Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Soaring

The tug of the storm suddenly ceased, and Ivan and Pikel slammed onto the rocky floor. "Whoa!" they both groaned.Vander groaned and fell back against the wall, the huge muscles in his arms trembling from overuse.The wind died down, and the smoke cleared now, revealing Danica, Cadderly, and Shailene lying in a pile. "Are you all right, humble priest?" Valentenema asked with genuine concern. Cadderly looked up at the giant beast and nodded, thankful in his heart that the emotional inversion spell he had cast on the ancient dragon Varun was not dispelled just because he left his mind just now.Danica struggled to his feet, and Cadderly climbed off Shailene, his joints aching with every step he took.Rationally, he knew that the battle he was fighting with the ghost was a spiritual battle, not a real physical fight; plus he, Danica, and Xuelin didn't have disgusting sludge on them, and they didn't even fall with them. It looked exactly the same, so he had all the more reason to believe so.However, the young priest still felt as if his body had been severely beaten.

"What the hell is that monster?" Danica asked. "Didn't you say the killer was dead?" "The one just now wasn't a ghost," Cadderly replied. "Not really. What we met was an avatar, perhaps a mixture of spirit, magic implement, and owner." "Where is that?" Xuelin wondered. Cadderly wasn't sure of the answer this time. "Somewhere in the transition zone between the realms of existence," he replied, shrugging that this was just speculation. "Qiluofu has existed for thousands of years, created by the powerful inhabitants of Chaos. That's why I have to come here, even before the critical mission of the Trinity Walled City."

"Can't you just leave the damn thing to the priests?" Ivan grumbled gruffly, kicking away rocks and debris to find the wind-blown helmet. Cadderly began to want to reiterate the importance of this long march, and wanted to explain why the destruction of Qilufu was more important to the entire universal harmony system than anything that might directly affect the relatively unimportant personal life stuff.However, he gave up, because he knew that such a philosophical argument was impossible to get into the head of the pragmatic and stubborn dwarf. Danica put her hand on his shoulder, though, and nodded when he turned to look at her.She trusted him again - her eyes showed it clearly.He was both happy and terrified of this trust.

He motioned for Danica and Xuelin to go to the cave entrance with the other three. "Great Valentenema," he called to the dragon, bowing deeply and gratefully. "The word of the gods is attested to be true." Cadderly stepped aside, holding up a destroyed glove that was still smoking. "In the whole realm, only the flames of the great Valentenema can destroy Chiruv; there is no other power in the realm equal to your fire!" These words are not quite true, but even this name The dragon was still clearly under the influence of Cadderly's distraction magic, and the young priest thought it wise to spare the compliments.

Valentinima seems to be quite useful.The dragon's already gigantic chest swelled, its horned head proudly held high. "Now, my friend and I must leave to let you sleep," Cadderly explained. "Don't worry, because we won't disturb your sleep again." "Do you have to go, humble priest?" the dragon asked, seemingly sad, causing Pikel to let out a curious, sympathetic "Oh," and Ivan muttered a stream of unbelievable expletives. Cadderly answered with a simple "yes," asked the dragon to lie down and rest, and turned to leave.At the mouth of the cave he stopped and looked at his friends.

"What happened to the toads?" he asked, thinking about them for the first time since seeing the majestic dragon. "Crack," Pikel assured him. "You should worry about the weather," Vander said darkly. "You don't understand the power of storms in the mountains, or how much your individual adventures will cost us all." The Fubo giant continued to scold, and later Ivan and even Sherin joined in while Cadderly listened.The young priest wanted to defend himself, to convince everyone, as much as Danica, that destroying Chiruv was the more important task; All sacrifices in Trinema cost the region dearly in the battle against Wall of Trinity, and it was worth destroying this vicious artifact.Had Cadderly been younger, he would have started snapping back at his accusers.

Cadderly said nothing now, made no protest of the anger these friends had rightly felt.He made this choice consciously, the only choice his faith and heart could accept, and now he will accept the consequences, for himself, for his friends, and for the region as a whole. Loyal and trusting, Danica squeezed his arm, letting him know he wouldn't suffer these consequences alone. "We'll make the pass," Danica said, when Vander vented his anger, "and we'll outwit the wizard Aballister and his minions in the enemy's stronghold." "Maybe if it's just me I'll get through," agreed the Fubo giant. "Because I come from the cold mountains. My blood is full of heat, and my feet are long and strong enough to walk through mountains of snow."

