Chapter 27 preamble

The soul cannot be destroyed or taken away.Victims writhing in despair may not think so, and their "masters certainly do not wish to; but the truth is, the soul is always there, sometimes buried, but never gone. Spirit-binding arcana is a false assumption, and a danger to otherwise sentient living beings.As far as I know, the priests all claim that the spirit binding arcane is the highest gift bestowed by the spider queen.Not at all.It should be said that the secret method of binding spirits is Rose's biggest lie. The physical power of the body can never exist without the ideas of the mind and the emotions of the heart.They are one and the same, the body, reason and emotion, the three form a harmony - this is our soul.

How many tyrants and rulers have tried to turn their people into mindless, simple profit-making machines?They took away the love and faith of the people, and they wanted to take away the soul of the people. But they all inevitably fail in the end.I'm pretty sure.Once the fire of the soul is extinguished, there is but death; and tyrants will find their kingdoms filled only with corpses, and corpses make no profit.Yet the fire of the soul is very resilient, indomitable and never yielding.Some even lasted until the end of the tyranny. So where was my father Zaknafein himself when he was manipulated to destroy me?Where was I during the years I spent surviving alone in the wilderness, when hunters dominated my body, emotions, and consciousness?

I finally understand now that we have always been there, just buried, but not gone. soul.In all the languages ​​of the Forgotten Realms, whether on the surface or in the Underdark, no matter when and where, this word carries a kind of determination and power.It is the toughness of a hero, the tenacity of a mother, and the armor of the poor.It cannot be destroyed, nor can it be taken. I have no doubts. - Drizzt Do'Urden Twenty-two lost direction Before the goblin slave could even cry out its terror, it was cut in half by the blade.It staggered and fell forward, and it died before its body touched the ground.Zaknafein stepped on its back and continued walking.The passage leading to the rear exit of the narrow cavern was about ten yards away, straight and unimpeded.

Just as the wraith was stepping over his last sword revenant, a group of illithids appeared before his eyes.He roared wildly, and his footsteps did not slow down at all.His judgment was still extremely accurate: Drizzt escaped this way, and he had to catch up. Anyone who stands in his way will be killed without mercy. Let this guy go!From several places in the cave, there were spiritual messages from other illithids who had seen Zaknafein's skills.You are no match for this dark elf!Let him go!Those illithids who communicated the message were well aware of the horror of the spirit-bound corpse, and more than a dozen of their companions had died under his sword.

The group of illithids in front of Zaknafein did not ignore the warning of their companions, and they quickly retreated to both sides of the passage, except for one. A realistic style based on a large amount of knowledge exchange is the way for illithids to survive. As for pride, this primitive emotion, they regard it as a fatal flaw.This view is confirmed here again. call out!The lone spirit sucker launched a psychic attack on the spirit-bound corpse, confidently believing that the other party would never be able to resist. In the blink of an eye, a sword slashed across, ending its life.Zaknafein stepped on the chest of the fallen illithid and strode forward.

Not a single illithid came out to stop him. From time to time Zaknafein crouched down to make his way.Drizzt had indeed made his way along this passage, his scent still fresh.Still, Zaknafein often stopped to check the trail, just as a precaution.Therefore he cannot advance as swiftly and without hesitation as his prey. However, Drizzt is different from Zaknafein after all, he needs to rest. "Stop!" Belwar's unquestionable tone made Drizzt and Karaka stop immediately.I don't know what the troubles are, so that the subterranean gnomes are so vigilant. Belwar walked to the wall and put his ear close to the wall to listen. "Boots," he whispered, pointing to the rock, "another parallel passage."

Drizzt also moved his ear to listen.But although his senses are among the most sensitive of the dark elves, he cannot distinguish the vibrations of rocks like the deep gnomes. "How much?" he asked. "Some." Belwar replied, but then shrugged.Drizzt knew immediately that this answer was an optimistic estimate. "Seven," Karaka said, standing a few steps from the wall, his voice clear and distinct. "The duergar, like us, escaped from the illithid's hole." "How could you..." Drizzt uttered in surprise, but immediately stopped with understanding.He remembered that Karaka had explained the rock spirit's abilities to them.

