Chapter 13 Chapter 10 The Bond of Fame

On the first day after leaving Long Saddle Town, the sun shone brightly in the sky.The four of them had fully recovered their spirits during their visit to the Harbell family and moved forward at a fast pace, but they still planned to enjoy the sunny weather and smooth roads.The place was flat and unmarked, not a single tree or hill nearby. "Nesme in three more days, or four," Regis told them. "If the weather stays that clear, let's go a little longer, preferably more than three days," Wulfgar said. Drizzt moved under the jumpsuit's hat.Although the morning seemed pleasant to them, he knew they were still in the wilderness.Three days is already a long journey.

"What do you know about Nesme?" Bruenor asked Regis. "Only what Harkle told us," Regis replied. "A decent sized commercial city. But people are careful. I haven't been there, but about living in the Evermoors: aka the Trollmoors, the scariest place in the Northland One of the lands. It is so infested with trolls that few dare to cross it. Stories of the bravery of those around it are told throughout the North." "I've been made to take an interest in Evermoor," Wulfgar said. "Harkle doesn't want to talk much about this place. Whenever I ask about it, he always shakes his head and trembles."

"There is nothing to doubt, this place must be exaggerated." Bruno said with a smile, not paying much attention to the rumor. "Can it be worse than Icewind Dale?" Regis shrugged, not entirely convinced by the dwarf's point of view. "It is called the Troll Wastes in the legends, which may be exaggerated, but these legends are also a warning to us. Every city in the Northland pays tribute to the bravery of the people of Nesme, Because in the face of such trials, they ensured the smooth opening of the trade roads opened along the Sable Plain." Bruno laughed again. "This is probably a legend from Nesme, describing themselves as more powerful than the real situation?"

Regis didn't reply. About this time they stopped for lunch and a tall mist blotted out the sun.Far to the north, a row of dark clouds appeared and flew toward them.Drizzt had already expected it.In the wilderness, even the weather can become an enemy. Storm clouds hung over them that afternoon, with torrential rain and hail that knocked off Bruenor's helmet.Suddenly lightning flashed across the dark sky, and thunder nearly knocked them off their mounts.But they still struggled to walk in the deeper and deeper mud. "This is the real test of the road," Drizzt called to them through the howling wind. "Many travelers have been defeated not by Orcs but by storms, for they did not expect such danger when they began their travels!"

"Go! It's just a summer thunderstorm!" Bruno growled in defiance. As if in a self-respecting reply, a flash of lightning struck the riders within a few yards of each other.The horse jumped up and kicked.Bruenor's pony fell split-legged into the mud, nearly crushing the stunned dwarf as it scrambled up. With his mount out of control, Regis was about to jump off the saddle and roll aside. Bruno stood up, wiped the mud from his eyes, and cursed continuously. "Fuck it!" he snapped, watching the pony's actions. "My horse is lame!" Wulfgar steadied his horse and tried to follow Regis' galloping pony, but hail from the high winds blew him blind and landed heavily on his horse, and he tried again. Time and time again I find myself struggling not to fall.

Another flash of lightning came down.And then again. Drizzt whispered softly to the horse, which, having covered its head with his cloak to silence it, walked slowly towards the dwarf. "Limp!" Bruenor howled again, but Drizzt could barely hear him. Drizzt could only shake his head helplessly and pointed at Bruenor's axe. More lightning strikes, and another storm hits.Drizzt rolled over to his mount to cover himself, knowing he could no longer keep the horse calm. The hailstones that fell grew larger and fell on them like stone projectiles from a catapult. Drizzt's terrified horse hurled him to the ground and galloped away, trying to break free from the realm of the punishing storm.

Drizzt came quickly to Bruenor's side, but all of their contingency plans were suddenly thwarted as Wulfgar fell toward them. With great difficulty, he turned his body weight to the direction of the wind to keep himself upright.His eyes looked down, his jaw was pulled, blood mixed with rain on his cheek.He stared blankly at his friends, as if he didn't understand what was happening to him. Then he fell, face down, into the mud at their feet. A sharp whistle broke through the wall of the storm, which was the only glimmer of hope in the midst of the increasing strength of the storm.Drizzt's keen ears picked up the sound as he and Bruenor lifted their friend's face out of the mud.It sounded so far away, but Drizzt knew how a storm could warp one's senses.

