Arcane Journey

Chapter 254 The Death of the Dragon
The next morning.

A flag appeared on the cliff platform not far away. The pattern on it was the head of a unicorn, which was the emblem of the forest goddess Melika.

On this winding mountain road, there are still traces of fighting in recent days.

The orc corpses were discarded in the depths of the mountain abyss. At this time, a group of jackals and wild dogs were eating the corpses. Carrion birds were all over the branches. Hearing the sound from the mountain peak, these beasts looked up one after another.

Brian led Hesaiah, and a dozen purple dragon knights and battle mages who survived by chance, and walked towards the banner of Goddess Melikai.

These wounded, including Hesaiah, when he rescued them, returned to Mokou Town through teleportation spells, bringing them effective healing potions.

After a night's rest, except for the missing arms and legs, all recovered very well.

The banner of the Forest Goddess is planted on a stone platform where rocks are piled up.

When they were within 50 meters of the flag, a mountain man, a warrior of the Goliath race, stood on the platform.

The stone tribe held a simple and simple horn, humming and blew the majestic horn, and the mountains responded accordingly.

This is not a declaration of war and a warning, but a welcome.

On the winding path leading to the cliff platform, there is also a group of Goliaths standing scatteredly. The leader is nearly three meters tall, with gray skin and strange dark markings on it.

Goliath shamans say that these markings hint at a Goliath's fate.

Because the patterns on their skin have special cultural significance, Goliaths always try to wear as little clothes as possible so that their patterns can be seen by everyone.

For the same reason, very few Goliaths get tattoos, and drawing on the skin is equivalent to trying to change a person's fate.

The male Goliath here has no hair, while the female has braids.

Their eyes are usually a good-natured blue or green, and seem to glisten under those high eyebrows.

"Your Excellency Brian!"

The leading Goliath warrior strode over, squatted down, and hugged Brian fiercely. The difference in physique between the two was like an adult hugging a child.

The torso of the Goliath race is encased in stony skin, with pebble-like lumps of coin-sized bone and skin scattered around the neck, shoulders, and arms.

Therefore, at this moment, Brian was held in Goliath's arms, and it was really hard to say how uncomfortable it was. It felt as if he had fallen into a massage chair full of stone texture.

But he knew that this was the way the mountain people expressed their enthusiasm, so he didn't show any disgust on his face.

After the leader of Goliath let go of Brian, he looked at him, his words and expressions were full of gratitude, "My most respected friend, thank you, it was you who killed Hogg, the soul shaman of the Shadow Wolf tribe, and the patriarch A Lu Gao, let the orc army retreat without a fight, and our tribe can be relieved."

This leader has a prominent brow bone, a broad jaw, and hard lumps scattered on his head. He wears gold-plated earrings, and two earth-yellow gemstones are inlaid in the gaps between the cobblestone-like muscles on both sides of his chest.

"Even if I don't come, you will still go that way, Lord Vimark." Brian smiled and said modestly, "You will accept the gift from your ancestors and use your own strength to expel the orc army."

When he learned from the followers of Ilmater that Hesaiah was likely to come to the town of Skull Rock where the Goliath race lived, he immediately rushed over through the flying spell.

When they arrived at Skull Rock Town, they just encountered the Shadow Wolf tribe of orcs, who launched a fierce attack on the town from another direction.

In this case, he naturally turned the situation around for the mountain tribe with two nine-ring "Meteor Bursts". He also learned from the civilians who had fled here that the Iron Princess was acting as a rear guard to cover the civilians who came here to seek refuge.

It has to be said that Skull Rock Town located in the Horn of the Storm Mountain Range is indeed a good place to take refuge.

The terrain is steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it can be said that one man guards the gate and ten thousand men cannot open it.

The most important thing is that in this group of Goliaths who believe in the forest goddess, there is also a legendary shaman who lives in seclusion.

Shaman's power comes from nature, also known as natural force.

They don't need to study spells like wizards, nor do they need to rely on blood like warlocks, similar to druids.

The spirits of nature endow them with the power to see themselves as spokesmen for the spirits of nature, rather than followers of some deity.

