Even he was shocked by how powerful the acid was—within seconds, his right arm was ruined, flesh and bone alike destroyed.

What on earth are these creatures?

The half-vampire instantly made his decision. He knew there was nothing more he could do here; the most important thing now was to escape and report these monsters to Elise. Clearly, this was a trap. Without hesitation, he darted away, moving so quickly he left a blur in his wake. In terms of speed, he was confident—once he left, those monsters would never catch him.

But reality is cruel, no matter how lovely the dream.

As he turned to flee, he failed to notice a banshee drifting from the wall behind him. Her hollow, black eyes fixed on him. She opened her mouth and inhaled deeply.

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

The banshee’s wail—sharp, keening, laced with icy negative energy—filled the tunnel, its deathly resonance sweeping through the stone like a winter gale, chilling to the very marrow. Even the half-vampire was not immune; had he been pure vampire, the wail would have been harmless, but as a half-blood, he was still very much alive. The banshee’s spectral claws gripped his life force without mercy. As the negative energy invaded him, his vision dimmed. Before he could recover, the xenomorph leapt down, pinning him to the ground.

The half-vampire’s reflexes, however, were not slow. Though the chilling energies had left him weak, faced with imminent death he summoned all his strength. As the xenomorph landed atop him, he roared and kicked, sending the massive creature flying.

Now!

Feeling the crushing weight lift, his heart leapt—if he had just two more seconds, he could rise and escape these horrors.

But at that very moment, he saw the xenomorph he’d just kicked away open its jaws and roar in his direction. The next instant, a shadow flashed before his eyes.

What—

With a soft squelch, the xenomorph’s inner jaw shot out and punctured his skull. The violent impact sent bone and brain matter splattering, blood spraying across the stone. All that remained was a sickening stain. The xenomorph spun in midair and landed firmly o