As a traditional military fortress in Amn used to curb the invasion of monsters and bandits and control the surrounding land and villages, De'Anisburg does not cover a large area.
At least it is much smaller than the lake castle that Bernard gave to Zuo Si, probably only about one tenth of the latter.
Usually, only Sir De'Anis himself, his widowed sister Deshia Kane, the only female heir Nalia, and his adopted son Isaiah live here.
In addition, there was a butler, a captain of the guard, about a dozen soldiers of decent strength, and an equal number of male and female servants, which together probably numbered less than forty people.
In the courtyard inside the castle walls, there are several mastiff dogs used for hunting and warning.
This is obviously a level lower than the lake fort owned by Zuo Si, which has a permanent garrison of 200 troops and can easily form a militia of thousands of people by joining forces with the surrounding manors.
However, this is also the most common scale of castles and fortresses built in rural areas with families as the core in Amn and even the entire continent of Faerun.
After all, the soldiers and servants living in the castle need money and support from the owner of the castle, that is, the lord of the nearby land.
In a non-war situation, the lords would naturally save as much as possible and retain the castle's most basic defensive capabilities. There was no need to spend too much money to feed so many soldiers.
With the help of the castle's solid walls, the narrow and intricate passages inside, and a variety of deadly traps, a dozen soldiers can easily resist the siege of hundreds of monsters such as orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and jackals.
What's more, Sir Deanis had participated in adventures when he was young. Just relying on his warrior strength and the magic weapons and equipment on his body, he could rush into the middle of a dozen or twenty monsters and become invincible, wielding the Flail of Time to smash the opponents into meat paste one after another.
Unfortunately, he obviously misjudged the situation this time.
Thanks to the presence of Isaiah, the enemy already knew clearly about Deanis's internal structure, weaknesses and traps.
In addition, the Mind Flayer is not an ordinary monster. Its powerful psychic powers and charm abilities can easily control the thoughts and will of anyone in the castle. It only took them a very short time to break down the resistance of the defending soldiers.
The trusted captain of the guard was even directly bewitched and became a glorious guide.
Right now, in the deep underground of the castle leading directly to the second floor, six mind flayers were surrounding a circular pond created by magic. They kept opening the skulls of the monster slaves under their control one by one and pouring all the tender brains and brain matter inside into the pond.
In the blink of an eye, the huge brain tissue floating in the center of the pond quickly extended tentacles, absorbing the gray matter in the brain where neurons are most concentrated and the most nutritious for the mind flayer through the strange fluff-like tissue above.
Although its size is huge compared to an ordinary person's brain, it is much smaller than other mind flayer brains that have existed for decades or even hundreds of years, and it is obviously a recent successful transformation.
After more than a dozen brains were completely absorbed, the new main brain immediately issued orders to the other mind flayers through telepathic abilities.
"I sensed new intruders in the castle, so I went to capture them immediately.
Among these people, several had fairly well-developed brains that could be used to replenish the psychic energy I lost during the transformation process.
I prefer the brains of humans, elves, gnomes, and halflings to the less nutritious orc and troll brains.
Especially the brains of wizards, not only are they delicious but they can also provide a lot of arcane magic knowledge."
"As you wish, great Mastermind."
One of the mind flayers bent down and bowed, then turned around and disappeared at the end of the spiral staircase leading to the surface with the other three of its kind.
Soon after they left, the mastermind shifted its attention to Sir Deanis, who was tied to a pillar and held captive nearby.
At this moment, this warrior of noble birth no longer had the invincible strength he had before, but was replaced by pain, despair and deep sadness.
Because not far away, his adopted son Isaiah was standing on the side of the monsters, and was telling a mind flayer about how Nalia had escaped in the chaos, hoping that the other party could help capture her.
It would be better to just put on a permanent slavery collar and turn it into a puppet at your mercy.
