After a moment's consideration, Anser chose Spell Sniper. Range was king.

[Spell Sniper]: General Feat. You gain the following benefits:

<Ability Score Increase>: Increase Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.

<Bypass Cover>: Your spells become more accurate and ignore Half Cover and Three-Quarters Cover.

<Casting in Melee>: Being within 5 feet of an enemy does not impose disadvantage on your spell attacks.

<Increased Range>: When you cast a spell with a range greater than 10 feet, its range increases by at least 60 feet. The actual increase depends on your primary attribute.

A thin ray of light shot from the die. Anser's entire body trembled as mana surged around him and a rich metallic sheen spread across his dragon scales. Understanding flooded his mind.

At last, the mana within him settled. He returned to his senses, eager to test his new ability.

This feat was like activating an extreme-range targeting cheat. If an enemy showed their head, he could hit them; even in close combat, his spells would remain accurate. It was an enormous enhancement for any spellcaster.

He reined in his excitement and opened his character sheet. He had leveled up only today and had not yet examined it.

After reaching Level 2 Sorcerer, his hit points had risen to 20—higher than Bratt's as a Level 2 Fighter and five times those of an ordinary person.

His maximum mana had reached 11, far beyond that of spellcasters at the same level.

His experience was 772/900, only 128 short of the next level. A Level 3 Sorcerer could master 2nd-level spells, which was exciting to contemplate.

The greatest improvements came from two newly acquired class features: <Font of Magic> and <Metamagic>.

<Font of Magic>: A sorcerer draws upon the wellspring of magic within, whose transcendent power can create a variety of magical effects.

You possess 2 Sorcery Points. The total increases with your class level.

Sorcery Points and mana can be converted into each other, though converting them into ordinary mana incurs additional loss.

<Metamagic>: You master Metamagic. When casting a spell, you may expend Sorcery Points to enhance its effects.

You may now choose 2 of 10 Metamagic options. As you delve deeper into your innate magic, you will master more.

These two features complemented each other, together forming the sorcerer's unique ability: Metamagic!

There were 10 options in total: Careful Spell, Distant Spell, Empowered Spell, Extended Spell, Heightened Spell, Quickened Spell, Seeking Spell, Subtle Spell, Transmuted Spell, and Twinned Spell.

After briefly reviewing them, Anser chose Quickened Spell and Twinned Spell.

As its name suggested, Quickened Spell allowed a spell to be cast instantly. Each use consumed 2 Sorcery Points.

Twinned Spell did not cast two spells at once. Instead, it selected one additional creature as a target when a spell was cast. Each use consumed 1 Sorcery Point.

Twinned Spell did not work with every spell. Magic Missile, which could attack several creatures, and area spells such as Fireball were ineligible.

Jump, Chromatic Orb, Command, Charm Person, and most cantrips targeting a single creature could all be used with Twinned Spell.

For now, however, he possessed too few Sorcery Points. He could use the options only in emergencies, not as standard tactics.

Thoroughly satisfied, Anser hugged his staff and entered meditation.

—

An unknown amount of time later, a muffled boom rolled through the air. A rumbling tremor traveled through the earth to every district.

Even the surface of the River Chionthar rippled in expanding circles.

Anser jolted awake and rolled upright, meeting Bratt's horrified gaze.

"Another collapse?" His heart pounded.

Bratt swallowed, shook his head hard, grabbed his longsword, shouldered the bundle, and ran outside. "Go, go, go..."

Anser picked up his backpack and looked around. The ranger was nowhere to be seen, and all the food remained on the table.

"Take the food." He opened his backpack and began stuffing in dried meat and bread, but the pack was small and filled after only a few handfuls.

Seeing this, Bratt spread open the bundle and swept his arm across the table, pushing all the remaining food inside.

The moment they stepped into the corridor, they found chaos everywhere. Running footsteps, crying, and curses sounded without end.

Anser hurried downstairs and pulled out his pocket watch as he went. It was noon. They had probably rested for two or three hours.

The main hall was in chaos. Apart from wounded people who could not move and a few infants, everyone was running outside.

"Hurry! Leave this place! Go to Rivington..." several young priests shouted repeatedly.

Anser was about to ask them what had happened when Finn came running against the flow of people and nearly collided with him.

"We need to go!" Finn had clearly returned specifically for him. He grabbed Anser's sleeve and pulled him toward the exit.

"What happened?" Anser had caught several words amid the noisy crowd but did not yet dare trust what he had heard.

