Volume 3 Takeoff Chapter 319: Prisons and Prisoners
As soon as I entered, the smell of blood mixed with the stench of corpses hit me in the face, and a cold air was also lingering around me.
Levi and the others immediately realized that this prison must have existed for many years and had countless deaths. The negative energy here was almost condensed into substance, which was why it gave people such an obvious feeling.
Donna covered her nose, and Cindy, who came with her, frowned. She began to consider whether should suggest Brother Levi to do a thorough cleaning of the place and then do some purification.
In fact, Levi thought so too.
Since it is a prison, the prisoners held there are naturally those who are of certain value and cannot be executed immediately.
But in today's harsh environment, it would be difficult for ordinary prisoners to live long.
After walking dozens of steps, what he saw confirmed Levi's guess. The prisoners in those cells were either half-dead or had turned into rotten corpses.
Even when they saw these guys who were obviously not drow appear, few of them looked at them, or shouted or asked for help. It seemed that most of them were numb from the torture.
However, Levi had no mercy, because although the prisoners here were of various kinds, almost all of them were from the evil camp, including greenskins, snakemen, goblins, ogres and the like. Almost all the enemies he had killed before appeared.
Moreover, this prison was obviously strengthened with magic, because there were even mud monsters, ghosts, and several kinds of demons inside.
If it were an ordinary prison, they would have run away long ago.
For Levi, it is impossible to recruit these guys, but they may be absorbed into the Sun Knights' team.
If there are some things left that no one wants, Levi can just throw them into the Death Arena and reuse them as waste.
As for whether they are willing to participate in the competition, it actually doesn’t matter, because that depends on what kind of opponents Levi arranges for them.
Unless they are willing to wait for death, they have no choice but to resist, no matter how reluctant they are.
Hmm, but if this is the case, will it cause my camp to shift?
This doesn't seem like something the lawful good camp should do, even if they are purely evil creatures.
However, Levi immediately had a new idea. He was the undisputed boss in the city of Ostak, but he could also appoint deputy city lords and garrison officers. If they took on this task, it would have little to do with him.
However, you still need to consider the specific candidates carefully.
God-chosen heroes like the Sun Knight have relatively flexible brains, but the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, no matter how good the relationship is, they are not as loyal as the subordinates who are truly loyal to them.
They may be restrained in the early stages, but in the long run, or when faced with huge profits, no one can guarantee that they will not have their own little thoughts.
The situation of the natives is much better, and compared to the chosen heroes who need rest, the natives have always lived in this world. They will definitely be more loyal to their duties and face all emergencies.
Thinking of this, Levi has roughly drawn up a preliminary list.
The first is Nar. Although she has followed him into battle several times recently, it is obvious that she is not very adaptable and does not like this kind of life. She only joins the army to repay her kindness and to take revenge on those drow.
Moreover, she originally wanted to stay in the Glory of Blood forever. Now she just moved to another place. I believe she will be very satisfied.
The second is Risa Dillan. Since he was transferred here, there will naturally be a position for him.
Next is Lily. She is somewhat similar to Nar, and if she leaves the Underdark, the power and effect of her light magic will be greatly reduced. She is more suitable here.
It's just that her strength is a bit lacking. A 4th-level elite mage is not considered a strong person in the Underdark.
Next are the Old Witch, Bayoru, Julia and Luna, as well as some elite units.
But Levi was not so sure, because either their abilities were not enough, or Levi was a little reluctant.
For example, Luna, although she is also very suitable for fighting in the Underdark, her talents are also really excellent.
Even Levi had reserved the Hero's Spirit for her in advance. It was unknown whether it was intentional or a coincidence on the part of the Moon Bow Goddess, but in any case, she was given a possibility to change her job to the Moon Knight.
Thinking about it this way, Levi really had a bit of a headache. At first glance, he had a lot of elite soldiers and generals under his command, but in a situation like the current one, the number of outstanding subordinates is never too many.
As they walked down the spiral prison, Levi also discovered that the number of prisoners below had obviously decreased a lot.
But they are also more spirited. I don’t know if it is because they have suffered less torture or because they are stronger.
Even a few of the gray dwarves who still had some strength realized that they were not drow, and they actually tried to intimidate them into releasing them.
It was the first time that Levi encountered gray dwarves. Compared with ordinary dwarves, in addition to the stronger vigilance in their eyes, the most important point was that almost 80 to 90 percent of them, regardless of gender, were bald.
These guys are enemies of the dwarves, somewhat similar to the relationship between the High Elves and the Dark Elves.
They also often fight with the drow elves, not only out of hatred, but also to compete for status and interests in the Underdark.
