Chapter 18 Chapter 15 Wizard

"Think of the fun this thing will bring." The guild master mocked, scratching his hand at a long nail protruding from a piece of wood on a small table in the room, ending in a barb. Regis curled his lips into a smirk, pretending to think about the obvious implications of Pook's words. "Put your hand on it," Pook coaxed him, "and you'll have the fun and be a part of our family again." Regis was looking for a way out of this trap.He had used this trick before, a lie of lies, pretending to be hypnotized by the charm of the Pendant.He played it perfectly then, convincing the evil wizard of his allegiance, and then turning to help his friends deal with the man in a pinch.

This time, Regis surprised himself by not being hypnotized at all by the Ruby Pendant.Now, however, he has to show his feet: a man who is really fascinated by gems should be happy to have his hands pierced by nails. Regis raised his hands above his head, closed his eyes, and tried to complete the scene with a blank mind.He swung his arm down, trying to do as Puck ordered. At the last moment, his hand changed direction and hit the table without being hurt at all. Pook growled in rage, seeing that somehow Regis hadn't been hypnotized all along.He grasped the halfling's small hand and pierced the nail directly, shaking it constantly during the process.Regis screamed ten times louder as Pook pulled the halfling's hand out.

Then Pook let go of Regis, and slapped Regis as he clutched his wounded hand to his chest. "You acting dog!" the guild master yelled. He was not angry that Regis had lied to him, but that the gem had failed.He wanted to slap him again, but he calmed himself down and decided to twist the halfling's stubborn will against Regis himself. "Poor thing," he mocked, "if the pendant makes you obedient again, then I might find you another seat in the guild. Of course you deserve death for your sins, little thief, but I haven't forgotten You were of great value to me before. You were the greatest thief in Calimport, and I could have given you another position."

"Don't feel sorry for the gem's ineffectiveness," Regis actually dared to retort, he had already guessed that Puck was playing a game of taunting, "because no pain hurts me more than being Bashar Pook's servant!" Pook responded with a blow that sent Regis off his chair and onto the floor.The halfling curled up, trying to stop the blood from his nose and palm at the same time. Pook leaned back in his chair, resting his head in his hands.He looked at the magic pendant on the table in front of him, which had failed him only once before, when he had used it against a strong will that was likely not to be affected.Fortunately, Artemis Entreri hadn't seen his intentions that day, and Puck was smart enough not to try the Pendant on the Killer a second time.

Pook shifted his gaze to Regis, who had just passed out from the pain.He had to admire the little halfling.Even if Regis has some advantages because he is familiar with the magic pendant, only an iron will can resist this seductive attraction. "But it won't help you or anything," Pook whispered to the unconscious figure.He leaned back in his chair again, closed his eyes, and tried to think of another way to torture Regis.    The man in the brown robe stretched his arm through the tent drapes, and it grabbed the unconscious red-bearded dwarf by the ankles, hanging him head to toe.Shali Dalib began to play with his fingers as usual, showing a smile of gold and ivory that was so wide that his mouth would split open.His little goblin helper jumped up and down around him, screaming "Magic, magic, magic!"

Bruenor opened one eye and raised an arm to move his long beard away from his face. "Do you like what you see?" he asked wickedly. Shali Dalib's smile disappeared and his fingers were all tangled together. The man who held Bruenor (Wulfgar in the robber's robe) entered the tent.Catti-brie followed. "So you arranged for the robbers to attack us." The young woman shouted angrily. Shali Dalib was so frightened that he could only make some meaningless noises, the cunning merchant turned and tried to escape... only to find a hole neatly cut out at the back of the tent, and Drizzt Do'Urden was standing there. Outside there, a scimitar pointed forward, while the other rested easily on his shoulder.To add to the merchant's fear, Drizzt had taken off the mask again.

"Uh... uh, the best way?" stammered the merchant. "Yeah, the best for you guys!" Bruno snarled. "That's what they think," Catti-brie put in quickly. Shali Dalib shrunk his smile in shame, thinking that he had encountered the same dangerous situation hundreds of times before, and every time he had to use tricks to escape.He raised his palms as if to say, "You've got me," and produced a number of small clay balls from one of the many pockets of his robe.He slammed the things to the ground at his feet.The ball exploded, emitting multicolored lights and a cloud of blinding smoke where it passed, and the businessman took advantage of this opportunity to rush to the other side of the tent.

