Chapter 16 Chapter 12 The Reality Known

"Blood," Katie murmured solemnly, and the torch in her hand, as she bent down, revealed a thin line of drops of blood that ran down the corridor to the entrance of a small hole. "Probably from the Goblin Wars," Bruno said hopefully, but Katie shook her head. "Still wet," she replied. "The blood from the goblin wars has dried up long ago." "That's what we saw from the reptiles that ate goblin corpses." Bruno changed his speculation. Still suspicious, Katie crouched down, held the torch forward, and slipped into the small hole.Wulfgar scrambled in after.As soon as he entered the hole, he immediately dodged in front of Katie, blocking possible attacks for the young woman.

Catti-brie was upset by the Savage's actions.Perhaps, it seemed to Wulfgar, he was just playing it safe, keeping his melee self at the forefront, protecting his torch-carrying, eyes-on-the-ground companions.But Katie suspected that Wulfgar's haste was only because she was leading the charge, because he wanted to protect her from all dangers.This made the proud and capable Katie feel insulted. Katie was also worried that Wulfgar would make a tactical mistake because she was concerned about her safety. The comrades were able to survive countless dangers and be safe because everyone could find a suitable position in the team. have become an indispensable complement to the others.Katie is well aware that the unraveling of this pattern can have deadly consequences.

She moved forward to pass Wulfgar, but bumped into his outstretched arm.He glared at her, and she glared back at him unflinchingly. "What's in there?" Bruno's call came from behind, and the two young men who were about to explode calmed down.Katie looked back at the figure of her father squatting at the entrance of the cave. Cooper and Panter, who was holding the second torch, were still waiting outside the cave. "Empty." Wulfgar said unquestionably, and turned to leave. Katie remained crouched, watching her surroundings carefully, and her search seemed only to prove the Savage wrong.

"Not empty," she said after a moment, and her triumphant voice made Wulfgar turn back, and Bruenor scrambled into the hole. They came to Katie's side, and the young woman was looking down at a small thing--a crossbow bolt, but not a dwarf warrior's crossbow could handle it, nor any crossbow they had ever seen. The arrow used, it was too small.Bruenor picked it up with stubby fingers and brought it to his eyes, examining it carefully. "Are there goblins in these tunnels?" He meant a small, cruel kind of goblin, but they were usually found in woodlands. "Some kind of..." Wulfgar began.

"Drow," Katie broke in suddenly, and both Wulfgar and Bruno turned their heads to her, Wulfgar's clear eyes blazing with anger at being interrupted, but the severity of Katie's words immediately Just let him forget everything. "Does that elf have such a bow?" Bruno didn't believe his daughter's speculation. "It's not Drizzt," Katie corrected him sternly, "it's the other drow." Wulfgar and Bruenor had obvious doubts on their faces, but Katie was convinced that her guess was correct.Many times in the past, when he was in Icewind Dale on the Cone of Cairn, Drizzt had told her of his homeland, of the wonderfully crafted and wonderful artifacts of the dark elf kingdom.Among these utensils, all kinds of weapons are most valued by the dark elves. The hand crossbow and the short arrows dipped in poison are one of the famous types.

Wulfgar and Bruenor looked at each other, each hoping that the other would find some logic that would disprove Katie's grim reasoning.Bruenor just shrugged, put away his short arrows, and walked towards the opening; Wulfgar looked at the young woman.There was a look of concern on his face. None of them spoke, nor did they have to, they were all familiar with the horror legends of the dark elves.If Katie's guess is correct, the drow have already come to Mithril Hall, which is a very serious problem. There was something else in Wulfgar's expression that bothered Kitty, and the young woman believed it was the dominant protectiveness that got them into trouble.She pushed the big man away, and walked out of the cave with a crouch, leaving Wulfgar alone in the dark, trying to suppress her chaotic heart.

※※※※ The drow troop slowly but never paused through the tunnel, the road beneath their feet showing more and more of its natural roughness.Drizzt was still wearing his armor, but he was disarmed, his hands bound tightly behind his back.There is a magic spell attached to the rope, so no matter how hard he tries, he can't twist his wrist half a bit. Dining moved his eight long legs and walked at the front of the team.Werna and Jarlaxle followed closely behind, followed by a formation of twenty drow, two of whom were dedicated to watch over Drizzt.They had a meeting with the Baenre family army covering them on the road. Jarlaxle issued a few silent orders, and the second drow force immediately dispersed and merged into the surrounding shadows.

