Chapter 21 Chapter 18 The Challenge of Friendship

Drizzt jumped onto the boulder and landed firmly on top of it.Then take off again, look around, and relax quickly.Guan Haifa has firmly controlled the situation. The female drow stood there with a weapon in her hand, as if begging Guan Haifa to back off a little and not hurt herself. "Maybe Guenhwyvar doesn't look so fierce if you drop your weapon," Drizzt called to her.He was a little surprised to blurt out a drow language he hadn't used in years. "If I do, you'll order the Panther to kill me," she replied. I can order her to kill you right now," Drizzt explained, "or leave you.I assure you, your options are limited, surrender, or be killed. "

The female drow glared at him, the sarcastic expression on her face could be seen even from that distance, then she looked at Guenhwyvar and threw the long sword and dagger to the ground angrily. Guenhwyvar was still circling her, but did not come any closer. "What's your name?" Drizzt asked, jumping off the rock and walking down a stony path to where the panther was confronting the female drow. "I belong to the Sodor family," the female Drow said tentatively, "Have you heard of it?" "No," said Drizzt, and suddenly came across the clearing behind her, out of sight.The female drow were amazed at his sudden appearance. "To be honest, what your real name is is of no use to me. I would rather know what your purpose is for coming here."

The female drow slowly turned her face towards him.She was very pretty indeed, Drizzt noticed.Her long hair was loose, covering half of her face, and also covered a bloodshot eye—such bloodshot eyes are very common among orcs, but hers are obviously much more beautiful. "I escaped from the Underdark like you, Drizzt Do'Urden," she replied.A look of surprise flashed across Drizzt's face, and although he tried to hide it, it showed. "If you have ever heard of House Sodor, you know. We have fallen out of the favor of the Spider Queen, and our family has been nearly destroyed for it."

"But you escaped?" "yes." "But your companion is an out-and-out believer of Lolth." Drizzt said, putting the flashlight on the neck of the female drow. But she didn't move. "That's the only way I can survive," she tried to explain. "I just came out of the ground, and I'm not very used to the high fireball." "It's going to take a while." "So I found that drow named Adnon." "Drow corpse." Drizzt corrected, shrugging. The female drow remained motionless, "I wanted to kill that guy a long time ago." She continued. "I've had enough of his meanness a long time ago. When he plotted against those two surface elves, I wanted to leave him." Drizzt nodded, although he didn't believe it at all.According to Drow's nature, what she should be thinking about at this time is how to find an opportunity to stick one or two knives on him.

"You still haven't said your name." "Tonia," she replied, and for a moment Drizzt almost believed she wasn't lying. He heard the female drow say her name. "I am Tonya Sodor, and I seek the protection of the goddess Eilistraee." These words touched the most sensitive part of Drizzt's heart. "Have you heard of the name of the dancing goddess?" He knew she was lying, of course, but he still couldn't restrain his curiosity.He had known, from scraps of words from Eilistraee's followers, that there would be a drow with a heart like his.

"Sorry, I fought you for those two elves in the cave." Tang Niya continued.Her gaze dropped. "My companion is a warrior with great martial arts skills, and I can only survive if I disguise myself like this. If he ever suspected that I was a traitor, he would have killed me long ago. " "Did you not see an opportunity to leave him?" Tanya stared at her closely, "Or, is he the only partner you found on the surface?" "Only Adnon," Tonya said. "Yes, Adnon and his friends, giants, and orcs. He has been on the surface for many years, and this rogue is very different from your ideas. He often haunts the tunnels and worlds of the upper Underdark. Spine, and seek there for all good that he can find."

"That's why you didn't leave him?" Drizzt asked. Tanya nodded, covering her face with her hands. "If it wasn't for that, I would have left him long ago," she said softly. "I can only rely on him. I am not familiar with this place at all. I am too weak, Drizzt Do'Urden. Can you understand?" "I understand." Drizzt admitted. He scabbard Ice Death, took the Glitter away from Tania's neck, searched her with his free hand, removed the dagger from her belt, and set it aside with her crossbow and loaded arrows. Ya's waist bag together.A crossbow slipped out silently, and the ranger slipped it into his waist pocket.Drizzt bent down and found a small bump on the top of her soft boot, which he deliberately didn't touch, continuing down to her ankle.Of course he knew about that dagger, but he deliberately pretended that he didn't notice it due to carelessness.

"Your weapons were made by the drow." He said, putting together the drow dagger and crossbow he found with the longsword and dagger she dropped earlier. "They won't do much if you're going to be on the surface for a long time." He sheathed the flash as well. "Come here," he ordered, and walked away, deliberately allowing the female drow to pass the pile of weapons. He looked back at Tania, she didn't obey his order, he raised his foot to hook up the crossbow, raised it up, caught it with his hand and hung it on his belt. "Come here," he ordered again, and walked away.

