"I found him." Wizard Tapu opened the door, and a puff of smoke rushed towards him, hitting the invisible shield two inches in front of his eyes. After the harsh biting sound, the wizard waved his sleeves, and the mist fell straight to the ground, turning into granular ash. He stepped through the ashes and looked around the hall. "Oh, they actually have a library."
"It's just a stolen book," his companion said casually.
"This is just a stronghold, not the main city. Why did the devil build a house like this at the checkpoint?"
"Just ask him then." A bolt of lightning flew out of the sleeve and hit the bookshelf with a "crack" sound. It was hit suddenly and fell backwards, causing several wooden shelves to collapse together, causing dust to fly for a while. There was a sound above the wizard's head, and something hit the shield. He couldn't help but look up and realized that the books placed by the wall were shaken down.
"Pay attention!" he complained.
His companion ignored him and was dragging the target out from under a pile of papers. Tapu suddenly realized that the other party was actually a girl wearing a skirt. She was hit by a book and was not protected by a shield, so she was unconscious at the moment.
"How interesting." The companion chuckled, "The young girl reading in the library is actually a demon in human skin. She is so fashionable. Is she the 'leader'?"
She must not be here to study. "Just wake her up."
"Come here." The companion threw the person to him and turned to search the inner room. Tapu had no choice but to spend his magic power to wake the girl up.
The questions bored him. This girl was said to be a target, but in fact she was just the nearest unknown person discovered by her companions. Maybe she was of low status, or she was simply a mortal who was being coerced. This kind of people usually don't know anything when asked, and what they get out of torture are trivial matters. Their real target "leader" is still hiding in the town.
I don't know when we will find this person, Tapp thought, maybe we don't have such luck.
When the girl woke up, she cried and begged him to let her go, pleading incoherently about her innocence. The wizard didn't listen to her, but he wasn't upset at all. He just left her to the soldiers guarding the door. There are also mortals among these following soldiers, but they are fully armed, which is more than enough to deal with a weak woman who has lost her demonic abilities. Every time Tapu hunted demons, he would bring a few of these soldiers with him, otherwise his companions would leave all the chores to Tapu.
At this time, the men he sent to find the ladder returned and reported: "Master Wizard, all the shuttle stations in the town have been destroyed. And, uh..."
"Say it."
"Someone sneaked into the camp and burned Lord Nakli's tent. We were unable to find his men."
"Find the nightingale?"
The soldier lowered his head. "Find Lord Nakli. He is missing. There are no traces of Nightingale in the camp, another Lord Wizard assured."
Undoubtedly bad news. Tapp has no connection with Nakli, but the latter is the only wizard in the team who has mastered the ladder technology. He himself is a "Durdu sect", and the wizard guarding the camp is a "theological sect". He is stubborn, adheres to Gaia's creed of mercy, and knows nothing about the rectangular ladder. As for Tapu's companion Tevarit, he was from the "Truth Sect" and practiced magic patterns and spells. However, he served in the team of ascetic judges and was an out-and-out demon hunter. He was required to The technique of meeting the ladder is really difficult. Looks like we'll have to hike back to the main group.
The load had to be lightened, Tapp realized. We don’t have that many horses and the town’s resources have been severely damaged. He began to regret allowing Tevarit to act recklessly.
"Tap." At this time, his companion just returned empty-handed, looking unhappy. "Did you ask for something?"
"Nakli is missing." Tapu said frankly, "But I think he is dead. The priest did not catch the assassin. This must be the devil's revenge."
Tevarit came closer, and Tapp felt a shadow coming over him. The Judge is two heads taller than ordinary people, with broad shoulders and a broad back, and thick limbs. One glance can make people fearful. He was holding a nine-foot spear and his eyes were unfocused and dull, which revealed the cruelty of the warrior.
"Then how to go back?" he asked. As Tapp expected, Tevarit was unconcerned about Nakli's whereabouts.
"Hiking. No one here can fly, and there's a bunch of luggage."
"I don't like this idea."
