The Tavern

Deep in the night, heavy snow fell. The icy wind howling from the Odin Icefield raged, sweeping everything in its path. Snowflakes, the size of fists and almost frozen solid, plummeted from the sky, rustling loudly against the thick snowdrifts.

A dim red light emanated from the edge of the heavy dark clouds high above. Whenever this strange glow appeared, the people of the Western Continent knew that true winter was about to descend, ushering in the three most arduous months of the year. Legend had it that this red light in the sky was the blood and fire ignited by the evil god worshipped in the Odin Icefield as it battled the gods believed in by the continent's inhabitants, thus dyeing the sky this color.

In the northwest corner of the Berely City southern commercial district, less than two li from Berely University City, a modest tavern was brightly lit and bustling with noise, its nightlife in full swing.

The tavern's entrance was small, only wide enough for two or three people to enter side-by-side. A sign hung above the door, depicting a flamboyant beauty leaning against a massive, rust-covered greatsword. The sign, made of black ironwood, swayed erratically in the cold wind, occasionally hitting the wall with a dull thud.

This was the Sword and Beauty Tavern, a favorite haunt for students of the Berely Military Academy.

Entering the tavern and passing through a narrow alley led to a small square, large enough to accommodate about a dozen two-horse carriages. A two-story building stood to the north; the second floor housed a hotel, while the first floor was the tavern's operational space.

The tavern's owner, Bigsword Joe, a middle-aged man whose left cheek was so ravaged by a sword strike that it was almost skeletal, was a veteran who had crawled out of the meat grinder of the Land-Island War thirty years ago. This tavern was his ancestral business. After inheriting it from his father, he leveraged his military connections to turn the small establishment into a stronghold for the military academy students, and its business flourished day by day.

Behind the small bar, Bigsword Joe's hands, which had once wielded a greatsword to furiously hack down orcs, now held a rag, diligently polishing a large wine glass. Several waitresses, whose looks were mediocre but whose figures were exceptionally voluptuous, stood behind the bar, laughing boisterously and flirting with a dozen disheveled military academy students crowded in front of it.

Despite the late hour, these students were reveling here, disregarding the military academy's rules and regulations. Many of them were members of the Round Table Knights, and their leader, Black Horse Haws, was holding court in the tavern, so they paid no mind to military discipline.

A corner of the tavern was quiet. Black Horse Haws, a tall and burly figure, sat casually at a round table, accompanied by several key members of the Round Table Knights. The notoriously cowardly Rabbit Charlie also sat at the table, but his status was clearly low, as no one paid him any mind.

Black Horse Haws gulped down the fiery liquor, the alcohol coursing wildly through his veins, his eyes beginning to redden.

Hailing from a viscount family renowned for its military achievements, with a father who was a celebrated general in the army, Black Horse Haws was filled with great ambition tonight. Tonight, he would crush the Iron Fist Brotherhood, his rivals for the past three years.

Three years ago, the Round Table Knights were the dominant student organization in Berely University City, casting a shadow over all its students. At that time, Black Horse Haws extorted nearly a hundred gold coins in pure profit each month simply by preying on students from timid, wealthy families.

Back then, Black Horse Haws had just entered the military academy and had taken over leadership of the Round Table Knights from his graduating elder brother.

One hundred gold coins in pure personal income each month allowed Haws to indulge in several months of extravagant pleasure. To this day, Black Horse Haws still remembered the glory and freedom of that period. One hundred gold coins was a fortune. For a youth like him, a monthly income of one hundred gold coins meant he could eat and drink whatever he pleased, and he was never short of pampered daughters from wealthy families to accompany him.

But the good times came to an abrupt halt with the sudden rise of a student gang called the Iron Fist Brotherhood.

Led by Lin Qi, the Iron Fist Brotherhood was insidious and cunning, employing endless schemes. The arrogant and infinitely proud Round Table Knights were utterly demoralized within three months. Coupled with the emergence of other student factions seizing the opportunity, Berely University City no longer saw the Round Table Knights as the sole dominant force they once were.

Unsurprisingly, Black Horse Haws' monthly income plummeted from a pure profit of one hundred gold coins to a deficit.

Deep hatred, utter humiliation! Black Horse Haws had countless times fantasized about personally forcing Lin Qi to beg for mercy, thereby unifying Berely University City once more. But Lin Qi was so treacherous and cunning; his schemes were far beyond what Black Horse Haws could counter. Three years had passed, and Black Horse Haws had suffered losses and been tricked repeatedly, yet Lin Qi's Iron Fist Brotherhood had only grown stronger.

Fortunately, today they had captured Vik!

As one of the core members of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, Lin Qi could not possibly ignore Vik's fate!

Slamming his wine cup onto the table, Black Horse Haws declared loudly, "Today, right here, I will make Lin Qi kneel and beg for mercy!"

Nearly a hundred members of the Round Table Knights in the tavern raised their cups in unison, roaring with laughter. They clamored to utterly defeat the Iron Fist Brotherhood, to restore Berely University City to the glorious rule of the Round Table Knights, and to make the students' gold, silver, and copper coins flow into their pockets like water.

Black Horse Haws let out a satisfied burp and patted Rabbit Charlie's shoulder forcefully, praising him with satisfaction, "Charlie, you did very well this time! You didn't disgrace our Military Academy! Remember, we are the regular army, and they are just a bunch of thugs. We will defeat them, we definitely will!"

This was the pride of the Round Table Knights. All their members were students of the military academy, and they considered themselves the regular army.

And Lin Qi's Iron Fist Brotherhood? Dozens of core members were students from various universities, while the hundreds of outer thugs and errand runners were genuine ruffians that Lin Qi had recruited. In this regard, Black Horse Haws was not wrong about Lin Qi.

Just as Black Horse Haws was boasting about completely defeating Lin Qi and his followers, dark shadows flickered outside the tavern, and a group of unidentified individuals approached.

A few muffled grunts were heard, and the servants tending to the horses outside the tavern were knocked unconscious from behind.