Chapter 12 Chapter 9 Gruumsh's Testimony

King Obald was escorted by a circle of guards through the large camp in Shallowwater.He hesitated, the aftermath of Arcata's murder had not subsided, and Obard feared it would turn the assembled orc tribes against him and his plan.The guards around that area were at least reliable, and many orcs fell before Obard, which was a welcome gesture.The other orcs bowed low, eyes fixed on the ground, ready to answer any questions the great orc king might have.But Obed went straight to Argans. This shaman was too conspicuous. He was wearing a feathered headdress and a red cloak stripped from Arcata's body, and he was constantly spinning and dancing.All this made him the focus of the circle of orcs around him.Obard even felt a moment of terror at the sight of him, feeling that this attractive shaman was about to take his place.So Obard saw him first, as if he were standing on the shoulders of a giant.

"Obord Arrows!" Argans yelled, and the other shamans began to shout with joy, "Oboud! Obard!Obard! " Around Argans, the other orcs fell prostrate, sobbing with pride. Obard cast a curious look at the guards and shrugged suspiciously at them, which, yes, he liked.Maybe, he thought, everyone around him should do it? "Are you Argans Bark?" he asked, looking down at the shaman who was spinning face down. "Obord spoke to me!" cried Argans. "Gruumsh has blessed me!" "Get up!" ordered Obard. Argans hesitated for a moment, and Obard grabbed the fat on the shaman's neck and lifted him up.

"We are waiting for your arrival, Great God." Argans said immediately, while averting his eyes. Obird took a step backwards, nearly losing his balance.Realizing that a murder might be hiding behind all these bells and whistles, he grabs the shaman by the chest and forces him to look up. "The two of us have to talk," he said. Argans looked much calmer. His bloodshot eyes looked at the orcs around him, and then looked straight into Obard's gaze. "Into my tent, God?" he asked hopefully. Obard agreed, let him lead the way, and let the guards close to him, keeping watch.

Argans seemed to be a completely different creature when he and Obard stepped out of sight of the other subjects. "You have come at the right time, Obard Lord of Arrows," said the shaman, still maintaining an adoring tone, but also showing something that was absolutely invisible from his appearance. "The tribe is eager to kill now, and they are ready to kill." "Do you have a question?" Obard asked. "Akta didn't believe it, so Akta died." Argans said. "believe?" "Oberd is Gruush, and Gruush is Obard," Argans said. This made the orc king startled, he narrowed his black eyes and frowned.

"I saw the truth," Argans explained. "Obord is great, Oboud was always so great, and Oboud is even greater now, because the one-eyed god Gruumsh is attached to him!" The skepticism was still evident on Obird's face. "They blasphemed Gruumsh! The One-Eyed God is angry!" Argans cried, his voice becoming thin and high-pitched. "The One-Eyed God will take revenge on them! Trample them underfoot! Cleave them in two with his mighty sword! He will choke them, pin them down in the mud, and suffocate them!" Obard raised a hand and waved it, signaling the agitated shaman to calm down and continue to stare at him.

"His feet," Argans explained, pointing to Obard's feet, "his sword." The shaman continued, pointing to the sword slung across Obard's strong shoulder. "Obord is Gruumsh's tool, Obird is Gruumsh, Gruumsh is Obord! I see it!" Obard looked up at the shaman with his huge head, trying to read the mockery in his face. "Acata doesn't believe this fact," Argans continued. "Gruumsh didn't protect her when the angry drow invaded. Others, they believed that Obed was Gruumsh, and Gruumsh protected them. I did this for you, my king...my god……"

The orc king's skeptical look turned into an evil smile. "What do you want in return from Obard?" "Dwarf's head!" the shaman screamed without hesitation. "They must die! They must all die! Lord Obard will do it!" "Yes," assured Obard, "yes." "Are you willing to accept Gruumsh's blessing through Argans and other shamans?" asked the orc shaman softly, looking slightly wince, eyes fixed on the floor. "What blessing?" "You are too great! King Oberd!" Argans screamed in horror, although Oberd's tone was not reproachful.

