Chapter 28 Chapter 24 Magic Crystal Tower

Drizzt soon came to lands ravaged by the host.These footprints were no surprise to the Dark Elf, for the Pillar of Smoke had told him what had happened.The only question he still had was whether the town would survive, and he hurried to the side of the hill, wondering if he had a home to return to. Then he felt a presence, a breath that did not belong to this world, which strangely reminded him of his youth.He bent down to examine the ground again.Some footprints were obviously just made by trolls, and there was a trace that could not have been caused by ordinary creatures.Drizzt looked around nervously, but heard only the moaning of the wind, and on the horizon were only the peaks of the Cone of Cairn in front of him and the silhouette of the Spine of the World far to the south.Drizzt paused to wonder what it was, for a moment, trying to jolt the whole memory out of familiarity.

He hesitated and started to move on.Details were still hazy, but now he remembered what it was.He knew what he was following. A demon has come to Icewind Dale. Before Drizzt caught up with the army, the Cone of Cairn was much closer to Drizzt, so it seemed taller.His sensitivity to beings from the lower worlds, honed by centuries of working with such things in Menzoberranzan, told him that demons were on their way. Then he saw some figures in the distance, half a dozen trolls walking closely together, and high above them was a demon from the abyss.Drizzt knew right away that it was no small character, but a powerful demon.If even this terrifying monster is under Kessell's control, then he must be very strong!

Drizzt followed them cautiously some distance away.Yet the group was so focused on moving toward its destination that his caution was unnecessary.Drizzt, however, would not take chances at all; for he had witnessed the rage of such demons too many times.They were common in the cities of the drow, further proving to Drizzt that the way of life of his people was not for him. He moved closer because something else caught his attention.The demon held a small object that emanated powerful magic that the dark elf could clearly feel even from this distance.Due to being covered by the energy emitted by the demon itself, Drizzt couldn't fully feel the details of that thing, so he carefully widened the distance behind again.

When the gang of monsters and Drizzt reached the edge of the mountain, thousands of campfires came into view.The goblins had set up sentries in the area, and Drizzt found himself as far south as he could go.He stopped following and turned to look for a favorable spot up the hill. The eyes of the dark elves in the underground world can see most clearly in the twilight hours before sunrise. Although Drizzt is tired, he is still determined to be able to observe during that period of time. Location.He quickly climbed up the rock, and gradually walked towards the south side of the mountain. Then he saw the campfire surrounding Bryn Shander.Farther to the east, embers glowed red on the rubble of what had been Kekkoni and Kedi Neva.There was a frenzied clamor from Tamarin, and Drizzt knew that the towns around Lake Dürden were in enemy hands.

The sky before dawn showed a slight blue, and many things were seen more clearly.Drizzt looked first at the southern end of Dwarfvale, and was relieved to find that the wall he was facing had collapsed.At least Bruenor's people were safe, and Regis was with them, the drow guessed. The sight of Bryn Shander, however, is less comfortable.Drizzt had heard the roar of captured orcs, and seen the footprints and campfires of the orc army, but he never thought that when the morning light gradually appeared, there were as many people as sea sand in front of him. . The sight made him hesitate.

"How many goblin tribes have you gathered, Akar Kessell?" he sighed. "And how many giants call you master?" He knew that Bryn Shander's people could only live as long as Kessell had set.They had no hope of stopping this great army.In a panic, Drizzt turned and looked for a cave where he could take a rest.He couldn't help right now, and fatigue added to his hopelessness, preventing him from thinking constructively. As he started to leave from the mountainside, something suddenly happened in the distant fields caught his attention.He couldn't tell who was who so far away, the army seemed to be just a mass of darkness, but he knew that the demons were starting to move out.He saw the darker, darker speck of the evil form moving toward the open space a few hundred yards beyond Bryn Shander's gate.Then he felt the supernatural powerful magic power from before, as if some unknown life form was beating alive in the devil's claws.

The goblins gathered to watch the spectacle, keeping a respectful distance between themselves and Kessell's dangerous and elusive general. "What's that?" Regis asked, pushing his way into the crowd on Bryn Shander's Wall. "A demon," Cassius replied. "A big demon." "It's mocking our flimsy defenses!" Glenn Suther shouted. "How can we expect ourselves to stand against such an enemy?" The demon bowed deeply, concentrating on the ritual of drawing out the crystal's mana.It stood the crystal on the grass, stepped back, and uttered vague ancient incantations louder and louder, while the sky began to lighten with the rising sun.

