Chapter 12 Chapter 9 No Glory Here

"Why have you come so early before the sun has risen?" the night watchman at the north gate asked their emissary for the caravan parked outside the walls of Luskan.Gildan stood on the sentry post beside the Night's Watch, watching the scene with keen interest, and he was sure that the group was from the Ten-Towns. "If we didn't have urgent matters, we wouldn't take the risk of violating the city's regulations." The person in charge of the negotiation said. "We haven't had a rest for two days." Another person emerged from the crowd of carriages, carrying a limp human body on his shoulders.

"There was a murder on the road," the negotiator explained. "And one of us was taken. Catti-brie, daughter of Bruenor Warhammer!" "A dwarf girl?" Gildan blurted out, not really thinking so, but pretending to be surprised because he was afraid of being involved. "No, it's not a dwarf. It's a human female." The negotiator said bitterly. "The most beautiful woman in Icewind Dale may be the most beautiful in the whole of the North. The dwarves adopted this orphan." "Orcs?" asked the Night's Watch, more concerned about the potential dangers on the road than about the fate of a single woman.

"Not orcs," said the negotiator. "He smuggled Catti-brie away with great skill, and killed the coachman. We didn't find out about the vile deed until the next morning." Gildan didn't need further information, or even a fuller description of Catti-brie, to put the pieces together.His relationship with Bruenor explained why Entreri was interested in her.Gildan looked at the eastern horizon and the first rays of dawn, anxious to get off work and report his discovery to Dandiba.This little news might assuage the mottled wizard's anger over his loss of traces of the drow.

"Hasn't he found them yet?" Dandiba said softly to Sydney. "He only found footprints from some time ago," the young mage replied. "If they're still on the pier, they're well hidden." Dante had paused to consider his apprentice's report.Something is not going according to script.Four prominent figures are unlikely to disappear. "Have you heard anything from the killer or the woman who went with him?" "The homeless on the street are afraid of him. Even hooligans shun him when they see him." "So our friends are well known among the lower-class residents." Dandiba mused.

"He's a hired killer, I suppose," Sydney replied. "He might be from the south, maybe Waterdeep, but if that's the case, we'd have heard more about him by now. Maybe he's from further south, as far as we can get hold of it." from somewhere else.” "That's interesting," Dandiba replied, trying to come up with a theory that fit all the variables. "Where's that girl?" Sydney shrugged. "I don't believe she followed him voluntarily, but she didn't try to run away from him. And when you see him in Morkai's vision, he's riding alone."

"He captured her." An unexpected answer came from the porch.Gildan walked into the room. "What? How dare you come in without notification?" Dandiba said contemptuously. "I have new information, I can't wait." Gildan replied firmly. "Have they left the city?" Sydney reacted instantly, voicing her doubts aloud to heighten the anger she saw on the spotted wizard's face.Sydney was well aware of the dangers and difficulties of being on the docks, so she felt even sympathetic to Gildan when he encountered the ruthless Dandiba's wrath in circumstances beyond her control.But now that Gildan continues to compete with her for Tandiba's favor, she won't let compassion get in the way of her ambitions.

"No!" Gildan snapped at her. "My news has nothing to do with the dark elves." He looked back at Dandiba. "A caravan came to Luskan today, looking for the woman." "Who is she?" Dandiba asked, suddenly so interested that he forgot his anger at Gildan's intrusion. "Adopted daughter of Bruenor Warhammer," Gildan replied. "Katie—" "Catti-brie! Of course!" whispered Dandiba, himself familiar with most of the famous people in Ten-Towns. "I should have guessed it!" He turned to Sydney. "My respect for our mysterious knight grows every day. Go find him and bring him here!"

Sydney nodded, but he was afraid that Dandiba's request was more difficult than the striped wizard himself imagined, and it might also exceed her ability. She spent the whole night until the first half of the next morning, searching the alleyways and meeting places of the quayside.But even with all the contacts on the docks and all the magic tricks at her disposal, there was no sign of Entreri or Catti-brie, and no one was willing or able to offer her any information. Help her find the intel. Tired and frustrated, she returned to Wizard's Tower the next day, crossing the hallway of Dendiba's room, even though he had ordered her to report back directly when she returned.Sydney is not in the mood to listen to the wizard in striped clothes yelling at her for failing her mission.

She was back in her little room, in the north tower on the other side of the main trunk, under the chamber of the North Tower Lord.She bolted the door and sealed it further with magic to prevent unwelcome intrusion. As soon as she fell on the bed, she found that the mirror surface of her teleportation mirror began to swirl and glow. "Fuck you, Dandiba!" she grumbled, guessing that the harassment must have been done by her master.She walked towards the mirror with her tired body, looked into it deeply, and coordinated her state of mind with the vortex to make the image clearer.However, she was relieved to find that she was not facing Dandiba. It was just a wizard in a distant town, a person who might propose to her. Heartless Sydney deliberately left him a glimmer of hope so that she Only use him when needed.

