Arcane Journey

Chapter 224 Daughter of Destruction Zarel

The majestic tower pierces straight into the sky, it is completely shrouded in a magical atmosphere, and it is unbelievably bright.

The base of the wizard's tower is made of shiny obsidian blocks, and the violet spire is surrounded by gold trim. Many shining stone blocks dance around the spire, like shining stars.

Flowers bloomed around the tower, and all kinds of exotic flowers and plants exuded a strong natural fragrance, which made the young paladin Moran almost dizzy.

Or, what made him feel this way was the strong magic pulse in the air here?
This was the first time he was so close to the Wizard Tower in Mokou Town. Standing on the top of a certain mountain in the Mokou Mountains, Moran immediately felt that he was so ordinary and so small.

"Boy, we should go. If we stay here for a long time, it is easy to be labeled as suspicious." A soft and cunning voice came from behind Moran.

The sudden voice made Moran shiver suddenly.

It wasn't because he felt how cold this sunny morning was, but he felt that the clear blue sky, soft cirrus clouds and rolling fields in front of him suddenly became dark because of this person's appearance.

Polivik is a high-ranking devil from Baator, Moran thought.

Devils are the embodiment of tyranny, running a totalitarian society and striving to dominate the lives of mortals.

The shadow of the Nine Hells of Baator hangs over the entire multiverse, and Asmodeus, the Dark Lord of Nessus, strives to conquer the universe, hoping to satisfy his thirst for power.

To this end, they keep expanding the army of hell, and send their servants to the mortal world to collect fallen souls for hatching new devils.

Although they, a group of paladins who had taken the oath of 'conquest', became staunch allies with this group of devils, this did not prevent Moran from being vigilant against them at all times.

Because to conquer, enslave, and harass is the meaning of the devil's existence.

They take pleasure in showing their authority to the weak, and anyone who despises their authority will see their sudden change of face and cruel punishment.

Devils view any interaction as an opportunity to flex their power, and all devils know very well how to use or abuse their power.

They know that mortals are addicted to misery and fault because of their wisdom, and use this information to lead mortals into temptation and darkness, turning mortals into slaves of desire.

The demons of the Material Plane are best at using their influence to manipulate humanoids in power, spreading evil ideas, inducing illusions and even directly starting tyranny.

Without saying a word, Moran turned his gaze away from the towering wizard tower in Mokou Town, turned around and walked down the mountain.

"You know, the owner of Mokou Town is not a cheap lamp." The high-ranking devil said to himself, not caring about the paladin's attitude towards him.

Moran heard a bit of seriousness from the devil's playful words, but he didn't point it out, and he didn't want to have too much verbal communication with him.

Ever since he followed his teacher and met the devil named Bolivik in the 'Salamander' tavern in Mokou Town, his teacher took a secret mission to the Fort of Hell Gate in the Highest Forest.

And he stayed in Mokou Town, assisting the devil to observe the state of the territory secretly.

"Remember, we are observers."

In a trance, the warning of the high-level devil seemed to be still echoing in his ears, "Our mission is to hide our identity and observe this town, not to interfere in any affairs here."

As for the devil's warning, Moran kept it in his heart, but he couldn't help but wonder how credible his words were.

After all, the words of this group of devils who can't even be bound by a contract are trustworthy.

At times, Moran struggled to understand why his teacher would choose to cooperate with the devil.

"Whether the sun rises or sets, the sun will rise and set as usual. Our life is the same. There are days and nights. But it does not have regular sunrises and sunsets like the sun. Some people They live under the sunshine all their lives, and some people have to live in the dark night all the time. What they are afraid of may be the sun that has always existed, and after it sets, it will never rise again.”

Moran couldn't help recalling the words of his teacher, Astorio, the paladin leader of the Knights of the Severe Jaws.

He can still remember deeply that the teacher's wrinkled and vicissitudes face is full of sadness.

He came back to his senses, forcibly suppressed his chaotic thoughts, and walked towards the gate of Mokou Town together with Polivik.

While walking, he could clearly feel that since last night, the Wizard Tower erupted with amazing energy, and the spire of the tower was flickering with circling and dancing stones. This town seemed to have countless pairs of eyes hidden in the dark, watching everyone all the time. every move.

This feeling made him feel uncomfortable all over.

At this moment, a caravan from the west of the Kingdom of Cormyr, heading towards Sunset Valley, caught Moran's attention.

From the deep axle imprints left by the carriage on the ground, it can be seen that these goods are mainly made of heavy steel, and the caravan's flag has a side besides the purple dragon of the Kingdom of Cormyr. Small flag embroidered with Bactrian camels.

Obviously, this is the largest caravan under the command of the lord of Mokou Town.

"It seems that An's birthday has passed in a few days." The high-ranking devil Polivik glanced at the endless caravan and sighed with a smile.

