Chapter 23 Chapter 20 Don't be anyone's slave

"Don't quarrel with me!" Bruno yelled, although none of the four friends around him on the rock slope had any objection to his decision.Most of the Speakers are narrow-minded and arrogant, so they almost caused the certain fate of their homeland.Drizzt, Wulfgar, Catti-brie, Regis didn't want the dwarves to be involved in such pointless strife. "Then when are you going to block the mine?" Drizzt asked.The dark elf has not yet decided whether to enter the mine prison the dwarves have built themselves, but he intends to scout for Bryn Shander until Akar Kessell's army enters the area.

"We're starting to prepare tonight," Bruno said. "But as long as they're in the right place, we don't have to rush through. We'll let those stinking goblins march up our throats as we knock down the tunnel, and let them be crushed by the cave-in! You'll follow Shall we act together?" Drizzt shrugged.Although most of the residents of Ten-Towns still avoid him deliberately, he himself has a strong sense of loyalty and believes that he should not abandon his chosen hometown, even when it is on the verge of destruction.Drizzt had little desire to return to the lightless underworld, even to hospitable dwarven cave towns.

"What's your decision?" Bruenor asked Regis. The halfling was also torn between his survival instincts and his loyalty to the Ten-Towns.With the help of the ruby ​​pendant, he has lived a good life by the lake of Doulden in recent years.But now, the veil that covered him has been lifted.Everyone in Bryn Shander has been whispering about halflings using magic to influence others ever since the rumors reached the Council.It won't be long before everyone in Ten Towns hears Kemp's accusations and shuns him privately, if not outright.In any case, Regis knew that his leisurely days in Lonewood were coming to an end.

"Thank you for the invitation," he said to Bruno. "I'll go in until Akar Kessell comes." "Good," replied the dwarf. "You can sleep in the boy's room next door. Then no dwarf will hear you moaning!" He gave Drizzt a friendly wink. "No," Wulfgar said.Bruenor looked at him curiously. He had misunderstood the meaning of the barbarian, wondering why he refused to let Regis live next to him. "Be careful with me, boy," the dwarf sneered. "If you think you're going to live next door to Catti-brie, you've got to figure out how to hide from my ax first!"

Catti-brie smiled slightly, embarrassed but also very touched. "Your mine is no place for me," Wulfgar said suddenly. "My life belongs to the plain." "You forget that your life is mine!" Bruno retorted.In fact, his roar was not so much the rage of a master as the fleeting rage of a loving father. Wulfgar rose to his feet before the dwarf, proud and determined.Drizzt understood, and was delighted.Bruno knew what the Savage meant, too, and though he hated the thought of being separated, he was prouder of the boy than he had ever been in this moment. "My time as a slave is not over," Wulfgar began, "but I have paid my debt to you, friend, and to your people many times over."

"I am Wulfgar!" he declared proudly, his jaw clenched and his muscles tensing. "I'm not a boy anymore. I'm a man! A free man!" Bruno felt his eyes moisten.For the first time, he made no secret of it.He stepped up to the gigantic barbarian, returning Wulfgar's unyielding stare with sincere admiration. "You are," Bruno observed. "Then let me ask you, it's up to you to choose, do you want to stay here and fight side by side with me?" Wulfgar shook his head. "The fact is that I have paid off my debt to you. From now on, I will call you my friend... dear friend. But I still have a debt to pay." He looked at the Kaine cone and the The view from behind.Countless stars shone clearly above the tundra, making the vast plain seem even wider and more open. "Right there, in another world."

Catti-brie sighed and moved uneasily.Only she fully understood the vague picture Wulfgar was drawing in his mind.And she wasn't happy with the choice. Bruno nodded, respecting the Savage's decision. "Go on, then, and live your life," he said, trying to keep his voice steady as he walked toward the rocky path.He stopped one last time, then looked back at the tall young Savage. "You're a man, no one will object," he said, twisting his neck. "But don't forget you'll always be my boy!" "I'm not," Wulfgar said softly after Bruenor disappeared into the tunnel.He felt Drizzt's hand on his shoulder.

"When are you leaving?" the dark elf asked. "Tonight," Wulfgar replied. "I've been so busy these days that I don't have any free time." "Where are you going?" asked Catti-brie, who already knew the truth and knew that Wulfgar would only give vague answers. Wulfgar turned his misty eyes back to the plain. "go home." He started down the path, Regis following.But Catti-brie motioned for Drizzt to follow. "Say Wulfgar goodbye tonight!" she told the dark elf. "I don't believe he's coming back." "He chose his homeland," Drizzt replied, guessing that the news of Heafstar's joining Kessell's gang had also influenced his decision.He watched the savage go with respect. "He has some personal business to attend to."

