From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 395 Coveting the Red Dragon's Heart

"So... Duke Ravengard is your father? I don't have much memory left in my mind, but this is still news to me." Xie Nian looked at Will's face, stroking his smooth chin to find similarities between the two.

All the members of the team who came from Baldur's Gate had this question.

Duke Urd Ravengard was a hero who rose from humble beginnings. He won widespread love among the lower classes of Baldur's Gate for his fair style of work promoted in the Flaming Fist. Therefore, no local Baldur's Gate person would not know about such a famous figure.

The fair High Duke Ravengard not only has a son, but he is also a magician who has signed a magic contract with the devil.

This huge contrast in identity does bring about an extraordinary curiosity.

"I know I haven't mentioned this. Our relationship has nothing to do with pride, at least for him..." Will nodded and said very seriously, "I wonder how angry he will be when he sees the horns on my head... But our relationship is not necessarily related to saving him. Urd Ravengard is a good man, and we must save him, not only for Baldur's Gate, but also for ourselves. You should be able to imagine how much political power a High Duke has, not to mention when the other three High Dukes are absent from the parliament for various reasons."

“If the Archdruid and the Githyanki Incubation Room can’t help us, perhaps we can seek the help of the High Duke. He can help find the most powerful healer in the world.”

"It looks like we have one more mission, to rescue a great man from the drow." Shadowheart looked at the promotion road leading deep into the jungle, "To the west... Duke Revengard's direction is the same as ours. Is it just a coincidence? Or have the Githyanki also heard of Revengard's name?"

Everyone could see that this was a deliberate teasing of Laizer, except for the Githyanki female warrior.

After two days of running-in, everyone in the team has been able to grasp the trick of communicating with Laizel. This astral college girl is no harder to fool than a little girl who likes lollipops, as long as you always remember that she respects strength and is good at taking shortcuts - the shortest route between two points.

"Chk (Githyanki: Tsk), I don't care about a human duke. He won't have more wealth accumulated than the Githyanki... If he really has that much, he would have been robbed by our red dragon riders long ago." Laetzel hissed. In some ways, the Githyanki are indeed very similar to the lizards. Sometimes Ivy would hallucinate her as a female version of the green Voldemort.

"If the drow and your duke father really go west, you should pray that they don't run into Kith'rak's (Githyanki: Kesrak Centurion) people. The red dragon riders will skin them and impale their bodies on wood to dry." Laezel is still demonstrating the cruel style of the Githyanki.

"Since everyone agrees, we must speed up." Will didn't care about Laizer's provocative words. "No matter what the drow of the Supreme God wants to do to Duke Ravengard, we should disrupt their plans."

Without stopping for long, the adventure team immediately set out on the road to the west, tracking down the drow elves who kidnapped the High Duke of Baldur's Gate.

There were few footprints on the dusty road, and the further west he went, the tighter Will's brows furrowed.

"We must have taken the wrong path." Will tried to look for clues in the surrounding environment, but found nothing. "There are only a few footprints on the ground. Although they look new, they can't be the target we are tracking..."

"There's a sentry post ahead." Xie Nian placed his prosthetic hand over his eye sockets to make a canopy, stood on a stone beside the road and tiptoed to look around, "It looks like there's someone up there... We should go ask!"

"Hide!" Asdaelon pounced on the evil thought standing on the stone. A huge shadow passed over their heads, stirring up gusts of wind. It was a red dragon flapping its wings and soaring in the sky. On top of it sat a Githyanki knight wearing silver armor and carrying a huge sword.

The red dragon flew low and swooped down towards the wooden bridge in front of the sentry gate. The scorching dragon breath from the air not only burned several Flame Fist soldiers on the wooden bridge into charcoal, but also turned the entire wooden bridge into ruins.

"A red dragon!" This was one of the few times that Laizer showed jealousy. "I am so jealous of this knight! I wish I could have a mount like this!"

After the Githyanki were freed from enslavement at the mind flayer empire, their Queen Gith traveled deep into Hell and made a deal with Tiamat, the Five-Headed Dragon Queen, offering her freedom in exchange for red dragons to serve the Githyanki.

These red dragons usually begin serving in the Githyanki army in their youth. However, due to the non-existence of time in the Astral Plane, young red dragons cannot grow to a higher age. However, long-term fighting and plundering still make them more cunning and wealthier.

Githyanki who can become red dragon riders are usually strong warriors and are a privileged class in the entire Githyanki society.

It was nothing more than that Laizer wanted to be a Red Dragon Knight because the education she had received before had shaped her into such a person.

"Can you accept the heart of a red dragon, Kalak?" Ivy asked, staring at the red dragon flapping its wings and gradually descending. He had tried many clone transplant experiments in the underground laboratory of Strijhaven, but those clones themselves had no souls, and Ivy couldn't create an artificial soul to put in, so until now, he had never seen what effect would be produced by transplanting organs of magical creatures into other living creatures.