He heard Tonya let out a slight sigh of relief as she walked past the pile of weapons, and he knew what she was thinking.She was sure it was a test, and as soon as she picked it up from the ground, he would draw it. So when they passed by that pile of weapons, the weapons were there untouched.Drizzt knew that Tanya believed she had passed the test.She doesn't realize that this "test" is just a trick. "Guenhwyvar," cried the ranger, trying to make the bait more alluring. "You've been here too long, I order you to go back." Out of the corner of his eye, Drizzt glanced at Tanya, who was watching Guenhwyvar disappear into a cloud of gray smoke.

"Guanhwyvar's existence is limited in time," Drizzt explained. "She gets tired easily here, and must go back to the star realm to rest." "It's a wonderful partner." Tania commented. "One of three," Drizzt replied, "or five, if you count Pegasus. I assure you they are worth counting." "Are you allies with the surface elves?" Tonya asked, adding before Drizzt could answer. "That's good, they're good company for us outcasts of the Spider Queen." "Perhaps a companion." Drizzt was noncommittal. "That woman is the High Priest of the Elven God, Sodor. She will be eager to speak to you, and test you, no doubt, to see if you are lying."

He noticed Tania hesitate in her footsteps. "A spell will be released on you." Drizzt said deliberately. "But don't be nervous, it's just to test whether you're lying. Once she knows you're really Tonya Sodo..." His words were interrupted by a saber light, and while turning around, he drew Bingdean from his waist.As he expected, the panicked Tanya drew the dagger from her boot and stabbed him. Drizzt slashed across Tania's wrist with a knife, causing a long and deep wound, and took advantage of the opportunity to draw a cut between the female drow's ribs with the machete.Tania turned to run away, but before she could withdraw her arm, the dagger was out of her hand.She held her injured right arm tightly, pressed it against the wound on the right side, and stumbled back. Drizzt caught up to him quickly. "You're lying, I shouldn't have had much hope for a drow," he shouted, taking advantage of Tania's turn to catch up. "Tell me the truth now, or I'll kill you!" demanded Drizzt. "What are you doing here? How many of you are there?" "Hundreds!" Tanya shouted to him, still stumbling and waiting for an opportunity to escape. "Thousands! Drizzt Do'Urden, each of them is waiting to sacrifice your head to the Spider Queen!" Drizzt rushed in front of her, and Tania immediately unleashed a dark ward around him. She dashed to the right, wondering which side he would appear on.She passed through the dark enchantment, came to the edge of a cliff, jumped off without hesitation, and at the same time released the natural levitation technique of the drow clan. "Disappoint me!" She heard Drizzt coming up the cliff behind her, and she could feel the sincerity in his voice, maybe he really wanted to believe her story. Indeed, he wanted to believe him.How Drizzt would have liked to find a fellow drow!A drow companion who has the same ambition as him, can take risks with him, and can understand the loneliness and loneliness in his heart! A small smile crept across Tonya's face, but it froze on her face when she heard the sound of the crossbow firing behind her; she felt the arrow nailing her shoulder.She was floating in the air, using levitation to resist the great pull that was pulling her toward the surface, then slowly turned her head, staring at the arrow on her shoulder, feeling the poison seep into her shoulder. She was unconscious, floating helplessly in the air. Drizzt looked down at her, and sighed heavily.He dropped the crossbow in his hand, which he had worn while disarming Tania.He watched Tania slowly fall, fall, fall, two hundred feet below, is a jagged rock. Drizzt crouched down and buried his head in his hands.He didn't look away, although he couldn't bear to see this scene. Levitation soon failed, Tangia fell down, she couldn't even scream, the drow poison had deprived her of the ability to make a sound. Drizzt still looked away for the last few seconds, not wanting to see her shattered.But he quickly turned his gaze back, and the female drow was spread among the rocks, with a big pool of blood under her body. The ranger sighed again, though he wasn't surprised by the outcome.At this moment, the only thing Drizzt Do'Urden felt was anger, nothing but anger. He regained his composure and reminded himself that Tarasher and Innovindi were still lying in the cave. He rushed back and found that they could already make sounds and even move a little bit. Innovindi was approaching Drizzt's clothes when Drizzt entered.So he quickly threw the clothes to him, then backed out and began to clean up Adnon's body. "Nice to meet you again, Drizzt Do'Urden," Tarasher said to him. "Lucky too, at least for us." "You killed the other drow?" Innovindi asked. "Dead." Drizzt said with a melancholy expression. "She fell off a cliff." "Do you feel pain about this?" Innovindi asked. Drizzt looked up at her suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "Is there?" Yinuo Wendi asked again, without flinching at all. Drizzt's expression softened. "Always," he