Chapter 28 Chapter 24 Chaos

With honed perfect skill, Danica narrowly avoided the flames, but at such close range, the skin on her left cheek was burnt red.Danica knew that there was no magic to help her now, only her thousands of hours of hard training, her years of perfecting her fighting style and, more importantly, her method of dodging.Danica had no intention of fighting or attacking the dragon, let alone killing it, and she doubted she could even do it any harm.All her powers, all her strength and focus, were now used only for defense, and her form crouched in balance, allowing her to swipe in every direction, forward or backward.

Hephaestus's spiked claws slammed down on her with a loud crack, but the dragon only hit the air, and the monk had already lurched to the right.A claw came after it, a blow that would have split Danica in two, but she rolled harder and suddenly fell straight back. The exhalation followed, another burst of flame, seemingly endless. Danica rolled twice on her body to extinguish the flames burning on the clothes on her back.She felt that Hephaestus, noticing her escape, was about to reorient the flame, and turned hastily into a hole in the wall, and lay flat on the stony ground behind the rock which sheltered her.

Then she noticed two figures.Artemis Entreri ran towards her, but missed her position and jumped into a chasm created by the earthquake caused by Cadderly.The strange dark elf Jarlaxle skimmed behind the dragon, and to Danica's surprise he cast a spell in the direction of Hephaestus.A sudden arc of lightning caught the dragon's attention and gave Danica momentary freedom.She didn't waste the moment. Danica flew out close to the ground, and jumped away when Hephaestus, who was turning around, swung his long tail and smashed at her.Like Entreri, she disappeared through the same rift.

She knew she was in trouble when she walked through the opening of the rift, but it was a minor inconvenience compared to getting back to the dragon's lair.The path of descent twisted and twisted, full of sharp-edged rubble.Danica's training came in again, as her hands and legs jerked violently to cushion the impact and slow her fall.Some distance down, the chasm widened into a cavern, and for the last twenty feet of the fall, Danica had nothing to hold on to.She adjusted her movements and landed with her feet on the ground, but a slight movement of her legs caused her to roll sideways.She rolled many times, which eased the momentum of her fall.

After a moment, she stood up.Leaning against a wall in front of her that was dented by impact but not yet cracked, Artemis Entreri leaned.He was staring at her intently, holding a small torch, but tossing it aside when Danica noticed him. "I thought you were destroyed by the first flame of Hephaestus," the killer commented, stepping away from the wall, and drew his sword and dagger, the blades of which shone with pure white blazing light. "A person will always get what he wants most." The woman replied coldly. "You hated me from the moment you met me," the killer said with a chuckle, proving he didn't care.

"Much earlier than that, Artemis Entreri," Danica replied coldly, taking a step forward, staring intently at the killer's weapon. "We don't know what kind of enemy we'll find here," Entreri explained.But as he said this, he looked at Danica's mask of hatred, knowing that explanations were useless, and that any action other than surrender would arouse her anger.Artemis Entreri didn't want to fight this woman, or any senseless war underground, but he wouldn't cower from any fight. "Indeed." That was all Danica answered.She walked on. Both knew it was going to happen sooner or later, even though their trusted companions were nowhere to be found, an angry red dragon was fifty feet above their heads, and the cave they were in seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Nika believes that this is not an accidental encounter, but inevitable.

In all his reason and sense, Artemis Entreri would not be disappointed by her mood. As Hephaestus began spinning dizzyingly, Jarlaxle had to wonder about the wisdom of his distracting bolts of lightning.Still, the drow behaved like any ally, drawing the attention of the behemoth so that both Entreri and Danica could escape. In fact, Jarlaxle wasn't overly concerned beyond the initial shock of seeing an angry red dragon turn toward him.Although powerful dispel magic—powerful magic unwieldy by any dragon, the mercenary leader believed—filled the caverns, Jarlaxle was still confident he had enough cunning to escape.

