From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 519 Flames and the Tombstone Shop
"No matter who the hidden lord in the shield is, he is inextricably linked to the Nine Hells." Ivy naturally had no way of knowing the truth about the Shield of the Hidden Lord, but the fact that Servis Van Sampur summoned demons in the temple to fight against Orin was enough to confirm that the shield in his hand was not the Shield of Sylvam, the nemesis of the Eye Demon.

"The lord sealed inside the shield..." Ivy slung the shield over her back for the moment, "maybe a high-ranking demon or something... Baldur's Gate really is a demon's backyard. I don't think even Avernus has gathered so many demon dukes and high-ranking demons in his conspiracy."

“The guy in the shield is furious right now,” Asdalon sneered. “He never imagined he’d run into a vampire incarnation who doesn’t seem to care about power… Ah, actually, even I find it bizarre. In just one day, such a huge change has happened to me—it’s simply…”

“He is a newborn.” High-ranking harpist Jashira admired this vampire progenitor who had voluntarily given up ascension. Looking at him always reminded this hero, who had been active in Baldur's Gate a hundred years ago, of his teammates. Of course, there was another guy in this adventure party who was even more similar.

The green light in Jahira's hand dissipated, and Minsara, who was receiving treatment, angrily spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on the ground: "I'm healed! When are we leaving to kill that bitch Orin!"

“We can do it now, but we still need to discuss tactics. After all, that’s Baal’s stronghold.” Ivy looked around and beckoned to Evil Thought, who was digging through the fragments of the Zariel statue. “We need to prepare to head to the Inquisition to murder Evil Thought.”

When Orin charged toward the secret temple behind the statue, he also knocked down Zariel's angel statue. The seemingly magnificent statue was actually hollow, and it was completely reduced to a pile of fragments after falling to the ground.

“Give me one more minute!” The wicked man, hunched over, threw a stone behind him between his legs, much like a dog digging for bones in the ground. “...I want to see what makes Zariel’s eyes light up.”

“It’s a magical weapon that has been imbued with the Light spell.” Ivy directed the mage hand to help, and in a few quick movements, they pulled out the spiked hammer that had been placed inside the hollow statue of Zariel from the pile of rubble.

Before her fall from grace, Zariel, as an angel, could indeed make her statues emit a soft golden light. However, after becoming the Grand Duchess of Avernus, she lost all sense of justice and kindness. Making the statues' eyes spew flames or blood was relatively easy, but if she wanted to disguise herself as an angel again, it would take much more effort.

Using a magical weapon imbued with light magic as a light source is indeed a rather novel approach.

"What are its functions?" Xie Nian asked with great interest, waving the mace around in his hand a few times.

“It just glows,” Ivy replied. “Or could you use it to crack walnuts?”

"Really?" Evil Thought's interest in the spiked mace in his hand diminished greatly. "I thought it was at least a divine weapon... Alright, what tactics should we use when we go to the Inquisition to deal with Orin?"

“There’s no doubt that Orin is no match for us.” Ivy quickly got to the point. “However, considering that she didn’t forget to kill Thursville even while on the run, perhaps that murder ritual really did have some effect? ​​But after the murder ritual was completed, she didn’t turn around and fight us again, which is a bit puzzling… If the murder ritual really worked, then Orin, whose strength had greatly increased, should have turned around and fought us again. After all, she’s a true madwoman.”

No one could say for sure what the true effects of the Orin murder ritual were, not even the evil thoughts that were also sons of Baal.

Ivy shook her head, no longer dwelling on it: "The Murder Tribunal is Orin's lair, which means it must be full of all sorts of cultists who believe in Baal. Our previous tactics were good; we just need to make a few adjustments."

When attacking the enemies inside the Zariel Temple, the adventurers used a very simple formation of three rows: front, middle, and back. However, since almost all the Baal followers inside the temple were paralyzed by Ivy's chain lightning, the team became somewhat disjointed when reaping the enemy's lives.

