Chapter 22 Chapter 19 The Shadow of the Beast King

It was a busy scene on the west bank of the Surbrin, with orcs and giants fortifying the ridges and banks near the west gate of Mithril Hall.King Obald believed that this place was very dangerous. The river was wide and gentle, and even if a well-armed army wanted to cross the river, it would be able to cross it quickly.So Oberd threw most of his troops into the river, hauling tons of stones into the river, building them together firmly, and filling them with tons of sand, creating a fast-moving bank in the channel. In order not to leave a chance for the dwarves, Getty Orelsdot ordered her giants to seal the dwarf's gate tightly, ensuring that the dwarfs would not open the door in a short time, and did not hesitate to cause trouble. There was an avalanche; she would not tolerate any more tricks from the Warhammer Clan behind her back.

Work went on day and night, walls were erected at every intersection.The giants lined every fortification with boulders, ready to crush any resistance.The orcs filled their fortifications with shoddy spears.Once the reinforcements want to cross the Surbring River by force, they will inevitably pay a heavy price. The two leaders meet every night; and Argans, the shaman who has become Obed's chief advisor.Discussions appear to be fair and democratic, centered around how to consolidate their current gains.But Getty noticed that Obard dominated the conversation each time, that his plans had achieved enormous results, and his vision no longer seemed so far away.Because of this, the giantess was so unhappy every night when she finished the meeting, she couldn't help gnashing her teeth.

This is already the tenth day since the east gate of Mithril Hall fell. "We've got to go west," Gerty said, a phrase she said several times in almost every interview. "Your son is still fighting the dwarves over there, and he can't drive the dwarves back without giant reinforcements." "Are you in such a hurry to drive them back to Mithril Hall?" Obed asked casually. "Complete one and save one trouble." "It's best to consume them slowly in field battles," said the Beast King. "Fighting Proffitt's stinking trolls will take a lot of their resources."

Gerty liked the word "smelly" the Orc King used to describe trolls, but she wasn't in the mood to appreciate the joke. "Do you believe those trolls will be able to drive the Warhammers back to their lair in Mithril Hall?" she said mockingly. "Profitt was bound to fail," Obard admitted. "We don't need him to be successful either. It's nice that he can weaken them and then wear them down. The tighter we push them in the tunnel, the more aggressive they will be." "That's why you want to drive them out of the Northland?" Gerty asked, slightly confused.She did not see Obard advancing along that line, although he showed a fairly definite intention.

"That's best," said the Beast King. "If we can; if not, it would be good to keep them sealed in the tunnels, and the Warhammers will find a time to negotiate." "Let the orcs and dwarves sign a contract?" Getty asked suspiciously. "What choice do they have?" Obard asked rhetorically. "Are they willing to trade with Silvermoon City and Fort Fellbar through tunnels?" "possible." "So what if we cut those tunnels?" Obard asked confidently. "Are the dwarves going to be like that pesky Do'Urden folk? Or are they going to do business with the drow of the Underdark?"

"Maybe they don't care about those races at all," argued Getty. "Mithral Hall is a self-sufficient state. If necessary, the Warhammer family can even hold out in the tunnels for centuries." She leaned over her cross-legged legs, "Your race has never Will plan for the long run, Obard." "The orc regime is always short-lived, and often dies due to orc infighting." Undoubtedly, this sentence touched a sore spot in Obard's heart. Not long ago, the Beast King made a bold statement: drive the dwarves out of Fort Fairbar and name it Fort Many Arrows.So differences inevitably arose, and the orcs refused to give in to each other.Emerys Warcrown seized the opportunity to drive the intruders out of the chaotic interior.Getty mentioned the fiasco that had just passed again at this time, no doubt wanting to blow Obard's arrogance and raise his status.But Obard's composure surprised Getty even more than the disappointment it engendered.

"It is true," the Beast King admitted. "We should learn from our mistakes." Gerty could hardly resist asking Obard what kind of creature he was and what he had done to that fool Obard. "Once the area is stabilized and enough of our army is assembled, we'll build an orc city here," Obard explained.He seems to have made long-term plans, and what he said at this time has already been carefully considered. "We'll build our own trade system, develop commerce, and then the surrounding towns will come and join us." "Do you still want to send someone to contact Ms. Alustri and Emerys Warcrown to sign a trade agreement?" Ti said.

