Dauntless Fortress

The fortress before him was completely different from what he had imagined. From afar, it looked like several ships pieced together. Only after the ship docked did Alpha see the fortress in its entirety. One half consisted of several warships, while the other was built on land and surrounded by tall walls. The gray-black walls radiated waves of cold, while wisps of smoke drifted up from within the city, bringing with them a faint sense of warmth.

After bidding the captain farewell, Alpha set foot on his first stop in Northrend—Dauntless Fortress. To be honest, there were surprisingly few civilians here. Perhaps it had something to do with the frigid environment. All he could see were patrolling soldiers coming and going.

Alpha rubbed his face with his hands, then followed the signs until he found a tavern. If he wanted to learn about this place, a tavern was the best place to start.

The moment Alpha entered the tavern, he was stunned again. There really was hardly anyone here. The bartender wiped a glass and said to the entering Alpha, "Welcome. Find yourself a seat. What would you like to drink?" Alpha looked around the empty tavern, walked straight to the bar, and sat down. "Boss, give me whatever you're best at."

The bartender skillfully took out an empty glass, poured in a crimson liquid, then added several berries. "This is our specialty—Crimson. Hope you can get used to it." Alpha lifted the glass and sniffed it. A faint scent of blood drifted into his nose, mixed with a subtle fruity fragrance upon closer inspection. Seeing the teasing look in the bartender's eyes, Alpha opened his mouth and gulped it down. As the bloody liquid slid down his throat, a fierce heat rose within him. Alpha immediately felt warmth spreading through his body, though his mouth burned fiercely as well.

The bartender handed him a cup of water and said with a smile, "Rinse your mouth. How does it feel, drinking Crimson for the first time, werewolf?" Alpha took the water and raised a brow. "How did you know I'm a werewolf?" The bartender replied calmly, "If I didn't have a good eye, how could I run a tavern in a place like this?"

Seeing Alpha recover, the bartender said, "Feeling better now? You don't feel cold anymore, right? Welcome to Northrend." Seeing Alpha's surprised expression, he continued, "Don't be so surprised. Northrend may be full of danger right now, but its resources are incredibly abundant. Plenty of adventurers come here every day for a cup of Crimson. You could say my tavern is a must-visit for adventurers." Feeling the warmth in his body, Alpha asked, "What exactly is Crimson? Why does it generate so much heat?"

The bartender rolled his eyes at Alpha. "A secret recipe. You think I'd tell you? All you need to know is that it contains the blood of a certain animal."

Just then, the tavern door opened, and several adventurers walked in. "Boss, bring us a few cups of Crimson, and some food too," they said before finding a table and sitting down.

After waiting for the bartender to finish serving them, Alpha asked, "Boss, do you know where—" Before he could finish, an alarm bell suddenly rang outside. Yet the bartender showed no panic at all and merely asked calmly, "What were you saying?" Seeing Alpha's confusion, he explained, "The remaining Scourge troops outside are attacking again. They attack several times a day. The people in the city are used to it." An adventurer at the next table drank his liquor and said, "You must be new here, little brother. Did you see those tall walls when you arrived? Those monsters can't break through them. Many of the city guards lived through the Scourge at its height, so they have plenty of experience. Besides, there are adventurers like us. Heh, helping defend the city earns quite a reward." He took another swig after speaking.

After hearing this, Alpha asked the bartender where he could find the commander. The bartender told him, "The commander usually isn't easy to meet, but his adjutant is over at the docks issuing missions. You can go take a look."

After paying for his drink, Alpha left the tavern. Walking down the street, he did not feel cold at all. Crimson's effect was really good, even if it tasted horrible. He could not help grumbling about it.

As Alpha reached the main street, he heard shouts from outside, the roars of monsters, and the sounds of battle. Suddenly, a huge spider with fleshy wings appeared atop the wall. Before it could cross over, chains shot up from below and dragged it back down. Alpha's expression turned grave as he quickly ran toward the adjutant's location—the warships.

The warship area was bustling. Shipwrights hammered away at the vessels, while adventurers and soldiers hurried about. "Move aside up ahead!" Alpha stepped aside and saw two soldiers carrying a soldier covered in bite wounds as they rushed past. Looking at injuries he had never seen before, Alpha suddenly regretted agreeing to come here.

Alpha finally found the adjutant amid the crowd. He had barely reached him before a scroll was shoved into his hands, followed by, "This is your mission," the adjutant said after taking a gulp of liquor. "I'm not—" Alpha had not finished speaking before he was interrupted again. "Whatever it is, talk after you complete the mission." Then the adjutant was dragged away by someone else.

Watching the adjutant disappear, then looking at the mission scroll in his hand, Alpha's mouth twitched. He could only resign himself to opening it. Written inside were the words: Report to the city guard. Simple and straightforward.

Following the instructions, he arrived at the city guard station. It was even more chaotic here. The ground was covered with wounded soldiers, and more were constantly being brought in. Alpha found someone who appeared to be a commander, handed over his scroll, and explained why he had come. The soldier looked at Alpha disdainfully. "They'll send just anyone to me now. You look like all show and no substance. You froze in fear just from hearing the fighting outside. Forget it. What's your name, and what class are you?"

No matter how patient Alpha was, he could not tolerate that any longer. First, someone had casually assigned him a mission, and now he was being looked down on after coming here. Alpha sneered and drew upon the power within him. Amid the frightened gazes of that soldier and the surrounding soldiers, he revealed his true form and demanded, "I only want to know what my mission is!"

The soldier looked at the werewolf before him. After a brief moment of shock, he said, "I underestimated you. Sorry. Your mission is to defend outside the city. As for the details, someone will tell you once you get out there." After hearing that, Alpha said nothing more. He gave the soldier one last look and headed toward the city gate.

A soldier at the side came over and asked, "Captain, what was that? I've never seen one before. You just let him go out there? Can he be trusted?" The squad captain rolled his eyes at him. "That was a werewolf. They're rare around here, so it's normal that you haven't seen one. Now get back to work. Can't you see the ground is full of wounded?" After dismissing the soldiers around him, the captain silently wrote a letter, tossed it into a corner, and walked away. A while later, a shadow flickered, and the letter disappeared.

Alpha knew nothing of this. At that moment, he stood beneath the city gate, waiting for it to open. Around him were adventurers who had also been sent outside. His appearance and physique drew the attention of most of them, but Alpha stood there unconcerned. Once enough people had gathered, the gate slowly opened. The adventurers withdrew their gazes and focused on the opening. Then a soldier nearby said, "The moment the gate opens, charge straight out. Remember, you need to be fast. If you're slow, pray for your own luck." Before Alpha could react, several seasoned adventurers charged out. The other adventurers, only realizing what was happening afterward, rushed out after them.

Alpha had been jogging slowly at the back, but when he saw an adventurer in the middle get pounced to the ground by a spider descending from above, followed by a swarm of spiders closing in, he instantly transformed into a wolf and sprinted at full speed. Before long, he burst out through the city gate, and the sight outside left him stunned. The land outside was full of spiders. These were not small spiders, but enormous ones taller than people. From time to time, spiders flew overhead—the winged spiders he had seen from inside the city. The Scourge. This was the Scourge. That thought kept surfacing in Alpha's mind.

Looking at the scene before him, Alpha felt that this was the real Northrend.