From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 500 Dolo's Tragedy

"Kazardor's palace is in the upper city, and there's even a secret passage leading directly into the palace near the main wall." After letting his brothers and sisters go, Asderon described the place where he had lived for two hundred years to his companions, "That corrupt vampire colluded with the equally corrupt Flame Fist, and those fools who took the gold didn't even know they were guarding the door for a vampire lord!"

“Upper City again? Looks like we’ll have to go there no matter what.” Jasira rubbed his forehead. “But at least we know a route to get in there, as long as we can get past the vampire lord and his army of clones blocking our way.”

"Again?" Asdell thought for a moment and immediately guessed the truth. "So Orin's murder targets also included Zong Gui from the Upper City? We can just ignore him. The sentries should take responsibility. We can't expect everything from us adventurers, can we?"

Unlike the Flame Fist, a contracted security force of the mercenary group, the Sentinels are a security force exclusively for the Upper City of Baldur's Gate. Funded by the elite elites themselves, their defense area is limited to the Upper City. It is said that they remember the faces of all the elites who reside in the Upper City, and as soon as night falls, they drive all those who do not belong to the Upper City out of the city.

However, Baldur's Gate is, after all, a trading city, and the Upper City and Baldur's Gate (an iron gate connecting a long section of the city wall) that divides the Upper and Lower City still need to be open to merchants and citizens.

Normally, as long as they could afford the toll, pedestrians and vendors were able to pass through the gate guarded by sentries and set up stalls in the market open space in the upper town.

However, due to the escalating terrorist activities of the Supreme God and the influx of refugees, the nobles have issued an administrative order through the council to seal off the upper city. Until the crisis is completely over, there are almost no ways for ordinary citizens to travel between the upper and lower cities.

This is why they rely on the power of the guild. Without a legitimate identity, adventurers would be immediately hunted down by the sentries as soon as they showed their faces in the upper city.

However, whether guilds located in the lower city and whose sphere of influence is mainly in the lower city have the ability to resolve this matter remains to be seen.

“The army of the Supreme God is approaching from outside the city, Baal’s assassins are constantly causing trouble, and we have to gather together because of the Mind Flayer Tadpoles…” Will rubbed his forehead. “Time… we need more time!”

"Or improve efficiency," Halsin suggested.

"Improve efficiency? That's probably the hardest thing to do in Baldur's Gate," Jahira commented. "This city is a cesspool. An open sewer of souls, it has polluted us all with its filth, and once it has stripped us of all the good things, it will sweep us out."

“If I hadn’t happened to settle here, I wouldn’t have…” Jashira shook her head and didn’t finish her sentence.

The Iron Guardians of Gothash are right before them, and the adventurers are once again passing through the walls of Baldur's Gate.

Beyond the petrified lizard gate lies the East Road district, the most crowded and busiest area. Here, cargo ship owners' storage yards, hotel caravans, and porters abound, making it the most crime-prone area.

Halsin let out another muffled groan of disgust and complained in a low voice, “I had hoped that this city had a greater balance—that its walls would provide shelter for those inside, promote community development and peace… but that is not the case.”

“Unnatural steel constructs began patrolling the streets, and printed materials scattered throughout the alleys sowed seeds of discontent, while those who truly needed help were treated with contempt.”

“Can this really be considered progress?” Halsin gritted his teeth. “Living in the city, it’s hard for me to see what I’m really fighting for. Sometimes I feel that Kaha is right—nature can only survive by staying away from all this…”

“Civilization is born from nature. Give it a chance, Halsin. They can thrive together, like Senir and Oliver, the balance between shadow and nature,” Ivy comforted. “We are fighting for the future of the Sword Coast, for those who have not given up hope, and for each other.”

As Ivy said these words, she could sense that her allegiance was shifting toward the side of good.

This was something we had no choice but to do; it was a necessity dictated by reality.

After all, there are countless evil forces coveting Baldur's Gate, plotting all sorts of schemes here; it's almost to the point where there's an evil god every three steps and a great demon every five.

The precedent of Tiamat and Zariel sabotaging each other is still fresh in everyone's mind. If Ivy wants to join the game as the evil overlord, she will inevitably have to fight these evil leaders in the dark quagmire before she can taste the fruits of victory.

Since we have to fight against evil gods and demons anyway, why not join the seemingly weak but benevolent side and use their power to complete our plans?

If it's impossible to win everything on the board, then at least try to take the most lucrative piece. That's precisely Ivy's current strategy.

"So, Dolo killed his own mother?" Minsara shook her head in disapproval. "The honor should be reserved for the female heir of the family, not the male."

After passing through the gate guarded by steel-clad guards, Ivy quickly relayed the next course of action to her companions and informed them of their discoveries in the guesthouse attic.

“Preventing Orin or the Supreme God from obtaining the Shield Knight's Shield of Sylvam is indeed very important... It seems we have to make a trip to the Upper City…” Shadowheart glared at Asdalon somewhat unhappily. “Vampire offspring must obey the commands of their creators. So, before you were implanted with the Mind Flayer tadpole, you had never drunk human blood… Good heavens, I was incredibly stupid to actually believe your idle chatter about vampire dietary habits…”

"At least this small talk satisfied your fantasies about vampires, didn't it?" Asdellen had no intention of apologizing.

Ivy glanced at the sun on the horizon and reminded her companions, "We're close to our target. We need to move quickly. Whether Dolo is here or not, we can't be exposed to the Steel Guardians' line of sight."

Cora Highbury's home, located near the Bodleian Mouth Gazette, was a spacious house. Living there in the crime-ridden East Road district was no easy feat.

The Highbury family runs a wine business, supplying high-quality beverages to various pubs in the downtown area.

Even in this turbulent time, their business is still doing well.

