Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 586 The Death of the Grand Duke
“Skata is badly injured, but it’s a critical matter, so I dared not send him to the temple for treatment. I used a healing potion to temporarily suppress his injuries, and he is still unconscious.”

After Lawrence, the pillar of support, finally recounted the entire situation in one breath, he relaxed with a sigh of relief and stood quietly to the side, awaiting instructions.

"You did the right thing, absolutely right."

After comforting the other person, the monk turned to look at the azure-faced man beside him:
"Nerif, I'm counting on you for everything."

The first thing the sorcerer did upon arriving at the camp was to summon the oracle and envelop the area with anti-prophecy magic.

"Although the injuries are severe, they were all caused by swords and knives. The external wounds have healed, but the lungs and liver have suffered penetrating wounds. The internal organs have not yet recovered and there has been excessive blood loss."

After carefully examining and explaining Ska's injuries, the oracle gave a reply:
"It's nothing serious, easy to handle."

"Then let's get started."

After receiving the mage's affirmation, the oracle raised his hands as if cradling the moon, and specks of firefly light emerged and gathered from his palms, instantly merging and igniting into a blue-green flame.

The flames grew increasingly intense in color, appearing like raging fires, yet burning with the vibrant green life of a grassland and forest.

The flames swirled and dripped like wax tears and oil, like fireflies turning into raindrops, and instantly disappeared into Ska's body.

When an expert takes action, the results are outstanding.

Ska, who had been unconscious and pale, quickly regained his color, and his tightly closed eyelids trembled as he tried to open them.

"Lawrence? Chanem? Nancy? You're all here."

Ska's first reaction upon waking was to reach for his waist, grasp the longsword placed beside him, and feel slightly relieved. At the same time, he saw the group of people surrounding him.

"If you don't come soon, you'll be going down to join Iltan! What the hell happened to that damn Flame Fist? Lawrence's explanation was vague, you must know what's going on!"

The female thief spoke at a rapid pace, like a machine gun, but she was very careful with her hands, helping Ska to sit up with the help of the mage on either side.

"Don't rush, let the captain catch his breath first."

Ska, who was sitting on the bed with pillows propped up, gave a bitter smile upon hearing this; the smile was more like a grimace.

"Then what kind of captain is he? I'm afraid there are wanted posters for me plastered everywhere."

"Indeed, that's why I didn't dare invite those clergy here."

Lawrence confirmed this. In fact, on the short journey from the Mage Tower in the city gate district to the Chamber of Commerce in the inner city, Zhang Yuan and his group saw more than one bounty poster for Ska.

"Cough, cough, I'm not the murderer!"

"We all believe in you, just as you can believe in us."

The former captain clenched his fist, then let it fall weakly: "I can't believe my eyes!"

"The Grand Duke died right before my eyes, died without any explanation!"

After letting out a few low growls to vent his frustration, Ska, having calmed down slightly, recounted the general course of events from the beginning.

It's not complicated, just a bit strange.

It all started with a request for medical help.

"Angelo's second-in-command, Bangi, went to the Grand Duke and brought news that he was suffering from a strange illness, pleading with the Grand Duke to send his personal physician, Roshad, to treat him."

"As the most powerful faction within the Flame Fist at present, he offered many concessions and benefits to gain the Duke's trust, and was even willing to send Angelo himself to the Duke for treatment alone."

The mage could already foresee what would happen next…

"Can you imagine? The original patients and doctors suddenly transform into the most terrifying killers, and a murderer who just committed murder actually turns into your own appearance."

"Their arms seemed to be made of flowing mercury, yet they were as sharp as iron swords."

"It's all fake, only death is real, only the blood of Figas and Lola is real."

As expected. With the other shoe finally dropping in his heart, Zhang Yuan was basically certain what kind of trick was behind this murder case.

"If that's what you mean,"

The monk's expression was very strange, just like when he witnessed his German teacher discussing feng shui in class years ago, before solemnly warning him:
“Ska, whatever happens next, don’t overreact,”

"You, demonstrate it once."

The one named was Malawi, the only male drow present.

He stepped forward in response, lifting his cloak to reveal his face shrouded in shadow.

It was an extremely ordinary male face. As everyone was puzzled, Malawi reached out and scratched his neck for a while before slowly tearing it open.

A mask, slightly thicker than parchment and with a gel-like texture, was thus peeled off, revealing his infamous, dark face, which was notorious throughout the Faerûn continent.

"Put it on, please don't resist."

The strange accents from the Underdark were unsettling, and the objects from the Drow were even more suspicious.

Perhaps out of trust in his old teammates, or perhaps because he had nothing left to lose, after a moment's hesitation, Scar finally accepted the mask.

To onlookers, the mask, which originally had clearly defined facial features, began to deform and dissolve as soon as it was applied to the face, eventually resembling a lump of silver-gray gel plastered on Ska's face.

Ska, on the other hand, had a different feeling: the mask, which was initially somewhat uneven, quickly fit his face and became seamless.

Contrary to its gelatinous appearance, he felt a cold mass of flesh tightly adhering to his skin, which then began to heat up until it became somewhat hot.

Hu~hu~
The mask was suddenly ripped off and put on Malawi's head. Freed from his restraints, Ska gasped for breath, his gaze fixed on the former's face.

The blurry chaos on the outside of the mask seemed to be drawn and outlined by an invisible brush, gradually revealing Ska's face.

As the mask took shape, the person's pupils widened, eventually almost bursting open.

"As expected, it's another of the wizard's cunning tricks?"

He let out a sigh that was almost a groan. He had been stimulated too much, and even the appearance of the drow elves as a species did not shake him much.

One can only say that it truly lives up to the legacy of a great mage.
Ska quickly found a reasonable explanation for himself.

"It's not necessarily the spellcaster's method,"

The monk shook his head, denying the other party's assertion:
Have you ever heard of a shapeshifter?

"Shapeshifter?"

"The materials used to make the masks come from them, and changing appearance and shape is their specialty."

"Their original skin color was similar to mercury, and even their blood was like that."

Ska is no fool to hold such an important position as the Flame Fist Master; his temporary confusion and helplessness stem from the limited perspective and understanding he has as a combatant.

The monk's explanation was like a gentle breeze dispelling the fog, and after tearing away that illusion, the old captain was finally able to connect the contradictions.

"Damn monsters, what do they want to do to Flame Fist?!"

boom!
The unfortunate bed frame now has a dent.

After the initial confusion and bewilderment subsided, only anger remained.

"For shapeshifters, stealing appearances and forms to replace victims is almost instinctive; I don't deny their level of evil,"

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Thanks to my tireless writing, this book has finally gone from a bi-monthly publication to a weekly one, which is truly a cause for celebration.