"What?" Bruno noticed the dark elf's instant reaction, so he asked him, because Bruno didn't hear the voice. "Regis!" Drizzt replied.He began to drag Wulfgar towards the whistle, and Bruenor followed him.They did not have time to confirm whether the young man was still alive. On this day, the quick-witted Regis saved them.He was fully aware of the deadly potential of the storm coming down over the Spine of the World, so Regis crawled around to find shelter in the clearing.He fell into a pothole next to a small bump in the ground, probably a wolf's den, but it was currently empty.

Following the guidance of his whistle, Drizzt and Bruno quickly found him. "This place will fill with rain in no time, and we'll drown!" Bruenor yelled, but he helped Drizzt drag Wulfga in, keeping his back straight against the cavern's back wall, Then, side by side with friends, they built an earth embankment mixed with their luggage to keep out the terrible flood. A groan from Wulfgar sent Regis running to his side. "He's alive!" the halfling declared. "And his injury is not too serious!" "He's tougher than a post in the corner of a burrow!" remarked Bruno.

Soon, they made the cave bearable if not comfortable, and even Bruno stopped complaining. "This is the real test on the road!" Drizzt said to Regis again, trying to cheer up his friends, who were utterly beset by gloom, as they sat safely through the night in the mud.The continuous thunder and hailstones seemed to be constantly reminding these people that they were on the small edge of safety. Regis answered him by pouring water from his boots. "How far do you reckon we've traveled?" Bruenor muttered to Drizzt. "Ten miles, maybe," replied the dark elf.

