“Svebrial? What is Hotpot doing here?”

“There is no dungeon in Svebrial, right?”

“Perhaps they are doing some preparation?”

Liam and his friends could hear the discussions from all sides. Although they would sometimes attract attention when entering some cities, it was usually not like now where people would deliberately follow them around.

[Cyclone: At least they aren’t blocking our way…]

[Balm: @Mirage can’t we just fly away?]

[Bleary Mirage: Soon.]

The friends remained patient for a while until they left Svebrial. As soon as they were outside of the towering walls they immediately summoned their flying mounts.

“Look, it’s Mirage’s cute fox! Bro, did I tell you that I once got to touch it?”

“Yes, easily a hundred times…”

“Look, look. Those mounts are so beautiful. Is Silver Blade riding a phoenix?”

“Wow, that griffon looks amazing!”

“What is Quickstep sitting on?”

“Oh, I know! I have seen Fortune’s video! Quickstep is riding a peng! It’s some kind of mythical beast or so!”

“Wait, what video? Why haven’t I seen it yet?”

“Don’t tell me you logged yourself out of your account again.”

“Hehe…”

The discussion became quieter as Liam and his friends shot into the sky, leaving the crowd of players behind. Only a few were of a high enough level to follow them on their own mounts. Rays of lights shot through the air like shooting stars. But they didn’t travel far. Outside of Svebrial was the famous mountain housing the empire’s elite army and its loyal guardians, the basilisks.

As the player approached from the air, they suddenly felt their blood freeze. It was as if an invisible predator had set its eyes on them. They involuntarily stared at Fort Skyguard below, noticing the movement on the walls and the mighty weapons aimed at them. However, luckily the NPCs didn’t fire. They only observed closely as the players landed on top of the mountain.

“That was close…”, sighed Cyclone as she tumbled from her mount. Everyone took a few deep breaths while observing their surroundings.

Not everyone was like Liam, knowing how to sneak towards the top of the mountain. Thus, not many players had been here before. They looked around in awe, studying the majestic temples housing King of Basilisks Lennreo and his two Queens Thallboa and Vequena. However, everyone could feel how tense the atmosphere was at the moment. Soldiers in heavy armour guarded in front of the temples, eyeing the players dangerously. Even some of the academy’s mages were running around.

In this atmosphere even the most boisterous player quietened down. All eyes fell on Liam. He jumped from Drasky’s back and gestured his friends to follow as he approached the big main temple, which belonged to Lennreo.

“Halt! No one is allowed entry!”

The guards crossed their spears, barring the players. But a moment later a voice came from inside inviting the players in. The guards reluctantly opened the path, and Liam entered the temple followed by a small crowd.

Instantly everyone was hit with a stinging smell of herbs. They stared ahead and saw Lennreo lying on the ground. The basilisk’s red rooster crown had lost its lustre. His eyes were closed in rest, his wings weakly covering his body. But worst of all was the ugly, gaping wound going from his chest all the way down to his tail. It emitted an incredibly sinister dark magic. Black blood kept dripping out which was hastily cleaned up by multiple maids.

Next to Lennreo stood the two basilisk queens, their expressions troubled. They stayed behind during the war on the void, protecting the empire. Now they were plagued with guild. But who would have expected the mighty Lennreo to receive such a drastic injury?

There were also a few others around. Some followers of the goddess of light attempted to treat Lennreo’s wound with magic but only managed to prevent it from worsening. There were a few familiar faces the player recognized from the war. But the most conspicuous was surprisingly Therim Riverbell, guardian of the Southern Light Kingdom, who studied Lennreo’s wound with a solemn expression.

Liam and his friends were quite familiar with Therim. Their eyes fixed on the powerful mage. Their gazes were complicated as they noticed that the left sleeve of Therim’s black robe was empty, loosely hanging from his body. However, this actually didn’t diminish his presence. On the contrary, the friends vaguely felt as if the mage has become more impressive since they last saw him.

After hearing the footsteps behind his back, Therim turned around slowly, looking at the players.

“Adventurers. I am glad that you have returned. Crunaboul now needs you like never before. As you can see even Lennreo and I haven’t escaped the war unscathed…”

“Speak for yourself Therim! You all treat me as if I’m about to die! I tell you I can get rid of this spell by myself!”, complained Lennreo before breaking out into a coughing fit and contorting his face from pain. Therim shook his head:

“Put away this false pride of yours. Without help you might not survive this. I have analysed this spell for a while now and have come to the conclusion that it must have been casted using the scale and blood of a black dragon as a medium.”

“What?!”

“Do you now understand the severity of your situation? The dragon bloodline you take pride in has met its nemesis. This spell was specifically prepared to target you. You should accept our help, or you won’t be long for this world.”

After hearing this from Therim, Lennreo fell silent. He weakly lowered his head. However, deep inside his rage was brewing. He vowed to find the treacherous third prince who targeted him and get his revenge.

Thinking that Lennreo had accepted the situation, Therim turned back towards the players:

“Adventurers, you have heard it for yourself. Lennreo, King of Basilisks, is in a critical condition. His death would be an enormous loss for not only the empire but also the entire order faction. But there is still hope. This spell is not easy to break. Even I can only do so with the right medicine. But I can’t leave now and procuring said medicine will not be easy. Adventurers, are you willing to risk your lives to protect our order faction?”

[Do you wish to accept the quest ‘Nexkra’nar’s Nest’?]

[Yes]

[No]

All the players present were above level 60, thus eligible to receive this quest. They all noticed the notification, surprised that there was a quest for a dungeon to get here. How did Hotpot know this? And where was the dungeon?

“Of course we are willing!”

“Great! I knew you were reliable. The medicine you need to find is called… Dragontear! Yes, you heard it right. The fabled liquid dragons might produce after being injured. One of the rarest materials in the world. There is probably no one left in the world who has Dragontears in their possession since the mighty Dragonslayers dissolved. However, I know of a place where you should be able to find some. Nexkra’nar’s Nest! The former resting place of the benevolent green dragon Nexkra’nar.”

Therim’s weighty voice resounded through the temple. He allowed the adventurers to recover from the shock and awe they would definitely show after his words just now. However, while some players were excited, they were far from in awe. Some even stared impatiently at Therim. They wanted to know where the dungeon was. Wouldn’t it be awesome to be the first to explore a dungeon which had been unknown until now? It didn’t matter if they couldn’t compete for the first clear. Just clearing it was more than enough.

“Well, I am glad you can stay this composed, adventurers. Here, take this dragon scale. This is a gift I received from Nexkra’nar a long time ago. It will be your guide on this mission. Find the dragon’s nest and retrieve the Dragontear!”

“However, I have one word of caution for you. Don’t underestimate the dragon’s nest. Back then each dragon had their loyal followers. If they still remember their original mission, they will certainly assist you gladly. But this is rather unlikely. In the past many of these followers appeared from time to time, behaving like dragon-worshipping cultists, claiming to spread the majesty of dragons on their behest. They are mostly violent and perhaps even crazy. Be prepared!”

After giving his warning, Therim finally showed a piece of arm-sized scale to the players. It had a vibrant green colour and a vivid, magical aura. Therim flicked his wrist and everyone who accepted the quest found the scale in their inventories. Simultaneously their quests were established and the dungeon got marked on their maps.

Everyone waited for a moment in case Therim still had something to say. But noticing that the NPC fell silent, the players thanked him and sad their goodbyes.

When Liam and his friends turned around, they saw that most people were escaping from the temple. They could only roll their eyes. When they came here, these players behaved like the biggest fans. But now that there was a dungeon to explore, they couldn’t wait to run fast enough.