Chapter 33 Chapter Twenty-Eight Not Without Loss

Bruenor and Wulfgar charged equally violently into the huge cavern.Wulfgar sprinted to the side, blocking two huge armored ogres, while Bruenor faced the weirdest of the three, a lavender-skinned female ogre wearing a huge hat. helmet, and wields a massive scythe. Morik came in behind the berserk pair, not stepping firmly into the fray. Behind him came Catti-brie, who was more eager.She flew an arrow almost immediately, staggering one of the two ogres that were approaching Wulfgar. The blow gave the Savage all the momentum he needed.He pushed hard at the other brut, Aegis-fang banging.The ogre parried again and again, but a third blow to its breastplate sent it stumbling back.

Wulfgar leaned forward, knocking down hard. The ogre's wounded ally tried to return to the fight, but Catti-brie's second arrow hit it, and then a third.The brut turned and charged towards the door, howling in rage and pain. "Great," Morik mused, as a huge figure brushed past him, sending him sprawled to the ground with a cry. Guenhwyfa ran head-on into the ogre who had been shot by the arrow.She jumped on its face, scratching and clawing and biting.The brut stood stiffly, losing momentum, and it staggered back, blood gushing from its face. "Brilliant girl," Catti-brie said, and she turned and shot above Bruno, hitting the female ogre and drawing Khazdeher.She paused and glanced back at Morik, who was standing against the wall, shaking his head.

"Good job," he muttered, obviously in disbelief. They really are an efficient team. The darkness caused by magic dissipated. Drizzt sat against the wall.Sitting opposite was Le'lorinel, almost in the same posture as the drow, with the same wound. Drizzt stared at his fallen opponent, his eyes wide.Tiny magical flames still curled across Le'lorinel's skin, but Drizzt paid them no attention.Because that wound cut through Le'lorinel's leather vest, cut across the front, exposing a breast—a female breast! So Drizzt understood, and recognized those eyes even more clearly, and even before Le'lorinel raised his hand and pulled the mask away from his face, he knew who it was.

An elf, a moon elf, had once been a small child, and Drizzt had saved her from a drow raid.On that fateful evil day, the elf, driven into frenzy by the devastation wrought by the drow, bathed in the blood of her slain mother to convince the dark elves that she, too, was dead. "In the name of the gods," said the drow in a raspy voice, his voice weak with lack of air. "You are doomed, Drizzt Do'Urden," said the elf, her voice equally weak and trembling. "My family has been avenged." Drizzt tried to answer, but he couldn't find the words.How could he possibly explain to Le'lorinel in such a short amount of time that he had no part in that massacre, that he saved her at great personal risk, and most of all, that he was sorry for his wicked kinsmen? So sorry for what you did.

He stared at Le'lorinel with no hatred for her, even though her misguided actions and blind vengeance had cost them both their lives. Choguruga had the upper hand in the confrontation with the mighty Bruno Warhammer. With the muscles strengthened by the potion, the speed strengthened by the potion and the defense strengthened by the potion, she not only supported and resisted the dwarves. Bruenor just growled, cursed, and thumped hard, while taking blows that would have knocked most opponents down, and with the toughness of a dwarf he didn't mind such blows, and the ax slashed through, Keep applying pressure.

He was about to lose, though, and he knew it, when Catti-brie's arrow whizzed over him and pierced the ogre's chest, causing her to stumble back. "Oh, good daughter!" roared the dwarf, taking the opportunity to rush forward and attack. But just as he stepped forward, the female ogre had another bottle in her hand, raised it to her lips, and swallowed the contents in one gulp. As Bruenor drew near to fight again, the ogre's wounds began to heal. The dwarf growled in protest. "Damn healing potions!" he yelled, hitting Choguruga on the thigh, opening a gash.

Choguruga immediately removed another vial from his belt, similar to the last one, and held it to his lips.Bruno cursed again. A black shadow flew over the dwarf, bumped into the female ogre, and held her back. Guenhuffa tore at Choguruga's face, his front paws gripped tightly, his teeth bit and tore, and his back paws clawed frantically, Choguruga waved his arms. The female ogre dropped the vial, which fell to the ground without breaking, and she dropped her weapon too.The female ogre grabbed the leopard with both hands and tried to pull Guan Haifa away. The panther's hooked claws held firmly, meaning that throwing Guenhuffa aside would tear her face off completely.Of course, Bruenor was still there slashing the she-ogre's legs and midsection with great ferocity.

