After the group entered the forest, the blue light curtain slowly closed behind them, as if it had a life of its own. They soon found that the inside and outside of the light curtain were two completely different worlds. It was still after noon outside, but it was already dusk inside the light curtain. There seemed to be a blue curtain hanging in the sky, and there were a few stars hanging in the distance, like the scenery after dusk.
And a hundred steps away, the woodland was gloomy.
The huge contrast made everyone vigilant. Maynild and Freya gently pulled out their long swords and looked around. There seemed to be some kind of uneasiness lurking in the air, sending chills down their spines.
Brando looked at the strange shadows in the woodland. They were already in a valley, and the hills in the distance were immersed in the night. In the north, the sky was dark purple like the silent night. This hill was called the "Twilight Hill" in The Amber Sword, and in his memory, it should be the southwest corner of Milos' Breath.
At the entrance of this area, there should be a lair of dusk hounds, an ancient subspecies of canine devilbeast. It had long been extinct in Wohnde, but there were still a few in some black forests.
"My Lord, as you said, which direction should we go now?" Laurenna asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"The guide mentioned that there should be a path leading to the 'Atrium' here," Brando silently recalled the text on the guide. "The Twilight Hill is the best entrance to Milos' Breath. The lair guarding the gate is a devilbeast called dusk hound. The passage through the dusk hound's lair extends north to the 'Atrium'. There is a treasure location at point A and point B, and these two locations were explored by the 'Crimson Wing Brigade' and the 'Crystal Apple' Guild in 385 and 387 respectively." If this was the first time this dungeon had been explored, then the treasure location mentioned in the guide might still exist. His gaze searched the forest for a moment, and he suddenly realized that this endless valley was actually a passageway. Brando's gaze extended forward, and the dark green hills on both sides meandered to the north, which was also consistent with the description in the guide.
After confirming this, Brando had a plan. "Let's move along this valley. Be careful of the Demonic Spirits on the way. Try not to use magic or activate magic tools. Use open flames for illumination. Use of illuminating crystals is prohibited. "
Although Demonic Spirits were not difficult creatures to deal with, once the battle started, the dissipation of Mana would attract more Demonic Spirits. Some players once said that the Demonic Spirit was the alarm in the Milos' Breath dungeon, and it wasn't baseless.
"Do you understand?"
"Understood." Everyone nodded.
Brando was somewhat satisfied, although his understanding of this dungeon was only limited to the guide. But he knew that in an unknown environment, people were always willing to believe people who seemed to have a card up their sleeve. As the most experienced person in the team, he naturally had to take up this responsibility.
He continued to order, "Scarlet, Metisha, you two lead the way. Ms. Laurenna, please bring up the rear. "
"Yes, my Lord." Metisha nodded on behalf of Scarlet.
"No problem." Laurenna also raised her sheathed sword and placed it on her chest. This was a Cruz Knight's salute — it meant that she was willing to accept orders.
Since no one had any objections, the team was quickly divided. Scarlet and Metisha walked at the front as the eyes of the team. Both of them held spears as they walked through the dense coniferous forest. They soon noticed that as the team went deeper, the sky through the gaps between the layers of branches was getting darker and darker.
From the light red of the evening at the beginning, it became light blue, and then dark blue. Gradually, it was full of stars and became a scene of silence. It was as if they had only walked in the forest for ten minutes, and the sky had turned from evening to late night.
In fact, this was the characteristic of the Dusk Hill. This was the transition area of the Evernight Forest. It was not until they went deep into this area that they truly entered the heart of the forest. The surroundings gradually became dark, but Scarlet lit a torch, and the flames extended in all directions, casting long shadows of the surrounding dense cedar trunks in the woodland. However, where the light could not reach, the darkness seemed even deeper.
The team advanced for about half an hour, and Metisha suddenly noticed that specks of light began to appear in the deep darkness. She immediately recognized that they were the demonic spirits floating between the woodland.
She pulled Scarlet and raised her finger to make a 'be careful' gesture to her.
"What is that?" Scarlet also noticed the specks of light in the forest and asked in a low voice.
"It might be demonic spirits."
"So many!" Scarlet was shocked. In her opinion, there were indeed too many of them. There were at least a hundred of them. She looked at the floating spirits and seemed a little nervous for a moment.