"Hello, beautiful Sydney," said the mage. "I hope I didn't disturb your sleep, but I have exciting news!" Normally, Sydney would listen tactfully to what the mage had to say, pretend to be interested in the content, and politely find an excuse to end their meeting.But now, with Dandiba's demands directly on her shoulders, she has no patience for such annoying matters. "This is not the time for such talk!" she snapped back. Too excited for his own news, the mage didn't seem to notice the determined tone of her voice. "The most amazing thing happened in our town!" he remarked casually.

"Harkool!" Sydney yelled, trying to stop his babbling. The mage stopped dejectedly. "But, Sydney." "Next time." She insisted. "But what chances does one have of actually seeing a drow and talking to him?" Harkle didn't budge. "I can't—" Sydney stopped suddenly, hearing Harkle's last words. "Dark elves?" she stammered. "Yes," said Harkle, smiling proudly, his heart pounding for his news had evidently interested Sydney, whom he loved. "His name is Drizzt Do'Urden. He left Longsaddle two days ago. I could have told you sooner, but there's a commotion in the whole building over this..." "Tell me more, Harkle dear," said Sydney coquettishly. "Be sure to tell me everything..."    "I need information." Whisper froze at the unexpected voice, and she guessed at once who it was speaking from.She knew he was in the city, and she knew he was the only one who would get through her defenses and come to her secret room. "Intel," Entreri said again, stepping out of the shadows behind the changing screen. Whisper let go of the bottle of healing ointment and slipped it into his pocket, then took a good look at the man.Rumor had it that he was the deadliest of killers, and she knew them too well to know right away that the rumors were true.She felt Entreri's strength, and the easy coordination of his movements. "No man comes into my room uninvited," she boldly warned him. Entreri moved to a vantage point to get a good look at the bold woman.He had also heard of her reputation, a survivor of harsh conditions, beautiful and deadly.But obviously Whisper suffered a loss in the last meeting with people.Her nose was broken and tilted toward her cheek. Whisper also understood what he was looking at.She straightened her shoulders and held her head proudly high. "An unfortunate accident," she said disapprovingly. "That's none of my business," Entreri snapped back. "I'm here to ask for information." Whisper turned away and went about her usual movements, trying to appear untroubled. "The price is high," she said coldly. "I'm looking for a party of four," Entreri said. "A dwarf, a dark elf, two young men, and a halfling." Whisper was not used to such situations.There was no crossbow to back her up now, no bodyguard waiting for her signal at the secret door nearby.She tried to stay calm, but Entreri knew the depth of her fear.She laughed softly, then pointed to her broken nose. "I've met the dwarf you're looking for, and the dark elf, Artemis Entreri," she said emphatically when she said his name, hoping the fact that she recognized him would put him back on the defensive. . "Where are they?" Entreri asked, still in control. "Also, what do they want from you?" Whisper shrugged. "If they're still in Luskan, I don't know where. But they should be gone, and the dwarves now have a map of the whole Northland." Entreri pondered the words. "It's better to be famous than to meet," he said sarcastically. "You were hurt like this by them, and you let them escape from your grasp?" Whisper's eyes narrowed in anger. "I choose to fight or not to fight carefully," she retorted. "It's dangerous to retaliate against these four people lightly. Let them go where they want. I don't want to have anything to do with them." Entreri's calm face darkened a little.He had been to Curved Sword and heard about Wulfgar.Now hearing this again.A woman like Whisper is not easily frightened.Maybe he really has to reevaluate these opponents. "That dwarf is fearless," observed Whisper, sensing his panic and taking pleasure in making him uncomfortable. "Also, watch out for that dark elf, Artemis Entreri," she said pointedly, trying to make him worry about the four companions as much as she did with her creepy tone. "He walks in the shadows we can't see, attacking from the dark. He manipulates a leopard-shaped demon..." Entreri turned away, not intending to let Whisper take any further advantage of his tongue. Blinded by his victory, Whisper could not resist the temptation to throw one last javelin. "No man comes into my room uninvited," she said again.Entreri entered another interconnecting room, and Whisper heard the door close in the adjoining alleyway. "I choose to fight or not to fight carefully," she said to the empty room, recovering some of her pride from the threat. She turned to the small dressing table, took out the bottle of ointment, and began to enjoy herself.She examines her wounds in the dressing-table mirror.Not too bad.Applying ointment would fade the scars, as had countless of them that had been erased in the ordeal of her career. She realized her folly when she saw shadows flash by in the mirror, and felt the air behind her.Her profession does not allow for mistakes or second chances.For the first and last time in her