Arcane Journey

Chapter 318 The Twilight Gate to the Shadow Plane

In the swamp covered with rotten branches and vines, a small fortress stands quietly. This is a fortress that has long been eroded by the swamp. At least it has been abandoned in this swamp for more than a hundred years.

Under the leadership of the Lizardman scouts from the Sharptooth Tribe, Brian and Kala Dena had already found this hidden fortress in the depths of Guangze.

He and the female sorceress beside him used concealment magic to cover up their figures, squatted in a thick bush, and carefully observed the specific situation of the fortress.

The whole fortress is completely protected by a wall about 10 meters high. The wall is covered with green vines, full of antiquity.

He saw not far in front of him, a pond filled with putrid black water surrounding the south and southwest corners of the fortress, and there was also such a pond in the far northeast corner.

The pungent smell brought by the breeze made Brian realize that the black water of these two ponds contains strong toxicity and acidity, which is a natural defense barrier. The two want to sneak past here quietly. , obviously still a bit difficult.

And at the farthest point of their line of sight, that is, at the northern end of the fortress, a round tower stood up lonely, about twice the height of the wall.

Indistinctly, Brian, who has a keen intuition for magic, could feel that this tower was cast with a superb detection spell.

If the two of them showed up rashly, they would definitely be noticed immediately.

Right in front of him, on the southeast side of the fortress, a portcullis was used to block the inside and outside, and the vines also stopped here, revealing a small open space.

He saw jumping flames coming out of the dense arrow holes in the wall, as if a large torch was burning in front of the fortress.

A light smoke curled faintly from somewhere behind the gate.

The iron bars of this gate have long been rusted under the corrosion of the swamp. Looking from the gap on the gate, there is a long and narrow passage behind the gate.

If you observe carefully, you can find that, just like the dense arrow holes on the outer wall, there are many such organs on the inner wall of the passage.

At the end of the passage, there is a second portcullis blocking the way forward.

There are many broken stones scattered in the passage, and the setting sun casts down from the gaps in the ceiling, casting a little bit of yellow light in the holes of these stones.

"I suddenly regret coming here with you." The sorceress squatting in the bushes moved away from the leg bone of an unknown beast that had already been rotten and full of maggots, and she moved closer to it. Beside Brian, he frowned and complained in a low voice, "The environment here is worse than imagined, it's hard to describe."

Although an almost invisible magic protective shield has been erected around her in advance, which can isolate her from any smell and mosquito infestation, the harsh environment and the visual impact brought by the rotting animals and plants around her still make her feel instinctively. disgusted.

While speaking, a burst of strong rose fragrance hit.

Brian noticed that the sorceress moved towards him again, and the distance between the two even made him feel the warmth of the other's skin.

If he looked down, he could still see a dazzling white slender leg protruding from the slit skirt. This strong visual impact made him feel the urge to go up and touch it.

Brian was immediately startled by the sudden thought in his mind, and asked himself that he was not a leg control, and could only attribute it to the passive influence of Kara Dena's charisma.

This is the advantage of being a Magistrate. Even in such a harsh environment as a swamp, this sorceress wearing high heels can still walk easily and spotlessly.

Of course, the price of doing this is also very serious, that is, it cuts off most of its own perception except vision, and it is very likely that it will not be able to react in an instant when encountering an ambush or a sneak attack.

If you are in a well-equipped team of adventurers, there is no problem, because the dirty work like reconnaissance and security is completely in charge of rangers or rogues.

But the situation is different now, there are only two of them, and this important task naturally falls on Brian as the lizardman scouts leave.

As a professional who has long been used to this kind of adventure, Brian will definitely not wish to wrap himself in a solid protective cover like this delicate-looking female sorceress, so as to isolate all perceptions from the outside world. .

In addition to simply casting a few magics to isolate himself from the interference of poisonous insects and lighten his body, he walked through the harsh environment of the swamp all the way.

"You can't bear it?"

Brian looked at the fortress in the distance, thinking about how to break in, and said casually without looking back: "In this regard, you are far behind Hesaiah."

Speaking of the sword mage who turned into the Queen of Iron, Brian couldn't help but recall the scene where he and Sisaiah broke into the camp of the Queen of Fungi together. The undead creature transformed from rotting fungus growing on human flesh was the Most terrifying and disgusting.

Even after such a long time in the past, when he suddenly recalled it, his stomach still twitched slightly instinctively.

