Chapter 352 - Empress Finas’ Fang
Disguise was dispelled the moment Nie Yan attacked the two Arachne Guards. He would have to wait a day for it to go back off cooldown. As such, he could only rely on his stealth skills from now on.
Nie Yan pondered for a moment before replacing his Crawler Ring which was still on cooldown with the Pygmy Ring.
After recalling Paladin Khalisi, Nie Yan snuck out of the building while in stealth. He carefully tread through the shadows, occasionally encountering Arachne in his path. Without a skill like Disguise, it was almost impossible to pa.s.s through such a monster dense region undetected.
Nie Yan took every step with caution for fear of slipping up in even the slightest. He turned a corner and spotted seven Elite Arachne with sinister appearances up ahead. They carried giant scythes and tightly patrolled the area.
This block of the street was sealed off by them. Nie Yan spotted the dancing light of a bonfire with the shadows of figures swaying in the distance. It appeared the Arachne were holding some grand event like a ritual sacrifice.
The Elite Arachne had blocked off the path ahead, leaving a single gap guarded by giant scythes whose blades were ready to come down at any time.
Nie Yan wondered if the Pygmy Ring could prove its usefulness right now. He activated Pygmy Transformation as his body rapidly shrunk to a third of its original size.
What a fascinating skill!
Everything around him appeared much larger, including the huts, piles of junk, and seven Elite Arachne up ahead, who looked even more frightening than before. It was like Nie Yan was transported into a world of giants!
Nie Yan was a little disoriented, but he quickly adapted to this new perspective. He leaped over a ma.s.sive boulder and stuck to the nooks of the huts as he made his way toward the bonfire.
A large mouse popped out of a hole in the side of a hut while chewing on something in its front paws. It looked around warily before returning from where it came.
Nie Yan was frightened by the appearance of this mouse. From his perspective, it was as large as a wolf!
With his shrunken size, Nie Yan’s speed saw a steep decline.
Nie Yan slowly approached the Elite Arachne. He lamented at how large they were compared to him. He couldn’t reach to their shoulders even if he jumped with all his might. Meanwhile, they could send him flying with a simple sweep of their scythes.
The Arachne started to stir as if they sensed something. Nie Yan quickly halted his steps. They looked around but failed to find anything, and then returned to their pa.s.sive states after muttering some unintelligible words.
Little did they know Nie Yan was actually right beside their feet! He slipped through the gaps between their legs and ducked out of their sight behind a corner.
It was easier than Nie Yan expected!
Nie Yan pa.s.sed through a narrow alley and arrived at an open square. There was an altar with a blazing bonfire at the center surrounded by a dense crowd of Arachne. An Elder Arachne stood high atop a platform. His skin was old and wrinkled like tree bark, and his back was so badly hunched even taking a single step was difficult. He held a wooden staff in one hand and in the other a crimson thorn, which glittered brilliantly under the glow of the flames.
A young Arachne girl was bound to a wooden pole above the bonfire. She wore a fatigued expression on her face.
The Elder Arachne mumbled out some gibberish and waved its staff as magical energy began swirling around his hand.
They seemed to be performing some sort of ancient ritual.
Nie Yan could hear voices speaking periodically, but he sadly couldn’t understand their meaning.
Bennett’s soul started to bounce around wildly. It immediately flew toward the thorn in the Elder Arachne’s hand.
Nie Yan’s gaze focused on the thorn. It was roughly five inches in size and looked like the fang of a creature, with veiny patterns on its surface. It emitted a red l.u.s.tre, as if it were sculpted out of ruby.
A voice seemed to clamor in Nie Yan’s mind: “Get it! Get it!”
The Elder Arachne emitted a loud hiss before mumbling out series of strange syllables. He suddenly lifted the thorn and stabbed down in the young Arachne girl’s arm. The thorn seemed to come alive, its veins pulsing wildly as it sucked her dry of her blood while emitting a bright red glow.
Around 15 minutes later, the ritual ended. The dying young Arachne girl was carried down from the platform. The Elder Arachne inserted the thorn into the center of the altar.
Bennet’s Soul was circling around the thorn.
Quest Progress: Acquire Empress Finas’ Fang.
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