He stopped under a luxuriant tree on the trade road, blowing a strand of light golden hair hanging down to cover his eyes, and said to the young paladin beside him in a frivolous tone:
"Boy, I've heard that you once won 100 consecutive victories in the arena in Mokou Town, so I'm curious, have you ever experienced war?"

as always.

Moran ignored the devil and waited patiently for the caravan to drive past him.

But when it came to war, his thoughts drifted to Baldur's Gate on the banks of the Chongsa River, a veritable den of snakes and rats.

Those poisonous snakes and rats are lying on the rocks, overlooking the Chongsa River. Their high habitat is located in the upper city. The local nobles look at the misty port with vague disdain. Ordinary people in the dirty inner city.

Baldur's Gate stinks of blood, crime, and opportunity, and anyone can easily understand why pirates and merchants are attracted to it like flies on corpses.

The Baldur's Gate he witnessed was the closest to hell in his impression.

Five years ago, Baal, the long-dead God of Slaughter, was reborn in Baldur's Gate amidst chaos and bloodshed. Scenes of tragedies unfolded in the city, leading to the deaths of the dukes and a large number of residents of the city.

Just what he saw and heard in the lower city was enough to make Moran haunted by nightmares all his life.

Corpses clogged the river, priestesses in ragged robes were crucified on stakes in the square, and swarms of green flies gleaming with oil densely covered their bodies.

Dying people wandered blindly in the streets, leaving pools of blood along the way, and children were jealous of fighting for a pot of undercooked wild dogs.

The screaming dukes who ruled Baldur's Gate were stripped naked and thrown into the arena to be eaten by two dozen hungry hellhounds.

Fire, the city is full of fire.

Until now, all he had to do was close his eyes, and he could see the flames rising from the temple of evil, taller than any castle he had ever seen in his life, and the greasy smoke spiraling up like giant black giants. snake.

While the fire was eventually brought under control, it wasn't completely extinguished, and ash drifted lazily in the breeze like big, dirty snowflakes.

It is said that the return of Baal, the God of Murder, and the fact that he has regained control of the Murder Realm from Cyric, the God of Murder, has led some scholars and wise men to believe that the laws by which the gods must obey are changing.

Moran escaped from Baldur's Gate full of blood and slaughter, endured the wind and waves on the overcrowded ship, ate hard bread covered with weevils, drank black rum until he was drunk, and slept on moldy straw On the heap, his nostrils were filled with the body odor of his companions... These series of encounters, when he signed a contract with the Zhentarim in order to survive, he had already prepared for it as a gladiator.

Although suffering is bitter, it is an indispensable part of an adventure career. He often reminds himself to persist and be patient.

So, miraculously, he completed a hundred consecutive victories in the 'Blood Drink' arena and gained freedom.

"Baldur's Gate is nothing." The high-ranking devil's mocking laughter 'mercifully' interrupted Moran's painful memories.

"After all, you haven't seen the real hell, the real bloody battle in the abyss, don't worry, you will see it one day, because this is your final destination."

"Of course, the premise is that you can reach Avernas alive." The devil added with a smile.

He was able to guess my thoughts, and I had no secrets in front of him. The young paladin gave this devil from Baator Hell a bad look.

Anger is anger, but he is able to control this force perfectly, letting reason take its place.

After all, his current skills are not as good as others, otherwise, he would definitely punch his smiling face to a bloody mess.

Polivik was right, the bloody battle in the abyss was indeed his final destination.

He was even looking forward to the early arrival of this day in his heart.

In that distant era, when those sacred and glorious deeds happened, a cancerous tumor was gradually forming. This cancerous tumor was the bloody battle in the abyss. The venom secreted by it had spread all over the lower planes.

It is said that the frenzy of the bloody battle in the abyss lasted for an extremely long time.

Some say it saw the birth of the planes, the advent of the first mortal, and will see the death of the last.

It runs through all the records of history—on you, it goes back so far—and the bloody battle has never ceased in the Lower Planes for as long as anyone can remember.

Even for the Power Beings, the bloody battle is beyond the memory of the gods, and its history is almost as old as the history of creation.

The long caravan drifted away, and Moran and Polivik walked towards the gate of Mokou Town.

"Young man, no matter what, we are also allies. When we return to Avernas in the future, we will also be teammates fighting hand in hand." The high-ranking devil said with a smile, "Why are you so hostile to me all day long? There's no need to be made angry by these shitty things, after all, the only one you can trust right now is us."

"In this case, in order to express your sincerity, tell me, what is the purpose of your coming to the material plane?" Moran looked at Polivik and asked in a deep voice, "I am not a three-year-old child, so you Don't tell me either, just for so-called observation and surveillance."

"To be precise, our purpose is actually the same as yours."

