Clive reaches the road leading to the mine and immediately slows his steps.
The night air around the mine entrance is thick with the smell of blood.
Several rabid figures wander near the wooden structures surrounding the mine entrance.
He had expected to see hundreds.
Instead, only a scattered group remains outside.
Clive does not hesitate.
He charges.
His revolver is already in his hand.
Bang.
The first shot cracks through the silent night.
A rabid man charging toward him jerks backwards as the bullet tears through his forehead.
Bang.
Another shot.
A woman rushing toward him collapses instantly as her skull splits open.
Clive moves forward without stopping.
Bang.
Bang.
Two more fall.
The remaining rabids scream and rush toward him like starving beasts.
Clive holsters the revolver and draws his sword.
The first attacker lunges with clawing hands.
Clive sidesteps.
His blade flashes.
The man's head rolls across the ground.
Another leaps at him from the side.
Clive spins.
The sword slices through the attacker's arm first.
The severed limb falls before the second strike cuts clean through the neck.
More rush forward.
Clive steps into them instead of retreating.
His sword moves with ruthless efficiency.
One rabid woman swings wildly.
Clive cuts her leg first.
She collapses, screaming.
The next strike removes her head.
Another rabid man crashes into him with frightening strength.
Clive staggers half a step but recovers.
His blade drives into the man's shoulder.
He kicks the body backwards and swings again.
The head separates from the torso.
Blood sprays across the dusty ground.
Another attacker charges.
Clive slashes both legs.
The body falls.
He finishes it with a precise strike to the neck.
Minutes pass in relentless combat.
Steel flashes repeatedly in the darkness.
Bodies pile across the mine entrance.
Finally, the last rabid collapses.
Silence returns.
Clive drops to one knee.
His chest heaves as he takes deep breaths.
His arms tremble from exhaustion.
The ground around him is littered with corpses.
For several moments, he simply kneels there, breathing slowly while recovering his strength.
Then,
A sound reaches him.
Heavy footsteps.
From inside the mine.
Clive's head snaps up.
The steps are loud.
Each one shakes the ground slightly.
Something large is coming.
He pushes himself up just as a massive shape bursts from the mine entrance.
A burly figure barrels toward him with terrifying speed.
Clive barely reacts in time.
He throws himself sideways.
The creature rushes past him like a charging bull.
Dust explodes into the air where he had stood.
Clive rolls across the ground and rises quickly.
Behind him, the creature skids to a halt several meters away.
Its feet dig into the earth, kicking up clouds of dust.
Slowly, it turns around.
Clive tightens his grip on his sword.
The thing facing him is grotesque.
Its body is enormous and twisted.
Where a normal man's stomach should be, another human head protrudes grotesquely from the belly.
The upper head on the neck snarls and roars like a beast.
But the head in the stomach moves differently.
Its mouth opens wide.
A long black tongue snakes out.
The tongue wraps around one of the rabid corpses lying nearby.
With a violent tug, the corpse is dragged toward the belly mouth.
The creature stuffs the body into its stomach-head and begins chewing.
Wet, tearing sounds fill the air.
Clive stares at the horror silently.
Dark mist begins rising from the creature's body.
Black vapour leaks from its skin like smoke.
Clive slowly raises his sword again.
His breathing steadies.
The monster finishes swallowing the corpse.
Both of its heads turn toward him.
Clive braces himself.
The monster finishes swallowing the corpse, and both of its heads roar together.
The sound echoes across the mine entrance like thunder.
Without hesitation, the creature charges.
Clive tightens his grip on his sword.
He inhales sharply and circulates his blood.
The technique burns through his veins.
His muscles tighten as heat spreads through his body.
His strength rises sharply.
The monster's claw sweeps toward him with terrifying force.
Clive steps forward instead of retreating.
Steel clashes against bone.
His sword blocks the claw strike.
The impact shakes his arms violently, but he holds his ground.
At that moment, Clive notices movement.
The belly-head opens wide.
From its mouth, the long tongue shoots forward like a spear.
Clive's eyes widen.
He pushes against the monster's claw and leaps backwards.
His body twists in midair.