"Cut, it's just a group of corrupt fungi, what can't be tolerated, there is no comparison between the two." Kara Dena snorted unconvinced:

"Miss Ben has never seen any scenes, and she will be frightened by those rotten things. When I was most embarrassed, I was also like you. Even the contents of the slime monster's stomach were ripped out by it."

After hearing this sentence, Brian realized that Hesaiah and this sorceress had really reached the point of talking about everything, and they even told all about their dark history.

I just don't know to what extent Hesaiah betrayed him.

"But your behavior makes it hard for me to imagine that you have traveled all over the continent, and even other planes." Brian turned to look at the sorceress, and said with a smile.

At this moment, the sorceress was squatting beside him in an inelegant posture. The moment he turned around, he naturally inadvertently saw two balls of dazzling snow-white wrapped in a dark purple lace corset, and The looming mysterious gully.

"What do you know, this is a kind of self-confidence."

Carla Dena seems to have noticed Brian's gaze, raised her long eyelashes and stared at him, calmly tightened the cloak she was wearing, and pretended to think seriously:

"As a spellcaster, I usually do what works best for me in the face of various dangers and harsh environments. There is no doubt that it is the same today."

"But today's performance looks like a pampered noble lady." Brian asked doubtfully, "I'm curious, where does your confidence come from?"

"Of course my confidence comes from..."

The words that the sorceress blurted out suddenly stopped, she looked at Brian intently, and suddenly winked her wine-red eyes playfully at him, and said with a smile: "Of course it comes from your cultivation and strength."

"Okay." Brian turned away speechlessly.

"Hey." Kara Dena touched Brian's arm and moved closer to him, her crystal white chin almost resting on his shoulder, "How long are you going to let me squat with you, since they The defense is so strict, with the strength of the two of us, even if we force our way in, it won't be a problem."

"Of course I understand what you said." The distance between the two made Brian almost feel that this soft body was already clinging to him. Of course it is the best choice, I just want to maintain my strength as much as possible, after all, what awaits us in the Shadow Plane is an extremely dangerous and long battle, we cannot waste too much physical strength and magic here."

"I'm so scared." Kaladna opened her mouth exaggeratedly and exclaimed, but those bright wine-red eyes obviously betrayed her, and the excitement inside was eager to try, and she was happy like a Holding Brian's arm like a child, he said:

"The shadow plane is good. I haven't been there for a long time. I don't know what kind of environment the shadow crack in Guangze can transport us to."

"In that case, let's charge."

After Brian couldn't think of a perfect way to sneak into the fortress, he could only choose to compromise. He pulled the sorceress' hand out of his arms as if nothing had happened, patted the soft and slippery back of his hand, and reminded her, "However, later When you rush into the fortress, you only need to stay alert, and I will deal with all the enemies by myself."

"Why?" Kaladna stood up unwillingly from the bushes where she was hiding, and the two beautiful legs of snowy jade that were looming just right, exuded a silky and crystal luster flawlessly, making the person who just raised her head Brian feasted his eyes.

"Naturally, it is to allow you to preserve your strength as much as possible." Brian stood up and grabbed her wrist. Without permission, he used the space node just set up behind the portcullis gate of the fortress to transmit directly with the surge of magical energy. past.

"boom!"

The door of the guard room was kicked open by Brian, and the inside was unexpectedly spacious and comfortable.

Brian took a quick look around the room.

On the right side of the gate is a burning stove, exuding a warm and bright atmosphere. A light smoke floats out from the hole in the ceiling directly above the stove. Behind the stove, there are two thick straw mattresses, spread on the ground in parallel. .

A round table was placed in the southeast corner directly opposite the door, surrounded by four high-back chairs, and four fully armed guards were sitting there.

Their weapons were set aside casually, and they were drinking and eating meat around the table.

Everyone was stunned by Brian's unexpectedly strong intrusion.

One of the guards who stood up and was pouring wine was even more frightened and froze in place, letting the fine wine in the jug pour down towards the already overflowing wine glass on the table.

——"Cursefire Bomb!"

Brian, who took out his staff in advance, raised his staff and waved it lightly before the guards could react. Four fist-sized fireballs shining with blue and white light condensed into shape. Under the guidance of the staff, they seemed to be released shot lead bullets at the four guards respectively.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by four loud explosions, the four guards were all blasted into bloody corpses by the fireball condensed by the original magic energy of the curse fire.