Bruenor heard a sound to the side, and Catti-brie was beside him, her mighty sword cutting easily through Choguruga's flesh and bone. The female ogre fell to the ground. The two companions and Guenhwyvar turned around just as Wulfgar's hammer smashed into the head of the last ogre, and the brut fell right on top of its dead companion. "This way!" Morik called from an exit at the far end of the great room, from which a walkway continued upwards into the cavern complex. Bruenor stopped to wait for his daughter, and Catti-brie stooped to pick up Choguruga's dropped vial.

"Let me find whoever sold this to the damned ogre, and I'll chop him up!" declared the annoyed dwarf. Across the room, Morik bit his lower lip.He knew who it was because he had seen Bellany's alchemy room. The partners make their way up to a horizontal corridor with five doors that mark Sheila Kree's area.A moan from the side brought them immediately to a door, which Bruenor crashed through in dwarven fashion. Drizzt lay there, and there lay the elf, both mortally wounded. Catti-brie came in right after her, and immediately made her way towards Drizzt, but the drow stopped her with an upraised hand.

"Save her," he demanded, his voice very weak. "you must." Then he went limp. Wulfgar stood in the doorway, stunned, but Morik did not slow down for the room, but walked down the corridor to Bellany's room.As he opened the door and entered, he prayed that the mage hadn't set a trap at the entrance. As soon as the thief had entered the threshold, he slid to a halt because he heard a scream.He turned to see a halfling freeing himself from a magic net. "Who are you?" Regis asked, before quickly adding, "See what I have?" He opened his shirt and held up a ruby ​​pendant for Morik to see.