The tongue pierces through the space where his chest had been moments earlier.
Clive lands several steps away.
The tongue misses him, but it does not retract.
Instead, it swings sideways and slams into a nearby corpse.
The body explodes into fragments.
Blood and bone scatter across the ground.
The tongue wraps the pieces and drags them back.
The belly-head chews hungrily.
Clive's expression hardens.
"So it can regenerate."
The monster roars again and charges.
Clive meets it head-on.
His sword slashes across the creature's shoulder.
Black blood sprays outward.
The monster retaliates instantly.
Its claws tear across Clive's arm.
Pain explodes through his muscles.
Clive staggers back.
But he attacks again.
His blade slices across the creature's chest.
The fight becomes brutal.
They clash again and again in the darkness outside the mine.
Clive dodges the claw strikes.
The monster lunges forward repeatedly.
The tongue lashes like a living spear.
Whenever the monster is wounded, the tongue grabs another corpse and feeds the belly-head.
Each devoured body restores its strength.
Clive realises the terrifying truth.
As long as corpses remain nearby, the monster is nearly immortal.
The battle drags on.
Clive's breathing grows heavier.
His body accumulates wounds.
The monster also suffers injuries.
One of its arms hangs partly severed.
Deep cuts mark its torso.
But it keeps recovering by devouring corpses.
Gradually, Clive begins to fall behind.
Then something changes.
From one of the monster's wounds, black mist spreads outward.
The energy seeps into Clive's body through his own injuries.
The moment the energy enters him,
Something awakens.
The Disaster Wolf bloodline reacts violently.
Clive's blood ignites.
Dark energy surges through his veins.
He realises what is happening.
But this time, he does not resist it.
He allows the bloodline to awaken.
Heat erupts across his entire body.
It feels like fire is burning beneath his skin.
Black marks spread across his arms and neck.
His hair grows longer.
His eyes shift colour.
Golden light fills his pupils.
The gaze of a disaster wolf.
Clive roars.
The sound is no longer entirely human.
He launches forward in a frenzy.
His speed doubles.
The sword in his hand moves like lightning.
The monster roars in response.
It devours more corpses desperately.
Even when Clive severs the head from its neck, the body continues moving.
The belly-head still feeds.
The creature refuses to die.
Clive slashes again.
Again.
Again.
Black disaster energy begins flowing along his sword.
The monster lunges with its tongue.
Clive steps aside.
His blade flashes downward.
The long tongue is severed.
The black appendage falls to the ground, writhing.
For the first time, the monster cannot devour more corpses.
The belly-head screams in fury.
Clive begins circling it.
He keeps his distance now.
Kiting the monster.
Every time it charges, he cuts another piece of its body.
One arm falls.
Then the other.
The creature becomes slower.
Weaker.
Finally, Clive stops retreating.
He gathers the full power of the Disaster Wolf bloodline.
Black light shines along the edge of his sword.
His golden eyes burn with wild intensity.
With a final roar, he leaps forward.
The sword descends.
The blade slices through the monster's neck.
But it does not stop there.
The strike continues downward.
From the neck to the waist.
The monster splits into two halves.
The body collapses.
Both heads twitch briefly before falling still.
Silence returns to the mine entrance.
Clive stands there trembling.
Then weakness floods his body.
The burning bloodline begins calming.
His strength disappears all at once.
Clive sways.
His sword slips from his hand.
He drops to his knees.
His vision blurs.
Slowly, he crawls toward the mine wall.
He hides himself behind several abandoned mining tools and carts.
His back presses against the rock wall.
Then darkness takes him.
Clive collapses unconscious.
Moments later,
A figure appears.
The person wears a black cloak that conceals everything.
The hood hides the face completely.
The figure approaches silently.
She looks down at Clive.
For several moments, she simply watches him.
Then she sighs softly.
From within her cloak, she removes a small alchemical potion.
Holding it carefully in her gloved hand, she lifts Clive's head and pours the liquid into his mouth.
After making sure he swallows it, she stands again.
Without another word, she turns.
The cloaked figure walks calmly toward the mine entrance.
Then disappears into the darkness inside.