Chapter 20 Chapter 16 Brothers of Mind and Magic

The dark elf sat in a chair, reclined, settled himself comfortably - as he always seemed to do - and listened with interest to a conversation in the distance.Jarlaxle had placed a long-distance listening device on the ornate mage robes he had given Lecky Bondarek, hidden among the various magical gemstones adorning the black fabric of the robes.The device has a clever disguise: to anyone who tries to detect it, it's just an ordinary magic gem that casts clairvoyance.And it is true, but it has another function, anyone who touches the other gem that Jarlaxle holds and is paired with it can listen to every conversation of Leckie at will.

"The replica is pretty well made, and has almost the same mana as the original," Leckie said, apparently talking about the magic pendant that would find Drizzt. "Then you should be able to find that traitor again and again," replied the voice of Kimmouri Obroza. "They're still on board," Leckie explained. "And from what I've heard, they'll be on board for many days." "Jarrlaxle demands more information," said the psychic of House Obrozar. "Otherwise he will give this task to me." "Ah, yes, to my chief competitor," said the mage with feigned seriousness.

In that far room, Jarlaxle chuckled softly.Both of them thought that it was important for him to believe that they were rivals and therefore not a threat to him, but in fact, the two of them had developed a close, trusting friendship.Jarlaxle didn't mind - in fact he preferred it - because he knew that even if a psychic and a mage were united, the two dark elves with their considerable brilliance and mastery of the supernatural would never be able to. Possibly against him, since they have little understanding of the motivations and nature of rational beings.They were not afraid of being defeated by him himself, but they were afraid that once they won, they would have to assume the responsibility of controlling the entire mercenary group like a powder keg.

"The best way to better understand that traitor's every move is to approach him in disguise and hear what he has to say." Leckie continued. "I know enough about where he's been and what he's done." Jarlaxle leaned forward in his chair, listening intently to the incantation Lykie chanted.He recognized that the mage-cleric was casting a scrying pool spell. "Look at that man," Lakey said after a while. "The little boy?" Kim Murray replied. "Yes, he's an easy target. Humans don't usually pay much attention to children's behavior, as drow do."

"You can control his mind?" Leckie asked. "very easy." "How about through this detection pool?" There was a long silence. "I've never tried it," admits Kim Murray.His tone told Jarlaxle that he wasn't afraid of surprises, and that he was quite interested in giving it a try. "That way we have eyes and ears around that homeless man," Lakey continued. "In a way, it doesn't arouse Drizzt Do'Urden's suspicions. A curious child who loves to hear his many adventures." Jarlaxle removed his hand from the gem, terminating the clairvoyance.He leaned back in his chair and grinned, pleased at the ingenuity of his men.

He knows that this ability is the real source of his strength, this ability to assign responsibility to the most suitable people and let them each do their best.Jarlaxle's power does not lie in Jarlaxle himself. Although he is also extremely difficult to deal with, his power does exist in the competent soldiers around him.To fight Jarlaxle is to fight the entire Dayet Mercenaries, a resourceful and capable organization of drow warriors. To fight Jarlaxle is to lose. The drow leader knew that all the guilds in Calimport would soon learn this truth, as would Drizzt Do'Urden. "I made contact with another plane. The life there is great and wise. I can see what the drow did at a glance. They told me about the wanderer and his friends, including where they were , and where they're going," Lakie Bondarek declared to Jarlaxle the next day.

Jarlaxle nodded, accepting the lie, fully aware that Lackie's account of the otherworldly, mysterious origin of the message was not credible. "Their destination is inland, as I told you," Leckie said. "They took a ship—the Seeker—and left the port in Waterdeep. Now they are sailing south, and their goal is a city called Baldur's Gate, and they will arrive in three days." "And back to land?" "Yes, but for a short time," Leckie replied.Kim Murray gained a lot of information during his half day as a young boy on board. "Then they will board a smaller boat and go up the river until they are far from the vast water called the Sea of ​​Swords. Then they will go ashore again to a place called the Snowflake Mountains. place, where there is a monastery of the Goofy Spirit, inhabited by a priest named Cadley. They are going to destroy an artifact of great power." He added that some details.