"That's all. Let's go." Tapu didn't ask about their target "leader." Since the camp was attacked, the other party would obviously not be nearby. Most of the people in the town are old, weak, sick, disabled, or simply mortals. There are only a handful of people who can kill Nakli, and most of them are the ones who lead the way.
"You have to lighten your load." Tevarit pointed his spear at the "prey" and said, "Throw away the useless things."
Tapp agreed. "Gather the prisoners together," he ordered the soldiers, "and let the priests pray. We will set off back soon, and we must purify this filthy place before we leave."
"It's really troublesome." Tevarit complained, "I think the demon's blood is enough to purify the land, so there is no need to do anything more. Don't forget, these demons also claim to be followers of the gods."
However, this is a requirement of the school, and neither Tapu nor Tevarit has the right to change it. Demon hunters who gather under the banner of Order are not just from the School of Silence. Tapu had seen the Oath Keepers Alliance team, and several strange-looking guys gathered around the fire to exchange feelings. He had no intention of talking to them, and the same was true for Tevarit and others.
After Master "Second Truth" returned to Wizard's Cliff, some people in the school began to promote the argument that the Seven Pillars would rebuild the alliance, especially Tapu's "Durdu" faction. He himself is happy to see this happen, and the big shots seem to be tacitly approving of it. People say the "eccentric expert" narrowly escaped death at the hands of a demon lord and is desperate for revenge.
But Tapu hasn't seen this law wizard for a long time. When the demon hunting movement began, the Holy Council of Radiance took the lead in raising its flag, followed by the Tower and the Oath Keepers Alliance. A few wizards watched cautiously, while most people were still immersed in the death of Lord "Tattoo" and the turmoil of the Gaia Church. in the current situation. The ascetic sect was electing a leader, but the theological sect tried their best to obstruct it. Both sides criticized each other at the school seminar, and the truth sect took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. But no matter how loud the noise was, the law wizards were not present in person.
The camp was ablaze with fireworks. The priest stood expressionlessly in front of Nakli's tent, and the night made his robe seem to be flowing with the afterglow of divinity. Tevarit complained all the way, and was still chattering now, but Tapp kept his mouth shut. Many wizards despised the gods, but he was a godly man.
"Everyone is here?" Tevarit said, "Okay, let's start quickly. There is still a long way to go." He is the captain of this demon hunting team.
The pastor looked up at the night sky, and Tapu couldn't help but raise his head as well. The Broken Moon has fallen into the twin stars of Firestone. The night sky is clear and there are no clouds or mists. The priest pointed to the tent, and the soldiers silently dragged the prisoners into it. The nightingales of the demon society have caused havoc here, and the evil mystery still remains on the scaffold. The demon containers hidden in the town are gathered here and destroyed.
The flames rose and Tapu lowered his head. The shadows of the crowd danced wildly on the ground.
"Praise the God of all things, all worlds, and all spirits. Praise the first, the most ancient, the most powerful Lord." The priest chanted, and the mortals prayed after him.
Their voices were so pious that Tevarit felt uneasy. The inquisitor stared at the rotting fence in front of the camp, as if looking for evidence of his guilt. "Fake it," he muttered.
Wizards from the "theological school" would not be so straightforward. Tap guessed that it was for this reason that he ended up in the ranks of the judges. The wizard apprentices will think that the judge is a symbol of power and honor, but truth is above all else and must be the origin of the gods. Few wizards from the truth sect are willing to become judges.
The tent darkened in the firelight, as if filth was gradually revealed, and the pieces shattered and curled under the high temperature, finally emitting a warm and flickering light. The demons faded away along with their traces. Tapp climbed onto his horse, thinking of the Union tavern. It was a real campground, not just a few tents outside a small town. Alliance soldiers and paladins camped and rested, covering both ends of the river bank. The number of mysterious creatures gathered there was the largest Tapp had ever seen in his life.