In this way, Isaiah could not only easily annex the property and land of the Deanis family, but also play with the eldest lady of the Deanis family whom he had long coveted.
If he had the chance again, Sir Deanis swore that he would not be so compassionate as to bring this demon son back and raise him.
Instead, they would allow the vengeful wild elf tribes to kill the Ronor family who captured and sold slaves.
It's a pity that it's too late now.
Witnessing with his own eyes the tragic scene of all the servants and soldiers in the castle being captured by the Mind Flayer, and then having their skulls pried open and their brains devoured one by one, Sir Deanis' mental state and heart had almost collapsed, and he was unable to extricate himself from the mad hatred.
If there was the slightest chance, he would not hesitate to pounce on the opponent and bite off the opponent's throat with his teeth to avenge the tragic death of the soldiers and servants.
But what Sir De'Anis couldn't understand was that the Mind Flayer had eaten almost all the soldiers and servants in the castle, but why hadn't it eaten his and his sister's brains yet? Was it because he and Deshia Kane were too smart and therefore looked down upon by the other party?
Or are these guys planning to use their identities to plot some unknown conspiracy? Just when Sir Deanis was puzzled, the voice of the mastermind suddenly echoed in his mind.
"I think you must be wondering why you are still alive and not eaten, right?"
"What do you want to say, monster?"
Sir Deanis asked back through gritted teeth.
"I just want to tell you an answer before you die.
The reason why I didn't eat you and your sister right away was so that your daughter could recruit more adventurers to carry out the so-called rescue plan.
The smartest wizard among these adventurers will become the most important food for me in my larval stage after I become the main brain.
Today, your daughter has successfully completed this task.
So whether it's you or your stupid sister, you are no longer useful.
The next time I feel hungry, that will be the moment you die."
The Mind Flayer Mastermind did not hide anything and directly stated his plan.
Apparently, the soldier who ran back to deliver the letter was actually let go by it on purpose.
In the eyes of this horrible creature, apart from the other mind flayers that follow it, all other humans and monsters can be directly equated with words like slaves and food.
But poor Isaiah knew nothing about this. He thought he was a partner and ally, and kept on chattering and trying to bargain with the Mind Flayer.
Just a second later, the impatient latter swung his tentacles and grabbed the idiot's head, then cracked the skull open, opened his mouth and sucked the brain and brain matter inside without hesitation.
The horrifying scene was enough to make any normal person's scalp tingle and have nightmares for weeks.
After the Mind Flayer had eaten and drunk its fill and pushed its empty head away, Isaiah's body fell face up on the ground with a thud, his hands and feet still twitching slightly under the control of the central nervous system in his spine.
It is not difficult to judge from the shock, fear and despair that remained in his eyes that he never understood what he had done wrong until his death.
"Drag this bastard's body to feed the trolls!"
The Mind Flayer gave direct orders to the charmed monster nearby.
Without saying a word, the orc dragged the corpse towards the dungeon where the trolls were gathered outside.
Before long, creepy tearing and chewing sounds were heard from the pitch-dark dungeon.
It must be said that Isaiah's sudden and tragic exit made Sir Deanis, who had been betrayed and deceived, feel somewhat relieved, but at the same time he also showed unprecedented tension and anxiety about the arrival of his daughter.
After all, he had personally experienced how powerful these mind flayers and the monsters they controlled were.
Especially the mastermind in front of him, who could deprive him of his will and all ability to resist with just a thought.
What’s even worse is that the soldier who was deliberately released to report the news and ask for help had no idea what happened later.
Sir De'Anis was worried that his daughter and those adventurers would be captured by the mind flayers and the elder brains like himself, and eventually become their food.
However, what he didn't know was that the adventurers that Nalia had found were not ordinary people. There were three Sons of Baal alone, who possessed the terrifying killing divinity and power. They had already sneaked into the first floor hall through the secret passage in the cellar.
More than thirty fully armed orcs, trolls and gnolls were killed in a surprise attack without even a splash.