"Don't worry," Metisha said softly, "Although the demonic spirits are scary, they are notoriously blind. As long as they don't use magic, light is invisible to them. As long as we pay attention, there shouldn't be a problem. "
Scarlet nodded doubtfully. In fact, Brando wanted to use Metisha as the team's informant because of her rich combat experience and the innate sensitivity of an Elf. Brando arranged for Scarlet to be his partner to protect the former. After he became an official Planeswalker, Metisha's level and The Shire's level were downgraded together. Although they could level up through gaining experience like him, it had been less than a month since Brando arranged for Scarlet to be his partner.
Because Planeswalker creatures had the flaw of not being able to be resurrected, Brando had to be careful.
Scarlet looked in that direction again, and when she turned back, there was some doubt in her eyes, as if to say, "What do we do now, Metisha?"
The Silver Elf princess understood and whispered, "Scarlet, see if you can go around the left and right sides."
Scarlet was slightly startled and looked at her suspiciously. In theory, although Metisha's strength was a level lower than hers, it was not to the extent that she could not see clearly from such a distance. But as if sensing the Highlander's suspicion, Metisha hurriedly explained, "This place seems to have some kind of restriction on us Heroic Spirits —"
After saying that, she blushed a little. If not for the fact that her 'level' was downgraded too hard to explain, she was really not good at lying. But to be honest, even now she did not understand what this' level 'was, and why it was related to her strength.
Fortunately, under the light of the fire, Scarlet did not see the slightest blush. She nodded and turned back, but her eyes swept across the valley, and found that the demonic spirits in the forest seemed to have blocked all the paths ahead.
After looking carefully for a while, she shook her head slightly.
"Can't I?" Metisha pondered for a moment, and immediately opened the telepathic link, and sent a message to Brando behind her. Not long after, the bushes behind the two girls rustled, and Brando and the others came out from there.
"Metisha, Scarlet."
After getting the news from Metisha, Brando roughly guessed what was going on. He walked out of the forest behind the bushes, looked up, and saw the specks of light in the darkness.
The Evernight Forest was a huge area, and the distribution of monsters in this area was very random, but after the players' exploration, they had found many patterns. Before this, the path that he had pointed out for Metisha and Scarlet was actually a very remote path, and according to the guide, it could avoid most unnecessary battles.
Since they had wasted a lot of time in the Anserra Forest, Brando had to choose this path. But this path was not without worries, and there were also two monster nodes that could not be bypassed in the path they had to pass through. One of them was a place called the Demonic Pool, and the other was the last pass before the atrium, where they had to face the Dusk Hounds and the Hicks.
Brando glanced at the amazing number of demonic spirits in the forest, and roughly determined the location of this place – the Demonic Pool. Although it was not the lair of the demonic spirits, in some ways, it was actually more like a lair.
Demonic spirits in "The Amber Sword" were genuine gold-tier monsters, and normally speaking, to kill so many of them, it would take at least two teams of players to think about it. However, Brando just happened to know an unusual way to deal with these demonic spirits, and in this kind of dungeon that had been thoroughly understood by players in the later stages of the game, there were too many strange strategies.
But he glanced over there, and then looked away. Before he was ready to pass through here, he still had two things to do.
Brando judged the direction and glanced at a place in the darkness, where he saw a huge cedar tree that needed two or three people to encircle.
"Metisha, how tall are you?" He whispered.
The Silver Fairy Princess was slightly taken aback, not expecting her lord to ask such a strange question. She hesitated for a moment, and then somewhat embarrassedly told Brando the answer in the telepathic connection.
Even so, she still heard The Shire chuckling on the side. Brando glared fiercely at that side, and then he said, "About right, come to my side."
"Hmm?" Metisha was a little puzzled, but did as she was told. No one understood what Brando was doing at all, and could only watch in confusion as the Silver Fairy Princess walked to Brando's side with some curiosity. "Lord, what are your orders?"
"Now you're facing me," Brando said, looking at the cedar tree.
"Brando, what are you doing?" Freya was a little puzzled, and in fact, everyone was as puzzled as she was. If she hadn't asked, Firas, who was eagerly behind her, would have already spoken.
"You'll know in a moment," Brando replied.
Metisha hesitated for a moment before continuing to take a step closer. She was now almost face to face with Brando, and could even feel the faint aura coming from his lord. She blushed, ever since she was summoned by Brando, she had never been so close to her master at such an ambiguous distance.
But Brando was still not satisfied, and he pressed down on her shoulder and adjusted her direction. Metisha was startled, and the tip of her nose touched Brando's chest several times.