"More than you know," said Catti-brie.Drizzt looked at her curiously. "Wullfgar has an adventure pictured in his mind," she explained.She didn't mean to break her trust in Wulfgar.But she thought Drizzt Do'Urden could find a way to help him more than anyone. "I don't think he's ready for the adventure." "Things in the clan are his own business," Drizzt said, guessing what the girl was trying to suggest. "Those barbarians have their own rules, and foreigners are not welcome." "I agree that's a Clan thing," Catti-brie said. "But if I'm not mistaken, Wulfgar isn't going straight home. He has other things to do, and he's often hinted at an adventure he's going on, but never makes it clear. All I know is that it's very dangerous, And he made a vow he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep."

Drizzt looked up at the star-studded plain and thought about the girl's words.He knew Catti-brie was shrewd and observant beyond her years.He didn't doubt her speculation. Stars were shining in the cool night sky, and the firmament covered the edge of the horizon.Drizzt noticed that the campfires of the invading army had not yet been lit on the horizon. Maybe he still has time.    Though Cassius' proclamation reached the furthest towns within two days, only a few small groups of refugees made the way to Bryn Shander.Cassius had expected this, otherwise he would not have rashly decided to protect everyone who came.Bryn Shander is a medium-sized town, and not as populous now as it was in its heyday.There are many empty houses within the city walls, and a whole area of ​​the city reserved for merchants who come here is empty at this time.Yet if half the inhabitants of the other Nine-Towns came here for protection, it would be difficult for Cassius to honor his pledge.

