章 66: Out of Control (Part 1)
編集者: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Even though Saleen did not know anything about alchemy architecture, he was an expert on the principles of magic. The surroundings of the tower obviously had not fit in with the architecture of the original castle. Even though there had been some attempts to make it appear old and some signs of corrosion due to magic, Saleen could still tell that these constructions had been built later.
The four large constructions that had been built at a later time had made the tower a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. There must have been some secret hidden within this tower.
If Aini had dared to take action against Baron Cook, he must have known some things about what was happening below.
"Altar." After saying this word, Aini started coughing violently.
"Is it dangerous?"
"Yes." Aini stopped coughing and said, "I will have Flamenco go down first."
The metal plate had almost finished corroding. A soldier fell into the dense fog and landed beside Saleen. He wasn’t moving and was completely dead. Flamenco waved his heavy sword and cut an entrance out of the metal plate. Saleen released two Fluorescence spells to light the way ahead.
Under the blueish green light, a large body was lying in the middle of the stairway, his head below and his legs above. A spear had pierced through his heart completely, pinning him to the floor.
With the Nut mercenaries in front, Aini walked in the middle while Saleen was at the back. After about ten meters, just as they were about to reach the bottom floor, Aini stopped.
"Saleen, the effect of the poisonous pill is still present."
Saleen hurriedly released a cleaning spell, a Grade 0 magic. Saleen usually used this to clean his body, but in reality this magic had not been created for showering or cleaning clothes, but rather to disperse poisonous gases. Just like the Grade 1 Fire Magic, Fire Washing spell, the cleaning spell was used as magic in daily life.
The poisonous gases at the bottom floor were quickly removed by the cleaning spell. Aini was no longer surprised that Saleen’s knowledge of magic surpassed his.
This level was connected to the surface, but the road to the exit had been sealed shut by a metal gate, forming an enclosed space. There were a table and chairs in the room. Aini commanded Flamenco to push aside the table and expose the metal plate below. Complicated magic streaks appeared on the metal plate.
Magic lock? Saleen furrowed his brows.
A magic lock was Grade 0 magic; however, its effect varied with the grade of the mage that casted it. This was the same as alchemy. Saleen saw Aini sprawled on the ground, studying the magic streaks. He felt a tinge of regret. If he had known Aini had such a character, seeking revenge for petty grievances, he wouldn’t have insulted Aini at all.
Now that he was in the same boat as Aini, it was too late. Since they had already offended the baron, it would be wise not to offend the Clyde family now.
There was no way ahead and he wanted to turn back! Saleen thought of another magic saying.
Saleen liked to be in control of the situation, and that was a must for any excellent mage. Aini, however, had let the situation spin out of control. A mage who knew how to shoot fireballs was not the best mage, nor was he the worst. The worst mage would make a mess of a situation. If Aini had lasted until Saleen had taken care of the situation, it would not have been too late for revenge.
"How much longer?" Saleen was a little anxious. He didn’t know how long Baron Cook would be able to last up top.
"Luckily, it’s a Baldur’s Gate." Aini smiled and took out a key, inserting it into the small hole at the center of the magic pattern. He lightly twisted the key and the magic pattern split from the center into three parts, revealing the entrance.
"Flamenco, you’ll wait here and kill anyone who comes close." Aini instructed while letting the rest of the people from the Nut Mercenary enter the hole first. Flamenco had entirely lost his will to fight back. Answering in a daze, he carried his heavy sword and faced the stairway leading to the top of the tower.
Entering underground, a cold wind blew, carrying a smell of decay along with it. Saleen immediately cast a cleaning spell, trying his best to get rid of the foul air before casting two more Fluorescence spells to extend the radius of the glow.
The stairway was wide and long. Saleen counted a thousand and four hundred steps before their group reached flat ground.
This was a natural underground cave, gloomy and wide. At the center of the cave was a four-sided altar.
At the center was a stone platform that was one meter high. Black magic symbols were carved onto the stone platform. There were curved patterns in between these symbols that were etched deeply into the stone, forming a connected trough. Saleen could smell blood. Nailisi was even more sensitive and swallowed her saliva. It was almost as if she could see the offerings that had been placed on the platform in the past.
Black mages loved to cut open people’s blood vessels, laying them on that altar and letting the blood run dry. This blood would flow through the trough between the symbols into a magic array, and was part of the offerings.
"How do we leave?" Saleen surveyed the surroundings, not seeing another entryway.
"Provide the offerings and naturally there will be an exit," Aini replied calmly. He was much more familiar with the Qin Empire’s history than Saleen and was more knowledgeable when it came to the altars of black mages.
Offerings?
Saleen’s turned his attention to the four mercenaries, feeling a sense of despair for them. However, Saleen would not plead for the lives of these people. Baron Cook was more likely dead than alive by now, and once the scarecrows made their way in, he would not be able to survive either.
