They moved through the tunnels, Dave still on Grumpy and the six other basilisks behind them in a double file.

They entered some caverns deeper in the mine where hundreds, maybe thousands of stalact.i.tes hung from the ceiling. Each stalact.i.te looked like it was made from drippings of fresh blood. Here and there some of the crimson formations descended all the way to the floor of the cave, in pillar-like formation.

Dave raised a fist and the group stopped.

Light flickered in a room at the far end of the tunnel cavern. Shouts, clanging and loud hisses came from inside. There was a fight going on in there.

Dave patted Grumpy's head, "Let's stay out of sight until we attack whatever is in there from ambush."

He didn't know how many monsters were inside the mines, but judging by the screams there had to be at least dozens of workers in there.

Grumpy moved in, when he was a short distance from the door a battered imp crawled out of the room. It was battered and looked like its lower body had been burned away with a blow torch. The flesh was completely charred, flaking off and leaving a trail of blood and ash.

The imp didn't even notice the looming basilisk, it continued to drag itself forward with clawed hands...until Grumpy raised a foot and stomped on the imp's head, turning it into a wet stain on the ground.

"Time to get it stuck in, let's go Boyz!" Dave said. He nudged Grumpy to move forward.

Inside the room, ten red lizards the size of horses. Two of the lizards were biting and ripping apart a screaming imp between their jagged fangs. A lizard was chasing after a running imp and shot gouts of flames whenever the imp was in range. Three demons in the center of the room stood back to back in the fighting off against six lizards in a desperate and losing battle.

Dave inspected one of the creatures.

***

Chaos Salamander

Level: 330

Base damage: 50,000-60,000

Danger Level : Average

HP : 400,000

DN : 30,000

MA : 60,000

Skills :

[Salamander Breath]: the salamander breathes out flames in a cone. Does 100% base damage and applies an [Overheating] effect.

[Tongue Lash]: the salamander shoots out its tongue in a whipping attack, damaging enemies up to 20 meters away. Applies [Poisoned] status effect.

[Tough Skin] (Pa.s.sive): the Chaos Salamander's resistances increase 2% for every 1% HP lost.

Lore:

Salamanders are said to be distant descendants of dragons. After being exposed to the power of Chaos they mutated to their present chaotic form

***

On the other side of the room, facing the entrance was a hole, a tunnel, where previously there was a cave in.

"Don't attack the demons, let them leech aggro for us, Dave called.."

Dave wanted to exploit the demons' fight for survival so he could kill off the solo salmanaders before fighting the grouped up ones..

Dave dropped his arm to point forward, and the basilisks charged into the room, trampling the salamanders. The salamanders screeched and hissed in surprise. Two of the Chaos reptiles scuttled toward Grumpy. The onyx basilisk lashed out with his tail, the spiked end smas.h.i.+ng into the closer salamander's face, leaving it stunned and injured.

-60,144

The second salamander jumped at Grumpy, but Dave angled his s.h.i.+eld to intercept and the oversized gecko was bounced back by his [Block]. The attack neutralized, Dave swung down with his flamberge, hacking at the salamander's skull.

-28,888

Two paladins ran over and stood in front of Grumpy facing the salamanders.

A pair of basilisks rushed at the low HP salamander. The reptile backed away fearfully, but the basilisks continued after it intent on ganging up on the smaller monster. The retreating salamander was backed up against a wall. Realizing that there was no escape, the lizard growled and coughed a gout of flames at the basilisks. The basilisks grunted and stepped back, startled by the flames blasting into their faces. In cooperative retaliation the basilisks swung their tails around and caved the salamander's head in from both sides.

"These things are too short to reach from up here, buddy," Dave patted Grumpy then jumped his back, sword out and pointed at the salamander.

-26,600

Dave dodged an oncoming salamander's claws just as a paladin jumped past him to block a second salamander's attack. But Dave couldn't dodge the first monster's follow up with its tongue, and he grunted as the whip-like attack slashed across his torso.

-40,880

***

You have been struck by the Chaos Salamander's [Tongue Lash]

Your undead state grants you immunity to poison.

The poison from [Tongue Lash] has no effect on you.

***

"That hurt!" Dave said.

A wave of relief swept across his draugr body, the heal coming from the unholy priestess, still riding on Grumpy.

+20,000

"Thanks," Dave yelled as he slashed sideways at a salamander.

The reptile dodged the attack and lunged at Dave again. Dave sidestepped and stomped on the lizard's head in [Mikiri Counter] then plunged his sword into the reptile's back. Hot blood gushed from the reptile as it squirmed in pain.

-66,220

Then Grumpy followed up with his spiked tail-mace, taking a quarter of the salamander's HP.

Dave looked towards the center of the room, all the demons were dead and the salamanders that had been fighting them were now coming his way. A few of the imps were trying to escape but the salamanders didn't seem interested in them anymore.

"Basilisks, make it rain!" Dave gave a command.

The seven basilisks inhaled deeply, their torsos bloated up like puffer-fish and they grunted as they blew hundreds of sharp spikes all over the room. The spikes went through Dave and his allies harmlessly but stuck in crates, walls and monsters doing full damage.

The imps still in the room were impaled to death, along with two of the nine chaos salamanders. A few seconds later the spikes faded away, leaving fist-sized holes everywhere. Dave and Grumpy faced down two salamanders alone while the other basilisks hunted the remaining salamanders as a group.

The salamander Dave was facing spat a gout of flame at him. Dave huddled behind his s.h.i.+eld and used [Block], then chopped at the salamander after the flame guttered out.

-33,000

Dave used [Destructive Smash], stunning the salamander, which left it completely defenseless against Grumpy's tail-mace attack, which ended the reptile's life. Dave jumped on the remaining salamander's back and started hacking away at it like he was chopping wood.

Dog's basilisk came charging in and rammed into one of the salamanders. The azure basilisk spun around, tail whipping at nearby reptiles, opening flesh and crus.h.i.+ng bones.

Three salamanders backed away and turned, fleeing through the new tunnel. Dave used [Immortal Apparition] to teleport in front of the other salamanders and intercept their escape, applying a [Horror] effect on them. A black skull icon appeared above the monsters as they ran from the terrifying draugr.

The other basilisks converged on the two escaping salamanders and crushed them under their feet and the last of the monsters were dispatched by the paladins.

"Great job everyone," Dave praised his group. Then he went to loot the remains of the salamanders, imps, and demons.

***

1 x Chaos Salamander Hide

1 x Chaos Salamander tongue

2 x Chaos Salamander claw

Broken Demon Horn

Blood Stone

***

"Tch, nothing great here. Priestess, heal us up, so we can get going." Dave said.

The unholy priestess raised her scepter and cast a dark aura over the group, rapidly regenerating their HP to full.

They moved into the newly cleared tunnel and Dave received a notification.

***

You have entered the hidden [Chaos Dungeon]

Monsters will drop their best loot on the first death.

Experience gain is doubled for seven (7) days in the dungeon.

This is a single player dungeon. Only one player can enter the dungeon at a time. All other players will be unable to enter until the dungeon is cleared, or the player inside it perishes.

"A virgin dungeon! Oh baby, Daddy Dave's coming to conquer you!"