Chapter 13 Chapter Ten Unexpected and Unpleasant Revenge

Wulfgar moved swiftly along the hills at the foot of the Spine of the World.He desperately hopes that a group of monsters will find and attack him, so that he can release the anger in his chest.A few times, he found footprints in the ground, and he tried to follow them, but he was no ranger.While he can survive in swampy terrain, his tracking skills are far inferior to those of his drow friends. His sense of direction wasn't great either.The next day, he climbed to the top of a mountain and was surprised to find that he had crossed the corner of the mountain obliquely.From this peak, the entire southern continent lay before his eyes.Wulfgar felt that there was a better chance of finding a fighting chance in the mountains, so he turned his head to try to get a bird's eye view of the enemy's tracks in the mountains, but his eyes couldn't help but turn again to the wide fields to the south, the clusters of forests, and many The long, unknown road.He felt the impulse in his heart, he longed to go on adventures, travel across the vast land, and he longed to break free from the rules of life in Icewind Dale.Perhaps there he could gain something new, something worth remembering, and thus escape the shadow that haunted him.Perhaps, saying goodbye to the usual, familiar life can also make him far away from the horrible memories left by him in the abyss.

Wulfgar nodded to himself, and began to climb down the steep southern slope of the mountain.Two hours later, he found tracks that looked like they had been left by orcs, but this time he made no attempt to follow them.He had left the mountains when the sun began to set toward the western horizon.He stopped to watch the sunset.Huge orange and red flames gathered together, tearing through the dense black clouds, filling the western half of the sky with brilliant brilliance.Where the clouds parted, blinking stars appeared in the blue-white sky.All the colors faded, night spread across the fields and the sky, and the clouds passed swiftly over his head, and he remained there.The stars twinkle and twinkle brightly in the sky.This is the moment of recovery, Wulfgar decided.This is the moment of his rebirth, and from this moment on, he will live alone in this world, determined to focus only on the present and forget the past, regardless of what the future holds.This is his new beginning.

He left the mountains and spent the night under the outstretched branches of a fir tree.Although he was determined to forget the past, Nightmare did not let him go. But the next day, Wulfgar was still moving quickly.He followed the wind, the birds, and the spring stream, mile after mile. He found enough game and berries to survive.As time went by, he felt that his footsteps were gradually unfettered by the past, and at night, the terrible nightmare gradually could not find him. But one day, he found a strange totem.It was a low stick stuck in the ground, the top of which was carved in the shape of Pegasus, the winged flying horse.Suddenly, Wulfgar was caught in some distant memory, which happened many years ago, when he, Drizzt, Bruenor, and Regis were on their way to Mithril Hall, the ancient dwarf abode. thing.A part of him wanted to turn around right away, away from the totem, but a particular memory, a vow of vengeance, was nagging in his mind.Wulfgar subconsciously followed a trail left not so long ago to a small hill.There, he saw a camp in the distance, which was composed of a group of buckskin tents, and some tall, strong, black-haired people were moving around.

"Pegasi tribe," Wulfgar whispered.He vividly remembered that, years ago, when he and his friends were fighting a pack of orcs, this tribe of barbarians had joined them.After all the orcs were killed, Wulfgar, Bruenor, and Regis became their prisoners.They were well received, and Wulfgar was put to a test of strength against the chieftain's son, which Wulfgar won easily.Thereafter, in accordance with the noble tradition of the savages, he was offered the opportunity to join the tribe by the men of the tribe.Unfortunately, Wulfgar was then asked to undergo a loyalty test in which he would have to kill Regis as a pass to join the Horde, which of course he would not do.With the help of Drizzt, the companions escaped from the control of the tribe, but the tribe's witch doctor, Flick Higheye, used evil magic to turn Thorin, the chief's son, into a terrible ghost.

