Chapter 6 Chapter 4 Lost and Wrong Track

Entreri stood in the shadow of the doorway, listening curiously to the soliloquy in the room.He can only understand a very small part of the sentence.The speaker, Jarlaxle, was speaking rapidly, excitedly in drow.Entreri's drow vocabulary was limited, and he couldn't catch every word from this distance. "They can't stay ahead because we move fast," commented the mercenary chief.Entreri heard and was able to translate the words word for word.It seemed like Jarlaxle was trying to cheer someone up. "Yes, they will lose street by street. And who can resist our alliance?"

"Our alliance?" The killer repeated the drow word silently to make sure his understanding was correct.us?Jarlaxle was certainly not talking about his union with Entreri, nor with the remnants of the Basadoni guild.Compared to the strength of the Dayet Corps itself, they can only be regarded as assistance.Had Jarlaxle made a new deal, and Entreri didn't know about it?Those pashas to trade with, or even a greater force? The killer leaned forward, keeping an eye out for a possible demon or devil's name—possibly an illithid.All three made him shudder.Demons are unpredictable and too ferocious for any kind of alliance.They do whatever they want without regard for the bigger picture.Devils are far more predictable, they are too conventional, and in their understanding of the world they are unquestionably at the highest level.

But Entreri would rather hear the name of a powerful demon from Jarlaxle than the third possibility, the illithids.He'd had to deal with illithids in Menzoberranzan—mind flayers were an unavoidable breed in drow cities—and he didn't want to see another of those disgusting creatures with squishy heads. He listened for a while longer, and Jarlaxle seemed to calm down, sinking comfortably in his chair.The mercenary chief was still muttering to himself about the impending downfall of the Seekers Guild when Entreri strode into the room. "Just you?" The killer pretended not to know anything. "I think I heard something."

Entreri breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that Jarlaxle was not wearing his magical goggles.It didn't look like the drow had just dealt with illithids, nor did it look like they were planning to.The patch protects against psychic magic, and few in the world are more adept at it than the dreaded mind flayer. "I was thinking," explained Jarlaxle, who spoke Common as well as his native tongue. "There's so much going on in the pipeline." "Most are dangerous," Entreri replied. "Partly," Jarlaxle replied, giggling. Entreri looked at him suspiciously.

"Don't you think we can easily defeat the Explorers' Guild?" the mercenary leader asked suspiciously. "They can't fight us in real combat," Entreri replied, "and they haven't done it in years. They can't take on real ones. But they found other ways to survive." "Because they got lucky." "Because they rely on greater power," Entreri corrected. "If a person is guarded by giants, then he does not need to be strong enough himself." "But if the giant had been kinder to his enemies," Jarlaxle put in. "Also, giants are notoriously unreliable."

"Have you made plans with the masters of Calimport?" Entreri asked incredulously. "With whom? Why didn't you discuss it with me?" Jarlaxle shrugged without giving any hints. "Impossible," Entreri judged. "The Explorers Guild has existed long enough and has already firmly woven itself into the power network of the whole Calishite. Even if you threaten one or more Calimport power holders and force them to betray, you will not Too much impact on the explorers. They have allies to guard against other allies. Not even Jarlaxle and his Dayet army can control the consequences of slaughtering the explorers. This drastic change will shake the place balance of power."

"Perhaps I have allied myself with the strongest power that has visited Calimport," Jarlaxle declared dramatically, ambiguously of course. Entreri narrowed his black eyes, staring at the hideous drow, looking for any clues in the unusual behavior that might reveal the truth.Jarlaxle had always been inarticulate and secretive, never letting go of an opportunity that would bring him power or good, and now, something was wrong.From Entreri's point of view, the impending attack on the Pathfinder's Guild was a mistake, not at all like what the famous Jarlaxle would do.Obviously, this cunning drow must have established a line with some powerful forces, or formed an alliance, or it may have a deeper understanding of the situation.But Entreri doubted that very much, for he thought no one, not even Jarlaxle, knew what was going on in the streets of Calimport better than he did.