Now that they are attacking Olin's stronghold, they naturally need to maintain a more disciplined lineup.

“Karak, I know you miss your axe, but you also need to make good use of the trident’s advantages.” Ivy looked at the warrior from hell. “Don’t blindly get into melee combat anymore. I need you to stand by Gale and Floric’s side and use your wild instincts to help them fight off the Baal assassins who might attack from behind.”

"Aya! Captain! Private Karak guarantees to complete the mission!" Karak gave a proper salute.

Ivy nodded, glancing past her: "Jasira, Will, Shadowheart, you're in the middle row, supporting the forwards while using your spells to attack the enemy. And don't forget to use your shields to protect the spellcasters in the back row from stray arrows, Shadowheart."

Priests, Druids, and Spellcasters all possess certain spellcasting abilities, making them versatile mid-range and melee fighters, perfectly suited for linking up the team in the middle row.

"Halsin, Minsara, Leezer, just finish your previous tasks, but remember not to go too far."

The Gith Yankee warrior wielding a silver sword, the paladin clad in mithril armor, and the druid who can transform into a giant bear are the vanguard of this team. They usually have to take the most damage, so naturally they need to stay close to the healers.

"The others who weren't named are the roving forces. You can do whatever you want, but remember to preserve yourselves first."

Ivy refers to Minsk the Greatsword Ranger, Evil Thoughts the Son of Baal, and Asdalon, the vampire derivative who has just gained his freedom.

The two wanderers reacted quickly and were agile. With the invisibility potion that Ivy had distributed before the battle, they had no problem protecting themselves in the fight.

As for Minsk, even Jasila couldn't control him, so Ivy naturally didn't think she had that ability. Besides, people who had been turned to stone for a hundred years could come back to life, so Ivy really didn't think much could kill him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Located in a crowded side street in the Lower Town, next to a cemetery near the city walls, the Candharro Tomb Shop typically sells items for more than half the price of other places in town.

After all, for Baal's assassins, the Tombstone Shop was merely a place they used to disguise the entrance to the Inquisition for murder. The real issue was how to slow down the rate at which goods sold out and reduce the frequency of restocking.

Anyway, he mainly relied on murder and robbery to obtain funds for his activities, and did not actually sell coffins.

The adventurers, who had been teleported back to the Palace of Qazador by Ivy, immediately used the passage built on the walls of the upper and lower city districts to enter the crowded side streets directly from the watchtower.

Just walk through three more alleys, and you'll find Baal's coffin shop in the shadow of the city walls.

"Advisor Florick?" a Flame Fist soldier suddenly called out Florick's name.

Duke Gao's advisor instinctively turned around, his heart skipping a beat. Being recognized by Flame Fist in the bustling city center was not a good sign for Ivy's concealment strategy. The other adventurers understood this as well. Flame Fist, still patrolling the city, didn't know how many innocent people he had, or how many had been completely converted into followers of the Supreme God. It was impossible to distinguish them one by one.

Just as the adventurers were about to draw their weapons, Floric took the initiative to meet the Flame Fist.

She looked like an officer, her armor more luxurious than that of ordinary Flame Fist soldiers, and her shiny belt buckles were meticulously arranged. She didn't resemble the more thuggish and hooligan-like Flame Fist soldiers at all, but rather had the air of a sentry who served Zong Gui.

After all, those guys were considered the face of Baldur's Gate, so naturally they had to ensure that their armor reflected light at all times.

“Blazing Liana Porter?” Floric asked in surprise, “You’ve returned from the Churt Forest?”

“I was urgently recalled after the fall of Eltoril, and I’m now in charge of the defense of the entire lower city.” The officer, whom Floric called Liana Porter Flame Fist, looked the hooded advisor of the High Duke up and down. “But you… the High Duke’s report said you died at the Tower of the Moonrise. Now I’ve run into you in the lower city… what’s going on?”