Only then did Drizzt begin to appreciate the importance of this raid on Mithril Hall.From Menzoberranzan came forty to sixty Dark Elves, by his reckoning, a rather powerful raiding party. These are all for him. What about Entreri?Drizzt wondered, how did this killer get into the game?He seemed to work so well with the dark elves, and the same size and body temperature made him look natural and unobtrusive in the drow's line. Too coordinated, Drizzt thought. Entreri walked first with the bald headed mercenary captain, but step by step he retreated to the back of the line, approaching his most hated enemy.

"Nice to meet you." He pretended to greet Drizzt beside him.The human glanced at the two drow guards, and they immediately walked into the next team. Drizzt examined the killer for a long time, trying to find some clues from him, and then he suddenly turned his face away. "What's the matter?" Entreri grabbed the stubborn drow by the shoulders and pulled him around.Drizzt stopped suddenly, and the surrounding drow immediately cast attention, Werna's eyes were especially sharp.He didn't like the attention he had, and immediately began to move again.The drow beside him also began to surround him and continued to move forward.

"I don't understand," Drizzt said to Entreri, "you have the mask, you have Regis, and you know where to find me, why would you ally yourself with Vierna and her associates?" "You think it's my choice?" Entreri replied. "Your sister found me, not me." "Then you're a prisoner," Drizzt responded. "No." Entreri replied without hesitation, and there were several sneers in his words, "You were right, we are allies." "In the eyes of my people, they belong to the same concept." Entreri laughed again, obviously seeing the temptation in the words.Drizzt shuddered at the killer's genuine laughter.He recognizes the power within this enemy, which is directly connected to his hopes, no matter how elusive, he can expand and use.