Hephaestus's giant claws slammed down on Drow, who was still perfectly upright, an easy target.The magic on Jarlaxle's cloak deflected the dragon, and Hephaestus roared at the top of his lungs as its head smashed into a solid wall. Predictably, the flame breath came next, but just as Hephaestus began to breathe, Jarlaxle shook a ringed finger, opening a dimensional door that took him behind the dragon.He could have simply swiped away, but he wanted to stop the beast for a moment longer.A wand was raised, one of several wands drow carried, and it shot a cloud of green semi-fluid toward the tip of Hephaestus' quivering tail.

"Now you're captured!" Jarlaxle yelled when the flame breath finally died down. Hephaestus turned again, and his tail was indeed coiled, its end held firmly in place by a temporary, yet miraculously effective, goo. Jarlaxle sent another ball of goo flying from the wand, and it hit the dragon in the face. Then, of course, Jarlaxle remembered why he never wanted to face such a behemoth again.Hephaestus fell into a terrible rage, and from his sealed mouth roared so that the stone walls of the cave trembled.It flicked its tail wildly in all directions, cracking the rocky ground.

The mercenary drow tipped his wide-brimmed hat, called his magic ring again, and disappeared into the last portal it could provide, back behind the dragon, a little further than the first portal he had summoned by the wall.There was another exit to the back cave, Jarlathochai, which would lead him to some old friends. Some old friend who was probably holding the Crystal Shard, he understood, it certainly wasn't destroyed by Hephaestus' first breath, it was stolen by magic, and that happened to be in the middle of the powerful Disenchantment Before mana floods the room. The last thing Jarlaxle wanted was for Lecky and Kim Murray to get hold of the Crystal Shard, and there was no doubt that they would come looking for him again.

A moment later he stepped out of the cavern, leaving Hephaestus' thunderous blow behind him in relief.He reached into the magical hat and took out a piece of black cloth in the shape of a small bat.He whispered a few magical words and threw them into the air.The cloth figure materialized as a living, breathing creature, a servant of its creator, and flapped its wings back to Jarlaxle's shoulders.Drow whispered a few orders into its ear, then threw it forward again, and his little spy flew into the darkness. "We will make Hephaestus ours," Lecky whispered to the Crystal Shard.Zall is considering all the huge benefits that may be obtained on this day.In theory, the dark elf knew he'd better get out of this place, could Kim Murray and the others really defeat Jarlaxle and the mighty companions he brought to the dragon's lair? Leckie smiled fearlessly, Crenshinibon was in his grasp, why should he be afraid?He knew he would soon make an alliance with a dragon.He turned and began to walk down the wide passage leading to the main cavern of Hephaestus. He noticed some movement in a recess at the side of the road, and Clinshinibon screamed warnings in his head. Yara Shike stepped out, less than ten steps away from him.Tentacles around the illithid's mouth wobbled menacingly. "Friends of Kim Murray, without a doubt." The dark elf commented, "The one who betrayed Colin Suarez." Betrayal means alliance.Yarashike responded with telepathy.Not betrayed. "If you're here to adventure with us, why don't you act openly?" Drow asked. I'm here for you, not with you.The always confident illithid replied. Lecky knew exactly what was coming, for the Crystal Shard created in his mind a palpable and vile abhorrence of the creature. "The drow and your race have allied many times in the past," Leckie pointed out. "We have rarely had cause to fight. So it is now." The mage didn't try to dissuade the illithid's indiscretion out of fear.Far from it, he's thinking about what he might have, where perhaps another strong, exploitable connection could be made. The screams in his head, Crenshinibon's sheer