Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 456 Breaking in
This is not surprising. The existence of various powerful and skilled rogue professions, as well as simple and easy-to-use things like lockpicking spells, has made things like door locks and mechanisms no longer so secure and reliable. Even arcane locks are hardly foolproof.

So some people simply do the opposite: since a shield can't stop your spear, then I'll bring a rock over, right?

Replacing the advanced with the outdated is a last resort. Just look at games: no matter what traps or locks you use, they can't stop the Fourth Calamity from sneaking in. The only thing that can truly deter these locusts that are three feet tall is:
"This exit is blocked by rocks; perhaps you should try your luck elsewhere."

Or perhaps:
"This is a long-abandoned house, and it looks like no one has lived here for a long time."

The primitive method is quite crude and practical. No matter how skilled you are as a master thief, what good trick could you possibly have with a boulder?
The hardness of the deep pit's dark rocks is even greater than that of granite. Not to mention the short weapons of the wanderers, even heavy weapons like sledgehammers would be in trouble.

Moreover, this thing doesn't seem to be as simple and primitive as it looks.

“Fossils become mud.”

After several unsuccessful attempts, even the minotaurs and the half-ogre brothers working together couldn't pry open or move the obstacle. In a fit of impatience, the mage pulled out a scroll, and gray light condensed out of thin air as he chanted a spell. He spread his five fingers like claws, and beams of light shot out from his palm, covering the surface of the stone door.

However, it was of no use.

The boulder in front of them showed no signs of turning into mud as expected; its dark exterior remained completely undamaged.

I ran into a competitor!
The thought immediately crossed Master Zhang's mind. He didn't believe that the natural spell resistance of the Deep Pit Rock could be so high, that it could resist the fifth-circle arcane spells so easily.
Even refined gold ore isn't that exaggerated, is it?
Moreover, according to the dwarves' previous statements, Deep Pit Rock may have an outstanding affinity for negative energy, but it is not known for its magic resistance.

That can only be a special effect resulting from the spellcaster's enchantment.

Spells were ineffective, and tricks were useless against the stubborn rock; there was only one option left—to fight it head-on.

The group of burly barbarians, wielding giant axes, warhammers, and spiked clubs, toiled away for a long time without much success; the enormous boulder only broke off a few fragments, and at most suffered minor injuries.

How long will this go on?
The mage pinched his brow hard, then flicked his hand away, intending to order everyone to return to base and forge a battering ram to deal with this obstacle, when he heard the voice of the Soul Splitter:
"Let me give it a try."

When his general volunteered, Zhang Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse him, and immediately signaled Balasen to step forward and do the deed.

"I need enough space, please wait a moment."

The Soul Splitter shook his head and turned to walk away.

The group watched in astonishment as the Soul Splitter climbed back up the mountain and disappeared from their sight.

Before long, a thunderous roar of hooves pounding the earth, accompanied by a tremor in the ground, resounded. Its force far surpassed that of galloping horses, sounding like a savage beast charging and crashing.

Amidst billowing smoke and rumbling earth, the savage beast, the Soul Splitter, appeared in sight after turning the mountain road. It had now regained its size of nearly five meters and charged forward like a meteor, wielding a flail.

The air currents generated by Balasun's surge stirred up the pervasive black mist, which billowed behind him like a cloak, or perhaps the shadow itself was one of his sources of power.

The iron hooves pounded the earth, and the charge initiated by just one Soul Splitter (the bull) was almost as imposing as the migration of bison herds in the previous life.

"Make way!"

The Soul Splitter's voice came over, but even without him speaking, the sensible guys had already scattered to both sides, and none of them were so foolish as to brazenly block the door.

After all, no one wants to be the mantis in front of the wheel. When he was still about ten meters away from the tomb entrance, Balasen took advantage of the momentum of his sprint and leaped up, raising the flail in his hand high and slamming it down with the force of his dive.

The kinetic energy of the surging charge, the dazzling power of the aerial attack—all of this is condensed into this massive, powerful strike, into this fierce, bud-like chain hammer.

"Boom!"

Stone: I've cracked!
At that moment, everyone felt as if a god was beating a heavy drum in their ears, or a meteor was falling to earth. The violent roar caused several of the more sensitive and less tolerant Zhuo Er to experience tinnitus and mild dizziness. The others instinctively covered their ears and shook their heads to alleviate the intense impact on their hearing.

After everything calmed down, everyone gathered around the boulder to check on the situation.

This attack was indeed extraordinary. The dark rock, which had been the barrier against the dragon and had been difficult to break no matter what the group did, was no longer as stubborn as before.

The flail head of the fierce soul was almost entirely embedded in the center of the sealing boulder, looking like a red flower bud blooming on the cliff, beautiful yet deadly.

Satisfied with his masterpiece, the Soul Splitter snorted and pulled his arm out of the pit, leaving a conspicuous dent.

Centered on the depression, spiderweb-like cracks radiated outwards, becoming more severe as the hammerhead was removed, weaving and cutting cracks across the surface of the boulder, as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

The stubborn rock wall that everyone had been attacking for so long seemed on the verge of shattering under this powerful blow.

"Amazing, truly amazing. The main structure of this stone has been severely damaged. As long as we chisel along the grain, this stone is no longer a problem."

The dwarf stonemason who came forward to inspect the stone stroked the texture on its surface and first praised it. Then he took out a set of tools and hammered and pounded on it for a while before making his conclusion.

"Speed ​​is power, and the Shadow Invaders should understand this principle."

Balasen spoke seemingly casually, but the flail in his hand was swung so powerfully that it resembled a spinning windmill, and the cow's tail behind him swished wildly, as if he were swatting flies.

"How long will it take to chisel this stone open?"

The monk asked the question directly.

"this…"

After pondering for a while, Redvale made a rough estimate and gave a general answer.

"Half a day? Where do you find so much free time to waste on this?"

Seeing that the boss was dissatisfied, the dwarf stonemason quickly added:
"If Lord Balasen could deliver another blow to this spot, yes, right here."

Redvale drew a circle with chalk at a certain spot on the boulder and patted it:

"We can break through this stone door directly."

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(End of this chapter)