"The name of this artifact is Cershennibon, but it is often called the Crystal Shard." Jarlaxle narrowed his eyes.He had heard the name Cershennibon once, in a tale about a mighty demon and Drizzt Do'Urden.He quickly recalled the story, and at the same time, a devious plan began to take shape in a corner of his mind. "This is where they're going," he said. "Equally important, where were they?" "It is said that they come from Icewind Dale." Lecky replied. "It was a land of ice and storms. And, they left behind a mighty warrior named Wulfgar. They thought he should be in Luskan, on the same coast as Waterdeep, but further A city in the north."

"Why didn't he go with them?" Lackey shook his head. "He's in trouble, I suppose, but I don't know why. Maybe he's lost something, or had some misfortune." "Guess," Jarlaxle said. "And assumptions. Things like that lead us to irreparable mistakes." "Is Wulfgar playing a very important role?" Leckie asked with some surprise. "Maybe not at all, maybe very much," Jarlaxle replied. "I don't know anything about him, so I can't be sure. If you can't get more information, then maybe I'll go to Kim Murray." He noticed that the mage-cleric stiffened, as if Jarlaxle Just slapped him in the mouth.

"Would you like to gather more information about the wanderer, or more about Wulfgar?" Leckie asked sharply. "More about Cadderly," Jarlaxle replied, causing his accomplice to sigh in frustration.Leckie didn't say a word, just turned around and walked away with his hands up. In any case, Jarlaxle had nothing to say to him.Crschinnibon and Wulfgar, these two names made him fall into deep thought.He had heard both names: Wulfgar had been sent to Lolth by the Waxmelt, and Lolth had given him to Errtu, the demon who was looking for the Crystal Shard.Maybe the Mercenary Chief should meet Errtu himself, but he really hates dealing with the unpredictable and dangerous creatures of the Abyss.Jarlaxle survives by understanding the motives of his enemies, but demons never have clear motives and can therefore change their desires at any time.

However, there are other ways.The mercenary leader drew a long, thin wand, and teleported his body to Menzoberranzan in a single thought. One of his latest recruits, a lieutenant, once a proud member of the ruling family, is waiting for him. "Go to your brother Gromph," Jarlaxle ordered. "Tell him what I want to know about the man called Wulfgar, the demon Errtu, and the ancient treasure called Cershenipon." "Wulfgar was captured during our first raid on the Mithril Halls of the Warhammer Kingdom." Boyinyon Baenre was well aware of this himself. "It was a maid who captured him, and he was handed over to Rose." "But after that?" Jarlaxle asked. "As far as I know, he seems to have returned to our plane." Bo Yinyong's expression showed his surprise at this matter.Few escaped from the Spider Queen's abode, but he soon admitted silently that everything about Drizzt Do'Urden was utterly unpredictable. "I will find my brother today," he assured Jarlaxle. "By the way, tell him that I also want to know about the powerful priest named Cadley." Jarlaxle threw a trinket to Boyinyon. "It contains information about where I am," he explained. "So your brother can find me or send a messenger." Bo Yinyong nodded. "Is everything all right?" Jarlaxle asked. "The city remains calm," the lieutenant replied, and Jarlaxle was not surprised.In the last attack on Mithril Hall a few years ago, Mistress Baenre, who ruled Menzoberranzan for centuries, died. Since then, the whole city has seemed peaceful on the surface, but every day The whole family is making various plans in private.Matron Baenre's eldest daughter, Tril Baenre, has done a commendable job of keeping the family stable and not divided.But despite this, all the dark elves living in this city know that the biggest family war in history is about to break out. Jarlaxle decided to expand his influence to the ground at this time, so as to enhance the power of the entire mercenary group, so that all families who want to gain great power must realize their value. Jarlaxle knew that the key now was to get everyone on his side, even if they declared war on each other, a tactic he had been able to execute perfectly centuries before. "Go to Gromph, then," he ordered. "This is the most