"Is that a glass dagger?" Regis asked, dazed by the rhythmically pulsating object. Then the first rays of dawn broke the horizon.The crystal starts to glow and has attracted the light, bending the path of the sunlight and absorbing its energy. The magic crystal shines again.As the sun appeared in more and more of the eastern sky, its pulsations became stronger and stronger, which only allowed more sunlight to be sucked into the thirsty Clinshinibon's replica. The spectators on the ramparts stared blankly in horror, wondering if Akar Kessell had power over the sun itself.Only Cassius associated the power of the Crystal Shard with the light of the sun.

Then the magic crystal began to grow.Every time its pulse reaches its peak, it expands, and then shrinks a little when the next beat is about to start.Everything nearby is constantly in shadow because it greedily uses up all the sunlight.Slowly, but inevitably, its girth grew and its top began to rise high in the air.Neither the people on the city wall nor the monsters in the field could stare at the radiant power emitted by the magic crystal tower.Only the dark elves standing in the distance and the demons who are not afraid of strong light saw another scene caused by Clinshinibon.The third magic crystal tower appeared.When the ceremony was complete, the tower also released its grip on the sun, and for a moment the whole area was bathed in the morning sun.

The demon roared at the success of the spell, and strode proudly into the mirrored doorway of the new tower, followed by the troll and the wizard's personal guard. Bryn Shander and the besieged inhabitants of Targos looked at the incredible structure with a mixture of awe, admiration, and horror.They could not resist the out-of-this-world beauty of the Crystal Tower, but they knew the consequences of its presence: Akar Kessell, master of the goblin and giant armies, had arrived.    Goblins and orcs all knelt down, and the whole army began to shout, "Kessell! Kessell!", a blind allegiance that made the humans shudder at the sight.

