Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

"Let's go, I'll take you away from here." Qian Tu took Cheng Yu's hand and walked towards the exit of the cave.

Cheng Yu was filled with doubt. He didn't know where Qian Tu was taking him, nor what awaited him. He followed Qian Tu out of the cave, through the dense forest, and arrived at a clearing grassland.

"This is the edge of the mist," Qian Tu said, pointing ahead. "Once you cross this grassland, you'll be able to leave the mist."

Cheng Yu stared ahead in disbelief, never expecting to emerge from the fog so easily. He had originally thought that leaving the fog would require a difficult journey, and might even come at a great cost.

"Let's go," Qian Tu urged.

Cheng Yu took a deep breath and stepped onto the grass. He felt as if he were in a dream, and everything seemed so unreal.

After crossing the grassland, Cheng Yu arrived at an open plain. He looked back and saw that the mist had disappeared, replaced by a clear sky.

“Let’s go,” Qian Tu said. “I’ll take you to the territory of the Northern Wolf Clan.”

Cheng Yu nodded and continued onward with Qian Tu. Along the way, his heart was filled with curiosity. He wanted to know what kind of people the Northern Wolf Clan were, and also to learn more about the secrets of "pleasure and desire."

Contrary to what Evand had said, Qian Tu showed no indifference whatsoever. On the contrary, he cared deeply for Cheng Yu and always fulfilled his every need. During their journey, Qian Tu would magically produce various delicious foods and drinks for Cheng Yu to enjoy.

"You're so considerate," Cheng Yu said gratefully.

Qian Tu smiled slightly and said, "It's what I should do. You are an important guest, so naturally I should treat you well."

Cheng Yu's goodwill towards the Northern Wolf Clan grew stronger, and he began to look forward to reaching their territory as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Evand finally found the lizardman, Roshke, who had attacked his friends at the tavern.

"Why did you attack my friend?" Evand glared at Roshke and demanded.

Roshke sneered and said, "I'm just doing my duty, simply to eliminate threats in the future territory."

"What do you mean, your territory?" Evand pressed.

“I will become the king here sooner or later, the king of this swamp,” Roshke replied.

“I have reason to suspect you’re crazy. Maybe you should calm down?” Evand continued to press.

"You don't need to worry about that," Roshke said impatiently. "You little brat, you should surrender right now and offer your loyalty, or I won't be polite and will take care of you."

Evand gripped his weapon tightly, determined to find out the truth, no matter the cost.

Moreover, he wasn't afraid because Nexus was right behind him; Evans knew he would protect him.

Evand took a deep breath, determined to defeat Roshk on his own despite the other lizardmen watching. He knew he had to protect his friends and maintain the tavern's peace.

The two immediately began to wrestle, exchanging blows and kicks, kicking up dust. However, the disparity in strength quickly became apparent. Evand's attacks were like scratching an itch through Roshke's boots, while each of Roshke's heavy blows was difficult for Evand to parry.

Nexus, who had been hiding in the bushes, could no longer contain himself. He suddenly rushed out and joined the battle. To conceal his presence, Nexus had smeared himself with swamp mud beforehand, making him look like a warrior who had crawled out of the mud, exuding a wild power.

"Attack his ribs! That's his weak point!" Nexus shouted to Evand while grappling with Roshke.

Several lizardmen were hiding among the branches in the surrounding trees, watching. They were originally members of the lizard tribe, but were defeated by Roshk for their cowardice and forced to follow him. Now, seeing Roshk being attacked by two men, they both hoped that Roshk would win and feared being implicated, so they could only tremble in fear from their hiding places in the trees.

Under Nexus's command, Evand's attacks became more precise and effective. He seized an opportunity, slashing Roshke's side with a single blow, and blood gushed out. Roshke screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Upon seeing this, the lizardman in the tree was so frightened that he fell off the tree and scrambled away.

Evand looked at Roshk lying on the ground, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He didn't want to kill Roshk, after all, Roshk hadn't really harmed his friend. Moreover, Roshk's clothing and the color of his scales were different from the local lizardmen, which puzzled Evand.

“He doesn’t look like a local lizardman,” Nexus said, walking over as well. “I’ve never seen a lizardman with this kind of clothing and red scales before.”

Evand decided to take Roshke back to the tavern for treatment and ask him why he attacked the tavern.

“Nexus, can you help me bring him back to the tavern?” Evand asked.