admitted. "Then your soul has not been stained," said Tarasher. "We fear you will soon stop killing." Drizzt was deeply touched by this brief sentence, and at this moment his state was between himself and the hunter. When he is a hunter, he naturally has no emotions to speak of, and death has no effect on him.When he killed Adnon, he felt nothing but triumphant satisfaction; but Tonya's death touched him more deeply.There was a void in between, Drizzt knew, where he could fight like a hunter and still keep his soul.Looking back on his experience, he believed that he had found such a location.He only wished he had found that place again. Drizzt rummaged through Adnon's pockets, looking for clues about the drow's identity and purpose.He didn't find much, a few coins he didn't recognize.One thing caught his attention: the gray silk shirt Adnon wore under his cloak.The shirt blocked Drizzt's scimitar.He could see the mark his sharp blade had made on it.In addition, although the surrounding ground was soaked with blood, there was nothing on the shirt. "Powerful magic." Innovindi said.Drizzt looked at her, and she motioned for Drizzt to put his shirt away. "The spoils..." she explained. Drizzt changed into his shirt. He had been wearing the mail armor that Bruenor had given him, and it was broken in many places, and the broken buckle was obviously uncomfortable to wear. "Thank you so much," Tarasher said. "You understand, don't you?" "I will not let them hurt you, I will be there when you need help, just as you did when I needed help," Drizzt replied. "We are not your enemies." The tone of Tarasher's voice made Drizzt pause, considering the words carefully. "I have never regarded any surface elves as my enemy." Drizzt deliberately emphasized his tone. He noticed that Innovindi and Talasher exchanged a look. "We must tell you that one of my people is against you." Innoventi admitted. "But it's not your fault." "Do you remember Alifane?" Tarasher added. "The memory is still fresh." Drizzt sighed, eyes lowered. "Although the last time I saw her, she disguised herself as a man and took the pseudonym Le'lorinel." The two elves looked at each other again, and Tarasher nodded. "That's why she dumped us in Silvermoon," he told his companion. "She's following you," Innovindi added. "We know her itinerary, but we don't know where you are. We try to stop her. Please believe that Alifen's behavior is completely irrational and willful, and our clansmen are against her doing so." "She has indeed lost her mind," Drizzt agreed. "Have you fought her?" Talasher asked softly, his tone full of worry. Drizzt looked up at him, then immediately looked down again, sighing again. "I have no choice... I know... I will do that..." he murmured, taking a deep breath and looking straight at the two elves. "She hung out with a bunch of pirates we were chasing. I didn't know who she was, or even if she was 'she'. Then we all joined the fight. Until..." "Until you kill her," Tarasher said.Innovindi looked aside. Drizzt fell silent. "I expected the ending to be like this." Talasher said to Drizzt. "We once wanted to rescue Alifen from the quagmire. I believe you have made the same effort, or, after you know it, you will do the same." "But she was completely controlled by her own rage," Innovindi added. "Every time we heard about your heroism, she grew angrier, thinking that everything you did was a hoax, convinced that Drizzt Do'Urden himself was a big lie." Drizzt didn't blink: "Maybe I'm just a liar." "Do you believe it yourself?" Innovindi asked, and Drizzt just shrugged. "We won't change our opinion of you because of your legitimate defense against Alifen," Tarasher explained. "Even if you change your mind, I have no complaints." Drizzt's words seemed to make the two elves tremble slightly. "We can fight together," Tarasher continued, "shoulder to shoulder." Drizzt looked at him, then back at Innovindi.It was a tempting choice, but Drizzt wasn't ready to accept it.He turned his gaze to Tarasher and shook his head. "I'm used to fighting alone," he explained. "But when you need help, I will try to be there." He tightened his silk shirt, ready to leave. "We'll always need your help," Tarasher said behind him. "Going it alone is not as good as..." "Let him go," Drizzt heard Innoventi say. "He's not ready yet." The next morning, Drizzt Do'Urden sat on the edge of a cliff, looking at the place where the elves' caves were, and pondering Talasher's suggestion.He had admitted that he had killed their friends and kin with no punishment or blame for it. For Drizzt, there has been a turning point in the Alifen incident, but he is still not sure what to do next. As he confronts his new friends, new allies, and the enticing promises they make, he is conflicted. He used to have the best friend, the best partner. Just once. He sat there blankly, confused in his heart, not knowing what to do next. He saw again the scene when the wizard's tower collapsed, and Bruno fell from it. Drizzt suddenly felt an urgent desire to go back to his cave, touch the one-horned helmet, feel the lingering smell of Bruno, and recall his lost friends.He set off quickly. Later that day he returned to the edge of the cliff and gazed again at the caves of Innovindi