Especially Aberdare who has mastered martial arts. Even though his performances are getting worse and worse when dealing with powerful spellcasters like legendary liches and demiliches.
But when it comes to bullying weaklings, he is like a god.
Often, a "super-powerful slash" can split the enemy's weapons, armor, and body in half, with blood and internal organs splattering everywhere.
That face filled with bloodthirstiness, cruelty and endless desire for killing can also make the enemy feel terrified.
Although Minsc is not as crazy as Aberdare, he is also a tough guy with violent abilities.
When the berserk mode is turned on, he will not recognize anyone and will rush forward to kill any living creature he encounters. Even his teammates will have to stay away from him when they see him to avoid being accidentally injured.
In addition, there are three mages in the team: Sancho, Imoen and Nariya, so the ability to control the situation can almost be said to be maximized.
Many monsters were fixed in place by various spells before they could even react to what was happening.
After the battle, the druid Jaheira and the priest Viconia basically did not do much and did not need any treatment.
Looking at the mutilated, bloody corpse on the ground, Imon couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "Is it really necessary for you two to make things so bloody?
If you simply want to kill the enemy, you can just chop off the head or pierce the heart.
Now that we have so much blood plasma and minced meat, it will definitely alert some monsters with a keen sense of smell."
"Ah! Sorry, I didn't think about it that much just now. I just wanted to vent my previous depressed mood."
Aberdare scratched his head a little embarrassedly.
However, Sancho shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, “It doesn’t matter.
Anyway, since we entered the castle shrouded in psychic energy, our whereabouts should have been discovered by the other party.
It doesn’t really matter whether you hide it or not now.
What matters is how to minimize the number of monsters before the enemy can react.
After all, the mind flayer is not easy to deal with.
In some places, they are even more dangerous and difficult to deal with than liches."
"So according to you, we can kill without restraint?"
Aberdare's eyes lit up slightly and he licked his lips subconsciously.
There is no doubt that the killing just now greatly stimulated the divinity and power of Baal in his body.
Although this guy is trying to control his instinctive impulse, if he continues to kill, it is only a matter of time before he turns into a killer.
After experiencing the disaster of facing Kongos, Sancho obviously had his own judgment about this older brother. Instead of choosing to stop him, he encouraged him meaningfully: "You are right.
From now on, we need to split up and quickly eliminate all monsters we encounter in the castle.
This way, the mind flayers will become confused and unable to accurately determine our exact location, thus buying more time.
Aberdare, you will be with Jaheira on the first floor.
Minsk, you go to the outer courtyard and the city wall with Imoen and Nalia.
I went to the second floor with Viconia.
Remember, if you are chased by a large number of enemies led by the Mind Flayer, do not fight to the end. Just turn around and escape using the complex terrain in the castle.
Anyway, before the effect of the mind-blocking potion wears off, the psychic abilities of those mind flayers cannot pose much threat and impact to us in a short period of time.
Another point is that you should never be rash in rescuing Sir Deanis.
I suspect there's a powerful psychic user hiding somewhere in this castle, most likely the mind flayer mastermind.
So before we are ready to face it, we have to clear away other possible interferences first.”
"I see. Let's split up then."
Jaheira was the first to speak in agreement.
She could feel that the most reliable person in this team besides herself was the boy in front of her who was already developing into an "inhuman monster".
As for the original leader Aberdare...
The half-elf druid subconsciously turned his head and glanced at the other person, only to find that this guy was peeping at her breasts, buttocks and thighs through the gaps in his armor, without showing even the slightest sense of crisis.
Although this was not the first time this had happened, she still felt very angry and disappointed.
But at the same time, there was a little unusual agitation in Jaheira's heart, and he recalled what Zuo Si had said before: "His attitude towards you is more than just a friend or an elder."
The most important thing is that with the death of her husband Khalid, the only obstacle between the two of them disappeared.