The high-ranking devil smiled slightly. He turned around and looked over the Horn of Storm Mountains in the distance. He whispered, "We also want to find a sword, a sword that can change the situation in Avernas."

The young paladin followed the devil's line of sight, and just as he expected, the devil was not looking at the Stormhorn Mountains in the Kingdom of Cormyr, but the Sunset Mountains in the west.

…………

Dragon Well is an extinct volcano at the northern end of the Sunset Mountains. For thousands of years, a large number of dragons who are about to reach the end of their lives will choose to die here due to some reason that ordinary people cannot understand.

The Dragon Witch Cult discovered Dragon Well a long time ago. In this dormant volcano, there are winding rock tunnels that can be used as natural corridors.

Taking advantage of geography, the Cult of the Dragon expanded these caves for its own use.

Inside the central crater, they built a ritual site to which dying dragons would be drawn and transformed into dracolich.

Since Dragon Whisperer Severin took over the Cult of the Dragon and renamed it the Cult of the Dragon, the catacombs below the crater have been transformed and reused.

Now, it has become the largest and most magnificent temple of Tiamat after the five-color dragon.

"The reign of the Dragon Queen will also begin here."

After Severin finished praying to Tiamat, he walked along the winding corridor towards the deepest part of the crater.

Beside an unlocked cave, he opened the door and entered.

In the room, four motionless gargoyles guarded silently.

Hundreds of heads nailed to the ceiling, thick carpets on the cold floor, surrounded by desks, chairs and meditation tables.

Some of them were filled with books and scrolls, while others were piled with potion bottles, blood and fragments, and other spell-casting materials that even Severin found frightening.

"I have received new instructions from the Dragon Queen."

The leader of the Dragon Cult, Severin's eyes hidden in the dark red mask, fell on a bald wizard in a red robe next to the desk, "Now, follow me to meet our new allies."

"Could it be those ghosts with eyes on top of their heads?" The bald wizard raised his head and smiled ironically.

This is a red-robed wizard from Searle, and he is Severin's most powerful ally right now.

Lars Moda is an exile of the Red Robe Wizards. He leads his secret organization, intending to overthrow the dominance of the Lich Sarzastan in the Red Robe Wizards.

Severin's promise to him was to help him release the Dragon Queen, and the Dragon Queen would definitely reward him with enough power to overthrow Sazastan.

"That's not true. This is an ally who surprised even me." Severin said with a fearful expression.

"You successfully aroused my curiosity, Severin." The red-robed wizard put down the scroll in his hand and got up from the seat, "Hurry up, my curiosity has already made me tremble."

Lars Modar is a necromancer, a powerful member of a research community who, despite sharing the researchers' laws like his peers, remains a maverick.

Because he is not a pure-blood Mulan nobleman, which is very rare among the high-level mages of the Red Robe Wizards Association.

As far as Severin knew, his grandfather was a Leatherman, from whom he inherited a strong, muscular body and a bushy beard.

And his wizard mother brought him genius and ambition, as well as the tall stature and sallow complexion considered a sign of nobility in Cyre.

Ras Moda's grim, jewel-green eyes and narrow, aquiline nose make for a menacing appearance, and despite his traditionally shaved head, Ras Moda's long, bushy gray and white beard Pride, which distinguishes him from the nearly hairless mullans.

In short, he was an unforgettable red-robed wizard whose broad, proud shoulders had not been bent by centuries of heat and cold.

He is powerful physically, mentally and magically. The only trace left by the past years is his slightly thinning gray hair. .

The two walked towards the living room along the labyrinth of volcanic tunnels.

"How's the progress of the mythos?" Severin asked as he walked.

Although under his leadership, most of the believers have turned to be loyal to the Dragon Queen, but not all of them. Some older traditionalists do not agree with the current style of conduct, but are more inclined to their old teachings, which is to kill Dragon and transform it into a dracolich.

This made him have to find a reliable and powerful spell-casting group to act as an ally to support his cause, and this group of exiles from the Red Robe Wizards Association was undoubtedly his best choice.

If not, the progress of Dragon Mad Mysuo would not be completed so quickly.

"Basically everything has been completed." The voice of the red-robed wizard was clear and resonant, "Now we have begun to tentatively experiment with the characteristics and effects of the Mystic."

"If everything goes well." The wizard's icy voice echoed in the tunnel, "Then I will try to experiment with the dragon."

Severin nodded slightly. Possessing the mystical knowledge of the Netheril Empire, coupled with the knowledge of the Red Robe Wizards Association, indeed accelerated his plan at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Soon, they came to a spacious living room at the bottom of the volcano.

The moment they stepped into the lava cave, they both saw a woman with amazing beauty, quietly appearing in front of them. She had blazing hair and a scarlet tights, outlining her perfect figure.

I saw her holding a magic sword in her right hand, and walking towards them with a ghostly flame in her left hand.