"My legs aren't that long," Ivan interjected sarcastically. "What have you prepared for me?" he asked Cadderly sharply. "What magic, and how much? Damn stupid priest. If you must come here, can't you wait until summer?" "Yeah," Pikel agreed unexpectedly, which hurt Cadderly more than the rude Ivan yelled at him.But then Cadderly looked back at Danica for support, and saw a mischievous look in her shining eyes. "How much does the dragon like us?" she asked, making them all turn to look at the calm Valentenema. Cadderly smiled immediately, though it took Ivan a little longer to catch it.

"Oh, don't even think about it!" roared the yellow-bearded dwarf, but judging by the eager understanding that unfolded on Cadderly's and Danica's faces, and the sudden smiles on the faces of Shaylin and the Fubo giant, Ivan knew he was just making a losing argument. ※※※ Broken!Druzil said it telepathically for about ten times.Broken!Gone!There was no immediate response from the other end of the telepathic connection, as if Aballister could not understand what the imp was saying.Twice Aballister had ordered Druzil to find the undead monster, to find out what had destroyed the body of the vile monster.Both times Druzil replied that the quest was unlikely because it had no idea where to find it.

No matter where this ghost flew, Druzil knew that it was definitely not a place related to the material world.The little devil made a point of reminding the magician that it was only allowed to bring one bag of red and one bag of blue magic powder, and that it was Aballister's lack of foresight that caused it to be trapped almost a hundred miles away from Trinity Walled City. place, and there are no magic doors to use. A wave of rage emanating from Aballister overwhelmed Druzil.The imp's mind burned with pain; it feared that the mage's accumulated rage alone would destroy it.More than a dozen orders came through, each followed by a vicious threat.Druzil was bewildered.It had never seen Aballister so angry, nor had he shown such power over it, not even the powerful denizens it had dealt with in the lower planes for centuries before.