"Yes, Oberd was great," repeated Oberd. "What blessing?" Argans blinked his bloodshot eyes: "It can make Obald as strong as a bull and as agile as a lynx. It can give Obald great strength. Gruumsh will be very pleased! I see it!" "Such spells are not uncommon," Obard replied sharply. "Will I be hurt by this?" "Not a spell!" Argans cut him off, nearly passing out when he realized what he had done. He paused for a long time, hoping hopefully that the Orc King would not attack him. "A spell, yes, but permanent. Obard is Gruumsh, and Obard will grow stronger!"

He saw a trace of anger spreading on Obard's face, so he added eagerly: "Gruumsh's blessing is a rare gift, and it may not appear once in a hundred years, but it will come to you .Great Obard, I see! Will you accept it through our ceremony?" Obard stared at the shaman, wondering what he was talking about, he had never heard of "Gruumsh's blessing" or something like that, but he could tell that Argans was afraid of him, but at the same time respected him from the bottom of his heart.This pastor had supported Obald very much before; for Gruumsh, Obal had devoted his whole life to conquering the enemies of the Great God, why didn't he support him?

"Obord accepts," he said to Argans, and the shaman nearly fainted with excitement. Obard quickly reached out and grabbed him, pulling him by the collar, close enough for him to catch his breath. "If I'm disappointed, Argans, I'll nail you to the wall and eat you raw! First the fingers, then the arms." Argans was close to fainting again, which he had heard Obard had done on some occasions. "Do not let me down." Whether the shaman's answer is "yes" or "no" is less important to Obard. From his barely distinguishable squeaks, Obard confirmed what he wanted to know.

