Chapter 15 Chapter 12 Fog of Fate

The crew of the Sea Spirit spent the whole afternoon busy.But work on the ship's refurbishment has made little progress.They rigged the mizzensail, but they could neither adjust to the wind nor turn the wheel to steer the schooner. This was what the Sea Sprite looked like when Katie sounded the alarm from the lookout.Deudermont and Drizzt ran to the side of the ship side by side to determine what had happened.Both of them were afraid of encountering a pirate ship at this time.As far as their current state is concerned, plus the absence of Robila, the proud Sea Spirit can surrender without fighting.

What appeared ahead was not a pirate ship, but a thick fog.Deudermont looked up at Katie.The young woman offered no explanation, just shrugged.Such weather conditions are very rare, except for this wall of fog, the sky is cloudless and the temperature is relatively stable. "How did this mist form?" Drizzt asked Deudermont. "I don't know," Deudermont yelled, turning to the crew. "Get ready to paddle! Hoist the sails as best we can, and we'll go around it." Deudermont turned his eyes to the sea ahead again, only to find that Drizzt was shaking his head in doubt.The dense fog has gotten a lot closer to them.It is not fixed.

"It's approaching us." The captain felt the same misgiving. "It's fast." As Drizzt spoke, his sensitive ears caught Harkle's giggle.Drow immediately deduced that this must be the work of the magician.When he turned around, he saw Harkle disappearing through the hatch, and followed him.But Drizzt stopped before entering the cabin, and behind him came Deudermont's panting and many people's nervous calls. Kitty climbed down the mast.Her expression was almost in despair, "What is that?" In the gray veil, the sound of the waves crashing was getting farther and farther away, as if they were leaving the sea.The crew gathered together, many with their weapons drawn, as if an enemy would climb onto the deck through the thick fog.

Guenhwyvar gave Drizzt a vague clue of what was to come.The panther came to Drizzt's side, his ears pressed together behind his head.Her expression and actions showed intense surprise. "Different dimensions." Drow muttered to himself. Deudermont looked at him curiously. "Harkle did it," Drizzt told him. "The magician made us leave the open sea." Hearing this news, Deudermont's face glowed.Katie was also very happy, but when she thought of their savior, the expression on her face changed abruptly. Katie looked at the mist that obliterated all light, and suddenly felt that being in a broken boat and drifting on empty water was not such a bad thing.

※※※※ "What do you mean?" Robilla growled angrily.He clapped his hands vigorously, and asked the water elemental this question in the language of the water system. The water element answered without hesitation.Robila knew the creature well.Elemental creatures would do their best to assist the summoner, and Robilar didn't think it would deceive him. The Sea Spirit was gone, she had completely disappeared from the sea. Robilar gave a sigh of relief at the second report.The schooner didn't sink, she just left the water. "Harko Harbell," concluded the magician, "he sent them to the port, well done!" Robilar considered his situation. In the open sea.He ordered the water elemental to continue eastward, telling the creature not to leave until dawn the next day.Then he took out his spellbook.It was a wonderful waterproof book in leather.The magician found the page with the teleportation technique based on the Golden Spike bookmark above.

Then the magician sat in the arms of the water elemental and relaxed his whole body.He needs rest, to gather strength and mana.The water elemental would now protect him from harm, and in the morning he would be able to return to his private chambers in Waterdeep's Wizards' Guild.The past few weeks had been a rough and tedious one, and now he should be resting on shore for a while. ※※※※ The Sea Spirit drifted in a different space in an absolutely still state, without any sound of wind or water around.The thick fog forced Drizzt to hang overboard to barely see the water.He dared not touch the gray liquid in front of him.If it was really Harkle's spell, who knows what it might have done.

At last they heard a splash, and a wave lapped against the bow.Immediately the fog began to thin, but they still couldn't see what was going on around them, except that everyone on deck could feel that something had changed. "That smell," Katie said, and everyone around her nodded in agreement.Gone was the salty, throat-drying smell of salt water, replaced by a summery smell, reminiscent of leaves, petals, but also with a slimy swampy smell.The sound in people's ears has also changed.The endless roar of the wind and waves has become a rippling beat and a melodious chirp...

"Songbird?" Drizzt asked the question in his heart. The fog cleared completely and all the crew members felt relieved that they were close to land!There is also a small island on the left side of the mainland, which is covered with green trees; in the middle of the woods is a small castle and several large houses.A long bridge spans in front of the Sea Spirit, connecting the island with the coast.At one end of the long bridge there is a port and a walled town.There is a towering mountain behind the town, which should be a signpost that no navigator will miss, but Deudermont doesn't know where it is.There are many small boats moored on the shore, and they are not much bigger than the small boats on the Sea Spirit.Those on board stood up, staring blankly at the magically approaching schooner.