One of the priests, Shar, who responded in a timely manner, tried to defend with a magical shield that resists fire damage. However, the moment the fireball hit the barrier, it was as if dry wood met a raging fire, causing the bursting flame energy to suddenly increase several times. He became the first unlucky person among the four to be reduced to ashes.

Seeing the damage caused by the spellfire bomb, Brian nodded secretly, quite satisfied in his heart.

Since he got the curse fire, he didn't just rely on leveling up to obtain various characteristics of the curse fire, but also studied its usage skills.

For example, the spellfire bomb he released just now is a technique that does not consume any energy, because as long as he uses the spellfire bomb to kill the enemy, he can absorb the life energy of the killed on his own to supplement the consumption just now.

"Let's go!" The enemies in the guard room had been cleaned up, and without delay, Brian immediately waved to the female sorceress who was standing on the sidelines, and walked out.

"Is this the curse fire? It's really amazing."

Carla Dena played with the strand of hair hanging from her chest, looked at the charred corpse, muttered to herself, then looked at the back of Brian leaving, with an inexplicable smile on the corner of her mouth, and hurriedly followed go up.

"Who's there?" Just as the two walked out of the guard room, a vulgar voice came from the arrow hole in the wall, "Leave immediately, you are not welcome here!"

Although the warning to the two meant to expel them, the action of the warner did not stop because of this, obviously intending to expel them violently.

As soon as the words fell, a group of about fifteen patrols rushed over in a hurry, trying to surround the two of Brian.

The creatures looked human, though they were noticeably taller and slender, with dark gray skin, black hair, purple tattoos on their faces, and decorative ornaments on their ears and noses.

They were still wearing rough black battle armor, and they seemed to be surrounded by shadows all over their bodies.

As for the ghost fighters, Brian recognized the true identity of the patrol team in an instant, and this group of people is still the elite among the ghost fighters, and their strength is at least around level 10 of the second order.

"Stupid intruder!"

A obviously burly ghost warrior, with cold blood-red eyes, looked directly at the two of Brian through the gap in the steel mask, with a hoarse and loud voice, "Who do you think you are? A hero? Then let Let us give you a heroic ending."

A fireball the size of a washbasin roared out, like a shell, falling into the group of ghost warriors.

"Boom!"

The scorching fire burst, and the violently burning high-temperature flames raged everywhere, and even the entire fortress seemed to tremble slightly in the explosion.

As soon as the fireball was fired, four ghost fighters were blown to pieces on the spot, and the impact of the fireball erupted in an instant, and all the enemies outside the explosion center were blown upside down.

Even the ghost leader who survived by chance opened his mouth to spit out a stream of blood, and his whole body was on fire.

"Are you legendary powerhouses?!" The ghost leader got up from the ground and looked at the two of Brian in shock.

Unfortunately it was too late.

Because no one answered his question, the only response to him was a fist-sized blue and white cursed fire bomb.

After getting rid of the guards who were in the way, Brian quickly led Kala Dena to the depths of the fortress.

Between the guardhouse and the main building of the fortress is a large open space, surrounded by walls that were once intact but are now eroded by swamps.

The situation of the site is very pessimistic. It seems that in just a few years, the swamp will be completely assimilated.

Because on the west side of the clearing, a large piece of land has been swamped, turning into a large rotten pond, with many ferns, shrubs, and vines growing.

There is a stone fountain in the center of the open space, but the water in the fountain is already covered with yellow-green algae.

The pool water that exudes green luster diffuses from the pool, converging into a puddle of water towards the main building complex on the north side.

Although the main building is still well preserved, the wall on the west side of the courtyard does seem to be in disrepair and crumbling.

Bryan's attack had obviously triggered the defense system of the entire fortress. As soon as the two of them passed through the guard room and arrived at the main building complex of the fortress, they heard bursts of alarm sounds.

A group of lizard men came over aggressively.

Their eyes were blood red, their bodies were covered with dark black scales, shadow energy lingered all over their bodies, and their running momentum was like tumbling dark clouds.

However, Brian also noticed that behind the group of lizardmen, there were two humans who looked like they were dressed in black armor.

A clear and high-pitched voice came from under one of the helmets, and it was easy to tell that it was a woman.

"You dare to invade our holy land, court death!"

- "Yang Yan burst!"

A group of dazzling glare suddenly exploded as Brian raised his staff.

All of a sudden, mournful howls and hisses sounded one after another.