Even with enough hints, some just didn't quite look right to Entreri.Jarlaxle had always been arrogant - of course he was! —but he has never been more confident than he is now, especially in the current critical situation. The situation seemed even more dangerous when Entreri thought of the war against the Seekers' Guild.He was well aware of the destructive power of these dark elves, and he didn't doubt that the Dayet mercenary group would kill everyone in the hostile guild.But there were still too many overtones on the way to this impending victory, at least not enough to keep Jarlaxle at such ease.

"Have you decided on your role in the play?" Jarlaxle asked. "I'm not going to play," Entreri replied, his tone suggesting that he was pleased with the fact. "Lecky and Kim Murray took all the scenes and left me alone." Jarlaxle laughed.The facts behind the statement were so obvious that Entreri would have liked to be brushed aside. Entreri stared at him without a smile.Jarlaxle had to understand the danger he had stepped into, the lurking disaster that could throw him and the Dayet mercenaries back into the abyss of Menzoberranzan.That might be it, the killer mused.Presumably Jarlaxle was so homesick that he cunningly facilitated the migration.Entreri was terrified to think of it, and Jarlaxle would have preferred to have Jarlaxle kill him instead of being dragged back there.

Maybe Entreri would be his proxy, like Morik in Luskan.No, the killer decided, that wasn't enough.Calimport was much more dangerous than Luskan, and once the power of the Dayet mercenary group was removed, he must not take this risk.They have made too many enemies. "The general assault will begin soon, if not yet ready," Jarlaxle declared. "So it's going to be over pretty quickly." Sooner than you think, Entreri thought, but he was silent.He survived by careful calculation, always carefully weighing the cause and effect of every action and every word.He knew that Jarlaxle was like him, but he couldn't make sense of what had happened tonight.Whichever way you look at it, it looks like an unnecessary risk.