"This is just the first step." Obard replied calmly. "I think Silvermoon City will support us. After all, it is famous for its tolerance. It may take some time to convince the champion." He looked at Gerty and grinned, his fangs showing from his upturned lips. "We're going to have a trade relationship," retorted Obard, "won't we?" "Do you have any specialty items that they can't get anywhere else?" "We control the kingdom of Warhammer," Obard explained. "Maybe we can let go of the siege of Mithril Hall's east gate, and then we can build a bridge over the Surbrin River, and then allow Mithril Hall to have trade with the surface, and then extract tithes from it."

"You're going crazy!" interrupted Gerty. "The orcs slaughtered so many dwarves! King Bruenor himself was slain by your son's troops. Do you believe they will forget so soon?" "Who knows?" the Beast King shrugged and said with a nonchalant expression. "They are the victims of our victory, if this land becomes the kingdom of orcs, will anyone rise up against us? How many people will die from it?When will they wake up?Hundreds of people died?Thousands of people?They could have chosen the genuine peace we bring. " "sincere?" "Sincerely," repeated Obard. "We can't take Silvermoon City, neither can Sandbar, even if it's all of us on both sides, plus all the trolls in the Troll Plain, you and I understand this."

These words made Getty almost lose her temper. She understood the truth of the matter from the very beginning, but she never believed that Obard could still understand that her own strength was limited. "Hmm... so, what about Fort Feuerba?" She decided to mention it again, to touch the Beast King a little. "It depends on how far we can win," Obard replied. "If Mithril Hall can be captured, then this is definitely a place no less than Fort Fellbar. Then we may take the Moon Forest within a few months, and we will have to rest for a while. We need a lot of wood, of course, we don't dance with those trees like those foolish elves."

