Chapter 40: Chapter 40: MY BOYS FIND YOU... DELICIOUS.

The Misty Tavern was a portrait of iniquity sketched in smoke and shadows. Moonlight, filtered through grimy windows, did little to pierce the haze that clung to the air like a second skin. Wooden beams, gnarled and aged, formed a skeletal framework above, casting long, inky tendrils into every corner. Each creak of the floorboards beneath your boots felt like an accusation, a whisper of secrets best kept buried.

Rough-hewn tables bore the scars of countless battles fought with fists and mugs alike. Ale, spilled in drunken revelry, mingled with the reeking musk of sweat and something far more sinister – blood. Lanterns, their flames flickering like dying embers, danced across weathered faces etched with the hardships life dealt with a cruel hand.

At the heart of this den of iniquity, Gareth held court. He sprawled across a central table, his presence a physical manifestation of malice. His eyes, sharp as a predator's, swept the room, searching for any flicker of defiance.