Dave spent several hours grinding near the foot of the volcano behind the red fortress.

There were some Blood Worms roaming the area which gave Dave some EXP and nice loot.

The Undead battalion moved farther east of the volcano and just bypassed the borders of the second Raid Zone, entering uncharted territory.

The ground was composed of packed black sand. It was like a desert of black rocks and sand without a single plant in sight.

Dave saw movement in the distance.

As they got closer they saw two members of the same species in a lethal struggle, filling the air with grunting coughing grunts and savage screams. One of the creatures was clearly almost done, exhausted and grievously wounded.

The monsters looked like giant bright-blue lizards with a forest of short spikes on their backs and eight limbs instead of a lizard's four. The lizard creatures gripped the ground with wide splayed toes that ended in scimitar-like claws.

The heads resembled a toad's or frog's, broad and triangular with bulbous eyes on top and wide mouths that stretched all the way from one side to the other.

When one of the creatures opened its maw to bellow at the other, it displayed multiple rows of shark teeth. Dave wasn't certain but it also looked like it had a long sticky elastic tongue like frogs use to snatch insects out of the air.

The lizard-like body ended in a long tail with a spiked bone-weighted club on the end. Even now the less damaged creature was whipping its tail weapon around to the side, making leg-crusher feints at its injured opponent.

Dog the dullahan made muttering sounds from under his arm. That was pretty much the only noise he made: incoherent and almost inaudible muttering.

Dave wasn't even sure Dog really talked. The guy's neck had been bitten all the way through and he carried his detached head around under his arm. So where did the air to make his vocal cords work come from?

Bud helpfully translated Dog's dullahanese.

"Dog thinks...good ride," the ghoul rasped in his gargling voice.

Then Dog urged his dunlord mount toward the two fighting monsters.

"Dog! What the fuh…?" Dave sighed and followed the dullahan, stopping just outside aggro range.

Dave inspected the damaged creature:

Azure Basilisk

Level 400

Danger level: ☠

Damage: 40,000-60,000

HP: 31,500/400,000

MN: 50,000

DA: 40,000

Skills:

[Trample] The basilisk uses the momentum of its charge to attack, when it collides with an enemy it deals 200% basic damage and stuns the target for 3 seconds.

[Petrifying Gaze] When the eyes of the basilisk gaze upon a mortal creature it becomes a brittle petrified statue, immobile and unconscious. If the 'statue' is shattered, the target is executed.

[Deadly Tail-Spin] The basilisk spins around itself 5 times causing damage to surrounding enemies with its mace-tail, dealing 50% basic damage per spin.

[Storm of Azure Fangs] The teeth growing on the basilisk's back explode outward in an AoE attack. The fang projectiles penetrate targets dealing 10% basic flat Damage per fang (24 hour cooldown).

Bestiary:

The origins of the basilisks are unknown. Some claim they came to the world through dark rituals steeped in evil. The original basilisks could kill with a single look and sow chaos across an entire nation with its presence. Their bloodlines have since been diluted, they have lost much of the power of their ancestors. But their gaze is still to be feared.

Rare are those that can control a basilisk, and those who do, have made names for themselves in the annals of history...usually of the infamous sort.

Dave thought it was strange the spikes on the basilisk's back were called fangs or teeth, but they did look like bigger versions of the triangular shark teeth lining the basilisk's mouth.

The second basilisk was less damaged, and still had plenty of fight in it. As they got into combat range it hissed at them

Bud spoke in his graveled voice, "Dog want strong one kill, weak one make ride."

'Okayyyyy, I thought I was in charge here.'

He didn't argue the dullahan's plan, he was a remorseless fighter and the ability to find undead to increase the battalion's numbers was going to be invaluable when Dave ranked up. He could afford to give the headless mumbler a little leeway. Besides, EXP is EXP, and lootz always be sweet.

Dave whooped and shouted to his small group, "Alright Boyz, meat is back on the menu! Let's find out if these things taste like chicken!"

The dunlords charged at the basilisk, their initial attack pushed it off balance but it recovered quickly, using its eight limbs to brace and right itself.

The other basilisk, the more injured one, seized the opportunity to run away, churning its eight legs to scamper away.

Without missing a beat Dog leapt off his dunlord and sprinted after the escaping basilisk, his head on his neck in battle-configuration.

Dave tried to call Dog back but he didn't pay the draugr any heed. The riderless dunlord was left standing, conflicted about what to do. He'd been ordered to look after the lower leveled Undead that rode him but his dunlord brethren were battling a basilisk.

"Damn it Dog!" Dave shouted, then just shook his head and ordered Dog's dunlord to join the fight.

The dunlords showered the basilisk with ballista bolts as they flanked it, surrounding it then moving in for some close up mayhem. The basilisk spun around itself, warding them off with the threat of its tail club.

Dave ordered Stinger to charge and lunge at it with pincers.

[-12550]

Enraged at the damage the basilisk growled at the pests surrounding it. Suddenly the glow of the basilisk's eyes grew, shining a baleful yellow.

Dave covered Stinger's eyes with his hand as he shouted "Dunlords! Don't look at its eyes!"

Thankfully they heeded his instructions and avoided the dangerous gaze of the basilisk.

The Undead didn't bother to look away from the eyes of the Basilisk. They didn't need to.

Petrification Resisted!

"HA! Doesn't work on the undead, bitch!" Dave laughed. He summoned two spectral skulls and sent them flying at the basilisk's eyes then snapped his fingers to detonate them.

You have Blinded the basilisk!

Duration 10 seconds.

The basilisk roared and shook itself. Its lizard body expanded like a puffer fish and the rows of fangs on its back exploded outward in all directions. A storm of azure fang-projectiles.

Most of the Undead survived, a few unlucky ones were struck by three or more fangs, doing enough damage to kill them instantly.

The casters healed the damaged Undead and then joined in to finish the basilisk off.

Dave threw health potions to the dunlords.

"I wonder when how long it will take Delvina to finish 'converting' the paladins into healing janissaries for me."

While the party finished healing up and sorting themselves out, Dave went for the loot.

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