I Read What?!

So last time, Drizzt moved in with an old friend. Good for him!



We rejoin Drizzt as he's looking out Belwar's open door, at the daily routines of the city. Apparently he's been doing this for the "last few tendays". Okay, really? You've been there a MONTH?

Salvatore, Drizzt settling into a gnomish city is actually interesting. Why skip it?

Anyway, apparently Drizzt feels like he's in stasis. Guen's statuette, as well as his cool drow weapons and gear have not been returned. But still, you could go outside in normal clothes, right? You're not naked!

Apparently, Belwar's out today. Which is rare. He's a bit of a recluse and doesn't tend to leave his house. He and Drizzt don't talk much but Drizzt still misses him. Also apparently some young svirnebli walk by and shout things at him. In the past, Drizzt couldn't tell if it was a greeting or an insult, but Belwar's taught him some of the language now, so it's apparently friendly. Aw.

So Belwar comes home and they talk. He'd met with king, who is curious about Drizzt. He also encourages Drizzt to go out and talk to the young svirnebli outside. Drizzt points out, more diplomatically than I'm summarizing, that Belwar's a recluse himself. But Belwar doesn't want Drizzt to be like him.

Drizzt wants to help Belwar, but isn't sure how. But it seems like he was inspired, because he does go out to talk to the gnomes. And one of them, a "fledgling and pledgling" named Seldig greets him. Seldig, and presumably the others, are essentially expedition miners in training, so they're interested in hearing about the Underdark.

The language is a bit of a barrier, but he manages to tell them about his encounter with the basilisk, and muses how the svirnebli gnomes keep their youngsters sheltered and protected. These dudes are probably Drizzt's age, but they've probably never been out of their city, where of course, Drizzt was patrolling years ago.

This is really a cute scene, and of course, it contains some Drizzt-aggrandizement, since the svirnebli can barely conceive of someone able to fight a basilisk. But then things go wrong:

One moment he was Drizzt the showman, entertaining his new friends with a tale of courage and weaponry. The next moment, as the drow lifted one of his pole props to strike at the phony monster, he was Drizzt no longer. The hunter stood atop the basilisk, just as he had that day back in the tunnels outside the moss filled cave.

Poles jabbed at the monster’s eyes; poles slammed viciously into the stone head.

The svirfnebli backed away, some in fear, others in simple caution. The hunter pounded away, and the stone chipped and cracked. The slab that served as the creature’s head broke away and fell, the dark elf tumbling behind. The hunter went down in a precise roll, came back to his feet, and charged right back in, slamming away furiously with his poles. The wooden weapons snapped apart and Drizzt’s hands bled, but he—the hunter—would not yield.

Oof, well, given his life so far, it's not terribly surprising that Drizzt has some mental health issues. I'm not sure if "the hunter" is meant to be a full blown alter, or just an extreme disassociative fugue state mid-flashback, but either way, the poor guy has it rough.

That said, he also has a friend. Belwar stands in front of him, arms out wide, and calls his name. When Drizzt comes back to himself and faints, Belwar carries him back to his hammock. Aw.

ETA: It is fair to note that in the midst of all the foregoing chaos, Drizzt, as the hunter, manages to smash the stone basilisk to bits. It's pretty impressive, to give credit where due. I apologize for the omission. :-D

Later, when Drizzt wakes up, he's apologetic. But Belwar understands. So do the kids, actually. A few hours later, Seldig is at the door, asking for more cool stories of the Underdark. Drizzt is afraid of his reaction, but Belwar says they'll be more cautious this time.

This really is sweet. And I like how it's emphasized that Drizzt hasn't done anything wrong here. He freaked out, sure, but he didn't hurt anyone. And his new friends are happy to accommodate and be as careful as he needs.

Belwar reminds Drizzt, and me, that five tendays isn't a long time compared to the last ten years (and the decades of trauma before then), so I suppose I can cut the guy a little slack as well.

Just this once. I blame these annoyingly wholesome gnomes.

Seldig calls again, and we're told that "this time, and every time in the days to come, Drizzt, and only Drizzt, answered the call".

Aww.

--

That's too much wholesomeness though, so now time for some tragedy. We're back at the myconids. The king (who is, by the way, an eleven foot giant) is watching a dark elf prowl around. He knows it's not Drizzt, but Drizzt is his only contact with drow.

Oh no. This won't end well.

It's Zaknafein actually. Or rather, the animated zombie of Zaknafein. That...might be good or bad. As long as Malice isn't actively piloting the guy, he might not be malicious...pun intended, but we've seen that he's more than capable of instinctual violence. (As poor Rizzen would attest, if he were still in one piece.)

The king blows some communication spores in Zak's face, but well, undead. So it doesn't work. He then tries some pacification spores. But nope. Zak attacks.

The other myconids try to defend their king and...well, it doesn't end well. The last line of the chapter sums it up nicely:

Their reign in the moss-covered cave, and the mushroom grove they had tended for so very long, came to a sudden and final end.

Well, that sucks.