Otherwise, this small town with a population of about 2000 would have been breached by orcs in the first place.

But Goliath is not warlike, and the relationship with the Kingdom of Cormyr is only a mutual trade relationship.

Even under pressure from a powerful foe, they are more likely to pack their bags and head for safer ground, rather than stay put and wait.

Of course, this is not to say that the Goliaths are cowards, but that they regard every Goliath who falls in battle as a teammate lost forever. Life became more difficult for the surviving members.

The fundamental reason why the orcs suddenly targeted the reclusive Goliaths was that the refugees and the king of Cormyr were all hiding here.

"Come on, follow me into the tribe." Goliath leader Vimak laughed heartily, "I want to welcome you with the most enthusiastic ceremony."

"I'm very sorry, I appreciate your kindness." Brian glanced at Hesaiah who was standing quietly beside him, and said in a slightly low voice, "I want to meet our king first."

Vimak realized something in an instant, quickly put away his smile, and with apologetic eyes, nodded to the purple dragon knight and battle mage behind him, and then led them towards Skull Rock Town.

Brian shook Hisaiah's hand and gave her a reassuring look.

Hesaiah shook his head slightly, and smiled reluctantly at him. The strength revealed in those silver-gray eyes made him feel pity in his heart.

Brian and others followed Vimark to a stone house on the edge of the cliff.

This stone house is rather special. Its surface is engraved with dark patterns similar to the skin of the Goliath race. It seems to be something like runes, and it faintly reveals the breath of divine power.

This is the priest's rune.

Brian figured out the origin of the pattern because it involved a variant of the cleric profession—the rune cleric.

He didn't get too entangled in this issue, and after nodding to the two purple dragon knights guarding the door, he asked the others to wait in place and walked in with Hesaiah.

The fire in the two symmetrical fireplaces of the stone house was burning hot, filling the room with a gloomy red light, and at the same time filled with the smell of smoke and blood, as well as the smell of death.

A pale purple dragon knight stood in front of the bed, looking agitated.

Another old man dressed as a priest was sitting on the edge of the bed, and his hand on the bed was shining with light green divine energy.

Bryan saw King Yazen V of Cormyr with his feet sticking out of the blanket and his boots on, and a purple battle robe thrown on the ground, with burn marks and maroon dirt on it.

In a trance, he seemed to see magic boiling from the black, viscous blood, and then disappearing.

Brian knew it wasn't an illusion.

Hesaiah's hand slipped from his, and the aged purple dragon knight and priest made way for her.

Kneeling in front of the bed, she cautiously stretched out her hand to caress the king's pale face, and with the other hand, she tightly held the sword he had dropped on the ground.

"Father?" She asked softly with a trembling voice.

For a moment the king of Cormyr didn't seem to hear at all, and then seemed to hear.

He turned his head very slowly, as if in a dream, staring blankly at the gray ceiling, with a bitter or regretful smile on the corner of his mouth.

Hesaiah was about to speak when the king spoke, and he said slowly, "You are here? My bravest daughter, my little Natalia, my iron princess, I have been praying that you would escape the catastrophe. The claws of the dragon can still survive."

"Father..." Hesaiah whispered, "I am alive...and you are alive, you slew the dragon."

"Lauraleigh Aravala is not a dragon, I can feel it, she just has been sad for too long..."

The King whispered, "So deep...so fierce...her love is as strong as any Obaiszir, as strong as I lost your mother and sister ten years ago, only for us Cormyr , the price is too heavy..."

Before he finished speaking, a pained expression appeared on his pale face.

"Father, are you still in pain?" Hesaiah asked sadly.

At this time, the priest on the side immediately chanted obscure divine spells, and carefully placed his withered hands on the king's throat, forehead and palms to ease his pain.

Hesaiah made room for the priest, and the king murmured incomprehensible words under the priest's careful hands.

A purple flame streaked across the king's body, and then disappeared.

Meanwhile, the king twitched, panting in pain, and closed his eyes.

"What did you do, Master Alden?" Hesaiah turned around abruptly, looked at the pastor, and asked.