"Do these two passages intersect?" Belwar asked Karaka. "Can we avoid the duergar?" Karaka turned to the stone to ask. "The two passages will meet not far ahead, and then merge into one road." He replied. "So if we stay here for a while, maybe we can avoid them." Belwar guessed. Drizzt hesitated a bit. "We have a common enemy with the duergar," his eyes suddenly lit up. "What if we ally with each other?" "While duergars and dark elves often travel together, this doesn't happen often to sunderdwarfs," Belwar reminded him. "Even with direclaws, I'm sure!"

"This is an extraordinary time!" Drizzt quickly replied, "If the duergar are also fleeing the clutches of the illithids, they must lack good equipment and weapons. They may welcome allies like us, which will be harmful to both sides. It's all good." "I don't think they will be as friendly as you think." Belwar snorted coldly. "However, I also admit that this narrow passage is really not a good place to defend. It is more suitable for the gray dwarves, but not suitable for the long swords of the dark elves and the long claws of the direclaws. If they turn back in front and meet us , it is more beneficial for them here.”

"Then, let's go to the intersection ahead," concluded Drizzt, "and see what happens." The three partners hurried forward and came to a small oval cave.Another passage, where the gray dwarves were, was next to the passage by which the three of them had come; and a third passage stretched out from the other end of the cave.The three of them hid in the shadows in that passage, waiting for the chaotic sound of boots to gradually reach their ears. After a while, seven duergars entered the cave.They were all gaunt, as Drizzt had expected; but they were not unarmed: three dwarves carried sticks, one a dagger, two swords, and the last displayed two large stones in his hands.