He looked around again, as if thinking too far, let out a piercing laugh. "We're thinking too far," said the Beast King. "Let's do what we have to do. Block the Sebrin River, cut off all forces that might support Mithril; let Profit harass the tunnel in the south." ;Argen continued to put pressure on the dwarves until they were driven back to the cave, and then blocked the west gate. Then we can decide the next step." Gerty leaned against the stone wall of the room, watching his ally, and the smug shaman beside him.She had a strong resistance to Argans, and even thought about beating the shaman to the ground, but it was just a thought, and she just couldn't understand the ugly face of that villain. To be honest, she would have liked to have killed Obard first, too.The creature sitting across from her at this time shocked her so much that she had already lost her original status.He was no longer the Obard who would give him a dwarf's head as a gift, nor the orc leader who would let her play at her fingertips and would only sow destruction and disaster.Obard waited for the perfect moment to confront the dwarves, and it seemed he had learned to make temporary sacrifices in exchange for greater victories and long-term benefits.How could an orc think so far? To Getty, Obard seemed to be honest about his plan, and what was even more astonishing was that it looked entirely possible.The only thing she didn't understand was, what kind of position would the Beast King leave her in this plan? "They smell like roth in a stinky gutter," Toth'an complained. Although she was in a bad mood, Ke Erli didn't argue with him, her nose told her that it was right. "Profit is the most delicious among them!" Tosi'an continued. Ke Erli gave him a glare, reminding him that he was among a group of trolls and it was best not to judge their leader. "Maybe that's how he became the leader." Tosi'an said half-jokingly.Ke Erlike didn't hear anything funny, she was only concerned about their current situation, and she was especially worried about her indecisive judgment. Tosi'an continued to whine and started pacing around.He stopped suddenly, and looked carefully at the cave that Ke Erli could use as a temporary shelter.There have been painted all kinds of glyphs and spells, and the female priest took out the robes used for the ceremony. When Tosi'an got closer, she put on her robes without any disguise. "Isn't today a day for offering sacrifices?" He asked. "No." The female pastor simply replied. "Then you want to...find our lost partner?" "No." "Is that to prepare spells to help us get along well with trolls?" "No." "Should I go through all the possibilities? Or do you not want to tell me at all?" "No." Tosi'an stopped and looked at her seriously.It is obvious that it is not clear what the last answer refers to. "Please say it again, High Priestess." He bowed deeply to her with obvious sarcasm. "I forgot that I was just a humble male." "Shut up!" Ke Erli replied, she walked to the robe and began to take off the clothes on her body. "I don't understand as much as you do," she admitted. She smiled slightly, remembering the reason why she didn't want to tell Tosi'an, probably because he was the only drow companion she could meet for a long time to come. "Adnon and Tonya slipped away, I'm not surprised at all." Tosi'an said. "I'm not surprised either." Ke Erli replied. "It's not them that confuses me." "What's that, Obard?" "He's a part of it, of course," said the priestess, "that rough god of theirs does it all the time," "That was a really impressive ceremony." Ke Erli turned to him immediately, not caring that she was not wearing anything around her waist. "I think I'm afraid I've offended Goddess Rose," she admitted. Tothian didn't seem to hear anything at first, then he started to react.Under her gaze, the words almost made him unsteady.He looked around, and it seemed that at any moment, a monster from the Underdark would jump out of the shadows and swallow him up. "What does that mean?" he asked in a trembling voice. "I don't know," Ke Erlike replied, "I don't even know if my guess is right." "Do you think you offended her by participating in the ceremony of the one-eyed god Gruumsh?" "No, before that." Kerri admitted. "That is how the matter?" "I'm afraid it's because of your suggestion." Ke Erlike replied frankly. "Me?" Tuosi'an asked, "What did I do to shake my belief in the Spider Queen? I didn't do anything." "You said we'd better avoid Drizzt Do'Urden, didn't you?" Tosian trembled in horror, his eyes looked around uneasily, like a frightened animal. "I feel like I'm caught in a web that I've woven," Corlick said. "Perhaps my reluctance to face that rebellious attitude offended the Spider Queen, but I'm afraid that confronting Drizzt Do'Urden would anger the Spider Queen even more." Tothian was so weak it looked like a gust of wind could knock him down. "She refused your call?" "I dare not even try," the priestess admitted. "I dare not do that." "Are you afraid of Drizzt?" he asked, shaking his head, obviously not. "Long ago I heard many rumors of traitors to House Do'Urden," explained Korlic, "even before Matron Baenre attacked Mithril Hall. Drizzt's name until you joined our ranks I just heard. Many of our priests err on the side of this, and I'm afraid . . . they see Drizzt as an enemy of the Spider Queen." "Of course it is," Tossian said. "What else could he be?" "He's a maker of chaos!" Ke Erike interrupted