important thing. I must know the answer within the time that the Nabundel Hour Pillar burns a hand." He used a common term for drow to refer to five days. "One hand" refers to the five fingers on one hand. Boyinyon left, and Jarlaxle returned to Calimport with a silent, mental command to the wand, and his mind moved even faster than his body.Boyin would never disappoint him, neither would Gonve, nor would Lackie and Kim Murray.He is extremely confident about these, and this also allows him to concentrate on the big event to be carried out tonight: the occupation of the Basadoni Guild. "Who's there?" came the old man's voice.Although the danger was right in front of him, his voice was still full of calmness. Entreri had just stepped through a gate created by Kimmouri Obroza and had to reorient himself in his new surroundings, so to him the sound seemed to come from far away. .He was now in Pasha Basadoni's den, behind a luxurious full-length mirror.After he finally regained his balance and sense of direction, the Killer took some time to study his surroundings, listening for the slightest sound, such as the breathing of a trained Killer or the sound of determined footsteps. But of course he and Kim Murray had observed the entire room and the location of several guild lieutenants in advance, so they knew that there was no one around the helpless old man to protect him. "Who's there?" came another cry. Entreri stepped from behind the mirror into the candlelight, raising the brim of his hat with his hand so that the old man could see him clearly, and the killer could look at Basadoni at the same time. The old man looked very sympathetic, his old self, his old glory had left him, he was an empty shell.Pasha Basadoni had been the most powerful guildmaster in Calimport, but now he was just an ordinary old man, a puppet, a puppet pulled by several different people at the same time. Entreri hated those who pulled the strings. "You shouldn't be here," Basadoni said harshly. "Get out of this city, because you can't survive here. Too much, too much." "You have underestimated me for twenty years," Entreri replied softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "When will you know my strength?" This made Basadoni cough with laughter, and Entreri gave him a rare smile. "I've known Artemis Entreri's strength since he was a waif who killed intruders with pointed stones," the old man reminded him. "The invaders you sent," Entreri said. Basadoni admitted this with an evil smile. "I had to test you." "So did I pass, Pasha?" Entreri considered his tone as he spoke.They were talking like old friends, and in a way they were.But now, thanks to the actions of Basadoni's deputy, they too were sworn enemies.Although the pasha was helplessly alone with Entreri, his demeanor was at ease.At first the killer thought that Basadoni's defense must be better than he knew, but after carefully observing the whole room, especially the bed where the old man lay, he was sure that Basadoni had no tricks to play .Entreri was in control of the situation, and Pasha Basadoni seemed much less disturbed than expected. "Of course, of course," Basadoni replied, but immediately his smile faded and was replaced by a melancholy expression. "But not now. Now you've failed, and at an overly easy task." Entreri shrugged, as if it didn't matter at all. "That goal is pathetic," he said. "Really. I am a killer who would pass any of your tests, and was your aide-de-camp when I was a young man; It can be stolen within half a day. Should I kill such a guy?" "That's not the point," Basadoni insisted. "I allow you to return to the guild, but you've been away for too long, so you have to prove yourself. Not to me," he added quickly, as he saw Entreri frown. "No, to your stupid lieutenants," Entreri reasoned. "They all got where they are now through hard work." "That's what I'm afraid of." "It is Artemis Entreri who is underestimating others now," Pasha Basadoni insisted. "All three of them are very competent and have served me well." "Good enough to throw me out of your guild?" Entreri asked. Pasha Basadoni let out a long sigh. "Are you here to kill me?" he asked, before immediately laughing again. "No, no, you won't kill me because you have no reason to. Of course you know that if you manage to defeat Kaza Jordyn and