What did Jarlaxle know that he didn't? ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ Charlotta Vespa climbed the ladder down the sewers of Calimport.She looked out of place with her surroundings.She's wearing her signature gown, her hair is neatly wrapped in her usual turban, and her exotic face is lightly powdered, accentuating her brown almond eyes.Still, she feels at home here, and anyone who knows her shouldn't be surprised to find her here. Especially when considering her backing, it shouldn't be a surprise. "How's it going up there?" Leckie asked quickly in drow.Although the mage didn't like her very much, he was still impressed that she had mastered the language in such a short time. "Nervous," Charlotta replied. "Many guild doors are locked soon after nightfall. The Brass Gamblers don't even accept customers - it's never been seen before. People on the street know something is going on." Lackey glanced at Kim Murray.The two had just discussed that their plan must rely on covert operations and surprise attacks. The Basadoni Guild and the Dayet Mercenary Group must launch attacks on the target at the same time, and make sure not to leave too many people alive. How like Menzoberranzan!In this drow city, victory in family feuds (which is not uncommon) is not only measured by actual combat results, but also by not leaving behind witnesses who can testify to the treachery.Even if every drow in the city knows which family started the war, that family will not be punished unless there is conclusive evidence. But this is not Menzoberranzan, Leckie reminded himself.On the surface, suspicion leads to investigation.In this drow city, those who doubt but have no evidence will receive silent praise. "Our fighters are deployed," Kim Murray said. "The drow are on standby under the guild building, enough to wipe them out. Basadoni's soldiers have surrounded the three main buildings. They couldn't have expected the attack to come from below, and everything will end soon." As his accomplice detailed his plans to Charlotta, Lykey kept his gaze on her, not missing her slight frown.Could it be that the Dayet Corps was betrayed?The explorers have set up a line of defense against underground raids? "Have you found those eyeliners?" The drow mage pressed Charlotte, mentioning the first move of the attack: the attack on those eyes and ears on Rick's street, or assassination. "I haven't found it yet," Charlotte replied truthfully, with a slightly surprised tone showing her disgust at this probing behavior.Lakey glanced at Kim Murray again. "All in place," the psychic replied. "A legion of chigogs assembled in the Narrows," Lykey replied, using an old drow proverb about a cunning slave called a chigo who gathered a horde of goblins for rebellion, only to be overthrown by the dark elf settlers from the town. Totally crushed.The drows came out of their homes, went up to the associated drow city, and put a little effort into the narrow passage.Leckie's account of Kim Murray substitutes the current situation. Charlotta looked at the mage curiously, knowing she knew nothing about the proverb.The soldiers of the Dayet Corps were waiting in the corridor under the Rick Guild building, and it was exactly the same situation. Of course, Lackey didn't care whether Charlotte understood or not. "Have we figured out the escape route for these eyeliners?" Leckie asked Charlotta. "Do we know where they're going?" "Probably back to the guild," the woman replied. "There were very few people on the street tonight." Again, this slight hint reveals too much.Charlotte really betrayed them? Leckie resisted the urge to interrogate her now—the drow's interrogation skills could quickly and effectively bring down any human.But he knew that if he did, he'd have to explain it to Jarlaxle, and he wasn't ready—not yet. Jarlaxle would not be happy if at this critical point the previous plan was reversed and Basadoni and the dark elf warriors returned to the guild building with their weapons not stained with a drop of enemy blood—despite all his His lieutenants were against it, but the drow decided to be completely conquered. Leckie closed his eyes and reorganized the situation, trying to find a safer compromise.There is a house belonging to the Explorers' Guild, which is far away from the others, and seems to be poorly guarded.While destroying it would do little to weaken the rival guild's power, such a victory might appease Jarlaxle's impending wrath. "Recall Basadoni's soldiers," the mage ordered. "Let their retreat be seen by others, and send a few into the Brass Gamble or some other facility." "The door to the brass game has long been locked," Charlotta reminded him. "Then get it out of the way," Leckie instructed. "Tell Wavel Tigovis that she and her little clan don't have to huddle together in terror at night. Let our soldiers be seen in the streets—not battle squads, in small groups." "What about the Dayet Corps?" Kim Murray asked with concern.Not so concerned, Lecky noted, that the order just issued canceled Jarlaxle's express order. "Relocate Boyinyon and all of our spellcasters to position eight," Leckie replied, referring to the sewers beneath the unsuspecting Explorers' Guild house. Hearing this order, Kim Murray raised his white eyebrows.They knew how much resistance there was against this solitary outpost, victory was so close, and sending Boyinyon and more spellcasters seemed unnecessary. "These must be carried out completely and discreetly, as if we were going to attack the Baenry family," Leckie ordered, and Kim Murray's eyebrows went even higher. "Rework our plan, reconfigure all necessary drow combat power, and carry out