abhorrence of the Mind Flayer, made this alliance seem unlikely. And a moment later it was even more impossible.Yarashiko raised the magic lantern and shone it on Clinshinibon.The dissent in the drow mage's mind faded away. The magic weapon will be brought back to the dragon.Yarashike said with a spiritual dialogue.This was a strengthened spiritual command, which made Laiji take another step towards the main cave unknowingly. The cunning dark elf has lived in lands hostile to his homeland for over a hundred years, and is no novice in combat of any kind.He beat the compulsive cue, planted himself firmly on his feet, and turned to stare at the octopus-headed creature, its fiery eyes narrowing menacingly. "Release the broken magic crystal, maybe we will save your life." Lecky said. It must be destroyed!Yarashiko screamed in his head.It is a thing of no benefit to anyone, even to itself, but only harm.Saying so, the creature lifted the lantern higher and took a step forward, its tentacles snaking out, reaching towards Lecky hungrily.Although Drow was still far away from all physical attacks, he was within the range of spiritual attacks. When he launched his spell, Drow realized this instantly. A dizzy and chaotic force hit him, penetrated into his body, and spread in his thoughts.He felt himself falling back almost helplessly, his eyes sweeping across the walls and up to the high ceiling. He called to Clinshinibon, but it was gone, lost in the vortex of light from the magic lantern.He thought of illithids, of those hideous tentacles burrowing beneath his skin toward his brain. Lecky calmed himself down, fought desperately, finally regained his balance, and stared back.He saw Yarashik so close that the tentacles almost touched him. He was about to start casting another spell almost quickly, but he knew he needed to be more cunning at this point, he needed to convince the creature that he was defeated.Here's the secret to fighting illithids, as many drow are trained to do: exploit their arrogance.Like all of its kind, the Yarashik has little comprehension that an inferior creature, such as a drow, can somehow resist its psychic attacks. Leckie casts a simple spell and pretends to be helpless the entire time. Must do!The illithid screamed in his head.Tentacles reached for Lecky's face, and Yarashik reached for the Crystal Shard. Leckie unleashes his spell.It wasn't a destructive storm, it wasn't the rumble of a big bang, it wasn't a bolt of lightning or a fireball.A gust of pure wind blew from the drow's hand, a swift and startling burst that blew Yarashik's tentacles back into its hideous face, blowing the creature's robes back and forcing it to take a step back. The gust of wind blew out the lantern. Yarashike looked down, wanting to summon some kind of psychic power to re-light the lantern, and looked up again, wanting to attack Lecky with another kind of psychic shock from the power of chaos, in fear of the next spell. . At the same time that the illithid could begin to do any of these things, an overwhelming wave of emotion washed over it—a wave of hopelessness descended by Crenshinibon, and a specious hope that slyly promised that all would go well. On the right track, everyone will win greater glory. Yarashiko's spiritual defense was launched almost simultaneously, slowly releasing the harsh call of the magic crystal shard. A jolt of force—Lakey's horrifying grasp—grabbed the illithid's chest, lifted it off the ground, and flung it sprawled to the ground. "Fool!" Leckie snarled. "Do you think I need Clinshinibon to destroy a fellow like you?" Indeed, when Yarashik looked back at the drow mage to initiate a psychic attack, it fixed the end of a short black wand.Anyway, the illithid charged and did stagger Lecky back, but the drow had already unleashed the wand's power.This wand was similar to the one Jarlaxle used to fix Hephaestus' tail and instantly seal the dragon's mouth. Leckie struggled with the chaotic shock for a long time, but when he stood upright again, he laughed loudly at the sight