"Not Waterdeep," said Deudermont, "nor anywhere I know of around there." Drizzt surveyed the place, carefully studying the winding coastline, "Not the open sea." "A lake," Katie speculated. The three of them looked at each other for a while, and suddenly shouted in unison, "Harkole!" Hubbell had already expected that they would call him, and hurried out of the cabin and jumped to their side, his face full of joy. "Where are we?" Deudermont asked. "Where fate calls us to go," said the magician with an air of mystery.He waved his arms excitedly, and his two fat sleeves were like two flags waving in the wind.

"I thought you could give a better answer," Katie said helplessly. Harkle shrugged and lowered his arms, "Of course I don't know. The spell just facilitated our progress, it didn't just send us here. But why we came here, I don't know." "Which spell?" Deudermont asked. "Fog of Fate," Drizzt replied in Harkle's place, "is the spell that sent him to the Sea Spirit." Harkle nodded at each word Drow spoke, his smile brighter than the sun in pride in his accomplishment. "You took us into a lake!" Deudermont growled angrily.

Before Harkle could figure out why the captain was so angry, a call from the water interrupted their conversation. "Yo ho, Sea Spirit!" The four of them looked out of the railing.Drizzt put the hood back on his head at the same time.He wondered where they were and how they would be treated.But he thought that if those people found out that there was a drow on the Sea Sprite, they would certainly not get a warm welcome. A large fishing boat was coming towards them, and the six people on board were watching the Sea Sprite intently. "You're at war," speculated an old man with a gray beard who looked like a captain. "A storm," said Deudermont, "a storm like I've never seen." The six exchanged suspicious glances.They had been sailing every day for a month before this, but they had never seen any storm. "That storm happened a long way from here," Deudermont understood their doubts and tried to explain to them. "How far can you go like this?" The gray-bearded old man turned his head and looked at the lakeshore extending into the distance. "The reason we're here must surprise you." Katie glanced at Harkle. "Where did you come here from?" asked the old man with the gray beard. Deudermont spread his hands, "We are the Sea Spirit of Waterdeep City." The other party's suspicion turned into a sneer, "Waterdeep City?" Graybeard repeated with disdain. "Have we come to another world?" Katie whispered to Drizzt.Drow found himself at a loss for words to comfort her, especially when Harkle Hubbell was behind it all. "Waterdeep City." Deudermont said calmly and seriously. "It's too far from home for you to come here," another fisherman said to him, "more than a thousand miles." "Fifteen hundred miles." Graybeard corrected him. "And you can only come by land," another person said with a smile, "is your Hailing equipped with wheels?" Not only these six people, but also several other small boats passing by burst into laughter. "I should have seen a troop of poor horses." Another man's jeering caused more laughter. Even Deudermont couldn't help smiling, feeling relieved to know his ship was still in this world. "It's because of the magician's spell," he explained to the crowd. "We were sailing on the Sword Coast, five hundred miles southwest of the Moonshaes. We were caught in a storm there, our magician." - Deudermont He glanced back at Harkle—"The magic brought us here." "He led the wrong way," said a man loudly. "But he got us off the coast," Deudermont's smile faded. "If we stay there, we're going to die. Tell me, good people, where are we?" "This is Epers Lake," Graybeard replied, and then he pointed to his back, "That's Cotton Island, and Cotton City is on the shore." Deudermont did not know these names. "There is Luoxue Mountain." The captain pointed to the mountains behind him and said. "South," Katie said suddenly.All eyes were on her. "We're far south of Waterdeep," she said. "If we go further south from this lake, we'll reach the Deep Stream. Then the Velhong River; and finally the Inner Sea. .” "You are right," Greybeard told her, "but the draft of your ship will prevent you from entering Lake Saran." "And unless you have wings, you will never be able to pass through the Rift Mountains!" The people around Graybeard added.But they no longer laughed at the Sea Spirit.Now, everyone present has realized the seriousness of the problem. Deudermont heaved a long sigh and looked back at Harkle.The magician just stared blankly at the deck. "We will worry about where to go later," Deudermont said, "Now we must hurry up and renovate the Sea Spirit." He turned to Greybeard again, "I'm afraid your lake is not deep enough. Where can I find a suitable place?" Harbor? We can repair our ships there." Captain Fisherman pointed to Cotton Island, where a long pier stretched out. "The water is deeper on the north side of the island," the man next to him told Deudermont. "But that long pier is private property," said the third fisherman. "We will help you ask permission to dock." Gray Beard assured everyone on the Haijiong. "It's not easy to repair this ship," Deudermont sighed. "We lost the sails and the steering wheel is damaged. I don't know anything about the waters here." "Let's introduce