The journey was long and tiring, and no demons were encountered. The town is located on the edge of the forest, has no main house, and is not wealthy. The unknown took control of the town and ransacked the warehouses as they fled. Tapu's demon hunting team arrived suddenly and caught them off guard, but they couldn't find much loot. Now there are only three horses in the town, which is not enough to pull the cart and load the goods, and it is difficult to allocate transportation mounts. It took them six days to reach the camp, and the last horse arrived lame.
As he approached the camp, Tapu could smell the stench. Thousands of animals, people, semi-human and non-human mysterious creatures gathered together, countless tents and sheds, countless simple houses, countless vehicles, boats and pontoons - all gathered together. At this moment, the camp can even be called a city.
"Why are we so close? People should live separately before leaving." Tewarit complained to the officer when handing over the task.
"There's something fun to see." The officer replied, "You will go too."
"What's the excitement?"
"Warming up before the battle. Next one!" He pushed the team aside and ignored them.
Tapu points the rewards and distributes them among the team members. The priest was talking to the mortals in the camp, and Tevarit would rather talk to his spear than talk to them. He had to look for them one by one.
"The long ears of the Alliance fought with the apprentices of the Truth Sect, and seven people died." The pastor said about the news he had learned.
Tapu was not surprised. Not long ago, the Silent School and the Oath Keepers Alliance went to war in the waters of the tower's tributary nation. "This kind of thing is always inevitable. Which side has more people dying?"
"Of course they are aliens." Tevarit interrupted, "If the count is greater than five, they don't know how to count."
"Maybe there are seven-fingered aliens." Tapu had never seen them before.
The priest prayed in a low voice: "May their souls rest in peace. The real war has not yet come, but people have already lost their lives in a trivial friction."
"There will be more, Priest. I've long had a distaste for those bastards guarding the Oathkeepers."
Tapp didn't know who in the world he liked. "No matter what, just don't die as Nakli's companion." He was already exhausted and just wanted to find a place to rest. "I don't want to cause trouble."
The priest and Tevarit were still in high spirits, discussing the topic of the coalition. "The Paladins asked both sides to stop, but if you ask me, they are afraid that their allies will look too ugly. The Oath Keepers Alliance and the Radiant Council have always had close ties. Lord Pentaba ignored their requests and allowed the wizards of the school to come to the alliance's territory. camp. Finally, the mediator is the astrologer of Cloyin Tower."
"Crointar," Tevarit repeated, "a fair judge. They say astrologers only help the winner."
"The leader of the tower is 'Lion' Zachary, but he came with the Oath Keepers Alliance."
"There seems to be no connection between the tower and the Oath Keepers Alliance."
"The lion is the only 'connection'." The priest pointed out, "Ronald Zachary was born in the lion tribe and is a member of the Tower's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Do you still remember that rumor?"
"He broke up with the Lion King for a woman, right?" Tevarit chuckled, "And the Queen of Light in the Twinkling Pool... they are all beauties. Your Excellency the Lion is truly a role model for our generation."
Tapu felt uneasy. It is said that saints are no different from gods and can hear the words spoken to them by mortals. The Queen of Light Yin Wenjielin is one of the three saints. Besides, even if we don't mention Queen Sita, now that the people from the tower are gathering with members of the alliance, it's better to say less about these rumors. "I'm going to go for a walk, you guys talk first." He hurried away.
But everyone is talking about: the Tower, the Oath Keepers, the past, the Order... You can't pretend to be deaf and dumb. A large number of adventurers and soldiers were mixed together, spaceships landed and rose from time to time, and merchants even scattered to form a market. More people gathered in the center of the camp to watch two men wearing distinctive coats of arms fight on horseback.
What a mess, Tapp thought, until he saw other members of the school, Shania Ravenus of the "Truth Sect", Grad Thelmer of the "Secret Box", and the people who thought they died in Anto. Ross’s “eccentric expert” Ozzie Cranky, who still wears that ridiculous hat with the balloon attached. The three Your Excellencies sat high on the floating platform, calmly accepting the attention of the crowd.
