Chapter 34 Chapter XXVIII The Son of Beornega

Catti-brie saw Regis stumbling across the ridge, and she saw Drizzt and Bruenor supporting each other out of the hole.She also saw Kista, the barbarian lad crouching on the... Starber's healing magic had restored the woman a lot.So when the dwarf pastor saw Katie suddenly fell to her knees and burst into tears, she was really shocked.The dwarf priest looked at her with concern, and then followed her absent-minded gaze into the distance. "Hey," Starbucks scratched her short beard, "that's..." "Wulfgar," Katie said through tears. Regis joined the four at the edge of the iceberg.When he saw his old friend free from Errtu's captivity, he too felt a moment of great surprise, and the halfling screamed and jumped into the arms of the barbarian.Wulfgar, who was carrying Chester on his back, slipped and fell on the ice all at once, almost hitting his head.

But the big man didn't mind.Errtu and his wicked minions have been banished, and now it's time to celebrate! But the ending wasn't perfect. Drizzt anxiously searched all the places in front of the cave entrance.Constantly cursing myself for giving up faith in myself and my friends so early.He questioned Regis, then called out to Katie and Starbucks.But none of them saw it. The statue of Guenhwyvar was missing, apparently lost in the black waters. While everyone is facing serious problems again, there are many more urgent matters to attend to.Bruno was soon tasked with directing the aftermath.The first thing was to get Katie and Starber back among their friends as quickly as possible.Drizzt, Bruenor, and Wulfgar were all drenched and would soon suffer from frostbite if left untreated; Kista needed to be healed as soon as possible, all of which required priestly spells.

On the ice floe, Starbucks took out a claw with a thick rope from his backpack, and threw the claw into the ice field with the skill of a skilled climber, letting the claw fall less than ten feet away from his companions. the coast.Bruenor quickly secured the hooks and, together with Wulfgar, pulled the ice pack to shore.After all these years, Wulfgar finally saw Catti-brie again, his love, his fiancée.The savage's hands involuntarily gained strength. Drizzt knelt helplessly on the edge of the iceberg and plunged his scimitar into the water, trying to illuminate the bottom. "I need to go down here, can you protect me with spells?" Drow asked Starber.The dwarf priest who was about to board the ice field was also about to say something to comfort the painful ranger.

Regis, standing beside Drizzt, shook his head thoughtfully.The halfling tied a weight to the end of a long rope and lowered it into the sea to measure the water's depth.He had let down fifty feet of rope and still hadn't touched the bottom.Even if Starbucks cast a spell on Drizzt that would keep him warm and breathe underwater, he wouldn't be able to stay that deep for very long.And looking for a black statue in the black water is impossible no matter what you think. Katie and Bruno embraced as soon as they landed, and Staples rushed to treat Kista first.Finally, the young woman and Wulfgar finally began a somewhat sentimental greeting after a long absence.

All the traces of six years of wasted time were left on the barbarian.Long, disheveled blond hair hung down his back, a beard that hung down to his chest, and a heavy look in his eyes.His body is still strong, and his muscles are still strong, but his limbs already have a sense of relaxation that cannot be ignored.Katie knew that this negative feeling came more from his spirit than his body.But this was Wulfgar.Whatever harm Errtu had done to him, Katie didn't care at the moment. Wulfgar could feel that Katie was just as exciting as ever.She was still Katie.Perhaps there was something else in her dark blue eyes.But there are still bright sparks dancing there.It was a love of life and adventure, an untamed soul.

"I thought you..." Katie said softly.But she stopped again and took a deep breath. "I never forget you." Wulfgar wrapped his arms around her tightly.He wanted so badly to say something to her, to tell her that thinking of her had sustained him through the ordeal.But he couldn't find the right words, not even one.He could only hold her in his arms with all his strength, letting tears flow from his eyes. It was a heartwarming moment, and Bruno, Regis, Starbucks, and Drizzt were all touched by these two.But Zall didn't feel half joy in his heart.Guenhwyvar had left him, and it meant as much to him as the loss of his father, the loss of Wulfgar.Guenhuffa was his longest companion.She accompanied him through the loneliest years of his life, and she was his true friend.He couldn't just leave her like this.