At the same time, they would frequently trade with the drow. They would fight with each other but would not stop making money from each other. They even joined forces with the drow to attack the high elves.
As a typical lawful evil alignment, they will follow their own rules to get what they want as much as possible, regardless of whether it hurts others.
Another point is that they were once enslaved by the mind flayers, but later escaped by chance and had their own god.
I don’t know if it’s because long-term illness makes one a good doctor, or if they stole some key things from the mind flayers, but the gray dwarves also have certain psychic talents.
In addition to the main god - Laduguer, they also have a new demigod, the daughter of Laduguer, Deep Dulla, known as the "Goddess of Psionic Power" and the "Princess of the Axe of Conquest".
It is worth mentioning that before becoming a god, this female demigoddess killed many drow and mind flayers, races that posed a threat to the existence of the gray dwarves, and therefore won the hostility and hatred .
But surprisingly, the relationship between her and Eilistraee was quite good.
Although they could not be considered friends for the time being, Levi had learned from Pamela that if the benevolent drow such as the Moon Singers encountered gray dwarves in the wild, and if the other party was led by someone who could use psychic powers, both sides would often maintain a certain safe distance and watch the other party leave from afar.
Instead of attacking immediately like other gray dwarves.
Such restraint could, of course, only have come from direct instructions from the female demigoddess.
I don’t know if it’s because they all have a common enemy - the drow elves, so they play this trick of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” against each other.
For Levi, letting go of these gray dwarves who have a faint light in their eyes and should have some psychic power is not completely impossible, provided that they can show enough value.
Of course, he could only guarantee their safety within the city. If they were discovered by Hans or Dussel and chased out, what would happen outside the city would have nothing to do with him.
However, dwarves possess the power of runes and a small number of priests who can use divine arts. Gray dwarves may also be able to harness psychic powers while having priests. These abilities are, to some extent, similar to the power of magic.
Then, wouldn't the Chaos Dwarves, who had transformed themselves into a mess in pursuit of magic and to acquire demonic power, have become pure resentment?
He shook his head slightly to dispel these boring thoughts, and said directly: "If you can show us a price that satisfies us, I can guarantee that you will leave the city safely."
This was not beyond the expectations of the gray dwarves. They had long known that everything had a price. However, one of the gray dwarves could not help but complain: "When we became prisoners, all our belongings were taken away by those damn pointy-eared guys!"
"Yeah, it's all because of those damn pointy ears that we can't get anything out now!"
Levi couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth slightly. He seemed to understand why the Underdark, and even most races in the surface world, disliked the gray dwarves.
Besides the fact that they are in the lawful evil camp and never do good things for the sake of profit, these guys really can't talk.
They are clearly prisoners, and this is clearly a transaction, but how can you be so confident even though you have no money?
Your mouth stinks. Can’t you see that I am also an elf, one of what you call pointed ears?
Before he could lose his temper, Donna, who was standing beside him, had already put her hand on the newly acquired fine gold sword. It was the first time for her to see such an arrogant prisoner. If she only listened to this conversation, others might even misunderstand that they were the prisoners.
Even if the deal is reached later, she will have to teach these guys a lesson. Anyway, Levi only promised that they can leave the city safely. As long as they are not dead, they are safe, right?
Cindy couldn't help but puff up her cheeks. She was so angry. She knew that Brother Levi did this to gain some psychic power for her, but she suddenly had an impulse. She would rather not have these things. She wanted to beat them up severely!
At this moment, a slightly weak and slightly strange female voice suddenly sounded.
"Hehe, if it's a price, I can probably pay some."
Looking in the direction of the voice, Levi saw a disheveled, thin woman being held in a cell on the other side.
Judging from the other person's appearance, he was actually a human being. It was the first time Levi saw him in this prison.
But soon Cindy next to him noticed something wrong: "That tattoo, you are a high-ranking member of the Snake Cult!"
Levi also quickly noticed that there was a twisted and hideous giant snake with a human face tattooed on the other party's arm. It was the vest of the old black dragon, the giant snake believed in by the Snake Cult - Az Dahaka.
Not every Snake Worshiper can get this tattoo on his body. Only high-ranking members of the Snake Worshiper Cult are qualified to do so.
At the same time, he immediately understood why he felt the other person's accent was a bit strange, because it was mixed with a little bit of the "hissing" sound of a snake.
It's not obvious, but it's there.
"You are a priestess of the Snake Cult? How did you get caught by the drow?"
Levi felt a little strange. He calculated the time and looked at the other person's clothes and so on. She had obviously been captured for some time, at least earlier than the big fight.