"Brando!" Freya glared at Brando, and if it weren't for the fact that the enemy was nearby, she would have stabbed him with her sword.
But Brando acted as if he didn't hear her, and only at this moment, he felt as if he had returned to the time in the game, when he was exploring dungeons with trusted companions. He stared at the huge cedar and whispered to Metisha.
"Now, you start from my side, step back ten steps, and then tell me what you feel."
Brando's words sounded a bit like a riddle, but Metisha's trust in him had long reached the point where she could do anything without asking for the reason. She was only slightly startled, then nodded and slowly stepped back.
Everyone saw her step back ten steps and then stop.
"Tell me, what do you feel under your feet?" Brando asked.
Metisha's eyes lit up slightly, looking very strange, "… I feel a faint magic power, like a magic mark. My lord, how do you know there's something here? "
But Brando obviously didn't intend to answer her question for the time being. He took the torch from Scarlet's hand and shone it at Metisha. The fire immediately imprinted the silver Fairy Princess's shadow on the ground, and the others followed Brando's gaze and were stunned.
Because they saw that the shadow behind Metisha clearly had a pair of translucent wings.
"This is …?" Filas couldn't help but be a little flabbergasted.
But Brando secretly exclaimed in his heart, "Just as I thought." Of all the people, only Laurenna was keenly aware of the change in his expression, and the female Knight immediately asked, "Mr. Count, do you know something?"
Brando breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded and replied, "Demonic spirits don't gather in a certain place for no reason, and the origin of this place actually has a little bit to do with the Black Tower Wizards of Karsuk."
"Black Tower Wizards?" This time even The Shire was slightly taken aback, knowing that he used to be a member of the Black Tower Wizards.
Brando smiled slightly, and this time he wasn't lying, it could only be said to be a coincidence. The background of this place in the game did indeed come from the Black Tower Wizards. "The Black Tower Wizards are the most powerful mage organization in Erouine, and like wizards in many other places, their curiosity for secrets and knowledge is unparalleled. Like the Buga Wizards, in order to explore those lost secrets, the Black Tower Wizards' footprints are also all over the ruins of this kingdom. This mysterious forest is no exception. "
"My Lord, you're saying that the Black Tower Wizards once sent an investigation team into this forest, and here …" Laurenna reacted.
"Pretty much what you guessed, but slightly different." Brando recalled the records of this place in the strategy guide as he replied, "The Black Tower Wizards have entered this forest more than once in their hundreds of years of history, and except for the dangerous area in the center, they have long known this area."
He looked at Laurenna and added, "You don't think that guy Arreck would rush into this forest rashly, do you? He must have someone around him who is familiar with this forest, just like me, and maybe that guy is also a Black Tower Wizard."
"But aren't the Black Tower Wizards and the Highland Knight allies, Brando, you …" Freya asked with some confusion.
"There are all kinds of birds in the forest, and not all Black Tower Wizards abide by the Tower Agreement," The Shire immediately explained.
"Exactly," Brando continued, "but this is not the topic we want to discuss. Back then, the Black Tower Wizards probably came here to destroy a very powerful demonic item, and they hoped to use a magic circle here to completely destroy the demonic item from Jorgendy Ridge — "
He paused for a moment, "But there was a traitor in the team at that time, and a wizard was tempted by the demonic power, and in the end, the whole operation was in vain. It is said that the demonic item exploded violently on the magic circle, blowing nearly a hundred Black Tower Wizards and apprentices who accompanied it into ashes. The souls of these people were eroded in the dark magic, and gradually formed demonic spirits that wandered around here. "
"Nearly a hundred wizards?" Laurenna sucked in a breath of cold air in disbelief. She could totally imagine how tragic the scene was at that time.
Everyone else's faces also showed some seriousness.
But Brando just smiled. The whole incident was not as terrible as they had imagined. If the Black Tower Wizards killed nearly a hundred official wizards at once, the organization would not be far from falling apart. There were actually only twelve official wizards, including the traitor, and most of the others were apprentices.
However, the demonic spirits left behind were true, and he continued, "Of course, the demonic item is said to have been destroyed in the explosion, but the Black Tower Wizards still set up an observation post in this place for insurance. This post is said to have been in use for nearly a hundred years, and was only abandoned in the last century. "
"Observation post?" Filas was stunned and couldn't help but look around. "How come I don't see it, has it been torn down?"
