Volume Dragon: Start by obtaining the Infinity Gems

Chapter 295 Tower Spirit "Scarlet Eye"

The sunset in the Anauroch Desert dyed the sky a dark red like blood scab, and the weathered sandstone walls twisted like ghosts in the heat wave.

Red Sand Fortress - The fangs of the red-robed wizard Huisel on the eastern edge of the desert are like a crawling beast, and the arcane runes engraved on the black iron gate flow with the luster of lava.

The scarlet spire standing in the center of the fortress is like a dagger piercing the sky. The arcane crystal suspended on the top of the tower continuously projects warning magic nets into the sky, covering the sand dunes within a radius of ten miles in a blood-red halo.

On the training ground at the bottom of the Mage Tower, thirty red-robed apprentices were mechanically practicing the flaming arrow array. Their sweat evaporated before it even dripped, and the collars of their robes were stained white by salt stains, but no one dared to stop - because on the newly erected obsidian platform, the silver-scaled scroll dragon Nemesis was looking down at everything.

"Seventh row, magic output exceeded the limit for 0.3 seconds." Nemesis' voice was as calm as ice. His dragon claws tapped the stone platform lightly. A silver light swept across the queue. The apprentice on the far right suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. The flames ignited on his fingertips exploded out of control, burning his cuffs to ashes. "Arcane is a skill with profound wisdom. The Red Robe Mage Association really accepts all kinds of people as apprentices."

The training ground was dead silent, with only the breathing of the wounded and the rustling of sand hitting the city wall. In the shadow of the platform, the high-ranking red-robed Basu, the controller of the fortress, walked out slowly. His fingers under the crimson robe trembled with humiliation, but his voice was still as cold as iron: "Continue training. If you do it again, I will personally throw you into the incinerator."

The apprentices stiffly reorganized their formation, and Basu's eyes were always fixed on the Scroll Dragon.

Three days ago, after he surrendered to the Volume Dragon, the two kept this secret.

Because Nemesis learned that Basu's service in the Scarlet Spire was coming to an end, and he would soon be transferred back to the headquarters in Cell. At that time, he would become the most powerful person in the Red Mages' Council, second only to the eight chiefs.

The Red Mage Society would not allow a person who surrendered to the dragon to access secrets. Nemesis learned that the Scarlet Spire's spirit existed independently of the entire fortress and served the Cel headquarters directly. In order to keep the secret and cover up the fight that day, they made up a story.

After this, Nemesis felt at ease staying in the fortress as a "consultant" and acted tyrannically.

After nightfall, Nemesis stepped into the core chamber of the Scarlet Spire. The walls of the room were covered with blood vessel-like magic conduits, and in the central cylindrical glass cabin was suspended a pale boy - Urumu, the holder of the Cursed Fire. His wrists were locked with arcane shackles, but the blue-white flames dancing in his palms were silently burning the confinement runes.

"You're running away again." The silver scales of the scroll dragon shone coldly under the magic crystal lamp. The claws lightly tapped the glass cabin, and the spiritual energy seeped into the cabin and turned into fine threads that wrapped around the boy's arm. "The curse fire will not be extinguished by guilt...it will only devour your sanity."

Wuermu curled up in the bottom of the cabin, the flames reflected distorted illusions in his pupils - the burning tent, the charred corpse of his foster mother, and the old shaman's hand reaching out to him before he was devoured by the cursed fire. "I can't control it..." the boy hissed, "Every time the flames ignite, I see them... I see that I killed everyone!"

Nemesis's dragon pupils shrank slightly, and the silver threads suddenly tightened. The spiritual power pressed the curse fire back into the boy's palm: "Then face it. The curse fire is your blood, not your sin."

The gravity field in the glass cabin suddenly reversed, and Wuermu was dragged to the top of the cabin by an invisible force, and the curse fire gushed out uncontrollably. He roared and waved his hands, and the blue-white flames flowed wildly in the cabin, but they could never break through the restraints of the silver thread.

