Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 156 The Half-Ogre Brothers
Ahem! Clearing his throat with affected airs, Zhang Yuan adopted the demeanor of a venerable sorcerer, pointing at the other person with his chin as he spoke:

"That guy Ramesses? His skill level is just so-so. It's one thing to fool laymen like you, but a mid-level mage dares to call himself an archmage? Who gave him the nerve?"

"But his mage tower is clearly the tallest in Baldur's Gate!"

"That's right, the boss is absolutely right!"

Someone was absolutely amused by these two clowns:
"Who told you this nonsense? The taller the tower, the higher the magic power? According to this logic, if I build a ten-story chimney, I'll immediately become a great mage?"

Rick and Morty looked at each other, and after a moment they realized that what the other said made a lot of sense. Although something seemed off, they couldn't refute it.

"In Baldur's Gate, apart from the possible reclusive mages, the only one who can be called a great mage is old Harbazar. There are very few others, not even high-level mages. Where would so many masters come from?"

The circle of mages, especially high-level mages, is indeed very small. When I was with my mentor, I gained some understanding of this circle.

In the central Sword Coast, within the Baldur's Gate's sphere of influence, the number of high-ranking mages is extremely limited, with only Tyrandeil himself and two archmages, Habaser Delin.

Even Ulang, the Scroll Guardian of Candleburg, only has nine spellcasting levels, which is a joke. If it weren't for Testolier, the god-favored priest with a level of eighteen, who knows what kind of trouble might have occurred.

Unfortunately, the high priest was old and frail. It was probably because he was in semi-retirement a few years later that those ambitious men dared to extend their reach into Candlehold with impunity during the Candlehold Incident.

As for Ulang, who is known as the Supreme Guardian of Candlecrest and nicknamed the Old Vulture? Apart from the fact that his backing is a cause for concern, how many people really take him seriously?
Zhang Yuan could clearly distinguish the starkly different tones that Tyrantir used when talking about these two.

Of course, there's no need to explain this behind-the-scenes information to these two idiots in front of me; it's actually meant for some bored outsiders.

Taking advantage of the fact that the other party was still stunned by his deliberately high-handed attitude, Zhang Yuan added fuel to the fire.

"Since you're operating in this area, don't you know that my teacher, Archmage Tyrantir, lives nearby? Are you secretly capturing tree spirits here to curry favor with other mages? I doubt my teacher would be happy to see such a thing."

When it comes to using someone else's name to intimidate others, Mr. Zhang is quite experienced. Moreover, with a real powerful backer, he is much more confident than his opponent.

The two ogre brothers opposite them were a bit at a loss. They had captured the tree spirit by accident, so when did it become poaching?
They had naturally heard of Tyrantir's name; the legendary, eccentric archmage. To reason with him? Rick and Morty knew they didn't have the courage.

Are we just going to throw away the benefits that are already in our hands?
Unable to figure it out, Rick, being taller and larger, simply gave up thinking, raised his spiked club, and charged forward with a rough roar:

Rick's going to flatten you with this stick!

"Wait, you idiot!"

Having anticipated this, Zhang Yuan retreated several steps just as the other party was about to make a move, and the witch doctor's medicine jar was smashed over immediately.

"I.."

"boom!"

"Don't..."

"boom!"

"Damn~"

"Bang!" "Idiot!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Seeing that he couldn't stop Rick's impulsiveness, Morty had no choice but to follow. However, with the continuous interruptions from the paralyzing drug, the two brothers' actions and words were like watching a video on dial-up internet, choppy and unbearable to watch.

"Roar! You think you can fool me? Bloodlust! Ah!!!"

Even a good-natured halfling couldn't stand this kind of teasing, let alone a half-cannibal who was already irritable.

Morty, who had been maintaining his composure, also abandoned his rationality and immediately cast Bloodlust on himself and his brother before charging forward.

Seeing this scene, someone finally understood why the tree spirit had fallen into the hands of these two brothers.

Bloodlust is actually the same as Berserk, which causes the affected unit to have a berserk effect, only it's called by a different name by the Wilderness Shamans.

After going berserk, the unit has a high resistance to abnormal statuses such as charm and dizziness. In addition, these two are strong and big guys, so the small-armed and small-legged tree spirit has no chance of winning.

It was truly strange that he had encountered a half-ogre shaman today. Seeing the two burly men rushing towards him menacingly, Zhang Yuan not only showed no fear, but even wanted to examine them with interest.

That's it? You add a Bloodlust spell and then come in shirtless for hand-to-hand combat?
In other words, they were taking advantage of the tree spirit's weakness, and they didn't take this kind of behavior seriously at all.

Stepping back, Xiao Xiao stepped forward, blocking Rick's path and stretching out his arms to halt Rick's fierce momentum.

With those tiny arms outstretched, Rick couldn't cross them like a stone wall, and he couldn't even see the mage's figure.

The half-ogre, already blinded by rage, had no time to search in circles and swung his spiked club directly at Xiao Xiao.

This big guy did have some brute strength; his powerful blow even made the small, tall body sway. After a few rounds of fighting, his stone fist was also hit and shattered into several pieces.

But that's the end of it.

Rick, who had clashed with the opponent's massive stone fist several times, was made somewhat unsteady by the recoil from the force coming from his hand. His wrist went weak and numb, and the faint soreness made him almost drop his weapon even in his berserk state.

At this moment, Xiao Xiao seemed oblivious to the cracks in her hand, and grabbed out with her palm, which was as big as a small table. The force of her grab was so fierce that it was like a boulder suddenly falling from the mountaintop in a valley, accompanied by a whistling airflow.

With that grab, good heavens, Rick, who had already entered a berserk state, instantly sobered up a bit, and his flushed face turned a little pale.

He swung his spiked club with all his might, ready to use the same trick again, risking injury to get out of the opponent's attack range. Rick had realized the difference in strength between the two and did not intend to continue to fight head-on and make a fool of himself.

It's blocked! The opponent's strength was slightly weaker than before, but before Rick could even finish being happy, Xiao Xiao grabbed the spiked club and yanked it. Caught off guard, Rick not only fell headfirst to the ground, but his weapon was also confiscated.

His small eyes gleamed with blue light, and his wide grin betrayed his joyful mood.

Having just received orders not to use lethal force, Xiao Xiao successfully disarmed the opponent with only a small price to pay. "As clever as I am," he thought proudly.

With a single step forward, he scooped Rick up with his large hand, and Rick, who was struggling desperately, was like a fathead fish out of water, struggling in vain, but was still firmly bound by the rock cage formed by his ten fingers.

(End of this chapter)