Finally, Kista, who was rescued by the dwarf priest, broke the silence in front of him.The savage knew they were still in danger.The air around them was getting more humid, the short day was coming to an end, it was much colder here than in the tundra, and they didn't have enough materials to start a campfire. Kista knew a way to ward off the cold.Still unable to stand, he propped his upper body on his elbows and began to give orders instead of Bruno.Katie began to cut off pieces of ice with kajid, and the others quickly built a semicircular small house with ice under the guidance of Kista.

Not long after, the dwarf priest ran out of mana, and the cold began to attack the companions again.Large flakes of snow began to fall in the sky, and soon, a snowstorm came. But under the shelter of the igloo, the partners feel safe and warm. Only Drizzt remained haunted by a deep sadness.Without Guenhwyvar, Drow felt he would never be able to feel warm again. ※※※※ When dawn came, the sky was as dark as night, and the air was even colder than it had been during the previous freezing night.To make matters worse, the partners discovered that a night of strong winds had blown the iceberg they had landed on off the ice sheet, turning it into a veritable ice floe on the Sea of ​​Floes.The partners are trapped in a vast ocean.

Most of Kista has recovered.He climbed to the top of the iceberg and blew out a loud and distant whistle with the horn he carried with him. But the only answer to him was the echo from the distant iceberg. Drizzt had spent the morning praying to Merikki and Gevalon Vanderstrom.Turning to them for guidance, begging them to bring his most cherished Panther friend back to him.He imagined Guenhwyvar rising from the sea, returning to his arms, and prayed that this dream would come true.But Drizzt also knew that doing so would not help. He suddenly hit upon an idea.Although he didn't know whether it was a revelation from God or his own thinking, he didn't care about it.He came to Regis first.This halfling used to carve many exquisite works of art out of the skulls of knothead salmon, and the unicorn hanging around Drizzt's neck is one of his favorite works.

The halfling accepted Drizzt's request, broke open a piece of ice of suitable size, and began to carve.Drizzt circled behind the iceberg.Get as far away from other people as possible and start calling. Two hours later, Drow returned.Behind him was a baby seal waddling along.This was a friend Drizzt had just made.As a ranger, he has a deep knowledge of animals.Know how to communicate basicly with them.Know what kind of behavior scares them and what kind of behavior can build mutual trust with them.He was delighted to find Katie and Bruno setting up a makeshift net with tamaris and catching a few fish.Drow quickly picked one up from the net and threw it into the seal's mouth.