They beat the ghost.Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, swore vengeance on Flick Higheye as the shattered and deformed body of the venerable Torin fell to the ground. The barbarian felt the coldness in his hands, and his strong hands had subconsciously clenched the handle of the hammer.Looking over the camp, he saw that one of the thin, restless figures seemed to be Flickr. Perhaps Flick was dead long ago, Wulfgar reminded himself, for the witch doctor had grown old many years ago.Again, the urge was strong enough to make Wulfgar want to dash down the hill and get back on track, away from this encounter, and away from anything that reminded him of the past.

But the image of Thorin's broken and deformed corpse, half human, half winged horse, couldn't stay in his mind.He couldn't turn around and leave. Within an hour, he was at a closer observation point where he could clearly see everyone in the camp. Because of this, he found that the days when the Tianma tribe came in were not easy, maybe they had just experienced a big battle, because he saw many wounded people sitting around the camp, and the population was obviously not as large as the last time he saw it.Most of the people are old people, women and children.The mystery is explained by a row of poles to the south of the camp, more than twenty poles, from which hang the heads of orcs.Scavengers often flap their wings and peck down through the thinning hair in order to find an eyeball or a piece of nose to feast on.

The sight of the Pegasus tribe in such decline pained Wulfgar deeply, for although he was determined to avenge their medicine cat, he knew that the people of this tribe were admirable people, quite like him in their traditions and deeds. own people.He wanted to turn around and leave, but at this moment, the curtain in front of a certain tent door opened, and a very old man jumped out of it, as thin as a tent post, but with a look beyond his age. energy.His robe was pure white, and whenever he opened his arms, his sleeves looked like feathered wings.In the end, one of his eyes was replaced by an emerald embedded in its socket, which completely revealed the truth.Wherever the man went, all the savages bowed their noble heads and waited for him to pass, and even a child rushed to kiss the back of his hand.

"Flick," Wulfgar murmured.His judgment was absolutely right. Wulfgar rose from the grass and walked resolutely toward the camp, Aegis-fang in his hand.When he walked into the camp boundary, he was not blocked by anything, which made him know that the entire tribe had completely lost its ability to organize, and the population loss was also very serious, because under normal circumstances, no barbarian tribe would be so helpless. be on guard. Even so, as Wulfgar passed the first row of tents and continued to approach Flick Higheye, a tall and strong but very thin old warrior stopped him.

The warrior came over and swung his club at Wulfgar's side without asking.But Wulfgar moved much faster than his opponent expected, and he stepped forward, grabbed the club with his free hand, and with a powerful twist of his wrist snatched the weapon away, throwing it far into the air. side. The warrior charged forward with a roar, but Wulfgar staggered back with a wave of his arm. By this time all the warriors in the camp had swarmed around Flick, far fewer than Wulfgar remembered.They formed a semi-circle to protect the witch doctor, facing the burly intruder together.None of these men, Wulfgar noticed, were warriors in their prime.

They are either too young or too old.He knew that the Tianma tribe had just experienced a terrible battle, and the situation was somewhat unfavorable. "Uninvited guest, who are you?" A tall, strong, but very old man asked. Wulfgar stared at the man who spoke.He has piercing eyes, a thick mass of unruly gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a firm, self-confident jaw.He reminded Wulfgar of another member of the Pegasus tribe, an honorable and brave fighter.Moreover, this man spoke before everyone else, even before Flick, which further confirmed Wulfgar's suspicions. "Father Thorin," he said, bowing.

