The Paladin in the Abyss

"But his conflict with Grazzt was limited to verbal exchanges only," Kalalin continued, "The greatest reason the Abyssal Lords do not consider him a rival is because the Wind Demon King has not demonstrated any ambition to expand his territory. Engaging in conflict with him yields no tangible benefits, yet it would expose their backs to far more dangerous opponents."

"How does this relate to Elothysia not being able to stay in Twin Bridges Town?" The dwarf crossed his arms with an air of unconcern, "Since this Pazuzu fancies the sky, just let him stay up there."

"Let me remind you first, do not casually utter that name; repeating it three times will allow the Wind Demon King to hear your call," the Scholar said to the dwarf with a grave expression, "This ancient Lord of Obyrith seeks something more… pure.

He delights in corrupting innocence, purity, and righteousness into suffering, cruelty, and wickedness, and these virtues' representatives—the Holy Warriors—are the Wind Demon King's favorite prey."

"And I also dislike having a Holy Warrior loitering around my town, even if she is a Succubus," added Tijana, casting a glance at Kalalin, "What else do you know about Androlina?"

"The 471st layer of the Abyss, the domain of Cang Ye, the Mother of Demons," answered Kalalin cautiously, "It is said to be the only bastion of goodness and hope in the Abyss."

"What?" This time it was Bruto who was thoroughly surprised, "What do you mean? Is that Mother of Demons actually a good person?"

"No, no, no, it's not like that at all..." Kalalin's head shook like a wind chime, "Cang Ye is one of the most ancient Obyrith Demons, a senior even among the Obyrith. She also is the mother of several powerful Tanari Lords, including Lord Wu'an 'Grazzt,' 'Baron Sloth' Lupercio, 'Lord of Shackles' Ukariik, and so on—all significant figures in the Abyss.

Some even more audacious theories suggest that, to a certain extent, the entire race of Tanari might be her descendants."

"Given that, why does her domain have a bastion of goodness and hope?" This time it was Alamir who spoke up curiously, clearly very interested in the matter.

"Do you remember the history of the Abyss I told you about?" Kalalin looked expectantly at everyone like a teacher presenting a question, "About how the Tanari overthrew the dominion of the Obyrith demon race and became the mainstream among demons?"

"You mentioned the chaos that followed, the demoness Miska the Wolf-Spider, and an invasion that swept across multiple Prime Material Planes," recalled Lancelot, "In the end, when the Aira Celestials from the Court of Stars invaded the Plains of the Abyss, the Tanari, who were still slaves at that time, staged an open rebellion.

Despite being subjected to indiscriminate aerial bombardments, they attacked their former masters. The Obyrith empire was destroyed, some of the remnants hid deeply within the Abyss, and the Tanari quickly occupied the entire Plains of the Abyss after the Aira forces retreated, becoming the undisputed rulers of the Abyss."

"Your memory is indeed excellent," praised Kalalin, "But when the Aira Celestial forces first entered the Abyss, the Mother of Demons successfully deceived Eskodel, the consort of the Star Queen, to sign a blasphemous contract, causing an entire generation of Aira Celestial children to be trapped in one of the deepest layers of the Abyss."

"Whoa," Bruto listened with great interest, "I wonder what potion Cang Ye brewed for that Eskodel, to actually have him willingly sign a contract with such severe consequences..."

"Eskodel's mistake was unintentional, and he has already sacrificed himself in the battle to protect those children.

As a consequence of the contract, these remnants of the Aira Celestials will never age, but they are also unable to ever leave the Abyss," Kalalin spread his hands, "The Mother of Demons originally intended to torment these enemies slowly, but the battle situation changed too quickly. Cang Ye found her own and her allies' power rapidly waning, while the Court of Stars opened a portal. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

Although still unable to bring those children out, the Protectors could now enter Androlina directly from the upper planes."

"What about now?" Little Isha was eager to know the follow-up, "What happened to those children?"

"Those Protectors fought with all their might, even causing the environment of that plane to undergo permanent changes." This time, Tijana was the one responding to the vampire girl's question, "It is said that in the lands of the Aira, there were beautiful pastoral scenes, filled with exotic flowers and lush woodlands—basically, the kind of scenery you mortals would like."

"Sounds lovely, so how do we get to Androlina, and how do we return?" Lancelot asked. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that Tijana's tone when describing the environment of Androlina was a bit odd.

"There is only one route from here to Androlina, which is through the Portal in the Great Abyss. You must first head west, then turn southwest upon seeing the walls of Volcano Fortress. That area is already a war zone, so stay alert. There's nothing worse than finding yourself in the middle of armies of Demons and Devils."

Tijana gestured with her knife and fork, and Magic Power flowed along her utensils, turning a corner of the tablecloth into a map.

"You will travel approximately eight hundred miles through wilderness, and if you're lucky enough to survive, you will encounter the Stygian River again. Only this time, the water of that section of the Stygian River is red, resembling fresh blood.

Continue along this Blood River and you will find Skeleton Tower Kai-Oine, a giant tower that stretches from the depths of the Great Abyss all the way to the surface."

"What does this Kai-Oine look like?" Lancelot asked seriously, "And why do we need to go there?"

"As the name suggests, Kai-Oine looks like a huge spine. Trust me, you won't miss it," replied Tijana with a malicious grin, "At the base of the Skeleton Tower, twenty miles deep, is a neutral city called Mogrondale. The structure of the Great Abyss is always shifting, and only there can you get the latest map. Otherwise, you may never find the Portal to Androlina."

"I see," Lancelot nodded, "And after we complete the mission, we return the same way?"

"Use the Amulet I gave you, its Magic Power can be restored every thirty days. But by then, you'll probably think it's much better there and won't want to come back," Tijana said sarcastically, as if she was certain the Human Knight would never return.

"I will definitely come back," Lancelot said, looking into the eyes of the Succubus Lord, earnestly, "There are important people to me here."

"Oh? Like who?" Tijana asked nonchalantly, yet her eyes were full of anticipation.

"Like Bruto's old man, Baron…"

Lancelot didn't finish his sentence before Tijana knocked him to the ground with a headbutt. As if that wasn't enough to vent her frustration, the Succubus Lord stepped on him a few times.