"You have to be kidding!" Kalak stretched out his hands and gestured, "That dragon is so big! Its heart must be as big as mine!"

"I can use magic to shrink it. Although it will lose some size and strength, relying on the red dragon's strong heart muscle, it will definitely greatly improve your physical fitness. Maybe it only needs to beat a few times per minute to complete the blood exchange in your body... But the side effect may be to extend your life... It still needs observation and experimentation." Ivy has begun to think about the surgical plan. "Or I can use necromancy to clone a baby dragon. In this way, your body sizes will be very similar, and you don't have to worry about the hidden danger of you bursting after the heart shrinking magic is lifted."

Although Ivy and Kalak were discussing the topic of killing the red dragon and using its corpse, Laizer did not show any displeasure.

"Challenging a red dragon rider? I am impressed by your audacity. The dragon's flames will burn you all to charcoal, just like those Flame Fist soldiers who overestimate their own capabilities." Laizer smiled, and that smile was full of pity for the arrogant people. "There must be a breeding room nearby. Let's go, my people are waiting for me."

"We're just going to go over there like this?" Xie Nian stood up from the bushes, brushed off the grass and dust on his body, and looked around at his teammates. "A Githyanki with a group of complicated teammates?"

"It's no big deal. We will not only plunder property in the astral world, but also capture slaves to work with." Leizel replied, "Just follow behind me and don't make any noise, slaves."

"Well, well, let's see how much you've learned about talking while following the bard." Asdeln rolled his eyes.

"Laizer!" Will called out to the Githyanki warrior who had just taken a step. "If possible, ask for news about Duke Ravengard..."

Laizer stared at Will's face for a second or two before saying, "You are a strong warrior, Will, but the bond of blood has made you weak... There are no drow bodies here, it looks like they missed them... But I will still agree to your request, maybe the Red Dragon Rider saw them in the air and left them exposed in the wilderness..."

"Hey! Keep your voice down!" A female tiefling in leather armor jumped down from the sentry tower. "Didn't you see the dragon? I don't want to die with you! Oh! Why is there another shoe-horn face!"

The tiefling drew his dagger and pointed it at Laizer.

"Back off, Tiefling, you'd better disappear before I draw my weapon." Laizer was indifferent to the Tiefling's evaluation. In her opinion, all races on the continent of Faerun were ugly, especially those fleshy big noses.

"How many bad things have happened to me today!" Tiefling ran away without looking back.

The evil thought that was about to mediate the dispute scratched the back of his head: "This is really weird... I thought you were going to kill her."

"Don't worry, I will do the same next time." Without stopping, Laizer trotted towards the Githyanki patrol below.

"We'd better hurry up!" Yingxin suggested, "otherwise that brainless idiot will reveal all our secrets in just a few words."

"If you want to avoid conflict, I can help with magic." Ivy showed a mischievous smile on his face, "What do you think about all disguising ourselves as Githyanki?" "Disguised as a green-skinned monster, is this the clever idea you came up with?" Asdeln's pursuit of beauty obviously disagreed with disguising himself as "a race that looks like a lizard."

“The appearance of the Githyanki is very advantageous to us.” Gale agreed, “But I’m afraid none of us can learn Laizer’s speaking style, so it’s best to leave the negotiation to Ivy.”

"Laizer is about to meet the Red Dragon Knight! Whatever we do, we'd better do it quickly!" Yingxin kept an eye on the situation below.

"That's settled then! Mass camouflage!" Ivy plucked the strings a few times quickly, and the magical notes instantly merged into everyone's body.

Then, a fresh team of Githyanki emerged.

"Why are their noses so short? I can't breathe!" complained Asdeln, his gorgeous noble clothes looking like they were put on a frog.

"That's just your illusion, Asdaelon." The wise Githyanki rubbed the staff he got from the High Duke's advisor with his slender green fingers. "Ivy's magic is indeed exquisite, but it's just an illusion. Our physical form has not changed, so your nose is still as straight as before."

"I swear this is the most beautiful consolation I have heard today!" Asdeln used his fingers to confirm that his nose had not disappeared, and then followed his teammates.

----

"'L'Ezel'..." Keslak Centurion Voss whispered. L'Ezel, who was sitting opposite him, had just finished introducing himself. "This name represents pride, even nobility... What about those sons of Gith behind you? Are they your companions too?"

"Gith..." Laizer felt something was not good. She turned her head and saw a group of Githyanki who looked like a ragtag army entering the city walking towards here. The tall female Githyanki barbarian walking at the back even waved at her enthusiastically.

Fortunately, Laizer turned his head to observe the situation, otherwise his high-speed trembling eyeballs would definitely arouse the suspicion of the Red Dragon Knight Voss.