But before the melee, in order to avoid associating it with its alias, the Old Black Dragon had never allowed the Snake Cult to enter the Underdark. He had confirmed this through multiple channels, including Chen Zhui of the End of the World.
"Of course I betrayed my religion and ran away. In order to avoid being wanted by the Snake Cult, I fled to the Underdark. But who would have thought that these drow would be even more brutal than the legends say? I clearly paid the toll, but they still robbed me and captured me again."
Speaking of this, the priestess felt somewhat resentful.
The Snake Cult was a notorious group of villains, committing all sorts of evil, including massacres, slavery, kidnapping, etc. But at least they were honest in most cases, at least that was how she thought.
Unlike these drow, their words sound like farts. They were smiling and taking money in the last second, and they were swinging swords at her in the next second . If she didn't have some abilities, she probably wouldn't even have the chance to be a prisoner!
Levi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Apostasy?"
When neither Old Black Dragon nor the Snake Worship Cult showed any signs of decline, she took the initiative to flee. If she did not have a long-term vision, it was naturally because she could not stand the Snake Worship Cult's rules of conduct, or the disputes within the sect.
The details are not clear yet, but if it is the first two, then maybe I have found a treasure.
Well, you can't be so sure. Old Black Dragon and the Snake Cult are both evil factions. This woman was able to make it to the top, so she was probably not a good person before.
As his mind raced, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Perhaps you don't have to worry too much about the Snake Cult's wanted list?"
The priestess couldn't help but feel helpless and self-deprecating when she heard this: "No, even if I escape to the Underdark, they will find me sooner or later, because they have cooperative relations with the dragonmen and kobold clans to which the legendary black dragon Black belongs."
"What if Blake is dead and the forces under her command have disappeared?"
The priestess stood up with a little excitement, but it was obvious that after being imprisoned for who knows how many days, her body was very weak and she was a little shaky just standing there.
"Are you telling the truth? But how is that possible? It is a legendary black dragon, and it even possesses an extremely powerful and special power!"
Upon hearing this, Levi knew that the other party either had a high position in the Snake Cult, or was smart enough, or both.
In that case...
He did not directly answer the other party's question, but asked: "Did you choose to flee because you believed that once Blake's plan to become a god was exposed, there would be only one way out, and that's why?"
After a moment's pause, he smiled bitterly, "I believe you a little now. Blake may really be dead."
This is Blake's biggest secret. Once the secret is exposed, it will be impossible for it to survive the siege of the gods. This is also one of the important reasons why she resolutely chose to defect.
A legendary black dragon who wanted to become a god dared to establish a sect and did so many evil things. Once it was discovered, I'm afraid the entire sect would be wiped out.
In addition, she also discovered through some clues that there were many children who were adopted by the Snake Cult since childhood, and the causes of death of their parents were very suspicious, as well as various other reasons. She decided to defect resolutely because she was once one of those children.
Now it seems that the decision she made was not wrong.
Then she suddenly felt relieved. After a slightly laborious salute to Levi, she formally introduced herself: "I am Alyssa, a priestess who was captured and trained by the Snake Cult since she was a child. I learned some archery and spearmanship, poison making, poison magic, and training and controlling venomous snakes, etc."
"If I can be of any use to you, my lord, I hope to be saved by you."
This prison was not very soundproof. Even though she was underground, she could still hear the faint sounds of fighting and shouting, as well as the slight vibrations of the ground. It was obvious that a war had taken place.
Although she didn't understand why such a powerful drow suddenly fell, and even the entire city had a new owner, it was undoubtedly a fact that a high elf full of light and divine power appeared before her.
Falling into the hands of the enemy or becoming his subordinate is much better than continuing to be a prisoner who may die at any time.
Levi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. It should be said that the priestess who had foreseen the fate of the old black dragon and escaped was indeed quite wise.
But he did not agree to the other party directly, but glanced at Cindy.
Cindy and Julia, both of them have a deep hatred for the Snake Cult.
Cindy chuckled and shook her head, indicating that Levi shouldn't mind her opinion.
The target of her hatred was not an apostate priestess, but the murderer of her father and the entire Snake Cult. Such evil forces should not continue to exist.
Levi nodded: “So, Alyssa, what is your camp?”
Alyssa was delighted, knowing that she had finally reached this most critical step. She quickly said, "My Lord, I used to be slightly inclined towards Lawful Evil, but after my efforts to improve myself, I have now become Lawful Neutral, and am continuing to work towards Lawful Good."
In fact, her decision to apostatize was not made suddenly. She naturally had to make a lot of efforts for it, and the complete change of camp was the most important one.
