Kuo-Toa

"Where are we heading?" Brat tossed the key onto the counter.

"Don't rush." Anse turned to look at Finn. "What's the situation?"

"The fortress has fallen, the flooding is severe, the city is in chaos, monsters are everywhere, and many people have died..." Finn was monitoring the city's movements in real-time. His voice was hoarse; such a catastrophe was enough to shake anyone.

Listening to Finn's fragmented reports, Anse slowly pieced together the picture in his mind.

The southern section of the Flying Dragon Bridge and the river embankment had collapsed, blocking half the river channel. However, because the city center sat on higher ground, the flood had breached the embankment at the northeast wharf district, hugging the eastern edge of the city as it surged south, leaving the main urban area largely unaffected.

But the public was unaware of this. Coupled with the appearance of numerous Underdark Creatures at the bridgehead, people were panicking and fleeing south in a frenzy, leading to massive stampedes. Many collided with the floodwaters, resulting in heavy casualties.

Based on the terrain, the flood would likely exit from the southeast of the city, bypass the Livington District, and merge into the Sword Sea to the southwest, forming a tributary. The entire city would be trapped in a massive triangle formed by the Chongsa River and this new tributary.

"There's no time!" Finn pulled at the corners of his mouth, his expression rigid.

The flood was moving too fast. The guild was near the city center; even if they sprinted east now, they couldn't possibly escape before the waters arrived.

"Sigh—" Anse looked up and let out a long sigh.

The disaster was always one step ahead of me, but only by one step!

"The Flame Fist Fortress... is crawling with Underdark Creatures." Finn tightened his face, wiping his beard frantically.

"Good thing we didn't stay at the fortress." Brat felt a lingering sense of fear.

"The Flame Fist commander must have had a plan, which is why they drove everyone away." Anse sighed, realizing he had underestimated them.

I thought I was smarter than the actual commander just because I had information from my past life—I was still too young!

The explosives must have been planted after the main Flame Fist force was routed. The quantity was sufficient, and they were terrified of failing to detonate them. It was a pity the torrential rain had caused the southern embankment to collapse; otherwise, the plan would have been perfect.

Doing this was clearly intended to stop the Underdark Creatures from moving south and to protect the tens of thousands of civilians and farmers who had retreated to the Livington District. These were the foundations of Baldur's Gate; without the people, even if the city were reclaimed, this trade hub would be ruined, and reconstruction would be a distant dream.

Why was the slave trade so rampant and impossible to eradicate in Faerûn? Because population was simply too important.

However, while the plan was sound, the executor had been indecisive, unwilling to sacrifice the Flying Dragon Bridge. If they had blown up the northern section of the bridge earlier, the current situation wouldn't have occurred.

The group reached the entrance of the hall. Screams and shouts drifted in on the wind, and a faint scent of blood hung in the air.

"Prepare for combat. Have the Gray Hawk keep a close eye on the situation in the city." Anse hated being passive; who knew what would happen if they just holed up here?

They had sufficient supplies. Heading to the farms west of the city or the wilderness was a viable option. There were many fishing villages along the west coast; they would find a way to leave.

Brat pulled up his cloak hood, holding his shield in his left hand and his Longsword in his right, his expression cold.

Finn drew his longbow, strung it, adjusted his quiver, and nodded slightly at Anse.

"Let's go—"

Anse stepped out of the guild's front door and plunged into the wind and rain.

Brat and Finn quickly caught up, flanking him to protect him.

Because they had delayed at the guild, the flow of people on the main street had thinned, but waves of crowds were still running south in a frenzy.

The entire city was in disarray, littered with debris. Many people didn't even know what was happening; they were just subconsciously following the crowd.

The group stepped through the standing water, traveling north along the main street for a hundred meters before turning left into a side alley.

They hadn't gone far when a chaotic sound of footsteps and shouting rapidly approached.

"Run! There are monsters..."

"Help—"

"..."

Anse and Brat exchanged a glance, secretly alarmed. Just how many Underdark Creatures had crossed over? Why were they already in the city center?