"Heapside, The Wide, and part of the Temples district all fell into the Underdark at the same time," Finn explained in a rush.

Anser was shocked. The Wide and Temples were both in the Upper City, home to Baldur's Gate's core strength. No wonder the people had fallen into despair.

But he keenly noticed that Finn's wording was unusually precise. "Fell into the Underdark? Not collapsed? How do you know so clearly?"

"It told me." Finn stepped out of the church and pointed overhead.

The sky had somehow grown abnormally dark. A gray hawk circled over the city.

Understanding dawned on Anser. This had to be Finn's beast companion.

"It looked as though a gigantic hand pulled the districts straight down. They didn't collapse," Finn added.

"Someone caused it?" Anser frowned deeply, a bad feeling rising within him.

"Even then, is there any need to panic this badly?" Bratt looked puzzled.

"The subterranean creatures are coming up. If we don't run now, it'll be too late." When Finn saw Anser stop, he reached out to pull him again.

Anser did not know whether to laugh or cry. Finn was strange, but Anser could tell he meant no harm.

"How many?"

"A great many!"

Anser considered for a moment. "Don't panic. They need to climb up and circle around to reach us, which will take at least several hours. Let's help the church transport its wounded and supplies."

He did not know how much fighting strength the Flaming Fist had left, but if they hoped to hold the subterranean creatures at the fortress, they absolutely could not ignore the Church of Last Hope's forces.

"All right." Bratt did not hesitate.

Finn paused, then nodded as well.

They hurried back into the hall and found the elderly priest Berg directing the clergy's evacuation. He was not inflexible; under these circumstances, there was no reason to defend the church to the death.

With no time for pleasantries, they helped the priests bring over carriages and handcarts, loaded as many wounded people and supplies as possible, and evacuated toward Wyrm's Crossing together.

Anser used the opportunity to help Bratt put on the half plate, giving him another layer of protection if fighting broke out.

The church stood only three or four hundred meters from the bridgehead, but the roads were crowded and chaotic. The convoy took more than ten minutes to reach it.

Wyrm's Crossing was six or seven hundred meters long. Its deck appeared broad, but dense buildings lined both sides, leaving only a few meters of open passage.

The bridge's main support was Wyrm's Rock in the center of the riverbed. Like a small island, it held a magnificent fortress.

The convoy had barely entered the bridge when Finn suddenly pointed behind them. "Look!"

Anser turned. Beneath the gloomy sky, a dense mass of dark figures poured through the intersection into Twin Songs.

"At least a hundred. How did they get here so quickly?"

Then he realized these were not newly emerged subterranean creatures. They belonged to the earlier force and had merely gathered in sufficient numbers now.

At that very moment, Rand and Zahir led twenty or thirty people in desperately blocking the horde ahead of them. They fought while retreating, buying time for the civilians to escape.

Additional Notes:

1. Sorcery Points: The official D&D term for the resource granted by Font of Magic. It can be converted to and from spell slots and is unique to sorcerers.

Because the author considers the official name too game-like, the Chinese text renames the resource. Under this project's English terminology rule, however, the official D&D term Sorcery Points is retained throughout.

If you dislike that name, you may think of them as primal metamagic power, primordial mana, source power, or something similar.

All 10 Metamagic options have been placed in the supplementary material for reference.

2. [Name: Anser Holrevin]

<Race>: Human—Silverbrow (Medium)

<Background>: Noble

<Class>: Sorcerer (Draconic Sorcery)

<Level>: 2

<Experience>: 772/900

<Hit Points>: 20/20

<Mana>: 11 (6 + 5)

<Sorcery Points>: 2

<Armor Class>: 14

<Alignment>: Neutral

<Faith>: None

—Core Attributes—

[Strength: 12]

[Dexterity: 12]

[Constitution: 12]

[Intelligence: 13]

[Wisdom: 13]

[Charisma: 17]

<Skills>: Arcana +2, History +1, Acrobatics +1, Athletics +1, Medicine +1, Intimidation +1, Survival +1

<Languages>: Common, Draconic, Netherese, Illuskan

<Feats>: Skilled, Tough, Spell Sniper

<Features>: Spellcasting, Innate Sorcery, Draconic Resilience, Draconic Spells, Font of Magic, Metamagic

<Metamagic>: Twinned Spell, Quickened Spell

<Equipment>: Crystal Arcane Focus, Staff of Goodberries

(End of Chapter)