"It will take two weeks to get to Nesme at this speed!" Bruno murmured, wrapping his arms around his chest. "The storm will pass," Drizzt said hopefully, but the dwarf was not listening. It didn't rain at the start of the second day, but dark clouds hung low in the sky.Wulfgar was much better in the morning, but he still didn't know what had happened to him.Bruenor insisted on going at once, but Regis preferred to wait until the storm was certain to have passed. "Most of our provisions are gone," Drizzt reminded the halfling. "You'll have nothing to eat but a bit of dry bread until we get to Nesme to dine." Regis was the first to leave the cave. The unbearably wet and muddy ground prevented them from walking fast, and the group soon found their knees were aching from constantly twisting and stepping in the soft mud.Their soaked clothes were very uncomfortable for them and made every step heavier. They came to Wulfgar's horse, which was half buried in the mud and charred and smoking. "Lightning," Regis observed. The three of them looked at their savage friend in amazement that he had survived the blow.Wulfgar stared in surprise, too, realizing what had knocked him off his horse. "Tougher than Li!" Bruno called out to Drizzt again. Now and then the sun peeked teasingly through gaps in the clouds.However, this sunshine was not real, and by noon, the sky actually became darker again.Distant thunder heralds a gloomy afternoon. The storm had worked its deadly force, and yet they could find no refuge that night but their wet clothes.Whenever lightning illuminated the sky, four people could be seen sitting hunched over in the mud, their heads lowered as if they had been helplessly resigned to their fate. For the next two days they continued clumsily through the wind and rain, with no choice but to advance.Wulfgar became their morale savior during this low period.He dug Regis out of the soaked ground, lifted the halfling easily onto his back, and explained that he needed the extra weight for balance.He saved the halfling's face in this way, and he even planned to persuade the irascible dwarf to ride him for a while.And Wulfgar was indomitable. "It's a good thing, I tell you," he kept yelling into the gray sky. "This storm keeps bugs, and orcs, out of our way! And we'll have no shortage of water for the next few months!" He worked hard to keep the spirits of the group high.At certain moments he would watch the lightning closely, counting the time gap between the flash and the thunder that followed.There was a flash of lightning as they approached a gnarled, long-dead tree, and Wulfgar followed suit.He shouted, "Tampus!" and threw his hammer, which struck the tree and leveled it just as the thunder rumbled.His friends, who amused him, looked back to see him standing proudly, arms and eyes raised to the gods, as if they had answered his call personally. Drizzt took the whole ordeal with his usual stoicism, silently applauding his young friend, knowing once again (even more certain than before) that they had made the right decision to bring him.It was the Dark Elf's duty in these trying times to keep up the good watch, trying to stay vigilant despite the barbarian's claim that they were safe. Finally, the storm clouds were blown away by the strong wind that had brought them.The bright sunshine followed by the cloudless dawn sky brightened the mood of the group immeasurably, and made them think again about what was waiting for them ahead. Especially Bruno.The dwarves leaned forward in their haste, just as they had when they first set out from Icewind Dale. The red beard swayed with his stride, and Bruno found his focus once again.He fell back into the dream of his hometown, seeing the light and shadow flickering caused by the light of the torch shining on the wall where the silver flowed out, and he also thought of the miraculous handicrafts created by the exquisite craftsmanship of their nation.In recent months, his quest to find the Mithril Hall had stirred up clear and new memories in his mind, and now he was walking on the road, thinking of Dumathoin for the first time in more than a century. hall. The dwarves of Mithril Hall make a good living trading their crafts, but they always keep true masterpieces and the most precious gifts from outsiders for themselves.In a room large and luxuriously furnished, an eye-opener to all visitors, the relics of Bruno's ancestors are on public display and serve as a source of inspiration for future artists of their kind. Bruno smiled slightly at the memory of the marvelous halls and the marvelous works (almost all weapons and armor).He looked at Wulfgar striding beside him, and the mighty hammer he'd made the previous year.If the Bruenor family still ruled Mithril Hall, the Fang of Aegis should have hung high in the Dumathoin Hall long ago, marking the immortal value of Bruenor in their national heritage. But seeing Wulfgar hold the hammer, swinging it as easily as his own arm, Bruenor had no regrets. The next day brought more good news.Shortly after they broke camp, the group found themselves traveling farther than they expected in the trials of the storm, as the landscape around them underwent subtle but definite shifts as they marched.The ground here was sparsely covered with a few patches of overgrown and underdeveloped weeds, which became essentially a sea of ​​mud under the torrent of rainwater, but now they found tender green grass and tall elm trees fallen. wreckage.After climbing the