A group of civilians suddenly burst out of an alley ahead. Upon seeing Anse and his companions holding a glowing Staff, they were overjoyed and scrambled toward them.

"Back, back, back! Keep your distance." Anse waved his hand, retreating quickly with the crowd, and tossed his backpack into a corner.

With the situation unclear, he had no desire to engage in melee combat with monsters on the street.

They had barely retreated a dozen meters when six or seven short, dark shadows—roughly four to five feet tall—rushed out of the dim alley, hunched over with massive heads.

Anse focused his gaze, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Kuo-Toa! How did they end up with the Gray Dwarves?!"

The Kuo-Toa had once covered the coastlines and islands of the surface world, but long ago, they had been driven into the Underworld by humans and other surface races.

Like the Gray Dwarves, they had once been enslaved by Mind Flayers for a time, though unlike the Gray Dwarves, they had been abandoned—presumably because... they were useless.

"Hah!" Brat, not knowing what a Kuo-Toa was, let out an angry shout. He turned sideways, holding his shield at the front, his Longsword ready to strike.

"Whoosh—"

A sharp arrow cut through the night, its tip piercing the drizzle. The swirling wind formed a tiny, conical mist that struck a Kuo-Toa squarely in the head.

With a thud, the creature fell backward, blood staining the standing water.

"Prismatic Sphere"

Prismatic Sphere—Lightning!

Anse swung his staff, and a blue energy sphere trailing light crashed into the group of Kuo-Toa.

The lead Kuo-Toa raised his iron fork across his chest, but the next moment, the energy sphere erupted. Lightning pierced his body, leaving his skin charred and his muscles rigid as he fell straight to the ground.

Amidst the crackling roar, the energy sphere leaped again, slamming into the side of another Kuo-Toa and exploding with a boom.

Lightning conducted from the Kuo-Toa's body into the sewage at their feet. As the electric light spread, every Kuo-Toa stiffened, stumbling and falling in disarray.

"Idiots, don't you know metal conducts electricity?" Anse's lips curled slightly.

[You cast Prismatic Sphere on the Kuo-Toa... The Kuo-Toa is hit, taking 18 points of lightning damage. Critical hit. Target killed. Gained 50 Combat Experience.]

[You cast Prismatic Sphere on the Kuo-Toa... The Kuo-Toa is hit, taking 12 points of lightning damage. Current HP: 5/17.]

Splash, splash, splash. Boots kicked up the stagnant water as Brat seized the opportunity to charge.

"Swish, swish—"

Two arrows flew past him one after the other, piercing into the fallen group of Kuo-Toa, triggering a chorus of shrill wails.

The two surviving Kuo-Toa had just scrambled to their feet when Brat arrived, knocking one away with his shield and thrusting his longsword into the dead fish-eye of the other, the blade exiting through the back of its skull.

[Target killed. Gained 21 Combat Experience.]

Anse ceased his spellcasting; before he could even land a finishing blow, the battle was already over.

There had been seven Kuo-Toa. He had killed one and severely wounded another, Finn had taken down three, and Brat had handled the cleanup and finishing blows—crisp and efficient.

Brat checked the area once more to ensure no monsters remained alive, then turned and gave Anse a thumbs-up.

It was the first time he truly understood why spellcasters were held in such high regard. A single first-circle spell could leverage the environment to control the field, turning what should have been a difficult battle into something so simple.

"Haha, just a bunch of small fry. Clean up, and we'll—"

As he spoke, Anse felt a chill down his back. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a ghostly blue streak sweeping toward his neck from the side.

His entire body tensed, his soul nearly fleeing in terror, and he instinctively triggered his Shield Spell.

The cold glint drew near, but at the critical moment, an invisible force field manifested before the blade.

"Clang—"

The shield flickered once and shattered with a pop.

Anse lunged forward, rolling clumsily through the mud to put two meters of distance between them. His heart hammered like a drum; he could still feel the icy touch of the blade as it had grazed his cloak.

There was no time to be relieved. He turned to look, and where there had been nothing but empty space, a short, cloaked figure now stood, clutching a ghostly blue Xenodagger.