of the illithid sprawled to the ground with a blob of green goo. Crenshinibon exerted mind control over the creature again, consuming its will.Leckie walked over, standing tall in front of Yarashke, staring into the helpless mind-flayer's bulbous eyes, making it plain that the battle was over. She had no visible weapons, but Entreri knew he couldn't make her surrender, knowing full well what this veteran warrior was capable of.He had fought warlike monks before, and though not often, always found them surprising.He could see the honed muscles of Danica's legs twitching eagerly, the woman's urge to attack him. "Why do you hate me so much?" the Killer asked with a crooked grin, stopping just three paces away from Danica. "Or maybe you're just afraid of me, and you're afraid to show it? Are you afraid?" Mine, you understand." Danica stared at him hard.She did hate the man, and had heard a great deal about him from Drizzt Do'Urden, and even more, more accursed things, from Catti-brie's testimony.He invaded her sensibilities in all things.For Danica, seeing Artemis Entreri with the drow was not just an indictment of the drow. "But perhaps we can better resolve our differences away from here," Entreri suggested. "Even if our battle seems inevitable to you, doesn't it?" "Reason would say so to both parties," Danica replied.With that, she rushed forward suddenly, skimming under Entreri's outstretched blade, sweeping across his feet. "But none of us are servants of wise thought, are we, killers of evil?" Entreri took the trip without resistance, flipping backwards, letting Danica's legs sweep unimpeded, and he began to roll himself, lifting his feet to avoid her whirling sweep. leg.Facing the force of retreat, he did not try his best to find a way to stand still, but tapped his toes to the ground, and rushed forward with all his strength. Still crouching, Danica angled her feet so that her feet were facing the charging Entreri, then rolled back suddenly, timed perfectly, kicking the killer's inner thigh as he The long sword was stabbing her abdomen from above.With desperate precision, Danica rolled backwards on her shoulders, every muscle in her body and legs working in perfect harmony to force Artemis Entreri back, to stop the A dreadful longsword. He flew up past Danica, ducked at the last moment and rolled forward.He turned and stood up straight, facing the monk who stood up and charged forward, and when she faced the deadly longsword and its accompanying dagger again, she stopped coldly. Entreri felt the adrenaline rush through him, eager for a real challenge.As much as he understood how stupid it all was, he enjoyed it just as much. The same goes for this woman. A voice came from the side, a dark elf's beautiful cry. "Kill everyone and solve our troubles." Boyinyon Banrui explained, leading two dark elf warriors into this small place.All three held twin swords that shone with powerful magic. Coughing and bleeding from some scrapes, Cadley crawled out of the rocks and staggered down a small passage.He fumbled in a pouch and took out the lamp tube, which was a cylindrical object with a continuous light spell cast on it, focusing at one end into an adjustable beam of light.He had to go to Danica.He had to see her again.The final image of the dragon's fiery breath pouring down on her made him dizzy with terror. What would his life be without Danica?What should he say to the children?Everything in Cadley Bundus' life inevitably revolved around this delightful and capable woman. Yes, capable, he told himself sharply again and again as he staggered down the smoke-filled passage, stopping only once to cast a mild healing spell on a particularly deep wound on his shoulder.He bent down and coughed again, coughing up some dust that had choked into his throat. He shook his head, murmured again that he had to find her, and stood up straight, shining his lamp forward—the light bouncing off the dark skin of one of the drow. The beam stung Kimmouri Obroza's sensitive eyes, but he wasn't surprised. For wise