and Tarasher. He watched with great interest as the pegasus swooped down with them and brought Tarasher to the entrance of the cave.But to his surprise, the elf did not go in immediately after dismounting, but went outside and began to call him. "Drizzt Do'Urden!" Tarrasher called. "Come here! New news." Despite the hesitation in his mind, despite the silence of his grief, Drizzt found himself jumping up and trotting towards the elf. "Another Horde has come out of the hole," Innoventi said to Drizzt when he entered. "Tarashe found them massing at the feet of the Spine of the World." "You asked me to come here to tell me that there are orcs here?" Drizzt asked suspiciously. "Are orcs rare here?" "It's not an ordinary orc, it's a new tribe." Tarasher interrupted him. "We found them gathering here, one tribe after another. This tribe has not yet contacted the other tribes." "If we hit them hard, they'll go back to their burrows," Innoventi explained. "This will be a huge victory." Before Drizzt could react, she continued to add, "This will also be a great help to the dwarves of Mithril Hall." "How many orcs?" Drizzt heard himself say. "A small tribe, about fifty or so." Tarasher replied. "Three of us against fifty?" asked Drizzt. "If you don't kill ten, the other forty will flee back," Tarasher said. "They will spread the news to other tribal leaders when they escape back," Innoventi added. "The orcs and giants tangle into one gigantic army," Tarasher explained. "Thousands of orcs, hundreds of giants, if we fight against such a huge army, it will naturally have no effect. But if they are left alone, once they have completed their assembly, even the dwarves of Mithril Hall and the people of the Moon Forest The elves, and even all of the Silvermoon Confederacy combined, can't stop the orcs pouring out of the Spine of the World." "Thousands of orcs will answer the call of the leader of the army," Innovindi added. "But we can stem the tide," Tarasher continued. "We drive the orcs back and let them know the price of leaving the cave. The effect of our actions will be trumpeted by the monsters that escaped, so that the tribes that want to join can weigh it." He paused , looking at Drizzt. "In this way, the three of us may be able to change the outcome of the war." Drizzt couldn't deny that Tarasher's plan had great potential effects. "Then act quickly." Seeing that Drizzt had no objection, Talasher urged. "We've got to get there before they come out of the hole, before night falls." The two elves rode on the Pegasus at an angle that surprised Drizzt, with their backs to the setting sun, and charged towards the orcs. Beside the drow, Guenhwyvar let out an anxious snarl, and Drizzt put his hand around her neck. Two elves and their pegasus appeared above the orcs, bows bent for arrows.The orcs started shouting, pointing to the sky. "Come on, Guan." Drizzt said softly, letting go of the panther. Guenhwyvar charged at the orcs from the north, and Drizzt outflanked them on the other side, from the south; he soon spotted his first target.Seeing the screams of the orcs in Guenhwyvar, Drizzt took the opportunity to jump onto a boulder. Below, two orcs were attracted by elves and pegasus.Drizzt waited until they had their heads up completely, and landed between them. Flash unsheathed and launched a fatal blow to the left. At the same time, Ice Death also slashed heavily on the orc on the right, causing him to stumble back. The pegasus landed behind him to the left, and the two elves fired another wave of arrows before jumping off the pegasus and drawing their weapons. "For the Moon Forest!" Drizzt heard Tarrasher shout. Despite the crisis, Drizzt Do'Urden grinned as he burst from behind the boulder and charged at the nearest line of orcs. Tarasher and Innovindi joined hands in their deadly dance. The orcs retreated one after another, and a commander who wanted to stop them reorganized their formation.But Drizzt quickly unleashed a dark ward on him. The other yelled loudly, and he almost succeeded, but Guenhwyvar jumped on top of him. Soon, the orcs fled back the same way.In the last ray of sunlight in the evening, they ran desperately.Guenhwyvar and Drizzt drove them to the right and left; Talasher and Innovindi, with their mounts, followed closely behind. Finally, Drizzt saw the last of the orcs fleeing into the dark cave, and he rushed forward, yelling menacingly.An orc glanced back, slowed down a little, and was immediately chopped to the ground. His companion ran away without looking back. Every orc in the Horde never reappeared. Drizzt stood at the entrance of the cavern, standing relaxed with his hands on his hips, staring into the depths of the cavern. Guan Haifa caught up and jumped to his side, and soon, they heard the sound of flying horses beating their wings behind them. "As I wished," said Tarrasher, leaping from his horse to stand beside Drizzt. He reached out and patted Drow on the shoulder, imagining Drizzt would flinch, but Drizzt didn't back away. "Our cooperation is quite tacit." Innoventi said and came to the other side of Drizzt. Drow looked into her eyes, she had just challenged herself again and invited herself again. He didn't answer openly, but he didn't back away when she leaned over.