"Where's the witch?" Morik asked, not paying attention to the striking jewel. Regis pointed to the open door on the outside and the balcony outside, and Morik sprinted out.The halfling then glanced down at his enchanted ruby ​​pendant and scratched his head, wondering why it didn't have the usual disorienting effect.Regis was glad the little man was too busy to pay him any attention. Catti-brie paused as Drizzt gave her that startling instruction, bewildered by the earnestness and urgency in the voice.The woman turned to the fallen elf, whose breath was as shallow as Drizzt's, and each breath of hers seemed likely to be the last, as was Drizzt's. "Damn it, you're going to do it!" Bruno yelled, rushing to her and snatching the vial. Spitting out a stream of curses, the dwarf made a beeline for Drizzt, pouring the healing potion down his throat. The drow coughed, and almost immediately began to breathe more easily. "Damn it!" cried Catti-brie, and she ran across the house to the fallen elf, lifting her head slightly with her hand and gazing into those eyes. Empty eyes. Just as Drizzt opened her eyes again, Le'lorinel's spirit left her body. "Come here!" Regis said when he reached the door.Yet when the halfling saw Drizzt lying there so badly wounded, he stopped. "What do you know, slander?" Bruno said after a short pause. "Female, witch," Regis stammered, still glaring at Drizzt. "Hmm... Morik is after her." He pointed the other way, eyes not changing direction at all. Wulfgar started walking that way, and Bruenor called to Catti-brie, who was kneeling beside the drow, "Get your bow out! They're going to need you!" The woman hesitated for a moment, gazing helplessly at Drizzt, but Bruenor pushed her away. "Go, hurry up!" he demanded. "I am not suitable for killing mages. Your bow is more suitable." Catti-brie stood up and ran out of the house. "But if you see an ogre again, call out," the dwarf called after her. Bellany carefully chose her way along the hillside, and the coast appeared within sight. She saw the Bloody Keel sailing out of the cave on the retreating tide, and she cursed in a low voice.The deck of the ship was full of pirates, including Sheila Kerry, who was very eye-catching, although she was injured, she was not discouraged, shouting orders from the deck. Bellany immediately began using her magical powers, casting a spell that teleported her to the deck.She was almost finishing the spell, saying the last few words and making the last few movements when she was caught from behind. The witch turned her head in horror, and saw Morik the Rogue, grimacing, and clutching her tightly. "Let me go!" she demanded. "No," Morik said, shaking his head. "No, I beg you." "You idiot, they're gonna kill me!" Bellany howled, struggling to break free. "I could have killed you, but I didn't! I could have killed the halfling, but..." Her voice trailed off in the last few words, however, as the gigantic figure of a barbarian warrior bounded down the hillside. "What have you done to me?" the frustrated woman asked Morik. "Didn't you keep the halfling alive?" the rogue reasoned. "More than that! I cut open the grille and let him out," Bellany replied defiantly.She fell silent, for Wulfgar had arrived, towering high above her. "Who is this?" asked the angry savage. "A bystander," Morik replied, "that's all. She's innocent." Wulfgar narrowed his eyes, staring at Bellany and Morik closely, with an expression on his face that suggested he didn't trust the thieves at all. But Morik had saved his life that day, so he said nothing. Wulfgar stepped forward with wide eyes when he noticed the boat, its sails unfurled, gliding outward over the reef.He jumped out onto another rock to get a better view, and raised Aegis-fang as if to throw it at the departing ship. But even for him, the Bloody Keel was far beyond the throwing distance. Catti-brie was the next to join the group, and she wasted no time raising Taumriel and aiming at the deck of the Bloody Keel. "The one with the red hair," Morik told.Bellany elbowed hard on his ribs, frowning deeply at him. In fact, Catti-brie had already targeted Sheila Kree, a pirate who was easy to spot on the ship's deck. But she paused and lifted her head from behind the bow for a wider view.She noticed waves breaking over the rocks in the water all around the fleeing pirate ship, and she knew well the skill required to get a ship out of these treacherous waters. Catti-brie leveled her bow again and surveyed the deck. When she found the helm and the sailor who operated it, she shot her arrow. The pirate fell forward, then slipped on the deck, pulling the helm wheel to one side as he fell. The Bloody Keel turned sharply, and the sailors desperately rushed from all angles to grab the steering wheel. Then the boat came to a jagged reef, creaked and the wind on the sails kept her going, dismembering the hull along the way. Many were thrown from the boat during the collision.The boat crumbled under the feet of the rest, who plunged into the freezing water.Others cling to a railing or a mast and hold on, saving their precious lives. Sheila Kerry stands in the middle of it all.The irascible pirate looked up the hillside, at Catti-brie, disapprovingly. She too was in the frigid water, and the Bloody Keel was nothing but a splintered pile of firewood in the rushing water. Few escaped the grip of the icy waters, and those who did, and those who were not on board in the first place—ogres, half-ogres, and humans—did not join these powerful friends their desire to fight again. The battle for Golden Bay was won. end They buried the elf who called himself Le'lorinel, in this cavern complex, as close as possible to the exit and the outside air and starry night sky. Drizzt did not help with the digging, for his terrible wound was far from healed, but he watched the digging every moment.Drizzt Do'Urden stood, staring helplessly as they lowered the elf into the cold ground and covered it with damp, cold soil.Her real name is Alifen. "It shouldn't be like this," the drow said quietly to Catti-brie, who was standing beside him supporting him. "I can hear it in your voice," the woman replied. "When you asked me to save her." "I still hope you can save it." "You bloody idiot!" came a rocky voice from the side. "Quickly get yourself better so I can punch you in the face!" Drizzt turned to Bruenor, facing the dwarf's scowl. "You think we should do that?" Bruno asked. "You really think so? You think we should let you die and save the guy who killed you?" "You don't understand..." Drizzt tried to explain, his lavender eyes wet with tears. "Would you save that damned elf instead of me?" growled the