He shoved the dead monster forwards as it dissolved into rainbow smoke. The stench was horrifying, but bearable for Jason. Fortunately, he lacked the powerful sense of smell the margolls had. For them, the smoke was like tear gas, the closest ones staggering away with dog-like yelps of misery.

The group of margolls was large enough that those furthest from Jason weren’t disabled, although they were scattered and distracted. Jason moved right into their midst, making full use of his martial skills in the chaos. Another margoll dropped dead, throat slashed open. A forceful kick to the side of the knee sent one dropping to the ground. Jason’s flashing dagger inflicted more injuries, non-lethal, but distracting enough to keep the monsters off-balance while they were still reeled from the smoke.

Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Margoll].

Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Margoll].

Aura [Hegemony] reduces the resistances of enemies for each instance of [Sin].

The margolls started to recover from the stench. Jason moved out of the encirclement he had placed himself in but was only a step away from the reach of those razor claws. One such claw swiped at him and he lifted a forearm to take the strike. The claw raked through his cloth armour like it wasn’t there, cutting deep gouges in his arm. Then, like a burst balloon, leeches erupted from the wound to spray out over the margolls.

The monsters panicked, yelping in horror as leeches dug into any available patch of exposed skin. Leeches buried themselves into the monsters’ arms, bodies and even faces. The margolls scrambled to tear them off, but every leech tossed aside took with it a chunk of flesh in its lamprey-like teeth. One margoll pulled a leech from its eye, which burst into goo as the leech came away.

[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Margoll]

[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Margoll]

[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Margoll]

The leeches that didn’t land directly on the margolls started accumulating in a pile, lurching towards the margolls at the back who had been missed in the initial spray. Jason raised his arm at the margoll that had cut into him and chanted a spell.

“Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.”

The margoll's life force started glowing dark red from within its body, before siphoning off in a stream towards Jason's extended hand. As it sank into Jason's skin, the claw marks on his arm closed. It didn't heal completely, but open wounds became bright red welts. By the time the margoll's life force retracted into its body, it looked weak and pale. Jason kicked it into its fellows and once again launched himself into the stricken pack of margolls.

Jason danced through the chaos, dagger flashing, elbows and feet lashing out.

Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Margoll]

[Bleeding] already in effect, [Bleeding] is refreshed.