In the face of ghost creatures, there is no spell that is more shocking than the damage caused by a large-scale group attack spell like "Yang Yan Blast".

The strong light dissipated, and the surrounding air was filled with a disgusting smell of burning. All the lizardmen warriors around who had received the blessing of shadow energy turned into burnt corpses under the scorching strong light.

Although the two leading priestesses survived by chance, they were sent to the warm embrace of the Lost Lady by the cursed fire bombs that Brian received.

"Hey, next time I will cast this kind of spell, let me know in advance." The lady warlock rubbed her teary eyes from the strong light, and complained to Brian.

"I see." Hearing this sentence, Brian gave her an unmoved look, then replied casually, and immediately signaled her to keep up with his pace.

After solving three waves of enemies in a row, they finally came to the inside of the hall.

The situation here is obviously much worse than its appearance.

The foyer was full of rubble, some of which looked like fragments of the ceiling, some of the surrounding stone pillars, and some of the collapsed walls.

It can be said that even if this area collapses in the next moment, it is not a strange thing.

Brian noticed that there was a large door on the north side of the foyer, and a door of the same shape on the right.

In the corner on the left is a headless statue. The armor and sword of the statue have a very unique decorative shape, which looks like Cormyr's style.

"This is the former lord of the Kingdom of Cormyr, King Azen IV." Kaladna's crisp and pleasant voice sounded in the hall, helping Brian clear the doubts in his heart, "It is your grandfather of Queen Sisaiah, it is said This fortress was originally intended for..."

"You don't care what it is, the most important thing now is not to waste time." Brian interrupted the sorceress's complacent voice, motioning her to follow quickly.

They came as fast as they could to the end of the hall, where a great mass of rubbish had piled up in the passage, dead plant stems, bones, leather, and whatnot.

The corners other than the garbage pile looked pretty clean.

Moreover, the ceiling of the passage has almost collapsed, and a large area of ​​the wall has sunk in. There are four doors on both sides of the room, one of which is obviously Brian's target.

Because a middle-aged man in full armor and wearing the priestly robe of Mystra, the goddess of magic, was standing at the door, blocking their way, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

He looked like a human being, but his face was gray and expressionless, as if there were shadows surrounding him. Behind him, there were three other humans, two men and one woman standing in a row like a pole.

All of them were expressionless, wearing purple robes, ready to fight, with one hand raised and the other in the spell material bag.

The middle-aged man in the priestly robe of the Goddess of Magic shouted loudly: "Stupid intruders, Mystra will make you pay for what you have done!"

The next three people then repeated mechanically: "Yes, the goddess will definitely."

Brian responded to this group of hapless people who had been thoroughly brainwashed with a mass sleep spell, allowing them to sleep soundly before the entire fortress was destroyed.

Because if they were lucky enough to persist until the Shadow Demon Network nodes were destroyed, then they might be lucky enough to save their lives.

After Brian checked carefully, he carefully pushed open the door that had just been guarded.

In the dimly lit room, erratic shadows flew aimlessly, and there was no obvious light source.

The two corners of the room have completely collapsed, leaving only gravel on the ground and a large hole in the ceiling where the sky can be seen directly.

There is also a headless statue in the southeast corner of the hall, but this is a woman in armor.

"This is Queen Inkla of Esparin." The sorceress beside Brian played with the hair hanging down her chest boredly while explaining the origin of the statue like a historian:
"In DR 1162, after this queen married Cormyr's Crown Prince Palagrad, all of Esparin's territory was incorporated into Cormyr."

Brian ignored her muttering to himself, and walked straight through the hall to the depths of the fortress.

What appeared in the sight of the two was once a magnificent and solemn hall.

Delicate Goliath-style colonnades lead out in curved areas from the ceiling, and of course several of the columns have collapsed, taking the ceiling above them with them.

Four statues stood under the walls on either side, and two similar statues stood on a platform in the far corner.

The most impressive thing in the hall is the huge black sphere floating in the center of the hall.

The black ball is like an air vortex woven with shadows. At first glance, it is deep and bottomless. There are many huge shadow-like tentacles protruding from the ball, intertwined and intertwined in the air, extending to the surrounding walls.

These tentacles seemed to squeeze the light from the air, making the hall much darker.

Several creatures guard the room, seemingly ready for battle in advance.

A half-dragon stood in the very center of the hall, surrounded by flickering shadows.