this attack." "We could have summoned kobold slaves for this task," Kim Murray mocked. "No kobolds, no humans," Leckie explained, emphasizing every word. "This is Drow's job." Kim Murray seemed to finally understand what Lakie was thinking, and a distorted smile appeared on his face.He glanced at Charlotta, nodded to Lecky, and closed his eyes.He used his psychic powers to reach Beinyon and the other Dayet commanders. Lackey stared at Charlotta.Her expression and body posture did not reveal her thoughts.Still, Lakey was sure she must have guessed that he had grown suspicious of her and the others who had tipped off the Seeker. "You said our strength was unrivaled," said Charlotta. "Maybe today's fight," Leckie replied. "A wise thief would never steal an egg if it would wake the dragon." Charlotta stared at him, thinking -- he knew it.He was gratified to see this intelligent human woman suddenly start moping, guilty or not.She turned to the ladder and took a step up. "Where are you going?" Lakie asked. "To recall Basadoni's soldiers," she replied, as if the reason were obvious. Leckie shook his head and directed her to come down. "Kim Murray will deliver the order," he said. Charlotte hesitated.Lakey watched her hesitation with satisfaction, and watched with concern as to what she would do next.However, she stepped down to the floor of the passage. Bo Yinyong was in disbelief at the change of plans.What if most of the Explorers' Guild escaped the raid?He grew up in Menzoberranzan, a matriarchal society where men had to learn to only take orders and not ask questions.Now, Bo Yinyong has to do the same. He has received the best tactical training from the most powerful house in Menzoberranzan, and he has an overwhelming force in his hands for this mission-to destroy the unsuspecting house of the Explorers Guild in a hostile area. little house.Although he was dissatisfied with the change of plan and still had doubts about the purpose of the mission, Boyinyon Baenre responded with an eager smile. The scouts are back, the sneakiest of the secretive drow.A minute ago, they had been sent by magic tunnel into the house above.Drow's fingers fluttered in silent sign language. Bo Yinyong's confidence has increased. Before that, he was very puzzled why the target was a lonely house.There were only twenty humans in the little house above, none of whom looked like spellcasters.Drow scouts reckoned they were street thugs who survived by their dependable shadows. In the dark elf's keen eye, there is no longer a shadow to rely on. When Bo Yinyong and his troops knew what was going to happen to the house above, the humans had no idea what kind of doom was rising from below. Have you informed the commander of their escape route?Bo Yinyong asked with fingers and facial expressions.He confirmed the facts and mentioned the possible escape routes the enemy might choose. The mages stood guard, a scout answered silently. The vanguard had learned of their escape route, another added.Bo Yinyong nodded, gave instructions to start action, and then walked back to his surprise attack team.His team will be the last to enter the building, There are two mages in Bo Yinyong's group.One stood with eyes closed, ready to deliver a signal.The other was in his place, looking at the ceiling, a pinch of mushroom spores from the Underdark twisted in his hand. Just now, a magical whisper came through the walls and into the ears of all the drow. The caster pointed at the ceiling and began to cast the spell, waving his hands as if in a circle, thumbs touching, little fingers touching, front to back, back to front, while chanting the incantation smoothly. He ended the spell with a syllable that sounded like a hiss, pointing his outstretched finger at the ceiling. That part of the stone ceiling rippled, like a mage reaching into water.The mage held this position for some time, and the ripples intensified until the stone became an indistinct blotch. The stone above the mage disappeared, all gone.Where the stone had been, an ascending corridor emerged, cutting straight through the stone slabs a few feet thick, and terminating on the ground floor of the explorer's house. A member of the unlucky Explorers stunned, his heels landing on the edge of the sudden hole.His arms were circling vigorously, trying desperately to maintain his balance.The drow warriors moved under the hole, jumped, and then used their natural levitation ability to rise to the surface. The first drow floated up next to the falling man, jerking his collar back and sending him crashing into the hole.The human tried to control the way he landed, first landing with his feet on the ground, and then rolling with his legs clasped to soften the impact of the fall.With the same smooth movement he also climbed up, drawing a short sword. When he realized his current situation, his face turned pale: the dark elf—drow! ——Floating up to enter the guild.Another drow, handsome and strong, pointed at him with a blade he had never imagined. Perhaps he tried to negotiate with the dark elves, to surrender to them, but while he was uttering a few words begging for their lives, his body was paralyzed with utter terror, unable to move.He still clutched his pocket knife as he spoke.And Bo Yinyong couldn't understand the language of the surface residents, and couldn't understand the intentions of this explorer member. Drow stopped guessing.His finely crafted sword came forward, cutting off the hand holding the dagger.Then he adjusted his balance and strength, and drew his sword again.Precisely and crisply, the tip of the sword pierced through the flesh and ribs, and ruthlessly penetrated the heart of