The air in the abandoned mine was stale and smelled of rotten eggs, rusty iron, and dusty wood. Despite the prevalence of demonic insects and rats in dark tunnels, the most populous demons were yellow lizards with sharp teeth and white eyes that shut tight if exposed to even a dim light spell.

Fortunately, they didn't need to deal with any of the lesser demons, as Lorimer took it upon himself to organize the rats into a personal army that then cleared out mines and brought back a tribute of demon cores to their mighty overlord.

Sorin and company followed Astley's ball of silver thread down several steep hills and past a handful of abandoned rail carts. Eventually, they reached a crossroad that brought them closer to the surface. The air grew humid and chill.

"That strange influence I detected in town is getting stronger," cautioned Sorin as they passed beneath a stone arch. "Strangely, it's making me feel energetic."

"I still don't feel anything," said Stephan. "Except for a headache from that sulfur-based poison. Nasty stuff."

"Drink a mana potion," suggested Daphne, taking a small sip of her flask. "They help."

"Mana potions are expensive," grumbled Stephan. "I'll pass."

"Stop!" cautioned Lawrence suddenly. Their group halted in their tracks as the rogue flashed an image in their minds—one of an invisible boundary made of runes so light that both Astley and Daphne had missed them. "I think this is a hidden alarm spell. Maybe you guys can find a way through without tripping it?"

Daphne shook her head. "This is beyond me. I can break the formation, but that would alert whoever's maintaining it."

"At least you can do that much," said Astley. "Spell formations aren't exactly a strength of mine."

"Don't look at me," said Sorin when Lawrence looked at him. "My spell potential is terrible, and I've got loads of other things to study."

"Maybe I could send a decoy in to see what happens?" suggested Astley.

"I don't think we have any better options," said Gareth.

"I have one option," said Lawrence. "But it might not work. Also, it's expensive. I'll use up at least one-two-star demon core trying it out."

He looked to Stephan, who shrugged. "If you're able to get us past this thing without tripping it, a two-star demon core is a small price to pay," said Stephan. "Try it."

"I finally get to use this thing," said Lawrence. He took out the sphere he'd obtained in the wish-fire ceremony and pulled its two halves apart, then inserted a demon core inside it before slamming the two halves shut. He then rotated the halves until the sphere clicked. A field of strange energy appeared around Lawrence, distorting the boundary where they intersect. "Hurry up, guys. I can't hold this for long."

They hurried through the opening while the orb remained active. It lasted about a minute before running out of energy. By then, they were safely on the other side of the barrier. According to Daphne, no alarm had been tripped.

"The seeking yarn is shaking," said Astley. "That means the mayor—I assume it's him because we used his tie—should be up ahead."

"Lawrence, you go first," said Gareth. "I can only project what I can see, and I can barely see anything in here."

"Sure thing," said Lawrence.

"Lorimer, you tag along, just in case," instructed Sorin.

"Reee!" said the rat as he scampered away.

Thanks to their connection, Sorin was able to see through his eyes and ears, providing him with a rough idea of what was happening even without Lawrence's ability.

They soon reached a large torchlit cavern. Five hooded figures were kneeling on the ground, tracing out a ritual circle with silver dust. Six still sacks lay at the center of the incomplete circle.

"Stubborn adventurers, looking into things that don't concern them," complained one of the cloaked figures. "None of us are corrupt, and we're minding our own business. Why do they care how we keep the peace?"

"If not for our efforts and the efforts of our fathers, this town would have long been overrun," agreed another of the hooded figures. "Though some of us are here for less than pure motives."

"It's an exchange of benefits," said the third.

"A profitable exchange that simultaneously safeguards most of the lives in the village," agreed the fourth. "Though I don't see why it had to be the Mercers. Was it because their offerings were lacking? I remember them offering nearly a hundred gold to purchase mana crystals last time."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"It's not because their offerings are lacking," said the first. "Everyone hates the Mercers. They're just too loud and don't fit in with the rest of the village."

"But the Shepherds aren't very well-liked either," answered the fourth. "And last time, they almost gave us away. We should have caught them as sacrifices instead."

"Whey create conflict where there is none?" said the fifth, who'd yet to speak. "Is it not bad enough that those adventurers are getting suspicious of us? One small mistake, and we'll have the Spanish Inquisition coming down on us."

"The Spanish Inquisition? Those lunatics? I wouldn't expect that they, of all people, would come here to investigate."

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition," shushed the fifth. "Now, get back to work. This spell circle isn't going to build itself."

"What's the Spanish Inquisition?" Sorin asked Stephan as Lorimer and Lawrence edged in for a closer look. "I recall hearing something about them once upon a time but didn't pay close attention to them."

"They're a special group of fanatic priests that Lord Hope personally named," Stephan whispered back. "Their weapons are diverse and include fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, and a fanatical devotion to Lord Hope."

"They also have nice red uniforms," added Daphne. "Or so I've heard. Now, let's be quiet and wait for the big reveal."

"The big reveal?" asked Sorin.

