Arcane Journey

Chapter 321 Level Up
Brian and Kaladna travel through a dark and twisted forest, taking a break in a cave shaped like a skull.

After setting up the protective barrier, the darkness and oppressive atmosphere in this not-so-spacious cave was gradually reflected by the soft light like daytime.

Brian's tense nerves finally relaxed. He looked around and finally fixed his eyes on Kara Dena.

The sorceress is as happy as a girl who has picked many beautiful flowers. She used her skirt to wrap a bag full of ghost Naga scales, not paying attention to the exposed snow-white legs, and poured them all on the ground, concentrating on pick them up.

Thinking of the unfinished tasks, Brian was not happy at all.

Since he killed a group of skeleton knights, the two of them fled for about 5 hours in this shadow plane where the depression atmosphere permeated the entire space, before finally throwing off the pursuers from Shadow Thirteen Town.

And the price of throwing this group of undead knights away was getting farther and farther away from their destination, and even made Brian vaguely feel that he was about to lose his way.

However, what made him a little relieved was that before fleeing, he set up a space beacon in advance on the river where the dragon turtle encountered.

Now, he has sent many ghost companions to help him find a monastery of the Church of Shar through the monster summoning technique.

During this waiting process, Kara Dena said in a slightly complaining tone, fleeing for such a long time, the enemy has already been thrown away, why can't she find a place to rest first.

After hearing this sentence, Brian's stomach and physical fatigue seemed to respond in conjunction with her.

So, they came here.

At first, the sorceress said very seriously that she wanted to take him to her mansion in another dimension, but Brian naturally refused this request directly.

After all, their current position is the shadow plane. If they are discovered by some powerful beings hiding in the dark during the process of heading to another dimension, they should set up traps at the place where they disappeared in advance and wait for them to wait. It's all over.

Brian, who used to be a spellcaster, not only experienced this kind of danger deeply, but also performed role swaps many times, deceiving countless players.

Of course, the most important thing is that he has sent many shadow creatures to help him find the lost monastery of Shar Church, so naturally he cannot hide in another dimension and wait for news.

"What did you collect so many ghost naga scales for?" Brian thought, and one of the scales carefully selected by Kara Dena fell into his palm.

Shimmering Scale of the Ghost Naga

Type: Material

Quality: blue extraordinary

Explanation: The essence scales dropped by the ghost naga living in the shadow plane, with their powerful magic power in life, alchemists and strange objects are very interested in this material.

…………

This pile of ghost naga scales was obtained after they were slaughtered by Brian during their escape.

If it wasn't for Kara Dena's insistence on collecting these scales, the escape process of the two might have been smoother.

"Of course it's making magic equipment." Kara Dena seemed to be still immersed in the joy of picking the scales. She sorted the scales carefully and said to Brian without raising her head:
"You don't intend to ask me to help you develop new magic products. Miss Ben naturally takes this matter to heart. Since the materials for making fire-attribute gauntlets are all salamander scales from the fire elemental plane, they were made The fire elemental energy of the gauntlet is difficult to control, and the failure rate remains high, so I have been thinking about how to find a magic material, which can not only neutralize the violent fire elemental energy, but also keep the enchantment of the equipment in a delicate balance inside."

She put away all the selected scales, ignored the pile of defective products left on the ground, looked up at Brian, and smiled confidently: "There is no doubt that the ghosts of these naga who were born and raised in the shadow plane Scales are the best choice for neutralizing the salamander scales of the Fire Elemental Plane."

"Sounds very professional." Brian nodded thoughtfully. Although he has dabbled in making magic equipment, he obviously doesn't belong to the master class. Naturally, he keeps his own knowledge wisely. Opinion.

He casually threw the scales to Kaladna, and leaned casually on the cold rock wall of the cave. Under the soft magic light, the sorceress's slender legs, which were undoubtedly revealed from the high-slit long skirt, seemed to be plated. A hazy halo of milky white, shining crystal luster, the deadly allure produced by it made him unable to look away for a moment.

I have to say that this pair of beautiful curvy legs is definitely a weapon to please men, and it is also the most alluring long legs Brian has seen so far.

