The Halfling's Gem - Chapter 21

[kalinara]

So last time, our heroes weren't having a great time of it. Entreri escaped, Wulfgar's injured, and Regis has been promptly re-captured.



This chapter starts off with Wulfgar. He's currently being swarmed by ratmen. It looks pretty dire for a bit, but he manages to turn the tide.

Of course, there's a point where he thinks about Drizzt:

What was it that Drizzt had told him about luck? That a true warrior always seemed to find the proper route - the one open path that casual observers might consider lucky?

Now Wulfgar did laugh out loud. He had killed a dragon once by dislodging an icicle above its back. He wondered what a huge chandelier with a thousand burning candles might do to a room full of ratmen.

"Tempus!" the barbarian roared to his battle god, seeking a measure of deity-inspired luck to aid his way - Drizzt did not know everything, after all! He launched Aegis-fang with all his strength, breaking into a dead run after the war hammer.

I do like Wulfgar and Drizzt's mentor-student dynamic, actually. I also like that Wulfgar can consider Drizzt's advice but still be his own person. And indeed, he brings the chandelier down and leaps off the balcony.

--

We move to Bruenor, Drizzt and Catti-brie. Bruenor doesn't quite manage to bash the door down, but Catti-brie's magic arrow takes out the latch. We get a moment of slapstick as Bruenor tumbles inside, while Drizzt, of course, takes out the two wererats who are about to attack. They run inside.

--

Back to Wulfgar. He's had some advantage, but there are still swarms of wererats. Wulfgar's not seeing any more luck, and the rats have decided a wererat giant like Wulfgar would be awesome. They bite at him. Wulfgar, knowing something about lycanthropes, knows better than to let that happen. Unfortunately, he's slowing down.

And because of the threat of lycanthropy, Wulfgar can't go out singing, the way he'd normally want. He starts looking for a means of killing himself.

Escape was impossible. Victory even more so. Wulfgar's only thought and desire at that moment was to be spared the indignity and anguish of lycanthropy.

Then Drizzt entered the room.

He came in on the back of the wererat ranks like a sudden tornado dropping onto an unprepared village. His scimitars flashed blood red in seconds, and patches of fur flew about the room. Those few ratmen in his path who managed to escape put their tails between themselves and the killer drow and fled from the room.

Okay, I admit, that's a pretty good cavalry entrance.

The ratmen's morale gets even worse when a roaring dwarf pounds into the room, accompanied by a volley of magic arrows. We're told that those who could flee do. While the others have an unpleasant choice between hammer, blade, axe or arrow.

--

The scene shifts again, to Grandmaster Pook, who is watching the destruction through the Taros Hoop. He doesn't really care about the wererats (a few well-placed bites will replenish his supply), btu he doesn't like that they're coming his way.

By the way, Pook has hill giant eunuchs serving him. Because of course he does.

Regis is also watching, a bit teary eyed. He'd thought Bruenor was dead, remember. And he's overwhelmed by the fact that his friends came for him. He also notices the wizard LaValle seems unconcerned by all of this.

Pook taunts a nervous Rassiter about his people's poor performance, then calmly suggests he see to it that his rats fare better. Rassiter books it.

He's also enjoying the show;

"Magnificent," he muttered as Drizzt fought off two simultaneous thrusts and sliced down both wererats with individual, yet mystically intertwined counters. "Never have I seen such grace with a blade." He paused for a moment to consider that thought. "Perhaps once."

Surprised at the revelation, Pook looked at LaValle, who nodded in accord.

"Entreri," LaValle inferred. "The resemblance is unmistakable. We know now why the assassin coaxed this group to the south."

They wonder about Entreri's absence. LaValle suggests Entreri may have already fought them, and Pook is aghast at the thought that Entreri might be defeated or dead. Regis is thrilled. Pook is not, and he decides that he needs Rassiter and the rats after all. He orders LaValle to stop this.

--

Back to our heroes. They're looking for Regis. At one point they find a tiny thief, human but barely bigger than a halfling, who doesn't particularly want to die by hero and tells them how to find Regis. He makes the mistake of going for a hidden dagger (Drizzt catches him, of course) and Wulfgar uses him as a door opener.

And then, of course, Drizzt is the one who senses something wrong. It makes sense, as he's the one with an astral planal companion so he knows the feeling. But I am so tired of Drizzt ALWAYS being the one to observe shit. He shouts at his friends to join hands.

--

Regis watches them huddle together, then get banished to a darker place filled with ghouls and demons. The bad guys gloat, he despairs. And then, Pook makes one taunt too many.

Regis thinks about how his friends came all this way, battling Entreri, were-rats and probably many others. All for him. He bites the eunuch holding him, hits the ground running, kicks out Pook's walking stick, grabs Guen's statue from his pocket, and then charges for LaValle, disrupting his spell, grabbing the scepter, and dives straight into the Taros Hoop.

...nice. Well done, dude. The chapter ends here.

Comments

[pan2000]

What was it that Drizzt had told him about luck? That a true warrior always seemed to find the proper route - the one open path that casual observers might consider lucky?

Now Wulfgar did laugh out loud. He had killed a dragon once by dislodging an icicle above its back. He wondered what a huge chandelier with a thousand burning candles might do to a room full of ratmen.


Drizzt is right, and Wulfgar is awesome.

You forgot to title.

[kalinara]

I did! Thank you for the alert!