Opposite them was Cardinal Asiscroft Notland, who was smiling and saying something to his neighbor. Paladin Commander Laimons Theodore sat beside him, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his face expressionless.
The astrologers at Cloyin in the Tower of Sky also have positions, but there is only "Lion" Ronald. His position was arranged next to the dwarf king Barnet of the Oath Keepers Alliance, completely separated from the "Sheep Lady" Felicia Hornfoot, and there were a few rows of empty chairs on the other side. Although it was just anecdotal that the Lions were tangled up with every woman in sight, Tapp didn't believe it if the people who arranged the seats didn't take it into consideration. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.
At this moment, one person in the field was defeated, and he and his horse flew out of the ring. The audience cheered and wished the winner in various languages. Cardinal Aissicro rose to his feet and unleashed a ray of divine light to save the lives of the vanquished. "A point for the Oath Keepers!" he shouted. "Well done, boy. A good wielder of a spear! You have talent."
The winner waves his arms excitedly, enjoying the cheers and admiration. The cardinal spoke in person, which made him feel a great honor. He gestured with his spear to the audience and provocatively said: "I grant you failure!"
Unfortunately, the direction he pointed was exactly where the wizards of the Silent School were watching the battle. "Secret Box" and Sir Shania did not change their expressions, but the wizards of the school collectively booed, feeling that their dignity was being challenged.
I don’t know what a fool is, Tapp thought. He was exhausted before the battle, and his head was easily chopped off by the demon on the battlefield. After all, these guys have probably lived comfortably under the protection of the Fulcrum for half their lives. They have never even touched a sharp knife a few times, and they can only do some tricks to attract attention!
While thinking about it, the player from the Oath Keepers Alliance had already won another round. Two similar-looking catwomen threw bouquets of flowers at him. The audience's cheers echoed through the sky, and several pontoon boats stopped to watch. A dozen mysterious creatures wearing the same coat of arms as the contestant shouted at the top of their lungs and gave him hero-like treatment. Tapu had heard enough and was about to turn around and find a place to rest...
"...I'll challenge you." Someone shouted. Judge Tevarit picked up the spear as if it were a toothpick. He jumped suddenly and landed in the middle of the competition stage.
Tapp paused, unable to pretend that he wasn't interested in the fight. Now the Alliance fool's luck has come to an end.
"It's worth seeing." The priest's voice came to my ears. He changed into a robe, held a scripture in his hand, and stood behind Tapu at some point. "The score is of extraordinary significance. It is related to the weight of the school in the alliance. After all, it is impossible for the Lords of the Sky Realm to do it themselves. We have agreed to let the ring-level mystics compete. The winner will score points and the loser will deduct points. Tevarit at least It gets ten points.”
"I think it's twenty points." Before he could finish the conversation, the Oath Keepers player, who had been so proud for two games, was knocked off his horse. His opponent was chasing after him and stabbing him. He hurriedly got up, which attracted bursts of laughter. Eventually, Tevarit displayed him on a spear, but accidentally cut off his belt. The "Lion" laughed loudly when he saw this, Shania and "Ms. Sheep" turned away politely, and the "Secret Box" rarely touched the corner of its mouth to show appreciation. When Tapu looked up, he saw the catwomen throwing bouquets before and their ears were shaking with laughter.
"One point for the Silent School." Bishop Aisikro said pleasantly, "Who is the next challenger? Don't be afraid, this is just an isolated phenomenon."
Tevarit had just left the person to his companions and was picking up his pants on the ground. He nodded when he heard this. He did not provoke arrogantly, nor did he speak modestly. He only paused his spear and looked around.
Tapu watched an elf knight flying onto the stage, and was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. "Someone is looking for you," the priest said.
"Tap." The person who came was a small lion man with white mane and pink eyes. A cart stopped behind him. "haven't seen you for a long time."
"It's you." Tapu replied hesitantly. I've met this guy before, not as an acquaintance, just a casual acquaintance... Where is he? He doesn't look like a member of the school of thought.