From plump thighs to tight calves, one point is too fat, and one point is too thin. Whether it is muscle lines or the proportion of soft and tender fat content, everything is just right, so that he seems to have felt the endless layers. Delicate and soft to the touch.

Realizing his gaffe, he came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Hearing what you said, I'm even more curious, a personality like you... a professional like you with the blood of a native magic warlock, Why did you choose a boring sideline like alchemy, and how did you persevere?"

As if noticing Brian's gaze, Kara Dena gave him a supercilious look, and moved her body provocatively so that he could see better, with a surprised smile on her face:
"It's because it's boring, so I have to learn it. This is what that old bastard Sandra Cote told me since I was a child. Facts have proved that this method is really good. The reason why my strength can advance to the legendary realm , It is because of the boring face of magic materials and runes day after day that I gradually forgot the pleasure of using fireballs to kill goblins, and I broke through without knowing it."

"That's true." Brian was a little embarrassed by the sorceress' bold and proactive behavior, so he calmly looked away, and asked curiously, "So, you raised that rat familiar and accompanied it up to now."

He had known for a long time that Kaladna's magic pet was a little hamster. Under the influence of its master, this magic pet not only learned to speak the common language of the mainland, but also mastered a lot of knowledge about alchemy, and often assisted her in completing various tasks together. A difficult equipment to make.

When Kala Dena accompanied him to Guangze, her magic pet stayed in Mokou Town to guide the group of spellcasters in alchemy.

"That's right, I raised that little hamster as a pet."

When mentioning the magic pet, Kala Dena's mouth curled into a rare warm smile, and then she took out a pile of food from the dimension bag, and asked: "Aren't you also a spellcaster? Why do I only hear about you?" There is a psicrystal servant, but I have never heard you mention your magic pet, it shouldn't be."

"Because my familiar has defected." Brian said calmly. The food that the lady warlock took out was simple, but very delicious - bread, cheese, crackers, fruit and some low-alcohol wine.

"Defected?" Kara Dena was stunned for a moment, and her clear and melodious laughter echoed in the closed cave.

"I didn't expect that the talented mage lord of Mokou Town, our Lord Protector of Cormyr, could not even raise his magic pet well, and let him defect." She laughed teasingly:

"Is it because your character is too bad, or you have a tendency to abuse your familiars, so that even your own familiars don't want to stay with their masters. If it spreads, it will be unbelievable."

Hearing the sorceress' ridicule, Brian was unmoved, but carefully looked at the changes in her expression with deep eyes, and said abruptly, "The fact is true, but if you know, my magic pet is a certain I am afraid that you will not be able to laugh at the lost prince of hell."

"The fallen prince of hell?"

Hearing Bryan's tone, it didn't look like he was lying, Kara Dena's hand that placed the food froze for a moment, and after thinking seriously for a moment, her surprised eyes almost popped out, and then she used it very awkwardly. With a firm tone, he tentatively said: "The Duke of Hell you are talking about, could it be... the former bloody battle commander of Avernas?"

"You're smart, you can guess right." Brian glanced at Kara Dena calmly, and the moment he nodded in acknowledgment, he clearly felt that the look flashed in the eyes of this sorceress, except In addition to the shock, there was also a complex expression that he couldn't see through.

This made him faintly feel that the secret of her true identity might be getting closer and closer.

In fact, he deliberately picked out the topic about magic pets.

The purpose of doing this is mainly to allow this curious female sorceress to direct the question to her familiar, and when he suddenly reveals the true identity of her familiar in a nonchalant tone, she will be able to pass Kara Dena's reaction. , to get some general information.

Although he still doesn't know which devil grand duke is standing behind the opponent, at least he can be sure that Kala Dena is definitely not Zariel's subordinate.

And he could feel that this female sorceress should have just completed a contract with a certain devil archduke, and has not yet fulfilled her obligations.

Otherwise, with her somewhat rough IQ, if she were tossed into the den of extremely treacherous devils, she would definitely not survive the second episode.

In other words, this female sorceress who has not yet fulfilled her contractual obligations still has the possibility of being saved.

As long as he knows who the other party signed the contract with and the specific content of the contract, he may be able to find a way to help her.

