Chapter 18 Chapter Fifteen Dear Wawel

"Ah, my friend, you have deceived me so much," Jarlaxle whispered to Entreri.The latter's injuries were far from healed, and he entered a weak, helpless situation.Jarlaxle is perfectly capable of fully healing the semi-comatose killer, but instead of doing so, he starts thinking about everything that happened.He was trying to figure out if Entreri had saved his life or brought him doom, but just then he heard a calling -- a very, very familiar one. Jarlaxle's eyes fell on Entreri, and a wide smile appeared on his dark, handsome face.Krsnibon!Crest Shinnibon in the hands of this human!Jarlaxle replayed the scene in his mind, and soon realized that Entreri had dropped the treasure with that unexpected blow in the first place.The wise human took the real treasure into his hands, and left a bag containing the fake crystal shard on Jarlaxle.

"My vile companion," the mercenary leader said, though he wasn't sure Entreri could hear him. "It's good to realize that again, I never underestimated you!" With that, the mercenary leader walked over to Entreri, ready to remove the pouch from his waist, all the while smiling. The killer raised his hand suddenly, and grabbed Jarlaxle's arm. In the blink of an eye, a dagger appeared in Jarlaxle's free hand, ready to stab Entreri in the heart, but he noticed that Entreri was not attacking.The killer didn't reach for his dagger or any other weapon, he just stared at Jarlaxle sadly.Jarlaxle heard the Crystal Shard calling to him in his mind, luring him to kill the man in front of him and retake what was rightfully his.

He almost did, though Crishshnibon's call wasn't as strong and melodious as it had been when he held it. "Don't do that," Entreri whispered to him. "You can't control it." Jarlaxle's hand broke free, and he stared at the human. "But, can you?" "That's why it called you," Entreri replied.His breathing was even harder than earlier, and blood was gushing from the gash on his side again. "The Crystal Shard cannot control me." "And why?" Jarlaxle asked suspiciously. "Has Artemis Entreri adopted Drizzt Do'Urden's morals?"

Entreri laughed, but his face was soon contorted with unbearable pain. "Dizzy and I are not that different in many ways," he explained. "At least, we're all very disciplined." "Just self-discipline can prevent the Crystal Shard from controlling you?" Jarlaxle's tone was still unconvinced. "So, you're saying I don't have as much self-control as you or that—" "No!" Entreri yelled, almost sitting up, but lay back under the onslaught of labor pains. "No," he said more calmly after a while, but his panting became more and more violent. "Drizzt's creed rejects treasure, and so do I—but not a creed of morality, but a creed of independence."

Jarlaxle took a slight step back, his expression changing from skeptical to thoughtful. "Why did you take it?" Entreri looked at him, trying to explain, but the pain overwhelmed him.Jarlaxle reached into the pleated pocket under his cloak and produced a small orb, which he placed in front of Entreri, and began to chant a spell. Almost immediately, the Killer felt his injuries improve, his wounds healing and his breathing easier to control.Jarlaxle spoke the spell for a while, and Entreri felt better every second, but the mercenary leader stopped the spell before the healing was complete.

"Answer my question," he ordered. "They're coming to kill you," Entreri replied. "It was obvious," Jarlaxle said. "Can't you just remind me?" "That's not enough," Entreri insisted. "There are too many who are against you, and they know that your main weapon is the Crystal Shard. Therefore, they suppress it for the time being." Jarlaxle's first thought was to order Entreri to hand over the Crystal Shard, and then go to Lykki and Kim Murray to make them pay for their treachery.But he suppressed the thought and let Entreri continue.

"They want to take it from you, and rightly so," the killer boldly pointed out. Jarlaxle glared at him, but only for a moment. "Take a step back," Entreri exhorted. "Reject its call, and think carefully about Jarlaxle's actions in the past few days. If your true identity is revealed, you will not be able to stay on the surface, and you actually built a crystal tower! Dayet The Mercenary Corps is powerful, but even with all the power of Crishshinebon, it cannot rule the world, not even Calimport—but look at your plans." Jarlaxle tried again and again to answer, but each time, the words of argument died away before they could come out.He knew that the killer was right.He was wrong, and very wrong.

"But we can't go back now and explain this to the usurper," the mercenary chief pointed out. Entreri shook his head. "The Crystal Shard is the mastermind behind this coup against you," Jarlaxle said, taking a step back, as if someone had slapped him in the mouth. "You are too cunning to be its bearer. But, Crsshnibon thinks that the ambitious Lecky will readily accept its plans, and bring chaos to the world." "You say that only to appease me," Jarlaxle charged. "I say this because it is what it is and for no other purpose," Entreri replied.Then he had to stop as a sharp pain hit him. "And, if you think about it, you'll know that I'm telling the truth. Crenshinibon has been trying to steer you in the direction it wants, but it's getting in the way."