If she wanted to guide Gorion's adopted son onto the right path, perhaps starting with emotions and using them as a bond to bind the blood of Baal, the god of murder, in his body would be the best choice.
This is not uncommon within the Harpers.
You know, being able to save a soul that is about to fall into evil by relying on love, friendship, and family affection is a commendable thing no matter from which perspective.
Moreover, Jaheira had always felt that he had an unshirkable responsibility to Aberdare.
With a little struggle, a little resistance, and a little expectation, the two of them quickly crossed the hall and swept the rooms on the first floor one by one.
The remaining two groups, one rushed to the courtyard outside the castle, and the other climbed up to the second floor.
There is no doubt that Sancho's strategy directly dumbfounded the mind flayers who came with their monster slaves to support and capture the invaders, and they were a little confused about the situation.
In particular, the ambush set by the boy at the entrance and exit of the second floor directly triggered the explosive trap and a large area of death cloud magic.
More than 90% of the dozens of low-level monster cannon fodder were killed or injured in an instant. Even the trolls with powerful regenerative abilities fell to the ground screaming in the flames and turned into charred corpses.
The injured mind flayer didn't even stay for a second, turned around and fled back underground to report the situation to the main brain.
After all, they value their lives very much and will never go into battle personally before all the slaves are consumed.
"Well done! It seems that after this ambush, the mind flayers will become extra cautious and will not dare to send people to search the entire castle.
This meant that Aberdare and Minsk had plenty of time to clear out the monsters on the first floor and in the yard and walls outside.
Moreover, the corpses of the killed monsters can be controlled using necromancy, becoming the most powerful weapon against the mind flayers.
You use some means to convey information, and then use the enemy's psychology to achieve your own goals. You are now acting more and more like your master."
Viconia raised the corner of her mouth and praised generously.
But Sancho did not show any happiness at all, he just shook his head expressionlessly: "No, I am far worse than my mentor.
If it were him, there would definitely be more means and strategies that he could use.
Okay, don't just stand there, use your magic to pull up all these usable corpses.
I want to see what these mind flayers are up to.
What's with that weird psychic whispering?"
"Yes, sir."
Viconia bowed slightly, then raised the holy symbol and began to chant the spell.
After a while, a large number of skeletons and zombies were awakened one after another under the influence of negative energy.
In the end, about thirty or forty low-level undead creatures were successfully controlled.
Since she is a priest who believes in the Archdevil and is equipped with evil magic items related to necromancy, Viconia is able to control more undead creatures than the upper limit of her priest level.
To be precise, due to Zuo Si's in-depth research and mastery of necromancy, all priests who believe in him will not only obtain exclusive divine arts, but also be able to control three times the number of undead as ordinary priests.
It is for this reason that Sancho dared to make this plan.
Otherwise, even if the other three mages in the team joined forces to create undead creatures, at best they could only control less than forty of the lowest-level zombies and skeletons.
But now, Viconia alone can control an army of undead with the help of the [Undead Lieutenant].
Combined with the boy's four-ring [Dead Manipulation] wands, he can directly transform all the monsters controlled by the Mind Flayer around the castle into undead that will sound the death knell for the enemies.
As we all know, when dealing with terrible creatures like the Mind Flayer, the simplest and most brutal method is to recruit enough undead creatures and then push them forward all at once.
Since the undead have no minds, they can ignore all charms and psychic attacks, directly eliminating the Mind Flayer's greatest advantage.
Many mind flayer strongholds were basically destroyed by undead creatures summoned and created by mages or priests.
However, constructs are usually very expensive to make, and are obviously not the first choice for less wealthy spellcasters.
In comparison, low-level undead can be produced in large quantities as long as there are corpses.
Moreover, the corpses of fallen mind flayer slaves can be used as replenishment in battle.
So Sancho decisively chose the strategy of gathering the dead.