Drizzt left his two companions in the passage and entered the cave alone.Although the dark elves and duergar do not like each other, they often form alliances for mutual benefit.Drizzt guessed that if he had been alone, the chances of a peaceful alliance might have been better. His sudden appearance frightened the weary travellers, who sprang to their feet in an attempt to form a defensive formation.Dwarves with swords and clubs stepped forward to raise their weapons, while those with stones prepared to throw. "Grey dwarves, hello." Drizzt greeted, secretly hoping that the other party could understand dark elf language.His hands hang naturally near the scabbard at his waist, and he can draw the knife at any time if necessary. "Who are you?" A gray dwarf holding a sword asked, his voice was trembling, but it was in the dark elf language. "A fugitive, like you," Drizzt replied, "just escaped from the cruelty of mind flayers." "Then you should know we are in an emergency," the duergar roared. "Get out of our way!" "I have come to ally you," Drizzt said. "The more we have, the better we will be against the mind flayers." "Seven is no different from eight." The gray dwarf replied stubbornly.Behind him, the stone-throwing dwarf waved his arms threateningly. "Ten is bad." Drizzt said calmly. "You still have companions?" asked the duergar, his voice softening visibly.He looked around nervously, trying to spot his ambush opponent. "Other dark elves?" "Not really," Drizzt replied. "I've seen him!" one of the party shouted, interrupting Drizzt.He also spoke Dark Elf. "He fled with a black-headed monster and gnomes!" "Subdwarf!" The leader of the duergar spat at Drizzt's feet. "Not an accomplice of duergars or dark elves!" Drizzt could have allowed the negotiations to break down, and the two of them would go their separate ways.But the image of the gray dwarves has always been neither peaceful nor particularly intelligent. With the spirit suckers chasing after them, these gray dwarves really shouldn't make more enemies for themselves. A stone flew towards Drizzt's head.A scimitar flashed out quickly, and swung it to a corner where it would not hurt others. "Bifrip," the gnome shouted from within the tunnel.Belwar and Karaka rushed into the cave, as if they had expected the result. Drizzt, like all dark elves, had spent months at the academy in Menzoberranzan learning all about the habits and tricks of the duergar.This knowledge helps him a lot now.As soon as the battle situation was formed, he cast a spell, surrounding the seven small enemies with a harmless purple flame. Almost at the same time, three dwarves cast their invisibility.But the purple flame of the demon fire still played a role, clearly outlining the silhouettes of the three people. A second stone flew through the air and hit Karaka in the chest.This blow was really painless to Karaka's thick armor.The Dreadclaw took the lead and charged into the duergar without hesitation. The stone-throwing and dagger-wielding dwarves dodged quickly, their weapons were no match for the thick shell of the Dreadclaw.Karaka let them go and charged at the other dwarves.The two dwarves turned to rush towards Belwar, expecting that they should be able to take this seemingly easiest enemy lightly. The pickaxe shovel swept away and stopped their attack.The empty-handed stone thrower rushed forward, trying to grab the spade hand first, Belwar had expected him to do this, and the spade hand swept forward, hitting the stone thrower right in the cheek.The flames splattered, the bones shattered, and a large piece of gray skin was scorched.The poor gray dwarf fell back, turning over and over on the ground, making a face in pain. The other dwarf was less aggressive now. Two invisible dwarves approached Drizzt.With the outlines outlined by the purple flames, Drizzt could judge their general actions and quickly recognized that they were holding swords; up.He stepped back, opening the distance. He felt that someone was attacking him, so he quickly swung his knife to block it.He heard the clatter of swords and could not help congratulating himself on his good fortune.The gray dwarf suddenly appeared, gave Drizzt a weird smile, and disappeared again. "How many times do you think you can block it?" Another invisible gray dwarf called complacently. "I think, at least more than you!" Drizzt replied, and it was his turn to smile.On the heads of the three invisible gray dwarves, a ball of darkness was now completely covered, making them plunge into absolute darkness.They have lost their edge. Amidst the chaos, the savage instincts of the direclaw took full control of the Kraka's movements.He didn't understand the meaning of the purple circle at all, so he turned to attack the two remaining duergars with sticks. Before Karaka got close, a wooden stick flew over and hit his knee, and the invisible gray dwarf laughed triumphantly.The other two had become invisible too, but Karaka had no intention of caring about them now.The invisible stick flew again, this time hitting him in the thigh. The racial nature of the savage instinct in Karaka has nothing to do with elegance and refinement.I saw him throwing himself forward with a roar, and the purple halo was completely pressed under his strong chest.He jumped up and down several times, and didn't stop with satisfaction until he believed that the invisible enemy had been crushed to pieces. But then a bludgeon rained down on the back of his head. Dagger-wielding duergars are not fledgling warriors.His assault was carefully designed, and every move forced Belwar, who was holding a heavy weapon, to make the first move.The deep dwarves hated the duergars as much as the duergars hated the deep dwarves, but Belwar was no fool.He swung his pickaxe shovel to make the enemy unable to get close to him, and at the same time, his spear was erected at any time, ready to attack. The two sides have been in a stalemate for a long time, each waiting for the other to lose patience and reveal its flaws.But when Belwar heard Karaka screaming in pain, and Drizzt was out of sight, he had to strike first.He pretended to