career, Whisper let her pride override her judgment. Whisper groaned as the jeweled dagger sank deep into her back. "I choose to fight carefully, too," Entreri whispered in her ear. The next morning, Entreri stood outside a place he'd rather not go: Sorcerer's Tower.He knew he had no other choice.The killer was sure the four companions had been far from Luskan so long that he needed some magical help to make their tracks distinct again.It had taken him almost two years to find out that the halfling was hiding in Ten-Towns, and his patience was worn out. Catti-brie stood beside him reluctantly, but without protest.He entered the building, and was quickly escorted to the audience hall at Dendibar, where the spotted wizard and Sydney were waiting to welcome him. "They have left the city," Entreri said without greeting. Dendiba smiled to Entreri to show that he had the upper hand this time. "A week ago," he replied calmly. "You know where they are!" Entreri speculated. Dandiba nodded, the smile still lingering on his sunken cheeks. The killer doesn't like the game.He spent quite some time sizing up his opponent, trying to pick up some clues about the wizard's intentions.Dandiba was also looking at it, still interested in working with the difficult killer, but only if it was in his favour. "What about the price of information?" Entreri asked. "I don't even know your name," was Dandiba's answer. Fair enough, the killer thought.He bowed deeply. "Artemis Entreri," he said, trusting enough to tell the truth. "Why did you find their group and drag the dwarf's daughter away?" Dandiba asked, deliberately showing his hand to give the killer a reason to be nervous. "That's my business," Entreri retorted, his eyes narrowed only to show that he was disturbed by what Dandiba knew. "It's none of my business, too, if we're going to cooperate in this matter!" cried Dandybar, standing tall to threaten Entreri. But the Killer didn't really care much about the Wizard's antics, he was too focused on assessing the value of the partnership. "I don't ask what you want from them," Entreri answered at last. "I just ask who is related to what you want." Now it's Dandiba's turn to take the long exam.He really wished Entreri would have worked for him if he hadn't been afraid the killer would turn against him.And he liked the idea of ​​not having to reveal to this dangerous man the magic item he was looking for. "The dark elf has one of my things, or else he knows where I can find it," he said. "I want my stuff back." "Then the halfling is mine," Entreri demanded. "Where are they?" Dandiba nodded to Xini. "They've crossed the Long Saddle," she said. "Towards Silvermoon City, it will take more than two weeks to arrive." Catti-brie had never heard of these place names, but she was relieved that her friends had traveled so far.She needed time to come up with a plan, but she doubted how efficiently she would be able to pull it off with such a capable captor. "What's your suggestion?" Entreri asked. "Cooperation." Dan Diba replied. "But I've got the information I need," Entreri laughed. "Cooperating with you, what benefits do I have?" "My strength can send you directly there, and can help you defeat them. They are not weak. Come to think of it, this is beneficial to both parties." "Are you coming with me? You seem to be more suitable to stay next to the desk and the books, wizard." Dan Diba stared at the arrogant killer without blinking. "I promise I can get anywhere I want faster than you can imagine!" he growled.He quickly lets his anger pass, however, because he's more interested in getting things done. "But I'll stay here. Sydney will go in my place, with Sergeant Gildan as her bodyguard." Entreri didn't like the idea of ​​traveling with Gildan very much, but he decided not to disobey Dandibar on this one.Hunting quarry with Sorcerer's Tower should be fun and helpful.He accepts the condition. "And what about her?" Sydney asked, pointing to Catti-brie. "She's coming with me," Entreri replied immediately. "Of course," Dandiba agreed. "There is no reason to waste such a valuable hostage." "We're three against five," reasoned Sydney. "If things don't turn out to be as easy as you two think, then this girl will be the reason for our failure." "She must go!" Entreri demanded. Dandiba has come up with a solution.He turned his head and gave Sydney an evil smile. "Take Pork," he said with a smile. Sydney's face darkened at the suggestion, as if Dendiba's suggestion had taken away her desire to be part of the hunt. Entreri wondered whether he himself liked this new development.Feeling the killer's displeasure, Dan Diba motioned Sydney to the side of the room, where there was a cabinet covered with a curtain. "Pork..." When she got there, she called softly, her voice trembling slightly. It came out of the curtain.Eight feet tall and three feet wide at the shoulders, the monster lumbered toward the woman.It seemed to be a giant, and the wizard did piece it together out of many human parts.Pork was bigger and stronger than any living person, almost the size of a giant, and was also magically endowed with powers beyond what nature should have. "It's a golem," Golem (Golem): A magical creature created by a wizard through magic using soil or metal as raw materials.Ordinary weapons can't hurt it at