the others, I will allow you to come back." "Is this another test?" Entreri said dryly. "If you say so, then this test is your own creation." "Could it be because I spared a worthless piece of shit?" Entreri asked, shaking his head, as if the whole incident was utter absurdity. There was a gleam of understanding in Basadoni's gray eyes. "So that's not sympathy," he said with a smirk. "pity?" "Sympathy for that trash," the old man explained. "No, you don't care about him at all, that he was killed afterwards. No, no, I should have known. Artemis Entreri has no sympathy at all. Never !That's just pride, pure, stupid pride. You can't reduce yourself to the level of a street punk, so you start a war you can't win. Oh, how stupid!" "Victory impossible?" Entreri repeated. "You're making too many assumptions." He looked into Basadoni's eyes for a long time. "Tell me, Pasha, who do you want to win?" he asked. "Pride again." Basadoni swung his scrawny arms, a movement that took most of his strength and forced him to pant. "But the important thing is," he continued after a moment. "In any case, the important thing is to make peace. The essence of your question is to know if I still care about you, and the answer is of course yes. I still remember your achievements in my guild, just like a father will Remember my own son growing up. I don't want you to be hurt in this war you started, but you also have to understand that I'm sorry for what happened between you and Kaza - the same proud fool Can't interfere with anything. And, of course, like I said, you can't win." "You don't know everything." "Enough," said the old man. "I know you have no allies in the other guilds, not even Wawel and her little ones, and Quentin Podieu and his few paltry soldiers. Oh, they have declared to keep Neutral - so we can't deal with them - but at least, they will not help you in battle, especially other truly powerful guilds. So your fate is sealed." "You know all the guilds?" Entreri asked slyly. "Even those useless ratmen in the sewer." Pasha Basadoni said confidently.But Entreri noticed that although the old man pretended to be very complacent, there was a faint hint in his tone that showed that the truth was not so simple.Entreri knew it was a bored emotion, and it was clear that things were out of Basadoni's control.It was those three lieutenants who ran the entire union. "I shouldn't have told you this, but for all that you've done for me, I've decided to tell you," said the killer, and when he saw the wise old pasha's eyes narrowing in alarm, he didn't Not surprised. "You can consider this a form of loyalty, or you can consider it the last time I will repay you." Entreri continued, and he meant it—at least in terms of forewarning—"You don't know all and your lieutenants will not succeed in killing me." "You've always been so confident." The old Pasha laughed again and coughed. "And never makes a mistake." Entreri lifted his hat brim in a salute, then stepped behind the full-length mirror and walked through the door that had been waiting for him. "Have you got all your defenses up?" Pasha Basadoni asked with some genuine concern, for the old man knew Entreri well enough that he took the killer's warnings seriously.Immediately after Entreri left, Basadoni called his three lieutenants together.He didn't tell them about the unexpected visitor, but he needed to make sure they were ready.The time was coming, he knew, it was coming. Charlotta, Hand, and Jordyn all nodded—a certain degree of humility, Basadoni noted. "They'll be here tonight," he announced.Before the other three could ask any questions, he added. "I could feel them staring at us." "Of course, my pasha." Charlotta bent down and kissed the old man's forehead. Basadoni laughed at her; and when a guard shouted from the direction of the porch that the building had been stormed, Basadoni only laughed louder. "Under the basement!" yelled the guard. "It came in from the sewer!" "Is it the Ratman Guild?" Kaza Jordyn asked suspiciously. "Tama Quirillo assured us he wouldn't—" "Then Domo Quirillo was purged by Entreri," Basadoni interrupted. "Entreri didn't come here alone," Kaza reasoned. "Then he won't die alone." Charlotta said without worry. "Really sorry." Kaza nodded, drew his sword and turned to leave.Basadoni grabbed his arm with