“It’s a bit complicated…” Floric reached out to stop Liana Porter from asking, “but I don’t have time to explain right now… But you have to believe me, I’m always on Baldur’s Gate’s side… Where are you staying now? Maybe I’ll come find you once I’ve taken care of my own affairs.”

“Alright…you’re not a Flamefist soldier, so I can’t command you…but reports of your presence in the Lower City will stay on my desk for at most two days.” Liana Porter hesitated for a moment, then didn’t ask any more questions. “Oh, I’ve set up my command post at the Flamefist barracks near the Petrified Lizard Gate to investigate all the unrest in the Lower City. Don’t become part of the unrest, Floric.”

The middle-aged woman, whose hair was already showing some gray, led the Flame Fist soldiers behind her past the adventurers without saying anything more, as if she had never seen Duke Ravengard's advisor.

“Botel…who is she?” Ivy remembered that Will had mentioned this surname when he introduced the Baldur's Gate Council of Four.

“That’s right.” Floric nodded. “Duke Dillard Porter’s niece, and an admirer of Duke Ravengard. It’s a good thing for us to have her take over the Flame Fist Mercenary Group. She’s an upright person.”

“An honest person.” Ivy shook her head and continued leading everyone toward the tombstone shop. “In the eyes of many ambitious people at Baldur’s Gate, this usually means she has many weaknesses and is easy to manipulate. She is in a dangerous situation now. There are definitely many people plotting to control her, as well as her Flamefist soldiers.”

“You’re right, Lord Doom.” Floric sighed as well. “We should try to win her over; Flame Fist can help protect more innocent civilians.”

“This city has no real authority, and most of the guards are even more depraved than criminals,” Minsara said, offering his views on governance. “But you’re right, we should try to win over these city guards. With strict discipline, they can still be a force to be reckoned with.”

"Explain 'strict discipline'?" the evil thought asked.

“In short, it’s all about brute force.” Minsara laughed. “The fear of death is what truly drives people to fight.”

“They are living, breathing people, not goblins!” Florick growled disapprovingly in a low voice.

“That’s why the effect of the whipping is even better,” Mingsala said proudly.

“Oh my god…” Asdell covered his face, “I’m starting to wonder if sending those derivative beings to live in Twilight City was a bad thing…”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Minsara said, pursing her lips. “They are my subjects, not soldiers.”

“Thank goodness, my lord.” Asdellen rolled his eyes.

Ivy ignored her teammates' idle chatter and said to Florick, "If you think it's necessary, then do it, but have someone follow you before you leave. There are definitely Gotash's spies everywhere in that Flame Fist camp."

“Thank you for your understanding, Lord Doom.” Floric nodded and said nothing more.

After wading through alleys filled with sewage and mud, the adventurers soon came across the Kandharor tombstone at the foot of the city wall.

There were few pedestrians on this secluded street, and Ivy's arcane vision could not detect any magical aura.

It seems that the Baal Order never even considered setting up guards at the entrance.

Even the tombstone shop was deserted. The adventurers sensed danger, and that was precisely why they had come.

Move the painting on the wall, trigger a mechanism to reveal a hidden door, and then read out the code left by the Murder Tribunal for the assassins: "Sakaris".

The hidden door leading underground opened its mouth; it was a shadow that had devoured countless lives within Baldur's Gate, lurking silently where no one could notice.

The stench emanating from within the door made Jashira frown. "Those with ill intentions always hide underground. How many underground structures within Baldur's Gate are unknown to us? I've lived in this city for over a hundred years, and I thought it held few secrets for me..."

"Life is only interesting when it's adorned with surprises!" The evil thought checked the prosthetic arm's wind-up mechanism, then reinstalled the flying spikes that Ivy had crafted. "Let's hurry and end Orin's life!"

“She might still be trudging through the sewers.” Gale shrugged. “Very few people can keep up with a mage’s teleportation spell on foot, even with many feet working together.”

“That would be even better. We can set up some surprises after we’ve dealt with her henchmen.” Evil Thoughts stepped into the darkness of the Murder Tribunal first.

(End of this chapter)