last ridge, their speculation was confirmed, because in front of their eyes was the Dessarin Valley.For the first few miles the river was swollen with spring snowmelt and a recent storm, and from their vantage point they could clearly see the great river bend steadily southward. The long winters ruled the land, but when it came time for the flowers to bloom, the plants burst into bloom during their brief flowering season with a vigor that was utterly incompatible with the world around them.The rich colors of spring surround the party as they make their way downhill to the river.The grass was so thick that they could take off their boots and walk barefoot on the soft ground.The exuberance here is palpable and infectious. "You should see those rooms," Bruno blurted out suddenly and impulsively. "Veins of pure mithril larger than the palm of your hand! They are streams of silver, and are only inferior in beauty to what dwarves can make of them!" "It took us so much to see the sight, and keep going," Drizzt replied. "Go!" Bruno snorted kindly. "You're here because I tricked you, elf. You've run out of reasons not to go on this adventure!" Wulfgar couldn't help chuckling.Because he was also involved in tricking Drizzt into agreeing to go with him.After the battle with Acar Kessell in Ten-Towns, Bruenor feigned mortal wounds, and on his pretended deathbed he asked the dark elves to join him in his quest to find his ancient home.Drizzt couldn't refuse the thought of the dwarf's imminent death. "And yourself!" Bruenor growled at Wulfgar. "I know why you came, even if you can't figure it out because your skull is too thick!" "Prayer told me," Wulfgar replied, smiling. "You are running! But you cannot escape!" cried the dwarf.Wulfgar's smile turned to confusion. "The girl is messing with him, elf," Bruenor explained to Drizzt. "Catti-brie netted him with a net that not even his muscles could break!" Wulfgar smiled at Bruenor's blunt conclusions, but didn't talk back.But in those flashbacks that Bruenor brings up when he mentions Catti-brie, the sight of the sunset facing the Cone of Cairn, or the memories of talking for hours while climbing Bruenor's Rock, the young barbarian in the dwarven In his observations he found an element of fact that disturbed his heart. "What about Regis?" Drizzt asked Bruenor. "Have you found out why he's participating?! Is it because he likes to suck his tiny legs in knee-deep mud?" Bruenor stopped smiling and began to study the halfling's reaction to the drow's question. "No, not yet." He replied solemnly after a few seconds of indistinctness. "All I know is this: if the glutton chooses to go on the road, it means that slime and orcs are much better than what he left behind." Bruno continued to watch his little friend, trying to learn from his reaction again. Find a little clue. Regis continued to look down, watching his hairy feet plow through the thick green waves, the first time he could see them in months due to his shrinking belly.Entreri the Killer was in a world away, he thought.He has no desire to detail a danger that has been avoided. A few miles up the banks, they come to the first major fork of the river, where the Sable flows from the northeast into the North Bend main stream of the vast network. The companions wanted to find a way across the larger river, the Dessalines, and into the small valley between it and the Sable.Nesme, their next stop, and the last stop before reaching Silvermoon City, was higher than the Sable River, and although the city was actually located on the east bank of the river, they almost The first listened to Harkle Hubbell's advice and decided to walk along the west bank to avoid the hidden dangers of the Evermoor. They crossed the Dessalins without much difficulty, thanks to the incredible lightness and agility of the Dark Elf, who ran along the high hanging branches and jumped onto branches of similar height on the opposite bank.Before long they all forded the Sable with ease, enjoying the sun, the warm breeze, and the endless song of the water.Drizzt even shot down a deer with his bow, ensuring they had a feast of venison and stockpiling provisions for later. They camped by the water, under the stars for the first time in four nights, and sat by the fire listening to Bruenor tell tales of Mithril Hall and the wonders they would find at the end of their journey. However, this tranquility did not last until morning, because they were awakened by the sound of fighting.Wulfgar immediately climbed a nearby tree to see who was fighting. "They're on horses!" he yelled, and leapt down, raising his hammer before he hit the ground. "Some are down, and they're fighting monsters I don't know about!" He rushed north, Bruenor following, and Drizzt circling their flanks.Regis, less enthusiastic, followed at a distance, his mace drawn, and with difficulty was ready to fight head-on. Wulfgar was the first to arrive on the scene.The remaining seven knights did not lie down, trying in vain to maneuver their mounts into some sort of defensive formation.Creatures fighting them are quick and not afraid to run under the stampeding feet of horses in order to trip them.These monsters were barely three feet tall, but had arms twice as long as they were tall.They were like young trees, yet undeniably they moved, they galloped, they beat with their club-like arms, or as another unfortunate knight discovered when Wulfgar joined the fray, They bend their lithe limbs, wrap around their foes, and