A blast of crimson blood erupted behind Damon, sealing the doorway in a writhing wall of venomous tendrils. Anyone foolish enough to get close recoiled instantly as their skin blistered from the faintest touch.
With that, he blasted upwards out of the cavernous network, and no one could stop him.
With Lirae held securely in his arms, Damon slammed through a narrow vertical passage, blood armor forming around both of them, and Kaelthorn and green eyes as jagged stone walls tried to scrape them. The protective shell devoured the friction, turning the climb into a smooth, controlled launch.
High elves stationed in the upper tunnels tried to intercept him, but the moment they raised their hands to cast, Damon's poison-laced aura washed over them. Their knees buckled, weapons clattered to the floor, spells sputtered out.
One gasped, "H… He's too fast!"
Another collapsed with a choked cry as the poisonous mana ate at his nerves.
