Chapter 119: The Defiler

After finding the snake scale, Born returned to Kelly’s dormitory and discovered a hole the size of a rat in one corner.

"That’s quite a large rat hole," Darlena remarked from the side, her mood, previously dampened over the last two days, lifting slightly.

Lisper, who had remained silent throughout, finally let out a soft sigh of relief. She felt deeply grateful; this was the second time Born had helped her resolve a crisis. When Born led them to the "rat" hole, the members of the Arcane Society realized this must have been where the perpetrator escaped. No wonder the college’s duty professors hadn't caught the culprit even after triggering the surrounding defensive magic circle upon the signal.

"Sigh..." Lisper sighed inwardly. This year had truly been full of disasters. She decided that once this matter was settled, she would immediately hand over the presidency of the Arcane Society to her successor.

Born gave a soft snap of his fingers, summoning an [Unseen Servant]. While invisible to others, the caster could "see" it. He chanted a low incantation and placed his hand on the servant’s head.

5th-level spell: [Telekinesis].

Instantly, two fields of vision appeared before Born.

"Go down," Born commanded. He closed his eyes, and the images seen by the Unseen Servant projected into his mind. Controlling the servant and sharing its vision, Born discovered that there was indeed more to the underground than met the eye.

After descending fifty meters along the "rat path," he found himself in the Sewers of Sevrin! The environment was damp and dark, with a thick layer of sludge accumulated from long-term neglect. However, Born spotted a few drops of blood and scales at the base of the hole.

"A 'snake path'?" Born "saw" the tracks left by a reptile. After following the trail for a distance, he felt a sharp stinging sensation in his mental energy and a vague "tugging" feeling. He knew he had reached the maximum range of his control. Yet, analyzing the traces left along the way and cross-referencing them with his records, Born was one hundred percent certain that these were indeed Yuan-ti. Yuan-ti were most commonly found in sewers, caverns, and tombs.

"This is trouble!" Born’s expression grew grave. "To have Yuan-ti involved—did we poke a nest? And to think they would defy their biological instincts to come this far North."

Normally, snakes would hibernate during the winter, and even intelligent Yuan-ti could not avoid this natural inclination. While they would not fall into a deep, permanent sleep, their rest periods would be significantly longer. Furthermore, Yuan-ti tribes should be located in the temperate central regions; why would they come to the North?

"They are descendants of the Sarrukh, aren't they? They worship the Sarrukh as their ancestors."

"Could it be for the Golden Scroll?" It was not impossible. The Golden Scrolls were inscribed on the skin of the World Serpent. Even the Phaerimm, an alien race, could sense the Nether Scrolls; there was no reason the descendants of the Sarrukh couldn't sense these. Could it be that those liches who had transformed into Sarrukh were behind this?

The available information was too sparse. Born despised situations beyond his control. If he possessed the power of the Count or Dean Concinnio, he would have burned through the Sevrin sewers and killed the entire nest of snake-folk.

"Sigh... this is going to be difficult. Not only did they come here, but they’ve also been corrupted. How are we supposed to deal with them hiding in the sewers?" Born felt a mounting headache.

"Who did this?" Lisper saw Born’s expression and knew he had already figured out the situation.

"It was the Yuan-ti."

"Yuan-ti?" The group was stunned. They had been speculating about druids or spellcasters with shapeshifting abilities, but they never expected Yuan-ti. Why would a Yuan-ti kill Kelly? It made no sense.

Born did not give them a chance to ask questions, stating directly, "It is a Tainted One! A Yuan-ti Tainted One killed Kelly!"

"What is a Tainted One?" The group was clearly confused.

Born, too tired to lecture these academic underachievers, explained bluntly: A Yuan-ti Tainted One is someone who has consumed a special concoction—a legendary "elixir of immortality" that is, in reality, a lie used to trick fools into drinking poison. Any creature that consumes this serum is transformed into a Tainted One. They look almost identical to their original selves, but their minds are twisted into the ways of the Yuan-ti. They act as agents and spies for the Yuan-ti in humanoid lands.

Tainted Ones constantly lick their lips, hiss when they speak, and enjoy getting close to snakes, even keeping them as pets. Furthermore, they gain the special ability to transform into venomous snakes, allowing them to slip through wall cracks or holes when in danger, escaping to places their attackers cannot follow.

Born slumped lazily in his chair, speaking listlessly, "I found a pool of magical creature blood under the oak tree outside, and I checked at the Mage Tower—Kelly had stayed there for over a month before returning. Yes, she returned the very afternoon she was murdered."

"Born, what are you saying? What magical creature? What about being kicked out of the Mage Tower?" Darlena frowned, while Jennifer beside her looked completely bewildered.

"You mean Anderson became a Yuan-ti Tainted One?" Lisper finally understood.

"Not necessarily just Anderson; it could be others," Born glanced at Lisper. She certainly had some capability to have made it to President.

"Hey... hey, what are you two talking about?" The disjointed conversation made Darlena feel as though her intelligence was being insulted, and she flushed with indignation.

"I get it now," Cook clapped his hands, explaining to Darlena. "Over a month ago, Kelly’s familiar died near the oak tree, and she discovered someone was trying to kill her, so she went to hide in the Mage Tower. Who would have thought she’d be murdered the moment she returned?"

"It wasn't necessarily to kill her, but to turn her into a Tainted One. Darlena discovered them, triggered the magic signal, and the Tainted One killed her while escaping," Beron added.

Darlena finally understood. "You mean these missing people have all become Yuan-ti Tainted Ones? But why would they target Kelly?"

"Perhaps it's revenge from Anderson!"

"Revenge?"

"Anderson seems easygoing on the surface, but he is actually violent and narrow-minded. I don't know how he became a Tainted One, but drinking that evil potion would only make him more extreme. All the missing people were part of Anderson’s circle. Even if we haven't found their bodies, they have surely become just like him!" Cook said in a low voice.

That was the way of the Toril world—not only did the gods love to stir up trouble, but certain races also thrived on chaos. Conspiracies and betrayals were commonplace, and "love-hate" relationships were frequent. If they couldn't have you, they would destroy you.

"That's not even the hardest part. If they had only become Tainted Ones, it would be one thing, but I suspect they have all been corrupted and fallen!" Born dropped another bombshell, and the faces of the Arcane Society members turned pale in an instant.