great effort. "Entreri will come alone and let his associates attack the guild," the old man warned. "He will come to you." "I'd be happier that way!" Kaza yelled back. "Go and command our defenses," he said to Hand. "When Entreri is dead, I will bring his head to you, so we can show his fellows how foolish it is to side with him." As soon as Hand walked out of the room, he was almost hit by a soldier rushing up from the basement. "It's a kobold!" the man yelled, his expression showing that even as he said the word he couldn't believe it was real. "Entreri's associates are stinking kobolds." "Then let's go." Hand said more confidently.Even thousands of kobolds are no real inconvenience compared to two mages and two hundred soldiers in a guild. When the other two lieutenants in the room heard the announcement, they first looked at each other in disbelief, and then grinned in unison. But Pasha Basadoni, who was lying on the bed watching the two of them, did not laugh with them.He knew that Entreri must have bigger plans, and that the kobolds would almost certainly not be his worst enemies. Indeed, the kobolds were the vanguard of the Basadoni guild camp.They rushed up the sewers, and the terrified ratmen in the sewers - they all knew Entreri hated them - stayed in the shadows and didn't come out to block their way.Jarlaxle brought these small, smelly creatures from Menzoberranzan in considerable numbers.Dayet mercenaries built homes on the edge of the Talon Rift that bisects the drow city, and there the kobolds continued to multiply, now numbering in the thousands.Three hundred kobolds followed forty drow to Calimport, and now they are taking the lead. They are wildly rushing around the bottom of the guild building, and inadvertently ran into countless traps, Among them are mechanical and magical; at the same time, the location of Basadoni's soldiers has also been ascertained. Behind them was their drow master, as quiet as death. Kimmouri Obroza, Jarlaxle, and Entreri walked up a sloping walkway, flanked by four drow warriors with one-handed crossbows fully loaded Poisoned arrows.The passage ended in a large room into which the two kobolds fled in a panic, for they were pursued by three archers. "Click, click, click." The crossbow rang three times, and the bodies of the three archers began to shake at the same time, and soon fell down and fell into a deep sleep. There was an explosion nearby, causing only half of the original kobolds to scramble and flee in another direction. "It's not an explosion of magic," Kim Murray commented. Jarlaxle ordered the two soldiers to flank the human position.Kim Murray, on the other hand, chose a more direct path. He opened a door that could go directly through this wide room to the corridor where the explosion occurred.From this door he and Entreri saw those who had caused the explosion in another long, upward-sloping corridor.The group was hurrying behind a retaining wall, with several large barrels beside them. "Drow!" one of them yelled, pointing to the open door from which two drow soldiers were coming out.At this time, Kim Murray was standing behind any door. "Light it! Light it!" shouted another.A third man lit the fuse on top of one of the barrels with a torch. Kim Murray concentrated his psychic energy again, placed it on the barrel, and placed it on the energy hidden in the wooden utensil. He got in touch with that energy and activated it.Before the group could roll the barrel over the wall to attack the drow, the barrel exploded, causing all the powder barrels to explode in succession. A man on fire crawled out from behind the retaining wall and rolled frantically down the aisle, trying to extinguish the flames.Another less wounded man stumbled out, and a drow soldier shot him in the face with a crossbow. Kim Murray closed the optional door, because it would save time to walk through this room instead of going through the dizzying optional door.They set out again, past the burning body and the mortally wounded sleeping man, past the third victim of the explosion, a body scorched and curled up in the shape of a fetus, and into the A branched alleyway.There they found three more men, two asleep and the third dead at the feet of the two drow soldiers Jarlaxle had sent out to flank him. The battle in the underground of the