Aini commanded the four mercenaries to lay on the stone platform of the altar and took out a small knife. Turning his head suddenly, he asked Saleen, "Do you think I am too cruel?"
Saleen looked into the eyes of the four mercenaries. They hadn’t completely lost their minds and there was a sense of fear through their confusion. It was an attachment to life itself.
"Nobody is innocent in this world," Saleen answered nonchalantly.
"What if my offerings increase the power of the black mage and call upon the devil?" Aini ran his fingers lightly along the mercenary’s neck, finding his pulse. Under the light of the Fluorescence spell, his sickly face seemed slightly sinister.
"It sounds better than dying in here." Saleen voice was stern. Aini was too cautious and was still testing his limits.
"Once the devil is called upon, misery will be bestowed upon all of us…"
Aini’s knife had a chilly gleam, pressing against the mercenary’s neck. Aini glanced at Saleen.
"Aini, if you’re going to take so long to do this, we might not live to see that day." Saleen looked into Aini’s eyes. The sounds of a soldier’s weapons clashing could be heard even from here. Flamenco is already fighting the enemy. I wonder if Baron Cook or the headless riders have come down.
Saleen eyes were clear and cold, his heart free of struggles. He was no martyr, and even if the devil really was revived this time, Saleen had no intentions of giving up.
Dying or escaping, this was not a problem. However, he had not dared to answer Aini’s words directly, as he was not entirely sure of all the secrets of contract magic. Learning from the experiences of the Nut Mercenary had made Saleen more cautious.
Aini smiled. The knife in his hand slit the artery of the mercenary. Fresh blood poured out into the trough, slowly accumulating onto a magic array on the stone platform. Aini’s hands were unusually calm. One by one, he slit the throats of the mercenaries and threw the knife down in disgust. He had a sort of hatred deep down in his heart for black magic. But for the sake of survival, he had no choice but to use fresh blood to open the doors of the altar.
Fresh blood flowed increasingly into the stone trough. A dim light glowed from the magic array, covering the entire stone platform. A low metal machine sound was emitted and the stone platform split into two halves to expose a dark, gloomy hole.
Black magic did not rely on the powers of elemental energy. Hence, when black mages wreaked havoc, many alchemists were caught to service these black mages. Even though most alchemists refused to work for them, many were more afraid of death and had helped create such mechanisms for the black mages.
"It doesn’t seem too troublesome." Aini acted relaxed and held up his weapon, swinging it around twice. Flames spewed out from the two hollow sides of his weapon and lit up the hole below.
According to the Book of Taboo, the passageway behind an altar was where a black mage would enter and exit from. Those who believed in black magic would use fresh blood to open the doors of darkness, and a black mage would appear, giving these disciples magic powers.
Hence, mages refused to accept that this was magic and were certain that it was a form of divinity.
Suddenly, an intense vibration occurred in the hole. The stone walls around them started shaking and cracks began to appearing on its smooth surface. Pieces of huge rocks fell apart and landed on the floor. These rocks grew hands and legs and began to crawl up, slowly forming a stone figure.
"Run, it’s a golem!" Saleen shouted. Aini did not dare stay any longer. No matter how dangerous the tunnel was, it was safer than staying here with the golems.
Aini ran into the tunnel with Sika following right behind, separating Aini and Saleen. She felt that Aini was a dangerous person and even though he, like Saleen, was a low-grade mage and had no magic chords, Sika did not drop her guard.
Behind the short tunnel was a stone room. It was spotless without any sign of ruin. This was where a black mage waited for the offerings of his disciples back in the days. Behind the stone room was another tunnel used for escape. The fact that black mages did not understand the principles behind teleportation portals had allowed Saleen and the others to escape successfully.
The tunnel was dark, and under their feet came crackling noises. Saleen could not help but glance below and found the floor scattered with crushed bones. These bones did not give off any dim light and had evidently been processed by black mages.
"Aini, why is there a road of bones here?" Saleen was not familiar with black magic but roads of bones were infamous. It seemed as though this altar really could call upon the devil. Saleen started bracing himself. Why hadn’t a place like this been destroyed? Leaving it here was certainly a disaster.
"How would I know? It wasn’t written in the books!" Aini’s face was paler than before. The appearance of the road of bones had led to him losing his confidence.
This setup was definitely a high-grade black magic altar.
There were many crossroads on the two sides of the road of bones. All of them led to a dead end and were used to hide soldiers. The four of them sped up and walked for over ten minutes before coming to a huge cave. They must have left the radius of the castle.
The weapon in Aini’s hands spewed flames, lighting up the whole cave. As the wind blew, the flames fluttered. Everything in the cave could be seen clearly and even Sika’s face changed color.
In front of them were hundreds of headless riders, and in the middle of all the headless riders was an enormous beast. Unmoving, its pair of eyes reflected the light from the flames.
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