When the pastor faced her angry gaze, his old face was as calm as ever, and he said slowly:
"This is the best treatment I can do, Your Highness. Your Majesty sealed the soul of the evil dragon with the Purple Dragon Sword, and the evil dragon cursed Your Majesty with his own blood before dying. Saved from the dragon's blood, but I don't know why, the blood of the dragon has the effect of twisting magic...or worse."

"How could it be worse?" Hesaiah asked eagerly.

In order not to let the king hear, the pastor deliberately lowered his voice to a whisper, "The curse of the dragon's blood will burn your majesty's flesh and blood to the bone."

Sisaiah looked at the unconscious king, got up suddenly and rushed to Brian, looking at him with pleading eyes.

She was about to speak, but was interrupted by Brian.

Brian sighed, shook her hand, and said softly, "Let me try."

In fact, when he learned the specific situation of the king from the priest, he realized that any attempt was doomed to be in vain.

He came to the bed, and the priest gave him a suspicious look and made way for him.

When he touched the blood oozing from the blanket, he felt a sharp pain.

No, but a slight burning pain.

Brian frowned. For the first time in his life, he felt such a powerless request to others.

He could feel the blood in the king's body, all stained with the curse of the dragon's blood.

This blood has even penetrated into the soul, and it is obviously impossible to save the king's life.

Brian shook his head slightly, and said in a tactful tone, "Take him outside, so that he can overlook the Cormyr kingdom that he saved with his life from the cliff."

After saying this, he stood up and promptly supported Hesaiah, who was almost unsteady, and let her lean in his arms.

A long, trembling sigh came out of her mouth, as if a chill had flooded her whole body, and she shivered unconsciously.

Finally, Hesaiah nodded with difficulty, looked up and gave Bryan a bitter smile.

She didn't blame him, which reassured him.

She left his embrace, stood in front of the bed, and said to the gray-haired purple dragon knight firmly, "Do as he said."

King Yazen V of Cormyr was lying on a creaky bed. The purple dragon knights carefully placed him on a shield wrapped in a blanket and carried him out of the stone house.

As he walked, the king showed a painful expression.

Wisps of strange purple smoke rose from the cracks in his armor.

The once bright armor was destroyed in the dragon's rage, and the purple cloak embroidered with dragons was soaked in black blood.

When the king turned his head, traces of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes, brightened with pain, kept staring at Brian's face, as if he didn't see everything around him.

But he seemed to see something else, so the king's eyes sharpened again, and the corners of his mouth twisted in what looked like a cynical smile, or maybe just pain.

"It seems that I'm still alive for the time being." He sighed, and said something inexplicable to Brian.

Brian nodded to the king, not knowing how to answer.

"His Majesty!"

After walking out of the stone house, the purple dragon knights and battle mages in Skull Rock Town lined up in two rows, all paying homage to their king.

Instead of their helmets, they became a worried mass of rough men in battered and battered armor, with sweaty hair plastered to their faces, or smeared with blood.

The king was carefully placed on the edge of the cliff in the town of Skull Rock. He suddenly struggled to sit up, and his violent movement awakened the blood of the dragon that was devouring him.

A small fireball transformed from blood sprang up from his limbs, rose to the top of his head, and exploded into wisps of smoke that drifted with the wind.

As the king propped himself up on one elbow, the shoulder pads curled and blackened with visible speed like leaves burning in a fire, flashed off his shoulders, and smoked.

The king ignored the fallen armor, stood up straight, and stared at Brian with those painfully bright eyes.

"The mage lord of Mokou Town, I didn't expect that we could meet again in this form." He took a deep breath, and the pain of trembling and convulsive shoulders did not weaken his voice at all, "I want to know Susa I beg you to fulfill my last wish."

Brian nodded slowly.

With the help of the magic dragon, the imperial capital of Suzar has been besieged by the army led by the orc's spiritual leader, the "Great Sage". If the king hadn't lured the magic dragon out, it might have been breached long ago.

Perhaps in this case, he is the only one who can arrive at the city of Suzar through teleportation spells and find out the specific situation inside.