guild garrison went on like this, and the dark elves completely controlled the whole situation.Jarlaxle brought to the surface this time his most elite warriors: the Renegades.They all once belonged to a certain noble family and had received decades or even hundreds of years of combat training, and they all specialized in this kind of combat training from room to room, from tunnel to tunnel.A band of knights in shining armor and supported by mages might rival these dark elves on a wide field of battle, but these street rogues are armed only with small daggers and short swords and know little more of magic. Low-level spells, and they didn't know the situation of their enemies, so they were completely defeated by Jarlaxle's steady attack.The members of the Basadoni Guild abandoned one stronghold after another, retreating to higher and higher positions. On the ground floor of the guild building, Jarlaxle met Lecky Bondarek and his six drow soldiers. "They have two mages," explained the mage and priest. "I cast a silence spell on them, and..." "Please tell me you didn't kill them." The mercenary leader knew the value of a mage. "We hit them with sleep arrows," Leckie said. "But one of them was protected by Stoneskin, so it had to be destroyed." Jarlaxle could accept such a result. "You continue to control the situation," he said to Lecky. "I'll take Entreri upstairs to claim his location." "Take him?" Lecky's tone was a little sour, and he motioned to Kim Murray. Jarlaxle knew their little secret, and he hid his smile well. "Let's go," he urged Entreri. They encountered another group of heavily armored soldiers, but Jarlaxle took one of his many staffs and trapped them all in a goo.One of them escaped, but Artemis Entreri understood the men's tactics.He saw the shadow elongate on the wall, and shot precisely at the slippery fish. When Hand crawled into the room, gasping for breath and clutching his buttocks, Kaza Jordyn's eyes widened in surprise. "Dark elves." Hand said. "Entreri. The bastard got all the dark elves!" He quickly fell to the ground and fell asleep. Kaza Jordyn ignored him, rushed out from the back door of the room, walked through the spacious ballroom on the second floor, and then rushed up the stairs to the third floor. Entreri and his friends watched all the man's movements. "Is this the man?" Jarlaxle asked. Entreri nodded. "I'll kill him," he promised, and was about to give chase, but Jarlaxle caught him.Entreri turned back to see the mercenary leader looking slyly at Kim Murray. "Do you want to humiliate him thoroughly?" Jarlaxle asked. Before Entreri could answer, Kim Murray stepped up and stood in front of him. "Bond with me." The drow psychic raised a finger to Entreri's forehead. Entreri, always on the alert, pushed the outstretched hand away. Kim Murray tried to explain, but Entreri understood only the basics of the drow language, not the nuances of it.The psychic's words seemed to Entreri to refer to a "bonding" between lovers and nothing else.Kim Murray turned dejectedly to Jarlaxle and began speaking so rapidly that it sounded to Entreri as if he were only speaking one long word. "He has a little trick you can play," Jarlaxle explained in a common predicament. "He wants to enter your mind, but only for a short time; he will place an energy barrier for you and show you how to use it." "An energy barrier?" asked the confused killer. "Trust him for once," Jarlaxle urged. "Jimurray Obroza was one of the greatest practitioners of this rare and powerful form of psychic magic, and his technique has allowed him to lend some of his energies to others, though not for long. " "He's going to teach me that?" Entreri asked suspiciously. Kim Murray couldn't help laughing at the absurd idea. "Psychic magic is a talent, a very rare talent, and it cannot be taught." Jarlaxle explained. "But Kim Murray can lend you some of his abilities, which is enough for you to humiliate Kaza Jordion." Entreri's expression showed that he still didn't quite believe it. "If we decide to kill you, we have many more convenient ways to do so at any time," Jarlaxle reminded the killer.Then the mercenary leader nodded to Kim Murray, and this time Artemis Entreri didn't dodge. With that, Entreri had his first taste of psychic abilities, and he walked up the stairs fearlessly.A