Half Elf Ranger

Chapter 439 Sacrifice
Deep in the dark forest of the Great Sword Scar Mountain Range, where even the moonlight cannot shine, there is a temple supported by countless broken marble columns.

The light here is very strange, different from any kind of faint fluorescent light in the underdark region.

The wall made of earth bricks is very weathered, and it has been cracked in sevens and eighties.Vines and moss grew in the cracks of the bricks, encroaching on every wall, even the floor. They used the unique way of natural plants to eat away at this long-forgotten ruin.

The gloomy north wind blowing from the sea of ​​​​Neverwinter blew the shadows of the trees in the dark forest like hideous creatures.

Suddenly, dim light leaked from hundreds of cracks and holes in the wall, followed by the deafening roar of countless beasts.

Obviously, there is still life wriggling in this ancient dilapidated temple.

"Flapping!"

Along with the crazily swaying tree shadows swaying different ferocious faces, the ravens and crows entrenched in the depths of the jungle flew out of the jungle screaming.

The dense forest in the deepest part of the Great Sword Scar Mountains seems to be the nest of these black birds representing the sound of death.

In just a moment, a huge, squawking black cloud condensed in the oppressive night sky.

The chaotic neighing sounds gathered together, vaguely forming a rhythmic symphony of the dead.

At this time, a figure covered in a black robe stepped on a natural path made of rotten leaves and gravel, and slowly approached the temple that scattered countless strange lights with footprints of different shades.

The ravens and crows were still quacking and screaming, one after another merging with the dark clouds that covered the sun in the night sky. They covered the bright moonlight and competed for the work of the dark clouds.

Countless black birds flying away from the dense forest unexpectedly connected with the black clouds in the night sky to form a wriggling black line.

Looking around, it seems that wisps of black smoke are constantly gathering towards the black clouds.

"SIV...YZI..."

The figure shrouded in black robes greeted countless rays of light scattered from the cracks in the temple wall, rolling out low and hoarse strange syllables from its throat.

This is not the language of any race, but more like a special secret language of some kind of god.

The ancient and mysterious language seems to contain some kind of special power.

The moment the last syllable fell, the ruins of the temple in front of the black shadow were instantly lit up by some mysterious force, shining brightly in the gloomy and oppressive night.

Through the faint reddish light, one can vaguely see the magnificent scene of the temple, but most of it has collapsed.

If you look carefully, you can even find hideous and terrifying humanoid silhouettes on the heavily weathered walls.

Holding double-sided giant axes, spiked flails, or striped thorns, they beheaded, massacred, and whipped humanoid silhouettes of different sizes.

The figure covered in black robe continued to walk towards the shimmering red shrine.

The black shadow stepped on the soft and damp moss, crossed the entangled vines, stepped over the collapsed earth bricks and broken marble columns, and came to the center of this extremely damaged temple.

From the collapsed ruins and looming outlines, it can be seen that the temple was once a huge oval building.

In the center of the temple, there is an altar outlined with blood-red demon fire, and there are many candles dotted on it.

The wax tears like scarlet blood burned like a cascade with the golden and red flames, slowly flowing on the altar, and finally penetrated into the engraved runes, disappearing without a trace.

Behind the altar towered a huge, sinister humanoid statue, a lifelike statue that seemed to be carved from smooth basalt or black jade.

The gravel scattered under the brand new statue seems to tell the worshippers: This is a statue that has not been completed yet.

The black shadow bowed his head to the statue, maintaining the most pious posture, but his face hidden in the hood seemed to be integrated with the night, without any expression.

The idol is carved with a tall and terrifying hobgoblin.

He has sharp fangs, ebony skin, strong muscles, and ferocious pupils filled with flames, and holds a double-sided blood ax in his hand with sharp claws.

This is the statue of Magrubiya the Mighty.

He is the patron saint of goblins, known as: the Lord of Battle, the Supreme Chief, the Mighty One, and the Master of Knowledge.

"High Priest, everything is ready." Just as the black shadow was staring at the god statue in thought, a dozen or so figures dressed in the same clothes as him quietly walked out from the collapsed ruins around him.

"Then let's start." The black figure known as the high priest came back to his senses, and rolled out a low hoarse voice from his throat again, like an echo in a cold and damp dungeon.

The voice just fell.

