The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 629 - 653: Holy Warrior and the Shape-Shifting Demon (Monkey)

Chapter 629 -653: Holy Warrior and the Shape-Shifting Demon (Monkey)

“As long as your mentor will not impede our actions, your privacy will be respected,” Lancelot nodded and looked towards the next squad member, “your turn, Ivendell… Sir?”

“Yes, I am indeed of noble birth, just like you.” The usually somber Holy Warrior slowly spoke, his voice reluctant, “About my past… may I not speak of it?”

“Everyone has a past they wish not to recall, and perhaps with more trust between us, you will change your current mindset.” Lancelot shrugged indifferently, “But there are some questions I still hope you can clarify for everyone. Are you… still a Holy Warrior?”

“I do not know.” Ivendell’s aged, wrinkled face revealed a bitter smile, “Is one still a Holy Warrior when he can no longer uphold his oath?”

“What was your oath?” Tijana suddenly asked, her voice carrying a particular interest.

“The Oath of the Crown.” Ivendell looked at the mysterious lady with black hair with some surprise, “You seem to know much about Holy Warriors, Madam.”

“Is that so strange? I also know a Holy Warrior.” Tijana leaned back, gently closing her eyes, “The Oath of the Crown, by which one must offer unconditional loyalty to the state and the sovereign… There is no worse oath than this, for although you gain strength from your sworn actions, the one you swear to protect is merely a ruler among mortals.”

“Even gods may fall, let alone mere mortals,” Alamir, at Lancelot’s side, joined in, “So that is your plight, a Fallen sovereign, making you unable to convince yourself to continue fulfilling your oath?”

“I really do not wish to talk about this anymore,” the old Holy Warrior hung his head, hiding his face in the shadows, “The training I received allows me to take the forefront on the battlefield, and that is where I wish to be. I can still channel Divine Power, force enemies around me to battle, or supply healing energy to nearby severely injured comrades. I have only one reason for joining this blood battle, and that is my hatred for Demons, even if it means I have to fight alongside them. I have no demands of you, just do not hinder me from killing more Demons.”

“But what if I ask everyone to retreat under certain circumstances?” Lancelot narrowed his eyes, “Would you defy the Commander’s orders?”

“…I am not an unreasonable man, and I understand the importance of obeying orders on the battlefield,” Ivendell raised his head, looking directly into Lancelot’s eyes, “You need not worry about me in this regard, Sir.”

“I hope so.”

Lancelot nodded noncommittally, then turned his gaze to the next companion. She was a girl with golden short hair, wearing an exotic-looking light blouse that appeared comfortable and elegant. A pair of beast ears emerged from her fluffy hair, hinting at her extraordinary racial lineage, with another clue being the furry tail trailing behind her, curling around an iron-tipped staff about five feet in length.

“Eh? Is it my turn?” The girl finally reacted, having been focused on stuffing various fruits into her mouth since the start of the feast, “Um, hi everyone, my name is Jing! I’m a monkey!”

“You mean, you were a monkey, right?” Alamir said with a smile from the side, “When did you transform into your current appearance?”

“That’s a long story.” The girl made a silly face that indeed resembled a mischievous monkey, “At first, I was just like any ordinary monkey, frolicking in the mountains and forests, drinking the sweet spring water when thirsty, and eating peaches from trees when hungry. I even taught myself how to pile up the peaches and let them gradually turn into delicious wine… But gradually, I began to realize that I was different from the other monkeys. I was smarter than they were, capable of expressing complex concepts in language, stronger as well, but what really set me apart was that I could transform into the appearance of those hairless monkeys that occasionally came to the mountains, which the other monkeys couldn’t do.”

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“So you were able to shape-shift.” Lancelot nodded, “Perhaps it has something to do with the fruit wine you brewed…”

“Ha! It must be so!” Bruto said, slapping his hand with glee, “Wine is the water of life; every Dwarf knows that! It’s our core doctrine!”

“What happened afterward?” Alamir asked curiously, “Did you leave the mountains?”

“Well, I must say, your cities are much more interesting! I even met a mentor who taught me knowledge and skills for battling, and how to survive in the society of those hairless monkeys—called Dragonkin by my hometown folks—but eventually, my mentor died in a duel, and I was left wandering alone on that continent called Kara-Tur…”

“Kara-Tur! I’ve heard of that place.” The Elf Priest’s voice carried a particular joy, “It looks like you come from the world of Toril as well, we’re kind of fellow countrymen then.”

“Toril?” The demon monkey girl named Jing looked confused, “I have never heard of that name, I only know about Kara-Tur…”

“Well, the world of Toril is really vast, roughly divided into three regions: Faerûn, Kara-Tur, and Zakhara. For those of us living in Faerûn, your homeland is as remote as another world, with gods worshipped here unknown there, and Gnomes and Orcs that are commonplace here are unheard of there. That’s why I said we can only be considered half-fellows. But how did you end up arriving in the Outlands? And why did you join the Blood War?”

“Actually, I’m still a bit confused about the situation…” The demon monkey girl chuckled awkwardly, “A few days ago, I was chasing a fugitive hiding in some ancient ruins, he created a Portal to escape, and I followed him right through, then I found myself in a bizarre circular city. When I recovered from the shock, both the fugitive and the Portal had vanished. Now I’ve figured out that to go back, I need a key to open the Portal, and the keys are not cheap to buy. It was around this time that I saw the posting, saying that a place called Twin Bridges Town was recruiting, where I could earn two hundred Gold Coins a week, so I decided to try my luck at the Armory…”

“They actually agreed to let you in?” Tijana asked in surprise, “Don’t they screen the applicants?”

“The Guards did indeed refuse me at first, saying I was too small, which made me so mad that I beat them up on the spot… I hate it when people say I’m small! It’s just that I don’t grow taller, okay?!” The demon monkey girl’s iron-tipped staff, coiled by her tail, swung dangerously, lending quite a bit of credibility to her statement, “As for some kind of screening… It doesn’t seem like there was any, really. It was just lining up, taking turns standing on a Magic Formation, and then I was transported here…”