为了避免跟队友之间发生意见上的冲突，尤其是信仰自然的德鲁伊贾希拉肯定会反对大规模的唤醒亡灵，所以他把小队拆分开行动。
如此便可以避免不必要的争吵，直接把计划变成既定事实。
很显然，吸取了失败教训的桑乔已经彻底改变了思维方式，不再像以前那样选择跟队友们商量着来，反倒是将对方全部视作棋子，由自己这个大脑来进行指挥控制。
在他看来，唯有如此才能最大限度避免伤亡、提高战胜强大敌人的机率。
带着这样的想法，男孩和维康尼亚在小队另外几名成员完全不知情的状况下，把他们杀死的怪物尸体全部拉起来。
等亡灵的数量多到一定程度之后，桑乔立刻下达命令扫荡整个二楼。
在数量惊人的僵尸、骷髅和食尸鬼的猛烈进攻下，夺心魔留在这一层负责警戒跟防御的地精、巨魔、食人魔跟蛇人还没等反应过来发生了什么便统统死伤殆尽。
一名LV11的蛇人法师试图拉响警报之后开启传送门逃走。
可他的法术才刚吟唱出几个音节，桑乔就完成了法术反制，同时维康尼亚从黑暗中跳出来，挥舞着钉头锤砰的一声将其打翻在地。
通过读取俘虏的思维和记忆，他们迅速意识到自己面对的是一个由新生主脑领导的夺心魔群落，大概有二十个左右的成年夺心魔。
“该死！ 原来这群夺心魔攻占城堡，为的就是找一个相对安全的地方来转化主脑。
你觉得下一步我们该怎么办？ 要知道夺心魔的主脑可不是什么好对付的角色。
它所掌握的心灵能力和奥术魔法都非常强大，根本不是普通夺心魔能够比拟的。”
维康尼亚明显变得有些紧张。
作为一个从小在幽暗地域长大的黑暗精灵，她对夺心魔这个物种可以说是一点都不陌生。
魔索布莱城的第一家族——班瑞就跟夺心魔达成了某些不为人知的交易，偶尔在城内还能看到夺心魔控制的商队前来造访，出售一些自己生产的东西，同时购买大量的奴隶。
也正因为如此，绝大部分黑暗精灵贵族家庭都会教导后代绝对不要轻易去招惹这些章鱼头，更不要靠近他们的城市。
否则一旦被主脑捕获，即便是身上那黝黑色充满魔法抗性的皮肤也救不了自己。
“没有办法，事到如今也只能硬着头皮上了。
毕竟药水的持续时间马上就要到了，我们又唤醒聚集了这么多的亡灵，怎么也得尝试着发起一次进攻。
如果实在不行再选择撤退也不迟。”
桑乔思索了片刻马上做出决断。
因为时间紧迫的关系，他并没有等另外几位队友前来汇合。
“好吧，希望这些亡灵生物能够起到一定的作用。”
说罢，维康尼亚开始施展神术强化这些亡灵的各项能力，随后给挑选出来的不死尉官下达了前进命令。
在这些稍微高级一点的亡灵指挥下，两百多名由僵尸和骷髅构成的不死生物军队浩浩荡荡涌入通往下层的楼梯。
才几分钟左右，楼梯下边便传来不知道什么怪物的嘶吼声与惨叫声。
不用问也知道它们已经跟夺心魔控制的怪物交上手了。
只见在城堡地下通往地牢和脑池的必经之路上，大量的亡灵和怪物正疯狂的绞杀在一起。
由于双方一个根本不畏惧死亡、不会产生恐惧情绪、也没有疼痛感，另外一个则在魅惑状态下彻底陷入疯狂，因此战况可以说是相当的激烈。
几乎每隔十几秒钟就会有怪物或者亡灵被摧毁，倒在地上一动不动。
桑乔躲在楼梯口已经被亡灵牢牢占据的地方仔细观察着前方的情况，同时不断挥舞魔杖把死掉的敌人拉起来投入战斗。
在这种此消彼长的拉锯中，亡灵生物不可避免的渐渐占据了上风并开始稳步向前推进。
怪物们则节节败退，哪怕是后来夺心魔将手下最得力的土巨怪派上来也无济于事。
毕竟不死生物是完全免疫负能量和毒素伤害的。
因此桑乔只需要往敌人密集的地方丢负能量法术和死云术就能轻而易举造成巨大杀伤，完全不用担心会误伤到维康尼亚控制的不死生物。
可夺心魔所使用的心灵震爆、魅惑却对亡灵一点用都没有。
就算偶尔有几个拥有心灵术士等级的夺心魔能施展伤害性的法术，但在面对如此多不死生物的情况下也是杯水车薪。
正当男孩觉得可以借助这些亡灵一直推到主脑所在的位置时，一名夺心魔突然押着两个人类出现在前方不远处的通道内，直截了当用通用语大喊道：“停手！让我们来谈判吧。”
“谈判？你觉得自己有这样的资格？”桑乔冷笑着嘲讽道。
“我当然有这样的资格。
看到这两个人类了吗？ 他们一个是这座城堡的主人德阿尼斯爵士，另外一个则是其妹妹德希亚·肯恩。
也就是说，你们此行的目的之一就掌握在我们的手里。
所以如果不想这两个俘虏死的太难看，最好立刻接受谈判的提议。
否则的话，我会非常乐意撬开颅骨，当面吃掉他们的脑子。”
夺心魔非常干脆的发出了死亡威胁。
很显然，事情发展到这一步远远超出了他乃至背后主脑的预料。
最开始的时候，这些章鱼头还以为入侵城堡的只是一群普通冒险者而已。
可谁知道才没过多久对方就已经把城堡外面驻扎的怪物杀了个精光，还把尸体拉起来变成一支克制自己的亡灵军队。
照这个速度下去，最多十几分钟左右就能平推到主脑所在的房间。
所以新生的主脑在权衡利弊之后，马上选择了祭出人质想要通过交涉与谈判来换取全身而退。
毕竟当初选择攻陷德阿尼斯堡作为据点，就是为了获取一个易守难攻相对安全的地方完成转化仪式，顺便在多弄点聪明的人类大脑作为食物，度过新生期最脆弱的时候。