The man's eyes widened in surprise.It looked like he wanted to answer, but didn't know what to say. "It's Jerick the Wolf Slayer!" Flick screamed. "The chief of the Pegasus tribe. Uninvited guest, who are you? Why did you mention Jerrick's long-lost son?" "Missing?" Wulfgar repeated suspiciously. "Taken by the gods," said Flick, waving his feathered arms. "A hunting mission turned into an observation mission." A wry smile crept across Wulfgar's face.He began to realize that this was a huge, long-standing lie.Thorin was transformed into a fearsome creature by Flickr to hunt down Wulfgar and his companions, and died a horrific death at their hands.But Flick obviously didn't want to let Jerek know the unfortunate news, so he concealed the facts and fabricated a lie, making Jerek still have hope for Thorin's survival.A hunting mission or observation mission ordered by the gods often lasts for several years, or even decades. Now Wulfgar realized that he had to handle the situation deftly, because any untrue word or overly harsh comment he made now would trigger Jerick's wrath. "That hunting mission didn't last long," he said. "Because our god realizes its error." Flick's eyes widened, and for the first time he showed that he remembered the other person. "Who the hell are you?" he asked again, with a tremor in his voice that made his words sound sharper. "Don't you remember, Flick Higheye?" Wulfgar asked.He took a step forward, and the warriors surrounding the witch doctor could not help but also take a step forward. "Have the Pegasus tribe forgotten Wulfgar, son of Beornegar so quickly?" Flick raised his head.Wulfgar could see that his words made an impression, but only a vague one. "Did the Pegasus tribe forget so quickly the man you invited to join the tribe from the north? That man walked with a dwarf, and a halfling, and more," he paused, knowing what was coming next. This word will make the other party remember him completely. "A dark-skinned elf." Flick's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "It's you!" he said, pointing to the sky with trembling fingers. The drow Wulfgar was referring to was probably the only drow most of the Horde had ever seen, so he held their memories.All were talking to each other in low tones, and many of the savages held their weapons tightly, ready to tear the intruders to pieces at the chieftain's word. Wulfgar stood calmly. "I am Wulfgar, son of Beornegar," he repeated firmly, keeping his eyes on Jerek the Wolfslayer. "I am not an enemy of the Tianma tribe. In terms of blood and business, I am your distant relative. I returned here according to my oath, which I made when I saw the dead Thorin." "Dead Thorin?" many whispered suspiciously. "My friend and I did not come to fight the Pegasus Horde," Wulfgar continued, knowing that the conversation was drawing to a close. "That day we fought and won with you against a common enemy." "You rejected us!" Flick screamed. "You insulted our tribe!" "What do you know about my son?" Jerick pushed the witch doctor away and stepped forward. "I know that Flick asked him to take the Pegasus spirit of the Pegasus tribe to destroy us," Wulfgar said. "You admit that, and dare to walk into our camp openly?" Jerek asked. "I know that your god was not with Thorin in that hunt, for we defeated the creature he became." "Kill him!" Flick screamed. "Just like we wiped out the sneak attacking orcs last night, today we also have to wipe out the enemies who broke into our camp!" "Wait a minute!" Jerick yelled, spreading his arms out.None of the warriors of the Tianma tribe moved, although they were all extremely eager to destroy the enemy.They looked like a pack of hounds on a leash around their necks. Jerick came and stood before Wulfgar. Wulfgar met the chieftain's eyes, but not before he glanced at Flick.The witch doctor took out a leather pouch from his waist. This was his holy skin bag, which was used to hold all kinds of mysterious magic medicines. "My son's dead?" Jerick asked, standing within a foot of Wulfgar. "Your gods were not with him," Wulfgar replied. "Because his reasons, or Flick's reasons, are not just." Even before he finished speaking, he realized that this euphemism hadn't calmed Jerek at all, because the news that his son was indeed dead had hit him too hard for him to think about it. Any explanation or axiom.The chieftain roared and punched Wulfgar, but the younger barbarian was ready, lifting the punch with his hand and pulling him off balance. Wulfgar gave Jerick a push in the chest, causing him to stumble back among the surprised warriors. Wulfgar charged forward, drawing Aegis-fang at the same time, but all the warriors rushed forward with their weapons drawn, so that the northern barbarian realized, dispiritedly, that he could never get close to Flick.As he considered whether he could throw the hammer and kill Flick before he himself was killed, something happened that shocked him and everyone else.Flick