"How is my compass? Has it ever helped you out of trouble?"
Now he remembered. Before leaving, the team bought many items from this man, including a compass and mysterious pansy seeds, and the former was still in his luggage. "Oh," Tapp said covertly, "it does help on starless nights."
"Come on, Tapu. You can't see anything without stars, and my pointer won't shine." The white-haired lion merchant smiled and patted the wizard's shoulder in a friendly manner. "But I have new products here, so finding your way at night won't be a problem. Come."
Tapu was paying attention to the game and didn't want to pay for a lion man's junk, but the other party opened the suitcase in the car with a bang, and a lot of broken pieces shimmered and accumulated in the wooden box. "Luminous compass!" the businessman showed.
It seems to be of some use, Tap couldn't help but think. He looked around casually and found that there was no more valuable product than the luminous compass, so he lost interest. "That's it." He agreed. Instead of squandering the reward gold coins on taverns and prostitutes, it's better to exchange them for something useful.
Businessmen also have no intention of bargaining. The glimmer of light attracted the attention of many viewers, and he was very busy. On the ring, Tevarit met his nimble opponent, and it was hard to tell the difference between the two sides. After a while, the bored spectators around him rushed to the white-haired lion man's suitcase to join in the fun.
The pastor was not involved. He waited for Tapu's transaction to be completed and motioned for the wizard to come to the tent. "These glow-in-the-dark toys are imported from Fife Tanner," the priest revealed to Tapp.
What the hell. "Faf Tanner," Tapp repeated. "Mist elf?"
"The Oath Keepers Alliance must send someone to the Kingdom of Faftanna to ask for an alliance."
And the Mist Elf is likely to agree. Tapp thought. He raised his head and looked at the empty chair next to the "Lion" in the tower. "The Oath Keepers, the Tower of Cloyin, the Council of Radiance, the School of Silence, and Faf Tanner. Gods, there are actually five mysterious fulcrums gathered here."
"Maybe we can also see green elves and lizard men." The priest said without a smile. "If the legend is true, such a grand event is not unprecedented. The seven major pivots have formed an alliance to resist the demons and evil dragons of hell..."
"This is unprecedented." Tapp asserted, "The evil dragon is just a character in a nursery rhyme, a phantom created by the demon society. Of course, people have indeed experienced threats from hell, but the main body of hell is probably Gavash, the fallen plane. stop."
"Many people believe in superstition."
Anyway, I don't believe it. "Why wait until the seven pillars form an alliance?" Tapu thought of Nakli's tent submerged in thick smoke. "The devil is just a mouse, every cat can catch it."
Suddenly, bursts of cheers erupted in the arena, and Tevarit jumped off the ring, giving way to a foreigner with purple light all over his body. The Inquisitor frowned as he studied his victorious opponent, who made a face at him.
"This guy is like a grape, it will explode if you poke it." Tevarit said to the team members displeased.
"Glowing grapes?"
"There will be lizardfolk who like him. I heard that there is a mysterious race of purple-skinned people living underground. The monks call them drow. Here's a glass of wine."
"It's a night elf," the priest corrected. "You can continue to drink and have fun. I want to pray in front of the statue. Soon, the real war will come." He watched with cold eyes as the goods of the white-haired lion were sold out. After the crowd dispersed, he walked slowly across the path.
Tevarit put his arm around Tapp's shoulders and smiled: "Nakli's disappearance frightened him. We should find some newcomers instead of old warriors. What do you think of Sita?"
Tapu never thought: "Sita?"
"Shortly after the school agreed to the alliance, Yin Wenjielin returned to Knox, bringing with her a pool of disciples and grandchildren." Tewarit seemed not to mind the failure of the talent, "The priest is right, we will have to join forces soon. On the battlefield, I need sharper claws..."
"The Oath Keepers Alliance!" the referee shouted, "the alliance's points are in first place! Let us congratulate Ye Weston from the Twinkling Pool! He brought a brilliant victory to the alliance!"