Perhaps it's because many people believe that alcohol inspires courage and comforts them more than official statements.

Cora Highbury and her husband Roger Highbury were both light-footed halflings. When the adventurers arrived, Highbury House, with its many wine racks at the entrance, was hosting a wine festival.

The invited men and women, holding exquisite wine glasses, made a lively and boisterous scene, as if the army of the supreme god and the tense atmosphere in the city had long since disappeared.

Noticing the heavily armed adventurers approaching, the elderly Hyperion couple exchanged a glance, raised their wine glasses, and struck up a conversation. "Hey, how are you? We're just about to sample Master Mizeri's delicious craft beer. Would you like to join us?" Cora invited with a smile. The adventurers were coming on strong, and she at least wanted to ensure that her wine wouldn't go to waste—she'd drink it instead of spilling it on the ground.

Her husband, Roger, chimed in, "They look delicious."

The two elderly men, both with light feet, were dressed in respectable silk coats, a sight not easily seen in the poor downtown area.

Their glasses were filled with clear liquid, which continued to emit a somewhat pungent, sweet aroma.

The man known as Master Mizeri was a bald dwarf wearing red leather armor and with a scar on his face.

“Ah, Mrs. Highbury,” Master Mizzelli hurriedly stopped Cora Highbury from her actions, “I prefer to taste them separately so I can better assess your palate…”

“We’d better finish this quickly.” Jasira glanced at the street corner. There were quite a few Iron Guards patrolling the lower city, but not enough to fill every alley. “The next wave of Iron Guards will be here soon.”

“Let’s get straight to the point, Doro.” Evil thought drew the dagger that Doro had left on the ground beneath the Temple of Mercy from his waist. “Your sinful deeds end here.”

"Doro?" Roger asked, puzzled. "If this is a prank, it's not particularly funny."

“How perfect it was…perfect!” Master Mezzari’s kind smile had vanished, replaced by mania and gloom. He pointed at the face of evil thoughts, “Your appearance has defiled it! You have turned it into an unclean sacrifice! I will remember your face!”

"If you dare to interfere again, I'll skin you alive!"

Before Mezzari, or rather Doro, could finish speaking, Ivy quickly reached out and plucked the strings of the lute.

The pale blue flames marked five figures in the crowd, including Doro, who pulled a smoke bomb from his sleeve.

"Take care of them!" As he spoke, a green lightning bolt flashed in Ivy's eyes, slapping Dolo's scarred and hideous face hard.

Doro's threatening words ceased, replaced by a sigh. His fingers, which had been gripping the smoke bomb, loosened weakly, and he collapsed to the ground like a pile of rotten flesh.

The adventurers, who had been waiting in ambush, all displayed their unique skills, drawing their weapons to attack the enemies that Ivy had created with her demonic fire.

Elise's enchanted longsword, imbued with the power of a vow, cleaved a human who appeared to be a tourist in two with the war cry of a drow.

The lush thorns pierced the ground, binding the elegant lady in the long dress standing by the barrel firmly in place. Minsk's righteous iron fist twisted the lady's neck at an angle that defied common sense, and blood and white bone seeped through the wound, silently accusing the violence of the Leathermans.

The powerful trident unleashed a violent shockwave, wiping out all the drinks on the wine festival table. It then pierced through a reporter wearing a feathered hat, slinging him onto a yellow plaque inscribed with "Hyperi House." The trident, carried back to Karak's hands by the wind, mingled with the blood splattered from the corpse and the wine on the ground, indistinguishable from one another.

Three beams of chilling crimson demonic energy sent an innocent bystander flying through the air before a whistling adamantite shield slammed his head into a manhole cover, ending his lifeless existence.

"Take Dolo's body and let's go!" Ivy gave the order after surveying the entire situation.

The adventurers, who had swiftly wiped out the Baal Slayer, dragged Doro's body to Ivy's side and stood in a circle with him, holding hands.

A mysterious blue light spread from beneath their feet. Before the visitors at the wine festival could even make out the general shape of the runes, the magic circle and the adventurers standing on it disappeared in a flurry of blue light.

"Ah—" The screams of the crowd finally erupted. The originally joyous wine festival turned into a massacre. All kinds of fine wines were mixed with blood, emitting a nauseating smell.

But when the Highburys saw the four bodies left at the venue, they felt a chill creep up their spines.

They turned out to be four shapeshifters hidden in the crowd, not the wine festival guests they had assumed.

A magical light suddenly flashed in the Nine Fingers guild hall, startling the henchmen who all stood up from their seats, staring wide-eyed at the adventurers who had appeared out of nowhere.

"What are you looking at? That's a mage's teleportation spell. You little country bumpkins!" Karak glared back at them one by one, then called out to Rotleaf, who was standing on the platform, "Where's Nine Fingers? We need to talk to her!"

"This is the guild hall, not some mage's laboratory, or your own home!" The masked guild treasurer, though threatening, seemed somewhat unconvinced.

He waved to the gang members scattered throughout the hall and said, "Stop staring at them! Get back to your own business!"

"You brought Flame Fist and Harpist to block the door, pried open my secret passage, and now you've teleported directly to my guild hall." Nine Fingers counted on his fingers, recounting how the adventurers entered the guild hall. "Next time you come, are you planning to tear up the entire surface so we can bask in the sun?"

“You’re too kind, Astire,” Jasila greeted her with a smile. “Ivy isn’t a stingy person. If you have any requests, even if it’s a bit difficult, I think he’ll do his best to fulfill them.”

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Nine Fingers stopped arguing with Jahira and instead looked at the dwarf corpse on Leatherman's bald head: "Who's that?"

“Dolo Kimma,” the evil thought replied, “the assassin of the Baal Order, the one who killed Duke Bellina Steme and Father Logan.”

(End of this chapter)