He looked at Hisaiah beside him.

Hesaiah immediately took out a silver bracelet engraved with a dragon pattern, and whispered to him:

"This bracelet allows you to teleport directly to the royal mage Sandra Cote in Suzar City through teleportation spells, but it cannot allow you to return again."

"I see." Brian nodded slightly and said to her, "I'll be right back."

In the teleportation light of the magic circle, he disappeared in Skull Rock Town.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a bedroom. The bright room was filled with the fragrance of lavender and a faint smell of blood.

Lying on the bed was a young woman with a pale and lifeless face.

Beside her, besides an old man dressed as an aristocrat, there is the royal mage Sandra Cote, and...the priest of the Church of the Mother Earth, Karina.

"Brian, why are you here?" Karina hurried over and asked.

The female pastor's eyes were red, and it was obvious that she had just cried.

Brian didn't answer her question, but stood still and thought for a while, and immediately understood who the two strangers appeared in front of him.

The old man dressed as an aristocrat should be Fefaril, the prime minister of the Kingdom of Cormyr. As for the young woman lying on the bed, there is no doubt that it must be the queen.

Why Karena appeared here is also easy to guess.

Fefaril is supposed to be her father, and her sister is the queen.

After all, he had long guessed that the identity of this female pastor was extraordinary, but he just didn't bother to inquire about it.

As for Sandra Cote, he has already learned from Hisaiah that this legendary wizard shoulders the important task of guarding the city of Suzal.

Even so, the current situation is precarious for the city of Suzal.

"Queen Tessie." Brian passed the opening remarks, sorted out his words, and said seriously:
"Your Yazen is dying, I can see, I can't expect you to recover, the magic on him has been tormenting him, making him very dangerous, but when he finally woke up, His Majesty said to me , how precious your love for him is, and gave you his last regards, and he also ordered me to know the fate of the child, and tell him."

"The mage lord of Mokou Town." A clear and cold voice came, and the speaker was the queen's father, the prime minister of the kingdom, Fefaril.

"My eldest daughter is just like Your Majesty. She is brave and fearless. In order to save the Kingdom of Cormyr and the child in her womb, after giving birth to the child, she sacrificed her life and killed the possessed catastrophe. Ling. She is a qualified queen and a qualified mother."

"This is Cormyr's sixth plague spirit."

The royal mage Sandra Cote sighed, "This is a magical curse of the royal family of Cormyr. Since the establishment of the kingdom, no one has been able to escape this kind of disaster."

"The gods have mercy, and there is one last..." he whispered wearily.

"The gods are merciful, kind mage lord." The queen sat up from the bed with Karina's support, and said weakly:

"Please inform your Majesty that my child is alive, a boy, the other Azen of Cormyr. I beg you, if you are wise enough to keep these words of ours a secret, please do not let the news of my impending death , to bear his heart."

Queen Tessie's voice trembled, almost sobbing, but after a while, she became firm again and made up her mind, "Please tell him how much I love him. Farewell, my Yazen, when our bodies When it is too much to bear, our love will last forever."

Her voice paused for a moment, and she whispered, "If it's possible, can you take my child to see him?"

"I'm very sorry, Queen Tesley."

Brian said apologetically, "He was only a few days old, and he is too weak to try. Even if there is only a [-]% chance, I can't guarantee that he can pass through the turbulent magic flow safely, are you I know, I can't take responsibility for that. If the magic gets out of control..."

"I understand." Queen Tessie whispered, "Gods, bless my child... Let my Azen go away safely."

Brian nodded to everyone, waved his hand wearily, cast a teleportation spell, and disappeared in the city of Suzal.

When Brian returned to Skull Rock Town, there were many more people out of thin air, and they confronted the purple dragon knights and battle mages.

As soon as his expression changed, he rushed over immediately and came to Hesaiah's side.

This is a group of priests and temple knights from the city of Suzar.

From the emblems they wear, it can be seen that they are Lathander, the Lord of Dawn, Tom, the God of Truth, the priests of Timora, the Goddess of Luck, and... the hunters of Mara, the God of Hunting.