sprang to the forefront, singing hymns to the gods, and tossed a plethora of herbs and powders beside Wulfgar. Wulfgar felt the intrusion of magic.The others beside him, including Jerek, took a few steps back, but he felt as if a huge black wall was pressing on him from above, sucking his strength and forcing him to stay where he was. Wave after wave of immobilization power hit him.Flick danced around him, dropping more powder to strengthen the spell. Wulfgar felt himself sinking, as if the earth was trying to engulf him. But he was no stranger to this kind of magic.The truth is quite the opposite.During the years he was trapped in the Abyss, Errtu's minions, especially the evil daemons, had cast similar spells on him, so that they could do what they were meant to do.He has felt this way many times.He already knew how to resist this magic. He built a wall with the purest rage, and responded with ten times the rage, ten times the memory of Errtu and the witch for each wave of immobilizing magic attacks.Outwardly it looked as if the Savage had been utterly defeated, motionless and his hammer dropped to one side, but in reality it took a great deal of effort to put on such an appearance.He heard the chants of "Flick Higheyes," and peeked out at several warriors dancing in celebration of victory, offering their thanks to their god and to Flick, the god's spokesman. "What did he mean?" Jerick asked Flick. "What the hell did Thorin do?" "As I told you," replied the skinny witch doctor.He came before Wulfgar in a strange dance. "Drow! This very respectable-looking man, traveling with a drow! Could there be anyone but Thorin who could accept lycanthropy in order to defeat that nemesis?" "You said Thorin was on an observation mission," Jerek argued. "I think so." Flick lied. "Maybe so. Don't believe this man's lies! As you've all seen, Uska's power easily defeated him, trapping him helpless in front of us! The reason he came back here is probably his All three of his accomplices were killed by the mighty Thorin, and he knew that even with the help of drow, he couldn't defeat Thorin!" "But Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, defeated Thorin in a test of strength," said another. "That was before he angered Uska!" Flick roared. "Look at him now! Helpless, defeated—" Before he could finish, Wulfgar rushed forward and slapped him across the mouth.Wulf then lifted Flick into the air with incredible strength, shaking him wildly. "What are you talking about, Flick?" he growled. "Don't you think Uska's power is greater than that of my god Tempus?" In order to confirm his words, he raised Flick high with one hand, although Flick's hand kept hitting him, he was completely unmoved. "If Thorin had killed my friend in an honorable battle, I would not return here to seek revenge," he said to Jerick sincerely. "I don't mean to avenge my friends, for all three are alive and well. I come to avenge Thorin, a strong and honorable warrior who was horribly used by this wretch!" "Flick is our witch doctor!" More than one person shouted. With a growl, Wulfgar lowered Flick to the ground, pinned him down, forced him to his knees, and twisted his neck.Flick clutched at the other's arm in vain, shouting "Kill him!" But Wulfgar only added strength to his hand, and Flick's cry turned into an indistinct moan. Wulfgar looked to the circle of warriors around him.Perhaps capturing Flick would buy him more time, but there was no doubt that if he killed the witch doctor, his own life would soon be over as well.But that wasn't the reason why Wulfgar couldn't do it, because he had already taken his own life and death very lightly.In fact, it was the utterly defeated look on Jerek's face that made it difficult for him to strike.Wulfgar had come with bad news that would have crushed the Chieftain, and now if he killed Flick and killed many other warriors in the ensuing battle, Jerick might never recover, The same goes for the entire Tianma tribe. He looked down at the hideous Flick.When he was meditating, he inadvertently exerted some force on his hand, and the witch doctor looked as if he was about to be snapped in two.If Wulfgar's arm had pushed down one more time, it would have snapped his spine quite easily. Very easy and very useless.Wulfgar let out a deflated growl, and lifted Flick high above his head again.He roared again, and threw the witch doctor to the side of a tent a dozen feet away, causing Flick to fall together with the buckskin and pole. The warriors charged at him with weapons in hand, but Aegis-fang came back to him just in time, and with such force that they all backed away, as it knocked one of the men's weapons far away, and at the same time Almost tore the man's arm off. "Don't move!" Jerick yelled. "Stay still, Flick!" he added, his tone unmistakable, when he saw the witch doctor crawl out of the mess, screaming to kill Wulfgar. Jerick walked past his warriors and walked up to Wulfgar.The younger men noticed