What is an offensive priest?

Chapter 9 Twilight Abbey

It is less than 30 li east of Heishi Town.

The Howling Mountains split open here, creating a narrow gap.

Among them stands a desolate Twilight Abbey, overgrown with weeds and vines.

The stone wall was crumbling and its surface was covered with spiderweb-like black cracks, like dried-up blood vessels.

In the monastery's forecourt, a tall, headless statue stands alone, its body covered in cracks from countless storms.

Several bandits dressed in simple leather armor leaned lazily in the shadow of the statue's base, avoiding the increasingly intense midday sun.

The supplies looted from caravans were scattered around them.

This included the lava lizard gland extract needed by the blacksmith Gronn, along with a dozen barrels of gunpowder.

"Damn it, I've had enough of this godforsaken place!"

"I really miss the girls at the Moonlight Tavern; their soft bellies looked like you could squeeze water out of them!"

The speaker was a tall, thin man wearing a grey robe, the cuffs of which were embroidered with the faded emblem of the Zantalin Order's wyverns.

The other barbarian, carrying a longsword made of fine iron, had a gruesome scar on his left chest that, judging from the mark, looked like the work of a goblin.

He grinned, revealing his yellowish lips, and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of wine.

"I prefer that Tiftlin slut; those alluring horns on her head make it easier for me to exert my strength!"

As he spoke, he made a lewd thrusting motion, which drew crude laughter from the other two robbers.

Before the laughter had even subsided, the heavy oak door of the monastery was suddenly pushed open.

The rotting planks emitted a piercing groan, like the wail of a dying man.

A man dressed in a black priest's robe walked out from there.

He was about forty years old, with a thin face, deep-set eyes, and lips as thin as two blades.

He held a bone-white staff in his hand, the top of which was not inlaid with a gemstone, but with a dried humanoid eyeball.

"Don't forget your mission!"

"As long as I successfully complete the mission, I'll have women and fine wine when I return to El Toril!"

Upon hearing this, the monk couldn't help but complain.

"Boss, what exactly are they thinking?"

"So many resources were used for a remote town, and we even had to cooperate with those disgusting beasts."

"The way they look at me is like they're looking for food. I'm always worried they might pounce on me and bite me at any moment!"

The pastor's response was simple and straightforward.

"That's not your question."

On a distant hillside, deep in the shadow of a clump of bushes.

Richard and his adventure team were watching from a distance.

There are nine people in total.

"There are five sentries on the wall, all armed with heavy crossbows. They are the most troublesome. I'll leave them to Maurice to deal with secretly."

"Lord Richard and I are the strongest in individual combat, and we will be responsible for drawing their attention from the front, while Avel will provide remote assistance at any time."

After a brief analysis of the situation, Kro quickly deployed his troops and made reasonable tactical arrangements.

Richard had no objection to this. Kro knew his team members very well, and the tasks he assigned perfectly utilized their professional skills.

The thief Maurice was the first to act.

The thief's professional characteristics allowed him to easily sneak in, as if he were disappearing into the shadows.

The sentry on the wall was still urinating and humming a tune, completely unaware of the impending danger.

The thief crouched low, approaching him from behind. His poisoned dagger gleamed coldly as he covered the man's mouth with one hand and swiftly slit his throat.

One by one, the sentries on the wall quietly fell down.

After eliminating the threat of long-range crossbows, the thieves sent them a signal.

In the corner, several robbers were still arguing about which woman had the softest belly.

Then a paladin approached, accompanied by a priest wearing chainmail.

"who!"

"How did you get in? Where are the sentries outside?!"

Without a word, Kro drew his iron sword and activated the blessing of the sacred weapon.

Before the robbers could react...

The drow mage, who had been hiding in the shadows, also appeared at this moment and cast a spell on the bandits from a distance.

"Tasha's Hideous Laughter!"

Third Ring Ascension Spell, Tasha's Laughter!

Take them by surprise!

Of the several bandits outside the monastery, only the priest, whose perception was highly advanced, was exempted from punishment.

The other three collapsed to the ground, laughing maniacally, unable to move, and completely incapacitated.

With the added advantage of guaranteed critical hits in melee combat, Kro wielded his fine iron longsword, cutting down several people in an instant as easily as chopping vegetables.

Seeing that things were going badly, the priest immediately grabbed a cleverly crafted treasure chest and fled into the abandoned Twilight Monastery.

Through seamless teamwork, the adventure team executed a brilliant surprise attack, making the unsuspecting bandits pay the price.

Kro wiped the blood off his sword and looked at Richard.

"One got away, what do we do?"

Richard did not hesitate.

"He might know something about it; let's go in and see."

The interior of the abandoned monastery was deeper and darker than I had imagined.

Richard cast a spell to create a bright light and led the way.

Wherever the light reached, scenes of decay and death gradually emerged.

The floor tiles were already broken and cracked, with purplish-black moss stubbornly emerging from the cracks.

The most shocking sight was the skeleton scattered everywhere, most of which had turned a weathered grayish-white.

Judging from the remaining fragments of clothing, the items include a coarse linen priest's robe, a bronze holy emblem pendant, and fragments of handwritten scriptures.

These are likely the remains of the priests from Twilight Abbey.

The team continued deeper into the area.

The corridor leads to the monastery's main chapel, where two fifteen-foot-high oak doors are ajar.

Richard suddenly stopped, raising his light spell high to illuminate the dome above the chapel entrance, where a huge emblem hung.

The surface was covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, but the outline of the emblem could still be clearly seen through the dirt.

It depicts a huge skull, biting an ancient scroll in its mouth, exuding an aura of terrifying order.

Richard stared at the emblem, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

He could feel the light power flowing within him producing a slight repulsive reaction in the face of the aura emanating from the emblem.

Following behind Richard, the mage Drow didn't notice that Richard suddenly stopped and bumped headfirst into the hard chainmail.

"Hmm!"

A muffled groan was followed by a soft metallic clang.

"Why did you suddenly stop without saying a word!"

The slightly reproachful voice of the mage Zhuoer came from behind.

Richard turned his head and saw the Drow mage Avel covering his nose, his tone probing.

"Aren't the drow race born with darkvision? Can't you see where I am?"

A flicker of panic crossed Avel's eyes. He instinctively gripped his staff tighter, and his voice became somewhat hesitant.

"I...of course I saw it, I just didn't react in time!"

Richard silently noted it down and did not ask any further questions.

Kro, standing to the side, was unaware of the subtle nuances in the conversation.

The paladin's attention was completely drawn to the emblem on the dome.

He tilted his head back, the collarbone making a soft rubbing sound with each movement, his eyes filled with solemnity and doubt.

"Your Excellency Richard, whose totem is this?"

Richard had only been in Faerûn for a short time and was not aware of the situation.

At this moment, the unassuming thief standing to the side suddenly spoke up.

His eyes were fixed on the skull emblem on the dome, flashing with awe and shock.

"This is the totem of the first Grim Reaper, Jaeger!"