Wulfgar instinctively put Bruenor down, and leaped forward, only to miss.The dwarf's head hit the floor with a thud, and he rolled into a sitting position, the one-horned helm tilted to the side of his head.When the smoke cleared and the embarrassed savage looked back at the dwarf, he just shook his head in disbelief and murmured, "This must be a long adventure." Only the ever-vigilant Drizzt remained unrelenting at that moment.The dark elf shielded his eyes from the harsh light, and then he saw the silhouette of the merchant rushing to the left through the smoke.Drizzt could have caught him before he burst through the tent's secret door, but Shali Dalib's assistant fell in the dark elf's path.Barely slowed by this, Drizzt knocked the goblin unconscious on the forehead with the gleaming hilt, then put his mask back on and leaped into Memnon's High Street.

Catti-brie rushed to follow Drizzt, and Bruenor jumped to his feet. "Come on, boy!" the dwarf yelled at Wulfgar.They chased after them one by one. Drizzt saw the merchant blend into the crowd in the street at once.Even Shali Dalib, wearing a very distinctive robe, could not be found among the countless colors of the city, so Drizzt marked him himself.As he had done to the mage on the deck of the corsair, Drizzt caused a purple outline of flame to burn around the merchant's body. Drizzt ran after him, dodging past the surprisingly easy-paced people, watching the purple line that was rapidly moving away ahead.

Bruno was less graceful.The dwarf pushed ahead of Catti-brie and plunged into the crowd, stomping on the ground and knocking those who stood in his way with his shield.With Wulfgar right behind him, he cut a wider passage, and Catti-brie could easily follow them without getting lost. They passed through a dozen small alleys and entered a market square. Wulfgar accidentally knocked over a carriage full of yellow melons.Cries of protest rose and fell behind them as they passed, but their eyes were fixed on the front, each following the person in front of them, trying not to get lost in the noise.