pastors, it quickly becomes clear.As he spoke with Jarlaxle and his fellow killers, he learned more about the drow and deduced more from the information gathered by the denizens of the lower planes.He was indeed surprised to see a second dark elf - who couldn't?But he was far from giving in. Drow and Cadderly stood ten paces apart, staring, sizing up each other.Kim Murray explored the pastor's thoughts with spiritual power, which was enough to crush the willpower of an ordinary person. But Cadley Bondus is no ordinary man.The way he communicates with the gods, Diene's flowing chants, is in some ways similar to psychic powers.It's a purely mental exercise. Cadley couldn't strike with mental power like Kim Murray had done just now, but he could indeed resist such an attack, and he undoubtedly understood what it was. Then he remembered everything he had learned about the Crystal Shard, its properties and powers. The drow psychic raised a hand, breaking the telepathic connection, and drew a gleaming longsword.He unleashes another psychic power that strengthens him physically for the upcoming battle. Cadley wasn't prepared in the same way.He just stood there staring at Kim Murray, grinning knowingly.He casts a spell of language translation. Drow watched him curiously, seeking an explanation. "You desire as deeply as I do that Crenshinibon be destroyed," the priest commented, his magic altering the words as they escaped, "You are a psychic, the nemesis of the Crystal Shard, it most hated enemy." Kim Murray paused, scowling physically and mentally. "What do you know, stupid human?" he asked. "The Crystal Shard can't bear you to live too long," Cadderly said, "and you know that." "Do you think I'd help a human rebel against Lecky?" Kim Murray asked skeptically. Cadley had no idea who this Leckie was, but Kim Murray's questions made it clear that he was an important dark elf with some powers. "Then, protect yourself and go," Cadley suggested.The calm confidence with which he spoke made Kim Murray narrow his eyes and study him more carefully. The mind attack came again.This time Cadderly allowed the drow to partly penetrate, directing his discerning eyes to Deeney's hymn, allowing him to see the truth of the power of the Harmonious Flow, allowing him to see, if he persisted in this battle, The real doom he was about to face. The spiritual connection was broken again, and Kim Murray stood upright, staring fiercely at Cadley. "I have not always been so generous, Dark Elf," Cadderly said. "But I'm in greater trouble. You don't like Clinshinibon, and perhaps desire its destruction more than I do. If it's not destroyed, if your companion, this Lecky you mentioned is allowed to have it If you do, this will be your end. So, if you wish to destroy the Crystal Shard, help me. If you and your kind intend to return to your dark home, I will not stand in the way." Jin Murray maintained an indifferent posture for a while, then shook his head with a smile. "You'll find Lecky a formidable opponent," he assured, "especially with Clinshinibon in his hand." Before Cadley could answer, Kim Murray waved his hand, his body blurring.The transparent figure turned and simply passed through the stone wall. After a long time, Cadley let out a long sigh of relief.How he bluffed with improvisation.The spells he prepared that day were all aimed at dealing with dragons, not dark elves, and that dark elf was indeed quite powerful.He felt this keenly from the mind attack. Now he knew a name, Lecky, and his fears about the truth of Hephaestus' spitting were confirmed.Like Jarlaxle, Cadderly knew that powerful artifact well, and he knew that if the Spit destroyed Crenshinibon, all the people in that place would know it in due time.Now Cadley could easily guess how and where Clinshinibon had gone.Knowing that there were other dark elves around, and the trouble of a furious red dragon, hadn't given him a more optimistic view of the future of his three missing friends. He departed as quickly as he could, sinking again into Deeney's