Her eyes had a profane gleam, reminding Brian of the Shaman leader of the Shadescale Tribe that the old shaman of the Tooth Tribe had described to him.

"Fools who dare to challenge me, I have more power than my ancestors, come and die!"

The female lizard man roared in proficient dragon language, beside her was a man with pale skin and tattoos, whose body was hidden in the shadows.

He was in a pose for casting spells, while holding a spiked chain in his other hand, "The shadow will take you."

Legendary powerhouse!
Seeing the man with pale skin and tattoos, Brian guessed his approximate strength, and then said to the sorceress who was vigilant beside him, "The lizardman patriarch will be handed over to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he cast the "Psionic Exile" without hesitation, and appeared in the vast astral plane together with the legendary priest of the Lost Lady.

After a moment of dizziness, the male priest felt himself floating on the boundless silver sea, and there was a hint of panic in his gloomy expression, and he wanted to escape subconsciously.

Naturally, Brian would not give him this chance.

——"Space lock!"

An invisible force field enveloped the space between the two of them.

——"Chain dispelling magic!"

——"Advanced dispelling magic!"

As Brian raised his staff, streams of almost invisible magical energy suddenly hit the priest's body, causing all the magical shields and buffs around him to collapse and disappear.

——"Seventh-level ability: overclocking blast!"

——"Eighth-level ability: experience death!"

——"Ninth-level ability: tornado storm!"

In the astral space, Brian's invisible psychic powers seemed to be intangible at the moment of release, and all of them seemed to be substantial, and they were impressively bombarded towards the priest floating in the silver sea.

In an instant, his frail body was torn into a rain of blood in the roaring tornado.

A Shar priest whose strength had reached the legendary realm died humiliatingly in the storm formed by Bryan's clean and neat psychic power and arcane magic.

A flash of psychic light flashed, and Brian's figure reappeared on the material plane.

He saw that the half-dragon lizard man was lying on the ground dying, with a large puddle of blood oozing out on the ground.

Seeing Bryan appearing in front of her safe and sound, the sorceress Kaladna's eyes widened in surprise, she couldn't believe his efficiency.

Brian ignored it, just stretched out his staff and pointed, and a fireball eliminated the dragon-veined lizardman warlock who was only at the fourth level.

Then, with a swipe of his hand, he picked out a letter from Priest Shar's trophy, and began to study it carefully. The female sorceress at the side also came to him curiously, tilting her head to examine it.

To Koslow Serravin:
My mistress says she is powerless to break the pact your souls have made with her kingdom.

But I guarantee that if her plan succeeds, your kind will have a land in Faerûn free from the curse.

The Great Swamp will be the perfect place for you to build your kingdom.

There is no doubt that there will be no interference from other forces except some tribes that are easily slaughtered or conquered, and you can make your own decisions.

Your efforts in the Great Swamp will lay a good foundation for you to occupy the Kingdom of Cormyr and settle down here. You will no longer be afraid of losing your soul.

For a long time, she has provided the power of the Shadow Demon Web, and I can provide you with more training.

I suggest that you persuade your race to accept this gift of kindness.

You have seen its power, and in no more than a year your people will know its power.

——— Elsweer Graycastle

The content of this letter mainly talks about why the lizardmen of the Shadowscale tribe devoted themselves to the Church of the Lost Lady, and the future promised by the Lost Lady to the lizardmen.

"Elsweer Greycastle?" Kaladna showed a puzzled expression, obviously she didn't know the specific origin of this priestess.

"She is the Patriarch in charge of the Church of the Lost Lady in Cormyr, Sembia, Valley and Comanthor." Brian put away the letter and said to her:
"A character no less vicious than 'Black Veil' Elyrel, she is currently in charge of tearing the magic net in Shadow Valley, we will meet her soon."

"The pastor and the lizardman just now should be the general managers of this fortress." He checked everything in the room and said, "Don't waste time, find the secret room leading to the shadow plane as soon as possible."

Karadena nodded and went over the room with him.

Soon, the sorceress found a lever-like switch on the statue platform in the northeast corner.

"Rumble..."

Accompanied by a bang, the platform began to rotate, and then slowly turned around, and a downward spiral staircase appeared.

It was a small room shrouded in shadow.

There is a small altar under the wall directly opposite the steps, and a black circular wooden dish surrounded by a purple ring hangs on the wall above the altar.

Brian had no trouble recognizing that this was the emblem of the Lost Lady Shar.

