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Your name and reputation have preceded you," Captain Vaines explained to Drizzt as he led the drow and his co plank Before thereat port city halfway between Waterdeep and Calimport Many structures lined the is set with arion an uneven, jagged feel
"My e on a river runner," Vaines went on
"Discerning folk who’d take a drow," Bruenor said dryly
"Less so if they’d take a dwarf," Drizzt replied without the slightest hesitation
"Captained and crewed by dwarves," Vaines explained That brought a groan from Drizzt and a chuckle from Bruenor "Captain Bumpo Thunderpuncher and his brother, Donat, and their two cousins thrice removed on their mother’s side"
"Ye know them well," Catti-brie remarked
"All who meet Bumpo et," Vaines said "My e, as I said, for the dwarves knoell the tale of Bruenor Battlehammer and the recla the dark elf"
"Bet ye’d never see the day when ye’d become a hero to a bunch o’ dwarves," Bruenor remarked to Drizzt
"Bet I’d never see the day when I’d want to," the ranger replied
The group ca his arm out toward the plank "Farewell, and may your journey return you safely to your home," he said "If I am in port or nearby when you return to Baldur’s Gate, perhaps ill sail together again"
"Perhaps," Regis politely replied, but he, like all the others, understood that, if they did get to Cadderly and get rid of the Crystal Shard, they ically to Luskan They had approximately another teeks of travel before them if they moved swiftly, but Cadderly could alk all the way back to Luskan in a matter of minutes So said Drizzt and Cattibrie, who had taken such a ith the powerful priest before Then they could get on with the pressing business of finding Wulfgar
They entered Baldur’s Gate without incident, and though Drizzt felt lares but looks of curiosity The drow couldn’t help contrast this experience with his other visit to the city, when he’d gone in pursuit of Regis who had been whisked away to Caliar beside hiical mask that had allowed him to appear as a surface elf
"Not h?" Cattibrie, who kneell the tale of the first visit asked, seeing Drizzt’s gaze
"Always I wished to walk freely in the cities of the Sword Coast," Drizzt replied "It appears that our ith Captain Deudere Reputation has freed e"
"Ye thinking that’s a good thing?" the so perceptive woht wince at the corner of Drizzt’s eye when he made the claim
"I do not know," Drizzt admitted "I like that I can walk freely now in most places without persecution"
"But it pains ye to think that ye had to earn the right," Catti-brie finished perfectly "Ye look atAnd at Bruenor and Regis, dwarf and halfling, and know that they can walk anywhere without earnin’ a thing"
"I do not begrudge any of you that," Drizzt replied "But see their gazes?" He looked around at thethe streets of Baldur’s Gate, alard the drow curiously, some with admiration in their eyes, soh ye’re walking free, ye’re not walking free," the woman observed, and her nod told Drizzt that she understood then Given the choice between facing the hatred of prejudice or the si him as a curiosity piece, the latter seemed the better by far But both were traps, both prisons, jailing Drizzt within the confines of the preceding reputation of a drow elf, of any drow elf, and thus lie
"Bah, they’re just a stupid lot," Bruenor interrupted
"Those who know you, know better," Regis added
Drizzt took it all in stride, all with a so he had abandoned any futile hopes of truly fitting in a the surface-dwellers-his kinfolk’s well-earned reputation for treachery and catastrophe would always prevent that-and had learned instead to focus his energy on those closest to him, on those who had learned to see his And now here he ith three of hisfreely, easily booking passage, and presenting no problems to them other than those created by the relic they had to carry That was truly what Drizzt Do’Urden had desired frois, and with thenorant curiosity, bother hiar was beside the’s treasure at the end of his long and difficult road
Rai’gy rubbed his black hands together as the sical circle he had drawn He didn’t know Gro more than reputation, but despite Jarlaxle’s insistence that the arche would be trustworthy on this issue, thehouse of Menzoberranzan worried Rai’gy profoundly The naiven him was supposedly of a y couldn’t know for certain until the creature appeared before him
A bit of treachery froate to a ical circle Rai’gy had drawn here in the sewers of Calimport would hardly prove sufficient protection
The wizard-priest relaxed a bit as the creature took shape-the shape, as Groical circle, a wizard-priest as powerful as Rai’gy would have little trouble in handling a mere imp
"Who is it that calls e of the Abyss, obviously y and Jarlaxle noted, a bit trepidatious-and even more so when he noted that his summoners were drow elves "You should not bother Druzil No, no, for he serves a great ue
"Silence!" Rai’gy commanded, and the little imp was compelled to obey The wizard-priest looked to Jarlaxle
"Why do you protest?" Jarlaxle asked Druzil "Is it not the desire of your kind to find access to this world?"