Crimson Servant

John tightened his lips to prevent the dark elf from seeing his inner surprise. He knew that he was the person with dark thoughts. The moment he learned the news, many thoughts about conspiracy and domination ran through John's mind. He couldn't let these evil thoughts surface and let Francis discover his thoughts, bringing possible danger or ridicule.

John had always thought that Mariana was the leader among the three of them, but Francis's few words broke his inherent thinking. If the arrival of the three people is due to the dominance of the prophet, then is John's fateful encounter with them really just a miraculous coincidence? This foggy dark elf once again made John regain his old fear. What made John feel even more uncomfortable was that even so, he still firmly trusted him in his heart.

Just like Nora.

John stuffed the steak into his mouth and used his bulging cheeks to maintain his composure.

"You still haven't explained why you want to hide your plan from me? I will actively cooperate with anything as long as it does not harm my interests. In my opinion, you are asking for trouble."

Francis was silent for a moment, his eyes rolled around in his sockets, he subconsciously opened his mouth, and then put the roasted pig leg with tooth marks into the fire again.

"To get to the point, it's going to take a bit of detour. First, John Camp, what do you think the Crimson God is?"

"The devil with bad taste, the madman in charge of power, the paranoid with darkness in his heart..."

Francis smiled.

"You describe God like a person. Veltis, the Crimson God, the Corruptor, when the world first knew him, it was at the end of the Year of Turmoil. Before the gods fell into the kingdom and became saints to travel the continent, No one has heard of Veltis’ name. Maybe he is not some ancient and distant existence. In the turbulent period when the divine throne was high and magic was chaotic, the secrets of the Crimson God were buried.”

"You mean, His existence is like gods, a god promoted from mortals?" John narrowed his eyes.

"It may also be an old god who has lost some parts and cannot control the power of the past. No matter what happened in the past, at least the current Crimson God is very obviously different from the gods. Wiltis' active need for faith is close to nothing. , the first batch of crimson priests didn't even know what they should do to please the gods. The only religious activity they could perform was to make sacrifices. Only then could they hear the voice of the gods, although only 'Vertis...' Repeated endlessly. Until your appearance and the existence of the Beloved brought great disaster to the world, and also allowed the world to see the evil side of Veltis."

"Don't those madmen who perform bloody rituals explain the problem?"

"The most vicious criminals will also use the temptation of the evil god to defend themselves. No judge with any sense will blame the murder on the King of Darkness."

Francis continued.

"In the circle of divination, some experienced and famous prophets have all expressed a common conclusion. In the circle of prophecy, there is a rumor of a 'Crimson Doomsday'. [Crimson Devours the Stars, Erase all pain].”

John curled his lips in displeasure, "It's the same as the prayers of those Wiltis cultists."

"Perhaps the two sides have learned from each other. Since the corruption of Juancrit came, the power of the crimson god Vertis began to be active on the mainland, and the gods did not like these madmen in red. Not only the priests of the good gods, but also Even the most notorious evil organization warns its members to stay away from followers of Veltis. The darkest and most depraved of creatures have evil allies, but not Veltis."

The warlock recalled some bad memories from the past.

"Yes, I know how unpopular Veltis is. Even the Black Heart Hotel in Dark City will refuse a person accommodation because he is wearing red."

Francis' eyes were dazed for a moment, and he seemed to be reminded of the initial experience of several people going to the Dark City. This absence soon ended. Francis packed up the remains of the food, and the dark elf who had eaten and drank enough threw the excess food into the fire.

"John, haven't you noticed that the gods are paying too much attention to you?"

John cleaned up just as well as Francis, his hands moving constantly as he mentally reviewed everything about the adventure.

The Sun's Beloved became his partner, providing him with important help in the dungeon and in the process of pursuing Nora; the evil dragon mother gave him dragon blood, and the greedy and cunning dark goddess did not steal from him. More obstacles; and the third one, the God of War, the black sword killed John's human form and beat the Crimson One back to his original form, which was the most convenient body to perform the advent ceremony.

John Kemp connected his own experience with the hostility of the gods towards Veltis.

"Let me tell you, when did the Crimson Beloved also join the group of Gods' Beloved? They are using me..."

John and Francis spoke simultaneously.

""Use the Crimson Beloved to fulfill the prophecy of the Blood Vortex. ""

John's eyes widened. He looked at the Dark Elf and said, "Can my future threaten the Crimson God?"

