Chapter 122: Vein 2

"Heh." Kai grinned. "Maybe your prized poison isn't so great after all."

The corner of Vein's lips twitched. "No matter." He flipped his daggers and hid in the shadows. "I'll just have to dissect you and unravel your secrets."

"Be careful!" Kai warned and stayed closer with Jane and Theodore. He did not doubt that Vein would come after the two since they were the easiest prey.

Jane stayed next to Theodore and covered their body with layers of wind to repel any surprise attack. It wouldn't do much, but at least it would offer some sense of security. 

The panic inside Jane rose, clutching at her breath. Vein was a dangerous man with his poison, and once he hid in his shadows, his prey was good as dead. 

Ryu searched for Vein's scent, but even it was gone. It was like the ability of the Owner, and it wasn't very pleasant to deal with. A ripple appeared, and Ryu swung his fist and drove the sudden daggers his way with a flick of his hand. With the gauntlets protecting his hands, he could move freely and blocked Vein's attack.

Cling!

Clang!

A barrage of multiples daggers appeared out of nowhere, the poison coating each blade glinted with the intent to kill. But with Ryu's speed and the innate skill of his beast, he sensed the movement of the blades even before it could strike.

Inside the protection of his shadows, Vein clicked his tongue. He thought hiding in his shadows and performing sneak attacks was enough to catch the halfbreed in surprise. But he didn't expect that Ryu's senses were abnormally high for a halfbreed that Ryu felt his blades movements even before it struck.

Though it was rare to have an affinity to shadows, it also took a demanding amount of mana to use, and Vein couldn't keep [Cloak of Shadows] for longer periods, or his mana would run empty.

Vein appeared twenty meters away from Ryu, and the moment he did, a shriek of wind rasped his ears. He quickly dodged to the side, and Jane's attack bored a hole on the ground. 

Vein wasn't out of danger yet as both Kai and Ryu appeared at his front and back.

"You're mine!" Kai's eyes glint with pleasure at seeing Vein cornered, but the latter disappeared and reappeared away from them in a blink of an eye.

Jane wasn't letting Vein rest as she shot multiple attacks whenever he went. But they couldn't catch him when he blinked from one direction to another.

"Damn it!" Kai cursed. "We must find a way to pull that guy out from his hiding hole."

"His mana is probably running low. He can't keep it up," Jane said and bit her lip when she glimpsed at Theodore's ghastly face. They have to hurry, though. It's either Vein would run out of mana or the poison would kill them.

Inside his shadow, Vein took in a large intake of breath and let it out in one blast. He couldn't possibly win against two Rank-A mercs and an unusual halfbreed. Escaping was out of the question when he was too close to acquiring the last tablet. He had a feeling that the tablets held the key to a room full of treasures.

Besides. .. Vein's mouth twisted up into a horrendous grin, and his eyes narrowed at Ryu. He really wanted to dissect that halfbreed. That desire was more important to him than uncovering the mystery of the tablets.

He'd wait for the antidote to wear off and launched his devastating attacks. With Kai, Jane and Theodore crippled with his poison, dealing with the halfbreed would be a piece of cake. 

If physical attacks don't work on him. .. though half his mana left, Vein had plenty of spells to kill him, and he would have both the halfbreed and the treasures.

"Theodore!"

Vein's chance came fast, with Theodore falling onto the ground. He appeared fifty meters away from Kai's group and whistled an inaudible tune, commanding the poisons in Kai and Jane's body to attack.

The pounding in Jane and Kai's head reminded them that the effect of the antidote wore off! 

"S-shit!" Kai wanted to wipe the smugness on Vein's face but the poison burnt through his body in a hot spasm. His senses were blinded by intense, deep pain, burning to the core of his being. He dropped to the ground, panting and writhing in agony. He could barely stifle a scream.

"T-Theodore. .. ," Jane said in wavering breathes as she fell next to Theodore. Her chest rose and fell with panicked breaths. How come the antidote already wore off? Did its effect only last five minutes?

"Argh!" The sudden, painful cramp forced Jane to bite back her scream. Crimson clouds crowd her sight, reducing her vision to a small tunnel of blurs amidst the burning pain that threatened to overwhelm her. M-Marcus. . .

"N-no. .. ," Tears flooded Jane's eyes when Theodore's eyes burst, and blood oozed from his ears and nose and bubbled from his mouth. His body was jerking, convulsing, and she couldn't even do anything but watch.

Seeing that the others were on the brink of death as the minutes burned away, Ryu threw all caution in the air. His muscles rippled under his skin, and in all fours, he dashed towards Vein.

The side of Vein's mouth kicked in a smile. "Fool."

Using his spell, Vein's daggers made of dark smoke fire at Ryu. Streams of the blade rip the air, but Ryu didn't even try to avoid as the daggers pierced his skin.

Vein laughed in glee, but his expression fell faster than he could blink when his blades just puffed against Ryu's skin and burst into particles leaving no trails behind.

"W-wha–!" Vein couldn't believe his eyes. But he hadn't had the chance to think when a vicious blow struck him, thunder ringing out from Ryu's gauntlet.

Left with no other choice, Vein was forced to use what little mana he had left and hid in his shadows before reappearing on the other side. Looking at the halfbreed standing tall with its amber eyes glowed in focus at him made his insides crawl. 

Vein touched the painful, ragged mark of a wound, and his hand came away wet with his blood. If he hadn't evaded in time, half his body would have torn from Ryu's blow.

"Just what is he?" panicked rose in steady breathes, and Vein felt a biting numb on his leg. He knew of it. Fear.

Was he afraid of the halfbreed? Him? A poison master like him? How? 

Vein's unsteady eyes rounded as Ryu approached. Vein gnashed his teeth when he took a step back like a cornered prey. With his poison not effective against Ryu, he could only rely on his skill and spells. But that also didn't work against the halfbreed.

Does mana attacks doesn't work on him too?

Vein's face crunched in denial. "Don't fuck with me!" There's no being in Septverden that was immune to spells!

Ryu must have a rare skill! Or rare items!

Betting on the most destructive shadow spell in his arsenal, Vein depleted almost his mana as he unleashed his devastating attack.