现在目的既然已经达到，而且敌人又这么难搞，自然没有必要继续死磕下去。
要知道无论是夺心魔还是他们的主脑都是极度冷静理智的生物，很少会受到情绪的干扰，永远能做出当前情况下的最优选择。
不过很可惜，夺心魔这一次显然搞错了谈判对象。
也许娜里娅在场的时候会为了父亲和姑妈的性命而做出妥协。
但桑乔根本不认识德阿尼斯爵士，更不在乎对方的死活，只想要搞清楚这个新生的夺心魔主脑究竟如何做到对整个城堡范围加持了那种心灵低语。
所以在浮现出一个诡异的笑容之后，他直接通过超魔技巧——法术默发偷偷完成了杀伤力巨大的魔法，瞄准站出来谈判的夺心魔射出一道八环死灵系魔法【亚比达奇凋死术】。
瞬间！
以该夺心魔为中心，差不多半径九米范围内的所有生物都感受到了语言无法形容的恐怖高温。
仅仅一秒钟之后，他们的水分便迅速蒸发殆尽，连惨叫都来不及发出就变成宛如木乃伊一样的干尸。
足足三个夺心魔在【亚比达奇凋死术】的作用下当场暴毙。
他们到死都没想到桑乔居然如此凶残狠毒，完全不在乎两个重要人质的死活。
没有任何职业等级，平日里对待平民态度异常尖酸刻薄的德希亚·肯恩，自然是不出意外彻底死透了。
拥有很高战士等级的德阿尼斯爵士侥幸靠着强大的体质和生命力扛了过来。
而且由于夺心魔的暴毙和身体上剧烈的痛苦，让他成功摆脱了被控制的状态，挣扎着从地上爬起来，先是撇了一眼妹妹的尸体，紧跟着用难以置信的眼神盯着不远处透露出冷酷的男孩，用略带颤抖的声音问：“为……为什么要这样做？你难道不是接受娜里娅雇佣前来驱逐怪物、解救我们的冒险者吗？”
“抱歉，爵士。
我不认为跟一群以智慧生物大脑为食的怪物有什么好谈的。
莫非他们以您的生命作为要挟要求我们放下武器投降，我们也要照做吗？ 如果真的做了又跟自杀有什么区别？ 所以我刚才的选择并没有任何问题。
至于您妹妹的死，我只能说一声抱歉。
现在请喝下这瓶治疗药剂跟我们一起冲进去将制造了这一切悲剧的元凶解决掉吧。
唯有如此，德希亚·肯恩女士的灵魂才能安息。”
说着，桑乔装模作样从口袋里掏出颜色跟治疗药剂一模一样的小瓶子递了过去。
It was not known whether it was because his body had lost a lot of water or because he was immersed in the grief of his sister's death, but Sir Deanis subconsciously took the bottle of potion, opened the stopper, tilted his head back and drank it all in one breath.
Just as he was licking his lips to savor the unusual sweetness, an uncontrollable rage suddenly surged from the bottom of his heart, controlling his brain at a speed unimaginable for ordinary people.
He had no idea what was going on. He just felt a fire burning inside him, craving killing and revenge like crazy.
“Aa ...
With a wild beast-like roar and howl, this powerful warrior picked up the weapon that had fallen on the ground and rushed directly to the room where the main brain was.
Along the way, no matter if they were monster guards or mind flayers, they were all chopped into pieces by his fierce attack.
"What did you give him to drink?"
Viconia's eyes flashed with an evil and cruel smile, and she asked in a low voice.
Sancho shrugged his shoulders and answered the hostage's question nonchalantly: "Nothing, a magic potion that can temporarily greatly enhance combat power by overdrawing life.
