Chapter 17 Chapter Fourteen They Think They See It All

"Hey, was this barrel of wine originally filled in the toilet?" Ivan complained. He circled the grass that the elves had used as a makeshift prison for the two interlopers.The elf used some kind of magic that Ivan didn't understand to make the trees around the grass close together, blocking all the gaps with a solid wall of trees. Ivan must have been very unhappy about this.Pike was in the middle of the venue, lying comfortably on the ground with his arms pillowed on his head, staring at the stars. He took off his slippers, and the contented dwarf wagged his toes contentedly.

"If they hadn't taken my axe, I could have made a way, or ten," growled Ivan. Parker giggled, continuing to wag his toes. "Shut up," Ivan said angrily with his hands on his hips, staring defiantly at the tree wall. After a while he blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, because at this moment a tree moved aside, leaving an obvious way out.Ivan stopped, waiting for the elves to enter through the gap, but there was no sign that their captors were about to enter.The dwarf was hopping around, taking a step towards the gap, then stopping and turning around - he heard his brother giggling.

"You did it." Ivan pointed out. "Hee hee hee." "Since you can do it, why do you still sit here for two days?" Pike propped himself up on his elbows and shrugged. "let's go!" "Mmm, ah," said Pike. Ivan stared at him suspiciously, "Why not?" Pike jumped up, jumped around in circles, and put his hand to his lips and said, "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" "Who are you booing?" Ivan asked, his expression changing from anger to confusion. "You talking to uncut trees?" he realized. Pike looked at him and shrugged.

"You mean, the damn tree will tell the plague-stricken elves after we go out?" Pike nodded quickly. "Oh, then shut them up." Pike shrugged helplessly. "You can get them off and get out of there, but you can't shut them up?" Pike shrugged again. Ivan stomped a boot on the ground, "Okay, let them tell the elf! Let the elf try to catch me!" Pike put his hands on his hips and turned his head to one side, with a confused expression on his face. "Okay, okay." Ivan waved at him, not wanting to hear a single word. Of course he was unarmed.Of course he has no armor.He certainly had no idea where and how he could get out of the forest.

He certainly wasn't likely to go fifty feet before he was roughly grabbed again. However, that is insignificant to the furious dwarves.He just wanted to do something, anything, to put his finger up in front of his captors.That's the way of the dwarves, after all Ivan hasn't escaped the rules of conduct of his silent race; it feels better than standing helpless in front of an enemy, headbutting your enemy, even if you're wearing a visored helmet, even if It is fitted with spikes. Ivan strode resolutely out of the cleft in the tree and into the forest. Pike sighed and went to retrieve his slippers.When he heard a commotion outside the grass, he just shrugged, and then fell back on the grass and stared at the stars.Completely satisfied.

"I don't believe a dwarf can move a tree with his bare hands without an ax," said Innoventi. He stood by Tarasher, watching the brothers from a branch overlooking the meadow. "He does have druid spells," Tarasher agreed, "but how is that possible?" Innovindi giggled, "Perhaps the dwarves are more conscious now, although when you consider whether this one is one of them, it's hard to believe he is." Watching Pike and his wagging toes, Tarasher found herself objecting to the last part of her statement. The two watched in silence as Ivan stormed out of the pasture, then waited patiently for a few minutes while the struggling dwarf was forcibly led to his brother - and three elves dragged him back.

"It could be dangerous," Inovindi said. "We don't know their intentions yet," Tarasher replied. All day she had been trying to persuade him to soften his attitude towards the dwarves.She really wanted to help them, escort them to the border of the Moon Forest, and let them go. "Then test him," Innovinti said, her tone suggesting that she had just had an idea. "If he's a druid, as he appears to be, there's a way to prove it. Send Pike Stoneshoulders to Monterey Grove for interrogation." Tarasher stroked his chin, a smile appearing on his face as he thought about the words.Perhaps Innovindi wanted to bet, and the emergence of this idea did not surprise Talasher.Innovindi always has the foresight to see the solution to the deadlock.

He looked at her appreciatively, and she was looking out into the clearing, a look of concern on her fair face.She nodded at him, beckoning him to follow, and she jumped off the branch and walked into the clearing.Over there, the confrontation between the yellow beard and the three elves is about to break out. "Don't be impulsive, Ivan Shijian," she said, and the five people's attention was turned to her. "You have no reason to lose your temper here." "Bah!" snorted the dwarf, as expected, "you're going to lock me in here, elf? How do you know I'd like to?"

"I'm sure if one of us went to your hometown, he'd find himself popular," she said sarcastically. "Probably," Ivan retorted, scoffing at Pike, who just chuckled. "Even by human standards, Cadley has always been gentle." "I mean the homeland of your dwarves," corrected the lively Innovindi. "Okay," Ivan reluctantly agreed, "but where and what does the elf do?" "Why did a pair of dwarves come out of the tree?" she replied. Ivan wanted to argue, but he realized that it would be futile to do so. "You think so yourself." He relented.

"And how do the dwarves coax a tree out of the way?" said the elf, looking at Pike. "'Gourd doctor'." The dwarf pointed to his chest and replied with a giggle. "Well, that's pretty common," said Tarasher sarcastically. "That's not a common thing," Ivan said. "Forgive our confusion," said Innovindi, "We don't want to keep you trapped, Ivan Stoneshoulder, but you have broken into our home, and the mission of keeping our home safe is paramount. " "I agree with your reasoning too," replied the dwarf, "and you may agree that I have better things to do than sit here and look at the stars. The damn thing doesn't even move!"