There was also a small lamp on the altar, and it seemed that this lamp was the source of the shadows in the room. The oil inside was burning, but it emitted shadows.

In the shadow of the lamp was a letter.

Brian picked it up curiously and took it apart to examine it.

Despierre:

The Lost Lady has seen your sincerity, and she intends to reward you for it.

So I sent Selwyn to you, and he will deliver this letter to you in his own hand.

At the same time, he also brought the method of reopening the gate of twilight, which will serve our common purpose.

When you go through this door, you'll find yourself in a reflection of the fortress.

One of Selwynn's kin, a Shadowborn lizardfolk, will be waiting there to take you to Abendu Abbey.

I will be there waiting for your coming, and we will have many things to discuss.

Guard your secrets.

One day, they will end the mystery.

——— Elsweer Graycastle

"Who's Despiel?" Kara Dena looked at Brian like a curious baby.

"An ancient black dragon guarding the shadow plane." Brian put away the letter and explained to her: "In the ceremony where the magic net was torn apart, this black dragon was in charge of Guangze."

"The Gate of Twilight is the passage to the Shadow Plane you're looking for, isn't it?" the sorceress said her guess.

"The answer is correct." Brian smiled at her, but the latter's beautiful white eyes responded to him.

"Strange, why is the passage leading to the Shadow Plane called the Gate of Twilight?"

Kara Dena found another point of the question. She sat on the table casually, shaking her white and slender legs, looked at the thoughtful Brian, and asked curiously: "There must be some story hidden in it." .”

"Because it was the Twilight Lord who made this door." Brian looked around and answered the sorceress' question, "There is a very inconspicuous legend that mentioned that the Twilight Lord once studied the power of shadows and finally established A passage to the world of shadows, never to return."

300 years ago, there was a prosperous tribe who lived in the land between Thunder Peak and the realm of the elves.

They called themselves: Sethlund, and their lord was called by the people: Twilight Lord.

Later, the Lord of Bow Valley accused the Lord of Twilight of polluting the land with his research into necromancy and other dark forces.

Thus, war broke out.

Whether or not the allegation is true, that is the way it is.

Eventually, Bow Valley's army destroyed the town of Sethlund, and after three weeks of massacres, the civilization disappeared.

Most of the remaining people moved west into the kingdom of Cormyr, and most of the wealth was brought back to the Bow Valley by the raiders.

And Sethlund just disappeared from history and was gradually forgotten.

Only a few scholars still debate the fate of the Twilight Lords.

Some believe he is dead, others believe that he relies on powerful undead magic to maintain his existence.

Judging from earlier folklore, the latter may be true: the Twilight Lord fled to Guangze, where he has lived in seclusion ever since.

After 150 years, the belief that the Twilight Lord lived in seclusion in Guangze gradually disappeared.

Only a handful insist that he's still here, in the form of a lich...

"I see." The sorceress who listened with gusto couldn't help but look at Brian a few more times, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to know so many hidden histories."

"There are records in the historical area of ​​the Crown Hall." Brian glanced at her and said, "The history and speculation about the 'Twilight Lord' was written by your teacher Sandra Cote himself."

"Okay..." Kara Dena's cheeks flushed slightly, and she felt a little embarrassed for no reason.

Brian didn't bother to talk to her, and after finishing off the two groups of unlucky patrols who broke in here again, they passed through the fortress buildings non-stop, and came to a low stone tower.

There are no windows on this tower, no light source, and it is as dark and gloomy as a cellar.

Five emaciated lizardfolk and a young woman were also handcuffed to the wall, and they did not respond to their presence.

These lizard people and the only human looked very haggard and tired.

Brian waved his hand and used magic to open their shackles. After a brief understanding, just as he imagined, these lizardmen were all from the Sharptooth tribe.

For example, the old shaman's wife Asha, and their former leader Ganran.

The only thing that surprised Brian was a Bede barbarian named Brunhiti.

This young barbarian female warrior was not only tall, but also had an extremely rare beauty among the Bedai barbarian tribe.

Her fiery red hair is now tied into a refreshing ponytail and hangs behind her head, her big eyes are shining with clear light like stars in the sky, her straight nose bridge, and her slightly thick lips all reveal her beauty. The stubbornness in the character of a barbarian woman.

Despite being exposed to the sun for many years, the fair skin is still smooth and delicate, and the feeling of touching it is the same as the oil extracted from whale fat.