the dangerous intent in the other's eyes. "I would not be happy if I killed Thorin's father," Wulfgar said quietly. This sentence hit a certain nerve in the opponent.Wulfgar saw the expression soften on the old man's face.He turned away without another word, and none of the warriors stood up to stop him. "Kill him!" Flick yelled, but no sooner had the words been spoken than Wulfgar turned sharply, and hurled his hammer with a thunderous force. In the blink of an eye, the warhammer passed through a distance of twenty feet and hit the kneeling witch doctor's chest with precision.He fell dead among the tent poles and buckskins. All eyes turned back to Wulfgar, and more than one Pegasus warrior charged at him. But the Fang of Aegis suddenly and dramatically returned to his hand, and those who dared to step forward all retreated. "His god Tempus is with him!" cried one. Wulfgar turned again and began to walk out.He knew in his heart that things couldn't be worse than they are now.He expected Jerick to knock him from behind, or order the fighters to kill him.But the group of people behind him was eerily quiet, and he heard no orders, protests, or movements.Nothing at all.He showed strength far beyond the entire tribe, shocking Jerick with the news of Thorin's death and shocking everyone with Flick's sudden and brutal death.Now they don't know how to react at all. Wulfgar left the camp, but he felt no relief.He went down the road like a storm, full of anger at the damned Flick, at the damned Pegasus tribe, at the whole damned world.He kicked away the stones on the road, then picked up a big stone and threw it far away, roaring to vent his contempt and disappointment.He wandered around aimlessly, without any notion in mind of where he was going or where he should be.After a while, he found a group of orcs, probably the same group that attacked the Tianma tribe last night.The road left easily recognizable bloodstains, trampled grass, and broken twigs, all of which pointed to a small forest beside the road. Wulfgar followed the trail without thinking, and still pushed the trees roughly, growling and cursing.But he gradually calmed down and established a definite short-term goal.He followed the traces of the road more carefully, paying special attention to the possible fork in the road left by the orcs sent as scouts.Soon he found such a fork in the road, and analyzed that two orcs walked this way to guard the large army.He walked stealthily along the path, looking for every possible shade and camouflage. It was getting late at this time, and the shadow was stretched very long, but Wulfgar knew that if the two scouts were hiding and on the alert, it would be almost impossible to find them without being noticed by them. In other words, the orcs must be very vigilant after experiencing such a big battle. Wulfgar had fought alongside Drizzt Do'Urden for many years, and he had learned the habits of most humanoids.He knew that what he should do now was to prevent the two scouts from alerting the large army.He knows how this goal should be achieved. The savage hid in a bush by the side of the road, disguised his warhammer as much as possible with a flexible twig, then smeared a handful of mud on his face, and finally put his cloak on his body inside out, pretending to be The cloak looked tattered.At this point he looked dirty and badly injured, limping out of the bushes, moaning with every step and sometimes calling out "my girl". It didn't take long for him to feel that he had been discovered.His limping movements became more exaggerated, and he even fell to the ground on purpose in order to better observe the situation around him. He spotted a figure among the branches, an orc holding a spear ready to throw.He realized that if he took a few more steps, it would throw a spear and try to pierce him. Another orc was also nearby, and although he did not see it, it was not difficult to guess that it must be on the ground, waiting for his companions in the tree to hit him and come running to kill him.The two should have warned their mates, but Wulfgar knew they wanted to kill the weak-looking man alone, loot his property, and then divide it up between the two of them, without letting the rest of their accomplices do the same. a cup of soup. Wulfgar had to finish them off quickly, but he didn't dare get too close to the spearman.He stood up, took another staggering step forward, then listened, raised his hands to the sky, and cried out his "dead child".Then he almost fell down again, turned around slowly and walked back along the same road, weeping loudly with his head bowed. He knew that the orc couldn't let the fat in his mouth fly away like this, it would definitely throw the spear regardless of the distance.Every muscle in his body tensed up, and he turned his head a little, listening to the sound coming from the tree. Then, as the spear flew towards him, he turned around, took it in his hand with agility beyond his