Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 67 Gesas

Today was a day that made Gaisas want to curse. No, in fact, he'd wanted to curse every single day since he was sent to this damn, shabby, crude, stinking camp.

There were no more readily available experimental instruments, no more private libraries filled with ancient books and scrolls, no more warm and comfortable luxurious bedrooms, and no more young, lovely, obedient female apprentices.

Now, the only people by his side are those muddle-headed bandits, vulgar and rude mercenaries, and even more disgusting, goblins who reek of an inescapable stench.

If he had a choice, he would have a thousand reasons not to come to this godforsaken place, but there are no "ifs" in life.

The orders from the Iron Throne left him with no choice, and there was only one reason—money!

Born into a working-class family, whose father was just a small merchant, Gaisas realized more and more clearly the further he went down the path of becoming a mage that people may have limits, money may have limits, but without money, you often can't even touch the edge of those limits.

Suffering from a severe lack of resources, Gaisas finally found a turning point during a meeting. The Iron Throne, eager to expand its power, offered Gaisas, who was then just a novice mage, incredibly generous terms.

They gave him so much that Gaisas felt he had no choice but to accept it, even though he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

But if people want to gain something, they often have to pay a corresponding price. The price Gathuss paid was that he had no right to refuse an order from the Iron Throne that he was extremely dissatisfied with.

And so, Gaisas stayed in this dilapidated, disgusting camp, where every corner seemed to have countless flaws, for several months.

Today, Gaisas, who was passing the time reading alone in his tent, found the already noisy camp even more chaotic. Annoyed and irritated, he loudly summoned his apprentice:

"Van Gutt, go and see what's wrong with these brainless goblin bastards this time?"

After a while, when the apprentice told him about the enemy invasion, Gaisas suddenly stood up.

"You mean there are enemies, or regular troops?"

With his shoulder grabbed, Van Gutt nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice, enduring the pain.

"Damn it, Mystra! Why are there always these damn idiots torturing my patience?!"

Pushing aside the apprentice in front of him, Gaisas, who had cast several spells on himself, stepped out of the tent.

On the other side, Zhang Yuan, upon seeing Gaisas, the culprit, also gasped in surprise.

The mage who appeared was covered in various magical effects, and the interplay of magical light conveyed a clear message to everyone: I am a mage, don't mess with me!

Two knowledgeable monks from the neighborhood also joined Zhang in slurping the cold noodles; they were connoisseurs in the business.

"Mirror Image, Stone Skin, Lesser Spell Nullification Barrier, Protection against Ranged Weapons... This... the opponent is at least a mid-level mage."

Before Zhang Yuan could ask anything, he saw the other party begin chanting a spell without saying a word. As the other party cast the spell, an ominous red light flickered between their fingers.

Now everyone was in a hurry. The enemy mage was some distance away from their vanguard, and there were also some remaining bandits guarding him. For the time being, they could only rely on their own spellcasters and rangers.

The rangers reacted swiftly, focusing their fire on the enemy mage the moment they spotted him. However, the mage's magical defenses rendered their attacks ineffective. Only a few enchanted arrows managed to hit the target, but they were intercepted by Stone Skin and Mirror Image. Their only achievement was dispelling two of the mage's illusions.

The priests, undeterred by the power bestowed upon them by the gods, unleashed several immobilization spells, silence spells within fifteen feet, and holy hammer strikes accompanied by dazzling light and shadow effects, slamming them onto the enemy mage's head.

The display was grand in scale, yet it vanished without a trace, leaving no ripple. Small-scale spell-immune barriers were utterly useless against any third-circle or lower-level spells or divine magic. Priests without high-level divine magic were virtually helpless against the opponent. Their two mages were probably not high-level either; otherwise, they could have used fourth-circle or higher spells to interrupt the opponent's casting, or used Whisper or Dispel Magic to remove the opponent's magical protection.

However, the two still found a solution—to break the spell.

This is a very interesting spell. Although it is only a third-level spell, it is a rare low-level spell that can work on spell nullification barriers. As its name suggests, this spell can break and remove most spells attached to the opponent. It can be said to be an essential spell for mages, whether they are novices or great mages.

However! This is, after all, a third-circle spell, not the legendary, supposedly powerful, Disintegrate spell. One of the biggest limitations of this spell is that its ability to be countered is heavily dependent on the caster's mage level.

Other spells, while having some effect, at least have some use and probability. But this spell is perfect for bullying the weak; it can leave the opponent vulnerable with no chance. But if you want to win against the strong with the weak? You'll most likely be unable to utter a sound.

It's less of a strategy and more of a stroke of luck.

Unfortunately, good luck in the lottery doesn't easily come to everyone, especially with this kind of all-or-nothing gambling.

Two beams of white light, dispelling the magic, flew away, gaining nothing but a mocking look from the opposing mage.

At this moment, the other party's chanting came to an end.

"Incertus, Pulcher, Imperio (The free spirit and the beautiful are both under my control)"

After finishing his spell, Gaisas summoned a strange yellowish-green cloud of gas among the Flame Fist soldiers on the battlefield. Zhang Yuan's first impression of this gas was that it was a poison gas bomb.

In reality, there wasn't much difference. This was the fifth-circle spell, Death Cloud, which summoned highly toxic gas with terrifying destructive power. It showed no mercy to the weak, killing them instantly. Even the Flame Fist soldiers, who were elite and had the physique to pass the instant-death immunity, suffered severe injuries.

This terrifying spell covered an area of ​​approximately 30 meters by 20 meters. Victims under its influence experienced difficulty breathing, and their internal organs felt as if they were being ravaged by the poisonous fog.

Of the dozen or so Flame Fist soldiers affected, only those on the edge managed to struggle free from the deadly cloud of mist, coughing up blood. Five soldiers in the center, however, perished forever.

However, the trouble brought by this spell was only the beginning. The Flame Fist, whose formation was cut off by the poison cloud, was in danger of being cut apart and fighting on their own. Even though the well-trained soldiers tried to regroup and reorganize their formation, the bandits who had finally gained an advantage would not let go of this opportunity.

If you're talking about fighting tough battles, charging into battle, and dying without hesitation, then forget about it. But when it comes to winning battles with an advantage, and outnumbering the enemy, the bandits feel they still have some say.

Taking advantage of the enemy's disrupted formation, the remaining bandits rallied together, forming a respectable counter-offensive force, and charged towards the scattered Flame Fist members.

In just a short time, seven or eight Flame Fist soldiers were swarmed and killed by the bandits. No matter how rigorous their training or how good their combat skills were, they were not prepared for this situation.

Aside from those exceptional warriors who have surpassed the limits of human capability, they ultimately cannot contend with enemies several times or even ten times their size.

Seeing this, Ska almost ground his teeth to powder. He dared not open his mouth, afraid that he would scream hysterically.

But he was not weak. Faced with the enemy's powerful magic and the resurgence of their attacks, Skar's choice was simple and direct.

He drew his longsword and swung it towards the enemy.

"All reserves, except for the rearguard shield bearers, the rest of you, charge with me."

Ska spoke slowly and deliberately, otherwise his teeth chattering from excitement would prevent him from uttering any words.

(End of this chapter)