Apologies for the wait. I needed to play through MOTB once more before writing. The OC, MOTB and NPC's belong to Obsidian. Some errors in grammar were left for syntax and dialogue. Reviews are welcome.
MEMOIRS OF AN OUTSIDER II
CHAPTER: 1 "Picking up the pieces"
She stood among the bodies of her dead companions and wept for the ultimate sacrifice they had made. They had given their lives to stop the dark
menace, leaving her alone in the heart breaking debris of the aftermath."You lost the war and lost the battle". Bishop said as he took her hand.
"No", Khy replied,"We defeated him, Neverwinter is finally safe"! "If that's the fight you want to believe happened", he said smiling,"Then why
not ask---them"? "Ask who"? She saw the scattered bodies of her friends began to move."Did I die well my lady", Casavir whispered, dragging
his broken body toward her, "Will you love me now"? "Cas"! She screamed trying to run to him, but her feet were stuck in the viscous pool of blood
covering the floor. She attempted to pull her legs free as the corpses inched closer and began to surround her. Disfigured faces with missing limbs and
eviscerated bodies called out for her love and affection in their suffering as she strained to reach out to them. Bishop kissed the palm of her hand and
walked away saying, "Death is the only beautiful conclusion to the great fanatical obsession with you". "Yes my lady", Casavir said lying at her
feet,"The reckless desire of your love will cause many to die for want of you". "Here, take this", the paladin said as he ripped out his heart and
tossed it to her, "It will be the first of many to grace your belt of discarded lovers". The mass of tissue dissolved into tiny grains of black sand that
slowly slipped through her trembling fingers. "Take mine as well". Bishop yelled placing his still beating heart into her hands."I love you all"! She
shouted to the writhing and moaning forms of her friends. She could not understand what was happening to the people around her. "It is in the giving
of yourself", Casavir said,"That you may truly receive love's blessing". "The paladin's right", Bishop whispered,"You denied us". "I gave myself to
each of you", she yelled at the two men,"What more do you want"? "That which you could not give".Casavir whispered.
-----
Awareness began to creep into her clouded mind as well as the throbbing ache that filled her body. Khy tried to move but felt as if she were being crushed
by an unknown force that held her immobile. A deep breath brought sharp excruciating pain to her chest and almost caused her to lose reality once again.
"Am I dead"? She thought."Is this my eternal rest"? Khy opened her eyes and waited for her vision to clear. She smelled musty earth, rich pungent
moss and could hear a distant plop… plop of slow dripping water. The outline of dirt walls and stone pillars developed before her as she blinked
repeatedly."A cave", she said to herself, "I'm in some sort of cave". The odor of smoke assaulted her along with a loud thundering rumble and a
sudden flash of brilliant light. Footsteps echoed in the cavern and a female voice said, "I'm here now". The woman chanted incantations and Khy felt the
weight pressing down on her disappear. The numbness to her limbs began to recede as she lifted herself to her knees. Hands cleaned and bandaged the
wound between her breasts as she realized that someone had removed the shard that had rested there since she was a babe. The jagged pieces of her
flesh were haphazardly sewn together with unskilled fingers and still oozed with her life's blood."My name is Safiya", the woman told her, "and I have
been sent to help you". "Where am I"? Khy asked. Safiya explained that she was in Rushemen, near the city of Mulsantir and right now in a barrow
chamber underground. "Rushemen", Khy shouted, "That's thousands of miles away from the Sword Coast". Khy learned that Safiya was a Red
Wizard of Thay and had been sent by her mother, the Headmistress of a magic academy, to aid her. Safiya urged her to rest so they could hurry through
the barrow before the spirits awoke. "What spirits"? Khy asked. "Telthor spirits reside here and will be very angry if we disturb them". In her
weakened state, Khy did not think she would be of much help if they were attacked. She walked over to one of the runed covered pillars and traced the
etchings with her fingertips. A gush of memories spewed forth of a woman and small boy. Safiya had shouted for her to stop as she touched the cursed
stone and now asked what she saw. Khy related the visions to the woman who then told her they might not be hers.