stagger, and fell forward, with the weapons in both hands slanting down. The duergar saw his trick, but didn't want to miss out on the opening of the deep gnome's door.He thrust forward, pointing the dagger at Belwar's throat. The subterranean gnome suddenly turned back and kicked the gray dwarf's chin with a raised leg.The gray dwarf ignored it completely, and threw himself at the overturned subterranean dwarf, with the dagger in his hand still pointed at the opponent's throat. The moment the blade of the dagger touched Belwar's throat, the spade hand raised it in time to block it.The deep dwarf tried to sweep the duergar's arm away, but the duergar's entire body was on top of him, and the two faces were almost pressed together. "You're dead!" the duergar yelled. "Punch me!" bellowed Belwar, raising his head to give the duergar a short but powerful blow on the back.The duergar raised his forehead and slammed into Belwar's face, and Belwar opened his mouth and bit his nose in return.The two wrestled on the ground, yelling at each other and using every weapon at their disposal. The banging of metal was so constant that any bystander not within the dark barrier would have assumed there were at least a dozen people fighting inside the cave; but Drizzt had created the frenzied rhythm alone.In this blind battle, he thought the best way was to stay as far away from any blade as possible.He shrouded himself in the sword light of the two knives, and the two gray dwarves holding the swords couldn't get close at all. His two knives trapped two enemies directly in front of him, because he knew that if the enemy came around to his sides, he would be in trouble. With each swing of the knife that collided with the opponent's weapon, he gradually learned the skills and strategies of the enemy.During his days of surviving in the Underdark, Drizzt had no lack of experience in blind combat, and even used the hood of his cloak to cover his head while fighting basilisks. Under the overwhelming speed of the dark elf, the gray dwarf could only try his luck to keep stabbing the blade forward, hoping to hit a gap by chance. The sound of metal knocking echoed throughout the cave, and the two gray dwarves People can only dodge and avoid the opponent's blade constantly.Then came the sound Drizzt expected: the sound of a blade piercing flesh.Instantly, a sword fell to the ground, and the wounded duergar made a fatal mistake: he cried out in pain. At that moment, Drizzt's hunter character emerged, and he controlled the scimitar in his hand to stab straight at the source of the sound, piercing the poor gray dwarf's entire head through his teeth. The hunter turned on the remaining enemies in a rage.The blade in his hand kept turning, drawing dense circles.Suddenly, the blade cut straight in, and the gray dwarf was caught off guard, and had already received a deep cut on his shoulder. "Surrender! Surrender!" cried the duergar, grinning, not wanting to follow in the footsteps of his companions.Drizzt heard another sword drop to the ground. "Dark Elf, please!" As soon as the duergar finished speaking, Drizzt's savage instincts subsided. "I accept your surrender." Drizzt replied, and approached him, pointing the tip of the knife at his chest.After a while, they stepped out of the area covered by the dark barrier together. The back of Karaka's head was beaten like a drum with two sticks, and bursts of severe pain penetrated the entire head.The monster's throat rattled, and suddenly its whole body jumped up, leaving the crushed duergar beneath it, and turned to pounce on its new enemy. A wooden club hit him on the head again, but the headache couldn't stop him.He swung his giant claw towards the center of the purple light circle, piercing through the skeleton of the invisible dwarf, and the dwarf suddenly appeared.The maintenance of any spell's potency requires concentration, and the dead can no longer concentrate on casting spells, and this dwarf is no exception. The other duergar turned and fled, and the furious dreadclaw was even faster.He grabbed the purple circle of light with one claw, raised it above his head, and threw it hard against the wall.The terrified scream of the duergar pierced through the air, and then a shattered dwarf body appeared on the wall and slid down the wall to the corner. Now, Haraka had no enemies in sight, but the wild nature of the beast was not satisfied.When Drizzt and the surrendered duergar stepped out of the dark barrier and met the eyes of the direclaw, he rushed forward with one stride. Drizzt focused on Belwar's fierce struggle, and for a moment didn't understand Karaka's purpose until the gray dwarves on the side screamed. However, it was too late. Drizzt watched helplessly as the captive's head flew into the dark ward. "Karaka!" the dark elf yelled to stop it, then squatted down and stepped back to save his life.Another giant claw swept over hostilely. The Dreadclaw found new enemies around it, so it stopped chasing into the dark barrier.Belwar and his opponent fought furiously, completely unaware of the looming mad beast.The Dreadclaw grabbed the two entangled bodies on the ground one after another, and threw them towards the wall.The unlucky gray dwarf hit the wall first because he was on top.If the two scimitars hadn't blocked the Dreadclaw's attack in time, Belwar would have almost met the same fate. The troll's force sent Drizzt sliding a few feet away.But this block also slowed down the attack of the Dreadclaw, allowing Belwar to barely bear it.Even so, Belwar still hit the ground heavily and took a while to regain consciousness. The monster raised its big foot, trying to crush Belwar directly. "Karaka!" Drizzt yelled again.With all his might, he sprinted behind the direclaw and hit him hard on the knee, just as he had done the first time he encountered the kraka.The monster raised its big feet to step on the subterranean dwarf lying flat on the ground. Its body was already in an unbalanced state. After being hit by Drizzt, it stood firmly and fell to the ground.In the blink of an eye, the dark elf had jumped onto the monster's chest, and a scimitar