The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 358 - 372: The Experience of Failure

Chapter 358 -372: The Experience of Failure

Everyone sat around the dining table, savoring the Halfling chef’s perfectly baked delicacies. Even little Isa was nibbling on a slice of apple pie. Lancelot was sure she had just been asleep, but the little girl had an unparalleled passion for desserts, almost as if she had sleepwalked out of the Dimensional Bag.

“Based on your description, I think the creatures those people encountered sound very much like Wraith Demons.” Kalalin said to Kamoen, munching on his meal, “Some also refer to them as Shadow Fiends.”

“What are those?” Bruto asked eagerly, “Can my hammer cause them harm?”

“Shadow Fiends, like the specters and banshees we encountered before, are incorporeal beings. These Demons are immune to attacks from normal weapons, but your hammer is imbued with powerful Magic, so it can deal normal damage to them, although it might feel a bit strange,” the Scholar patiently explained to the Dwarf, “Their claws don’t physically harm, but directly tear at the victim’s soul, which is why Armor couldn’t protect that brave Dwarf Warrior.”

Next to Kamoen, his mouth fell agape in surprise, shocked by the Scholar’s casual demeanor. Zoel belonged to a race that regularly dealt with the lower planes and considered itself very knowledgeable about Demons, but the Scholar was like a Bottomless Abyss encyclopedia, immediately deducing the type of Demon based on features, and he was clear on their attacking characteristics and weaknesses as well.

“Most of the Cult’s Scholars believe that Wraith Demons, unlike other Demons, did not evolve from a lower form,” Kalalin continued, oblivious to the bald Zoel’s astonished expression, “There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that these Demons are a kind of ‘accident’: when a Demon is killed by certain specific Magic in other planes, its Essence returns to the Bottomless Abyss and fails to resurrect properly, transforming into this incorporeal state instead.”

...

At this point, he involuntarily glanced at Elothysia, who shrugged helplessly (including her wings), “Don’t look at me, I don’t know much about these things either…”

“But their weakness is clear: light — in this respect, they are akin to the Dark Elves. Wraith Demons become as blind as humans in darkness when exposed to bright light, revealing a vague humanoid outline with wings on their upper body,” continued Kalalin, “Due to their incorporeal nature, Wraith Demons can pass through any solid object, but they cannot remain inside it and do not have the ability to see through it. If we encounter these Demons, we must take them down immediately, or else the entire fort will soon know of our presence.”

“So, the first attempt at infiltration was thwarted by an unforeseen enemy,” Lancelot nodded, “Do these Demons have the ability to see through invisibility or disguises?”

“Only some High Rank Demons naturally possess such ability, but Middle Rank Demons can also gain True Sight with magical artifacts,” Kalalin explained, before turning to Elothysia for confirmation, “Isn’t that so?”

“Yes.” The Succubus nodded succinctly this time, without any modesty, “In fact, you know more about demons than I do. You don’t need to keep asking for my opinion; if there is anything different from what I know, I’ll point it out directly.”

“Thank you!” Kalalin seemed quite delighted at the Succubus’s confirmation, “Lancelot, I’m confident that your Martial Techniques that make your Sword Blade glow will be able to quickly eliminate these Demons. They won’t become a big problem.”

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“Alright,” Lancelot nodded, then continued to inquire of Kamoen and Acheron, “You mentioned there were two actions; what happened during the second one?”

“The second time was thirty years ago, and only two Elves participated in the operation,” Kamoen looked toward Acheron, “They claimed to be your lieutenants.”

“Talasher Morningstar and Dalarna Morningstar, along with two hundred other Elven warriors, came with me from Seren, but I never treated them as subordinates,” Acheron’s face darkened slightly, “They were the best Rangers I ever met, and I still don’t understand why they failed…”

“They didn’t seem to trust me much, only leaving me a message before the operation began, instructing me to be ready for backup,” Kamoen said with a frown, “I lay in the appointed place all night, killed seven or eight poisonous snakes, but waited in vain for anything. There was no commotion from the fortress, and at one point I believed they must have succeeded, but unfortunately, in the end, nothing came.”

“How did they infiltrate?” Bruto asked curiously, “Did they disguise themselves as slaves as well?”

“No, they didn’t discuss it with me,” Kamoen spread his hands, “By the time I got there, the two were already inside, but I noticed all the Guards on one of the towers were gone, so likely they climbed over the wall.”

“That wouldn’t have been difficult for them,” Acheron nodded, “What I’m more concerned about is why it failed…”

“Perhaps they ran into some strong Magic Trap that caused them to lose their fighting capacity immediately,” Kalalin speculated, “If it was just the two of them, it’s very possible that neither had time to rescue the other, or even that both fell into a trap together.”

“When I entered back then, it was almost as if it was undefended,” Acheron scratched his head, “Damn, do those Demons actually remember where their traps are…”

“Demons are crazy, but they’re not stupid,” Kalalin shook his head, “The fortress definitely has unguarded passages and secret chambers, but we must never underestimate the enthusiasm with which demons arm their lair. If we’re careful, searching as we proceed, we should be able to detect those traps in advance, but it will be very time-consuming,”

“So what’s our plan?” Bruto, after contentedly swallowing the last of his pie and burping, asked, “Disguising as slaves sounds good; should we give that a try?”

“I don’t think that will work… Did you notice the checkpoint at the Outer Layer entrance when we were on the mountain today? The Guards’ inspection seemed very thorough, and it would be difficult for us to hide our equipment,” Acheron shook his head, “Besides, your phys…ique really doesn’t resemble that of a slave. Occasionally there are Dwarfs who successfully make it to the south side of the Hoffenstan River, and they are all skin and bones; if not for their beards, you’d surely mistake them for Gnomes.”

“Are you saying I’m too strong?” Bruto flexed his arm happily, “Look at these developed muscles! Hmm… do you think that always swinging the hammer with my right hand might lead to my right arm being thicker than the left?”

“I believe your left arm is also well exercised,” Kalalin rolled his eyes, “What I mean is, your Shield looks heavy too…”

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