Druzil tried to sever the telepathic connection—it had done so often before—but Aballister's telepathic connection remained unwavering, holding on to it. When Aballister finally finished venting, and suddenly let go of the exhausted imp, Druzil sat down on a tree stump, his dog-faced head hopelessly buried in the paws.It stared up at the shattered shard of the vile monster, and let its gaze wander up the towering Night Blazing Peak to the cloud into which Cadderly and his friends had vanished.Aballister told Druzil to go find Cadderly, follow him, and even kill him if the opportunity presented itself. No matter how much Aballister threatens it and how much power it shows, it will not be able to prompt Druzil to make such a risky move.The imp knew it was no match for Cadderly, and it also knew that Aballister was probably the only one in the whole region who could take him against him. But it was clear to Druzil that Aballister didn't want to go that far.Whatever satisfaction the wizard would have gained from destroying Cadderly himself was nothing compared to the inconvenience it had caused—there were larger problems looming over the wizard's attempts at conquest at the moment.Aballister had envisioned the undead creature as a possible helper.It was gone now, and Druzil felt that Cadderly must have played a role in its destruction.The imp also believed that its own part in the drama was over.The monster had been its guide to Cadderly.Without it, Druzil probably wouldn't even find the Cadderly anywhere.Besides, the weather was quickly turning into severe winter conditions, and Druzil knew it would take him weeks to get back to the Wall of Trinity - by which time Cadderly would have been a dead piece of stone. blood spots. "Banne Taylor Mara," the imp said over and over, cursing the stupid Aballister for not giving it more magic powder to open the magic door, cursing the harsh cold weather, cursing the failure of the undead, In the end, of course, he had to curse Cadderly. Druzil felt terribly miserable. It hadn't set out for Yezhi Peak, it hadn't moved at all.Hours later, with snow piling up on its dog-shaped nose and tucked wings, the stubborn imp sat motionless on the stump, muttering, "Banna Telemara." ※※※ "I don't know how long this magical effect lasts on a dragon," Cadderly admitted shortly after, as Valentenemar enthusiastically led them to the main entrance to the Dragon's Lair, which was located on the north slope of the mountain, Huge cavern, with an opening wide enough for a dragon with huge wings fully extended to fly in and out. "It will be fun if old Varon remembers who it is, and we just sit on top of this deadly monster, flying a thousand feet in the sky!" Ivan said loudly and sarcastically, attracting the other four companions Angrily, Pikel tapped him on the back of the head. "Just now you said..." the yellow-bearded dwarf began to protest to Cadderly. "What I just said was not for Valentenema!" Cadderly whispered sharply.The dragons were some distance away, looking out at the howling wind and considering the route they wanted to take, but Cadderly had read many adventure stories about how keen the dragon's senses were, and many of the stories mentioned that an offensive whisper, Make a negotiation with a praise-sensitive Elder Dragon pay dearly. "This flight is short." Xuelin deduced, "You don't need to control Valentenima for long." Cadderly could see that the fearless elven girl was looking forward to the flight, and he could see that Danica had no problem with the benefits.Pikel jumped up and down, clapped his chubby hands, and smiled all the way, and it was not difficult to guess his mood. "What do you think?" Cadderly asked Vander, the only member who hadn't made it clear so far. "I think it shows how desperate you are just to take this into consideration," the Fubao giant replied bluntly. "But I owe you my life, and if you choose to do so, I will follow you." He squinted at Ivan, who was grumbling and complaining. "Dwarfs will too, no doubt about it." "What did you say?" Ivan growled back. "So, you want to stay in the cave by yourself and wait for the dragon to return?" asked the giant Fubao easily. Yiwen thought about it for a few minutes, then exhaled angrily, "It makes sense." A moment later they burst out of the front entrance, surrounded by what was now a rather violent blizzard.However, the wind did not cause much hindrance to the dragon's progress, and the heat emanating from Valent Nima's body-enough heat for the dragon to let out a terrible breath-kept the six companions enough the warmth. Cadderly, hunched over and eyes closed, sat closest to the head of the elder dragon Varun, at the base of the red dragon's snakelike neck.The young priest once again explored the magic realm of chaos, concentrating all his strength on strengthening that life-or-death magic.To his relief, the dragon seemed happy enough to not mind carrying a few passengers, as if it was delighted just to be out in the wide world again.The thought sparked a lot of fear in Cadderly—what did Ivan say about letting a sleeping dragon lie still? —of what the possible consequences of doing so would be for the people of the region, especially for Caladon, since the city was not far from the flying dragon.But Cadderly had made his decision, and now he had to trust that decision to be wise and hope for the best. Danica sat just behind her lover, wrapping her arms around his waist, but was careful not to disturb the young priest's concentration. They flew above the storm, into the blazing sun, and soared through the clear sky.As they passed the cloud zone, Varentenima dived into the narrow gap between the two mountains, flying sideways through the narrow passage.Its leather wings catch updrafts, and it rides out of steep bends faster than the shuddering passengers on its back could have imagined. Intoxicated by this sensual feast that was several times more exciting than walking in the air, Danica let go of Cadderly and threw her arms high into the air, letting the wind blow away her unruly hair. The whole world was a blur of shadows below them; Ivan complained that he was going to throw up, but no one cared, and no one was listening. They were fast approaching a ridge, and everyone—except for Cadderly, who was absorbed in meditation—screamed loudly, fearing they would run straight into it.But Valentenima was not a novice dragon flyer, and the ridge suddenly disappeared, and was left behind for an instant. "Smart goblins!" Ivan yelled, so surprised he forgot he wanted to throw up. "Again!" he exclaimed joyously, and the dragon evidently heard, for one ridge followed the next, and then a