Brian finished his order and did not continue the discussion. Instead, he picked up a piece of soft cheese with a red paraffin-like rind, and deliberately changed the subject, "I didn't expect you to prepare this kind of food. You know the name of this piece of cheese. What is it called?"

"Of course I know, it's Death Stare Cheese." Carla Dena seemed to have fallen into a brief contemplation because of Bryan's revelation of the secret just now. She quickly recovered and smiled at him, "What is the name of this cheese?" Not from its effect, but from a creature in the Thunder Peak area at the junction of Sembia and Cormyr - the Catoblepas lizard.

While the Catoblepas lizard, which can kill people with its gaze, is a nightmare for most adventurers, its lizard eggs are surprisingly tasty, especially when added to cheese The strong aroma and permanently soft shape induces the user into a state similar to drinking wine, this cheese is usually eaten as an appetizer. "

Speaking of fine wine, Kaladna immediately picked up the bottle, ready to fill a glass for Brian.

"There's no need to drink." Brian reached out to stop the sorceress from pouring himself the drink. "The next mission is very dangerous. I don't want alcohol to affect me, even if the chance of it affecting me is minimal."

"Don't you know?" Karladna put down the delicate glass decanter without greeting him, "Elminster once said that a drink in mourning makes a man wise, but a drunken drink is not. , It’s okay to drink less.”

"Whether he said that or not, I don't know." Referring to the sage of Shadow Valley, Brian chuckled, "But the problem is, I can always hear in the tavern that this old mage's favorite Drunk and drank, obviously that's not what he did himself."

He took another wine bottle spread out on the tablecloth, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "For example, this bottle is made in Shenhai Town, and it's called 'Elminster's Choice', which claims to be the best in the Kingdom of Cormyr. I don't agree with the popular brew. Although the quality of this dark beer is good, it is very cloudy due to the foam produced by the yeast flakes. For people with my taste, it is simply a dark dish."

"So, this wine is definitely not named by the sage of Shadow Valley himself, it must be a marketing strategy." He couldn't help complaining, "After all, anyone who knows the old mage knows that he drinks almost everything, even Including the milk of the Gorgon."

It wasn't that Bryan deliberately slandered the old sage of Shadow Valley, but that it was indeed the case, and their players learned about it from a copy of the Gorgon known as the 'Small Killer'.

Crisp laughter echoed in the cave again. It was obvious that Miss Warlock had no doubts about Brian's words, or she also knew the black material.

During the pleasant meal, facing this pile of sumptuous food, Brian did not choose to drink, but simply ate some cheese and crackers.

He is most fond of mint-flavored crackers. After adding the unique herbs and spices of the valley, it tastes so delicious and crunchy that he eats a few more pieces unconsciously.

After all, the two of them set out from early morning and were busy until dusk before they successfully arrived at the Shadow Plane. They also experienced the battle with the Shadow Dragon Turtle, the great escape, and the terrifying scene of energy out of control. If it weren't for the magic potion that Brian had prepared in advance And the spells that replenish their physical strength support their will. In this plane that is more depressing and dangerous than the Underdark, they may have collapsed long ago.

At this time, it is definitely the best choice to find a safe place to relax, and eat some delicious food to replenish your strength, so as to cope with the more dangerous battles that follow.

However, during the meal, Brian was a little surprised that the presence of this lady warlock seemed a little out of her wits, and she would occasionally bite the cheese and fall into a state of trance and daze, as if she was thinking about something Difficult problem.

This made him realize that the other party probably had other thoughts after learning about his relationship with the magic pet.

as predicted.

Just when Brian regained his strength and summoned two shadow creatures again to help him find the lost monastery of the Church of Shar, the lady warlock spoke.

"Bryan, you signed a contract with the downtrodden Grand Duke of the Devil, and let the other party take the opportunity to defect." Kara Dena put her elbows on her knees, leaned on her chin, let her flowing blond hair hang down her side face, flashing wine red With beautiful eyes, he asked curiously: "Does it mean that in the future, we must make a settlement with the other party, after all, the devil's contract..."

She didn't continue talking, but Brian could feel the way the other party looked at him when he said these words, a little nervous and uneasy.