pull them from their horses. Wulfgar dashed between the two monsters, knocked them aside, and knocked out the one that had pulled the knight down.The savage, however, underestimated the monsters, for their root-like toes quickly regained their balance, and before he could take two steps, they caught him by the arms from behind and pulled him sideways, And stopped him from going any further. Bruno rushed in from directly behind.The dwarf's ax pierced one monster, and it was split open like a log, and then the dwarf slashed at another so viciously that a chunk of its torso flew with it. Drizzt was impatient but composed, calmly joining the fray with the same overwhelming sensitivity that had kept him alive through hundreds of encounters to this day.He walked down to the side, and on the lower side of the embankment, he found a crumbling log bridge across the Sable River.Drizzt knew that monsters had built the bridge; clearly they were not mindless beasts. Drizzt inspected the river bank carefully.The knights regrouped with the help of unexpected foreign aid, but one of them was just caught and pulled off his horse by a monster.Seeing the tree-like features of these strange enemies, Drizzt understood why these knights used axes exclusively, and he wondered how effective his slender scimitar could be. But he had to act.He jumped out from hiding, stabbing the monster with both knives at the same time.There were cut marks on them, but no further effect, as if Drizzt had just chopped down a tree. Even so, the dark elf's intentions had saved the knight.The monster knocked his opponent one last time, keeping him stunned, before releasing its grip and turning to face Drizzt.Thinking quickly, the drow chose another attack, deflecting the knocking limbs with his ineffective blade.Then, when the creature charged at him, he crouched, uprooted it, and threw it back over his head to the bank.He plunged the machete into its bark-like skin, and pushed, sending the monster tumbling toward the Sable River.It grabbed something before it fell into the water, but Drizzt hit it again.A kick caused the monster to fall into the current and be swept away. At this moment the knight regained his posture and sanity, and rode up to the embankment in order to thank those who had rescued him. Then he saw black skin. "Dark elf!" he screamed, and his ax came down. Drizzt was attacked off guard.His sharp reflexes allowed him to raise the knife just in time to swing the axe out a bit, but the flat of the axe struck his head and knocked him staggering.Crouching under the force of the blow and rolling away, trying to keep as much distance as possible between him and the knight, he realized that this man could kill him before he knew it. "Wulfgar!" Regis screamed from his own hiding place not far behind on the river bank.The barbarian split one of the monsters in half from head to toe with a thunderous blow, turning just as the knight rode close to Drizzt. Howling in rage, Wulfgar broke free from his own fight, grabbed reins while the horse was still turning, and swung all his might.Both horse and rider fell to the ground.The horse stood up at once, shook his head, and trotted nervously up and down, but the rider remained on the ground, his leg broken by the weight of his own mount's fall. The remaining five knights acted in unison, rushed into the crowd of monsters and scattered them.Bruenor slashed out with the ax in spite, and all the while the dwarf sang a logging song he had learned as a boy. Split the wood for the fire, boy Heat the kettle, and the meal is about to begin! He sang the song as he cut down one monster after another in order. Wulfgar splayed his legs wide, poised to protect Drizzt, and each blow of his mighty hammer crushed any monster that dared come near. The rout of monsters continued, and within seconds the remaining ones fled in terror towards the bridge over the Sable. Three of the knights fell to the ground dead, a fourth leaned heavily on his horse, and the one Wulfgar fell passed out from pain.But the five remaining on horseback did not go to their wounded.They formed a semicircle around Wulfgar and Drizzt, who had just risen, and pressed the ax against the two of them, keeping them still against the bank. "Is this how you treat your saviours?" Bruno growled at them, patting a horse away to join his friends. "I bet the same person will never help you twice!" "You have bad company, dwarves!" retorted one of the knights. "If it wasn't for this terrible companion, your friend would be dead by now!" Wulfgar replied, pointing to the knight lying to one side. "And he returned the dark elf's life-saving grace with an axe!" "We are the knights of Nesme," the knight explained. "Our fate is to die in the field to protect our blood. We accept this fate voluntarily." "One more step forward, your horses, and you'll get what you want!" Bruno warned. "You judge us unfairly," Wulfgar retorted. "Nesm is our destination. We have come in peace and friendship." "You can't go in, at least you can't take him in!" the knight said disdainfully. "Everyone knows what the evil dark elf has done. Do you want us to welcome him?" "Go, you and your mother are all idiots!" Bruno growled indignantly. "Speak carefully, dwarf," the knight warned him. "We outnumbered five to three, and we rode horses." "Then try it," Bruno pushed back loudly. "The vultures have nothing to eat with these dancing trees." His fingers ran across the edge of the axe. "Let's give them