“I’m sorry, Evand, I have a lot of things to take care of,” Nexus said apologetically. “Some things have happened in the tribe recently, and I have to go back to deal with them.”

Evand nodded in understanding. He knew that Nexus, as the leader of the lizardman tribe, bore a heavy responsibility.

Before leaving, Nexus gently kissed Evand's cheek and said softly, "Be careful, Evand. I'll come see you as soon as possible. Let's find a place to meet after I've finished what I'm doing."

Evand's cheeks flushed instantly, and he felt his heart pounding. He hoisted the unconscious Roshke onto his shoulder and turned to walk towards the tavern. The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, making him appear somewhat lonely, yet full of strength.

Roshke was a massive, muscular man of considerable weight. It took Evans a great deal of effort to carry him all the way back to the Spear Tavern. As soon as they entered, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Witt! Come quick! I've brought back a wounded man!"

Witt peeked out from behind the bar and asked in confusion, "Who's injured? Evand, where did you pick up this big guy from?"

“It’s that lizardman who attacked you,” Evand explained. “He’s badly injured and needs treatment.”

Although Roshke was the mastermind behind the attack on Witt and Hakan, Witt, as the bartender, decided to treat him first out of a sense of medical ethics. He pointed to the barn behind the tavern and said, "Take him to the barn. But for safety's sake, we'll have to tie him up first."

"Hakan!" Witt called out, turning his head. "Go to the room and get the rope!"

Hakan was sitting at the bar, leisurely drinking his beverage, when he heard Witte's instruction. He grumbled in dissatisfaction, "I haven't finished drinking yet!"

Witt narrowed his eyes and threatened, "If you don't go, I'll pour all your wine into the forest!"

Hakan and Witte shared a room, and Witte could get Hakan's wine anytime. Hearing this, Hakan reluctantly put down his wine glass and got up to go to his room to get a rope.

A short while later, Hakan returned with the rope. Witt carefully treated Roshke's wounds, applying ointment. Afterward, Witt patted Evand on the shoulder and said, "Well done, Evand, you taught him a lesson."

Evans scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, after all, it was Nexus who truly defeated Roshke this time.

At this moment, Hakan stepped forward and carefully examined Roshke's clothes and demeanor. He pondered for a moment and said, "This guy's clothes are very much like those of a military commander, especially the aura he exudes."

Evand remembered what Roshke had said before, and told Hakan about Roshke's desire to rule the swamp and become king.

After hearing this, Hakan couldn't help but roll his eyes and said helplessly, "He wants to be king? He can't even handle Nexus, and he wants to rule the swamp? I think this guy is absolutely insane!"

Witt and Hakan didn't want to waste too much time on Roshk, so they left Evand in the barn to watch over Roshk and tell him to come to the tavern if Roshk woke up and caused trouble.

Evand nodded and stayed alone in the barn to watch over Roshke. Bored, he began to play with his wolf tail. He tried to grab it with his claws, but the tail, like a mischievous child, always nimbly dodged away just as he was about to grasp it.

Just as Evand was having a great time, Roshke slowly opened his eyes. Evand noticed the movement and was about to go forward to check on him when he saw Roshke suddenly break free of the ropes binding him and instantly pin Evand against the barn wall.

Roshke's eyes were bloodshot as he glared fiercely at Evand, a low growl emanating from his throat. Evand was overwhelmed by Roshke's immense power, and feeling the intense killing intent emanating from him, he couldn't help but feel tense.

Evand opened his mouth, about to say something, when Roshk suddenly raised his hand, his sharp claws aimed straight at Evand's throat. Evand instinctively closed his eyes, bracing for the impending pain. However, the expected attack did not come; he only heard Roshk's angry panting beside him.

Evans cautiously opened his eyes and saw that Roshke's claws were stopped a few centimeters from his throat, not moving any further. Roshke's eyes were filled with complex emotions: anger, confusion, and a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.

"Why don't you kill me?" Evand asked softly.

Roshke didn't answer, but just stared intently at Evand, as if trying to see something in his eyes.

Silence fell over the barn, broken only by Roshke's heavy breathing. Evand's heart pounded. He didn't know what Roshke would do next, but he knew he had to stay calm and find a way to escape.

At this point, Evand had two choices: either punch the red lizardman in front of him and then run away while the man was in pain, or shout for help and ask Hakan and the others to come and save him.

Evans knew very well that he could be either of those two, since the other party really didn't intend to kill him.

(I really want to know what choices you made in this storyline? Did you choose to fight back? Or cry for help?)