And as she learned more, she became more and more disgusted with and even hated the many practices of the Snake Cult.
Levi suddenly laughed, he understood more and more why the other party had fallen into this situation.
The old black dragon and the Snake Cult are both between lawful evil and chaotic evil. Alyssa, being such a person, would certainly be ostracized by her colleagues in the Snake Cult, and even be treated with hostility and hatred.
We are all bad guys in the evil camp, why are you different?
Although there is still a certain gap between us and our own camp, it is acceptable.
"Well, in that case, I will accept you. I am Levi Goethe, the Lord of Ostak City."
Alyssa was overjoyed. She knew that the other party's identity and strength must be extraordinary, but she didn't expect that he was the city lord here. It seems that she really chose the right target!
She quickly knelt on one knee, bowed very solemnly, and swore allegiance to Levi.
Then the system also prompted that there was another level 5 elite mage under Levi's command.
Name: Alyssa (Snake Cult Priestess)
Tier: Tier 5 (Elite)
Attributes: Strength 7, Agility 6, Constitution 8, Intelligence 13, Perception 6, Charisma 5
Expertise:
1. Prepare potion;
2. Enhanced familiars allow you to obtain a completely new list of familiars, including some small creatures from the Abyss/Bator, small elemental creatures, or small celestial creatures that can be selected as familiars.
(Such as little devils, quasers, electric lizards, small wind elementals, celestial pigeons, etc.).
Skill:
1. Elite, two random attributes +1, currently strength and constitution, and gain extra health bonus (related to occupation, constitution, and class), the current bonus is 24 (5X8X0.6)
2, intermediate riding; 3, elementary spear; 4, elementary bow and arrow;
5. Detect toxicity (level 0);
6. Apply oil to the soles of feet (level 1);
7. False Life (Level 2);
8. Bull's Strength (Level 2);
9. Poison Ray (Level 2);
10. Poison Kiss (Level 2);
11. Toxic Spray (Level 4): During the duration, poisonous rays can be emitted from the eyes, nose, mouth or fingertips, up to 6 rays;
12. Magic pet contract, current magic pet: Abyss Horned Viper.
-
talent:
1. Good at learning, the experience points required for upgrading are reduced by 3%
2. Proficient in poisons, can make a variety of poisons to apply to weapons or arrows, and can also make some antidotes.
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Magic Pet: Abyssal Horned Viper
Skills: Snake Scales, Listening, Poison Bite, Strangulation.
(A priestess who is smart enough to leave the Snake Cult early. As long as you are strong enough, she will always be your most loyal subordinate)
After reading it, Levi immediately exclaimed "Wow!" None of his subordinates used poison magic, or rather, those in the good camp generally did not like these nonsense things.
The poison lasts for 3 to 5 seconds, so it might be better to just hit the opponent with a hammer, which will cause more damage.
He had thought that he would now be welcoming his first subordinate who specialized in this type of magic, but the opponent's skill list was far from what he had imagined.
Although she is a magic profession, she obviously has a heart for melee combat!
This is obviously the idea of giving herself all kinds of buffs, and then rushing up to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Even her pet snake is very good at fighting.
However, this kind of attribute distribution also obviously brought many disadvantages in the later stage.
The most obvious thing is that she is already at level 5, but the most powerful magic she has mastered is still a semi-useless one like Toxic Spray. The most likely reason is that her intelligence attribute is not enough, so she is completely unable to learn other high-level magic.
And no matter how much she prefers close combat, her health points are too far behind those of a real warrior. She is a human mage, not an ogre mage.
However, if all the priestesses of the Snake Cult fight in this way, then it would be a good opportunity for us.
But since she had become his subordinate, she could no longer continue to take risks like this. Levi decided to give her all the poison-related magic he had obtained from the drow, and let her specialize in magic in the future.
The magic that strengthens magical pets can also be given to her, making her magical pets more capable of fighting.
At the same time, it was the first time that Levi knew that there was such a special specialty that he could choose little demons, little devils, etc. as pets.
But he did not feel much envy. This kind of magical pet could at most serve as a small combat auxiliary in the early stage. In the later stage, it was definitely not as good as the magical pet he personally selected.
After releasing Alyssa and letting Cindy give her some treatment, Levi turned and looked at the gray dwarves.
"Why, have you figured out what price you're going to pay?"
But the gray dwarves still looked stunned, as if they had not recovered at all from the series of information they had just heard.
Levi raised his eyebrows and decided to hand them over to Cindy. If they couldn't teach Cindy anything, then he couldn't blame him for giving them to Hans and the others as gifts...