I added a little of my own blood and the liquid energy that my mentor brought back from another world.
Therefore, mortals cannot resist the power it contains.
Sir De'Anis witnessed the magic I used to kill Deshia Cain, so he must not survive this battle.
I need him to die, and die heroically and worthily.
Still, those mind flayers were really stupid enough to think they could use hostages to hold me hostage.
My mentor has warned me more than once that if you encounter a similar hostage situation, the easiest way is to kill the hostage before the other party does.
If the hostage is valuable, we can find a way to revive him later.
It would be extremely foolish to accept the threat and hand over the initiative and even one's own destiny."
Needless to say, Sancho's performance at this moment impressed Viconia, who was born as a dark elf, and she even thought that this operation was amazing.
Whether it was releasing [Abidach Withering] without hesitation to instantly kill the mind flayers and hostages who came to negotiate, or using potions to let Sir Deannis die himself, he showed the excellent qualities of selfishness, ruthlessness, and calculation that an excellent wizard must have.
Even in the city of Menzoberranzan, where conspiracies and assassinations are rampant, the boy's current performance is certain to make him stand out and become a talent valued by the matrons.
Just as Viconia was about to say something, several figures suddenly rushed out from the corridor behind her.
Leading the group was none other than Sir Deanis’s daughter, Nalia.
She was obviously attracted by the beast-like roar just now. She didn't care about the undead creatures fighting with the monsters. She grabbed Sancho's hand and asked excitedly: "I heard my father's voice! He... where is he? You saw him, didn't you?"
"Calm down, Nariya.
I did see Sir De Arnis.
However, he was so furious after witnessing the death of Ms. Deshia Ken that he ignored anyone's advice and rushed straight to the enemy's lair.