him. "Drizzt Do'Urden perfectly created a lot of chaos in your hometown, much more chaos than before he was born. Isn't this what Goddess Lolth always wanted to see?" Tothian's eyes widened and looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "You mean, the way of Drizzt Do'Urden was acquiesced by the goddess Lolth?" "Yes." Ke Erli said. "Smart Kerri, she has seen the truth of the matter. How wonderful is the plan of Goddess Rose!" "It's really important," her companion admitted. "On the other hand, no matter whether my guess is correct or not, I am trapped by my own wisdom." Ke Erlike said. Tosian stared at her curiously. "If I'm wrong," the priestess explained, "then we're going to go all out against the traitor, which I believe Adnon and Tania did. If I'm right, then I'm uncovering Rose's plan." mysteries of..." Her voice dropped. "If you're right, then your solution to Rose's riddle will undermine her long-term plans," Tothian reminded. "We can't know." Tosian shook his head, trembling all over. "That's what you told me." "You asked me." "But..." the male drow said inarticulately, "but..." "We don't know anything." Ke Erli reminded him, raising a hand to comfort the terrified Tosi'an. "It's all guesswork." "Then let's continue to follow these annoying trolls to find Drizzt, so that we can find out the truth of the matter." Tosi'an suggested. "Let my conjecture be revealed to the world?" Tosi'an quickly understood what she meant, and the enthusiasm died immediately. "So what?" he asked. "Follow Profit and I will find the answer." Ke Erli explained. "I must be prepared to be summoned by Rose's maid. I don't know what punishment I will get for trying to test Rose's mind." "The Year of Trouble caused great confusion in Menzoberranzan," he told her. "House of Obroza with unaffected psychic powers attempted to displace the number one Baenre family. They nearly succeeded, but Rose returned at the behest of Matron Baenre... I never saw through a catastrophe like that of the Obrozas." Ke Erli nodded. He once mentioned this period of history, and it was bloody and horrible. "It's really confusing," she said again. "It's not enough to speculate on Rose's expectations for Drizzt. I also met a real orc shaman." "Are you afraid of Obard?" There is something in Tosi'an's words. "It's wise to be careful." Ke Erli replied without denying it. "It's not because he's suddenly faster and stronger, it's not because of that. We have to watch out for Obard because he's suddenly wiser!" "Maybe we misunderstood Gruumsh's blessing. Maybe the shaman gave him not only strength and dexterity," Tosian speculated, "maybe the ceremony also gave him incomparable insight?" "At least he knows what to do first," Ke Erlike said. "I never thought before that this pig-faced creature could suppress his anger like he did, and Obard did it with ease. He can also control Profit and those trolls. If Obard can keep this area The orcs and goblins will come out of the mountains to join him in a steady stream. If he can also maintain an alliance with the trolls at the same time, there are good reasons to believe that he can establish an orc kingdom in the north .Obord may send envoys to Silvermoon City and Sandbar, and even sign an agreement with them, and even have trade relations." "They're orcs!" Tothian argued. "An orc who suddenly became smarter." Ke Erli said seriously. "We must be mindful of these changes at all times while being careful not to go against Oberd's wishes." Ke Erike and Tosian found that they quickly reached a consensus. They had disputes many times, but they always reached a consensus in the end, which surprised both of them. "I wish Adnon and Tanya hadn't left us." Tosi'an said regretfully. "It would be great if we were together." "retreat?" "If that happens," said the warrior of House Harrison Ann Armgo. "Is there still a place for us in Obard's kingdom?" "In the long run, it's possible," Keerlike replied, "but not necessarily, we're just looking for fun. Even if Obed establishes such a kingdom of orcs as he preaches, how long can it last?" How long did it last when Oberd occupied Fellbarburg? They will soon fall apart, and then we will be able to have fun again, and we just have to be careful for the time being." The female pastor didn't even feel confident in what she said.Was she really worried about the powerful force behind her rebellion against Do'Urden?Or was it because of that inexplicable orc ritual?Ke Erli could vaguely feel that her lack of confidence had some kind of connection with Obard's growing talent. "Are we having a lot of fun now?" Tothian asked sarcastically. "Yes, these trolls do not taste very good," Keer Like replied, "but as we asked, we took them through the tunnel into Mithril Hall. You and I watched the dwarves and trolls. Demons kill each other, so who wins and who loses has nothing to do with us?" Tuo Si'an carefully savored these words and nodded in agreement.He began to look at the decorated room. "You want to increase your faith by gaining Rose's grace?" he asked. "Who can understand Rose's will?" Ke Erlike said, with obvious frustration in her voice. "The matter of the traitor Do'Urden bothers me. The situation is chaotic now, and I am now the main representative of Lolth facing the one-eyed god Gruumsh. Whether my ideas are stupid or clever, I need to find out in this matter. A compromise position. Of course, I would enshrine the goddess Rose in her favorite