The spokesman wasn't worried.The inhabitants of Ten-Towns are bold and live in the shadow of goblin infestation every day.Cassius knew that abstract warnings alone were not enough to get them to leave their home.And at a time when alliances between towns are so low, few town leaders take action to persuade residents to flee. As it turned out, Glenn Sather and Argowa were the only spokesmen to reach the gates of Bryn Shand.Nearly all the inhabitants of the Eastern Exile stood behind their leader, but Agwa brought less than half of Tamaran's inhabitants.Rumors came from Targos (their own city was almost as fortified as Bryn Shander) that none of them would leave.Fearing that Targos would rob them of their financial interests, many Tamaran fishermen refused to let the richest season slip by. The situation is similar for Kekkoni and Cadineva.These bitter rivals didn't want the other to take advantage of each other, so not a single one escaped to Bryn Shander.To these two war-ready communities, the orcs were a distant threat to wait until they were real, but fighting with their neighbors was a brutal reality and a part of their daily lives. clearly visible in life. In the Western Borderlands, Bremen still maintains considerable independence from the other nine towns.They saw Cassius' proposal as nothing more than a feeble attempt to reassert Bryn Shander's leadership.The inhabitants of Meadtown and Dougan's Hole to the south had no intention of hiding in walled cities, nor of sending troops to war.These two towns on the red water lakes with the smallest area and the least fish production have no way to spend their time in places other than fishing boats.They had answered the call for unity under the threat of barbarian invasion five years before, but had suffered the greatest losses of all the towns and the least gains in the campaign. A few small groups come from Lonelywood, but many residents of this northernmost town prefer to stay in the middle of nowhere.Their hero had been disgraced, and even Muldoon saw the halflings differently now, and passed the warning of the invasion as a misunderstanding, even a calculated deception. The region's greatest common good is now overshadowed by petty personal self-aggrandizement, and most Ten-Towns residents confuse solidarity with dependency.    Regis returned to Bryn Shander the morning after Wulfgar left to arrange some personal business.He had a friend who was bringing his winnings from Lonelywood, so he stayed in the city, watching the days go by in horror without anyone making any real preparations for the coming army.Even after the meeting, the halfling held out a glimmer of hope that the people would finally recognize their impending fate and unite, but now he was beginning to believe that the dwarves' decision to abandon Ten-Towns and seal themselves into the mines was the only way they could survive. hope. Regis partly blamed himself for the coming tragedy, thinking he had been careless.When he and Drizzt hatched a plan to use the political situation and the power of the gem to force the ten towns to unite against the barbarian invasion, they spent a lot of time anticipating the initial reactions of those speakers, and weighing the value of each town joining the alliance.But this time, Regis trusted the residents of Ten-Towns and the gems too much. He imagined that he could easily use the power of the gems to wipe out the few dissidents. But when he heard defiant voices from towns and doubted his reaction, he couldn't bear his guilt anymore.Why did he deceive these people to let them protect him?What duty, or right, did he have to save them if they were really stupid enough to let their arrogance bring their downfall? "You deserve it!" the halfling yelled, smiling as he found himself becoming as cynical as Bruenor. But hard-heartedness is only his psychological protection against this helpless situation.He wished his friends in Lonelywood would come soon. His refuge is underground.    Akar Kessell sits in the Hall of Scrying: the room on the third floor of the Magic Crystal Tower where various magical treasures are placed.On the crystal throne, located on the third floor of the magic crystal tower, when he concentrated on looking at the dark mirror in front of him, his fingers tapped on the armrest of the huge throne uneasily.Billing's report to the reinforcements was delayed.The last time the wizard was summoned by the cave of the subgiants remains a mystery, for no one on the other side responded to his answers.The mirror in that cave now showed only blackness, resisting the wizard's attempt to see the entire room. If the mirror over there was broken, Kessell should be able to feel such a change in the vision.But the situation was even more mysterious now, because something he couldn't understand blocked his view.This hesitant situation made him lose his composure and made him wonder if he had been tricked or found out.His fingers were still tapping anxiously. "Perhaps it is time for a decision," Errtu suggested, standing by the throne as usual. "We haven't got all our strength together yet!" Kessell retorted. "Many tribes of goblins and a whole host of giants are coming. The barbarians aren't ready either." "The armies are eager to fight," Errtu pointed out. "They're already fighting each other. You'll soon find your army disintegrating around you!" Kessell agrees that keeping many tribes of goblins together for a long time is a bold and dangerous move.Perhaps it would be better to let them go at once.But the Wizards hope to march in with more certainty.He wanted to get the army to strike when it was at its strongest. "Where's Billing?" Kessell yelled. "Why doesn't it answer my call?" "What preparations are those humans doing?" Errtu asked suddenly. But Kessell wasn't listening.He wiped the sweat off his face, perhaps the Crystal Shard and the demon's suggestion that he send less conspicuous barbarians to that cave was right.What would those fishermen think if they found an unusual combination of monsters lurking in their area? How much had they already guessed? Errtu noticed that Kessell's unease was difficult to resolve.The demon and the Crystal Shard had forced Kessell to attack as soon as news of Billing died.But the cowardly wizard wished to ensure that his army was overwhelming, so he kept delaying. "Should I go to the army?" Errtu asked, convinced Kessell's insistence was gone. "Send fast messengers to the barbarians and tribes that haven't joined us first," Kessell ordered. "Tell them that to join our army is to participate in the feast of victory! But those who do not join will fall before us! Tomorrow we march!" Errtu rushed out of the Crystal Tower without hesitation, and he was delighted that the order to go soon sounded throughout the huge camp.Goblins and giants ran around excitedly, tearing down tents and gathering supplies.They have been looking forward to this moment for a long time, and now they don't want to waste time making final preparations. same night!Acar Kessell's army broke out and marched toward Ten Towns. In the cave that had been the subgiant's lair, the mirror was neither moved nor broken, it was tightly covered by the heavy blanket that Drizzt Do'Urden threw up. end He ran under the scorching sun; he ran under the starlight, with the strong wind constantly blowing his face.His long legs and broad strides kept him from getting tired, and he was like a moving black dot on the open plain.Wulfgar pushed himself to the limit of his endurance for days on end, even running and hunting and eating, stopping only when exhausted. Far to the south of him, stretching like a foul-smelling poisonous cloud toward the Spine of the World, was Akar Kessell's goblin-giant coalition.Their minds are twisted by the willpower of the Crystal Shard, wishing only to kill, wishing only to destroy.All this was just to please Acar Kessell. Three days after setting out from the Vale of the Dwarves, the barbarians found the scrambled tracks of many warriors, all leading to the same destination.He was glad that he had found his people so easily, but the fact that so many tracks told him that all the tribes were together only emphasized the urgency of his task now.He was stimulated, so he rushed forward. Wulfgar's greatest enemy was not fatigue, but loneliness.For the previous few hours, he had struggled to keep his thoughts in the past, recalling the vows he made to his dead father, and contemplating his odds.He avoided thinking about the path he was on now, knowing that his plan to die might destroy his resolve. But this is his only chance.He is not of noble blood, nor does he have the right to challenge Heafstad.Even if he defeated the chosen king, none of the tribe would regard him as the new leader.The only way for him to legitimately assume leadership of the tribe is to act heroically. He leaped forward towards the goal that had driven many heroes and kings to their death.In the shadows behind him, there was a graceful and relaxed figure, that was Drizzt Do'Urden. He headed towards a place called Meltland in the Eastern Reg Glacier. Run to Ingeloakastimizilian's lair, it is a white dragon, the barbarians call it "Ice Death" Ingeloakastimizilian, Icingdeath (Ingeloakastimizilian. The huge white dragon in Icewind Dale was named Icedeath by the barbarian tribe. .