He judged from the remaining teleportation energy in the air that the group of priests arrived here through teleportation magic.

Bryan glanced back as new fire and light burst out around the king's body, twitching in pain on his shield bed, the dragon's blood curse still in effect.

"Give Way!"

The high priest of Mara, the god of hunting, roared: "We came here when Cormyr most needed to heal the king. If you don't get out of the way, the vultures will come soon."

"This is not a matter of direct healing." Brian held Hesaiah's hand and signaled her not to be impulsive. He stood on his own ground and warned the priests:
"Everyone, I'm afraid you can't do anything here. The only thing we can do now is to let the king of Cormyr die with the dignity he won with his life."

The purple dragon knights and battle mages stood beside Brian, blocking the only way to prevent the group of priests from approaching.

The priest of Lathander, Lord of Dawn, looked at Hesaiah suspiciously, and whispered, "Is the king unwilling to heal himself? Is this a betrayal?"

The hunter of Mara, the god of hunting, raised a hand wrapped in a furry gauntlet with big cat's claws on the fingertips of the gauntlet and the bone hooks of wild beasts on the outside.

He pointed at Brian with a sneer on his face.

"In this matter, wizard, you have no say, you are but an ignorant, meddling courtier. Stand back, put away your little spells, and trust in the divine power of Marat to heal your king .as always and will continue to do so.”

At this time, a bright light appeared in the sky behind the hunter.

Several clergymen turned around quickly out of fear, their faces tensed.

The light of the teleportation circle outlines the outline of a person, which quickly turns into flickering sparks.

A middle-aged man with a firm face appeared in everyone's sight.

He didn't wear a helmet, his rough face was weather-beaten, his muscles were thick and his shoulders were broad, and he seemed to have not shaved his beard for many days. The black beard had covered the outline of his face, and his green eyes were hidden under his frowning eyebrows.

The only shortcoming is that his full body armor and the purple cloak behind him are covered with varying degrees of battle wear and tear.

At the same time, Brian also noticed that on the dark red spiked iron gauntlet on his left hand was a fiery silver sword engraved with an emblem.

The war lord of Tempus, the god of war, and the supreme leader of the Purple Dragon Knights of the Kingdom of Cormyr, Oglas.

"Let him try it, mage lord." The war lord said calmly, "I assure you, he won't dare to do anything wrong."

"It can be seen that the king is cursed by the blood of the dragon." Mara's hunter said, "I am a believer of the Lord of Blood, and I have a way to touch his curse."

Brian was persuaded, and together with Hesaiah, made way for the Hunter of the Hunted God.

Mara, the God of Hunting, is a deity of the chaotic evil camp. The reason why it appears here is said to be related to the orcs destroying their hidden Hunting Temple in the Stormhorn Mountains.

Obviously, their hunting targets did not exclude the orc tribe.

Marat's hunter walked over, knelt on the ground, turned his scarred face up, raised his hands, and shouted:

"O Mara, god of the hunt, great lord of blood, lord of all hunting, as this brave king hunted dragons, grant me your true favor in this kingdom's hour of greatest need! Let the strength of a lion, the flexibility of a panther, the stamina of a white bear, and the wisdom of a night owl flow in my body, and let me touch this brave king when he needs help!"

A divine radiance emerged.

Mara's hunter shot up white flames from his hands, and the flames rushed to the shield bed, and the resulting wave of divinity suspended the king's body in mid-air.

Just when Brian thought he could really save the king, a phantom of a purple dragon suddenly shot out from the fading flames, roaring and rushing towards the hunter.

Mara's hunter looked startled, and was hit on the chest by the phantom of the dragon. His whole body flew backwards flat, and his head hit the chest of Priest Lathander, the Lord of Dawn, and both fell to the ground.

When the hunter was lifted up, his face was deathly gray, there was a trace of fear in his originally ferocious eyes, his teeth were chattering constantly, and his legs couldn't even keep his balance.

"Your concern for the king and your loyal service are commendable." Brian said to the priests solemnly:
"Stand back now and be a witness. Your god also wants you to live in the moment. Go and pray devoutly. The king will disappear soon. Please don't deprive him of his last moments."

