The cave, as the corrupted woman had said, stretched out at the dark end of the river that crossed the city. Its stone walls, damp and shiny from the humidity, seemed to be sweating, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the room.
Impressively, there were a few torches arranged along the walls of the entrance, and next to them, a large figure that sent shivers down everyone's spine. It was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a monster, because his skin was pale, his eyes glowed blue, and his mouth was all sewn up, but his body was humanoid and his muscles belonged to someone very physically strong. What's more, this man was protecting himself from the cold under a thick cloak.
The players exchanged glances, and they were clearly torn between determination and apprehension. Kaizen noticed this and whispered something to warn them:
"Pay attention to what I'm about to say: he's dangerous, even more so than the 'Shadow' we faced out there in the forest. And that's the only way into the cave, so there's no way we can get in without him noticing us."
Jayaa put a hand to her chin. "That means we're going to have to fight..."
"I'm going to have to fight." Kaizen replied.
"I like that idea better." Jayaa said with a pleased smile.
"Wait, Kaizen, what do you mean?" Bloody Lily asked.
"He hasn't noticed us because we're hiding, but as soon as he sees us he won't hesitate to attack us. I know I can beat him alone, but not without effort or noise, and as soon as we make noise, they'll know we're here to close the portal in this cave. So you'll have to act as quickly as possible, to gain ground or even get to the portal." Kaizen explained in a whisper.
Bloody Lily looked reluctant for a second, but after a quick analysis, she had to agree. She understood that the fact that Kaizen was willing to stay behind to defeat this bizarre man meant that he was entrusting her not only with the success of the mission, but also with the life of his companion, Jayaa.
"All right, we'll go ahead, but you'll catch up, right?" She asked.
"I'll definitely be with you before you know it."
"You're dying to make one of those triumphal entrances." The Bloody Lily said and punched him weakly in the chest, with a smile on her face.
"You read my mind." Kaizen replied with a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Meanwhile, both Jayaa and Eraskan were watching this interaction and both had the exact same suspicious expression on their faces, which is why Jayaa said to them:
"They're making out."
Eraskan, with his arms crossed, nodded, agreeing without hesitation, even if he didn't know the truth.
"What?" Bloody Lily asked, her face a little red. "Of course not."
Kaizen turned his face away, as if he couldn't answer that, and said:
"If you'll excuse me, I have someone to defeat."
Bloody Lily, Jayaa and Eraskan exchanged glances, and saw Kaizen turn the corner that led to the front of the cave.
The man wrapped in the thick cloak saw him immediately. "Who dares enter the domain that is under my protection?" The man's voice was deep and echoed off the walls of the cave, although it sounded a little funny because he couldn't open his mouth fully due to the stitching.
"Well, most people I know call me Lord Kick Ass. What do you call yourself?"
"Call me Zilgath, Lord Ass-kicker..."
"..."
"Wait, that name..."
"What's wrong with my name?" Kaizen asked, almost laughing. He had seen Zilgath's attributes and saw how his intelligence attributes were so limited.
"I've heard that somewhere... probably..."
Kaizen put a hand to the back of his head and tried to contain himself. "So, can my friends and I get through? Do we need to go inside?"
Zilgath looked where Kaizen pointed, i.e. into the cave, and turned his head forward again. "No, you can't... I promised my brother I wouldn't let humans through..."
"Not even if I give you something?" Kaizen tried to continue the conversation.
"I don't want anything but human souls, do you?" Kaizen sighed.
Kaizen sighed. "The only human soul I have is inside me."
"It'll do." The strange man took out his right hand from inside his cloak and stretched it forward. Then Kaizen felt a sudden weakness and when he looked down, he saw a spectral hand digging into his chest, trying to pull his soul out of his body.
Immediately, Kaizen reacted, activating <Psychokinesis> and creating a shield around himself, which made Zilgath feel a strong push back.
Zilgath staggered and said slurredly:
"You... how did you do that? Why... did you do that? You broke the agreement."
"Fuck you, you bizarre thing. I didn't even agree and you already wanted to take my soul. Now you'll have to pay for this outrage." Kaizen said and launched himself forward, like a swift shadow.
Before the man could react, Kaizen threw an accurate punch, aiming for the man's exposed belly. He hit him full on, but instead of blood, light emanated from the wound, a bluish light that briefly illuminated Kaizen's face with a ghostly glow.
Kaizen stepped back, surprised by what he was seeing. "What are you?" He asked, his voice now full of curiosity.
Eraskan, Jayaa and Bloody Lily watched in silence in the background, witnessing the start of the fight and waiting for an opportunity to pass.
Zilgath, despite his menacing appearance, seemed to feel the blow. The bluish light radiating from his wound began to dissipate slowly, like smoke dissipating into the air. He tried to gather his strength, but his hands were visibly shaking.
"Hargh... That hurt..." He growled, his voice resounding off the cave walls.
Kaizen stepped forward, his expression determined. "You attacked first, remember? I was just trying to pass peacefully."
"I like causing pain, not suffering pain..."
"Unfortunately, I need to get through quickly, so I'm going to cause you a lot of pain."