this idiot. The man fell to the ground, completely dead, with a weird frightened expression on his face.Bo Yinyong didn't clean his sword carefully.He crouched, then jumped straight up, floating swiftly into the room.His little trouble had only delayed him for a few heartbeats, and now the corridors above the passage and the floor of the room were covered with human corpses. Bo Yinyong's group quickly left the room, before the magician's initial cast of time-traveling spell expired.Not a single drow was even slightly injured, and no human survived. When they were done, they found that there was nothing of value in the Explorers' Guild house - only a few coins hidden by a few Explorers under the loose floorboards - not even furniture.Magical flames burned every inch of the floor, as well as the adjoining walls.From the outside, the house seemed calm and safe.Inside, it burned to nothing but a skeleton. This is the manifesto of the Dayet Corps. "Nothing to praise," Boyinyong Baenry replied after bumping into Lakey, Kim Murray, and Charlotta. This drow said that this victory is nothing to be proud of for the winning side. Kim Murray responded with a twisted smile. "That building was efficiently cleared," he said. "No one escaped. You did what you were told. It's nothing to be proud of, really, but commendable." As he had been doing all day, Leckie was still scrutinizing Charlotta Vespa.Does this human female understand Kim Murray's true meaning?Did she understand the true power of coming to Calimport?It's quite a feat for a guild to wipe out another guild's mansion so cleanly and thoroughly, unless the attackers are drow from the underground who are better at intricate indoor tactics than any race in the world.Does Charlotte realize this?If that was the case, would she still be so foolish to seek her own benefit? She was deadpan now, but that was the sign of conspiracy, and Leckie's answer was yes—the answer to both questions.The drow mage smiled at this, convinced that Charlotta Vespa had stepped into a dangerous situation. Quiensinfulbiezzcopponquangolthcree, the drow proverb of Menzoberranzan, is also used by all the dark elf worlds to curse those who think they know the drow. "What did Jarlaxle say about the change in his plans?" asked Boyinyon. "Jarrlaxle doesn't know yet," Lykey replied. "He decided to stay in the rear. I will implement the military plan." Bo Yinyong wanted to ask Lai Ji, but he just bowed to the agent in the end. "Perhaps later you will explain to me the original intention of your plan, and I can better understand our enemy." He replied humbly. Lackey nodded calmly. "It would be troublesome to explain to Jarlaxle," said Sharlotta, whose drow was surprisingly good. "He won't agree with your plan and bow." When she finished speaking, Lai Ji stared at Yu Bo Yinyong just in time to see anger flashing from his hot red eyes.Charlotta's observation is correct, but this conclusion comes from a non-drow, an iblith (or 'shit'), which is essentially completely wrong for Boyinyon, who submits to the explanation given by Leckie His insult.It occurred to Lakey that although Charlotta had only made a small mistake, with a few more small sarcasms to the young Baenry, no one would be able to discern the name of Charlotta from the fragments of the body. Lotta Vespa's woman. "We must tell Jarlaxle," the drow mage said, letting the conversation continue. "We were out on errands, so we felt a change of plan was necessary, but Jarlaxle stayed too far behind." Kim Murray and Bo Yinyong looked at him curiously—why did he speak so bluntly in front of Charlotte? — but Leckie hinted quietly and quickly that they should pick up the conversation. "We can call Domo and his ratmen," Kim Murray said quickly. "Although I'm worried that it will take time to kill a few of them." He looked at Charlotta. "It's mostly up to you." "Soldiers of the Basadoni Guild will be the first to leave the battlefield," Leckie added. "Their swords will not be stained with blood." Now the three of them stared at Charlotta together. The woman held herself so that she still looked calm. "That's what Tama and his Ratman will do," she agreed, clearly thinking about something. "We'll instruct them not to be too picky. Yes, there is a way. Maybe they don't know anything about our plans, and maybe they just happen to be hired by Pasha Daklan to defend the sewers. Since we don't plan to Let that coward Domo know our true strength, and we won't be able to explain it too clearly to him, just take direct control of the unguarded areas, mainly in the eighth district." The three drow looked at each other, then nodded for her to continue. "That's right," Charlotta continued courageously. "I will turn it to our advantage over Pasha Daklan. No doubt he has a premonition of disaster coming, and will be more frightened when he hears that the outlying strongholds have been destroyed. Perhaps he will believe in Domo more than we think." more difficult to deal with, and he will believe that he is still in an alliance with the Basadoni Guild, and it is precisely because of the only previous transaction between the explorer and the Basadoni that the attack was accelerated." "But wouldn't that make it feel like it wasn't the Basadoni Guild attacking at all?" asked Kim Murray, acting as Lackie's mic, leading Charlotta deeper. "We play our part, and that's all we can do," she replied. "Turning around to deal with their growing spies is not in our favor. Of course, if this is carried out successfully, it will only make Tama look stronger. If we convince the Explorers Guild that they are on the verge of destruction, their actions will And Jarlaxle will win