Nemesis shook his head upon seeing this. As an energy that comes completely from the heart, psychic energy can indeed resist the property of cursed fire that devours all magic power.

But that's all.

If Wuermu fails to resolve his inner conflict and face the cursed fire, he will be forever tormented by the cursed fire.

Before Juan Ce Long turned and left, he whispered, "If your brother were still alive, he probably wouldn't want you to torture yourself like this."

Wuermu's body trembled, and the curse fire lingering around him slowly began to show signs of disappearing. He took a deep breath, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

That's right, for his brother's sake, he also had to control this power. His brother must want to see him live happily.
-
In the arcane chamber on the top floor of the spire, Basu was staring at the crystal ball in a daze. The ball suddenly glowed with blood, and a metal face made of runes emerged - the projection of the tower spirit "Scarlet Eye".

"Master Basu." Taling's voice was like gears rubbing against a skull. "According to the magic network records, the fortress's arcane defense array has been activated zero times in the past 72 hours, and the magic fluctuations in the training ground have dropped abnormally by 87%. Please explain."

The red-robed wizard's fingertips unconsciously stroked the Cyre emblem on the armrest of the bone chair: "I am executing the 'Shadow Countermeasure Plan' - the Zhentarim assassins have recently obtained some Shadow Realm equipment. You know this, and the conventional defense system dominated by arcane puppets has become ineffective. This is the test record of the new 'arcane bait', which reduces the output of the main magic network and induces the enemy to misjudge the weak points of the fortress's defense."

Basu was a little depressed when he said this. Although he did this under the order of the dragon in order to secretly cut off the runes that allowed the tower spirit to perceive the outside world, the reason was not made up.

The group of gutter thieves in Ironjaw Fortress got a bunch of extra-planar standard equipment that was obviously not of the style of Faerun from somewhere, which greatly enhanced their strength. Even the most useful arcane puppets in the past were at a disadvantage in front of them.

"Facts confirmed, advice: avoid fighting with the Zhentarim in the short term."

Then, the tower spirit's pupils emitted a red light, and the figure of the scroll dragon was reflected in the crystal ball. "Why can that dragon enter and exit the Scarlet Spire freely? The iron law of Sel prohibits outside creatures from contacting the first-level confidential area."

Basu's fingertips pierced into his palm, and the burning pain of the soul contract warned him not to leak the secret: "He is an 'advisor'... The Zhentarim may have obtained those logistical supports because of an alliance with an unknown force. We need the ancient knowledge of the dragon clan to strengthen our defense."

Obviously, Basu's impromptu excuse could not fool Ta Ling.

"Suggestion: Execute the outsiders immediately, otherwise I will activate the emergency protocol and apply for arbitration directly to the Cel headquarters." The rune face of the tower spirit began to decompose and reorganize, which was a precursor to the activation of remote teleportation.

"Wait," Basu's pupils shrank, and he stopped her, "The dragon said he knew who was behind the Iron Jaw Fortress. I'm trying to get information from him, don't ruin my plan."

The red light of the tower spirit flashed: "Refutation: The power behind the Zhentarim is definitely not something a scroll dragon can understand."

Basu was stunned, a little surprised. What did Tarling mean by this was that he knew something about the power behind the Zhentarim?

Yes, the chief of the prophecy department in the Red Robe Mage Society successfully broke through to the legendary realm last year. He must have already figured out all the major hostile forces of the Red Robe Mage Society.

Ta Ling seemed to realize that there was something wrong with his words. The red light in his pupils gradually faded, and his tone relaxed: "...24 hours. If you cannot submit effective results, I will take over the control of the fortress."

After the projection disappeared, Basu slumped in the bone chair, his black robe soaked with cold sweat. The secret door of the secret room quietly slid open, and Nemesis leaned against the door, playing with a communication badge of the Cel headquarters with his claws - the part stripped from the tower spirit body.

"Your promotion documents have arrived at the capital of Cyre." The Tome Dragon crushed the badge into powder. "As long as you can survive tomorrow night... you will be able to step into the Red Robe Council and become one of their 'own'."

(End of this chapter)