The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 786 - 797 Crow Statue

Following Soveris, the group descended into the cellar of the Wolf’s Head Tavern. Wooden pillars and beams supported the ceiling, roughly ten feet high, and a thin mist floated above the cold floor. The cellar was filled with racks holding massive wooden barrels, suspended with their bottoms about a foot off the ground, and the air was tinged with a light aroma of fermenting beer.

Leading the party past these barrels of brewing beer, Soveris stopped in front of an ordinary-looking stone wall. He stooped down and fumbled beneath one of the barrels, then flipped a switch. With a series of clacking gear noises, a secret door in the wall swung open, revealing a much smaller room. Apart from a statue of a raven, there was no other furniture in the room, and near the ceiling, just behind the statue, there was a hole about three feet in diameter through which a slight breeze carried the scent of fresh air.

The group curiously inspected the raven statue, which was crafted of some sort of black crystal, with two deep red gemstones embedded in its eye sockets, looking exceptionally exquisite.

"This statue..." Tanya locked her gaze on the raven statue the moment she entered the secret room, "I can sense my mentor’s presence..."

"Your mentor?" Soveris raised one eyebrow, "The Raven Queen?"

"Yes." The half-elf nodded, her own eyes a shade of red, "But since entering this Demon’s Domain, I have not heard my mentor’s voice again..."

"In that case, you demonstrate for everyone. Place your hand on the statue and say, ’Praise the Raven Queen.’

Tanya did as instructed, and as her companions watched, a cloud of black smoke enveloped the half-elf. In just a few moments, a raven appeared in her place. The black bird looked up and let out a loud (though unpleasant) caw, fluttered its wings, and took flight around the secret room, clumsily flying back and forth beneath the ceiling.

"As you can see," the brown-haired elf said, arms crossed, looking up as the bird flew overhead, "this statue can transform a person into a raven. In that form, your journey will be much easier, and you can avoid the watchful eyes of the hags. Transforming back is simple, too—just land on the ground again..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the raven Tanya had transformed into crashed into the wall, then wobbled and plummeted down. With a muffled thud, the familiar figure of the half-elf reappeared in the room, grimacing as she rubbed her shoulder.

"...Transformed back," Soveris shrugged, "You were a bit too forceful just now. How does it feel?"

"It feels... amazing!" Tanya’s face broke into a radiant smile, "I want to try it again..."

"Of course, that’s fine," Soveris nodded, "You can practice in the secret room and the cellar outside, as long as you like. When you feel ready, come find me upstairs and I’ll fly you to your destination."

"Thank you, Soveris," Lancelot spoke sincerely, "This is very helpful for us."

"Don’t mention it." The brown-haired elf sighed softly, "I don’t know if what I’m doing is right. Reason tells me this is just another futile struggle, but a strange intuition also makes me think... maybe this time will be different..."

"Is your intuition accurate?"

"Quite accurate."

"Very well."

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When Lancelot recited the spell to activate the Raven Idol, he felt a cold but not malevolent force that twisted his form in a way that did not alter his ’Essence,’ like a sophisticated Illusion Technique that convinced the world ’to believe’ he had become a raven — including himself, and realizing this did not cause any separation.

Lancelot flapped his wings and naturally took to the air, as if he had always mastered the skill of flying and had simply forgotten how while in human form.

An hour later, Soveris reappeared in the chamber, his slightly flushed face indicating that he had finished the half-barrel of wine left by everyone else.

"Look at this," the brown-haired elf took off the ring from his thumb, "Pay attention!"

He rubbed the back of his hand on the surface of the ring, activating some magic attached to it, and the grey-white gemstone on the ring began to emit rhythmic but dazzling flashes.

"I’ve got you some traveling companions, but there might be quite a few of them, which could make you lose your way," Soveris showed them the ring. "In a while, I will slip it onto my claw, and when you see a flash, you’ll know which one is me, so you won’t get lost... Understand?"

Seeing everyone nod, the elf didn’t waste any more words. He twisted his neck in a strange way, and black feathers suddenly ’floated’ out from his skin, and in just a few moments, a robust raven appeared in his place.

His companions looked on in shock; the reason was simple, Soveris hadn’t touched the Raven Idol at all; he had transformed into a raven on his own.

"You’re a... Druid?"

Alamir asked hesitantly, but Soveris, now a bird, could not answer. He cawed loudly at everyone, then lowered his head to thread his claw through the ring, flapped his wings, and flew out of the large hole at the top of the Raven Statue.

"Let’s go as well," Lancelot patted Alamir’s shoulder. "If we make it out of that ancient tomb alive, he’ll surely come to find us for a talk."

His companions each touched the statue, transformed into black birds, and then flew into the large hole in the wall. The passage extended downwards at first and then entered a vertical shaft. They beat their wings eagerly, rushing into the light and instantaneously reaching the high altitudes.

The crows that had been perching on the tower took notice of them, cawing as if urging the start of a play’s opening act. Dozens of birds circled in the sky, and Lancelot easily spotted the one with the ring on its claw — the transformed Soveris, with a wingspan of over four feet, was much larger than the other ravens. It flew around the group twice to make sure everyone noticed him, then took off southward with powerful wing beats.

Lancelot was no stranger to flight, having used Succubus form several times to fly over difficult terrain, but it was nothing like his current experience. In the form of a bird, he truly understood what real flying was, the indescribable thrill so strong that it cleared all distractions from the Paladin’s Divine Sense, leaving him only to revel in the pure joy of freedom.

The state of Enlightenment, which he had not entered for a long time, came upon him once again unexpectedly.