As they delved deeper into the bowels of the mine, the natural light seeping from the entrance began to fade until they were finally swallowed by absolute blackness. Lilith let out a breath of relief as she felt her demonic eyes adapt to the gloom - the mine flared to life for her in shades of gray and violet. Succubi and skeletons alike saw perfectly in the dark.
"Thank goodness," she muttered under her breath. "If I had to lug torches around here and worry about how to create them, it would be a catastrophe."
Their procession, however, was suddenly interrupted. Through years of neglect and lack of maintenance, the ceiling in one of the corridors had collapsed, creating a massive barricade of boulders and earth. Lilith stopped and pointed a finger at the obstacle.
"You! Clear the passage!" she commanded the undead.
The skeletons moved to work without a word of protest. Lilith watched with interest as these muscle-less beings cooperated with one another. Three or four skeletons would join forces to lift a single massive boulder together and move it aside. Their movements were mechanical but incredibly efficient.
Mina, leaning against the wall and bored, watched the spectacle for a moment before muttering: "Alright... I take back what I said earlier. Maybe these bone-bags aren't completely useless. At least I don't have to get my hands dirty with this dust."
When the path was cleared, a long, wheezing groan suddenly echoed from the darkness ahead, chilling their blood. It was the sound of rotting lungs forcibly pushing out the last remnants of air.
"Enemies!" Lilith shouted, her voice echoing through the mine.
Her girls' reaction was instantaneous. Kala, acting as a living shield, lunged in front of Lilith, shielding her with her own body and preparing for the impact. Mina, meanwhile, stepped back a few paces, her fingers already entwined in a dark spell, alertly watching the roots and vines that grew thickly along the stone walls of the cave.
About a dozen figures emerged from the darkness. These were not the slow, mindless corpses of human legends. Although their steps seemed unsteady, these figures moved with a surprising, jerky speed. Lilith immediately activated her Analysis.
[Rotten Zombie]
Level: 1 (Normal)
Description: Former half-orc slaves who worked in the mine. After death, they turned into monsters.
Traits: Covered in highly toxic rot. High physical defense.
"Watch out!" Lilith called to the girls. "These are Rotten Zombies! They used to be half-orcs, so they're tougher than ordinary humans. They're covered in toxic rot, so don't let them scratch you, and their skin is damn hard!"
Kala smiled predatorily, extending her claws. "Hard skin? Let's see how it holds up against my strength."
Kala didn't wait for an invitation. As soon as Lilith finished her warning, the powerful succubus's entire body flared with a violent, scarlet light. The air around her swirled from the sudden spike in pressure. She let out a short, predatory cry and shot forward, turning into a blur of destructive energy.
The first Rotten Zombie didn't even have time to raise its toxic paws. Kala, with fury in her eyes, drove her talons deep into its chest and, with one powerful movement, tore the monster in half. The half-orc demon's body, despite its high defense, gave way under the pressure of her inhuman strength, and rotten entrails sprayed to the sides.
Kala moved among the remaining zombies with terrifying, unnatural speed. She was like a dance of death - dodging slow blows and countering them with devastating slashes. Her talons shortened heads, lopped off limbs, and crushed corpses with ease, as if she were fighting paper dolls rather than hardened monsters.
Lilith stood aside, watching the spectacle with wide eyes. This was the first time she had seen Kala in full action, without restraint.
Holy shit... Lilith thought, feeling a shiver of admiration and slight fear. She's like a berserker. No magic, just pure, destructive physical force and animal instinct. Mina specializes in nature magic, Lysandra wields ice... I thought Kala would go into fire, but it looks like her path of development is pure physical slaughter. She's a monster on the battlefield.
System notifications began to pour in before Lilith's eyes:
[You killed a Rotten Zombie! Gold +6!]
[You killed a Rotten Zombie! Gold +6!]
[You killed a Rotten Zombie! Gold +6!]
[...]
In less than a minute, the dozen monsters had turned into a pile of bloody scraps. Kala stopped, breathing heavily, as the scarlet aura slowly faded. She turned to Lilith, a wide, proud smile blooming on her face, still wild from the fight.
"Enemy completely annihilated," she reported loudly.