More than a dozen black shadows surrounded the high priest in the center, and at the same time spread out the arms hidden by the wide sleeves, stretched out slowly, elbows bent, palms lightly pressed against the high priest's chest, He bowed and saluted, and then chanted obscure spells with weird and complicated gestures.

Time seems to have passed for a long time, and it seems to end in an instant.

When the chanted spell ended, a huge oval scarlet portal appeared in front of everyone.

Immediately afterwards, a group of hobgoblin warriors wearing blood-red stripes and black full-body armor escorted various humanoid slaves entangled in iron chains and filed out from the portal.

The sound of creaking armor, the reverberation of combat boots, the clash of iron chains, and the wailing of slaves echoed for a long time in the ruins of the temple that exuded reddish light.

"The blood sacrifice begins!" When the oval portal disappeared, the high priest who seemed to be meditating suddenly opened his pale yellow pupils and gave a low shout.

The high priest gently took off the black robe covering his whole body, revealing the pointed ears with blood-red earrings, a big dark blue nose, a burly body wrapped in black full-body armor with scarlet stripes, and a pair of swords shining with scarlet light. face giant axe.

In the deep night, the cold moon hangs high.

The bitter north wind was overwhelming, whizzing past the treetops in the dense forest, making weird screams.

"For the eternal soul war!"

The high priest raised the double-sided blood ax above his head, opened his mouth with long yellow teeth hidden, roared loudly, and then knelt deeply in front of the statue.

This cry, which was enough to pierce the eardrums, instantly overwhelmed the wailing and fear of the slaves, echoing in the depths of the dense forest.

On the altar, the dotted candle flames trembled slightly, like tears of blood dripping slowly, and the lingering flames in the ferocious pupils of the statue of the mighty were dancing lightly.

"Praise be to the great patron saint of goblins, Magrubie the Mighty!"

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen black shadows surrounding the high priest also took off their black robes, roared in unison, and knelt deeply in front of the high priest.

A scarred hill giant stared at the scarlet altar, the hideous and terrifying statues, and the hobgoblin priests who worshiped devoutly, and let out a trembling growl.

He twisted his limbs that were bound by iron chains uneasily. In this eerie and silent atmosphere, the sound of rattling iron chains clashed frequently.

"boom!"

The high priest surrounding the center slowly got up, and smashed the double-sided blood ax in his hand on the weathered marble floor, fixing it in place.

He raised his arms, and flickering flames burst from his broad palms.

The high priest danced the two flames in his palm, and his burly body flew with the red cloak behind him, spinning a strange sacrificial dance towards the altar and the statue.

The priests surrounding the high priest also stood up one after another, jumping out of flickering flames with their hands, and then doing the same to the high priest in front of them.

Gradually, the hobgoblin priests began to quicken their pace, every step of them seemed to be endowed with mysterious power, every step seemed to be dancing a strange circle dance.

The firelight in their hands dispelled the deep darkness, erratic in motion.

All the slaves escorted by the hobgoblin warriors were enveloped in an invisible fear with the dance of the hobgoblin priests, so that they became irritable.

The slaves followed the dancing posture of the hobgoblin priest, frantically shaking the rattling iron chains around them, as if they were a tacit dance accompaniment.

After half an hour, the High Priest faced the altar and the statue, and stopped suddenly.

The hobgoblins surrounding the high priest also stopped moving at the same time, facing the high priest.

At the same time, the flame dancing in the palm was extinguished silently.

The high priest stared silently at the altar outlined by the blood-red demon fire. Two hobgoblin warriors dragged the frantically struggling hill giant to the altar with the iron chains, holding them tightly.

The hill giant wailed, but no one paid any attention to him.

The high priest held the double-faced blood ax upside down, and walked to the altar step by step along the blood path dragged by the hill giant on the ground.

"Pfft!"

A strange red light flashed across the blade of the blood axe, and the wailing of the hill giant stopped abruptly.

On the altar, the dotted candle flames kept jumping and trembling, blood-red wax tears flowed like small waterfalls, and hot flames burst out from the ferocious pupils of the statue of the Mighty One.

Along with ogres, snakemen, trolls and other humanoid creatures, they were dragged to the altar one by one.

The candlelight on the altar swayed wildly like a young tree in a strong wind, and the blood-red wax tears rushed down like a small waterfall rushing past.

A raging fire burned in the ferocious pupils of the statue of the Almighty.