Seeing this, Brian immediately understood that it's no wonder that Ecacia, the eighth prince of Shadow City, is so obsessed with her.

According to the other party's narration, let him know that the female barbarian was originally imprisoned by the eighth prince in the floating city of Sacross, and the second prince Yada couldn't stand it, so he released her secretly and guided her through Guangze, Take refuge in Cormyr.

As a result, I happened to meet someone from the Church of Shar and imprisoned him here, planning to send him back to the eighth prince Ecacia after the mission was over.

As for why she didn't return to her Bedai barbarian tribe, there was no doubt that she had become the only survivor in the Griffon tribe in the Ennook Desert.

Brian didn't waste too much time, and after guiding the group of lizardmen to a path, he continued to lead Kaladna to find the Twilight Gate in the fortress.

"Why did you guide that female barbarian named Brunhiti to a different path from the lizardman?" The danger in the fort was lifted, and the sorceress' high-heeled shoes clicked cheerfully on the marble floor, and she caught up with Brian walking side by side, and asked with a puzzled face:
"Didn't you say that you have informed the governor of Huailun City to go to Guangze and let the lizardmen of the Sharp Tooth tribe sign a pledge of allegiance to Cormyr. Why don't you let her go back with the lizardmen? Wouldn't it be more convenient?"

"Have you ever heard a word." Brian stopped and looked at Kaladna, "It's hard to persuade the damn ghost."

"Why do you say that?" Kaladna was stunned.

"During the communication with this female barbarian just now, I already felt her outspoken hatred for the Shade people. After all, they wiped out the Griffon tribe." Brian said calmly:

"Let this kind of person go with the army of the kingdom. I am worried that it will bring danger to them, so I simply let her fend for herself."

He has long known how infatuated Ekasia, the eighth prince of the City of Shadows, is with this female barbarian. If she is really asked to return to the Kingdom of Cormyr with the governor of Huailun City, he is worried that he will encounter Ekasia who is going to pursue her on the way. .

Obviously, this mid-legendary ghost ranger is a disaster for the entire lizardman tribe and the archon's troops.

Kara Dena nodded half-understood, with a smile on the corner of her mouth: "I thought you were the kind of person who couldn't walk when you saw a beautiful girl, and you would definitely reach out to help her out." Wow, I didn't expect you to be quite thoughtful."

"Am I that kind of person?" Brian glanced at the sorceress who was teasing him angrily, and said with a stern face, pretending to be displeased.

He didn't know much about this Bedai barbarian girl, only that the Eighth Prince of Shadow City was very obsessed with her, and the latter was flattering, just looking for opportunities for revenge.

Therefore, he didn't want to add a lot of trouble to himself because of this unexpected change.

"Isn't it?" Kara Dena obviously didn't like his tricks, she puffed out her full chest, and asked her soul torture without showing any weakness, "If not, why did you rescue Hesaiah in the dark area in the first place? .”

"The nature of the two is different, forget it, I'm too lazy to explain to you." Brian didn't want to chat with her, left a word, quickened his pace, and continued to walk deep into the fortress.

They came to a large courtyard at the deepest point, the ground inside had already been eroded into a layer of mud.

It seems that there was once a garden here.

But now it has been covered by dense weeds, vines and shrubs.

The vegetation grew so profusely that there was almost no place to set foot on the ground, and the wall on the north side was submerged by the vegetation growing inside and outside.

The growth direction of the vegetation spreads towards the tower, appearing dark and silent.

Brian led the sorceress into the tower. There was a rickety spiral staircase in the center of the octagonal room, which passed through the hole in the ceiling and led to the upper floor.

They didn't hesitate anymore, they stepped up the spiral staircase and came to the top floor of the tower. Just as he thought, there was an open-air obsidian altar.

Brian stared at the sky where the afterglow of the setting sun was about to disappear, thought for a while, took out the shadow stone fragment, and placed it in the center of the obsidian altar.

as predicted.

In just a moment, amidst the surge of shadow energy, a portal with a dark gray scene quietly appeared in front of the two of them.

Apparently, this is the twilight door to the Shadow Plane.

"Finally, we have found a passage to the Shadow Plane. Be vigilant, the next task will become very difficult. If you accidentally die inside, I will not collect your body."

Brian took the Shadow Stone, reminded the sorceress who was very interested in looking at the portal, and led her through the portal and disappeared on the tower.

…………

(End of this chapter)