him." She finished smiling, and the three drow exchanged glances. "Then let's start." Lecky ordered, waving his hand at the ladder leading to their sewer stronghold. Charlotta, the fool who was kept in the dark, smiled and left them. "The trick she used against Pasha Darklan will be extended, if necessary, against Jarlaxle," Kim Murray commented, clearly caught in a web of her own making. . "You think there's something wrong with Jarlaxle," Boyinyon said bluntly, and it was clear the two were acting too detached from their leadership. "He's changed his mind," Kim Murray replied. "You don't want to come to the surface," said Bo Yinyong with a distorted smile on his face, as if asking a question about his colleague's motives. "Yes, I shall be delighted to feel the heat of Narbondel again." Lykki agreed, speaking of Menzoberranzan's blazing chronograph, measured by the heat emanating from the gigantic pillar by the dark elves using infrared vision. time. "You haven't been here long enough to feel the absurdity of this place. Soon you'll want to go home." "I've already started thinking about it," Bo Yinyong replied. "I'm sick of staying here again, I don't like the sights or the smells or anything, and the worst Charlotta." "She and the fool Entreri," Lykie replied. "Jarrlaxle likes them both best now." "His leadership of the Dayet Corps is sort of over," Kim Murray said.Bo Yinyong and Laiji's eyes widened when they heard this bold declaration. In fact, they all harbor such thoughts.Jarlaxle did more than bring them to the surface.Perhaps he had become too close to these rogue gangs and had forgotten to keep in touch with his old partners, which included the most powerful houses in Menzoberranzan.It was a gamble, but the possible payoff was that those precious foreign materials poured into Menzoberranzan. And this plan has been shelved for a while, long enough to find a few agents to facilitate the trade.At the time Jarlaxle was stepping in to subjugate the Basadoni guild and renew his alliance with the dangerous Entreri.And as if to amuse himself, Jarlaxle set his sights on Drizzt Do'Urden, the most detestable of exiles.Having dealt with the Outcast's troubles and stolen the powerful treasure Cershennibon, he freed Drizzt and let Lycky save the pathetic rebel's life with a healing spell given by Rose. These operations, as well as the current ongoing assault, are for power rather than profit, and apart from Jarlaxle, no one in the Dayet Corps needs power in this area. Jarlaxle only facilitated a few small steps of the plan, but took too many detours.He'd taken all the members of Dayet's regiment away from their original mission, and no one was interested in it anymore, including Lecky, Kim Murray, and Boyinyoung. "What to do with Charlotta Vespa?" Kim Murray asked. "Jarrlaxle will take care of that for us," Lykey replied. "Jarrlaxle liked her," Boyinyon reminded. "She's plotting something against him," Lakey said, not at all worried. "We all know it, and she knows we know it," and she will do as we order.Thinking of this, the drow mage smiled.It was always a pleasure to watch the iblith get caught up in the web of drow society. ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ "I know you're anxious, and so am I," Jarlaxle commented. "It's not that I haven't envisioned it, but probably not now." Maybe you trust your lieutenants too much, the voice in his head answered. "No, they must know urgently what we don't," Jarlaxle surmised. "As annoying as they are at times, they are trustworthy unless their personal interests conflict with the mission they have been assigned, which is not the case. I will have to think again, maybe there is a better way to achieve our desired goal." The voice was about to answer, but the mercenary leader ended the conversation and closed it. The end of the conversation reminded Cershennibon not to underestimate the dark elf.Jarlaxle is strong-willed, and as difficult to seduce as those daemon chiefs—the ancient, self-sentient artefacts Crshinibon have often partnered with over the centuries. In fact, it was its previous bearer, another drow, Drizzt Do'Urden, who was as determined to terminate its summoning as Jarlaxle.The guy's spiritual defense is based on moral principles.Crschinnibon felt that it would be better to fall into the hands of a priest or paladin, and it would be enough to blind and fool them with the bestowal of great power. And these only made Jarlaxle more vigilant.The artifact understands that he has no sense of morality, and little understanding of its evil nature, and will not attempt to destroy it.No, Crshishnibon reasoned, Jarlaxle only saw everything he came across as tools, vehicles that would enable him to stay on the path he set out to follow. The artifact would add sideways to the road, and could even cause far more diversions than Jarlaxle had intended, but for now, the direction of the path would not suddenly change. Cershennibon, also known as the Crystal Shard, hadn't considered finding a new holder at all, as he had always done when he encountered obstacles in the past.As he tasted the resistance from Jarlaxle, he saw that it contained no malice.For a sentient artifact, Jarlaxle was powerful and attractive, with a hunger for power far greater than Cershennibon could have imagined. The fact that this drow is not just a tool of chaos and destruction - like those demon bosses, let alone humans who are easy to fool - Artifact finds the idea superfluous, which makes it all the more interesting up. Crschinnibon believed it would take them a long time to unite. The artifact will unleash its full power, and there will be a cataclysm for the world.