All hobgoblin warriors and hobgoblin priests were seething.

At the same time, they burst into cheers praising the Mighty One, one after the other.

I do not know how long it has been……

The ruins of the temple, illuminated by the flames like daylight, suddenly became deathly silent, and all the hobgoblin warriors and priests turned their attention to the statue of the Mighty One.

Little by little divine brilliance gradually emerged on the statue.

Everyone knelt deeply on the weathered marble floor, silently chanting prayers in praise of the Almighty.

"Go to the Emerald Field!"

The voice full of divinity echoed on the statue, and a ferocious hobgoblin phantom appeared behind him.With the double-sided blood ax in Xuying's hand pointing to the east, many flickering images appeared out of thin air, and finally settled in the town of Horn in the Emerald Field.

"I feel the flow of power."

"Destroy them!"

"I will give you the rewards you deserve!"

……

The radiance full of divinity disappeared with the phantom, and a mysterious power swayed on all the deeply kneeling believers.

One after another suppressed cries of pain resounded in the group of hobgoblins...

Their bodies are undergoing visible changes.

Some have grown ferocious curved horns, some have stretched out blood-red wings, and some even have sharp fangs, thick giant tails and other weird appearance features.

The only high priest who hadn't changed in any way breathed a sigh of relief without anyone noticing.

I saw him take advantage of the gap between bowing and saluting to the mighty man, and wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, and rolled out a low and hoarse voice from his throat: "Follow my lord's decree!"

The ferocious tree shadows are still swaying wildly with the howling north wind, and the cold moonlight falls in the depths of the dense forest through the gaps in the tree shadows, emitting a little bit of silver light.

I do not know how long it has been……

In this temple with only dilapidated buildings and ruins, a group of Gnolls with scarlet eyes shining in their pupils ushered in.

This group of jackals were taller and burlier than ordinary jackals. Apart from the ferocious spikes on their backs, their skin and thick manes also showed a dark red color deeper than the night.

"Under the witness of the great gnoll king, the high priest of the hobgoblin tribe of Hruk, his most devout people have integrated the power of all the tribes, and the leader of the bloodmaned gnoll tribe has arrived as promised."

A jackal in deep black heavy armor with a scarlet mane glanced at the high priest who was once again covered in black robes with his predatory gaze, and said coldly.

"As you wish, just as I promised you, I will assist you against the attack of the hill giant." The high priest looked at the leader of the wolf man lightly, and said unhurriedly: "The strongest leader of the wolf man tribe , are you still satisfied?"

After the high priest finished speaking, he waved his hand gently, and half of the hobgoblin warriors and hobgoblin priests around him joined the team of the leader of the gnolls.

"Don't worry, the king of the gnolls is here. When I finish clearing up the hill giants, I will definitely sweep the Emerald Field for you." The leader of the gnolls gave a grinning grin, and led the newly joined hobgoblins into the depths of the dense forest.

The thick dark clouds silently blocked the cold moonlight, and a group of homing crows disappeared into the depths of the dense forest screaming.

When the cold moonlight swayed through the gaps in the dense forest again, a blue-skinned giant whose body was as tall as the trees came to the periphery of the ruined temple with a group of men.

"High priest, the storm predators of Mount Varners are invited." Wearing a ridge-shaped helmet and a snow-white winter wolf cloak, the frost giant walked proudly, with a sharpness that seemed to be able to cut Kai Kai's cold blue eyes stared at the calm-looking high priest.

"The chief of the Bloodmane Gnoll Tribe has been blessed by the King of Gnolls. Dear Storm Reaver, that's all I can do to help you." Fist, said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the hobgoblin warriors and hobgoblin priests standing beside him cast puzzled eyes on this calm leader.

However, their doubts were rewarded with unquestionable orders.

"Thank you for your generosity." The frost giant smashed the big tree touching his helmet with a punch, bowed slightly to the high priest, and then quickly disappeared into the depths of the jungle with the suspicious hobgoblin allies.

The high priest stared at the disappearing figure, then turned to look at the dilapidated altar and the statue of the mighty man, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

He raised his head and looked at the cold moonlight through the gap in the dense forest.

"The high priest of the Horuk hobgoblin tribe, Thorne of Fallstown, is invited." After some time, a figure in a cloak quietly appeared behind the hobgoblin priest.

(End of this chapter)