The priests hesitated for a moment, and finally all retreated.

Bryan nodded to the war lord Oglas, and joined Hesaiah before the king.

"My lord," he said, a tinge of sadness in his voice for a brief moment.

"I obeyed your orders, and in doing so, received good news. Queen Tesley has given birth to a son. When the time comes, Cormyr's new prince will ascend with a worthy name throne."

He concealed the news that the queen was dying.

"Very good." The king panted, his bright eyes locked deeply on Brian for a long time, and he said slowly, "I hope my child will be on the throne, but...you are wise enough to understand what I will accept. Do you want to express what you mean?"

"I understand, Your Majesty." Brian looked at Sisaiah beside him, and nodded slowly again.

The king smiled gratifiedly, and after a sudden onset of pain, he slumped and his face turned pale.

All the purple dragon knights ran over, trying to help their king.

He refused help from anyone, struggling to keep his balance and sit up straight.

He looked at Hesaiah who was suppressing his grief, then looked up at the sky, and said to her, "Son, I don't regret doing this, after all, my efforts are meaningful."

He staggered to his feet, almost falling to the ground a few times.

Brian stopped Hesaiah who wanted to help, because he knew that doing so would undoubtedly insult the king who had defeated the dragon.

As he thought, the king finally stood his ground, and he stood on the edge of the cliffs of the Stormhorn Mountains, gazing for the last time at the realm of the Kingdom of Cormyr.

He turned around slowly, looking at the faces of the purple dragon knights and battle mages, his lips trembling, revealing a slight smile.

His hand fumbled twice on the hilt, and then gracefully drew out the purple dragon sword, which symbolized the Kingdom of Cormyr, with time-honored skill, and raised it up.

Even when he noticed that he was shaking like a blade of grass in a high wind, he showed no sign of it.

"I won't say goodbye!"

Yazen V, the ruler of the Kingdom of Cormyr, said to those around him: "For I will be here, in the night wind, guarding the land I love, with icy weapons against her enemies, softly comforting her guardians of the

Blue flames flickered across the king's body, then gradually changed to a deep, billowing purple in a swirl.

In the end, a ghostly dragon silhouette was condensed.

It was only a moment, but long enough that all would swear for the rest of their lives that they had seen the dragon wrap its claws around the fading purple dragonsword, and gaze down at them.

When the bright purple flame, as the dragon disappeared, so did the king.

"For the beautiful Kingdom of Cormyr!" In a trance, everyone heard the words echoing on the cliff, "Eternity!"

"Love you forever, father." The voice of Iron Princess Hisaiah trembled, holding back tears, leaning on Brian's arms, "To be commemorated forever!"

The clouds disappeared, revealing a deep blue clear sky.

The long silence gradually subsided, and the purple dragon knights and battle mages shed tears of sorrow.

The priests also faced the direction of the cliff, holding their respective holy emblems, praying silently.

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Goliath warrior standing on the top of the cliff played a low and sad trumpet to see the king off.

With heavy steps, Brian walked to the place where the king disappeared, picked up the crown that had fallen on the ground, and faced everyone.

"The king is dead," he said.

That was all he could think, for the queen was also dead and the new king was still a baby less than five days old.

Although the king did not say anything before his death, the words he left to himself meaningfully made him understand what he really wanted to express.

The king worries about scheming nobles seizing the child's paternity to challenge his throne, and there will be trouble for Sembia, Dark Lord Bane, and others hoping to capture Cormyr.

Cormyr needs a strong monarch in the days ahead.

He walked up to Hesaiah, slowly lifted Cormyr's crown, and said to her, "I need to give this to you."

By this time, the queen had passed away, and Hesaiah was the only one who could bear the crown.

"To me?" Sisaiah paled, shaking her head, and said in a trembling voice, "No, Brian, I'm not..."

"This is your responsibility, and it is also your father's last wish. Hesaiah Natalilla Obaiszil." Brian said with a serious expression, "I am afraid that you will have to serve as regent until your younger brother ascends the throne." king."

…………

(End of this chapter)