entered from the seam between his chest and the thick armor of his neck. The direclaw struggled, and Drizzt dodged awkwardly.He hated what he had to do next, but the dreadclaw suddenly came back to his senses, looking at him in complete understanding. "Let's - let's do it..." Karaka finished his request intermittently.Startled, Drizzt turned helplessly to Belwar, but the slyfnesh avoided his gaze. "Karaka?" Drizzt called. "Are you a Karaka again?" The monster hesitated for a long time, and finally his beak nodded slightly. Drizzt jumped to the ground and looked around at the carnage. "Let's get out of here," he said. Karaka continued to sit on the ground, considering the implications behind this reprieve.The miserable battle situation made him understand that the monster inside him had won a complete victory, which was completely beyond the control of his consciousness.Karaka knew that the barbaric instinct was still lurking not far away, licking his mouth and waiting for an opportunity to come out.How many times can the crumbling rock essence resist the beast? Karaka punched the stone with a fist, and the force shook the whole ground.The weakened troll struggled to his feet, too ashamed to face his companion.He walked into the passage quickly, and every heavy step was like knocking a nail into Drizzt's heart. "Maybe you should end his life." Belwar walked to the dark elf and said. "He saved me in the illithid's cave," retorted Drizzt, "and he's our faithful friend!" "He wants to kill me, and you," said the gnome coldly. "The rock is on top!" "I'm his friend," Drizzt snarled, grabbing the snegron's shoulders, "you told me to kill him?" "I told you to be a true friend," Belwar yelled back, and broke away from Drizzt's hand, followed Karaka to the tunnel. Drizzt grabbed Belwar's shoulders again and turned him around. "This will only make things worse, Dark Elf." Belwar said calmly to Drizzt's hideous expression. "As the days go by, the spell will become more effective. I am worried that Karaka will kill us again. If he succeeds, he will be doomed. Why don't you kill him with one knife?" pain." "I can't kill him," Drizzt said, but his anger was no longer there. "You can't do it either." "We'll have to leave him, then," replied the sbornefly. "We'll have to let him survive in the Underdark alone, and let him live the life of a dreadclaw. That's what he's going to be, both physically and mentally." "No!" Drizzt said. "We cannot leave him, we are his only hope, only we can help him." "But that mage is dead." Belwar reminded him, and then turned around to catch up with Karaka again. "There are other mages," Drizzt whispered.He made no further attempts to catch the swarm.He narrowed his eyes and put the two knives back into their sheaths.He knew what he had to do, and no matter what the cost of this friendship, he was willing to try, but the very thought of it was unsettling. That whole day, the thought of returning to his hometown lingered in Drizzt's mind for a long time.Everything that happened after he made up his mind to leave Menzoberranzan city made him never want to see the plants and trees in his hometown again, and he didn't want to return to the dark world that hurt him deeply. However, if he chooses not to return, then he will see a vision closer to hell than Menzoberranzan.Karaka, a close friend who once brought him back from the gate of hell, will completely degenerate into a monster.Belwar suggests abandoning him and leaving him to fend for himself.Compared with what Drizzt and Belwar are about to face, fighting with the Horaclaw that Karaka turned into, this plan is acceptable. However, even if Karaka stayed away from them, he would still see his degradation firsthand.What happened to Karaka would haunt him forever, a reminder that he had turned his back on his friends.He will suffer from this forever for the rest of his life. Nothing repulsed him more than seeing Menzoberranzan or his former kin, and he would rather die than return to his homeland.However, the choice at hand is not so simple.This choice goes far beyond his personal likes and dislikes.He found the meaning of life from faith, and now, it is time for him to repay.His belief dictates that he must put Karaka's needs above his own selfish desires, because Karaka is his friend, and true friendship is far more important than personal desires. Later, when they camped for a short rest, Belwar noticed that there was something different in Drizzt's expression, as if he was fighting fiercely inside.Belwar left Karaka, who kept beating the stone wall, and approached the dark elf cautiously.He looked up curiously. "What are you thinking, dark elf?" Drizzt was so focused on his inner struggle that he didn't respond to the other's gaze at all. "There is a famous mage academy in my hometown." He answered with firm determination. At first the gnomes didn't understand.But when Drizzt's eyes wandered to Karaka, he suddenly realized. "Mzoberranzan?" cried the slyfron. "You want to go back there and hope that some dark elf mage will show mercy and save your rock-elf friend?" "I want to go back! Apart from this, Karaka has no other chance!" Drizzt retorted angrily. "The Karaka has no chance!" Belwar yelled. "By the stone! Dark elf, Menzoberranzan won't welcome you so soon!" "You may be right in your pessimism," Drizzt said. "The dark elves show no mercy. But there may be other ways." "You are being hunted!" Belwar said.He hoped that these simple words would shake his friend's dogged resolve. "It was envoyed by Matriarch Malice," Drizzt retorted. "My little friend, Menzoberranzan City is a big city. Loyalty to my mother does not mean that it has influence on other families. And I dare to say You promise, I don't want to meet any member of my family!" "Then, what are we going to give to the dark elf mage in exchange for his spells?" Belwar retorted sarcastically, "What good things do we have that the mage of Menzoberranzan should do?" Drizzt pulled out a scimitar, and two flames rose from his lavender pupils. Even Belwar, who was always stubborn, could not argue with what he said. "The mage's own life."