"Of the evil mastermind," said Daphne. "After so much buildup, there's no way the evil mastermind won't show up."

It took roughly a half hour for the group of five bone-forging cultivators to trace out a shoddy ritual circle that left Astley and Daphne clicking their tongues. Once finished, they started chanting. According to Astley, they weren't so much activating the ritual as calling forth the Dark Lady to beseech her to do so.

Several minutes later, their chanting bore fruit. A hooded figure entered the cavern through an elevated cave and looked down upon the offerings and the circle with clear disdain.

"Dark Lady, we have come with a fresh set of offerings," said the first speaker, whom they now recognized as the mayor. The third and fourth speakers were Mr. Stone and Mr. Langley. "Please accept these sacrifices as a token of our goodwill."

The 'Dark Lady' stood there for a moment, then cast her gaze towards Lawrence and Lorimer. "Not good!" Sorin heard Lawrence yelp before his shared vision turned blurry. Lorimer tried to retreat but found himself paralyzed and unable to move.

"Be careful," Gareth warned. "She might have discovered them, but it doesn’t mean she's aware of us."

"How terribly naïve you are for a Nighthawk," came a voice. The hooded Dark Lady blurred as she launched herself from her elevated platform, crossing Lawrence and Lorimer to land in their midst.

Her sudden actions blew away her hood, revealing a bewitchingly beautiful visage with cold, serpentine eyes. Sorin felt his body jerk as her hair—no, the snakes in her hair—hissed, paralyzing his muscles and inhibiting their functions.

"These sacrifices please me," said the Dark Lady to the five. "Young human heroes are exactly the type of supplement I was lacking. I will, therefore, forgive your incompetence and even reward your village greatly."

She walked toward the frozen Daphne and traced a finger down her cheek. "Exquisite specimen. And a talented mage, no less. It's always difficult to find mages with sufficient talent." Next came Astley. "A beautiful form that reeks of confidence. I'll most definitely use you to mold my future human form.

"And finally… the most important sacrifice of all," said the Dark Lady with a grin. Both her eyes and the serpents on her head turned to Sorin. "A hero cultivating the path of poison, an inheritance from a serpentine god, no less. If you'd come when you were a little stronger, I'd have good reason to be frightened."

She made her way to Sorin, who was still struggling to escape her spiritual pressure. This doesn't make any sense, thought Sorin. Cobra's glare offers me some protection against such attacks. Moreover, her soul isn't even as strong as mine is now that I've broken through to bone-forging. His soul had always been his strongest aspect and could now rival that of peak bone-forging cultivators.

Moreover, Stephan and Lorimer are shaking. In our group, they have the weakest souls. But they do have something in common: their constitutions and resistances are even stronger than mine.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Sorin. The strange feeling he'd had since arriving in town, as well as his bubbling vitality. Coupled with Stephan and Lorimer's conditions, there was only one explanation: poison!

She's clearly an upper-grade two-star demon that wields powerful neurotoxins, thought Sorin. The neurotoxins didn't affect us much as bone-forging cultivators. However, the villagers have been receiving a full dose for years, and this will make them extremely susceptible to her mental manipulation.

This poison isn't an inhibiting neurotoxin. Instead, it makes us susceptible to her spiritual pressure, making it easy for her to immobilize us with her will. Therefore, I just need to use Hand of the Medicine God and Toxin Metabolism to clear out these toxins.

"What are you?" Sorin managed to croak out as his divine ability consumed a portion of the poison.

"You can actually speak?" said the Dark Lady with surprise. "Your inheritance must be particularly overbearing. As for what I am, I suppose it doesn't hurt to tell you. I am a juvenile gorgon, a future myth."

A fresh dose of poison filled the air around Sorin, reasserting the paralysis. Yet before long, Sorin shivered and regained the functionality of his eyes and mouth. "A gorgon? I've never heard of them. You mustn't be very famous compared to dryads and satyrs."

"You really know how to hit where it hurts, don't you?" said the gorgon with a chilling smile. "Such potent defenses against poison, these scales. No wonder you were able to resist." The gorgon walked up to Sorin and ran her finger down his cheek. "I'll eat you first, I think. Just to be safe." Claws and scales sprouted from her hand and cut into his cheek. "Don't worry, I'll make this as painless as possible."

Thump.

Sorin felt his blood boil.

Thump. Thump.

He felt Violence stir within him.

The gorgon's claw found its way to his chest, where it effortlessly tore through his Blood Drinker Armor and his serpentine scales. Black and gold blood oozed out from the wound, causing her claws to hiss and to sizzle. "What are you?" said the gorgon, pulling her claw back. " You can't be left alive!"

Her damaged claw shot out toward Sorin's throat, but Sorin activated Cobra's Glare with his superior soul.

Thump. Thump. THUMP. THUMP.

Sorin's hand shot up and caught the gorgon's wrist and pulled her in. His hands were also clawed and covered in scales, except his were tarnished gold and radiated a mixed aura of holiness and violence.

"I'm your worst nightmare," said Sorin. He snarled like a beast and bit down on her scaled shoulder.