all, and it is one of the enemies that adventurers are least willing to encounter.Dendybar declared proudly, "My work. Pork could kill us all in an instant. Not even your deadly knife will do it any good, Artemis Entreri." The killer didn't believe his words so easily, but he still couldn't hide his doubts and fears.Dandybar had clearly tipped the scales in his favor in this partnership, but Entreri knew that if he backed out of the deal now, he would turn the Striped Wizard and his minions against him, and in pursuit The dwarf group has become a direct competition relationship.What's more, it might take weeks or even months to catch up with those people by ordinary methods, and he didn't doubt that Dandiba could get there sooner. Catti-brie was thinking the same disturbing thing at the same time.She didn't want to travel with this horrible monster, but she doubted what kind of carnage she would find when she finally caught up with Bruenor and the others if Entreri broke his contract. "Don't be afraid." Dan Diba comforted them. "Pork is harmless. He has no ability to think independently. You see, he has no mind at all. This golem only obeys orders from me or Sydney. If I want it to go to the fire and die, he will die." I will obediently obey orders!" "I have things to do in this city," he said without doubting Dan Disi's words, and he didn't want to hear anything more about the golem. "When are we leaving?" "Evening is the best option," Dandiba replied. "After the sun goes down, please come to the grass outside the tower. We will meet there and see you on your way." Dandiba was alone in the room (if Pork counted), stroking the golem's muscular shoulder with great affection.Pork was his hidden trump card, his main defense against the gang, and Artemis Entreri's treasure.But Dandiba didn't let it go easily, because it also played the role of protecting Dandiba from being assassinated by those who wanted his position in the Sorcerer's Tower.Dandiba had clearly let the wind out and warned those wizards that if anyone dared to attack him, he would have to fight Polk, even after Dandiba himself died. But the future is still long, and the Lord of the North Tower has no way to abandon his responsibilities and wants to keep his position.Especially since he couldn't leave an excuse for the Chief Wizard who was trying to get rid of him, because the Chief Wizard was well aware of the dangers of Dandiba's unabashed voicing of his desire to enter the Central Tower. "Nothing can stop you, my beloved Pork," Dandiba said to the monster.In fact, he was just repeating his fear of sending that inexperienced mage to fight in his stead.He didn't doubt her loyalty to Gildan, but Entreri and the heroes from Icewind Dale were not easy to deal with. "I have given you the ability to hunt," Dandiba explained as he dropped the scroll handle and the now useless parchment on the ground. "That dark elf is your target, and you can feel his presence from any distance now. Go find him! Don't come back to me without Drizzt Do'Urden with you!" A growl rose from Pork's throat and passed through his blue lips.It was the only sound the unthinking monster could make. When Entreri and Catti-brie arrived at Sorcerer's Tower later in the evening, the wizard's party had already gathered there to wait for them. Gildan stood alone on the other side of them, clearly uninterested in the adventure, but he had no other choice.The sergeant was terrified of golems, and had no affection or trust for Entreri.But he was more afraid of Dandiba, and his nervousness about the potential dangers on the road was nothing compared to the dangers he would definitely encounter at the hands of the striped wizard if he refused to go on the road. Sydney left Polk and Dandeba and crossed the road to her fellow travelers. "Welcome," she said, now more interested in placating difficult partners than competing with them. "Dandybar has prepared our mounts. We'll be riding to Silvermoon City really soon!" Entreri and Catti-brie looked at the striped wizard.Pork was standing beside him, holding a leather scroll, its contents turned out so he could see it, while the wizard was pouring smoking liquid from a beaker onto a white feather, chanting what was written on the scroll. Written by occult magic symbols. A puff of smoke rose from the wizard's feet, swirling and gradually forming a solid shape.Dandiba let it take shape by itself, and walked a short distance to the side, repeating the same ritual again.While the wizard was working on the fourth and final horse, the first was fully formed. Entreri raised his eyebrows. "Four horses?" he asked Sydney. "There are five of us now." "Pork can't ride," she replied, amused by the killer's idea. "It'll run on its own." She turned to Dandibar, allowing Entreri to keep himself in the thought. "Of course," Entreri murmured to himself, somehow feeling less creepy at the presence of this unnatural creature. But Catti-brie was starting to see things from a slightly different angle.Dendiba sent Pork clearly to improve his advantage over Entreri, not to secure an advantage over her friend.Entreri must have thought of that, too. Although the wizard didn't realize it himself, he had created the kind of tension Catti-brie had hoped for, one that would allow her to figure out a way to detonate it.