The Sleeping Mermaid Tavern.
A lifelike carving of a mermaid adorned its wooden signboard.
This was a well-known tavern in Northwind Keep, as well as a secret gathering place for yuan-ti pureblood spies. The proprietress had long been bought with gold, willingly becoming a lackey for the Cinder Nest.
At this moment, the city was in total chaos.
The garrison was occupied with resisting the invading dragon-blooded forces, leaving them no time to pay attention elsewhere. Naturally, the tavern had become an open meeting place for the Cinder Nest faction.
The four-man party pushed the door open and stepped inside, greeted by a bustling crowd.
Players were gathered together.
"Proprietress, got any Fiery Red Lips?"
"I heard drinking that gives you an Excited buff."
"The drinks here are way more expensive than in the City of Baator."
Mantou marveled, "There are so many people..."
Xiaye Qiuyu muttered in a low voice, "And here I thought we were the only ones who received this Special Quest."
Singo looked around, immediately recognizing several familiar faces.
Bazhe from Wangquan, Gangtie Kuangchao from the Machine Cult, Charlotte from Magic Coin, Alpha from Golden Age...
Pro players from all the major guilds were present. Practically every player who had taken the quest and come to the tavern had reached the closed beta's level cap—Level 4. In Elezerg, that already qualified as elite adventurers, the backbone of the adventurer community, and certainly no ordinary rabble.
Tiansheng Zhankuang cast a disdainful glance at Bazhe not far away and scoffed, "Tch."
Lowering his voice, Singo said to him, "Zhankuang-ge, it's a group quest. Don't waste energy bickering with the Wangquan folks. Focus on the key NPCs first."
"Look over there."
He gestured with his eyes toward a corner.
There, sitting at a wooden table in the center of the tavern, were Alger and Mezrolash. Two cups of wine rested on the table before them.
Though friction had existed between them previously, they were now sitting together to discuss countermeasures against their common enemy: Brad Lakeman.
On the verge of facing his nemesis, Alger appeared exceptionally tense and excited, tinged with a touch of unease.
After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke. "I lived around here for years and know a secret path leading into Lakeman Castle. What we need to do is infiltrate the castle."
"And then... kill him."
Mezrolash gave a slight nod, took a sip from his cup, and said, "A straightforward, blunt plan. But you're forgetting one thing. You've been away for years, and now the Cinder Nest is on the verge of breaking through. How could that meticulous old vampire not have made preparations?"
Alger's draconic face froze momentarily, but he replied, "This is our only option. If he completes his ascension, the consequences will be unthinkable."
Mezrolash chuckled softly. "Indeed. These Starfallen are immortal anyway. As for you and me—we should have died long ago. There is no reason to fear death."
Alger pointed to the map of Northwind Keep's interior laid out on the table.
"Considering the importance of the Ascension Ritual, the main avenues are bound to be heavily guarded. So we'll take this route, through the shadowy path in the rear garden of Lakeman Castle."
"Very well."
Mezrolash slowly rose to his feet and projected his voice:
"Warriors, prepare to depart."
"Prevent this ascension, and our master will reward you handsomely."
Instantly, the fiery gazes of over twenty elite players in the tavern converged upon him.
Mezrolash had already mastered the art of managing players.
...
On the outskirts of Lakeman Castle, at the Twilight Garden.
This dense forest enveloped the castle, cutting it off from the outside world.
The trees soared into the sky, their twisted trunks covered in mottled bark that looked like ancient wounds. Deep darkness spread among the woods, making it impossible to tell day from night. Eerie branches and leaves swayed in the wind, whispering hair-raising murmurs.
Withered old trees resembled outstretched phantoms, their sharp claws twisting and coiling.
Deep within the dense woods, howls echoed one after another, striking dread into the heart.
Alger stared into the dark, profound depths of the woods and at the path choked with twisted boughs, his expression grave.
"No... it didn't use to be like this."
"During the years since I left, what did Brad Lakeman do to this place?"
Mezrolash sneered. "Perhaps he's been raising a pack of loyal watchdogs in here to guard his estate."
"It looks like we'll need to watch our step from here on."
"Let us head in."
Alger, Mezrolash, and the rest plunged into the dense forest without hesitation.
...
Walking along the vine-draped trail, Mantou heard rustling sounds behind him and couldn't help shivering.
"Holy crap... there can't actually be something foul in here, right...?"
"Wait, there's something behind me!"
Mantou felt something brush against the back of his neck, and a sharp cry escaped his throat.
Cold sweat poured down as he whipped his head around, only to find it was just a twisted vine dangling from a tree branch.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Turning to Singo beside him, he said, "This damn place is way too creepy. Let's hurry up; we can't linger here."
Singo didn't even bother to tease him, merely nodding with a grim expression.
Just moments ago, he had keenly noticed the bushes ahead seem to shift slightly toward them—though he couldn't be sure if it was just his imagination.
"Keep moving."
Mantou had no choice but to trudge forward with his head down. Yet when curiosity compelled him to glance back once more, the vine had shifted positions again, resembling a hideous arm reaching out toward him.
He sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
The rustling encircling them grew clearer and more intense. In the darkness, something seemed to writhe and squirm.
Fractured voices brimming with terror drifted around them, encircling everyone in the woods.
"It's alive..."
"Don't... leave me behind..."
"Take my hand... get me out of here..."
Yet those voices didn't belong to any of them!
Xiaye Qiuyu was already pale as a sheet, sweat trickling from her chin. Her voice trembled, "D-did you hear that? Those voices..."
Singo said in a low voice, "I heard them too."
"They don't sound like monster roars. They sound more like... the dying words of victims."
Mantou panicked completely. "D-don't scare me like that..."
"Take a close look at our surroundings."
Mantou looked around. The surrounding deep gloom was already churning and writhing incessantly.
At the vanguard of the group, Alger raised the Everburning Greatsword. Firelight blazed forth, illuminating their surroundings and laying bare the hideous, terrifying appearance of the monsters before them.
Beneath the mottled shadows of the trees, grotesque roots, branches, and vines coalesced, finally taking shape as countless shambling, twisted apparitions.
Their bodies were woven from withered branches, vines, and thorny briars, some even encasing half-digested human limbs. The thick roots were soaked through with blood.
Alger gritted his teeth and roared:
"Prepare for battle!"
"Damn it, this entire forest is alive!"
Chapter 131