"I see. So, by having these infant serpents devour processed prisoners, you can create Man-Serpents. This is the so-called 'birth ritual.'"
From the Godskin Noble, Raven had gathered a wealth of critical intelligence. When combined with what he had witnessed along the way, the full scope of Rykard's plan was finally coming into focus, despite a few remaining points of uncertainty.
"With the assistance of us Godskin Apostles, the Inquisitor refined the ancient birth rituals of the Serpent God. These Man-Serpents possess intelligence and immense strength. They can enter a state of dormancy to minimize consumption when not in combat, and due to the influence of the bloodline, they obey the Great Serpent with the absolute devotion of worker bees," the Godskin Noble explained.
"The perfect soldiers. With enough of them, it wouldn't be difficult to overthrow the Golden Dynasty... Is this why you've done all this, Rykard?"
Raven let out a sigh and asked, "You regularly provide the Great Serpent with blood offerings. When is the next batch scheduled for delivery?"
"There is no next batch," the Godskin Noble replied, shaking his head. "Tomorrow, you all are to set out to subjugate the Great Serpent, so there is no further need for sacrificial offerings."
"Is that so..." Raven paced in two small circles before coming to a halt. "You said earlier that the Great Serpent dwells deep within the magma lake. In that case, before the hunt begins, you must have a way to lure it out, right?"
"Yes. To draw the Great Serpent to the shore, Rykard will offer a Man-Serpent as a blood sacrifice. It is the highest grade of offering."
"A Man-Serpent? A living one?"
"Correct."
"That makes things a bit difficult... but there's an opportunity here." Raven thought for a moment before saying, "Do you know where the Man-Serpent intended for the sacrifice is being kept?"
"In our base, not far from here."
"I need you to help me sneak in and find it." Raven unfastened the Sword of Night and Flame and his staff, handing them to the Godskin Noble. "Keep my equipment for now."
He picked up the belongings of the fallen Volcano soldier, shook off the ash, and held the standard-issue breastplate against his chest to check the size.
"Good, it roughly fits. We need to hurry and finish this before this soldier is reported missing."
The Godskin Noble moved with incredible speed, leaping and bouncing like a high-velocity ball. Despite his bulky appearance, he was surprisingly nimble. Beside him, Raven blurred like the wind through the jagged rocks along the shore, occasionally utilizing the Hound's Step skill. No obstacle could slow him for even a second as he easily kept pace with the Godskin.
In less than twenty minutes, the two rounded a cape, and a dense forest of mushrooms appeared before them. Each mushroom stood dozens or even hundreds of meters high, with dark red caps that seemed even wider in diameter.
This was the base the Godskin had mentioned.
"Lord Godskin, why have you returned so early? Where are the others?" A patrol of soldiers spotted them, and the captain asked in confusion.
"The others are behind; they will arrive shortly," the Godskin Noble said. "This soldier was burned by a Flame Slug. I brought him back early for treatment."
"Those are severe burns. Hurry to the camp and find a medic." The patrol captain glanced at Raven, whose head was wrapped in thick bandages, and suspected nothing. "We appreciate your trouble, Lord Godskin. However, since you do not possess a serpent scale, you cannot enter the forest. Leaving him here will suffice."
"Of course." The Godskin Noble nodded and turned to leave.
In truth, after deciding to follow Raven, the Godskin Noble no longer minded wearing a serpent scale. After all, the deity he now served was standing right in front of him; such a feigned act of conversion didn't even require future repentance, as Raven could grant him permission on the spot.
However, the dead Volcano soldier only had one scale, and Raven didn't want to overcomplicate things by attacking other soldiers to steal more. Furthermore, the Godskin had never worn a scale in the past; a sudden change might actually arouse suspicion.
Declining the patrol captain's offer to send an escort, Raven walked briskly toward the interior. He didn't head for the camp but instead went deep into the heart of the mushroom forest.
There were several more patrols on the outskirts, but they were focused on clearing out the Flame Slugs encroaching on the forest and had no interest in questioning him. Perhaps Volcano Manor didn't believe anyone could break in this far, leaving their security system practically nonexistent.
Once deep within the mushroom forest, the voices of the patrols faded away, replaced only by the rustle of Raven's boots on the humus. It was pitch black beneath the towering stalks, as the layers of overlapping caps absorbed all light.
In the darkness beneath the canopy, he could sense numerous dormant lifeforms. Raven cast a Starlight spell, and the faint light caught the reflection of greenish-gray scales.
He knew those were Man-Serpents, coiled around the mushroom stalks in slumber. Although the Godskin Noble had assured him that the dormant serpents wouldn't wake from outside noise, Raven still decided to move as quietly as possible.
Drawing a standard Volcano longsword, Raven carved two marks into a sturdy mushroom stalk, then inserted his fingers into the cracks to pry off a piece and drop it to the ground. He leaned close to the cross-section of the stalk, using the light of his Starlight magic to examine the patterns in the grain.
"This way." Raven nodded, extinguished the Starlight, and continued forward, finally finding his target in the center of the forest.
Under an exceptionally massive mushroom, a serpentine monster leaned against the stalk, sleeping silently. It had a large, flat head, and its long, smooth body was covered in greenish-gray scales. Short limbs protruded from the snake-like torso, making it look as though a human were wearing a snake-shaped pillowcase.
"Actually sleeping... what luck." After observing for a while and seeing that the Man-Serpent made no movement, Raven took a Sleep Pot from the pouch he had taken from Rudy.
Beneath the mushroom tree, the sleeping Man-Serpent suddenly snapped its head up, staring at the dark shadow falling from above. It opened its mouth to hiss an alarm, but for some reason, it seemed to hesitate for a split second, failing to make a sound immediately.
That split second of delay cost it any chance of calling for help.
Raven kept his legs pressed together, dropping from the mushroom cap like a diver to minimize his wind resistance. He threw the Sleep Pot directly into the Man-Serpent's open mouth, then wrapped his arms around its upper and lower jaws, using the momentum of his fall to slam them shut.
Crack.
The Sleep Pot shattered inside the creature's mouth, and pale purple smoke of deep slumber leaked from its flat nostrils. The Man-Serpent struggled violently, thrashing its long neck from side to side, but Raven held its jaws in a vice-like grip, forcing it to emit only muffled, indistinct hisses.
The creature's struggles gradually weakened. It slid down the mushroom stalk and finally fell still.
"Whew. To hold out that long after swallowing a Sleep Pot... its resistance is no joke." Raven propped the Man-Serpent's body upright and muttered to himself, "No wonder the Godskin said this was the most vigorous individual—the one picked to be the sacrifice to lure the Great Serpent ashore."
Raven took a half-step back. An ochre glow emanated from his right palm as a fragmented rune slowly materialized. He pressed his palm against the Man-Serpent's chest, not letting go until the rune had completely sunk into the creature's body.
Exhaling, Raven was about to turn and leave when his expression suddenly shifted. He ducked quickly behind the sleeping Man-Serpent.
Someone was coming.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(155 Chapter - Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────