something good to eat!" Wulfgar flicked the Aegis-fang on his arm back and forth with ease.Drizzt made no move to touch his weapon, and his steady composure was perhaps the thing that scared all these knights the most. The man in charge of them seemed less arrogant after the threat failed, but he continued to assume the upper hand. "But we are not unappreciative of your assistance. We will let you go. Leave our land and never return." "We only go where we want to go!" Bruno growled. "And we chose not to go to war," Drizzt added. "It is not our purpose or purpose to harm you or your towns, Knights of Nesme. We shall pass, and wells shall meet rivers." "You are not allowed to come anywhere near our town, dark elf!" shouted another knight. "You can kill us in the fields! But there are a hundred knights behind us, and three times as many knights behind them! Get out now!" The group of them seemed to regain their strength because of his strong words. Courage, their horses began to trot nervously as the reins suddenly tightened. "We have our way," Wulfgar insisted. "Fuck them!" Bruno suddenly roared out. "I've seen too many of them! Go to their towns. Better get swept up in the river!" He turned to his friends. "They are so kind to us. If we go directly to Silvermoon City instead of going around the river, we can save more than a day's journey!" "Go straight through?" Drizzt asked. "Going to the Alfred Wasteland?" "Can it be worse than Icewind Dale?" Bruenor replied.He turned back to the knights. "Leave your towns, and your heads, for now," he said. "We're here to cross the bridge and get rid of you guys and Nesme!" "There are worse things than swamp monsters roaming the Troll Wastes, stupid dwarves!" replied the knight with a toothy grin. "We're here to destroy this bridge. We'll burn it down as soon as you get across." Bruno nodded, returning the sneer. "Go straight east," the knight warned. "We will pass word to all knights. If you are found near Nesme, you will die." "Take your evil friends and get lost!" another knight insulted. "Before my ax is stained with dark elf blood! Even after that I have to throw away the stained ax!" All the knights laughed together. Drizzt didn't even hear that.He focuses on a knight hiding behind the group, quietly using his inconspicuousness to his advantage in conversation in conversation.The knight had slipped a bow from his shoulder, and was slowly moving his hand towards the quiver bit by bit. Bruno finished speaking.He and Wulfgar turned away from the knights and started to cross the bridge. "Come, elf," he said to Drizzt when he had passed. "I'll sleep better when I'm away from the bitches these orcs bred." But Drizzt had one more message to send before turning his back on the knight.In a dizzying movement, he spun the bow on his back, drew an arrow from his quiver, and sent it whistling through the air.It struck the would-be archer's fur cap, shaved a section of his hair out of it, and pinned it to a tree behind in an instant, the quiver of the arrow shaft a clear warning. "Your misguided insults! I accept it, and I expected it," Drizzt explained to the frightened riders, "but I will not tolerate any attempt to harm my friend. I will protect myself as well." Be careful, I only warn you once: if you do anything against us again, you will die." He turned abruptly and walked down the bridge without looking back. The stunned knights naturally didn't want to stop the dark elves and their party.The man who was supposed to shoot the arrow didn't even dare to get his hat back. Drizzt smiled at the inconsistency of his own inability to eradicate the legends left behind by their race.Although he is shunned or threatened, the aura that surrounds the dark elves gives him the ability to bluff enough to deter most would-be enemies. Regis joined them on the bridge, a small stone bouncing in his hand. "If they dare to attack," he began, explaining the impromptu weapon.He flicked the stone into the river. "If there is a real war, I should be the first to shoot." "If there's a war," Bruno corrected, "you'd be the first to piss and dirty the cave you're hiding in!" Wulfgar was thinking about the knight's warning about the course they were taking. "Trolllands," he said quietly, looking up the slope across the road to the utter desolation of land before them.Harkle had told them about this place once.Burnt land and bottomless swamps.Trolls and unnamed but scarier things. "This will save us more than a day's journey!" Bruno repeated stubbornly. Wulfgar didn't believe it. "You can go down," Dandiba told the ghost. The firelight in the copper basin took shape again, stripped of its material form, and Morkai contemplated this second meeting.How often would Dandiba come to summon it?It wants to know.The mottled wizard hadn't quite recovered from his last meeting, but he had the audacity to summon it a second time so soon.There must be something really urgent about Dandiba's involvement with the dwarves!This assumption made Morkai even more contemptuous of his own role as scout of the mottled wizards. Alone in the room, Dandiba changed his sitting posture and stretched his whole body. When he thought of the scene Mokai showed him, he couldn't help but smile evilly.This group lost their mounts, and went into the worst part of the whole Northland.In a day or two, his flying men on their magic steeds would overtake them, though thirty miles to the north. Sydney would arrive in Silvermoon long before the Dark Elves.