"Actually, it was Jarlaxle who made the deal with me," the killer explained to Drizzt, "not your capricious sister. Jarlaxle is a pragmatic mercenary, a speculator, and I understand this guy , he is exactly like me." "When you are no longer needed..." Drizzt warned him ominously. "But they need me, and always will!" Entreri interrupted. "Jarrlaxle is a speculator," he said loudly on purpose.The mercenary captain at the front of the line nodded in agreement. Jarlaxle clearly understood the common tongue of the surface.What would Jarlaxle gain by killing me?I am a valuable link between the surface and the underground, am I not?I am the leader of the Thieves' Guild in faraway Calimport, an ally that will prove to be very useful in the future.I've dealt with people like Jarlaxle all my life, and I've seen guild leaders in a dozen cities along the Gulf of Swords. " "Drow kills for the sake of killing." Drizzt didn't want to give up the chance to untangle this chain easily. "Agreed," Entreri replied, "but they will not kill at will when it is profitable for them. Merit comes first, and you cannot shake our alliance, Drizzt at the end of the road. You His death will serve our common good." Drizzt did not speak for a long time, chewing on the information he had received, hoping to find some way to undo the chain.He believed that there were always cracks in the chain of treacherous people. "It's not a mutual interest," he said quietly, noticing Entreri's curious gaze. "Explain." Entreri was silent for quite some time before uttering the words. "I know why you hunted me down, you didn't want me to die, but you wanted to kill me with your own hands, not just to kill me, but to defeat me in a fair fight. Now you have lost this opportunity, Vierna just wanted me as a sacrifice." "I didn't lose this opportunity." Entreri moved the chain away from Drizzt again in a leisurely tone, "I will defeat you in battle, this is part of the deal. In the cave, you and I will have a decisive fight." "Verna won't let you kill me," Drizzt reminded him. "But she will let me beat you," Entreri replied. "She wants to see that result too. She wants you to be completely humiliated, and when I'm done with us, she will sacrifice you." To Rose...with my blessing." "Look forward to it, friend." Entreri let out a "ho ho" laugh, noting Drizzt's rigid face. "I'm not your friend," Drizzt growled under his breath. "That's my kind." Entreri continued to tease him, and the killer felt a burst of glee when Drizzt yelled at him angrily. "Never." "We fight," Entreri said to him, "we're all so good at fighting, we fight to win. Though our goals may be different. I told you before, you can't hide from me, you can't hide from yourself .” Drizzt didn't answer, not when his hands were tied behind his back and surrounded by enemies.Entreri had indeed said those words before, and Drizzt had reconciled with him long ago, Drizzt had made a decision for his life, chosen his own path. Still, the apparent joy on the face of the evil slayer troubled the venerable drow as to what else he could do under such desperate conditions.At least Entreri couldn't be satisfied, Drizzt Dolden decided. They came to a region connected by many branch roads, these winding tunnels and wormholes basically fanned out, and they were close to the cave Entreri had mentioned, and Drizzt knew that his time was running out. He fell forward and curled his feet, his hands went around the soles of his feet, and when he returned to his body, he jumped up immediately.Entreri, always on the alert, had sword and dagger in hand, but Drizzt charged straight at him.The unarmed drow theoretically had no chance at all, but he guessed that Entreri would not kill him, that he would not give up his longed-for chance at a fair challenge so easily.At this moment, Entreri would have a hard time making a choice. As Drizzt had expected, Entreri hesitated.Drizzt rushed in front of the half-hearted Entreri, leaped into the air, and kicked Entreri in the cheek and chest with both feet, sending the man flying straight out. As soon as Drizzt landed on his feet, he sprinted towards the nearest side road entrance, which was preceded by only one drow guard.Drizzt still rushed forward without fear. Verna promised that anyone who damaged the sacrifice would suffer unimaginable torture. Drizzt hoped that this promise would have enough deterrent effect.He glanced back to see Vierna reach out to block Jarlaxle's fingers already holding the dagger, which undoubtedly added to his confidence. The drow soldier in the way was as agile as a cat, and he knocked Drizzt with the hilt of his knife.But Drizzt was faster, with bound hands he lifted the opponent's sword-holding hand high, rushed into the opponent's arms, and slammed his knee cleanly against the enemy's lower abdomen.Then Drizzt threw the bent, groaning foe back to the pursuing drow soldiers and Entreri, and charged himself into the bypass. Turning a corner, crossing a small open field, and running into another side road, Drizzt was barely ahead of his pursuers, and when he entered the next side road, a crossbow bolt was passing behind his head. To make matters worse, the drow ranger noticed figures entering from other branches of the tunnel.Besides him, there were no more than seven dark elves in the tunnel now.But he knew that there were more than twice this number of drow soldiers following Werna, and a larger drow army was distributed around him.The missing soldiers were on reconnaissance and flanking missions, passing through established routes, providing reports in silent codes. Running around the next corner, he found a new corner that reversed the road