Drizzt is also disturbed by the influence and loyalty wizards wield over goblin tribes that are usually dissociated from others.The dark elf was now certain that the only chance for the rest of Ten-Towns to survive was to kill Kessell.He hadn't thought of any way he might be able to approach the wizard.But now he needs to rest.He found a shady cave behind the sun-facing side of a cairn cone, and let weariness take hold of him. Cassius was just as tired.The speaker stayed on the walls all the cold nights, watching the campfires to determine how many of the recalcitrant tribes were originally enemies.He saw some disputing and swearing, but nothing big enough to give him any hope that the army would fall apart early in the siege.He had no way of understanding how wizards could pull off such a dramatic union, bringing together these cunning enemies.The presence of the demon and the appearance of the magic crystal tower also made him see how incredible the power controlled by Akar Kessell was.He quickly came to the same conclusion as the dark elf.Unlike Drizzt, however, the spokesman for Bryn Shander did not retreat to rest after the fields quietened down again, despite Regis and Glenn Sather's advice to his health.With the lives of thousands of terrified people crammed into the city on his shoulders, Cassius could not rest.He needed intelligence; he needed to find any weak link in the wizard's seemingly unbreakable army. So he diligently and patiently looked out of the city during the first long and peaceful days of the siege. He noticed the dividing line separating the goblin tribes and the rules that determined how far each group should be from the magic crystal tower. high-level orders.    In the distance to the east, the fleet of Kekkoni and Cadineva lay at the wharf of the abandoned town of East Sanctuary.Some of the ship's crews had gone ashore to collect supplies, but most of the men remained on board, not sure if Kessell's forces had reached far east. Jessin Brant and Kaikoni's representatives had reached an agreement on the flagship Mistseeker in Cadineva.The feud between the two cities had died down, at least temporarily, and the promise of eternal friendship could be heard from the deck of every ship on Lake Denisia.Both spokesmen promised that they would not leave the lake and flee, as they too had found themselves with nowhere to go.All Ten-Towns were threatened by Kessell, and Luskan was four hundred miles away, and Kessell's army was between them.These poorly equipped refugees could not have hoped to get there before the first winter snows. The sailors who landed soon brought back good news that the East Exile had not yet been swallowed up by the evil hands of darkness.More crew members were ordered to come ashore to collect food and blankets, but Jacin Brant worked carefully, thinking it wiser to keep most of the refugees out of Kessell's reach on the lake. A little while later, better news came. "Signal at Redwater Lake, Speaker Brant!" shouted the watcher from the Misthead of the Fogseeker. "The people of Meadtown and Dougan's Hole were unharmed!" He held the vehicle for the message, a small piece of tamarind glass designed to focus sunlight, using a complex but limited set of codes Signal on the lake. "My call was answered!" "Then where are they?" Brant asked excitedly. "On the east bank of the lake," replied the lookout. "They sailed out of their village and thought it was over. None of the monsters had yet reached there, but the speakers felt it might be safer to hide on the far side of the lake until the intruders were gone." "Keep in touch at all times," Brandt ordered. "Let me know as soon as there is any new news." "Until the intruders leave?" Charmon asked suspiciously as he walked towards Jassin Brant. "Maybe their assessment of the situation is a little foolishly optimistic, I agree," Brandt said. "But I'm glad our relatives in the South are still alive!" "Shall we go to them and bring the forces together?" "Not yet," Brant replied. "I'm afraid we'll be vulnerable on the plain between lakes. We'll have to get more information before we can do anything effective. Let's maintain communication between the two lakes. We're asking for volunteers send a message to Hongshui Lake." "I'll send them out right away," Shameng agreed as he left. Brant nodded, looking back at the fading plume of smoke over his home across the lake. "More information is needed," he murmured to himself.Later that day, some other volunteers were sent to the more dangerous west to scout the situation in the main city. Brant and Shemon did a great job of allaying the panic, but even so, the initial shock of the sudden and deadly invasion left most of the survivors of Kekkoni and Kedi Neva in despair. among.Jassine Brant was a positive exception.This speaker of Cadineva is a brave warrior, steadfast in his refusal to back down to his last breath.He sailed his proud flagship past the other ships' moorings, reinvigorating his people with his vowed vengeance on Akar Kessell. Now he was watching from the Fogseeker, waiting for an urgent report from the west.In the middle of the afternoon he heard the news which he had prayed silently. "It hasn't fallen yet!" cried the lookout on the masthead, ecstatically, when the messenger's flashing signal was received. "Bryn Shander hasn't fallen yet!" Suddenly, Brandt's optimism seemed credible.The group of grieving, homeless victims struck out in an angry gesture of vengeance.Immediately, more messengers were sent out to Redwater Lake to deliver the news that Akar Kessell had not yet completely won. On both lakes the work of separating the fighters from the commoners was at once earnestly begun.They moved the women and children into the heaviest and unseaworthy ships, and the fighting men into the fastest ships.The assigned boat then moves to the voyage dock, from where a quick cross across the lake can be made. Their sails were checked and drawn, ready to gallop off to carry their brave crews to battle. Or, it is also possible to follow Jacin Brant's announcement to everyone: "These ships will carry our heroic crew to victory!"    