"Am I right in doing this to them?" Drizzt asked Guenhwyvar. He sat on a boulder not far from his new home, Bruenor's one-horned helmet twirling in his slender fingers. Guan Haifa was lying beside him, with his back to him, looking at the mountains in the distance.The wind beat hard on their faces, and the nightfall brought a chill. "I know, I'm just avoiding pain in battle." Drow continued. His eyes wandered from the helmet to the mountains, and he was not so much talking to the cat as he was talking to himself, as if Guenhwyvar was the channel of his consciousness. Naturally, she always has been. "Every time I focus on the task at hand, I find a momentary relief. I know my work is important to Mithril Hall. If we drag the orcs here, if we Make them feel scared, and the pressure will be less on our friends side." These sounded right, but to Drizzt, these reasons sounded rather weak and unreasonable.He knew he shouldn't be here, not for a moment.Although all signs indicate that no one has escaped from Shallow Water Town, he should go to Mithril Hall immediately. For his own feelings, he must check whether his friends have escaped from Shallow Water Town. In order to help the dwarves, he should go there and join them. Rise up and fight the orcs together. Looking from a distance, Drow was freed from guilt.The dwarves are likely to have shut their doors, and the orcs will bring great disaster to the North, especially to those scattered small towns.There is no question about that.But Drizzt doubted that the humanoids could be a real threat to the dwarves themselves, even without King Bruenor.The dark elves of Menzoberranzan once waged a similar war. They had stronger strength and more resources. They attacked from the tunnels of the Underdark, and they were defeated. Bruenor's people used tenacious Will and organized defense defeated them. "I miss them, Xiaoguan." Drow said softly, and the panther raised his head after hearing this, and looked at her friend tenderly. "Of course I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, we all knew it. I actually expected it too, our luck got us out of trouble many times, but now, luck ran out and it ended like this. I still feel like I should be the first to fall, not the last.Others should be witnessing my death, not me witnessing them. " He closed his eyes, and saw Bruno fall from the tower again, the horrible sight was seared into his mind, and he saw Alifen fell to the ground again, the battle hurt him deeply.Bruno's death had grieved him, but it had shaken the code of his life, and he believed that it was not a bad thing to die to protect friends and companions.The disaster at Shallowwater had wounded his heart, and the battle at Kree's lair on the Sword Coast had wounded him even more severely, shaking the foundations of his faith.Every time he thinks about Alifen's death, he thinks of the most terrible day of his youth.He joined a squad that raided the surface elves and slaughtered a group of surface elves.This is the first trial of life and death he experienced.Drizzt Do'Urden faced his heartbeat for the first time.That fateful night, that first night he spent under the stars, left an indelible mark on Drizzt's psyche, leading to his decision to leave Menzoberranzan, to make his true Saw the evil of his fellow man, an evil beyond redemption, beyond the limits of endurance; beyond all that Drizzt had hoped to combat. Zaknafein nearly killed Drizzt when he heard he was involved in the raid, until he realized that Drizzt not only had no part in the killing, but had actually saved an elf child from his companions and from the Queen herself. Pain haunted Drizzt, and years later, when he walked through the Moonwood and encountered Elefin and her people, he found that the elf's mind had been twisted. During the battle on the Sword Coast, he actually killed her! But to Drizzt, Eriffen's death was a mockery of him.Not mocking him for lying, but mocking him for being a fool. Drow covered his face with his hand, and put the other hand on Guenhuffa's head.At this moment, she was pillowing on his lap, breathing steadily and rhythmically.Drizzt enjoyed the time he had with Guenhwyvar, the time they spent resting together, enjoying the ease and the breeze, when they weren't fighting.The hunter's instinct told him that he should let the big cat go back to the astral plane, and not release it until the war against the orcs and giants. But he was Drizzt now, not a hunter.In this moment of violent ideological struggle, he was unwilling to listen to the guidance of instinct. He closed his eyes and imagined the stories of his friends' past.He saw Regis standing on the edge of the lake, pulling a line in front of him out of the black water, and he knew there was no bait on it, and fishing was just an excuse for fun. He saw Bruenor complain angrily about the Cain Cone's cavern, shouting orders, clenching his fists while winking at Drizzt, telling him that the rough gestures were just intentional. He saw Wulfgar, the boy who had been raised by Bruenor and him, and he still remembered their fight deep in the cave, the wise and lucky Wulfgar smashing the ice pick and defeating the dragon. He saw Catti-brie again, the little girl who had first greeted him on the slopes of Cairn's Cone, the young girl who had first revealed to him the true meaning of life in the deserts far to the south. .She was by his side the whole time, sharing all his worries and fears, mistakes and triumphs.When he foolishly returned to Menzoberranzan to save his friends, Catti-brie bravely rescued him from there - not just from the drow of the Underdark, but from him own hands.She reads his mind and points out his mistakes.Not only that, but as his friend, she never really judges him, her gentle touch can take away all anxiety and fear; the gentle glance of her seductive blue eyes can see through all