completely, and he climbed a low wall, cursing his luck that the branch road above sloped down and brought him back to the original area. Rounding another corner, he saw a violent flash of thermal energy.He knew it was the heat from the reflector.A reflector is a magically heated metal disc that the dark elves use as a guidepost.The heated side acts like a mirror that reflects sunlight to creatures that use infrared vision, acting as a light.Drizzt cut another side lane, knowing that the net that had captured him was tightened and his move would not succeed. The spider spirit suddenly rushed out in front of him. Drizzt's mind was shocked, even though he knew the danger was behind him, he still couldn't restrain himself from stepping back.His brother turned out to be like this!Dinin's swollen body swayed on eight struggling, groping reptilian limbs, and his face was completely dead. Trying to calm his turbulent mind and desire to scream, Drizzt began to find a way through the obstacle.The blunt side of Dinin's double ax was facing forward, and he was swinging it wildly. The eight spider legs also kicked wildly in the air, completely blocking the passage ahead. Trace had no choice. He turned around and wanted to run back into another tunnel.And Vierna, Jarlaxle, and Entreri had rounded the corner and appeared before him. They talked quietly in the Common Tongue, and it looked like Entreri was about to start the duel here, but he was clearly changing his plans. Vierna came out more and more, her five-snake whip swaying ferociously in front of her. "If you defeat me, you will be free," she told Drizzt in drow language with a sneer.Then, she threw the flash at Drizzt's feet.Drizzt stooped to pick up the weapon, Vierna rushed to attack, Drizzt had expected her action, the ranger dodged and jumped back, but the flash was still missing. The axe fell on Drizzt's shoulder with the axe, and the force caused him to fall towards Vierna.The ranger had no choice but to lean over and rush towards the scimitar, almost touching it with his slender fingers. The snake's teeth dug into his wrist, another snake's head bit his forearm, and the remaining three attacked his face and the other hand respectively, so that even if his hand held the handle, he could not Then defend.The gnaw of the snake's fangs inflicted horrific wounds, but it was the venom that brought Drizzt down.The Ranger thought the Glitter was in his hand, but he couldn't be sure because his fingers couldn't feel the metal handle at all. Werna's whip pulled out again, the five snake heads hungrily bit Drizzt's muscles, and the paralysis invaded Drizzt's whole body.A cruel priest of a cruel god whipped the powerless prisoner a dozen times, her face distorted with wicked glee. Drizzt stubbornly kept his consciousness awake and stared at her with contemptuous eyes. This kind of behavior can only stimulate Werna to continue to commit violence. If it wasn't for Jarlaxle's dissuasion, she would probably beat Drizzt to death locally .But Entreri's presence at her side seemed to be what really calmed her down. For Drizzt, his body was tortured, and all hope of survival was lost.Death is only a matter of time. ※※※※ "Ah!" Bruno wailed for a while, "My relatives!" Thiberdorf Panter reacted even more violently to the horror of the death of all seven dwarves.Zhan Kuang walked to the edge of the tunnel in a daze, and slammed his forehead against the rock wall. He almost knocked himself unconscious. Fortunately, Cooper stopped him in time and reminded him that the sound of hitting his head could be heard a mile away. can see. "Clean and quick carnage," Katie commented, trying to maintain her rationality, hoping to find out more information from these new clues. "Entreri," Bruenor growled. "According to our guess, if he really disguised himself as Regis, these dwarves should disappear after he entered the tunnel," Katie deduced truthfully, "It seems that this killer has a helper this time." Arrow entered her mind again, and she wished she had been wrong. "I'll strangle those murderers with my own hands!" Bruno fell to his knees, bending over a close friend, his shoulders twitching. Katie couldn't continue watching. She looked away from her father and turned to look at Wulfgar. The barbarian stood there quietly with a torch in his hand. She was surprised to find Wulfgar glaring at her. She looked at him carefully for a while, "Well, let me tell you what you think." The barbarian's cold gaze made her feel more and more uncomfortable. "You shouldn't come down," replied the Savage calmly. "Isn't Drizzt my friend?" And as soon as she mentioned the dark elves, Wulfgar immediately looked like he was about to lose his mind, which made Katie feel even more strange. "Yes, he's your friend, I don't doubt that," Wulfgar replied, his voice tinged with hatred, "but you're going to be my wife, and you shouldn't be in this dangerous place." place." Katie opened her eyes wide in astonishment. Under the light of the torch, there seemed to be raging anger in the pair of pupils. "It's not up to you to decide!" she yelled loudly, and Cooper and Bruno couldn't help but exchange concerned glances at the loud yell, and the dwarf king stood up from his dead friend and walked towards her daughter. "You will be my bride soon!" Wulfgar reminded her, the same boredom and anguish in his voice. Kitty didn't flinch, her determined gaze forced Wulfgar to take a step back.The resolute young woman almost broke into a smile amidst the rage that the Savage was beginning to understand at last. "You shouldn't be here," Wulfgar said again, regaining his composure. "Then you can go to Rocktown by yourself," Katie