Lilith shook off the shock and nodded in appreciation. "Good job, Kala. Truly impressive."
The skeletons standing behind them watched the carnage without a shred of reaction, ready to march further upon command. Kala, meanwhile, felt an unpleasant burning on her talons. She looked at her hands - the toxic phlegm of the zombies had left slight, matte marks on the black metal, which were beginning to irritate the skin underneath.
She furrowed her brow and approached Mina, who was avoiding the puddles of gore with disgust. "Heal," Kala commanded curtly, extending her hands toward the smaller succubus.
Mina looked at her sideways and gave a theatrical snort, crossing her arms over her chest. "And where is the magic word, you thick-skinned beast? I'm not your personal first-aid kit on call."
Kala sighed heavily, rolling her eyes, but the burning was becoming increasingly irritating. "We don't have time for your games, little one. Listen... Heal me now, and later... later I'll let you lick my feet. How about that? Do we have a deal?"
Mina froze. Her mouth opened wide, and her face took on an expression of absolute shock, which quickly turned into deep revulsion. She nearly fell as she took a step back. She pointed a trembling finger at Kala.
"Holy hell, Kala! What is wrong with you?!" she shrieked, her voice breaking with indignation.
"That's not what I meant, you perverted freak! Who... who would even want to lick your sweaty, dirty feet?! Eww! Disgusting! Blech! Gross, gross, gross!"
Kala was unbothered by this avalanche of childish protests. With a quick movement, she lightly smacked the top of Mina's head with an open palm, interrupting her tirade. "We don't have time for games, brat. Heal me. That's an order."
Mina huffed furiously, muttering something about "injustice" and a "lack of respect for the magical arts," but she eventually gave in. She held her hands over Kala's talons, and her fingers glowed with a soft, bright green light.
Ethereal vines began to coil around Kala's hands, absorbing the toxic substance. After a few seconds, the burning stopped, and the black metal of her talons shone with a clean luster again.
"Done," Mina grumbled, turning on her heel.
Lilith smiled crookedly, shaking her head at this display of childish bickering in the middle of a deadly mine.
"Alright, end the circus. Let's move on, we're wasting time," she said sharply, breaking up the argument.
***
They went deeper into the maw of the The Mines of Despair, with the squad of 50 skeletons clattering their bones right behind them, silent and obedient. The darkness thickened with every step, broken only by the blue glow of their demonic eyes.
Every few dozen meters, more groups of Rotten Zombies emerged from the side corridors. But Kala was unstoppable. She charged into them like a battering ram, tearing the half-orc bodies to shreds. Her talons sliced through the tough skin with ease, and the scarlet berserker aura pulsed with destructive energy.
Mina wasn't idle either, though her fighting style was completely different. When the zombies tried to surround the group, the succubus raised her hand, and her fingers flared with bright green light. Then the roots and vines that grew so thickly on the cave walls came to life. They erupted from the stone like venomous snakes, coiling around the monsters and piercing their rotten bodies through and through in a macabre dance of nature and death.
After a while, the fight with the zombies became monotonous. Lilith even stopped counting the falling corpses, focusing on systematically clearing the next sections of the mine. A landslide of notifications rolled through her interface.
[Kala Killed a Rotten Zombie! Gold +6!]
[Kala Killed a Rotten Zombie! Gold +6!]
[...]
When the last of over 50 zombies fell, Lilith glanced at her gold counter with satisfaction. Her wealth had increased by over 300 gold coins. She smiled broadly, seeing the growing amount of gold in her wallet.
Kala, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped mid-step. Her animal instinct reacted a fraction of a second faster than the others' senses. Without a word, she thrust her arm up in an act of pure defense.
Something fast and silent shot from the darkness under the ceiling. An invisible force struck the succubus's arm with powerful momentum. Kala gave a hollow groan and was pushed back a step, her feet digging into the stone floor.
The berserker's eyes widened in shock. She looked at her arm, where a slight dent now showed on the black metal of her talon. Right next to her face, a red system notification flickered:
[-5 HP!]
Kala froze, staring into the darkness ahead with an expression of absolute disbelief. For the first time since she had opened her eyes in this new world, her health bar - that flawless, red bar symbolizing her indestructibility - had decreased.