"The Crystal Shard either didn't control me, or it did. It can't be both." "It did manipulate you. Do you still doubt that?" Entreri replied. "But it knows that it can't manipulate you to a greater degree than it can manipulate Lecky." "I went to Dalabad to destroy the crystal tower, and the Treasure would never want me to do that," Jarlaxle argued. "However, I can do it! I rejected all the interference of the Magic Crystal Shard." He wanted to continue, but Entreri cut him off. "You can do it?" the killer asked suspiciously.

Jarlaxle was tongue-tied. "certainly." "But you didn't do that?" "Although I found out that I could destroy the crystal tower, I didn't feel the need to do so right away..." Jarlaxle tried to explain, but when he heard the words come out of his own mouth, he was shocked.Heavy blow.He was fooled.Jarlaxle, master of trickery and deceit, was fooled by the Crystal Shard, and he thought he was the one in control. "Leave it here with me," Entreri told him. "The Crystal Shard will keep trying to manipulate me, but it doesn't give me what I really want. Therefore, it has no power over me."

"It will torture you," Jarlaxle told him. "It looks for all the weaknesses and tries to exploit them." Entreri nodded. "It won't be too long," he noted. Jarlaxle looked at him suspiciously. "If I didn't have a plan that worked, I wouldn't waste my energy and my time trying to pull you out of those scumbags," the killer said. "tell me." "I'll tell when the time comes," the killer promised. "Now I beg you not to take the Crystal Shard, and I also beg you to allow me to rest." He lay down and closed his eyes.He knew very well that if Jarlaxle attacked him, he could only defend with the power of the Crystal Shard.He also knew that once he used the Crystal Shard, it would likely find many, many ways to weaken his self-control, and eventually he would abandon his mission and the Crystal Shard would be his guide. Be his guide to destruction, he knows, perhaps to a fate worse than death. But when Entreri looked at Jarlaxle, he took a little solace in seeing again that sly and optimistic demeanor, which meant that this man would Carefully consider the possibilities.And Entreri had just explained everything to the leader of the drow mercenaries, and it was obviously too aggressive to retrieve Cershenipon.No, he believed Jarlaxle would not attack him.The drow mercenary chief will let the situation continue to develop freely until things move away from the current situation that he obviously does not fully understand. Entreri, thinking of these things, soon fell into a deep sleep. Just as his consciousness was floating in nothingness, he felt the healing magic from Jarlaxle's orb descend upon him again. The halfling was surprised to find that her fingers were trembling as she carefully unfolded the note. "Hey, Artemis, I didn't even know you could write," Wavel snickered.The lettering on the parchment was neat and beautiful, though to Wawel's luxurious eyes the words seemed austere and too efficient. "My dear Wawel," she read aloud, but stopped immediately to consider the wording.She wasn't sure what to make of the title.Is this a formal and appropriate title?Or does this represent a true friendship? The halfling realized that she didn't know Artemis Entreri's heart at all.The Killer has always claimed that his only goal is to be the strongest, but if that's true, why didn't he use the Crystal Shard for destruction immediately after he got it?Besides, Wawel knew he must have got the Crystal Shard.Her contact in Dalabad described to her in detail the circumstances of the crystal tower's fall, and the escape of a human - Entreri - and a dark elf, whom she had to believe was Jarlaxle. All indications were that Entreri's plan had succeeded.Though she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, and his enemies were admittedly formidable opponents, Wawel never doubted the man. The halfling walked to the door, making sure it was locked.Then she sat down at the small table, unfolded the note, spread it flat on the table, pressed it down with a paperweight made of huge jewels, and began to read the letter, deciding that it would be the second time she read it. Start analyzing sensibly. My dear Wawel, The moment of our parting has thus come, and I am very sorry for it.I will miss all our conversations, my little friend.Few people have earned my trust enough that I feel free to speak what's on my mind.I'm going to do it now, one last time, not in the hopes that you'll be giving me advice on my next path, it's just that it will give me a deeper understanding of how I feel about these things...but, that's what we're talking about So good reason, no? Now that we've talked about our discussions, I look back and see that you provided very little advice.In fact, you rarely even talk, but just listen.I explain my thoughts and feelings to you while I listen to my own words and slowly organize my thoughts.Your expression, nodding your head, raising your eyebrows, lead me to the answer purposefully, don't you? I have no idea. I don't know - it's become a mantra that needs to be repeated over and over again in my life, Wawel.I sensed that my beliefs and actions seemed to be based on a shaky foundation that kept collapsing like sand in a desert.When I was young, I knew the