-----
Safiya gave her food and water, but that did not help to satisfy the intense hunger she felt. She then curled up on the stone floor and slept for a few
hours. The nightmares of Casavir and Bishop constantly plagued her sleep and she awoke with a stifled scream. The faces of her companions danced
before her, haunting her with tortured pleas for her help as she buried her head into her hands. "What is it", Safiya asked her with concern,"Why do
you weep"? Khy attempted to explain to the wizard of her companions and their final battle with the King of Shadows, but purposelessly omitted her
struggle in loving the two men. The fragments of her memory hindered the continuation of the story as to how she had arrived there. "They trusted me
and I let them down"! Khy cried with great sobs of despair. "Did you see them die"? Safiya asked. She shook her head as a spark of hope crossed her
tear-stained face. "Maybe they were alive", she thought,"I lost consciousness as they fled from the disaster and they could have escaped". This
insight gave her the renewal of strength needed to carry on and to eventually make her way home.
-----
The woman supplied her with weapons and they cautiously began the journey to the surface. When they finally reached the second level, a large eerie
wolf named Nakata confronted them. Khy felt a dark presence within her swell and then erupt, sending forth a surge of black energy that seemed to
engulf the wolf and withdraw its life force. The action filled her with a rush of intense power and the complete fulfillment of self-satisfaction. Tiny pinpricks
of pleasure coursed through her as Safiya asked what happened. She shook her head as the wizard pointed out that her wound was healed. Khy ripped
off the bandage and looked upon the smooth scar-less skin that appeared there. She traced the area with her fingertips and smiled. Whatever had
happened, she knew the event had entirely healed her injuries and increased her strength. The hunger that had gnawed at her was now sated by the
consumption of the ill-fated wolf. The two explored the remainder of the burrow finding Imaskari ruins and scattered items that would be of use. Khy
noticed that Safiya was struggling with something as they neared the final chamber before the exit. Kaji, Safiya's familiar, warned them of impending
danger as they were met by the bear king and many of his irate followers. The battle was very tough, but they managed to triumph over the phantoms
and emerge into the sunlight of Mulsantir.
-----
Once outside, Safiya explained that the people of the town feared red wizards as she changed from her red robes into hooded peasant ones. "We need
to see a woman called Lienna at the Veil Theater", Safiya said, "To get answers for us both". The wizard told Khy that she had been tasked by her
mother to find her and get her to Lienna. Khy had always thought that red wizards were self-important tyrants that used people for their own selfish gain.
However, this woman she sensed was different. A thoughtful sincerity emanated from the beautiful woman, and Khy found herself liking her almost
immediately. She could also feel a sad loneliness in the woman and related to her intense need for a friend. A nearby merchant gave them gold for the
many articles found in the burrows and they then walked through the gates of Mulsantir. They were met with suspicious stares and angry whispers as the
two wandered through the town. Safiya pointed out a large building with a sign reading, "Veil Theater", and they headed in that direction. An ambush of
red wizards and gnolls waylaid their search for the woman called Lienna. When it was over, a friend of the missing woman, Magda, gave them information
and a "Shadow Stone" that would access the realm of shadows where Lienna fled. They fought their way to Lienna's bedroom where an oval disc of
darkness developed before their eyes. Safiya stopped and argued with herself seeming to struggle against her own mind. Khy asked the woman about
her internal conflict and was told that she heard voices. "The voices do not control me", the wizard said,"They are always around and appear to help
me when I need them". Khy thanked her for confiding her secret, which made the woman smile. The two women then stepped through the portal to a
world completely devoid of color, with only black and varying shades of gray forming the shapes within. Another skirmish ensued against a red wizard and
his summoned fiendish allies. Two doors led from the room, one was locked which gave them no option but to enter the other.