chants, praying for Deeney's guidance. "It is my destiny to protect those things that I despise most," Entreri whispered to Danica, holding out her hand for the woman to step aside. The dark elves broke the formation.One moved to attack Danica, while Boyinyong and the other approached the killer.Bo Yinyong waved his accomplice away. "Kill that woman as soon as possible," he said in drow language. "I hope to fight this person alone." Entreri glanced at Danica, pointed two fingers up, pointed at the two men who were about to attack her, and pointed at her.The woman nodded quickly, and at that moment some kind of agreement was conveyed between them.She would try to entangle the two dark elves, but both knew that Entreri would quickly finish off the third. "I've always wondered how I should face Drizzt Do'Urden," Boyinyon said to the killer. "Since I'll never get that chance, I'll be content to fight you who are equal in every way to Drizzt." Entreri bowed. "I am glad to know that it is of some value to you, cowardly son of House Baenre." When fighting back, he knew that Bo Yinyong would not hesitate to face these words.Still, the drow's sheer ferocity nearly knocked Entreri down before the fight really began.He leapt back and stood on his heels.The two swords stabbed fiercely, left and right downwards, stabbed low again, and then raised again, stabbing at his abdomen. He swept back again and again, and then Bo Yinyong made the fourth double stab At that time, he tried to make the long sword hit his double swords, hoping to lower the edge of his sword.He was not facing a farmer, not an orc or a ratman, but a seasoned and experienced dark elf warrior.Bo Yinyong still used his left sword to confront the assassin's blade, and his right sword quickly circled downwards, and then stabbed upwards more fiercely. The jeweled dagger hooked it at the last moment, turning it around.Entreri spun the wrist of his other hand, and the point of his sword struck Bo Yinyon.However, he did not pursue, but let his sword edge continue to circle under Drow's long sword, and then stab forward. Bo Yinyon turned the blade of his left hand quickly, down across his body, and freed his right sword from under the dagger, allowing it to sweep left, pressing down on Entreri's longsword.In the same fluid movement, the seasoned drow spun his right sword past his horizontal left and thrust it straight into the killer's head.A perfect attack, Bo Yinyong knew, would be the end of Artemis Entreri. On the other side of the road, Danica was no better off.Her combat is a mixture of pure chaos and lightning-quick, almost violent movement.The woman squatted down, spun hard, and dodged to the sides quickly, avoiding Drow's blade time and time again.The two drow were nowhere near the one fighting her companions across the road, but they were dark elves after all, and even the weakest drow warrior was skilled by surface standards.Moreover, they knew each other so well that they complemented each other's actions with such precision that Danica was unable to mount any effective counterattacks.Every time one of them rushed forward, as if giving the woman a chance to roll over under the forward knives, or even kick him in the knee from under them, his drow mates attacked where she might strike. The two shining long swords made her cornered. With those long swords and precise movements, they were wearing her out.She had to deal with every stab and slash, and even overreact.She had to leap to avoid the drow's blade thrust with just a flick of the wrist. She looked at Entreri and the other drow, their blades clashing in a wild song, and if anything, it seemed the dark elves were about to win.She knew she had to take the risk, even to the death. Danica dashed forward, then swerved abruptly to the left, heading for the side of the road, even though she was only three steps away from the wall.The nearest dark elf saw that she was obviously being cornered, so he quickly turned around and gave chase... and stabbed at nothing. Danica sprinted straight for