"Hey!" Bruno yelled at him angrily.But the dwarf's expression brightened immediately. "That's right," he rubbed his palms, thinking he understood Drow's intentions. "Fat this thing." Drizzt frowned immediately, and warned the dwarf sternly against such fantasies. He returned to Regis again.Seeing the work that the halfling had just completed, his heart was immediately filled with surprise and joy.A bland slab of ice has been expertly processed by a halfling into a lifelike replica of a black panther statue. "If only I had more time..." Regis was still dissatisfied.But Drizzt nodded happily at him, telling him that was enough. Then, they started training the seals.Drizzt threw the ice statue into the water and yelled, "Shut up!" Regis immediately ran to the water's edge and scooped up the statue with a fishing net made by Bruenor.When he handed the statue to Drizzt, the drow offered him a fish.They repeated the sequence over and over, and finally, Drizzt put the net in the seal's mouth, threw the statue into the water, and yelled, "Shut up!" The clever seal rushed into the water confidently, and quickly retrieved the statue.Drizzt glanced at his friends.With a hopeful grin, he tosses a fish into the seal's upraised mouth. They spent the next twenty minutes repeating the actions of throwing statues, fishing statues, and feeding fish.Each time, Drizzt moved the statue a little further away.And each time, the seal will quickly retrieve the statue, reaping a thrill and a fish. After training, they take a break.The seal was tired, and he wasn't very hungry. These hours of rest were almost unbearably long for Drizzt.He sat in the igloo, leaning against his friends to keep warm.Everyone else is chatting.They were mostly talking to Wulfgar, trying to get the barbarian back into their midst for real. The inevitable estrangement is undoubtedly painful for them.Especially for Wulfgar, who still has a long way to go. From time to time during this time, Kista would climb the iceberg outside the house and blow his horn.There is growing concern among young people that they will be drifting farther and farther from shore with the current, and it looks like there will be no way for them to return home.They can fish for a living, igloos and dwarf priests can keep them warm, but they will never survive the winter in the sea of ​​ice packs!Sooner or later a snowstorm will bury them in an igloo in their deep sleep, and a hungry white bear will eat them for a good dinner. By the afternoon, Drizzt resumed his work, which had been temporarily suspended.With Regis covering the seal's eyes first, the drow slapped the water and called out, pretending to have dropped the statue into the water. The seal jumped into the water hopefully.But after only a moment, it crawled back on the ice dejectedly, uttering discontented cries. Drizzt gave it no fish. Drow took the seal into the igloo and spent the whole night and most of the morning.He needed to make the seal hungry—very hungry.Although he knew that their time was running out.But he can only hope that the iceberg doesn't drift too fast before he can find his friend in time. After throwing the ice statue a few times, Drow sent the seals on another hunt without the ice statue.After only a few minutes, the seal looked depressed, and Drizzt quietly slid the statue into the water. The seal was delighted to see the statue, brought it back to shore, and ate a fish. "It won't sink," Regis guessed that was the problem. "We want the seals to know to look for it at the bottom of the sea." According to this logic, they tied Starber's claws to the statue.Drizzt threw it carefully a few times, each time giving the seal a good view of the statue's sinking.The clever seal can quickly dive into the deep water and find the statue smoothly. They re-covered the seal's eyes, and after Drizzt slapped the surface, the seal was lowered into the water.Everyone held their breath and stared at the place where the seal entered the water. The seal appeared far away from the iceberg, called to Drizzt, and disappeared into the water again.This scenario happened many times. After a while, the seal popped up beside the iceberg, and jumped happily to Drizzt's feet, its mission accomplished. The statue of Guenhwyvar is in the web around its mouth. There was a loud cheer from the friends, and Kista blew the horn vigorously.This time the young savage got a real response.Kista scanned the others with hopeful eyes, and blew the horn again. A canoe appeared out of the misty sea, with savages and dwarves at the oars. Kista blew the horn one last time and handed it to Wulfgar.Immediately, the most majestic and clear sound of Icewind Dale sounded from the horn. Birxga stared blankly at them, and Leijak stood up behind him.After a moment's astonishment, everyone, even proud Birxka, was in a jubilation. ※※※※ Drizzt had mixed feelings the night they returned to the dwarven mines.Wulfgar was back at his side; all the friends were home safe after driving off such a formidable foe.Thinking of this, he was so happy that his heart seemed to jump out of his throat. But Drow still couldn't restrain his yearning for his father.For months, he thought he would meet Zach Nafein because of this incident.His mind kept showing images of himself reunited with his dear father and mentor.Although he kept reminding himself that Errtu was imprisoning Wulfgar, not Zaknafein, he just couldn't let the image disappear before his eyes. It took him a long time to close his eyes, and the sleeping drow began to dream. Drizzt opened his eyes and saw an illusory figure appearing in the room.He reached out to touch the handle of the knife, but suddenly fell back on the bed—it was the soul of Zach Nafein. "My son," said