From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 383 Zariel's Champion
"There are so many things to do, my head is really going to explode..." Xie Nian knocked on her head. She felt that it was empty inside. Maybe it had been eaten up by the Mind Flayer tadpoles. She hoped that after Ivy mastered the craniotomy surgery, she would not be scared by her empty head.

Putting aside the irrelevant thoughts, Xie Nian asked worriedly, "Where should we start?"

"Of course it's the goblin camp." Shadowheart gave his reasons, "Many of our targets are there, and there is a goblin captive in the tiefling's cell who can lead the way. If we can find a way to sneak in without causing a fight, it might be more efficient."

"No, we should hunt Kalak first. According to Asdeln, she is on the back of this mountain. We only need a small Feather Fall to avoid the damage caused by falling from a high altitude." Gale objected. "Besides, our team still needs to run in. A simpler target is the right option."

"Okay, that sounds fine." Xie Nian said slowly, "Does anyone have any objections?"

No one spoke.

"Then let's go meet the champion warrior of the great devil Zariel!" Xie Nian patted his clothes and stood up from the stone. "Can I ask you to perform the Feather Fall Technique, Gale?"

"Leave it to me." Gale also raised his staff, "But I hope you can give me the magic gloves on the goblin at the door. After all, you know, I still have a big bomb on me."

"Okay, okay." Xie Nian reluctantly handed over the leather gloves that were still stained with the goblin's smelly blood. "We should tell Sevlo that we want the prisoners in his prison. After we deal with the Hell Champion Warrior, we will go to the Selune Temple where the goblins are entrenched."

"Don't talk like we're going back to our lovely home. That's the territory of the cult." Asdeln walked in front to lead the way. "We need to cross the entire camp and go to the cliff in the north. Once we get there, we can use this telescope to clearly see Zariel's champion warriors."

The cave cliff mentioned by Asdaelon is very hidden and can only be reached by climbing a steep rock wall, but Tiefling found a ladder leading here in the cave below, so the team can borrow it.

A clear waterfall hangs in front of the cave cliff. A large amount of water falls directly into the pool below, and then flows out from the pool to the bottom of the mountain, forming a stream.

Due to the large drop in height, the sound of the waterfall falling into the pool is not very loud, at least in the noisy cave, it is not easy to be noticed.

"Right there!" Asdeln pointed in a direction and handed over the telescope in his hand, "That little bright spot!"

Will took the telescope and looked carefully in the direction pointed by Asdeln: "That's her... I can even smell the sulfur on her body from here! There's a pool of blood on the ground, she seems to be injured... The goddess of luck smiled at me too many times today, I'm a little flattered... It would have been very difficult to deal with a devil champion warrior, but today it won't be easier than crushing an ant."

"As long as the target is correct, come on friends, let's fly!" Gale began to chant the spell. The Archmage of Waterdeep had lost too much of his talent by the Orb of Destruction, so even a simple spell like Feather Fall needed to be chanted word by word according to the correct process.

Ivy played the lute and combined with Gale's spell to cast Feather Fall on his teammates.

"It's amazing! Your piano music has expanded the effective range of my magic! I thought I would have to recite the spell at least once more!" Gale looked at the magical aura of Feather Fall disappearing from his body and shouted in surprise, "How did you do that?"

"Of course it's through music and stories! What else could it be?" Evil Thought passed by Gale and began to calculate the running distance needed to fall from the sky to Kalak's side. "I know the answer to this."

"That's an immature metamagic technique. I'm still researching it." Ivy put down the lute. "Now is not the time to discuss academics. Let's focus on the task at hand, Gale."

"You really are an expert in everything, Ivy. Ah... I'm beginning to miss the days of studying magic at the Blackstaff Academy." Gail shook his head and took a few steps back, watching Asdeln, Xie Nian, Laizer and Will, a few melee fighters, venture out of the waterfall and fly towards the lush forest below.

"I don't know if I have the physical strength to do this..." Gail swallowed. He realized now that the distance from the cliff to Kalak's temporary camp was a bit far, but he was the one who proposed to make hunting Kalak the primary goal. It was too late to retreat now.

"Do you need me to push you?" Ivy asked considerately. At this moment, Yingxin had already disappeared on the cliff platform.

"What? No need!... Uh, maybe, just push it a little?" Gail's first reaction was to refuse, and then he began to feel the fear in his heart begin to grow.

"Let's go." While Gail was hesitating, Ivy grabbed his vest and jumped down the cliff.

"Ah--" Gail looked at the waterfall getting closer and closer, and closed his eyes nervously, but he waited for a long time and did not feel any water falling on his head.

When he couldn't help but open his eyes, he saw that the forest under his feet was constantly receding.

"Wait! You can fly? Oh my god! You've been worrying for nothing!" Gail, whose clothes were being held by Ivy, couldn't help but complain, but all he got in return was Ivy's laughter as if he had succeeded in playing a prank.

The two people who used the flying technique were much faster than the other team members who relied on the feather fall technique to slowly descend, so they arrived first and soon surpassed the several melee members who were descending in a parabola.

"Hey! This isn't fair!" Xie Nian couldn't help but yell, "I want to fly too!"

"Keep quiet, shouting will attract Kalak's attention!" Will tried to stop the evil thoughts from making noise, but his own noise was not much quieter.

"Nine levels of hell...what am I seeing?" Kalak, his body burning with flames, looked at the adventure team landing above his head and let out a cry of disbelief.