the wall, turning and kicking at the same time, landing an inverted somersault beside the pursuing dark elf.She spun low as she landed, kicking the drow's leg with one leg. She could have kicked him, but his companion thrust his sword deep into Danica's thigh.She screamed angrily and struggled back, kicking feebly at the chasing dark elves. A darkness fell upon her.Her back hit the rock and there was no way back. He ran alone, followed closely by the ethereal Kimmouri Obroza. "Are you looking for a way out?" the drow psychic asked in a voice that couldn't be thinner. "I'm looking for my friends," Cadderly replied. "They're probably out there already," Kim Murray commented, which slowed the priest considerably. Indeed, wouldn't Danica and the dwarves find a way out of the mountain?From his search of the place before setting off, Cadley knew that there were many exits between the lower passages.There are dozens of criss-crossing passages below here, but standing quietly and erecting wet fingers can judge the flow of air.Of course Ivan and Pike will find their way out of this subterranean maze without any problems, but what about Danica? "Something's coming this way," Kim Murray warned, and Cadley turned to find the drow backing away from the wall, standing motionless, seemingly gone. Cadderly knew the drow would not help him in any fight, and if the approaching footsteps belonged to Kim Murray's dark elf companions, he might even join them. Almost at the same time with sudden apprehension, Cadderly knew it wasn't drow, for the footsteps didn't belong to any furtive creature. "You stupid Zhuo-bad!" came the familiar roar. "Throw me in a hole with rocks everywhere!" "O-ooh!" Pike replied.They leaped along the curved passage, right into Cadderly's beam of light. Ivan screamed and charged, but Pike grabbed him and pulled him down, whispering something in his ear. "Hey, you're right," admitted the yellow-bearded dwarf. "Damn drow don't use lights." Cadley walked over to them. "Where's Danica?" Any sense of relief the two dwarves felt at the sight of their friend evaporated immediately. "Help me find her!" Cadderly said to the dwarves and Kim Murray, turning around. Kimurley Obroza was obviously concerned that Cadley and his companions were not reliable companions, and had been away for a long time. As one of his swords rose above the other, his smile widened, an evil grin, because he knew there was no turning back for Entreri.Bo Yinyong's fatal blow was delivered. But the killer is not there! Bo Yinyong's thoughts turned wildly.Where did he go?How can his weapon still maintain the previous blocking posture?He knew Entreri couldn't stay away, yet, he wasn't here. The point of view of the sudden separation of the weapons gave Boyynyon the truth, and the drow understood that the moment he had finished his spin, Entreri had also advanced, but he was advancing short, turning Boyynyon's own blade as an obstacle to his vision. The dark elf silently greeted this cunning human, who was rumored to be on par with Drizzt Do'Urden. congratulations.At the same time he felt the jeweled dagger sink into the back of his heart, straight to the heart. "You should have kept a entourage with you," Entreri whispered into the drow's ear, causing the dying Boyinyon to slide to the ground. "He will die by your side." The killer pulled out his dagger and turned to look at the woman.He saw her get hit, saw her slide out, saw the enchantment descend on her. He was too far away for instant rescue.Entreri flinched as the two dark elves surrounded the woman with swords from opposite directions, tumbling quickly into the barrier. In the instant before the darkness fell, the dark elf standing in front of Danica began to roll to the right, turning in a circle to make his movements faster and more dynamic.This is Danica's only clue. The other was moving to her left, she guessed, but of course the two of them were coming at an angle close enough that she couldn't get straight between them.Left, right, center, all three options are as