-----
A large table seemed to be the focal point in the next room as Khy felt a sense of familiarity in the surroundings. She reached out and touched the roughly
hewn slab as a spark of recall overwhelmed her. Her brain reacted with a rush of images and the feeling of brutal pain. Flashes of two women above her
covered in dark violet-red blood and holding the shard assaulted her mind. "For love", was all she heard as the memory faded to black. The experience
drained her strength as she collapsed to the floor and gasped for breath. "Are you all right"? Safiya asked the over wrought girl. "I've been here
before", Khy said, "The shard was removed while I was strapped to this table". Safiya looked at the red stained wood and realized that the girl was
probably right about the invasion of her body. Khy took a deep breath, stood and said, "Let's continue on". Safiya nodded as they walked through the
last door and into the final room. An associate of Safiya's, Khai Khmun, confronted them with the news of Lienna's suicide and his intent on killing Safiya.
He mentioned that her mother had been slain at the academy and that he was sent by Araman to complete the take over with the young wizard's death.
A great melee began and then ended with Khai Khmun's destruction. Safiya decided to remain with Khy to complete her mother's last wish and they left
the shadow territory looking forward to sunlight.
-----
Upon exiting the theater, three masked witches appeared before them with information concerning an army of spirits at the gates of the city. Khy learned
that she would have to fight these specters and was allowed to seek help from the convicts at the prison. The witches also treated her with disgust, as
though she were contaminated with something evil. She and Safiya traveled to the penal complex with hope of finding aid in this new land. The first two
prisoners refused to help them and Khy then opened the door to the last cell. She was caught off guard by the man standing in the middle of the small
room. Handsome did not do him justice, as he was gracefully stunning. A pale hint of blue tinged his smooth skin and his silvery hair was long and seemed
to glisten like liquid when it moved. Khy was trapped in the gaze of his gray-blue eyes, which reminded her of the color the sky took on after a storm.
When he spoke, the velvety softness of his words caressed and enfolded her in a supple cloak of melody. The unexpected stirrings of desire traveled
along her spine and her heart fluttered with urges of anticipation. She closed her eyes and reprimanded herself for the thoughts and feelings she had for
this stranger. "Stop this shit Khy", she told herself, "Casavir is patiently waiting for your return at the keep". With Bishop's betrayal, she had
focused all of her attentions on the handsome paladin who loved her, and had accepted that she would be contented with him. "I will not betray him
with the contemptible lustful pleasure with this man". She thought. A sparring of words mixed with subtle teases and delicate repartee convinced the
magnificent man to join her in the defeat of the bear king. Gannayev-of-dreams, or Gann was to her astonishment, a hagspawn. His mother was a night
hag Safiya explained, and that had something to do with his good looks.
-----
After leaving the prison, Khy traded bits of information with him on their respective lives. As he talked, she felt a deep insecurity within his haughty
attitude and then surmised that he buried his lack of confidence and covered it with that of a superficial ego and charming seducer. "I'll have to be on
my toes around him", she thought, "One slip and my determination will be gone". Gann had foreseen the great army of spirits but had not predicted
this woman. This goddess of heavenly beauty had walked into his life and squashed his ever-fleeting desire to roam through the untold dreams of many.
Her rich creamy skin and deep, almost hypnotic voice with its surprising lusty laugh had caused a breathless admiration for her in his heart. He knew she,
like all the others, would never care for one such as him and this he had accepted many years before. That's why he enjoyed invading the dreams of
young girls, because in dreams he could be anyone. His eyes wandered down her exquisite body, noting her large perfect breasts, the arch of her back
and the inviting curves of her behind. The suggestion of a pink blush caressed her cheeks and her lips were full and very tempting. However, it was the
glimmer of her golden eyes that captivated his heart. "I will look forward to her dreams tonight", he thought, "She will offer the ultimate of
experiences a dreamwalker could ever hope to have". The two spoke a few minutes more as Gann said, "Well, that's enough about me, what do
you think of me"? Peels of laughter overtook Khy after his cocky remark and Safiya joined her in the mirth. "It's getting late", Safiya said,"I suggest
we find a place to rest for the evening". Gann told them of an inn near the river and they all strolled down to the Sloop for food and a place to rest.
After eating, Khy made her excuses and hurried off for some much need rest, as Gann soon followed and waited patiently for her to fall asleep. His wait
was a short one as he concentrated and felt himself drift away to the unknown revelations of her mind.
