Chapter 441: Arthal Plague Rat
"Yeah, I know everyone is searching for me. Did you find something else?" Vritra asked, hearing her serious warning.
"Yes, a few days ago I destroyed a base of the Nine Pacts, where I got to know that people from the Bone Blood Cult are planning something big to catch you.
Also, the Oracle from the Golden Moon has already started his preparation. Staying in this continent is just too dangerous," Yennefer explained.
"Haa, well, that's not surprising, and I have already met Red. He wanted me to join his maniacal organization," Vritra replied.
There were zero chances of him leaving the continent currently.
"Not to mention, Darius and others have started to cover the kingdom with some sort of barrier, and I won't leave my family here," he added.
"Mmm, then I will fight with you," Yennefer said with determination. She was ready to kill anyone for him.
***
An hour or so later, Vritra and the two women headed towards the arena as they flew through the heavy mist.
The two weren't fighting like before, but they seemed to have a challenge among themselves, because of which they both kept trying to get closer to him.
While the two were flying on either side of him, Vritra asked Yasmine about the quest he got earlier.
Reading about the task and the reward, she pondered.
"Hmm, I have heard about the Arthal Plague Rat. Well, they aren't actually rats but people.
Or rather, a failed experiment from the Nine Pacts, in which several thousand people turned into those creatures.
They have nearly the same intelligence as humans, and that's all I know about them. I never really encountered one," Yasmine started explaining.
She paused suddenly before adding, "As for the reward, I believe it might be related to one of the Six Truths, which is directly connected to the 1st Mythic Halo."
Vritra was surprised to hear the mention of the first Mythic Halo. Very little was actually known about it, and it was said to be strong enough that even gods were afraid of it.
Even Nihil Anima, which was fearless by nature, wouldn't go anywhere near it.
Or so the tales said.
'1st ranked Mythic Halo?!'
Vritra repeated, pausing abruptly for a moment as the two ladies, who were flying way too close to him, bumped into Vritra.
"Ah, Master, what's wrong?" Maeve asked. The three of them were already disguised.
"Husband, are you alright?" Yennefer questioned, searching the area around but couldn't find anyone.
"Yeah." Nodding, he continued to fly.
"Yes, sorry hubby, even I don't know much about that Mythic Halo. Guess if we do this quest, we might encounter some secrets, so it might actually be dangerous."
Yasmine said, though which part of their life wasn't full of danger? It was basically like oxygen to them.
If there was no danger, then Vritra certainly wouldn't be found anywhere close.
'If I can obtain that Mythic Halo, then we just might be able to resolve this problem.
Anyway, let's check it out during the game,' Vritra replied, quite curious about the content of the scroll in his inventory.
…
It wasn't long before they arrived in the arena.
{Sin Point Gained: Watched +100,423}
{Sin Point Gained: Welcomed +100,422}
{Sin Point Gained: Urged +100,423}
…
The number of people already present there was above Vritra's expectations.
He forgot about the other matters momentarily as sin points rained down on him.
"Hello participants, let's have another great game today!" he said. Getting so many sin points was truly the way to lift his mood.
"You two should go and enjoy the show."
Vritra glanced back at the two women and spoke. Maeve nodded and flew away; she was also going to help with the arrangements.
Yennefer wanted to be close to him since she had missed him way too much, but she nodded reluctantly and took a seat among the audience.
Vritra looked at the two women for a few seconds. He felt that he should tell them about the few remaining secrets of his.
Like Yasmine, his abilities, and so on.
He already had full trust in Maeve, and by the Sin Point messages, he confirmed earlier that Yennefer really had changed.
Though he would observe her for a few more days and tell everything after letting them meet Diana and Fiona.
Without wasting any more time, he took out all the subjects from his dimensional book and got the maze ready inside the fighting area.
Bullo also took his position while Shitless, Onest, Xi, and others sold the glyphs and took the bets.
With Raelion gone, the Voromir Kingdom could be said to be in complete control of Maeve.
Since the size of the public was increasing, they had even called out the three demon generals along with many others from there.
"Alright, the game begins!"
***
Two lizard men slowly crawled through a big metallic pipe which seemed to be a carrier for sewage waste.
Their bodies were dirty with foul and rotten materials.
The pipe was only large enough to fit one person, so one was crawling behind the other.
Despite the disgusting smell, their breathing was really high as they were about to have a heart attack.
The two lizard men had distinct features — a long tail on their back and a lizard-like head.
Though their body structure was similar to humans, their toes and fingers were also like lizards.
Their bodies were covered with yellow scales.
They weren't from the Quartz Continent but had come here in search of something special.
The Arthal Plague Rats — the creatures who were said to be dangerous enough to make a race extinct if given enough time.
Of course, everyone would be tempted with such a weapon, but it was only after coming into this underground city that they got to know the true horror.
"W-We haa haa were stupid to e-even think of bringing these abomination-level creatures back to our house," one of the lizard men spoke, intense pain shooting through his body.
All over his skin, under the scales, pus kept bubbling and bursting, releasing a dangerous acidic fluid.
The two lizard men were feeling unimaginable pain, and they suffered to this extent just by a slight graze from a rather weak Arthal rat.
Those things had long stopped being human; they weren't things that should exist. Even the Nine Pacts and the Golden Moon stopped trying to eradicate them. The more they tried to fight these terrifying creatures, the more the army of the other side grew.
It really was like a plague.
"T-This is not a weapon. We were all wrong. Ughhh, cough, w-we have to haa hurry back and inform the others, cough," the other lizard man spoke, but right then he spat out a mouthful of dark viscous fluid full of wriggling bugs.
Then his bones twisted, and skin tore from the inside. His flesh began to squirm and expand as his form writhed inside the pipe.
"Damnit!" The heartbeat of the other man sped up. This was a fate worse than death.
He tried to move faster but sensed that the rapidly growing flesh would soon catch up.
The lizard man hurriedly tried to commit suicide, but even that failed as his body got devoured into the slithering flesh.
"AGGGHHHHHH-" Only a loud scream reverberated as thousands of Arthal rats charged towards the pipe.
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