"Of course not, the wizards' observation post naturally wouldn't be one of those fortresses you see on a daily basis." At this time, Maynild, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, "Brando, you were looking for the location of that outpost before, weren't you?"
Brando nodded.
"That magic coordinate is a guiding point. The wizards' literature says that the outpost should be next to the cedar tree, in the direction pointed by the shadow of the wings behind Metisha."
"But I don't see anything." Filas looked over there. "Could that thing be in the sky?"
Brando glared at the guy, speechless. Now he was beginning to believe in the guy's bullshit luck. He didn't expect the guy to hit the nail on the head.
He raised his head and replied, "Yes, the real outpost is in the sky. We have to find a way to summon it down. "
"Summon it down?" Laurenna frowned. "I see, it can help us deal with these demonic spirits, right? Since the wizards built such a tower, its original purpose was to guard against these demonic spirits. "
"Exactly," Brando said with slight approval. But he understood that in fact, the Knight from Cruz was not entirely right. In The Amber Sword, there was often more than one way to pass through many plot areas. He also had a way to sneak through the valley without attracting the attention of the demonic spirits. But Brando wasn't going to give up such a large amount of EXP. Besides, if the records on the strategy guide weren't false, the outpost tower should be one of the treasure locations in this dungeon.
This quest was originally an extra reward.
But of course, he couldn't say these things out loud. He turned back and said, "The Shire, you should know the spells that the Black Tower Wizards use to summon the Wizard Tower."
The Shire immediately nodded and replied telepathically, "I've forgotten a lot after the change, but at least I remember one or two. After all, the Black Tower Wizards were originally part of the Buga people. "
"That's good," Brando glanced at the demonic spirits in the distance and began to give orders. "It takes a certain amount of time to summon the tower, but once the spell starts, the demonic spirits over there will discover us. So when The Shire summons the tower, the task of the others is to protect him and complete the quest. "
As soon as Brando's voice fell, it was like a signal for battle. Maynild, Freya, Laurenna and her husband, and the guards immediately drew their long swords, and Scarlet and Metisha also picked up their spears. Everyone subconsciously arranged themselves in a semicircle around the Silver Fairy Princess' current position.
Brando showed a satisfied look and also pulled out the Halran Gaia. At the same time, he reminded them, "The demonic spirits' attack method is very simple. They rarely fight hand-to-hand, but be careful that their attacks can penetrate physical armor. Also, be careful of their spells. Metisha, Scarlet, you stay to protect the spellcaster and Haruz. The others find a way to get close to them quickly."
"Understood."
"The Shire, you start."
The young mage attendant nodded. He stood behind Metisha, felt the location of the magic mark, then raised his staff and began to chant the spell to summon the Wizard Tower. And this incantation, which was not loud, seemed to be an eye-catching signal in the darkness. Suddenly, everyone saw the dots of light in the forest stop slightly.
Then they suddenly rose into the air, as if looking for the source of the spell. They circled over the forest and turned their heads to pounce on this side.
"The literature says that although most of the demonic spirits were outstanding wizards in their lifetime, they have long forgotten the profound knowledge. The spells they are good at are just the use of pure dark magic. These out-of-order magic won't last too long. They usually launch the first wave of spell attacks from a hundred feet away. "Metisha looked at the balls of light and was the first to remind them.
The speed of the demonic spirits floating in the darkness was extremely fast. At this time, they had already come close. At this time, everyone could see their appearance clearly. These luminous balls of light in the darkness looked like the image of a human or elf with a naked upper body. They almost retained their appearance when they were alive, but their faces and chests were full of patterns eroded by dark magic. There were no eyeballs in their eye sockets, only a pitch black.
This horrible appearance left a deep impression on everyone, and the little prince was so scared that he let out a low cry.
"To be exact, it's 141 feet." Brando stared in that direction and raised his sword. "Measure the distance yourself."
The demonic spirits had stopped at the edge of the forest. The distance was exactly the same as in Brando's memory, and it was also the farthest range of their spells. These distorted creatures raised their hands. Their hands had become ugly and sharp because of the distortion of magic. From these slender fingertips, suddenly, a black flame spurted out.
These tentacle-like black flames intertwined. At that moment, it was like a big black net falling from the sky, enveloping everyone in it.
…
(PS: I'm going to have New Year's dinner tomorrow. I'll come back at night to write. It depends on the situation.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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