Shali Dalib immediately found himself too conspicuous to escape from these men on the street.What made him even more disadvantaged was that every time he turned a corner, there were hundreds of onlookers pointing at him, almost pointing out his location for those chasing him.Seizing the only opportunity before him, he walked down an alley and climbed through the door of a huge stone building. Drizzt turned to make sure his friends were still following him, then rushed through the door and found that it was a public bathhouse. He slid on the marble floor wet with steam for a while before stopping.Two gigantic eunuchs came to block the elf, who was still clothed, but the merchant was already inside, and at once the swift Drizzt began to move again, too fast for the men to hold back.He slid down the short doorway into the main room of the building, a large bathroom that smelled of steam and sweat mixed with soap.Every step he took, there were some nudes blocking his way, and Drizzt had to be very careful to see if his hands touched certain parts of others when he passed by. When Bruno entered the slippery room, he almost fell, and the eunuchs had already positioned themselves in front of him. "No one who wears clothes!" ordered one of the giants, but Bruenor had no time to argue with them.He stomped on the giant's bare foot, then, after careful calculation, stomped on the other foot.Then Wulfgar came in, and he flung the other gelatin the other way. The savage leaned forward to accelerate, with no chance to stop or turn on the slippery floor, and Wulfgar collided with Bruenor as he ran along the perimeter of the bath, and both fell to the floor and went Sliding forward, unable to stop at all. They bounced off the edge of the pool, plopped into the water, and Wulfgar rose to his feet in the waist-deep water between two sensual, giggling naked women. The Savage stammered an apology and found his tongue tied in his mouth.A slap on the back of the head brought him back to his senses. "You're chasing the merchant now, remember?" Catti-brie reminded him. "I'm looking!" Wulfgar assured her. "Then go find the one with the purple outline!" Catti-brie shot back. Risking another blow himself, Wulfgar looked around, noticing the one-horned helmet sticking out of the water beside him.He frantically fished down, caught Bruno by the back of the neck, and pulled him up from the bottom of the bath.The unhappy dwarf crossed his arms and shook his head again in disbelief. Drizzt ran out the back door of the bathhouse and found himself in an empty alleyway.It was the first uncrowded place he had seen since entering Manon.The dark elf wanted more advantage, so he climbed up the side wall of the bathhouse and started running across the roof. Shali Dalib slowed down, thinking that he had escaped these people.The purple flames that the dark elves had cast on him disappeared, adding to the merchant's safety.He ran along the winding maze of alleys in the city.Those drunks leaning against the wall would not let their pursuers know where he was going.He went round and round, a hundred yards, two hundred yards, and finally turned into an alley that led to the largest market in Manon, where it was almost impossible to find a particular person. However, when Shali Dalib ran to the end of the alley, an elf figure stood in front of him, and the businessman was stupefied with two unsheathed scimitars.The knife crossed his collarbone, pressing a line on each side of his neck. When the four friends returned to his tent with the captive, they were relieved to find the goblin still lying where Drizzt had knocked him unconscious.Bruno roughly pulled the unfortunate up and bound him back to back against Shali Dalib.Wulfgar stepped over to help, accidentally wrapping the rope around Bruenor's forearm.The dwarf shook his hand away, and pushed the savage away. "I should have stayed in Mithril Hall!" Bruno murmured, "It's much safer to be with those duergar than to be followed by you and the girl!" Wulfgar and Catti-brie looked at Drizzt for help, but the dark elf just smiled and walked to the other side of the tent. "Hahahahaha," Shali Dalib laughed nervously, "No problem. We trade? I'm rich. What you need—" "Shut your mouth!" Bruno yelled at him.The dwarf winked at Drizzt, hinting that he was going to play blackface in this game. "I don't want money from people who cheated on me," Bruno growled, "I want revenge!" He looked around at his friends. "When he thought I was dead, you all saw his expression. He must have arranged for the robbers to attack us." "Shali Dalib never was," stammered the merchant. "I told you, shut your mouth!" Bruno yelled in his face, scaring him to death.The dwarf took the ax and set it on his shoulder for readiness. The merchant looked at Drizzt, confused, for the dark elf had put on his mask again, taking on the appearance of a surface elf again.Shali Dalib guessed Drizzt's true identity, and felt that dark skin was more suitable for him, so he didn't expect to intercede with Drizzt. "Wait a minute," Catti-brie said suddenly, taking Bruenor's ax by the handle. "There's a way for this dog to keep its head." "Go! What can we get from him?" Bruno retorted, winking at Catti-brie for her perfect performance. "He'll take us to Calimport," Catti-brie answered.She gave Sally Dalib a hard look, warning him that she wasn't just doing favors. "This time he's really going to put us on the