This made him faintly feel that the sorceress seemed to want to take the initiative to confess something to him, which was quite in line with her personality.

"You're right." He nodded slightly and gave her a positive look, "When the time is right, I will definitely go to Avernas to make a deal with this fallen devil prince."

"Then we really feel sorry for each other." Kaladna secretly breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at him, then sank her five fingers into her thick blond hair, scratched her scalp, and said distressedly:

"Actually, like you, I also signed a contract with a devil prince in Baator Hell. Otherwise, I would not have survived in the Chaos Sea, and I was lucky enough to obtain the Chaos Wand to suppress my warlock blood."

Brian looked at her pretending to be surprised for a long time, then fell silent for a moment, and then asked: "Miss Kara Dena, I am very grateful that you took the initiative to confess your secret to me, so, what is the purpose of you telling me these things? what?"

"Maybe it's because I trust you more." Carla Dena thought seriously for a moment, as if she had made a major decision in her life, and smiled at Brian:
"Since even you dare to face the Grand Duke Devil and try to make a deal with him, why can't I, so, Brian, if there is such a day, are you willing to take me to Bator Hell?"

"Of course." Brian nodded without thinking, and said with a smile, "After all, we are mutual allies. I certainly don't want to see you degenerate because of this, and become the devil's minion. If there is a chance, I will help you."

The whole thing was completely beyond his expectations. Brian didn't expect that the female sorceress would tell him everything after he just tried it out.

This is naturally a good thing for him. In this way, he won't have to spend extra effort to guard against her in the next action.

"Now that you've said that." Brian thought for a while, and looked up at Kaladna, "Then can you tell me, who is the Grand Duke of the devil and what kind of contract was signed?"

"This..." Faced with Brian's straightforward question, Kara Dena obviously hesitated, and she looked at him apologetically, and then said helplessly and distressed: "I'm very sorry, I can't tell you yet You, because this is part of the contract, I must abide by it, and I have not yet begun to fulfill the content and obligations of the contract, and I am always waiting for the time."

"Actually, if you don't tell me, I can make a rough guess." Brian pondered for a moment, secretly weighing whether he should say what he wanted to say, and then stretched out his finger and slid across it lightly. The magic symbols that could be seen clearly disappeared quickly.

With the disappearance of the symbol, the sorceress on the side opened her small mouth, her jaw was about to drop in shock, her plump chest rose and fell rapidly, and she quickly covered her small mouth with both hands to prevent herself from making a sound.

Her burgundy eyes looked at Brian, in addition to being shocked, it was also full of worship and admiration in a certain sense.

"It seems that my guess is right." Brian frowned slightly, and then stretched it out again, showing her a soft smile, "Don't worry, changing or tearing up the devil's contract has not never happened in the multiverse, wait until the time comes , I will take you to Baator Hell, and make a break with these devil princes, what do you think, Miss Carladna?"

He stretched out his right hand, his eyes firmly expressing his intentions.

With Kala Dena's confession, Brian knew that whether it was the rise of the five-color dragon queen in the future, or the redemption of Zariel, the Grand Duke of the Nine Hells, it might become very lively.

Because the whole incident has not yet happened, at least four devil princes have already begun to make arrangements in advance on the material plane and actively participate in this game.

In the future, I'm afraid it will be a devil's feast no less than a 'liquidation' event.

"You have already said that, can I find any reason to object?" Kara Dena came back to her senses, controlled her expression, stretched out her white palm happily, and shook hands with Brian. Shaking hands, a touching smile bloomed on the delicate face, "Thank you for helping me make this decision. Whether it succeeds or not, I will not blame you. After all, you have let me find a clear path in the future." direction."

Brian let go of the sorceress's slippery and soft hands, looking at the smile on her face and the clear wine-red eyes, he couldn't help feeling secretly in his heart.

It's hard to imagine that this innocent-looking magician lady in front of her has actually signed a contract with the devil king who is best at playing with lust.

If she is really caught in the trap of the devil, then what will greet her will be the most frightening and frightening torture.

However, what makes Brian even more unbelievable is that Carla Dena will still show a naive and optimistic attitude from the bottom of her heart when she knows that she is likely to face many cruel fates in the future.