the soul to him.Zach Nafein showed a warm smile.Here is a proud father, and a contented soul. "I'm fine, much better than you think." Drizzt couldn't find the words to express his feelings, but his expression already said what he wanted to say to his father. "An old pastor called me over," Zach Nafein explained to him. "He said you need to know I'm safe. I'm fine, my son. Go care about your friends and please don't forget that we will meet again." After saying this, the soul disappears. Drizzt still remembered all this vividly the next morning, and he took comfort in that.Reason told him that this was a dream.But he immediately recalled the drow language in which Zaknafein had spoken these words to him, and old priest Cadderly. Drizzt decided that, once winter was over, he would visit the Goofy Spirit.Of course, you also need to bring the Shard of Magic Crystal still sealed in the enchantment box. Many days passed, and his memory of that meeting was still vivid.The drow ranger began to feel a sense of inner peace.He understands and believes that this is not just a dream. ※※※※ "They asked me to take back leadership of the Horde," Wulfgar said to Drizzt.They were standing outside the dwarf mine, enjoying the crisp winter morning air together.The barbarian shook his head, he hadn't fully recovered and couldn't bear such a burden. "I decline," Wulfgar said again. "Not yet." Drizzt reassured him. Wulfgar looked up at the blue sky, the color of his eyes.After six years of endless darkness, they glowed again in the morning light. "Never again. That's not my place." Drizzt wasn't sure he agreed with him.He wondered to what extent Wulfgar's refusal was due to his own harshness.Even the simplest things in life seemed rusty to poor Wulfgar.He would look awkward in front of everyone, especially Katie.But Bruno and Drizzt had no doubts that the spark of love had been rekindled between the two. "I will advise Berksgar, though," Wulfgar continued. "I will try to neutralize the animosity between them, us, and the rest of Icewind Dale. We already have enough enemies to deal with!" Drizzt does not disagree with this argument. "Do you love her?" Wulfgar's abrupt question seemed to hit Drizzt directly. "Of course I do," Drizzt said sincerely, "as much as I love you, Bruno, and Regis." "I will not destroy..." Wulfgar had just begun, before being interrupted by Drizzt's laughter. "The choice is neither yours nor mine," Drow told him. "It's up to Katie. Remember what you have, my friend, and what you almost lost because of your stupidity." of." Wulfgar looked at his dear friend long and gravely, determined to take this advice to heart.Katie's life is up to Katie to decide.Whoever she chose, Wulfgar would be with her friends. The winter here is long and cold, and the snow covers all the pain on the earth.After all of this, the friends will never be the same again.But their hearts and spirits have been reunited.No man or devil can separate them! ※※※※ It was a beautiful spring night in Icewind Dale.It's not particularly cold, but it can also make the skin feel a little chill.Under the bright starlight, Drizzt still could not see the sky and the end of the tundra.But he, Bruno, and Regis didn't care one bit about it.Equally content was Guan Haifa, who was dangling back and forth on the Bruno Rock pedestal at their feet. "They're friends again." Bruenor said of Katie and Wulfgar. "He needs her and she's helping him recover." "The devil Errtu tortured him for six years, and no one can recover completely in such a short period of time." Regis said. Drizzt laughed that his friends were able to find their place again.But Zall has been wondering where his position is. "I believe I can find Deudermont in Luskan," he said suddenly. "If he's not there, then he must be in Waterdeep." "You bloody elf, what do you want him for?" asked the dwarf angrily. Drizzt looked at him and laughed loudly. "I'm not going away, good dwarf. I'm just taking the Crystal Shard to Cadderly of Goofy Spirit, far away in Kardon. I promised him to do it, and only so, we Only then can the Shard of Magic Crystal be truly destroyed." "My daughter said that place is still south of Sundabar." Bruenor thought he had caught the drow's lie. "You can't sail there!" "Very far south of Sundabar," Drizzt agreed. "But it's very close to Baldur's Gate. The Sea Spirit will reach that port soon. Deudermont can save me a lot of detours." Bruno's rebuttal was thus overturned. "Damn elves," muttered the dwarf, "I don't want to go back to a damn ship! But if we have to..." Drizzt stared at the dwarf. "Are you coming too?" "You think we'll still be here?" This sentence made Drizzt's surprised eyes turn to the halfling again.Regis immediately reminded him that it was he, the halfling, and not Drizzt who had captured Crenshinibon. "Of course they will go together." A familiar voice sounded from under their feet. "Just like us!" Moments later, Katie and Wulfgar joined the friends. Drizzt looked at them one by one, then turned to the stars. "All my life, I've been looking for a home," Drow said quietly. "All my life, I've been looking for something else - not Menzoberranzan, not companions who cooperate out of interest. Home is a place in my imagination, but not an actual place. It's a place here," said Drizzt, putting a hand over his heart, and turned to look at his friends. "It's the wonderful feeling that real friends give me." "I know, I'm at home." "But you're still going to Karton," Katie said softly. "So we're going too!" Bruno yelled. Drizzt smiled, which immediately turned into a hearty laugh. "If I can't stay at home, then I'll take home with me!" Not far away, Guenhwyfa roared loudly.Before the sun rose, the six of them would be on the road.