booktalesy Chapter 9 Adventurers and Outsiders
Chapter 9 Adventurers and Outsiders
The warriors who had fought the goblins on the outskirts of the woodland were now gathered in Sefro's dark chamber.
"Your negotiations must have failed! That woman is very stubborn; she hasn't wanted to see us since Halsin disappeared."
Sefro had no illusions about Liu Bei and the others. Ever since Halsin disappeared and Kaha insisted on starting the ritual, he had always believed that the only person he could trust was Tiflin.
To be seen as a devil and to be driven away—that is Tieflin.
"Hey, don't be so pessimistic! I've found something great that I think this friend commissioned by the Swordsmen will be very interested in!" Asdell initiated, then mysteriously pulled out a note. "Ahem, let's see what's written on this note!"
Asderon cleared his throat, then read aloud: "Kaha, swamp docks, trees, come to me, alone!"
Signed: Eurodan!
"That woman, Kahar, has indeed betrayed us!" Netty, who had followed us unnoticed, suddenly emerged from the shadows, looking extremely angry. "I've long suspected that woman was connected to the Shadow Cult! Master Halsin didn't believe me!"
"This is a complete and utter conspiracy!"
"We must expose her plot!"
"We can't let those lunatics in! Otherwise, everything will be over!"
"Keep your voice down. Do you want Kaha to hear you and then lead the Shadow Cult to kill us all?" Asdallen seemed to have been aware of Nettie's arrival all along.
Even on guard, Lezeel had somehow found his way to the stone gate, his position blocking the only entrance or exit, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Liu Bei didn't recognize the druid before him, but he recalled the strange occurrences from before. The information in the letter wasn't enough to move the druids of the Swordsman's Guild. What truly troubled them were the two completely different handwritings on the letter, which together outlined a situation of chaos.
"Did you write the handwriting on the back of this letter requesting help?" Liu Bei produced the original letter from the woods to the Emerald Garden. Besides the normal content, there was a line of crooked writing after the signature Ras, which stated unequivocally, "Halsin is gone, and he's not coming back!"
Based on what Sefro previously stated, this letter was likely sent after Halsin went out with Eladin's trio. Liu Bei speculated that Halsin's outing was probably not just about being interested in Eladin's trio's mission, but also possibly about conducting reconnaissance.
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, they made extra preparations by summoning reinforcements from the Green Garden. Even so, no one dared to say at the time that this outing would necessarily lead to Halsin's imprisonment.
Before arriving, Liu Bei had specifically researched the druids to avoid unintentionally offending their beliefs. The primary belief of druids is the protection of nature, while shadow druids are among the more extreme factions.
They are exceptionally radical, believing that everything that affects nature must be eliminated, and they are willing to use any means to protect nature.
This is completely different from traditional druids, so shadow druids are not well-liked, and even traditional druids regard them as enemies!
"A single letter might not be enough to prove she's colluding with the Shadow Druids, right? We need more evidence!" Liu Bei offered his opinion. "We can go to the place mentioned in the letter and see if we can find any more evidence."
"I just discovered something else strange inside the temple!" Ansel suddenly announced to the group, "There are rats in the temple!"
Upon hearing the word "rat," Asdallen's expression changed, as if he were struggling to suppress his nausea: "Rat? What's so strange about that?"
Ansel smiled mysteriously and said meaningfully, "Have you ever seen a mouse that isn't afraid of snakes?"
Asdallen seemed unusually familiar with rats; he nodded. "Not surprising!"
"And those who aren't afraid of dragons!" Ansel's tone shifted, and a chilling aura emanated from him. "That snake was as docile as a rabbit just from smelling a faint scent of me. Those rats couldn't possibly have missed my scent, but instead of being scared away, they just stood there watching me!"
"You're a dragonborn? But a dragonborn..." Asderon reacted immediately. For the people of Faerûn, dragonborn were not a rare race. Although they were said to be descendants of dragons, the shallow bloodline of dragonborn meant they were no different from ordinary humans. This was why Asderon subconsciously thought Ansel was making a mountain out of a molehill.
He was about to retort when Gail immediately interrupted him: "You're that kid from the Hard Cheese family?"
"Who are you?" Ansel recognized Gael, but couldn't place the mage.
"I am Gael de Carrios..."
"Oh, oh, oh. I know you. Aren't you that guy from Deepwater City, the lover of the Magic Goddess Mystra? I heard..." Ansel wanted to continue, but Liu Bei, who had sensed something was wrong, covered his mouth!
Liu Bei had a feeling that Ansel's next words would not be pleasant!
Why does Ansel have a mouth?!
"Mr. Gale, we can talk about catching up later. Shouldn't we discuss the woodland now?" Liu Bei glanced at everyone present, finally focusing his gaze on Sefro: "You agree, Mr. Sefro."
His gaze drifted, then returned to Nettie: "What does this lady think? Is she a Woodland Druid? What is her name?"
"I am Neti, Master Halsin's disciple!" After Ansel's interruption, Neti had become much calmer. "The Master's fate is unknown, and the druids of the woodlands, out of fear, have all gathered under Kaha's command. I must admit that Kaha's method is the simplest and most efficient!"
"But now that Kahar has allied with the Shadow Druids, closing off the Woodlands isn't a good thing, is it?" Liu Bei pointed out the future Nettie was unwilling to discuss: "If the Woodlands are closed off, how will the Shadow Druids treat you? You yourself believe you can't get along with each other!"
"What else can we do? Go and expose her directly? Who would believe us? With just a few of us, do you think we can fight against Kahar and those Shadow Druids? Do you think the other druids in the woods would rather believe these demons or their leader?"
"Enough! Netty, I hope you'll stop calling our friends 'devils.' They can't choose their own birth, and it's not the Tieflins' fault that they bear the blood of devils! Besides, the Tieflins have done nothing wrong, nor have they committed any devilish acts. Please don't look at them with the eyes of outsiders! And please don't use such a derogatory term as 'devils'!"
"You're right." Nettie lowered her head in shame, apologizing to the only two Tifflins present, before asking, "What should we do next?"
Liu Bei glanced at Asdalon beside him, somewhat uncertain, "Of the four of you, who is the captain who can make the decision?"
"Leave the negotiations to me." Asdallen bowed elegantly to Liu Bei. "Please arrange whatever you need. I wouldn't mind having some fun on my journey to find a doctor to remove that little monster from my head!"
"I saw Halsin follow those three bastards westward. I heard there are ruins of the temple of Serene there. Halsin and his group must have encountered the goblins there. If nothing unexpected happens, Halsin was captured there too!" Sefro added, "These goblins are quite different from the ones we've encountered before. I suspect someone is organizing this behind the scenes."
"It seems that besides finding Master Halsing, there might be some unexpected gains?"
"Regardless of whether we can find Master Halsin, these goblins blocking the road must be dealt with. Without an army, the only option is to eliminate the mastermind behind it all!"
Liu Bei nodded: "Then let's confirm what we each need to do. Sefro, you continue to maintain the defenses of the woodland. As for the goblin intelligence, I'll leave that to Mr. Asdalon and the others. We'll take the trip to the swamp dock mentioned in this letter!"
"What about me?" Nettie asked, seeing that everyone else had made arrangements.
"Just do what you're supposed to do normally, and act like nothing happened."
After finishing their conversation, the group prepared to depart, but Ansel objected: "It's already dark. There's no rush. Why don't we set up camp and rest first? My spell slots haven't fully recovered yet. Besides, Liu Bei, I'm hungry!"