shouted, pointing to Wulfgar's broad chest. "If you think I shouldn't come here to help Drizzt, you can't be called the ranger's son." friend!" "I'm not as good as you are to him!" Wulfgar's eyes blazed, his face contorted, his free hand clenched into a fist. "What are you talking about?" Katie was sincerely puzzled by Wulfgar's irrational words and bizarre behavior. Bruno had heard enough, and he stepped between the two of them, gently pushing Katie away, and turned sternly to the barbarian he had always considered his son. "What are you talking about, child?" The dwarf tried to stay calm, though he wanted to punch Wulfgar's wide mouth hard. Wulfgar didn't look at Bruenor at all, he stepped past the dwarf, still pointing his finger at Katie, "How many times have you kissed that drow?" he growled. Katie nearly fell to the ground. "What?" she screamed. "Have you lost your mind? I never..." "You lie!" Wulfgar yelled. "How can you say such damn things!" Bruno shouted loudly, and at the same time took out his big axe.The blade swung forward, and Wulfgar was forced to leap backwards, crashing hard against the stone wall.The second slash that followed forced the barbarian to dodge again.Wulfgar tried to block the ax with the torch, but Bruenor knocked it away in one blow.Wulfgar wanted to get the Fang of Aegis stuck under the backpack again, but Bruenor had already snatched it in front of him, and the big ax kept swinging out, although it was not actually lethal, it also forced the barbarian to jump up and down, and sometimes used Crawl to avoid dwarf attacks. "Let me kill him for you, my king!" Pan Ge roared excitedly, rushing towards the two people who were fighting. "Go back!" Bruno yelled at the war madness. Everyone was confused by the shocking anger in Bruno's voice, and Pante was even more puzzled. "I've been putting up with your stupidity for weeks," Bruenor said to Wulfgar, "but I don't have time to mess with you, and now you tell me what set your ass on fire, Or keep your mouth shut until we find Drizzt and get out of these stinking tunnels!" "I've been trying to keep silent," Wulfgar retorted, looking more like begging since the barbarian was still on his knees. "But I can't be indifferent to my insult!" Realizing his poor posture, the Savage stood up hastily. "Drizzt had a private tryst with Katie before returning to Mithril Hall." "Who told you?" Katie asked him. "Regis!" Wulfgar roared back. "He told me you did more than talk during your tryst!" "He lied!" Katie yelled. Wulfgar was about to speak when he heard Bruenor sneer loudly. The dwarf tomahawk fell to the ground. Bruenor shook his head in disappointment with his hands on his hips. "Stupid... do you only have muscles? Have you ever wondered what you're talking about? We're here because we presume Regis isn't the real Regis!" A puzzled look crossed Wulfgar's face, as he realized just now that he hadn't reconsidered the halfling's accusation in light of what had just happened. "If you feel how stupid you are, then you're feeling pretty good," Bruno said dryly. It was an unexpected discovery that Wulfgar hit no worse than Bruenor's axe.In the past few days, how many times had Regis talked to him alone?He thought carefully, what happened in these meetings?Wulfgar realized for the first time what he had done to the drow in his chamber, and Wulfgar shuddered at the thought that Drizzt would surely die at his hands if he failed to win him. "That halfling... Artemis Entreri, wants to use me to accomplish his evil plan." His memory appears as a vortex of countless sparks, the facets of countless gems, leading him into the gems. core. "He used that pendant on me...I can't be sure, but I think I remember... I believe, he used..." "Absolutely," said Bruenor, "I knew all about you a long time ago, boy, and I've never seen you look so stupid. So did I, who sent that halfling into this world with Drizzt. From an unknown area!" "Entreri wants me to kill Drizzt," Wulfgar muttered absently. "He wanted Drizzt to kill you." Bruno corrected him, and Katie felt that she really couldn't express her gratitude and gratitude to Bruno.In the end, it was the dwarf who restored the barbarian to normal. Wulfgar yelled over Bruenor's shoulder again, "You did meet that drow." "That's my business." The young woman made no concessions to Wulfgar's remaining jealousy. The atmosphere began to become tense again, and Catti-brie could tell that although Wulfgar's arrogance had been hit by the incident with Regis, the man who only wanted to protect her was still unwilling to let her come here, no Willing his fiancée to be in danger.Stubborn and proud Katie still feels insulted. But she didn't get a chance to vent her anger, at least not yet.Cooper approached the three men and begged them to be quiet.Only then did Bruno and the other two realize that Panter was missing. "There is a voice in the distance," the priest explained quietly, "in the depths of the tunnel far from here. Let us pray to Moradin that whatever it is, he doesn't hear our stupid noise!" Kitty looked at the dead dwarves and saw that Wulfgar was doing the same.She knew that the barbarian, like herself, was thinking about Drizzt's safety.How dull their quarrel was by comparison, she was terribly ashamed. Bruno felt his daughter's frustration. He walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder, "These things must be said. Before the battle begins, the problem must be clarified and the conflict resolved." Katie nodded in agreement, and now, if there was a fight, she hoped it would come sooner. She also hoped with all her heart that the purpose of the next fight was not to avenge Drizzt Do'Urden.