answers to all the questions.I live in a definite, given world.Now I'm old, I've lived for forty years, and the only thing I know for sure is that I don't know anything for sure. It's so much easier to be a twenty-year-old.It's so much easier to walk in this world by faith alone. I think this belief is based on hatred, and it drives me to become the best master of dark arts.That is my goal, to be the mightiest warrior in all the world, to engrave my name in the history of Faerûn.Many people think that my ideal is just for vanity, so that people will be terrified just to mention my name. Their thinking is not entirely wrong.We are all conceited, although our definitions of conceit may vary.However, for me, the desire to increase my reputation is not as strong as the other desire.No, not a wish, but a need, a need to master the best of the dark arts.I like to see my reputation grow, not out of vanity, but because I know it cuts through my opponent's emotional armor and gives me an even greater advantage. The trembling hands could not stab the blade accurately. I still keep pushing towards the top, without fear, but only because doing so adds a purpose to my increasingly joyless life. For me, it was a strange turn: I defeated the dark elf who had been trying to make me understand myself in every way, but only after that did I realize that what he said was actually true.Drizzt Do'Urden - I still hate him! —he sees my life as meaningless, an empty trap that fails to capture real substance and joy.At this point, I don't completely disagree with his assessment, I just don't think it matters.His reason for living is always based on his friends, his group, and I live only for myself.Either way, it looks like a play to me, a meaningless phony show put on to entertain the gods.The high mountains to climb are only mounds, and the deep streams to cross are only shallow streams.The pettiness of life itself is my greatest pain. Maybe it wasn't Drizzt who made me see the moving sand beneath my feet, maybe it was you, Wawel, who gave me something I never really understood. friend?I'm still not sure I understand the concept, but if I'm going to do it one day, I'll use the time we've spent together as a yardstick. So perhaps this letter is written as an apology.I should not have compelled you to put Charlotta Vespa under house arrest, though I believe you tortured her to death as I said, and buried her far away. How many times have you asked me what my plans are and I've just laughed, but you should know, dear Wavel, that I'm trying to steal a powerful artifact before anyone else can get their hands on it.It's a desperate attempt, I know, but I can't stop myself because the treasure is calling to me, ordering me to take it from its current, incompetent bearer. I will have it, for my craft is indeed the most powerful; I will go away, away from here, and maybe never come back. Farewell, Wawel Tigovis, and may you succeed in all your endeavors.I assure you, you don't owe me anything, on the contrary, I feel that I still owe you.The road ahead of me is long and full of danger, but my goal is in sight.Success will save me from any harm.farewell! — Arne Wawel Tigovis pushed the parchment aside, wiped a tear from his eye, and laughed again at the absurdity of it all.Had she been told months ago that she would be sad when Artemis Entreri left her, she would have laughed at the man and called him a fool. But the letter was proof, and it was worded as intimately as the discussions Wawel had had with Entreri.She found that she had begun to miss those discussions, or, perhaps, she regretted that she would not have the opportunity to have such capable discussions with that person in the future.At least, there will be no more chances in a short time. Entreri said he would miss those discussions, too.This shook Wawel deeply, as she realized how attracted she was to the man who had secretly ruled the streets of Calimport twenty years earlier.How many people could have gotten so close to Artemis Entreri? Wawel knew that she was the only one alive. She reread the end of the letter, the part about Entreri's purpose.In her eyes, who knew the facts, this was obviously a lie.He had written it that way on purpose, so that the rest of the dark elves would think Wavel knew nothing, and to cover up the fact that she had helped him make the fake Crystal Shard.And the lie about how to deal with Charlotta makes Wawel safer, because it will make Charlotta and her secret supporters have some sympathy for Wawel. The thought made Wawel shudder.She definitely didn't want to bet her life on the sympathy of the dark elves! Things weren't going to turn out that way, she realized.Even if the enemy really came to her base following various signs, she could also readily hand over this letter to Charlotte, and in this way, Charlotte would regard her as a valuable resource. Yes, the fact that Artemis Entreri had taken a lot of pain himself in order to cover Wawel revealed a depth of their friendship that far exceeded all the kind words in the letter. "Run away, my friend, and hide yourself deeply," she whispered. She slowly re-rolled the parchment and put it in a drawer of her fine wardrobe.The sound of the drawer closing resonated strongly in Wawel's heart. She was going to miss Artemis Entreri very, very much.