his disguises and look straight at him. His heart and emotions; she kisses him on the cheek, reminding him that friends will always be there for him, and among friends, nothing can really hurt him. Among friends...? The last thought made Drizzt put his head in his hands, gasping for breath, his shoulders shaking with sobs.He felt himself sinking deeper into grief, deeper than ever.He felt himself falling into a dark cave where he felt nothing but helplessness. forever? ?friend? ?Are these all lies in Drizzt Do'Urden's life? He saw Zaknafein plunge into the lake of acid, saw Witherglu's mage's tower; the crumbling tower, crumbling in flames and dust. He sank deeper, and he knew there was only one way out. "Come on, Guenhwyvar," said the hunter to the panther. He took firm steps, and drew out the double blades with both hands steadily.The hunter's eyes stared into the distance, galloping under the starlight.The flickering campfire in the distance is inviting him, promising a new battle awaits. This is the promise of vengeance. Fight the orcs. Fight lies. Fight the pain. Thousands of orcs gathered around Gruumsh's one-eyed statue in the dark of night, waiting respectfully for instructions from their spiritual leader.They whispered and pushed and shoved to find the perfect position to witness the miracle, but these movements were kept to a minimum as the shamans threatened to arrest anyone who broke the ceremony As a sacrifice to Gruumsh.In order to strengthen the credibility of this threat, the shamans have arrested a dozen unlucky ghosts and locked them up together on the charge of collaborating with the enemy. Gerty Orelsdot was there too.She stayed with her fellow frost giants of less than a hundred. They stayed away from the statue as much as possible, wanting to see what the miracle that drove the orcs mad was like, but they didn't want to trust their first instincts too much. "Don't take it too seriously," she said to her companions, "just watch it for entertainment." There are also two pairs of eyes watching the venue. Collico Suen Witt and Tosi'an are hiding next to the giants. They met the giantess in the evening and are slowly approaching at this time.The drow scout especially wanted to see clearly. The shamans next to the statue began to ask for silence, and the orcs naturally would not obey immediately, so the Obard guards scattered among the crowd helped them quiet with spears. Lots of shamans.Tuosi'an made gestures to Ke Erli with drow silent words. A spell that requires mass casting.Kerri could explain.It's common among drow, but I've rarely heard of orcs doing it, so maybe the ritual is as important as the shamans make it out to be. Their strength is not great.Tosi'an retorted and grabbed his thumb to reinforce his tone. Individual strength is not strong.Kerri can agree.But don't underestimate their combined power, and the power of their orc gods, Gruumsh may have heard their call. Kerlic noticed that Tosian's expression became stiff, and she smiled.Tosi'an's hands were already on the two weapons at his waist. Kerri wasn't too worried.She knew Obard's plans, and she understood that they were no different from her own and the plans of the giants, the rituals the orcs used against their allies, she was sure. Her thoughts were interrupted by a dramatic figure appearing on top of the Destroyer.Wearing the red cloak of the dead Arcata and his own feathered headdress, Argans jumped to the highest point of the tattered statue, holding a torch in each hand, the flames dancing in the night wind, his The face is painted red and white, and a tooth bracelet hangs on each arm. He gave a hasty cry and raised his arms higher, and the two dozen torches surrounding the statue were instantly ignited. Ke Erli could carefully observe the orcs holding torches. They were all shamans, and they were dressed in fancy clothes. Drow had never seen so many shamans gathered together before, nor had he imagined that such a race known for its stupidity could have such wisdom beneath its ugly exterior. Argans began to slowly rotate on the statue, and the shaman below also began to rotate, moving around the statue while rotating himself.Gradually, Argans began to speed up, and the shamans also speeded up. Every step seemed to be given life, every step seemed to be dancing, and the light of the torch in his hand was erratic in the movement. A few minutes later, Kerri's intuition told that there was a magical fluctuation, and Priest Drow narrowed his eyes and stared at them more carefully. Finally, Argans stopped suddenly, and all the shamans below also stopped moving at the same time, standing still in place.Ke Erlike was so surprised by this coordinated movement that her breath stopped. Such a precise and synchronized dance had not been rehearsed in advance. The shamans came from different tribes, and they did not know each other a few days ago. They began to shake their bodies and slowly straightened up, holding the torch tightly in their hands. Obard appeared.At this moment, everyone, including Keerlike and her assistants, including Getty and her companions, were all so nervous that they couldn't breathe. The orc king is completely naked.His muscles are outlined in red, white and yellow, and white circles are drawn around his eyes so that no matter who he looks at, it looks like he is glaring at each other.The backs of the orcs tightened involuntarily. When she witnessed all this, Ke Erli could realize that this was a special ceremony.Obard was not wearing his magic armor, and although he did not look helpless, this state was undoubtedly extremely vulnerable.Every step he took caused the muscles in his body to tremble, and the muscles on his limbs were tense and bulged high.This mighty orc is as oppressive as he is in full armor.His mouth twisted into a roaring mouth shape, which made his aura extremely powerful, so