"Your doom is certain!" Will drew his rapier in mid-air, "Zariel's loyal dog, the Devil's Advocate Kalak! Today is the day you die!"

"I am so lucky to see the Border Blade himself falling from the sky... I thought I had gotten rid of you. You just don't know what giving up means, right?" Kalak stood up straight, but had no intention of drawing her weapon. Perhaps she had realized that she could not escape today.

"Goddess of luck is on my side. There is absolutely no chance for you to escape today! Look at my teammates. Each of them is as strong as me! The scourge of Avernus will end today! The future where the Sword Coast is burned to ashes by you will never happen!" Will still did not fall from the air, so he had to shout some polite words at the top of his voice to try to delay Kalak's escape. "Our edge blade friend will need some time." Ivy, who was back on the ground, looked up and looked at Kalak who was standing there, "That flame is not a normal phenomenon, right? Zariel transformed you?"

"She installed a Purgatory Engine in my chest to replace my heart..." Kalak hesitated for less than half a second before deciding to tell the truth.

"Hey! Ivy! She's an evil demon. We should hand her over to experts!" Gail whispered behind Ivy.

"I am not a demon!" Kalak roared, and the flames on her body became even stronger.

"Oh—" The heat wave forced Gail to step back, and half of his foot stepped into the cold stream.

The temporary campsite that Kalak chose was very tricky. It was a small piece of land by the stream connected to it by a single-plank bridge. Behind her was a mountain wall, so there was very little space for people to stay.

Asdeln and Laizer both fell into the stream, while Xie Nian and Will stood next to Ivy, but they made the land even more cramped.

As for Yingxin, she landed on the other side of the single-plank bridge.

"I've had enough of your lies that smell of Avernus sulfur!" Will pointed his dueling sword at Kalak's throat. "I want—Ah!"

The psychic network of the mind flayer tadpoles resonates through the adventurers, but this time there is an additional tiefling from Avernus in the network.

Everyone saw Kalak's past, except Ivy.

"You are not the spokesperson of the bloody war... You are one of its victims... What kind of devilish magic is this?" Will shook his head painfully, "No, I don't believe it!"

"You see the truth..." Kalak raised his hands. "I never wanted to serve Zariel. I was forced into her army. I resisted but failed... until that conch arrived in Avernus... I saw an opportunity, and I took it!"

Kalak snorted softly: "Finally, I'm home... at least close to it..."

"You served Zariel!" Will's posture was no longer as solid as a rock, but was shaken greatly. Fear had already seized his heart. "For this alone, you deserve to die!"

"The one standing in front of you is a poor tiefling, not some unforgivable evil demon. There is no good person for her to kill in hell. Besides, she is now infected with the mind flayer tadpoles. Kalak is a victim of a huge conspiracy just like you." Ivy reached out and pressed Will's duel sword, and said softly, "Edgeblade has the ability to distinguish right from wrong. You already know the truth, right?"

Will took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly: "She... Damn... She is indeed not a demon... All the luck today has been reversed at this moment... This means that I have been deceived..."

"That's damn good. I thought I had to chop off your head." Kalak lowered his arms in relief. "So, we have a truce now?"

"Yes, the truce has been called... I hope I won't regret what happened today. We are all..." Will put the duel sword back into place.

"Huh - everything in the past has been so difficult, and it's a relief to see a friendly face. Uh, Bard, you are... I noticed that you don't seem to be infected by the mind flayer tadpoles?" The flames on Kalak's body calmed down, she had completely let go of her combat stance, and began to ask Ivy's name.

"Ivy Dum, as you said, I am the only completely healthy adventurer in this team." Ivy nodded.

"Lucky bastard." Kalak complained, and then began to recommend himself, "Is your team still short of people? Can I join? I'm a good fighter!"

"Hey! I'm the captain! You should report to me, soldier!" Xie Nian took a step forward dissatisfied and puffed out her chest, but compared with the tall Kalak, she did look much smaller and smaller.

"Aya, aya! Captain! Private Kalak Yamen reports to you!" Kalak saluted in a formal manner, and Xie Nian accepted it with satisfaction.

"I thought we were here to hunt down demons and train the whole team... Our camp is almost full of mind flayers." Laizer complained.

"I can put your greatsword to good use, soldier. How about we go kill some evil bastards together?" Kalak asked calmly. "And I can add a little backstory if your moral compass needs a direction."

"You already know that I participated in the bloody battle of Avernus, but I am more powerful than you think. I am Zariel's champion warrior, and I am best at chopping off the heads of demons. But this also makes me an asset to Zariel. The Grand Duchess of Avernus herself, the first layer of Baator, recruited me as her personal war dog." Kalak began to explain himself. "Now I have escaped Zariel's control, but the devil doesn't like to lose assets, so she sent a group of thugs, the so-called 'Paladin of Tyr', hoping to capture me and take me back to hell. They are hunters working for the devil. They all deserve to die, right?"

"Do you want us to help you deal with them?" Xie Nian asked.

"Don't worry, I'll lead the charge, but they're numerous, so I'll need your help too. Once we deal with Zariel's lackeys, we'll team up together to take over all of Faerun! Doesn't that sound great?" Kalak made an invitation.

The evil thoughts had not slaughtered any life for a whole day and were already thirsty, so the two of them hit it off immediately: "Deal! Let me see how strong Zariel's champions are! Where are they?"

"It's at the collection office on the opposite hill. They were burned by me, so they can't run far!" Kalak stretched his arms and legs, "I'll lead the way! Haha! Now I'm full of energy!"

(End of this chapter)