Behind the woman was a figure whose whole body was shrouded in a black cloak.

A erinia and... hellknight from Baator.

Through the vision of the dark red mask, Severin saw through the true identity of the allies.

"This beautiful lady, nice to meet you, I don't know how to call you?" He smiled, although hidden in the mask, no one can see, "I am Severin Syrain, this is my A friend of mine, Lars Modar from the Order of the Red Wizards."

The red-robed wizard nodded slightly in response.

"You are too happy, Severin." The beautiful woman's words were as cold as ice, "I am Rilamier, the Lord of Avernus, the military adjutant of Zariel, Daughter of Destruction."

It turned out to be the fallen angel Zariel.

Severin glanced at Rilamier calmly, but in his heart, like the red-robed wizard beside him, he set off a turbulent sea.

What he never expected was that the oracle sent by the Dragon Queen was sent to his allies who were subordinates of the Duke of Hell.

If he expected it to be true, Zariel, the Duke of Hell, and the Dragon Queen were old enemies, and Bayer, the previous Lord of Avernas, had the support of the Dragon Queen, which successfully overthrew Zariel's rule.

If Asmodeus, the lord of the Nine Hells, had not forcibly removed Bayer from his position, it would have been impossible for Zariel to stand up and become the Duke of Hell again in Avernas.

Never try to guess the devil's mind, Severin secretly warned himself.

"At the order of my lord, I am here to assist you in completing your plan." Rilamer said bluntly.

"Then, beautiful lady, I venture to ask, what part do you play in this?"

Severin forced himself to calm down, and looked at the military adjutant of the Duke of Hell, but his eyes were locked on the figure in the black cloak behind her from the beginning to the end.

He instinctively told himself that the Erinite in front of him was far less dangerous than the hell knight behind her.

Obviously, Zariel, Daughter of Destruction is absolutely doing her best to assist herself to complete the grand plan of the Dragon Queen.

This made him wonder what kind of deal the two rulers of Avernas had reached.

"The power of my lord." Rilamel's scrutinizing gaze locked on the red-robed wizard, and she nodded in satisfaction.

"It can make it easier for these exiled wizards to summon the Devil Legion of the Nine Hells, and let you worship the Dragon Cult to develop more believers."

Severin knew well that the Dragon Cult usually would not cooperate with the devil.

But summoning the Dragon Queen is a daunting task, and although his red-robed wizard allies are very good at summoning and commanding demons, it is still very difficult to bring demons to the material plane.

Because the devil cannot leave the Nine Hells on his own, although Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells, can change this rule, he will hardly do so.

Most of the demons on the material plane are summoned by mortal mages, and they expend enormous magical power to break through the barrier between the Nine Hells and other planes.

With the help of Zariel, the Daughter of Destruction of Avernas, the red-robed wizard summoned the devil army to help him complete his grand plan, it would undoubtedly be much easier.

Severin will use all available means to fight for anything that is beneficial to him.

"Of course, as mortals, you may be considered scheming." The female devil said again: "But before us, you still have a lot to learn about conspiracy and betrayal."

Severin didn't try to refute her words, because there was no need for that.

"We Cyres are no strangers to treachery!"

The red-robed wizard Lars Moda was irritated, "Without this kind of skill, no wizard can live to my age, let alone reach my status!"

"Really?" The devil's voice was full of sarcasm, "If that's the case, how did you end up in this situation and become a lost dog?"

The red-robed wizard glared at her viciously as an answer.

In Severin's view, the devil's words hit the nail on the head.

Lars Moda's exile was indeed due to treachery. He was betrayed by his young apprentice, just like he betrayed his mentor back then. This is the tradition of the Red Robe Wizards of Searle.

"In that case, can this gentleman hiding in the shadows show up?" He calmed down and asked the second question.

At the same time, he quickly recalled the hell knights who were once loyal to the fallen angel Zariel in his mind.

"He is Haruman. However, he has his own mission and will not participate in our actions." The female devil explained in a cold voice, ignoring the unfriendly eyes cast by the hell knight behind her.

Hell Knight Haruman?
Severin guessed the origin of the other party. Before the fallen angel Zariel fell, Haruman, as Tom's paladin, followed him all the time.

Even if Zariel fell, he voluntarily transformed into a hell knight to guard his left and right sides.

Just a licking dog, he thought.

There are rumors that Haruman is guarding the secret of Zariel's self-salvation, but no one knows what exactly it is.

"In order to express the sincerity of our cooperation." The female devil Relamie said, "Before targeting the Kingdom of Cormyr, I will assist you to take down the dark castle that Zhentalin will occupy in the Sunset Mountains as quickly as possible. "

Hearing this, Severin smiled uncontrollably on the expression hidden in the mask.

…………

(End of this chapter)