"Oh, but they're moving." Innovinti said cheerfully, thinking she'd found a commonality between the two, a way to melt the ice—if it wasn't broken. She felt more hopeful when Pike jumped to his feet and let out a long hiss of approval. "Then let's count it as something moving." The elf argued. She approached Ivan to point to a particularly bright star that hung high above the canopy, close to the horizon.It wasn't long before she did that that Ivan was staring at her with his hands on his hips, not quite trusting. "I think you misunderstood me," he said coldly. "Indeed it is," the elf admitted. "It's not like we haven't had contact with elves before," Ivan said. "We used to work with them to drive away the orcs and goblins in Hillminster Forest. They like me and my brother very much!" "My good brother!" Pike agreed. "Maybe we can be like that," Inovindi said, "to be honest, I think so. But please be patient. This matter is too important for us to make a decision lightly. " "Well, that doesn't look like an elf." Ivan said, sighing in a resigned attitude. "Once, an elf in Carradoon went to the market to buy wine. She walked back and forth from the front to the back of the hotel, and from the back to the front. Finally, as expected, she bought what she saw. First bottle of wine." "The elf is enjoying the experience of shopping, just as we want to share the experience of Ivan Stoneshoulders and Pike Stoneshoulders." Yinuo Wendi explained. "You'll know more if you get us both out of this stupid place." "Maybe, maybe soon." After finishing speaking, Innovindi glanced at Talasher, who obviously disagreed with her.She elbowed him hard in the ribs. "We'll see." That was all his solemn promise. Thiberdorf Panter kicked a stone flying ten feet high. "Bruno wishes you had done a better job," said Codio Muffinhead, who had just finished escorting the wounded back to Mithril Hall. They found that Pant and the Ripper team camped along the northern highlands of the Valley of the Guardians, and Zhan Kuang accompanied the main force to Mithril Hall and then came out to deploy defenses. It was a spectacular meeting, with Cordeo and the others flailing their arms desperately to stop the frenzied charge of Panter and his men.Cordeo finally understood that Bruno and the rest of the people were in no danger, and were rushing to Mithril Hall by a circuitous road, and visited the residences along the way one by one-as a worthy king often does.Only then did both sides heave a sigh of relief and relax. "If he really knew me, he'd know I'd be on my way to find him, the fool!" Panter exclaimed. "He knows you are a loyal warrior and will only do what he tells you to do!" Cordeo yelled back at him. Pant jumped to the side, stepped to another stone in three steps, and kicked it with all his might.Even though this one was much larger and still not completely separated from the ground, it was clearly kicked some distance away.Panter, on the other hand, did a good job of demonstrating the new lump on his foot. "You have two more camps to set up," said Cordeo firmly. "Don't break your own toes, or send someone to Mithral Hall. Set up camp here, and set up camp at the Surbrin River." Another one in the watershed north of the mine." Pant muttered and spat, but still nodded, and let the Ripper team rush to work with a roar.The next day, the stone fortress that was used to wait for Bruno's return was formed as a simple camp. It just stood on a mountain range north of the Valley of the Guardians. In the early morning of the next day, 200 soldiers set out from Mithril Hall and pointed to the north to join the Ripper team. The north bank of the Bollinger River marched. Thiberdorf Panter immediately ordered the Ripper team to switch to order mode and wait for the route between the two camps. Panter was tortured enough to be ordered to stay in the far south, but he still did his duty, though he continued to send out scouting parties to the true north and northeast in search of his beloved, out-of-town king.His clearest thought was that Bruno would not order forward positions unless he thought it necessary. This will only make the wait harder. "Is he really a druid?" Tarasher asked.Pike couldn't believe his ears when the tribe reported that Pike's spells were not tricks and that the dwarves did possess druid spells. Innovindi next to him couldn't help laughing.She was overjoyed at the unexpected visitors, and she had known Ivan for some time, the grumpy dwarf typical of all the dwarves she had seen.Over the past few days, she and Ivan had exchanged anecdotes.Although he is still under house arrest, it is clear that Ivan's communication with Innovindi has improved his mood a lot; the conflicts he caused have also eased. Tarasher still thought she was foolish for meddling. "He prayed reverently to Merikki," said one observer, "and there was no doubt that it was his magical energy, too great to be counterfeited for the dwarven gods." "That doesn't make sense," Tarasher said. "Pike Stoneshoulders is out of the question," said another. "From what we've seen, he just seems to have that ability. He's a woodland priest, a ''cucurbit doctor,'' as he puts it. .” "How powerful are his spells?" asked Tarasher, who had always respected druids. The two observers looked at each other, and their expressions made it clear that it was a question they dreaded being asked. "It's hard to measure," said the first. "Pike's magic is only here and there." Tarasher looked at him curiously. "He seems to cast spells only when he needs to," another attempted to explain, "mostly minor tricks, though he always seems to have a powerful spell, so powerful that only a high-level druid equivalent to a high-level priest can do it." master." "It looks like he's in the favor of the goddess," said the first. "It seems that Merikki, or one of her attendants, has a definite interest in him and is looking after him." Tarasher waited for him to digest the information, then said, "You still haven't answered my question." "He's certainly not as dangerous as his brother," replied the first. "Neither to us nor to the Moon Forest." "Are you sure?" "We're sure," said the second. "Perhaps it is time for you to speak with the dwarves," said Innovindi. Tarasher paused for another moment, thinking, "Do you think Min Ming will take them?" he asked. "To the Monterey woods?" Tallasher nodded, "Let's see if the symbol of Melikhai will kindly receive this 'Gourd Doctor' dwarf."