This made him wonder whether he should complain about the other party's good attitude, or that she really didn't know anything about the devil's contract.

"In order to show my sincerity, I will send you a gift in advance to express my gratitude to you." Kara Dena waved her hand lightly, and a pair of exquisite leather boots outlined by special rune lines appeared out of nowhere Within sight of Brian.

The upper ends of these leather boots were folded into cuffs, revealing arcane runes trimmed into the boot lining with golden rune threads.

Seeing this, Brian's eyes widened in surprise. Through his keen intuition for magic, he instantly noticed this unexpected surprise, which is definitely the start of a legend.

"It is because of these boots that my strength has successfully broken through to the legendary realm." Kara Dena handed the equipment to Brian and told him:
"I originally planned to keep it as a significant commemorative item for myself, and now I'm giving it to you."

Brian looked calm on the surface, but there was still a slight ups and downs in his heart. After the sorceress handed him the equipment with a little reluctance, he took it over without hesitation, and checked the attributes of the boots:
Wind Elemental Boots of Dexterity and Swiftness +3
Type: Boots

Quality: Golden·Legendary

Aura: Dazzling transformation system aura
Equipment effect:

1. Acceleration: This piece of equipment has the constant effect of hastening. Any wearer will permanently obtain the effect of hastening. All attacks and casting speeds of the subject will get a 20% bonus. The movement methods include Ground movement, burrowing, climbing, flying, swimming, etc., are also greatly improved, up to twice the subject's normal speed.

Remarks: Multiple acceleration spells cannot be superimposed, and the acceleration spell will counter or cancel the slow spell.

2. Levitation: This piece of equipment has the effect of Levitation. Any wearer will permanently obtain the effect of Levitation. The subject can choose or cancel the activation of Levitation anytime and anywhere through the control of his own mind. spell effect.

3. Stabilization: This piece of equipment has the effect of Stabilization, and any wearer will permanently obtain the spell effect of Stabilization. The recipient ignores the impact of any terrain on his movement, and when going uphill , can maintain normal speed, and will not be affected by physical instability when going downhill.

Explanation: This is a pair of boots with special significance and legendary stories, because its success also means that there is one more legendary warlock in the world.At the same time, during the production process, this piece of equipment also incorporates the element spar of the legendary wind djinn, which makes it contain powerful wind element power, so that the movement speed of any wearer will not be affected by any terrain, but will also Get a massive boost anytime, anywhere.Whether fighting or fleeing, this piece of equipment is a dream item for many professionals.

…………

Brian withdrew his gaze calmly, but was quite satisfied with this piece of equipment in his heart.

Judging from the attributes of this piece of equipment, it is undoubtedly the most cost-effective legendary equipment for rangers, rogues, warriors, and even monks.

On the contrary, for a spellcaster like Brian, the effect is not as great as imagined.

For example, Levitation, Acceleration, and Stabilization. These three spells, Brian can completely bless himself permanently through the Magic Constancy.

At first glance, this piece of equipment doesn't even have any effect on Brian. As long as he wants, he can cast his constant spell at any time.

But if you think about it carefully, you will understand that with this piece of equipment, he will not waste energy and time to maintain these three very practical spells from now on.

After all, magic permanence is not without any cost. Not only will permanence be dispelled by dispelling magic, but it will also consume a lot of experience points during the permanence period.

The most important thing is that if a person's body has too much constant magic, it is very likely to cause unexpected changes due to the overload state brought about by buff spells.

Therefore, if it is not necessary, most spellcasters will not keep too many buff spells for themselves, but choose the method of chain triggering.

The equipment is different, unless the equipment is completely damaged, or is forcibly destroyed by the disintegration technique, otherwise the permanent effect attached to the equipment cannot be cancelled.

Overall, the acceleration technique of this piece of equipment, which increases his movement speed and casting speed, is still very practical.

After all, in most battles, especially high-level battles, Brian's favorite starting spell is the space lock, so as to prevent the enemy from escaping through the teleportation spell.

The consequence of this is that it is difficult for both parties to use teleportation spells. In this case, the effect of the acceleration spell will be fully reflected.