each other, Captain..." "Deudermont," replied the Sea Sprite's captain, "Captain Deudermont." "My name is Teduk," said Greybeard, "good to meet you." He gestured to the other ships as he spoke.Those ships had already gathered beside the Sea Spirit, and they all wanted to see what the newcomer looked like. "We can drag you into the pier. There are many shipwrights in Carton, and they will help you repair the Sea Spirit." Teduk continued, "Even for your masts, we can find trees that are tall enough, Make a new one for you. From what I know of us here, enough of your adventures sailing the Sword Coast is all you have to give." "We have so many stories to tell!" Deudermont told him. The fishing boats hung the ropes on the Sea Spirit one after another, and began to pull the schooner into the port. "The camaraderie among sailors here is like that of brothers," Drizzt said. "It seems so," agreed Deudermont. "I know where to look if we need to replace the crew." The captain looked at Harkle.The magician was still staring at the deck with that abandoned look. "You did a good job, Master Harbell." Hearing Deudermont's words, the magician's face immediately glowed with dazzling brilliance. "We were destined to die in that place that wasn't even marked on the chart. Now, we all escaped safe and sound." "But into a lake," said Harkle. Deudermont waved his hand to signal that he didn't need to care about the current situation, "Robilar will find us, and you two will definitely find a way to let us go back. As for now, my ship and my people are safe, that's the best thing. Important, well done!" Harkle really felt happy. "But why did we come here?" Katie couldn't help asking. "Fogs of Fate," Drizzt and Harkle said in unison. "That means we need to be here," the wizard added. "What needs?" Katie continued. "Of course it's the mission!" Harkle yelled. "Isn't it?" He looked around as if he had explained everything.But the eyes focused on him didn't seem to have the understanding he was looking for. "Before that storm, our purpose was to..." "Waterdeep," Deudermont replied, "your spells haven't brought us near Waterdeep." Harkle shook his hands wildly. "No, no. Not Waterdeep, but a priest, or a magician. We went to Waterdeep just to find them." "Then you think we can find the spellcasters we need here, not in Waterdeep City?" Drizzt wondered, "In this small town far away from home?" "Good Captain Teduk," Harkle called toward the bow. "Here." The answering voice came from far ahead.Teduk's boat was at the head of the tugboat line. "We're looking for a priest," Harkle called, "a very powerful priest..." "Cadderly," Tedduc replied without hesitation, "Cadry Bonnadus, you will never find a stronger priest in the nations!" Tedduc boasted complacently , as if Cadderly was the common property of all Kartons. Harkle threw a triumphant look at his friends, "Fog of Fate," he said emphatically. "Then where can we find Cadderly?" Deudermont asked. "Cotton City?" "No," replied Teduk, "it's two days' walk up the mountain, where there's a temple called 'Goofy Spirit.'" Deudermont looked at Harkle and didn't ask any more questions. The magician clapped his hands together, "Fog of Fate! Oh, everything fits so perfectly." He suddenly became very excited, as if he had come up with another idea. "As perfectly as the Sea Sprite and a lake." Katie said with a strong sense of irony, but Harkle didn't hear it at all. "Don't you understand?" The magician's arm waved again, "Sea Sprite and Spirit Soaring - SS and SS, and fog of fate - FF .” "I'm going to sleep," Katie groaned. "And HH!" Harkle's voice became louder and louder.Drizzt looked at him curiously. "Harkle Harpell!" The excited magician stretched out his hand and designated drow again. "And Drizzt Do'Urden's DD! Fog of Fate's FF, SS and SS, HH and DD! And you..." He pointed at Catti-brie brie). "Is it all right?" The young woman asked him with a smile. "It's okay." Drizzt tried to break the embarrassment in front of him.Deudermont bit his lip, trying not to let his savage laughter take away Harkle's glory. "Well, there must be something mysterious about these letters," Harkle said to himself, "I must explore them!" "Let's explore your mind first," Katie lowered her voice after she finished speaking.So only Drizzt heard the second half of her words, "It's best to bring a big lantern and a dwarven tunnel backpack." Then came a low laugh. "Your father!" Harkle suddenly jumped in front of Katie again.The young woman was so frightened that she almost punched him in the face. "My dad?" she asked. "BB!" Harkle, Drizzt, and Deudermont shouted simultaneously.Drow and the captain also put on an excited expression. Katie started moaning again. "Yes, yes, Bruenor Battlehammer," Harkle murmured, pacing rapidly up and down, "BB. Oh, I must explore the interrelationships of these letters, I must!" "So what do you think BFs are related to?" Katie asked him.Harkle nodded absently, and walked straight to Deudermont's private room.In fact, it has become Harkle's private room. "Bf?" the captain asked Katie. "Babbling fool." She and Drizzt gave the answer together.The three of them finally burst into wild laughter.Still, Katie, Drizzt, Deudermont, and everyone else couldn't deny that it was this nonsense fool who had saved Sea Sprite and brought them closer to their stated goal.