The only thing we can do now is to get rid of these monsters as quickly as possible and catch up with him."
Sancho made an explanation that avoided the main point.
He was very smart and did not lie. Instead, he selectively told part of the truth, thereby misleading the thinking of other people in the team and making everyone believe that Deshia Kane died at the hands of the Mind Flayer.
You don’t need to ask to know that this is also learned from Zuo Si.
"What? My aunt is dead!"
Nariya was stunned for a moment, but soon noticed that the mummy in an elegant long dress not far away was her most hated relative. She tried several times to squeeze out some sad tears, but failed in the end.
There was no way. It wasn't that she didn't want to cry, but she really couldn't cry at all.
To be precise, anyone who knows and understands Deshia Ken will feel that she is a woman who is both sarcastic and mean, and lacks the most basic manners and courtesy.
Often just a few words can make people want to throw the person into a cesspool and drown him or her.
She treated the common people like livestock or even pests, insulting and attacking them wantonly to satisfy her sense of superiority as a noble.
When the servants in the castle prepared food and drinks for her, they would invariably spit in the food or add some ingredients to the food to vent their uncontrollable resentment.
The death of such a person can only make people applaud, so how can there be any sadness?
What's more, Deshia Kane has always been dissatisfied with Nalia's behavior of interacting with civilians and the poor on an equal footing and respecting them. He believes that this brings shame to the Deanis family and makes him unable to hold his head up when interacting with other nobles.
The sharp conflict between the two can be said to have accumulated for at least ten years.
Just as Nalia was trying to explain to her teammates the relationship between herself and her aunt with a complicated expression, she suddenly heard a painful scream coming from the deepest room under the castle.
"Oh no! It's father! He seems to be injured!"
The noble girl's face suddenly changed, she grabbed her sword and rushed forward.
But before he could run two steps, he was grabbed by the kind-hearted Jaheira and scolded: "Are you crazy? Don't you see there are so many monsters blocking the road ahead? We must clear them out before we can move on."
"Then hurry up!"
Nalia yelled impatiently, then immediately pulled out a fireball scroll and activated the magic stored on it.
Boom!!!! Along with the blinding fire and explosion in the narrow corridor, several trolls and the undead fighting with them were directly destroyed.
Seeing that the girl had obviously lost her mind, the others didn't say anything more and joined the battle, launching a final siege on the few remaining monsters.
Taking advantage of the interval between the release of divine magic, Jaheira came to Sancho and asked in a low voice: "You sent us all away just to pull up the corpses of all the monsters to use as the undead to deal with the mind flayer?"
“That’s right.
Because I know that as a druid, you will definitely not agree.
But the problem is that this is precisely the optimal solution, which can greatly reduce the probability of casualties.
From now on, I will lead the team in my own way and strive to ensure that everyone survives to the final moment that determines their fate."
Sancho gave a very honest answer in the affirmative.
Gazing at his slightly childish but resolute face, Jaheira fell silent, her mind recollecting her dead husband.
In her opinion, the boy's transformation must have been related to the tragic death of his companions while he was imprisoned by Erinikas and the disastrous defeat in the previous battle with the half-lich.
This is the result of strong external stimulation and the tragic fate of the Son of Baal, which is full of blood and killing.
However, now was obviously not the time for a heart-to-heart talk, and Jaheira forcibly suppressed the urge to preach, trying to avoid those extremely "unnatural" undead spirits that exuded strong negative energy, and quickly harvested the few remaining monsters.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the passage leading to the deepest part was finally cleared.
When the undead creatures rushed in through the entrance under Viconia's command, an astonishing shock of psychic energy suddenly gushed out from inside.
Bang! Many skeletons and zombies were torn to pieces by the fierce impact, and the team members were also pushed back by an invisible force. Ai Meng, who was relatively light in weight, flew back seven or eight meters and hit the rock wall behind him hard, grimacing in pain.
(End of this chapter)