Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

(This chapter is a bit messy, please don't mind. The normal order should be that you defeat the Knight Captain first, and then you can get the other badges. If you have carefully read the story, you should know this. Also, there was a problem in the previous chapter. For example, the King and the Jester would ask us to help him find badges before we could meet the King.)

So I'm a little confused, please don't mind. And because I've seriously read the story of this game, *manual doge face*, I won't say who it is? Everyone in front of the screen should know, I'm probably the only one who has seriously read the story (o?n)).

The air in the dungeon was stuffy and damp, the musty smell mingling with the dust, causing Evand to wrinkle his nose. He and Bread searched almost the entire floor, leaving no corner unchecked, no shadow untouched. But the result was disheartening; clues about "He" remained elusive, as if the person had never existed.

Bread, on the other hand, was quite enthusiastic about the search, like a curious kitten, touching and looking at everything. He frequently exclaimed in amazement, showing great interest in the things that seemed novel to him. But when Evand asked him questions, he always shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing. Looking at Bread's innocent and carefree demeanor, Evand's initial suspicions gradually dissipated. How could such a simple-minded fellow possibly keep a secret?

Ultimately, they found nothing. However, the search wasn't entirely fruitless. Evand found some food and water, as well as some seemingly valuable gems and metals. More importantly, he found three ancient-style badges: one engraved with a book full of knowledge and a majestic sword, one depicting a young prince, and the other symbolizing a noble and sacred knight.

"Wow! What are these?" Bread came closer, its eyes sparkling.

“A badge.” Evand handed the badge to the bread. “It might come in handy.”

Bread took the medal, examined it carefully, and suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "I know! These things will definitely make the king talk to us properly!"

Evans was somewhat surprised: "How did you know?"

“I’ve heard the old knights say before,” Bread explained, “that the king values ​​these badges highly, and if we could present them to him, he would be very pleased and would grant our request!”

Evand nodded, though unsure if the bread story was reliable, it was still a glimmer of hope. He put the medal away, deciding to try again when he saw the king.

They continued exploring and came to a room filled with clutter. Suddenly, Bread found a whistle in a corner, picked it up with delight, and blew it twice.

“What is this?” Evand asked.

"This is the captain's 'dog whistle'!" Bread exclaimed excitedly. "Although the name isn't very appealing, it represents trust! As long as you blow it, Captain Smond will definitely appear!"

Evand had a sudden inspiration; perhaps this whistle could help them find more clues. He gestured for Bread to blow the whistle.

A melodious whistle echoed through the dungeon. After a moment, heavy footsteps approached. A tall figure appeared in the doorway—a strong werewolf-orc, clad in tattered armor and wielding a massive greatsword. His eyes were sharp and imposing, but a gruesome scar marred his neck, as if severed by a sharp weapon, yet miraculously healed.

"Captain Smond!" Bread exclaimed in surprise.

Smond, the wolf-orc, glanced at Evand and Bread, finally settling on the whistle in Bread's hand, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "You blew my whistle," he said, his voice low and hoarse, as if carrying the marks of time.

"Captain, you're alive! That's great!" Bread ran over excitedly, but stopped in front of Smond, seemingly a little scared.

Smond looked at the bread, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "It's dangerous here. You shouldn't be here."

"Captain, we..." Bread was about to explain when Evand interrupted him.

“We’re here to find someone,” Evand stepped forward and said. “Have you seen a shark-orc named ‘He’?”

Smond's gaze fell on Evand, and he looked him up and down before slowly saying, "'He'... he's no longer here."

"Not here?" Evans' heart sank. "Then where did he go?"

Smond was silent for a moment, then said, "He went somewhere you shouldn't have gone."

Bread couldn't contain his excitement and tried to hug his captain, but his body passed right through the captain.

"Captain, what's wrong?"

Captain Smond's eyes were filled with sorrow. He gestured for Evand to calm Bread down and then let them talk alone. Evand understood, gently patted Bread's shoulder, and said softly, "Bread, I have something to discuss with this... Mr. Smond. Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

Although somewhat reluctant, Bread obediently nodded and walked out of the room, glancing back several times. The moment the door closed, something seemed to change in the room. A peculiar whistling sound, subtle and sharp, came from all directions, like the low chirping of countless insects. Evand had never heard this sound before, but he instinctively felt that it was a language only canine beastmen could understand.

Then, the walls of the room began to distort, like ripples on the surface of water. Images flashed before Evand's eyes; he felt as if he were in another time, another story…

Evand's perspective shifted to a low angle, and he found himself transformed into a furry little lion, sneaking into the room through the window.

"Basil! How did you get in through the window again?" another lion cub ran over and asked in a childish voice.

"Shh!" Evand, or rather, Basley, quickly covered the other's mouth with his paw. "Keep your voice down, Mel. If Father hears you, he'll get angry again."

“But Mother said we can’t just climb out of the window…” Mel said softly.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm here to play with you!" Baslie said with a grin, holding Mel's little hand.

