He drove the dagger into the ground and stood, his towering figure casting an enormous shadow.
"What do they take the Apennine Mountains for? Their own backyard?"
Greed and cruelty gleamed in his eyes.
"We, the Red Moon Brotherhood, are the true masters of this land."
"Go. Tell our brothers we have honored guests."
His voice echoed through the cave, carrying an unquestionable command.
"We need to collect a little toll."
"And see whether that legendary cure is real."
As the totem Werewolf Leader gave his orders, he casually glanced at the shadows in the deepest part of the cave.
There, a thick chain stretched taut, attached to a creature that struggled constantly.
Darkness shrouded it, concealing its full form.
But the aura emanating from it was like rotting corpses mixed with fermented blood, half the savagery of a werewolf, the other half the chill of a vampire.
It was a sickening aura of corruption, a mingling of two creatures.
The totem werewolf withdrew his gaze, his mouth spreading into a cruel grin.
The scene froze on the pairs of bloodthirsty red eyes awakening within the cave.
While all the major powers chose to wait and watch, this pack of utterly uncontrollable hyenas had already caught the scent of blood.
They were racing toward the hunting ground Douglas had so carefully prepared.
Meanwhile, deep in the Mine, Douglas seemed entirely unaware of the approaching malice-or perhaps he had already factored all of it into his calculations.
The arming of individuals and teams was complete. Now, he needed to set the perfect stage for this hunt.
"Marco." Douglas's voice was quiet, but Marco immediately stopped distributing weapons.
"Take me to the place in the tribe that's easiest to defend and hardest to attack."
He added,
"Somewhere that could serve as our