John's eyes glowed, and it was obvious that he was not disappointed at being guided by the gods. He was very excited that he might be harmful to his master.

Francis tapped his head with his fingertips.

"In your cerebral cortex, there is a shadow area occupied by the corruption of the crimson power. Although our Ms. Mind Flayer cannot easily handle the mass, she also found some useful clues from it. The shadow area is accumulating. Divine power, although it is invisible to the naked eye, is progressing slowly, but it is expanding. As for the reason for its generation, we can only think of the corruption of Juancrit. We guess that your loss of control and your advent ceremony of letting divine power pour into the world will make your brain The shadow area inside will expand in stages. Maybe soon, your brain will become part of the divine power."

"John, Vertis, it's the madness inside you."

John took a breath and remembered the "Nora" he saw. She smiled and called the advent ceremony a "wishing" with great intimacy. In fact, it was transforming his own brain. Vertis had corrupted his body, and now, he was trying to capture his spirit quietly.

"Is that a promotion?" John will accept the power of the devil. Will he become a demigod, a crazy demigod?

"Perhaps more profoundly, Mariana thinks that it is 'replacement'. Your final outcome may be able to prevent or at least delay the arrival of the 'Crimson Doomsday'. Think about it, a warlock who hates the patriarch, a blasphemous priest, what will happen to him?" Are there advantages or disadvantages to Veltis? You will become a part of Veltis, a change that the gods believe can have an impact on the Crimson God who harms their interests. You also understand that when the worst comes to worst, any Changes are good."

"Can't they just let Him fall?" John realized his fate. His fate and that of Francis had been entangled by the gods, so their future was anchored in Francis' eyes. Because God needs it.

"If it can be done, I don't think the gods from opposing camps would be willing to make peace and interfere in the fate of a small favored person."

"Virtis is not a fool."

"Yes, He is an arrogant madman. Sometimes it is difficult for us to distinguish which one is better."

Francis spread out his sleeping bag.

"John, your fate has been fixed, which we cannot change. But, as for some details, oh, the woman you like is really a rose with thorns. When she proposed that crazy plan, my Every hair on my head trembled."

John kept his mouth shut, refraining from any action lest he reveal to Francis that he knew the person the Dark Elf was talking about was Mariana Dare. John Camp's love for Ms. Mind Flayer seems to be obvious to all in their small circle, but as long as they maintain a superficial silence, the Warlock is confident to survive under Francis's teasing eyes.

"Getting you close to Vertis is the goal that must be accomplished. Mariana Dahl found another way. She interfered with the arrangements of the gods and proposed a more sinister plan."

"It's not you who gets closer to the God of Crazy, but the God of Crazy who gets closer to you."

"Killing those close to you will ignite your mad connection to Vertis, but it is you who destroys the pillars of faith that connect Vertis to the world."

"When you become the only anchor of the Crimson God, the destined future will be presented as another possibility."

"John, this is insanely blasphemous."

After repeatedly understanding Francis's words, John felt dizzy. How arrogant, how rebellious, and how blasphemous his friends were.

John Kemp loved it.

"Kill all those Wiltis cultists?"

"No, their connection with God is much weaker than yours. What you need to deal with is a connection closer than yourself. Cut off the mast of the mainsail and the jib becomes the new mainsail."

"What could be closer than the relationship between the beloved and the gods?"

"Then you have to ask the Crimson God. You will understand later. All this has just begun."

"The ominous red mist will reveal His true form before your eyes. When you see through everything, you will become a vortex of blood."

The dark elf lay down on his bedclothes.

"We didn't tell you the reason for the plan, because it was a trial, an attempt in the eyes of the gods, John. When you were unprepared for the most difficult situation, you found the truth that we had hidden, and personally The ability completed the advent ceremony while preserving their lives. Only then will the gods agree with Mariana Dar's other arrangement. 'Getting closer' to Veltis, this is the only goal the gods care about. They are also happy to see it. A relatively sober blasphemer meets their demands."

"In this way, you can get the most effective help in the world, at least the help of the kind gods."

The sound of even breathing soon came from the figure on the other side of the bonfire, and John curled up into his sleeping bag.

He knew that tonight would be a sleepless night for him.

The first volume has come to a relatively perfect end here.

Later I will write a few chapters about the inter-act growth of the adventure partners, which will make it more interesting.

The second volume is all about new partners and new adventures.

Stay tuned as Vertis brings a new level of malevolence to John Camp.

Hahaha.