At the same time, the bonus of owning this piece of equipment also allowed Brian to come up with a melee fighting style blessed by the Star Sword and Cursed Fire.

"Well, this piece of equipment is quite satisfactory." The female sorceress at the side saw Bryan who came back to his senses, and smiled in a slightly teasing tone: "With this piece of equipment, you can do it anytime, anywhere." Accelerate the movement."

"My physique is not as bad as you imagine." Brian said without showing any weakness, "In my opinion, this piece of equipment is completely redundant for me."

"If you don't like it, give it back to me." Kara Dena looked at the other party's nonchalant expression, and said angrily, "I have struggled for a long time before I chose to give it to you. So ignorant."

"Well, I thank you for your generosity, Miss Kara Dena." Bryan thanked him with a smile without sincerity, making the latter roll his eyes at him angrily.

Putting on the equipment, Brian sensed the ghost creature he sent out, and there was no movement at all. After pondering for a moment, he said to the sorceress beside him, "If you have nothing to do, go back to your mansion in another dimension to rest. I'm here I will help you guard here, and I will notify you when I leave."

"No, I'm not that delicate yet." Kara Dena snorted softly and said indifferently.

"Okay, then you just stay here honestly." Brian gave her a helpless look, then ignored her, called up his attribute bar, and prepared to upgrade his level.

Rows of data emerged in his retina:
"Raise the level of the Grand Arcanist!"

"Consume 1253000 experience points."

"The level of the great arcanist has been raised to level 2."

"Gain 72 points of arcane energy."

"Acquire the professional feature of the great arcanist: recoil resistance!"

…………

As the level increased, Brian obviously felt that he became much closer to the magical energy around him.

These energies surround him, as if adding a nearly invisible defensive barrier to himself, protecting him all the time.

Brian knew that this must be related to the increase in level, so he immediately checked the newly acquired professional characteristics.

[Recoil resistance (legendary occupational characteristics): With the gradual improvement of strength and the continuous in-depth understanding of arcane knowledge, great arcanists have begun to completely break away from the magic net, mastering the mobilization of primitive magic energy to cast spells, this ability allows them Gradually gain the recognition of the original energy, be surrounded by energy anytime and anywhere, and protect yourself from the influence and damage caused by various magical recoils.

Effect: When the Arch Arcanist who masters this ability fails to cast magic or is accidentally interrupted, the backlash damage received is halved.At the same time, when the Arcanist uses any protective means for himself, including protective magic barriers and armor or other equipment, when he suffers frontal or non-frontal spells and physical attacks, he will be immune to all effects caused by the barriers and equipment. Recoil, damage to self. 】

…………

Seeing this ability, Brian was stunned.

The effect of this ability is relatively large, and it is equivalent to providing him with a second layer of protection invisibly.

To give you the simplest example, although body armor can prevent bullets, it does not mean that you will not suffer any damage when the bullet hits your body, and you will still be shaken out of internal injuries due to the powerful impact of the bullet.

And the function of "recoil resistance" is to help him counteract this kind of damage, whether it is a magic barrier or armor, it can be immune to this kind of damage.

Looking at his newly acquired abilities, Bryan felt quite satisfied in his heart, but he couldn't help but sigh secretly. He never thought that after his Arcanist profession was promoted to the legendary realm, he could continue to acquire new professional characteristics.

If this is placed on other ordinary occupations, it means that the potential has been exhausted, and the only way to continue to improve the level is through groping.

The Grand Arcanist is different, as if ascending to the legendary realm is just the beginning.

After leveling up, Brian glanced at the sorceress curled up resting in a corner, and then continued to be vigilant, patiently waiting for the shadow creature he sent out.

After an unknown amount of time, when Brian suddenly opened his eyes, he saw a palm-sized black shadow appearing in front of him.

He looked happy and immediately communicated with him.

In just a moment, he learned the approximate location of the lost monastery of Shar Church on the Shadow Plane through the news transmitted by the shadow.

Brian didn't waste any more time, walked up to Kala Dena, kicked her round buttocks lightly to wake her up, opened the portal, and disappeared into the spot with her.

…………

(End of this chapter)