irascible dwarf. "Or not save my daughter? If you say yes, Elf, I'll wipe your blood off my axe!" The truth of those words hit Drizzt, and he turned helplessly to Catti-brie. "I won't give her the potion," the woman said clearly. "You've taken me by surprise, but I'll bring the medicine back to you right away." Drizzt sighed, accepting the inevitability, but the whole thing still seemed so unfair to him, so wrong.He had met Alifen before, not so many years ago, in Moonwood, on his way back to the Underdark.The elf followed him with deadly rage, but her protective tribe pulled her back and steered Drizzt on.Even though Drizzt knew her anger had chosen the wrong target, there was nothing he could do to convince her, to calm her down. And now this happened.She came after him because of what his evil people had done to her, to her mother, to her family. Drizzt sighed, lamenting the irony of it all, his heart broken by this sad twist of fate.If Arifin revealed her identity to him frankly, even if she came to kill him, he would never find the strength to raise a knife against her. "I have no choice," Drizzt said to Catti-brie, his voice barely a whisper. "The elf killed herself," replied the woman.Bruno came over to join the friends and he couldn't agree more. "She deserves to live and heal from the pain she felt decades ago," said the drow. Bruno snorted loudly to one side. "You yourself should be the one alive," growled the dwarf. "And you are alive." Drizzt looked at him and shrugged. "You'll give me the potion," the dwarf insisted quietly, and Drizzt nodded. "But it makes me sad," the drow explained. "You're not worthy of being my friend if you're not sad," Bruno assured him. Catti-brie pulled Drizzt closer and kissed him on the cheek. But he didn't look at her, just stood there gazing at the new grave, his shoulders slumping as if he were carrying the weight of the whole world. Ten days later, when the weather cleared, the five companions left Golden Bay with Morik and Bellany. They knew they would try to buy time to get out of the mountains, but with the help of Bellany's magic, they soon reached the road across the Spine of the World, which led north to Icewind Dale and south to Luskan. There they parted, Morik, Bellany, and Wulfgar heading south, while the other four turned north, back to Ten-Towns. Before they parted, however, Wulfgar promised his friends that he would be home soon. Home.Icewind Dale. It was well into spring when Wulfgar, Delly, and Colson crossed Luskan again, heading north toward Icewind Dale. The family visited the Cutlass Tavern, and Arum and Joss, and Bellany and Morik, and they lived together in Morik's apartment, which was now much more comfortable under the Witch's care. Wulfgar did not stay long in Luskan, however, and his carriage drove out of the main gate two days later.Because the warrior knew himself again, he really longed to go home with his most trusted friends. Delly is also eager to see this new home, raising Colson in the fabled Icewind Dale, where there is clean and clear air. As night fell on the land, the couple noticed a campfire glowing in the distance, just off the road, and as there were farmhouses everywhere in this civilized area, they approached without fear. They could smell the tent occupants before they could make out each figure, though Delly said softly, "Goblin," Wulfgar knew better. "Dwarves," he corrected. Since the party hadn't bothered to set up any sentries, Wulfgar and Delly walked right among them, to the campfire, and up to the dwarves, each of them shouting in surprise or protest.After a moment's hesitation, a host of formidable-looking weapons were raised into the air, all with many blades or hooks, while one of the most hideous, smelly, and alive dwarves either of them had ever seen Jumped up in front of him.He was still wearing his armor, although the tent had obviously been set up hours ago, and what a piece of armor it was!Knife-sharp edges everywhere, and lots of little spikes. "Little Wo!" roared Thiberdorf Panter, the leader of Mithril Hall's "Eviscerated Legion", with a hoarse voice. "I heard you're not dead!" With that, he grinned widely, showing many gaps between his teeth, and punched Wulfgar hard. "You're harder than rock, aren't you?" "Why are you here?" asked the startled Savage, who was not frightened at the sight of his old friend. Years ago, Wulfgar had lived with Thiberdorf in Mithril Hall, and had seen the amazing training of the famous Eviscerator, a group of deranged and ferocious killers.One of Thiberdorf's notorious tactic is to jump on top of an enemy and start shaking wildly, the dreaded armor cutting the foe to pieces. "To Icewind Dale," Thiberdorf explained. "Going to King Bruno." Wulfgar wanted to ask the dwarf to elaborate on the matter, but he held back because the title Thiberdorf had placed on Bruenor's strong shoulders caught his attention. "king?" Thiberdorf lowered his eyes, a move that made all the other Eviscerator soldiers, a dozen or so of them, jump to their knees.There was a long, deep hum from all of them in unison, save the chief. "Glory to Moradin for taking Gundaron Warhammer," said Thiberdorf solemnly. "The King of Mithril Hall no longer exists. The previous king, Bruno Warhammer, is once again the king of the Warhammer family. Long live King Bruno, and pray for King Bruno!" He finished his speech with a yell, and all the soldiers of the Ripper Legion jumped into the air.They were like leaping rocks, fists pumping into the air, most covered with spiked gauntlets. "King Bruno!" they shouted together. "What does that mean?" Delly whispered to Wulfgar. "That means we won't be too comfortable in Ten-Towns," replied the Savage. "Because no doubt we shall hit the road again. A long way to the east, to Mithril Hall." Delly looked around at the soldiers of the Eviscerator Legion. They were dancing in pairs, singing "King Bruno!" with a little dance at the end of each sentence, and each pair ran a short distance to meet face to face. "Well, at least our journey north is safer now," the woman pointed out. "I wish it tasted better." Wulfgar was about to nod, but then he saw Thiberdorf collide with a poor Eviscerator, forehead to forehead, knocking the dwarf unconscious.Thiberdorf shook his head to drive away the dizziness, his lips vibrated wildly.When he saw that he was done, he howled still louder and rushed to the other--this one accepted the challenge, roaring and rushing forward. Then he flew out, to the peaceful place where the Ripper Legionnaires slept. Howling even louder, Thiberdorf hopped around in search of a third victim. "Safer? We'll see," was all Wulfgar could say to Delly.