best path." "Yes, yes, hahahahaha," Shali Dalib blurted out, "Shali Dalib will show you the way!" "Tell?" Wulfgar didn't stay silent either, he yelled back. "You will take us all the way to Calimport." "That's a long way," complained the merchant, "at least five days. I can't—" Bruno raised the axe. "Yes, yes, of course," said the merchant hastily, "Shali Dalib will take you there. Take you to the city gate...into the city gate," he quickly corrected, "Shali Dalib Boo will help you find water. We will follow the caravan." "Not with the caravan," interrupted Drizzt, surprising even his friends, "we're going by ourselves." "Dangerous," Shali Dalib replied, "very, very much. The Karin Desert is full of monsters, dragons, and bandits." "Not with the caravan." Drizzt said again, his tone made no one dare to question, "untie them and let them prepare what they need to go on the road." Bruno nodded, then brought his face within an inch of Shali Dalib. "I'll keep an eye on them myself," he said to Drizzt, but he was speaking to Sally Dalib and the goblin, "and if they try to cheat, I'll cut 'em in two !" In less than an hour, the five camels left Nanmenon and entered the Karim desert, with many clay jugs of water hanging on either side.Drizzt and Bruno took the lead, following the signs for the trade road.The dark elf put on his mask, but kept his cloak and hat on as far as he could, for the sunlight reflected off the white sand burned his eyes, which were more used to the complete darkness below. Shali Dalib rode a camel with his assistant in front of him, walking in the middle, with Wulfgar and Catti-brie at the rear.Catti-brie kept the Taumari on her lap, and the silver arrow kept reminding the cunning merchant. When the day came, it was hotter than any of the friends had ever experienced, except for Drizzt, who had once lived underground.There was not a single cloud in the sky to hide the scorching sun, nor any wind to cool off the heat.Shali Dalib, who is used to the heat, knows how lucky it is that there is no wind, because the wind in the desert will blow the dust that hurts people and makes people unable to see the road, which is the most dangerous killer in the Kalin Desert . Nights are much better as the temperature drops moderately and a full moon turns the endless dunes into a silvery dreamscape, like waves on the sea.The group of friends camped for hours, each taking turns guarding the two reluctant guides. After midnight, Catti-brie woke up suddenly.She sat up and stretched, thinking it was her turn to be on duty.She saw Drizzt standing by the firelight, looking at the sky full of stars. Isn't Drizzt ranked first?She felt very strange. Catti-brie watched the position of the moon carefully to determine the time.There was nothing to doubt; the nights grew longer. "Is there any trouble?" She walked to Drizzt's side and asked softly.Bruenor's loud snore answered the question instead of Drizzt. "How about I replace you?" she asked. "Even dark elves need sleep." "I can rest under my cloak hat," Drizzt replied, turning to meet her caring gaze with his lavender eyes, "when the sun is high." "How about I watch with you, then?" Catti-brie asked. "This must be a wonderful night." Drizzt smiled, then turned his gaze back to the sky, watching the deep allure of the night sky with a mysterious longing in his heart, which all surface elves have felt. Catti-brie took his slender fingers into his hand and stood quietly beside him, not wanting to disturb his fascinated state.What she shared with her closest friend at the moment was more than words.    The second day was hotter, and the third was worse, but the camels continued to plod along absentmindedly, and the four friends who had been through so much together accepted the sweltering road as just something they had to do. Just another hurdle to overcome on your journey. They saw no signs of life, which they considered lucky, as all creatures living in this isolated area would be hostile.The heat alone was enough of a foe, and they felt like their skin was drying up and cracking. Whenever they felt like going no further, when they felt they could no longer take the relentless sun, the scorching sand, and the heat, they thought of Regis. What kind of terrible torture was this halfling suffering in the hands of his original master? end Entreri watched from the shadow of the porch as Basher Pook came up the steps leading to the guild's exit.Less than an hour after Puke got the ruby ​​pendant back, he was ready to take it out and use it.Entreri had to do the guild master a favor; he was never late when the dinner bell rang. The killer waited for Puck to leave the house completely, then quietly returned to the top floor.The guards outside the last door dared not make a move to stop him, but Entreri could not remember seeing any of them when he was still here.Pook must have been careful to tell them about Entreri's place in the guild, letting him keep all the privileges he had back then. When the dinner bell rang, he was never late. Entreri walked to the door of his former room, where Ravel now lived.He knocked lightly on the door. "Come in, come in," the wizard welcomed him, not surprised that the killer had returned. "It's good to be back," Entreri said. "It is good of you to come back," replied the wizard sincerely. "Everything has changed since you left, especially the last few months." Entreri understood what the wizard