jutting peak, flying under or beside them at high speed, with a crowd yelling excitedly , the loudest of which was the appreciative growl of a yellow-bearded dwarf. None of them could estimate how fast they were moving, or even comprehend how quickly the dragons flew.Within minutes they were over the ridges of the Snowflake Mountains, and now everyone (Vander and Ivan included) wholeheartedly agreed that it was a good idea to choose to ride the tamed dragon. But then, suddenly and unexpectedly, the gigantic Valentenema stood upright, as if hovering in the air, and turned its huge horned head and toothy mouth around to look at Cadderly. "Ooh," Pikel muttered, thinking the fun was over. Cadderly sat upright, terrified that he had exceeded the control time limit.He cannot predict Chaos magic, because its roots are in illogicality, and there is no description of it in the harmonious song of Denir. Cadderly looked back at Danica and Shereen, whose faces were no longer free and excited; then he looked at the sullen Vander, who was nodding his head, as if he had always expected this disaster to end. will happen.Cadderly wanted to call out to the dragon and ask Valentene what had happened to him, but he couldn't find the courage to do so, sitting a thousand feet off the ground on top of the irascible beast. . ※※※ Dorigen watched in amazement as her wooden door bulged and groaned.Huge wooden bubbles protrude into the room, then shrink.She wisely moved to the side of the small room, dodging possible damage. A huge bubble rolled inward from the center of the door, pulling the wood to its limit, and stalemate for a while.Then, the door exploded into thousands of tiny flying fragments, each gleaming silver with residual energy.The silver flashes turned blue instantly, and none of the splinters hit the ground or the opposite wall because they dissipated completely halfway through. Aballister blew through the empty doorway like a gust of wind. "The ghost has failed," Dorigen pointed out before the smoldering magician could utter a word. Aballister stopped near the door, eyeing the younger wizard suspiciously. "You saw it in the crystal ball," he hissed through gritted teeth, eyeing the utensils on the table in front of Dorigen. "I saw it in your expression." Dorigen replied quickly, for fear that the magician would treat her like he did with the door.She tossed the long gray hair from her face, ran her crooked fingers through it, and made a host of other little gestures, all in an attempt to distract Aballister from building up his anger. The older magician did seem to be on the verge of breaking out.The deep-set black eyes narrowed dangerously, and the skinny fingers clenched and loosened at the side. "Your concern is obvious," Dorigen said boldly, knowing that this was what was irritating the magician.Dorigen knew that Aballister was proudest of his ability to suppress his emotions, always remaining mysterious, so that his enemies and competitors could not find any emotional weakness against him. "Keep calm and detachment is the magician's strength." Hard-hearted Aballister used to say that, but not now, because Cadderly, the vermin, was apparently on his way to Trinity. Some progress has been made in the operation of the village. "You saw it with the crystal ball," Aballister charged again, in a low growl, and Dorigen knew it would be unwise to deny again. "Gamela and the hybrid monster failed?" Dorigen was both asking and stating the truth, because she had already guessed the last time Aballister came to her room, when he was furious because the scrying magic was no longer effective. . Aballister nodded in acknowledgment of the failure. "Now it's undead," Dorigen continued. "I didn't know that Cadderly had anything to do with that thing's failure," Aballister snapped. "As we spoke I asked Druzil to investigate." Dorigen nodded, but didn't agree at all in her heart.If that ghost was destroyed, of course the unruly Cadderly had a share.Whether Aballister admits it publicly or not, he knows it in his heart. "Then what else can we use against him?" Dorigen asked. "So did you use your precious crystal ball to find out where he is?" Aballister snarled back angrily. Dorigen looked away, not wanting her immediate superior to see the anger in her amber eyes.If he thought her scrying magic was bad, why didn't Aballister do it himself?Aballister was not new to scrying magic, after all.When Ba Jin entered the Trinity Walled City, he stared at the priest's every move, and even destroyed the precious magic mirror because of the forced transmission of magic power.Aballister had not used scrying magic since then, save for a failed attempt earlier in Dorigen's room. "Is there any?" asked Aballister. Dorigen glared at him angrily. "Simple spells resist scrying magic," she replied, "and I assure you, your son's simple spells are fine!" Aballister's eyes were wide open, and the old magician seemed quite shocked that Dorigen had spoken to him so boldly, emphasizing once again that the crisis in the Walled Trinity was caused by Aballister's own son. cause.Shaking with rage, the magician thought for a moment of using his spells to punish Dorigen. "Prepare your defenses," Dorigen told him. Again, her bluntness shocked the older wizard. "Cadderly will never go anywhere near Wall Trinity," Aballister assured, an evil smile spreading across his face, which visibly calmed him down. "The time has come for me to deal with that troublesome boy myself." "You're going out of town to attack?" Dorigen said incredulously. "My magic will," Aballister corrected, "and the mountains will tremble and the sky will cry out for the death of that foolish boy Cadderly! Let's see how a priest can stand against a magician." !” He chuckled joyfully, then turned and swept out of the room resolutely. Dorigen leaned back in her chair, staring at the blasted doorway, its frame still smoldering long after Aballister had left.She would continue to experiment with the crystal ball, but not so much because of Aballister, but more out of curiosity about the young priest and his strange friends.In fact, a few minutes before Aballister barged in to interrupt, Dorigen thought she might be connected to something, but she couldn't be sure, so she didn't mention it to the pestering magician.It was just a fleeting feeling of the wind blowing, of freedom, of flying. She didn't see the dragon, and she wasn't even sure she was actually connected to Cadderly.But if it was really the young priest, then Duo Ruizhen guessed that he would exceed the original timetable and come knocking on the door of the Trinity Walled City soon. Aballister didn't need to know this.