impossible as moving backwards, behind a solid stone wall. She felt their movement, not definitively, but enough to tell they were closing in for the kill. A choice appears.only one. Danica jumped straight up, her legs tucked under her, so desperate she barely felt the searing pain of the wound on her thigh. She could neither see the downward thrust of the drow's swords on the right, nor the high strike of the drow's swords on the left, but when she crossed the two sets of sword edges, she felt the disturbance below her body.She jumped high in a group, stretched her legs suddenly, and kicked to both sides. She succeeded on both sides, kicking the right drow in the forehead and the left drow in the throat.She straightened her legs as hard as she could, and kicked both drows flying.She landed with perfect balance, dashed three steps forward, and rolled out of the dark barrier.She stood up and turned around to see the dark elf she had kicked in the forehead now to her left.He was still stumbling out of the dark ward and into the waiting grasp of Artemis Entreri. The drow convulsed suddenly and violently, and Entreri's finely crafted sword slammed through his chest.The assassin held the sword for a moment, allowing Charon's Claw to unleash its magic.The drow's face began to smoke and burn, disappearing from his skull. Danica turned her face away, her eyes fell on the darkness, waiting for another dark elf to rush out of it.Her wounded leg was bleeding profusely, and her strength dissipated rapidly. Moments later, she was dazed and could not hear the final gurgle of the dying drow in the dark barrier, his throat completely severed, unable to draw in any air.But even if she heard that reassuring voice, it didn't support her hope. She knew she couldn't maintain standing, or consciousness. Artemis Entreri was certainly not her ally, he was still alive and very, very close to her. Yarashiko was subdued.The combination of Lecky's magic and the constant psychic attack of the Crystal Shard completely defeated the illithid.At that moment, Yarashiko couldn't even muster enough mental power to aether to pass through the rock and leave the glue that imprisoned it. "Surrender!" Drow's shepherd and legal practitioner ordered. "You can't escape us. We'll have your pledge of allegiance to us," Drow explained, oblivious to the shadowy presence behind him trying to reclaim an item. "Crenshinibon will know if you've lied, but if you're loyal, you'll be rewarded!" 确实，在黑暗精灵如此宣告的同时，克林辛尼朋令这些语句在雅拉史克的思想中深深地回荡。这个长着章鱼头的生物当然拒斥了臣服于碎魔晶，一切精神掠夺者最为憎恶的古老魔器的念头，但同样地，消灭它的念头也被排拒了。这正是雅拉史克面临的问题。灵吸怪无法获胜，无法逃脱。在莱基毁灭它的肉体的同时，克林辛尼朋将会消融它的精神。 我屈服。灵吸怪以心灵感应与它的两个攻击者沟通。 莱基缓释了他的魔法，并向克林辛尼朋征询。魔器告知他，雅拉史克确实屈服了。 “干得聪明。”卓尔对灵吸怪说道。“当你能够援助我的军队，为我联络你强大的族群之时，你的死亡将是多么浪费的事情。” “我的族人痛恨克林辛尼朋，不会听从那些呼唤。”雅拉史克用它稀薄的声音答道。 “然而你有着不同的理解。”卓尔说道。他快速念了一个咒语，消除了灵吸怪周围的粘胶。“你现在认识到了它的价值。” “是的，比死亡有价值。”雅拉史克承认，并站了起来。 “好啊，好啊，我不忠实的副官。”一个声音从旁边传来。莱基和雅拉史克转过头去，看到贾拉索栖身于稍高的墙上，隐藏在一个凹穴中。 莱基发出咆哮，以精神呼叫克林辛尼朋去毁灭他过去的主人。就在他发出无声呼唤的同时，魔法提灯向上升起。它的光芒笼罩了魔器，挫败了它的力量。 莱基再度咆哮起来。“你不仅仅需要击败魔器！”他怒喝道，挥臂指向雅拉史克。“你看到我的新朋友了吗？” “确实很强大。”贾拉索表示同意，出于对强大的灵吸怪的敬意，他轻触宽沿帽。“你认识我的了吗？”在他说完话的同时，他的目光射向一旁，宽阔的通道的远方。 莱基艰难地咽着口水，在转过身去之前就明白了真相。他开始狂乱地挥舞手臂，试图放出某个防御性的法术。 运用卓尔的天生能力，在赫淮斯托斯的火焰喷吐吞没法师和心灵掠夺者，将他们卷入可怕的毁灭风暴之前的那个瞬间，贾拉索将一团黑暗结界降到他们身上。 贾拉索向后倚去，在火光下遮住双眼。橙红色的火线就这样消失于黑暗中。 随后一阵咝咝声突然响起，黑暗消逝无踪。通道回复了原本的昏暗，被龙的火焰所略微照亮。那束光芒增强了千百倍，变成一道辉煌灿烂的炽光，仿佛太阳本身向着他们坠落下来。 贾拉索知道，那是克林辛尼朋。龙的喷吐完成了它的使命，凝聚于魔器中的能量被打破了。在眩光变得过强之前，贾拉索看到巨大爬虫脸上的惊异神情，看到他从前的副官的尸体，看到雅拉史克古怪的形象，因为在赫淮斯托斯喷吐之时，灵吸怪已经开始融身入石了。撤退无用，赫淮斯托斯的喷吐熔解了岩石。 很快，光芒对卓尔的双眼来说就太明亮了。“不错的火焰……呃，喷吐。”他对赫淮斯托斯说道。 贾拉索转过身，滑入了凹壁后部的一道裂隙中，一刻不停地飞奔而去。赫淮斯托斯可怕的喷吐紧随而来，熔解了裂隙中的石头，沿着通道追击贾拉索，烤焦了他裤子的后部。 他在仍然不断增亮的光芒中持续奔跑着。克林辛尼朋释放出的能量注满了每块岩石的每道裂隙。不久贾拉索知道他已经靠近外壁了，于是他再度利用了他的魔法洞口，将它扔向墙壁，穿过它进入了外面的黎明之光。 那个地方同样立即变得相当明亮，仿佛太阳已经升起。光芒从贾拉索的魔法洞口倾泻而过。卓尔一抖腕收回魔法物品，关闭了洞口，使此处又回复了普通的亮度——除了从炽亮的山体的其余部位射出的无数光柱之外。 “丹妮卡！”他身后传来卡德利狂乱的呼唤。“丹妮卡在哪儿？” 贾拉索转过身去，看到牧师和两个笨拙的矮人——一对古怪的兄弟，如果卓尔曾见过一个的话——正向他跑来。 “她在阿提密斯·恩崔立之后跳下了洞穴。”贾拉索以安慰的语气说道。“一个杰出而足智多谋的盟友。” “嘣！”派克·石肩说道。 “这些光是什么？”伊万补充道。 贾拉索回头看着山，耸耸肩。“看起来你们摧毁碎魔晶的方式毕竟是正确的。”卓尔对卡德利说道。 他带着微笑转过身，但牧师脸上并未流露出相同的神情。他惊惧地回望着山脉，为他亲爱的妻子感到惊奇与忧虑。