Two lion cubs were playing in the room when suddenly the door was pushed open. A tall figure walked in—it was Smond.

"Captain Smond!" Mel suddenly jumped into Smond's arms, pleading, "Play with us!"

Smond gently picked up Mel, set him down softly, then looked at Baslie and said with a smile, "Baslie, you've been naughty again."

"Hey hey, Captain Smond, you've finally come to play with us!" Basley excitedly circled around Smond.

“Not today,” Smond said regretfully. “Something’s happened in the prison area, and I have to go check it out.”

"Huh? What do we do then?" Mel asked disappointedly.

“Stay in your room and keep the doors and windows closed,” Smond instructed. “If anything happens, blow this whistle and I’ll come right away.”

As he spoke, Smond took a whistle off his neck and handed it to Basley.

The scene shifts, and a group of ferocious-looking prisoners suddenly burst into the room, causing the two lion cubs to tremble with fear. Basil shields Mel behind him and whistles with trembling hands.

However, after the whistle blew, the room fell silent, and Smond did not appear.

“Smond…you’re lying…” Two lines of tears streamed down Baslie’s face.

The scene abruptly ended, and the room returned to its original state. Evand looked at Smond before him, his mind filled with questions.

Smond knelt on the ground, covering his face in anguish, and said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't protect them... I didn't protect the princes... If I hadn't left then, if I had been in the prison area..."

He looked up, his eyes filled with despair and pleading: "Please... help me... go to the prison... kill me... kill me..."

"Kill you?" Evand looked at Smond in shock. "Why would I kill you?"

“I…I’m not myself anymore…” Smond’s voice trembled. “I’ve become a monster…a monster that’s neither human nor ghost…”

He pointed to the scars on his neck and said, "This is... a curse... I'm cursed... I must die... only death can release me..."

Smond's eyes were filled with pain and despair as he looked at Evand pleadingly, as if he were placing his last hope on him.

Evand looked at Smond, who was kneeling on the ground in agony, and felt a mix of emotions. He couldn't believe that this once-mighty captain of the knights had fallen to such a state. He reached out and helped Smond up, saying firmly, "I promise you, I will go to the prison district and help you get out of this predicament."

Hearing Evand's promise, Smond smiled with relief. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and then said to Evand, "Regarding those medals, you must remember my words..."

Smond paused, then continued, “If you encounter that jester, don’t worry about what he wants, just give him the Prince’s Medal. That will allow you to enter the King’s room. If the King asks you for the medal, don’t give him anything, because he’s gone mad. Even if you give him the medal, he’ll still want to kill you.”

"What about the remaining Jester's Medal and Knight's Medal?" Evand asked.

"The Jester's Badge will take you to the woodcutter, who will lead you to the gargoyle's control room; if it's the Knight's Badge, it will take you to a place where you can mine blood ore. You should know how important blood ore is," Smond explained. "Actually, the Knight's Badge could have helped you rescue Bread, but now that he's out, its usefulness has diminished. If you don't need blood ore, you can still sell it for some money."

"So, the most useful things right now are actually the jester's badge and the knight's badge?" Evand concluded.

“That’s right,” Smond nodded. “The Jester’s Medal lets you control gargoyles, which is very important in the dungeon. The Knight’s Medal can also help you obtain blood ore, but it’s insignificant compared to the Jester’s Medal, since monster materials are definitely more useful.”

Evand nodded solemnly, taking Smond's words to heart. "I remember, I will definitely keep my promise."

Smond smiled with relief, thanked Evand again, and then his figure gradually became transparent, finally disappearing into thin air. Only Evand remained in the room, along with the lingering atmosphere of sorrow and despair.

Evand stepped out of the room, where Bread was waiting anxiously. Seeing Evand emerge, he rushed to greet him, "How did it go? What did you talk about with the captain?"

Looking into Bread's innocent eyes, Evand felt a pang of pity, but he still decided to tell him the truth. "Bread, Captain Smond... he's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?" Bread looked bewildered.

“He…he’s dead,” Evans said, trying to be as tactful as possible. “He was imprisoned in the prison area and turned into a monster…”

Bread froze, seemingly unable to comprehend Evand's words. After a long while, he murmured to himself, "The captain... is dead..."

His eyes gradually reddened, and tears welled up in them. "Captain... he promised to take me to see the stars..."

Evand gently hugged the bread, letting it drip its tears onto his shoulder. He didn't know how to comfort this simple-minded snow leopard beastman, so he could only silently stay by his side and share his sorrow.

After a long while, Bread finally stopped crying. He raised his head, his eyes filled with determination. "Evand, we're going to find the King! We'll avenge our captain!"

Looking into Bread's determined eyes, Evand felt a surge of fighting spirit within him. He knew the road ahead would be even more difficult, but he would not back down. For Smond, for Bread, and for himself, he would find the King, uncover the secrets of the dungeon, and bring the culprits to justice.