powerful that he seemed no longer afraid of death. Argans waved a torch in front of him a few times, and the first orc prisoner was escorted up by Obard's guards and pinned to the ground. The prisoner wailed, but the voice was quickly drowned out by the shamans, who began calling Gruumsh's name. The voice spread quickly, from the front row of the crowd to the last row, the voices of thousands of orcs joined in calling Gruumsh.Ke Erli seemed to be hypnotized, and couldn't help screaming a few times, but she immediately came back to her senses and looked around nervously, hoping that Tosi'an didn't see it.She laughed quickly, however, as Toth'an murmured the name of the orc god too.She elbowed him hard to remind him of his identity. Keer Like cast her eyes on Argans again, he crossed the torch in front of him, his voice stopped, and all eyes focused on Auberd below. At this time, Obard already had a sharp blade in his hand. He slowly raised the knife above his head, and with a scream, the prisoner's head was chopped off. The orcs were boiling. The second orc was brought up again, and knelt beside the body of the first. The ceremony continued, the procedure of calling and beheading repeated alternately.All ten prisoners were slain, and cheers erupted in praise of Gruumsh with every orc killed, wave after wave. Every cheer made Obard look taller and stronger, his muscular pectorals bulging high under the taut skin. When the killing was over, the shamans danced again, and the orcs began calling the one-eyed god's name again. Another creature was brought up, a gigantic bull that was stumbling about on a rope attached to its leg. The orc warriors surrounded it and drove it to Obard with spears. Obird and the bull looked at each other, both dazed.The orc king reached out and grabbed the bull's horns, and then continued to look at each other. Argans jumped down from a high place, and the shamans surrounded him and the bull together, and began to chant spells, begging Gruumsh for every sentence, begging for the blessings of their gods. Ke Erli can understand the meaning of these spells, it is a spell that temporarily increases the strength of the recipient, but the action of casting the spell is different.Drow knew that this spell was very powerful, and she could feel the wave of magic even in the distance. A strange light—green, yellow, purple—appeared around the bull and Obald. More and more light came out from the bull's body, approached Obald, and was absorbed by his body. Every light carries a little power.Soon the bull's legs began to tremble, and Obard grew stronger with every beam of light. Even Collik didn't see when the ropes on the bull's legs were cut. In the end, only Obard's hands were holding the bull firmly on the horns. All fell silent, and the orcs looked at Obard expectantly. Obird and Bull continued to stare at each other.The Beast King suddenly exerted force in his hand and turned the bull's head downwards, and the bull's head was turned over.The Beast King continued to twist, turning the bull's head 360 degrees. Obird held that position for a while, then let go, and the bull fell. "Gruumsh!!!" Obird yelled, raising his hands to the sky. A force emanated from him and swept through the silent crowd. It took Kerri a while to realize that she had fallen to her knees.She looked at the giants behind her, they were also kneeling, their faces were full of displeasure. The shamans began to dance around the statue again, none of the orcs dared to stand up, and soon the call sounded again. A second creature was brought up, a huge lynx with a noose around its neck.The Bobcat snarled and approached Obird, but he didn't care, even waved the four guards away, then bent down and looked into the Bobcat's eyes.The guard loosened the noose and let the beast go. They looked at each other, and suddenly the Bobcat rushed over without warning.Growling, it parted its paws and leaped forward, but Obard caught it in his hands. The lynx's claws could not catch him. The lynx's teeth could not bite him. Obird stood up abruptly, lifting the struggling bobcat over his head with ease. The orc king remained in this position for a long time, and he called Gruumsh's name again and began to move.His speed was getting faster and faster, maintaining a perfect balance while tossing and turning, and then suddenly stopped, twisting forcefully, the bobcat let out a scream and collapsed.Obard threw the body beside the dead cow. The orcs cheered again, and the shamans sang and danced, circling Obold and the corpse. Argans walked into the circle, the dance reached a climax, and the leading shaman began to cast spells with his arms, the voice was so soft that even Ke Erike couldn't hear it. Ten headless orcs stood up and stood silently in two rows behind Obard. Argans cast a spell again, and the bull and bobcat also climbed up, as if they were alive. like alive? ? ! ! The orcs continued to cheer as the ghastly creatures sprang up and rushed into the darkness, and Obard stood still. Ke Erli felt that it was difficult to breathe, and the shaman's magic to manipulate the corpse did not surprise her, but the magic power that brought the two animals back to life was too powerful!How could these orcs do it? Corri knew, she understood: Gruumsh had come to the ceremony, at least his spirit had come.The call of the orcs was answered, and the One-Eyed God blessed Obard. Ke Erlike observed the calm Obard carefully.Even at such a distance, she could feel his powerful strength, and could see the added speed and power flowing under his powerful muscles. The dwarves had made a mistake, a grave one.Their raid with the idol angered the orc gods and took revenge on them by possessing Obard. Suddenly, Ke Erli became frightened, she understood that in the alliance fighting against the dwarves, the balance of power had been broken. This is not a good sign.