Crimson Servant

John knew that Paladin Karl had excellent fighting talent, but only now did he know where the limit of this fighting talent was.

Karl attacked like a ferocious beast, using sword moves faster than he thought. Who would have thought that a warrior who abandoned his shield and gave up defense could single-handedly suppress the attack of a steel golem. It was no exaggeration. Lightning initially tried to assist from the side, but was accidentally wounded several times by the angry Paladin who only had eyes for the target.

"Does intelligence limit your strength, Karl?"

John had heard Francis mention the training of a warrior, where fighting skills were honed into the muscles. The superb martial arts were integrated with the tempered body. With just a thought, the body would start killing on its own. John doesn't believe this. He believes that real power comes from knowledge and rational thinking.

The facts before him forced him to believe that some people had to lose their minds in order to unleash their potential.

How sad.

The puppet servants and arcane turrets were wiped out by the chain lightning, and the hard and strong steel body was suppressed by the fierce swordsmanship. The destruction of Jenny XII was inevitable. She screamed in a poignant voice at the end, and her body covered with sword marks fell and collapsed.

Carl Demiras gasped, and the sword fell to the ground with a clang. His fingers spasmed due to fatigue, and the fire that burned his body disappeared without a trace, like an illusion. The paladin came to his senses and rushed to Jurgen's side. The spasm in his right hand had not stopped. The bright light of the healing hand poured into the dwarf's body through his palm, over and over again, until the paladin cried out. Praising the name of the great sun, no trace of holy light could be squeezed out of his body.

Jurgen lay there as if asleep.

Carl knelt beside him, sobbing into silence.

It was like a rope was strangling the throats of several people, and the sound seemed to spit out suffocating air.

Lightning looked at John for help.

John walked over. The warlock looked at the paladin across the dwarf druid's body, just like Jurgen used to mediate conflicts between the two.

"Go get your sword and shield, Carl."

The depressed paladin ignored him.

"...Are you going to break your oath?"

[I will protect everyone], the Paladin once said this sentence, but now it has become a bloody wound. If possible, John wouldn't want to provoke him at this time, but now, I'm afraid only a strong stimulus like this can arouse Karl's reaction.

John heard the sound of the iron pieces squeezing in the paladin's clenched fist, and saw him stand up, still lowering his head, silently picking up the sword and shield.

John nodded with satisfaction, it seemed that he could still be saved. He approached Jurgen and opened his black clothes to avoid touching the condensed blood scabs. Shocking wounds covered the dwarf's back, with bones visible in some places. It seemed that autopsy was more useful than medical skills, but John did not give up. He could still see the figure blocking the light in his mind.

Now that the Paladin has been mobilized, he can use some special means.

The crimson power is extremely sensitive to vitality. The red ribbon touches the scorched skin of the dwarf, carefully detecting it following the thirst for corrupted vitality. The Crimson Power has truly found its target, and its enemy.

The power of the sun contained the last bit of vitality of the dwarf and held Jurgen's last breath. The warm holy light seemed to sense that the dangerous enemy was approaching this body, like a general guarding the territory. It exploded under the stimulation of the crimson power and began to spread, filling the druid's body.

John raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"He can still be saved!" John didn't notice the excitement in his voice.

"Really!" Carl rushed to John, as fast as a gust of wind. He grabbed the warlock's arm excitedly, as if he wanted to hear him say it again.

Click!

A clear sound of bone cracking came from John's arm. John's expression was distorted and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but facing the Paladin, he suppressed not making a sound.

Karl opened his palms in horror and looked at the warlock's arm drooping unnaturally in his palm. He blinked twice, still unable to accept the facts before him.

In his excitement he crushed the warlock's arm. How can it be? I clearly don’t have much strength! At most, it was a little more vigorous than usual.

"Did I do it?"

John was not too surprised by his fragile physique. The erosion of the crimson power made him no harder than the rotten bones in the tomb.

"What do you think? Did it break by itself?"

Karl's face turned red quickly, and he used his hands to prop up John's arm carefully.

"I'm so sorry about that, John."

"go away!"

After Lightning took John's arm and began to treat it with a splint, the Paladin left guiltily and hid in a corner where the Warlock's sight was out of sight and they could hear their calls.

"I will only do simple processing, John." The arakkoa carefully fixed the warlock's arm. His wing claws were particularly light, for fear of causing secondary damage to John. Obviously in the eyes of the arakkoa, the warlock has become a fragile porcelain doll.

"It doesn't matter, this doesn't affect my spellcasting. Just give Jurgen some simple treatment. Don't be frightened by his miserable appearance. The paladin's healing hand has already cured most of it. The old man's life is tough."

Lightning gradually let out a familiar laugh during the conversation, and with the assistance of John, he completed the emergency treatment of Jurgen.

"But you're really unlucky, John. The only damage you've suffered since entering the dungeon came from friendly damage."

"It's nothing, just take it as retribution." John said softly, as retribution for abandoning his companions.

Lightning and Carl carried out a simple collection of loot. Some energy cores in the paralyzed Olympus Guard were still usable and had certain value. Karl removed some portable armor plates inside the steel golem. He can cast them to repair his own armor, or he can directly stuff them into the clothes layer to improve defense, but it will affect his movement.

They found some treasures and weapons in Jenny XII's workshop. None of them found better weapons. Lightning found some steel arrows to replenish his quiver.

A magical amulet was found from the wreckage of Jenny XII. After John's appraisal, he found that it was suitable for wearing by a Paladin. The light-curved matrix set in the amulet can distort light to create a rainbow, blind the eyes of enemies, and taunt them to attack the wearer.

Carl carried Jurgen on his back, and John declined Lightning's support. Several people stood on the slowly descending elevator platform, heading to the next level.

Stalled gears screeched as they reached a dark area.

The current situation of the team was no longer suitable for exploration. After lightning reconnaissance, the Sun Team chose a safe area as a shelter to rest. The unconscious Jurgen and the injured John were placed in the safest location.

Lightning and Carl consciously assigned night watchmen. After a simple meal and looking at their companions guarding the campfire, John felt pain and could no longer bear the tired sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep.