Everyone except the guards standing watch was about to turn in, and Chen Jinyang and the others had yet to notice that the elven girl had gone missing. Suddenly, a miserable scream split the night. Startled awake, everyone hurriedly grabbed the weapons beside them and rushed out of their tents.
Chen Jinyang and Phinia woke at the same time. He turned to the eager giantess and said, "Phinia! Stay here and keep an eye on Alos and Mishaer!" Then he turned to the two little ones, who had also woken up, and instructed them, "Stay here! Don't run off! I'm going out to take a look!" With that, he ducked out of the tent.
Gosa, sword in hand, questioned the guard on watch. "Dilo! What happened?"
Dilo shook his head, looking tense. "I don't know! It's too dark to see outside! I only heard a scream! Something must be nearby!"
Faced with the unknown, Gosa showed the seasoned experience of a mercenary captain who had been around for years. He picked up his shield and issued a string of brisk orders to his men. "Olon! Light the torches and get ready to throw them outside! Mogrem! Jadel! Get your shields ready! Everyone else, watch our surroundings! Alafil! Get your bow ready! Alafil! Alafil?" No one answered. The elven girl wasn't there, and everyone's heart sank. Something had happened to the elf.
The mercenaries watched the darkness beyond the wagons nervously. Olon gripped a lit torch and hurled it with all his strength. In its brief arc of light, three dark figures appeared in front of the wagons, one tall and two short. The tall figure held a warhammer upside down and tried to step over the wagon enclosure. Gosa and two other mercenaries rushed forward with swords and shields, trying to keep the intruders out. Facing all three, the towering figure simply swung the hammer with one hand, stopping their charge. Then, with a single blow apiece, he sent the three capable mercenaries flying, shields and all. Only Olon remained, frozen in place with several torches in hand, poised to throw them. The four guards who hadn't yet recovered from their injuries were little more than decorations.
Chen Jinyang had followed behind, hoping to see how Gosa and the others fought. He froze. These mercenaries were pathetic! They'd been taken out in just a few blows! He had no choice but to stride forward and block the "enemies" who had already entered the camp. The still-burning bonfire let him see his opponent clearly: a man nearly as tall as himself, with a wild mane of hair whose color was hard to make out, dressed in animal hides. What a muscular man, Chen Jinyang thought, the impression suddenly surfacing in his mind.
He shifted aside to dodge the warhammer thrust toward him, then darted in close. The hammer's handle was too long; once someone got close, it became awkward and difficult to use. The hammer wielder, now within Chen Jinyang's reach, freed one hand to grab him. Seeing Chen Jinyang unarmed, the man let his guard down. He couldn't have imagined that Chen Jinyang was even more dangerous barehanded than when wielding a weapon. Chen Jinyang simply grabbed the man's outstretched fingers with one hand and bent them back. The burly man had no choice but to drop to his knees in pain. Since he hadn't seemed intent on killing anyone during the attack, Chen Jinyang hadn't used lethal force. Besides, the little elf was missing, so he planned to take the intruder captive and figure things out afterward.
Just as Chen Jinyang was about to knock the man unconscious, the pores on his face prickled, and a bone-chilling cold rushed toward him. A martial arts expert's senses were exceptionally sharp, especially at the stage of hidden power, when the pores became particularly sensitive. Without thinking, he tilted his head and ducked. A fierce, cutting gust of wind swept past his hair. It was a broad-bladed battleaxe, hurled at him with tremendous force. If Chen Jinyang hadn't reached a small measure of mastery in sensing force and had such keen instincts, the axe would have struck him in the face and killed him.
"Let go of my boy!" With an angry shout, a stocky figure in heavy armor, wearing a helmet with one horn broken off, charged out of the darkness. Seeing such a ruthless attack, Chen Jinyang felt murderous intent rise within him. The burly man kneeling at his feet endured the pain and growled, "Tempus!" Despite the agony of his nearly broken fingers, he tried to stand. Sensing his intent at once through the changes in force where their fingers touched, Chen Jinyang swept one hand across the side of the man's neck and knocked him out. Then he lowered his stance, turned sideways, and kicked at the charging armored warrior. Enraged by the other man's vicious attack, Chen Jinyang put his full strength into the kick, even using hidden power. He meant to kill him with one blow.
Seeing Chen Jinyang's kick coming, the armored dwarf—worried sick about his companion, who lay motionless and might be dead—neither dodged nor backed away. Gripping his steel shield in both hands, he charged straight into it. Chen Jinyang hadn't taken the dwarf seriously and hadn't expected him to have such powerful momentum. He lost his footing and staggered back several steps. Pain shot through his left foot after it struck the dwarf, and he could only touch it lightly to the ground, unable to put his weight on it for the moment. The dwarf fared even worse. His hands were broken by the hidden power, and his grip on the dented, battered shield drove it into his chest. With a muffled groan, he flew backward. Chen Jinyang, balancing on one leg, couldn't do much either and could only remain where he was, waiting to see how the enemies would react.
The whole thing had lasted less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Neither side made another move, and the camp fell silent, save for the pained curses of the dwarf Chen Jinyang had kicked away. The mercenaries who had been knocked flying struggled to their feet, dropped their battered shields, and stood beside Chen Jinyang with swords in hand, ready for another attack. Not one of them dared make a sound.
Before long, however, the standoff was broken. A figure wrapped in a cloak entered the camp, carrying another, smaller figure in his arms. "Alafil!" Several mercenaries cried out at the sight of the elf in his arms. "Who are you? What happened to Alafil?" At that moment, Phinia and the two little ones, who had been anxiously pacing inside their tent, ran out as well. The newcomer clearly hadn't expected to see children in the camp and froze for a moment. Then he set down the little elf and pulled back the hood covering his head. At the same time, a stout dwarf came in supporting another injured, heavily armored warrior.
"A Drow? An evil elf!" The sight of the gaunt face beneath the cloak—black-skinned, white-haired, and pointed-eared—made the already nervous mercenaries even more terrified. His eyes were like burning purple flames, full of pain and confusion. The injured dwarf kept shouting, "Damn it! He killed the boy! He killed my boy! Drow! Kill them! Damn it! Poor child! Kill them! Drizzt! Avenge Wulfgar!" The injured dwarf's cries only made the mercenaries more frightened. They all gripped their weapons and aimed them at the Drow. Just then, the unconscious elven girl came to. She lifted her groggy head and saw the Dark Elf standing beside her. "Ah—! Drow—!" With an even shriller scream, the terrified elf passed out for the second time.
By now, Chen Jinyang understood that the whole clash had been a misunderstanding. The other party hadn't meant to hurt anyone at first; it was only because the hammer wielder had been subdued by Chen Jinyang that the dwarf had attacked in desperation to save him. Now they also thought the burly man was dead. The Drow held both hands on the hilts of his blades, torn by indecision. He wanted revenge for his companion, but he didn't want to hurt innocent people. After all, it had only been a misunderstanding.
Chen Jinyang sensed the Drow's inner conflict. His own side hadn't suffered any serious injuries, and it had all been a misunderstanding. With his left foot injured, he didn't want to cause any more trouble either. Raising his voice, he stopped the restless mercenaries beside him and the Dark Elf, who had tried several times to draw his blades. "Wait! Your companion isn't dead! I only knocked him unconscious!" Of course, if he wasn't treated quickly, he would certainly become an idiot! Chen Jinyang kept that part to himself.
The Drow froze at his words. The stout dwarf dropped the injured dwarf and ran toward the unconscious burly man. The injured dwarf, who had been cursing nonstop, lost his balance and fell face-first to the ground with a clatter. His broken hands struck the earth, sending pain shooting through him. He screamed and cursed, "You damned Bruenor! I'll kill you! Ah—! By the gods! I'll kill you! Otherwise, I'm a long-bearded dwarf! Ah—! Bastard! Damn it!"
The stout dwarf called "Bruenor" ran to Wulfgar's side, rolled him over, and held his short, plump fingers beneath the burly man's nose. Then he leaned over and listened for a heartbeat. Bruenor jumped up and shouted, "The boy's alive! He's just sleeping!" With that, he scratched his curly hair.
At Bruenor's answer, the Drow's eyes brightened, and he immediately relaxed his grip on his twin blades. Only the injured dwarf kept groaning and cursing the other dwarf who had knocked him down. Chen Jinyang, equally relieved, noticed that the mercenaries still hadn't let down their guard and were still tensely watching the Drow. In a soothing voice, he said, "Gosa! It's all right now! Go bring Alafil over!" When the mercenary captain ignored him and continued holding his sword at the ready, Chen Jinyang frowned and said, "It's all right! This was a misunderstanding! Put your sword down!"
"No! That's a Drow!"
"What's wrong with Drow?"
"Drow are the most evil race in the Underdark! Devils of the darkness! They'll do anything!"
Bruenor, who was checking on the unconscious Wulfgar with the Drow, argued, "No! Drizzt is different! He's a good Drow! He only kills bad people. He's never killed a good person!"
The armored dwarf, who was struggling to roll over and lie on his back, cursed and asked, "Drizzt! How's Wulfgar? Damn it! My hands are broken! Bruenor! Get over here and help me up!"
Bruenor didn't do as he was told. Instead, he and the Drow tried to wake Wulfgar. Drizzt replied uncertainly, "I don't know! Wulfgar's been asleep this whole time. I've been trying to wake him, but it seems difficult."
Chen Jinyang, standing opposite them, said calmly, "I know how to wake him! Let me try!"
Before the Drow could respond, the injured dwarf had already started shouting. "Drizzt! Don't let that damnable man near Wulfgar! Oh, damn it! He broke my bones! He even smashed my shield!" Chen Jinyang frowned again. What a foul-mouthed little dwarf.
"Powerful friend! Please help wake Wulfgar," Drizzt said earnestly as he approached Chen Jinyang. The mercenaries, however, backed away several steps in fear. Chen Jinyang hopped over to Wulfgar on one leg, bent down, and slapped the side of his neck several times, drawing out the blood stasis caused by the hidden power he had previously sent into Wulfgar's body. The mighty Wulfgar slowly regained consciousness and stood up, swaying as his head still felt heavy.
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