position." "Or, is it a personal remedy?" A sly smile appeared on Tosi'an's face. "I'm not ready to accept those concepts, and I'm not ready to go after Drizzt Do'Urden," Corlic replied. "If Rose gets angry because I guess her intentions, I also need some guidance. I must get Rose's blessing." Tuo Sian nodded and looked around again. "I hope you are doing well," he said, turning away, adding, "for both of us." Kerlic was full of gratitude for the last sentence, and she felt that it was right to show her weakness to the warrior.Normally, a drow never gives an advantage to another of its kind, mainly for fear of being attacked from behind.Maybe Tosi'an will be favored by Rose for killing Colric?The priestess pushed these irrelevant thoughts aside, reminding herself that their little group was not a typical drow squad.The four of them have more significance than the average drow team. They have common enemies, common interests, and even established friendship.What a dreadful trip it would have been if Tothian hadn't been around.The same was true for him, she knew, her instinct told herself that she should tell him the truth. For various personal reasons, if Rose was to blame her for mistaking her true intentions for Drizzt Do'Urden, she would also need Tothian's assistance, and of course Adnon's and Tonya's. Assist, if that traitor is as powerful as it is said to be. Yes, Ke Erlike and Tosi'an thought of it together.She desperately hoped that the two drows hadn't left. "What's the matter?" Gerty asked as he entered the huge cave where Obard had made a makeshift barracks by the river.The Beast King sat on a large rock, resting his head on one hand, with an expression of extreme anxiety on his face.It was the first time this expression appeared after that ceremony. "News from the North," replied Obald. "The Red Whip tribe has come out of the mountains at the Spine of the World to join us." His words made Gerty realize that he was no longer the foolish orc who went into his cave sobbing. Obard looked up at her. "They were driven back." "Be driven back?" Gerty asked, her voice became a little sarcastic, "Your clan has already begun to fall apart? Are you going to turn against each other before you win?" "They were driven back by the elves." Obard replied sourly, glaring at the giantess almost threateningly. "Did the elves cross the Surbrin?" asked the giantess, without the slightest sign of concern. "A pair of elves...and a drow," Obard explained. "Don't you think it looks familiar?" "Red Whip is a small tribe." "Does it matter?" Obard asked back. "They'll go back into the tunnels and warn the other clans to think about coming to us." "But Argans has spread the glory of Obard throughout the world," Getty said. "Obord is Gruumsh, isn't it?" Obard narrowed his eyes, and Gerty knew he caught the sarcasm in his words, and she was glad to have that.She wouldn't speak out against Obard, but she was a constant reminder that she couldn't be ignored. "Don't underestimate the advantages Argans and Shamans give us," Obard warned. "To us or to Obard?" "Both sides," said the orc firmly. "Their summons go deep into the tunnels. I've brought out fifteen thousand orcs, and thousands more goblins, but ten times as many orcs can be summoned. We can't let those few insignificant enemies use Such tactics undermine our advantage." Gerty wanted to argue with him simply because she wanted to oppose all of Obard's decisions.But this time she found that she had no reason at all. "So what are you going to do?" she heard herself say. "The work here is on the right track, and we will go out soon and go back to the west and north." Obard announced. "We will send some troops to support Argen so that he can continue to fight the dwarves on the northern ridge as long as possible. No matter how much the loss is, we can afford it more than the dwarves." "I plan to set off for the west at once," continued Obird. "March from the place the dwarves call Guardian's Gulch, and drive them back to Mithril Hall. But I'm going north to discuss this with Argen and the others." Gerty looked at him suspiciously, trying to hide his uneasiness. "I hope you can send some of your people to go out with me." Obard responded, "You can go or not, it's up to you. In addition, I also want to hang the heads of the pair of elves and the drow Beside my carriage." "You have no carriage," said the giantess. "Then I'll build one." Obard showed no sign of weakness. Gerty didn't answer, turned and went out, which meant that her relationship with Obard had changed.It wasn't that long ago that Obard himself visited her in her cave to talk to her, but now she felt more and more like a visitor to Obard's ever-growing kingdom. She walked in the sunlight with this depressing thought, her mind replaying the Orc King's scornful words, "You can go or not, as you please." Getty reminded himself not to allow Obard to marginalize himself too much.It occurred to her that she could kill Obard while he was still fledgling.Timing is everything, the giantess realized.She must hold Obard in her hand, let him drive the dwarves into the caverns, crush the mighty Warhammers, and let him represent in war a far stronger Northlander, if there was one. If it fails, Getty wants Obard to take full responsibility.If she succeeded, she would drive Obard down and take the honorable seat herself. The giantess would have enjoyed slowly killing that ugly orc. She has to remind herself all the time.