hidden archer shot him an arrow that hit Entreri squarely in the back—but the energy barrier prevented the arrow from flying, absorbing its energy completely. Charlotta hears commotion in the room outside and speculates that Kaza Jordyn is back.She still didn't know about the defeat of the Basadoni Guild on the lower level of the building, though, so she decided to act fast to take advantage of the opportunity.She drew a pocket knife from one long sleeve of her alluring evening gown, and walked towards the door behind which opened into the room of Pasha Basadoni. She could finally settle her feud with this man, and it would appear to others that Entreri or one of his associates had carried out the assassination. Charlotta stopped at the door, hearing a thump, then confused footsteps.Jordyn was running, and so was the other one. Had Entreri reached this level already? The thought hit her, but it didn't stop her.There are other, secret paths to follow, but they take a little more time.She went to the back of her room, took out a certain book from the bookshelf, and then got into the secret passage that appeared from behind the bookshelf. Soon, Entreri caught up with Kaza Jordyn in a group of interconnected small rooms.Jordyn rushed out from the side, swinging his sword.He hit Entreri at least a dozen times, but the killer concentrated his thoughts without even parrying.He just let Jordyn attack him, absorbed the energy of these attacks, and let all the energy gather in his body. Kaza Jordyn stepped back dumbfounded. "What kind of demon are you?" He tripped over the threshold and fell through the door just as Charlotta had just entered the same room through another secret door and stood beside Pasha Basadoni's bed next to the wall. Entreri walked into the room confidently. Jordyn charged again, sword swinging, and this time Entreri drew the longsword Jarlaxle handed him and began to strike back, parrying every slash perfectly.He felt the control of his mind waning, and knew that he had to react quickly or be destroyed by uncontrollable energies.So when Jordyn's sword swung from the side, Entreri poked the tip of the sword under the opponent's sword, then raised the opponent's sword with a thrust, then slid under the sword, and turned around again.He knocked Jordyn off balance, so he put the pressure on Jordyn again, and he fell to the ground with Entreri on top of him, their weapons pinned to each other. Charlotta raised her hand to throw the dagger at Basadoni, but changed her mind when she saw that Entreri's back was completely intact as Entreri lay on top of Kaza Jordyn. Exposed in front of her eyes, this goal is too tempting. But she immediately changed her mind again, because another dark figure entered the room at this time.She tried to throw the throwing knife, but the drow was faster.A throwing knife pierced her wide sleeve at the wrist, pinning her arm to the wall.又一支飞刀击中她头右边的墙壁，又一支击中她左边的。又一支擦过她身体的侧面，然后贾拉索连续向他的方向掷出飞刀，就好像不断向她奔去的铁流一般。 乔迪恩以重拳击中恩崔立的脸。 而这，也同样地，被吸收了。 “我真的已经开始对你的愚蠢感到厌烦了。”恩崔立说，他将手放在乔迪恩的胸膛上，完全不顾对方的重拳一再击中自己的脸。 恩崔立心念一动，释放出所有的能量。所有的。包括那支箭，许多次的劈砍与许多次的重拳。他的手没入了乔迪恩的胸膛，溶化了对方的皮肤与其下的肋骨。血像泉涌一般喷出来，喷到空中，然后又落回到乔迪恩写满惊恐的脸上，落到他那张开的，准备发出可怖尖叫的嘴里。 Then he died. 恩崔立站了起来，看到夏洛塔靠在墙边站着并举起双手——其中有一只是被钉在墙上的；而贾拉索则手拿另一支飞刀面对着她。包括金穆瑞和莱基在内的另外几个卓尔已经进入房间内，站在他们领导人的身后。杀手注意到那支显然是夏洛塔掉在床边地板上的匕首，迅速来到她与巴沙多尼之间。他将狡诈的目光转向这危险的女人。 “看起来我正好及时赶到，帕夏。”恩崔立捡起那匕首。“夏洛塔以为公会驻地已经守住了，她显然决定利用这场战斗作为掩护，最终除掉你。” 恩崔立和巴沙多尼都看向夏洛塔。她楚楚可怜地站着，显然被抓住了把柄，不过她设法挣脱了被飞刀钉在墙上的袖子。 “她不知道她敌人的实力。”贾拉索说。 恩崔立看着他并点点头。所有的黑暗精灵都向后退去，这一刻被留给了杀手本人。 “我应该杀了她吗？”恩崔立问巴沙多尼。 “为什么要请求我的允许？”帕夏显然不太高兴。“然后我是不是该因为你把黑暗精灵带到我的房子里而感谢你？” “我这么做只是为了生存。”恩崔立回答。“公会大部分的士兵都得以幸免于难，他们被迫保持中立，但并没有被杀死。卡札·乔迪恩死了——我从来就不能够信任那个家伙——但汉德活了下来。因此我们仍将按照从前的安排，设置三名副官和一名公会会长。”他看向贾拉索，然后是夏洛塔。“当然，我的朋友贾拉索希望占据一个副官的位置。”他说。“他做得非常好，因此我不能够拒绝。” 夏洛塔的身体僵硬了，期待着即将到来的死亡，因为她能够做出这简单的算术。 的确，恩崔立最初是想要杀掉她。但当他回头看向巴沙多尼，这个虚弱的老人，这样一个过去荣光的阴影的时候，他转过剑尖的方向，将它刺入了巴沙多尼的心脏。 “三个副官。”他对目瞪口呆的夏洛塔说。“汉德，贾拉索，还有你。” “那么恩崔立就是公会会长了。”女人不老实地笑着。“你说你无法信任卡札·乔迪恩，但你一定发现了我比他更为诚实吧！”她诱人地向前走了一步。 恩崔立的剑再度刺出，剑尖抵着她喉咙处的嫩肉，阻止她进一步向前走。“信任你？”杀手问。“绝不。但我也决不怕你。按照我的指示去做，我就会留你一条命。”他稍微改变了剑的角度，使它抵在她下颚下面，他在那里划出了一道伤口。“要做得一点都不差。”他警告道。“否则我就毁掉你这张漂亮的脸蛋，你有一次做得不够完美，我就在上面划一道。” 恩崔立转向贾拉索。 “这栋建筑在一小时内就会被我们彻底控制。”黑暗精灵向他保证。“到时候，你和你的人类副官就可以决定那些被捕的人的命运，并向其他公会散发适合你公会会长身份的消息。” 这一刻，恩崔立的心中开始有了一丝的满意。他高兴地看到卡札·乔迪恩死了，也很高兴看到那个老废物巴沙多尼终于得到了他早该得到的安眠。 “听候您吩咐，我的帕夏。”夏洛塔在一边说道。 这头衔令他的胃翻腾不已。