When someone in the city saw the flashing signal on the south bank of Lake Denisha, Regis returned to Cassios.The halfling had slept most of the night and day, imagining that he should die doing what he loved most.He was very surprised when he woke up, because he expected that this deep sleep would never wake up. Cassius, however, began to see things differently.He made a long list of places where there was potential for disunity in Akarkessor's recalcitrant army; orcs were bullying goblins, and men were bullying both monsters at the same time.If he could figure out a way to last until the apparent animosity among the goblin races erupted and Kessell's army crumbled... Then, the message from Lake Dinesha, and the subsequent reports of similar flashes across Redwater Lake, made the speaker earnestly hope that the Siege Army would fall, and that Ten-Towns would survive. But then the sorcerer appeared dramatically, and Cassius' hopes were frustrated. At the beginning, there was a flashing red light inside the transparent wall at the bottom of the magic crystal tower, which began to spin and go up.Then the top of the tower also began to flash blue light, turning in the opposite direction and walking down.They slowly rotated and moved, merged into a green when they met, and then separated and went their own way.Everyone who saw this anxious performance began to feel uneasy, not knowing what was going to happen next, but it was certain that this event must have shown that some great power was coming. The rotating light became faster and faster, and its intensity also increased as it accelerated. Soon the entire base of the tower was surrounded by a ball of green light, so bright that people could not look directly at it.Out of the light came two hideous trolls, both holding ornate mirrors. The light slowed down, and then suddenly it was all gone. Just seeing the disgusting troll made Bryn Shander's folks sick, but they were intrigued too, and not a single one left to watch.The two monsters walked down the slope of the hill where the town was located. The mirrors faced each other obliquely, but they both reflected the magic crystal tower. The tower shot down two beams, each hitting a mirror, reflecting and meeting at the midpoint of the two trolls.There was a sudden lightning flash from the tower, and the area between the two monsters began to smoke. When the smoke cleared, there were no meeting beams in it, and it was replaced by a slender, hunchbacked man in smooth red clothes. man in robe. Immediately the goblins knelt down again, burying their heads in the ground.Here comes Acar Kessell. He looked up at the direction of Cassius on the wall, and a haughty smile appeared on his thin lips. "It's great to see a spokesperson for Bryn Shander!" he said with a chuckle. "Welcome to my beautiful city!" he smiled sarcastically. Cassius didn't doubt that the wizard had singled him out, but he didn't remember seeing the man, and he didn't understand how he could be recognized.He looked at Regis and Glenn Suther for an explanation, but both shrugged. "Yes, I know you, Cassius," Kessell said. "And you, good speaker Glenn Suther, hello. I should have guessed you were here; the people of the East Exile always join in working together for a cause, no matter how hopeless!" Now it's time for Glenn Suther to stare at his fellows dumbfounded.But again, no explanation was given. "You know us," Cassius said to the eccentric. "But we don't know you. Seems like you're taking an unfair advantage." "Unfair?" protested the wizard. "I took every advantage, stupid man!" He laughed again. "You know me, at least Glenn Suther knows." The East Exile spokesman shrugged again in response to Cassius' suspicious look.This action angered Kessell. "I lived in the Eastern Exile for many months," snapped the wizard. "Pretend to be a wizard apprentice from Luskan! Very smart, don't you admit it?" "Do you remember him?" Cassius asked Glensuther softly. "It has huge implications." "Maybe he's been in the Eastern Exiles," Glenn Suther replied in the same whispered tone, "yet the people from Sorcerer's Tower haven't come to our town for years. Although we're an open town, caravans Many outsiders will get there when passing by. I tell you the truth, Cassius, I don't know this man." Kessell was furious.He stomped impatiently, the smile on his face turning into a displeased frown. "Maybe my return to Ten-Towns will be a more memorable day, fool," he snapped.He stretched out his hands to make a self-righteous declaration. "Look at Akar Kessell, tyrant of Icewind Dale," he shouted. "People of Ten Towns, your master has come," "You're talking a little too soon..." Cassius began, but Kessell cut him off with a furious scream. "Don't interrupt," shouted the wizard, the veins in his neck throbbing and his face flushing like blood. Then Kessell seemed to recover a little composure as Cassios remained silent amidst his doubts. "You should learn your lesson, Cassius," he threatened, "learn your lesson!" He turned to the Magic Crystal Tower and read out a simple command sentence.The tower went dark for a moment, as if it refused to let out the reflected sunlight.Then it starts to glow!From its depths, the light emitted was mostly not a reflection of the day, but its own emission.As the seconds passed, the tower's hue began to change, and the light began to swirl and rise along the strange wall. "Look at Akar Kessell!" the wizard declared, still frowning.Behold the splendor of Clinshinibon, and give up all hope! " More lights shone through the walls of the tower, up and down at will, twirling and dancing wildly inside the tower, begging to be released.Gradually these lights gathered at the top of the tower, and suddenly they glowed like fire, changing colors one by one according to the spectrum, until the white flame was as bright as the sun. Kessell yelled as if in a trance. The fire was let out. It became a thin line and shot towards the unfortunate town of Targos in the north.Many watched from the walls of Targos, though the Tower was farther away from them than from Bryn Shander, and seemed but a bright spot on the plain.They did not know what had happened to the main city, but they saw a flash of fire coming towards them. But it was too late. Akar Kessell's wrath poured into the proud city, leaving a trail of destruction.Fire flared up from this deadly line.People on this route were directly vaporized before they had time to shout.But those who escaped this initial attack, those who had faced death a thousand times before, including women and children, screamed as much as the men who had been tempered by the tundra.Their cries were heard across the lake in Lonelywood and Bremen, to the joyous