was trying to say: "Reshita?" Ravel's face changed: "When that guy is around, you'd better put your back against the wall," he shuddered, but quickly regained his composure, "But since you've returned By Puke's side, Reshita will soon learn where to stand." "Perhaps," Entreri replied, "though I'm not sure Pook is happy to see me." "You know him," Ravel said with a chuckle, "he's always thinking about things as a guild master! He really wants to put on airs when you meet him, to emphasize his authority. But that thing It has passed." Entreri's eyes gave the wizard the impression that he wasn't quite sure about it. "Pook will forget about it," Ravel assured him. "It's not so easy to forget that someone was after me," Entreri replied. "Pook asked Pinocchio to fix this," Ravel said. "That pirate never screwed up." "The pirate never faced such a formidable foe," Entreri replied.He looked at the table and Ravel's crystal ball, "We have to make sure." Ravel thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.Anyway, he was going to use the crystal ball to spy on something. "Watch the ball," he told Entreri, "and I'll see if I can conjure the image of Pinocchio." The crystal ball remained dark for a while, then suddenly filled with smoke.Ravel and Pinocchio were not that close, but they knew each other well enough for him to find each other.A few seconds later, they saw that the deck of a ship was not a pirate ship, but a merchant ship.Entreri felt at once that something was wrong.Then the crystal ball peered deeper, through the hull, and confirmed the killer's suspicions, for the proud pirate was locked in a corner, elbows to knees, head in palms, manacled and fettered to the wall. Ravel froze, looking at Entreri, but the Killer was too absorbed in the sight to explain.A rare smile appeared on Entreri's face. Ravel casts a spell on the crystal ball. "Pinocchio," he called softly. The pirate raised his head and looked around. "Where are you?" Ravel asked. "Obernor?" asked Pinocchio. "Is that you, wizard?" "No, I'm Ravel, Puck's mage in Calimport. Where are you?" "Menon," replied the pirate, "can you get me out?" "Where are the elves and the barbarians?" Entreri asked Ravel, but Pinocchio heard the question directly. "I've already caught them!" said the pirate angrily. "I surrounded them in a narrow channel with no way out. But then a dwarf appeared and flew over in a flaming chariot with a woman on it." Archers are so good." He paused, struggling to get rid of the hatred he thought of these things. "The result?" Ravel asked anxiously, he was surprised that things developed like this. "One ship was on fire, another ship was sunk, and the third ship was captured," said Pinocchio sadly.He put on a hideous expression, and then asked louder again: "Can you get me out?" Ravel looked helplessly at Entreri, who was already standing high above the crystal ball, concentrating on Listen to every word. "Where are they?" growled the killer, his patience worn out. "Run away," replied Pinocchio, "into Menon with the girl and the dwarf." "How long?" "Three days." Entreri gestured to Ravel that he had heard enough. "I'll have Basher Pook send a message to Menon right away," Ravel assured the pirates. "You will be set free." Pinocchio returned to his original frustrated posture.Of course he will be released; the matter has been arranged.What he hoped was that Ravel would use some sort of spell to get him out of Sea Sprite, so that when Deudermont let him go, he wouldn't be forced to hand over the collateral. "Three days," Ravel said to Entreri as the crystal ball darkened, "and they've gone about halfway." Entreri seemed pleased to hear that. "Basher Pook won't know about it," he said suddenly. Ravel slumped back in his chair. "It must be reported to him." "No!" Entreri exclaimed. "It's none of his business." "The guild could be in crisis," Ravel replied. "You don't believe I can handle this?" Entreri replied in a low, dark tone.Ravel felt the killer's cold eyes on him, as if he himself had become another obstacle that had to be dealt with. But Entreri softened and grinned. "You know Basher Pook's weakness is that he likes cheetahs," he said, rummaging in his pouch. "Give him this. Tell him you got him." He dropped a small The black object was thrown across the table, towards the wizard. Ravel caught it, his eyes widening as soon as he saw what it was. That's Guanhaifa.    In a different world far away, the leopard felt that the wizard touched the statue, and it wondered if its master was finally calling it to his side after such a long time. But after a while, that feeling disappeared, and Leopard put his head down again and began to rest. It's been so long.    "It has substance," exclaimed the wizard, feeling the power of the little agate statue. "And a powerful entity," Entreri assured him. "When you learn to control it, you add an ally to the Guild." "How can I thank—" Ravel began, but he stopped suddenly because he saw the price to be paid to get the leopard. "Why bother him with trivial matters that have nothing to do with Puck?" The wizard smiled as he covered the crystal ball with a cloth. Entreri tapped Ravel on the shoulder as he walked toward the door.Three years hasn't diminished how well these two know each other. But now that Drizzt and his party loomed, Entreri had more pressing matters to attend to.He had to visit Regis in the nine cells. The killer needs another gift.