size, and lowered it to his side, falling back on the ground with a grunt. On the ground, wriggling in pain.In his right hand he held the flying spear, and in his left he gripped the Fang of Aegis. He was lying on his back on the ground when he heard a rustling sound coming from the direction of his right shoulder.He waited patiently. A second orc emerged from the bushes and came hopping towards him.Wulfgar seized the timing perfectly and rolled to his feet, letting go of his right hand and letting the spear fall to the ground.He spun to attack with Aegis-fang, but the orc dodged it.Without thinking, Wulfgar used the force of the blow to hurl the hammer at the orc in the tree.His body was still spinning due to inertia, so he couldn't see the result of the throw, but he heard the sound of bones shattering and the orc's shattered body scraping against the lower branches as it fell. sound. The orc before him gave a cry of terror, threw his club at him, turned and tried to escape. The stick struck Wulfgar's sturdy chest and bounced away.With great speed he grabbed the orc's knee as he'd grabbed Flick, grabbing the knee with one hand and wrenching its head back with the other.Its spine is very curved.He thought of the evil wizard in his mind, and with all his strength he broke the orc's spine.He heard the crisp sound of the orc's spine breaking, and the orc's arm no longer struggled, but only shook violently. Wulfgar let go, and the orc's body fell to the ground. The Fang of Aegis was back in his hand, reminding him of the presence of another orc.Glancing in that direction, he saw a broken body lying under a tree. With each foe killed, the bloodlust in Wulfgar's mind grew stronger.He ran back to the road, following the trail. When night fell, he found the orc's camp. There were about twenty orcs among them, and the others were probably guarding or hunting nearby.He should have waited until it was completely dark and most of the orcs in the camp were asleep.He should have watched the camp more carefully before acting. He should wait, but he cannot wait. Aegis-fang flew past, passed between two baby orcs, and stunned them, before hitting an adult orc and killing it, scaring an orc who was talking to the orc. You have to get down on the ground. Howling wildly, Wulfgar charged into the camp.He snatched the spear from one stunned orc, pierced one across the way, then turned and slashed the spear at the first orc's head, snapping in two.In one hand he took a stump of spear and drove them into each side of the orc's head, and the orc struggled, while the barbarian lifted it and threw it.Another orc was about to draw his sword when Wulfgar finished it off with a blow.Growling louder, he struck at the other two orcs, knocking them out of their feet.The beastly man beat and kicked like this, almost all the orcs who dared to approach him were killed, so more and more orcs began to run away from him. Wulfgar grabbed one of the fleeing orcs and turned it around, slamming his forehead into the other's nose, then grabbed its hair and punched it through its ugly face. The Savage leaped wildly, searching for his next prey.His power was dwindling sharply, but the Fang of Aegis was back in his hand, and he hurled it, shattering an unlucky skull a dozen feet away. The orcs charged, spears and clubs hitting Wulfgar indiscriminately, but every time they inflicted a small wound on Wulfgar's body, an orc died at his hands.Then, Aegis-fang returned, and the orcs cringed.Bloodied and roaring wildly, the sight of Wulfgar taking the life of orc after life with his sledgehammer terrified the wimpy creatures.Those who could escape fled to the forest, and those who could not escape died. Only a few minutes later, Wulfgar emerged from the shattered camp, howling, occasionally striking the trunk of a tree with Aegis-fang. He knew that many orcs were staring at him in fear; he knew that none of them would dare to attack. Soon, he came to a small mountain, where he saw the last scene of the sunset, which was exactly the same as the sunset he saw on the mountain at the southern end of the Spine of the World a few days ago. But now, this gorgeous color can no longer impress his heart.He already knew that the idea of ​​escaping past memories was a false hope; he already knew that no matter where he went, no matter what he did, his memory would follow him forever until he died.He felt no satisfaction in having successfully avenged Flick, nor did he feel any joy in slaying the orcs. Nothing at all. He didn't wash the blood off his clothes, or bandage the wounds the orcs had left on him.He walked toward the sunset, and the moon rose behind him to light his way, and he followed it until it was below the western horizon. Three days later, he saw the east gate of Luskan City.

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Notes: ①For what happened in the Tianma Tribe mentioned in this chapter, please refer to Chapter Six of "Silver Stream".