goblins of Tamaran, and across the plains to the terrified witnesses of Bryn Shander. Kessell waved his hand, slightly changing the angle of the released energy, causing the destructive energy to sweep across the entire Targos.Every major building in the city burned, and hundreds of people died or were seriously injured, rolling helplessly on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, or desperately trying to find air in the smoke. Kessell was very satisfied at the moment. But suddenly he felt a nameless shiver in his spine.The tower seemed to start shaking too.The wizard gripped the Crystal Shard, which was still in his bosom.He learns that he has overused Crenshinibon's powers. On the Spine of the World, Kessell's first tower crumbled into a heap of rubble.The same goes for the second tower on the distant tundra.The Magic Crystal Tower has withdrawn the boundaries of its influence, destroying the image of the tower that absorbed its power. Kessell also became very weak due to this whole influence, and the peripheral vision on the magic crystal tower gradually weakened.The emitted light flickered on and off, and finally disappeared completely. But it has done its job. When the invasion first began, Kemp and the other pompous leaders of Targos made a pact with the populace to fight until the last man fell, but now even the most obstinate speaker understands that they have no choice but to flee. of choice.Fortunately, the city itself under Kessell's attack was built on high ground overlooking the bay, and the lake was screened by the high ground, so the fleet remained unscathed.Tamarin's homeless fishermen are ready at the pier, and they have been on board since they were moored in Targos.As soon as they discover the incredible devastation in the city, they brace themselves for the arrival of the war's latest refugees.Most of the ships in both towns were underway within minutes of the attack, desperately trying not to damage their fragile sails by blowing sparks or debris.A few boats remained behind, bravely risking their lives to rescue refugees who arrived late at the pier. Those on Bryn Shander's dock wept from the constant screams of death.However, Cassios was still desperately trying to find out the weakness of Kessell's strange appearance just now, and he didn't have time to cry.In fact, the cries affected him as much as anyone else, but he didn't want the crazed Kessell to see any sign of weakness in him, so he changed his expression from sadness to hard anger. Kessell started laughing at him. "Don't frown, poor Cassius," the wizard mocked. "It's not for you." "You bitch," Glenn Suther retorted. "A disobedient dog should be beaten!" Cassius held out his hand to stop the speaker. "Calm down, my friend," he said softly. "Kessell would be pleased with our panic. Let him tell, he's showing us more than he thinks." "Poor Cassius," Kessell repeated sarcastically.Then his face suddenly contorted with rage.Cassios clearly noticed this change and included it in the collected intelligence. "Watch what you see here, people of Bryn Shander!" Kessell said with a contemptuous smile. "I bow down to your master, otherwise, the same fate will befall you. There is no lake behind you! You have nowhere to escape!" He laughed wildly again, and looked around the entire hill where the city was located, as if he was looking for something. "What are you going to do?" he said with a chuckle. "You don't have a lake!" "I said it, Cassius. Listen to me. You send an emissary tomorrow, send an emissary with a message of unconditional surrender! If your pride prevents you from making such a move, think of the tower Doomed shrieks in Argos! Take a lesson from the towns on the Lake of Dulden, poor Cassius. The flames will not be extinguished by tomorrow morning!" Just then, a messenger ran up to the speaker. "There are many boats coming out from under the smoke of Targos. The refugees have begun to signal us with flashing lights." "How's Kemp?" Cassius asked anxiously. "He is still alive," replied the messenger. "He vowed revenge." Casios breathed a sigh of relief.He didn't like the Targosian rival much, but he knew the battle-hardened speaker would be a great asset to Ten-Towns until the whole thing was over. Kessell overheard the conversation, and growled in disdain. "Where can they go?" he asked Cassius. The speaker was too absorbed in studying the elusive and deranged enemy to answer, but Kessell answered in his stead. "Go to Bremen? No!" He snapped his fingers, and one by one the pre-arranged monsters relayed his orders to the westernmost army.Immediately a large group of goblins left the main force and marched west. Towards Bremen. "See? Bremen will fall before night, and then there will be a fleet of ships sailing into their previous lake. The same scene will be played out in the town in the woods, and the results will be as everyone expected. Same. But what protection does the water of the lake give them in the harsh winters?" he yelled. "How fast can their boats get out of my hands when the water freezes?" He laughed again, but this time it was more serious and dangerous. "What protection do you have against Acar Kessell?" Cassius and the wizard stared at each other in disbelief.The wizard murmured barely audible words, but Cassius heard them clearly. "What protection?"    On Lake Dürden, Kemp had to fight back his frustrated anger as he watched his town collapse in flames.Looking back at the burning ruins in unbelievable horror, the face blackened by the smoke shouted the unacceptable cries in his heart and wailed bitterly for the lost relatives and friends. But like Cassius, Kemp channeled his desperation into constructive anger.As soon as he heard the goblin hosts advancing on Bremen, he sent the fastest ship to warn the distant city, and tell them what had happened on the other side of the lake.Then they sent a second boat to Lonelywood to beg for food, bandages, and even permission to anchor the ship. Despite their apparent differences, the Ten-Towns spokespeople have many similarities.Like Agowa, who is willing to sacrifice everything for people's happiness, Jacin Brant, who refuses to give in to despair, and Kemp of Targos, will inspire the crowd's charisma.Although he hasn't begun to inspire people's vengeful hearts, he knows that he has not finished speaking in this war against wizards. And Casios, standing on the wall of Bryn Shander, knew this too.