Laizer tried hard to control her trembling eyes and turned back to answer Voss's question, but she unconsciously added a hint of reluctance: "Yes, they are all my... comrades."

"These children don't seem to have received much formal training, or they have been assimilated into this weak world. You should take them back to the nursery as soon as possible and let them receive retraining." Voss also noticed Laizer's hidden disgust and actually spoke to comfort Laizer.

The newly formed Githyanki squad quickly took their positions behind Laizer.

Voss frowned and scolded, "Put away that silly smile on your face! If I wasn't kind, I would have skinned you clean. The fact that your skins are still on your bodies is the best proof of my mercy."

Xie Xin, who was very amused by the new image, suddenly frowned and lingered around Voss's throat with a very unfriendly look.

"Very good, at least you still retain some pride of the son of Gith." Voss did not think that the evil thoughts were really a threat to him, so he craned his neck to let her see enough, "You should call me Jhs'stil Kith'rak (Githyanki: Chief Centurion Kethrak)."

Laizer's eyes widened, like a little girl who saw her childhood idol: "Chief Knight Voss, the Queen's silver light, the Queen's sharp sword."

Voss bowed proudly and said, "It's me."

"We need your help, First Knight Voss! We have all been infected by Ghaik (Githyanki: brain-eating bastard)!" As soon as Laizer said this, Ivy knew that he was in trouble.

The kid completely ignored Ivy's warnings in the camp and revealed the team's true colors with just one sentence.

But it's okay, at least Kalak's heart has been found. Ivy added the Ghost Strike, which uses both instantaneous and persistent super magic skills, to the Beast Bite Sword. He has a lot of experience in dealing with dragons, and breaking the dragon's natural armor is always the first choice.

As the chief centurion of Keslak, Voss's red dragon is stronger than other red dragon riders' companions, but it is just an adult red dragon. Ivy believes that his sword can easily pierce its scales and chop off its head.

"Purification? Soon your skin will turn gray, your blood will turn silver, and you will shed your current skin and become a Ghaik." Voss's face had a tiny bit of insignificant pity. "Only death can cleanse the infection."

Chief Knight Voss gave orders to the centurions behind him: "Barissa, split their heads, crush the mind flayer tadpoles, and search her body thoroughly. I will pass a message to the Undead Queen - our search will continue."

Voss climbed up the red dragon's wings onto its thorny back: "Quednos! Take off!"

"It seems we have to prepare to slay the dragon!" The flames rising from Kalak's body burned away all the camouflage that Ivy had cast. She raised her giant axe, ready to jump and chop at the dragon.

But the one who was faster than her was Ivy. Her Steel Wind Strike left no trace, and the sword blade, as transparent as the netherworld, emitted a magical glow. The sword master's peak skills were once again revealed in front of everyone.

"Roar--"

The action of the adult red dragon Quadnos flapping its wings to take off was interrupted, and Ivy caught the opportunity very well. It was the stage of accumulating power when the red dragon was about to fly but had not yet completely left the ground.

The Beast Bite Sword sank all the way into the red dragon's ribs, breaking off the dragon's scales, cutting open the dragon's skin, and splashing hot blood.

The sword's target was the wings on the red dragon's back. As long as the dragon's mobility was eliminated, it would be nothing more than a piece of barbecue that could breathe fire.

The Beast Bite Sword almost cut off all the tendons connecting the red dragon's left rib and wings. Flapping its wings immediately became a torture for it. Quadnos could only let out a deafening roar and leaned to the side weakly.

Steel Wind's second target was Voss on the red dragon's back. Ivy had heard that the red dragon knight's silver sword was good, so it was a pleasant surprise to be able to get it now.

But Voss, who had fought for Vlaakis in the astral realm for countless centuries, was not an easy character to deal with. Although he was caught off guard, he subconsciously drew out the astral silver sword behind him and barely blocked Ivy's beast bite sword.

Ivy and the Beast Bite Sword stopped on the red dragon's back, and Steel Wind hit several other targets and they survived.

This was the first time Ivy encountered an opponent who could interrupt the casting process of Steel Wind Strike. The swordsmanship of the Githyanki Chief Knight was indeed not to be underestimated.

Even when the Beast Bite Sword was parried, Ivy sensed another kind of mysterious power that was different from magic, which was very similar to the fluctuations emitted by the "brain communication" of the Mind Flayer tadpole infected people. It should be the psychic power that the Githyanki are naturally good at.

Only then did Ivy feel a little regretful: the Githyanki people, who have roamed the starry sea for countless centuries, cannot have only one legendary figure, the Lich Queen. The Chief Centurion Keslak in front of him is a legendary warrior, even a legendary psychic warrior.

(End of this chapter)