Chapter 426: Chapter 72 Beastfolk
Darkness.
This was the strongest feeling people got when they entered the Underdark.
The whole narrow pa.s.sage was dark, the ground was a little wet because of some water, and there were many dark green mosses on the walls on both sides. Soran had night vision, so it was easy for him to see around, but the little Lolita behind him was in a bit of trouble. The dragon’s vision was far better than that of humans on the surface, but it was very limited in a dark environment.
The Underdark was not completely dark. In fact, most of the Underdark was somewhat lit because there would be some light diffusion–either from the fluorescent plants that would emit light, or some other light source. It was like a night without stars and full of clouds. In this case, the visible range of humans would be reduced to within three meters. This was the case in many places in the Underdark, so the adventurer from the surface had to prepare a torch, or find some rare items that enhance the night vision ability.
This was not difficult for a Wizard. Normal night vision helmets were around 3000 – 5000 gold Derahls.
People that had the ability to go to the Underdark wouldn’t mind this amount of money.
“Oh! It’s so dark!”
The little Lolita laid on Soran’s back, put her head close to his ear, and whispered, “Are we there yet? Can I use light! ”
Light?
Are you trying to paint a big target on our backs?
“No!” Soran refused without hesitation, and said in a deep voice, “After another 1000 meters or so, there will be fluorescent mosses, and then you will be able to see.”
Light source.
Light was a target in the Underdark, and Soran knew how much trouble a light source would bring.
Hook Horror, Giant Lizard, Mind flayer, etc.–These
As they got deeper into the Underdark world, Soran saw some stalact.i.te above their head.
There was some underground water source nearby, and they could hear the sound of trickling water. In the Underdark, any place close to a water source would be a fighting area.
“Uh! There’s a swamp nearby!”
The little Lolita laid on Soran’s shoulders as if she didn’t like it. She wrinkled her nose and said, “I smell the dampness and putrefaction from afar. No wonder those ugly and dirty Black Dragons like to stay underground. ”
Underground swamp–basically areas that had swamps also had a light source.
Sure enough, Soran began to see light. It was a dark green moss with fluorescent light. It was a very common variety of plants in Underdark. The other was a special mushroom in the Underdark. The vitality of these two plants was very strong, and they could even grow near the volcano. The ground became a little wet, and Soran gently lowered the little Lolita, then made a gesture to be quiet.
There was a creature that survived in the swamp area.
“Quaggoth!”
In short, they were a kind of human mutant that was infected with a virus–they turned into Beastfolk. For some unknown reasons, they had been bitten by other Beastfolk, or they were born with the disease, they finally had the ability to transform into the form of wild animals or the form of animalized humans. LuLu was a “Cat Folk,” and she had incredible talent.
About the Beastfolk.
Soran knew about the Wolffolks, Tigerfolks, and Bearfolk. The most commonly infected with the virus were the Wolffolks, which could be encountered occasionally in the surface world. The Tigerfolks and Bearfolks were rarer. Most of them lived in very rare areas. As for the Catfolk like LuLu, they were almost on the verge of extinction. Needless to say, Wolffolk and Tigerfolks had a natural Strength of + 16, meaning they would get +16 Strength after they transform. (Note: in the Underdark, the Strength of the Bearfolk fluctuates between 27-36. In human form, their Strength was not far from that of the ordinary human, most of which were between 9-14.)
Even with young Bearfolks, they could become as strong as bears after transforming!
There were some giant footprints on the ground.
They were about the same size as brown bears. These Bearfolks were between humans and wild animals. Furthermore, the virus affected their intelligence, making them like savages. Most of them lived in a tribal way. It was said that the Bearfolk was a failed product of the Druid’s transformation research experiment in the glorious arcane period, which eventually led to the emergence of this Beastfolk disease. Unfortunately, no one could confirm this. (Note: the Beastfolk virus appeared earlier than the Arcane Empire, and the Arcane Empire also did research about it.)
“I’ll go ahead to check the area.”
Soran glanced at the little Lolita behind him and whispered, “Maybe we could find a guide from the Bearfolk’s territory. They like to capture other creatures as slaves.”
Sneak.
Soran went into the shadow. The Underdark was a comfortable place for Soran to sneak around easily.
There were a few footsteps on the ground.
Soran figured there were around 3 to 6 Bearfolk around the area. Even a patrol of drows wouldn’t dare to antagonize them.
The swamp area was a bit tricky. Good thing Soran still had some spells. As he got closer, he soon saw a run-down shack and a huge cage.
There were skeletons on the ground: drows, grey dwarves, and some small creatures. There was no campfire, which meant that the Bearfolk were the most primitive kind. There was no way to communicate at all. The Beastfolk virus may completely destroy the brain of the person; some couldn’t even muster the ability to transform themselves into human form ever. There were very few Beastfolk groups in the whole Underdark that had a civilization and wisdom.
In this regard, LuLu was rather intelligent among the Beastfolk!
The cage had some creatures.
Soran saw an injured mutated Bugbear, a dying Grey Dwarf, and a dead Hook Horror.
All of these were difficult creatures to deal with.
However, to these infected Bearfolks, they were just food.
“Pang.”
Heavy footsteps were heard.
From afar, a huge monster weighing more than 1500 pounds appeared; it looked like a brown bear walking upright. Its head was like a giant bear, but its body had a humanoid form, which was similar to a Wolffolk after transformation. No matter from which point of view, their lineage level was much lower than that of LuLu’s, which also meant that they were more primitive, wild, and threatening.
“Bearfolks which can’t turn back into human form!”
Soran could determine the enemy’s condition at a glance because after returning to his territory, the Bearfolk began to sniff around like an animal.
Animal instincts!
The Bearfolk in front of Soran was at the lowest level, the most brutal, the most inhumane beast. They were not intelligent creatures at all.
“Bearfolk [Beast Folk] (Grade 3)
Challenge Rating: Level 10 (Monster Level: 12), has transformation abilities
Highest and Lowest Attributes: 36 and 9 (Total Attribute Points: 85-100)
Specialty: Toughen, Slam, Tear, Claw Attack, Roar, Rage, Bloodl.u.s.t, Animal Instinct.
Difficulty: S+”
Most Bearfolk were around grade 3. However, if you dealt with them like any other grade 3 enemy, it would only lead to death.
That was because their challenge rating was ‘S+’! (Note: a team of fully armed adventurers of about profession level 10 would only have a 10% chance of defeating it)