The Beast Within
Chapter Two- The Spirit Wolf
"There, you will need one of this!" Safiya slipped something into Leela's hand, while carefully peeked over her shoulder. It was a bear hide pouch. The air genasi opened and peeked inside. There were a light crossbow, some ammunition, and a short sword. Slightly disgusted, Leela pushed the crossbow aside. She had always preferred close up combat, rather than aiming their enemy at the distance. She turned her attention towards the short sword. The sword was a beautifully crafted; its thin blade glistened under the dim light. The distinctive wave patterned hilt fitted nicely in the palm of her hand.
"Drow-made." Leela carefully inspected the new weapon: "Where did you get one of this?"
"How do you know it is Drow made?" Safiya was surprised.
"…We had a shop back at the Crossroad Keep, ran by a kobold." Tentatively, the druid reached out a finger to touch the blade. It was very sharp.
"A kobold?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, you don't say. Anyway, a merchant came to our academy about a month ago." Safiya asked Kaji to keep watch for them, while busier rummaging her backpack: "Apparently he just returned from Underdark. His carriage was full of excellent Drow armour and weapons….arh, there it is" Her arms extracted and pull out a rather large glittering rock-like object. Bright blue light swirled and glowed around it, as if it was alive and breathing.
"Is this..is this what I think it is?" Leela gushed.
"Essence." The Red Wizard's eyes glittered with pride: "It is commonly used for enchantment purposes in Rashemen. This little gem here is a Water Essence. A Brilliant Water Essence to be exact. You have no idea how long does it take me to collect enough Volatile ones to come up with one of this. I wagered since you just woke up and have such an injury, you probably can't caste any decent spell to protect yourself or harm your enemy. And those spirit down here can be...rather different than whatever you've encountered so far. So I need to enchant your weapon."
"This?" Leela left the Drow made short sword in her hand.
"Yes. Can you give it back to me for a moment?" Safiya gave Kaji an encouraging wave, indicated him to keep watching, as Leela handed over the sword. Her hand once again was in her backpack, this time she fished out a deer hide, ancient looking rucksack. Very carefully, she placed the short sword and the essence inside the rucksack.
"Let's see…. which one should I caste them with…" She closed her eyes and made a scrunch up facial expression: "I think this will do."
The Red Wizard of Thay gently prodded the bag with her finger and mumbled some incarnations. The rucksack immediately shimmered with silver lights, accompanied by some cracking sound that reminded Leela the crisp thin ice on the frozen winter lake. Safiya untied the cord and peered inside the bag. The Brilliant Essence was gone.
"All done!" She announced proudly and handed back the sword.
Leela looked at the returned sword, tried to remember how her weapon looked after Sand put the enchantments on: "…This doesn't look any different."
"Oh, you will see." Safiya smiled: "Say, is it a friend of yours?" She pointed at the far corner: "It's been looking at us for quite some times now."
"Leela jerked her head up, saw a familiar shadow crawled into the light. It approached the druid and waved its pincers happily.
"Fluffy!" The air genasi was delighted: "It's good to see you! How did you find me?" she meant it. After the Vale collapsed, she assumed no one survived.
"You called a giant spider 'Fluffy'?" Safiya arched her eyebrow.
"What, what's wrong with that?" Leela glared at her innocently: "It was a cute little fur ball…with eight legs when it was a baby!"
"Arh..nevermind." The Red Wizard tried her hardest to hide her grin: "I think we better get moving before Kaji drown in his own sweat." She stood up; gently pat her robe to remove the mold and dirt. They approached the tunnel entrance on the other side of exit chamber.
"Be on your guard." Said Safiya.
Shadows lingered in the darkest spot of the caverns. Whispers echoed back and forth within the empty space. Leela narrowed her eyes, sensing the dense, stalled air swirled past them. She held her breath, withdrew her newly enchanted sword very quietly, while carefully shifted her steps forward. Suddenly, the rock wall a few stride away began to twist and came to life. They crumbled off, and instead of fell onto the ground, they remained standing. Their crystal eyes glared at the intruders with utmost anger. Fluffy next to her hissed, and clicking its pincers warningly.
"Earth Elementals." Safiya raised her staff. The tip of the weapon lightened up and sparks crackled: "Those must be the Barrow Guardians."
The Elementals growled and charged towards them, causing the ground slightly vibrate. Ignore the twitching ache coming from her chest, Leela took a few strides forward, and waved her swords. The blade quivered as it scythed the stone surface. A bright silver light followed. When the air genasi opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see the elemental was no longer moving and there were icicles poking out of its hard body.
"Well, now you know the difference." Safiya turned her head around and winked at her: "Oh-oh, looks like it took more than one slash to take it down!"
Leela sprung and leaped, sank her blade deeply into the Barrow Guardian. With satisfactory saw the giant moving rock finally collapsed into a pile of stones. Another Elemental made its move towards them. Safiya caste a Magic Missile spell. Several purple lightening arrows emitted from her staff and hit the target dead on, sending the rock giant flying and smashing against the wall. It staggered back to its feet and made another attack. This time Leela's sword blade slashed through and finished it off good and proper.
Dust and debris around them gradually settled. For a while, all they did were staring at each other, panting.
It was Safiya's face broke into a devastating grin first: "Not bad for an air genasi just woke up from the slumber and has….Gods, you are bleeding again. Those gash don't seem like healing up at all, don't they?" She pointed at her chest wound: "Humph…that's odd. My healing spell usually worked pretty well…. Well, let's see if I can find some decent Healing Potions in my pack, aye?"
The Red Wizard untied the string of her backpack, yanked it open and did a bit of rummaging around. She produced a couple bottles of clear blue liquid and pressed them onto Leela: "There, drink them. Not exactly the best quality, but these will do. We might need to have a look at it properly once we get out of this place."
They moved through a small, narrow and slippery passage, and found themselves within another large stone chamber.
"More cavern? Gods, I hate tunnels." Leela moaned.
"Thought two little Earth Elements would do the trick, aye?" Safiya chuckled: "I did say we were in the deepest part of the Barrow, did I?"
"Can't breath properly in here." Leela complained.
"Oh, I understand. You are an windsoul genasi." The Red Wizard's smiled deepen.
"Something's moving, mistress." Kaji tensed.
Leela jerked her head around, saw dim lights flickered and drifted from the shadows. Airs in the cavern began to twirl and whoosh again. It gathered around the glimmering lights and seemed gradually turning solid somewhat. Shapes started to form, soon Leela found they were staring at the pack of Telthor Spirit Animals, lead by a three-eye wolf.
"Red Wizard." It hissed. Leela noticed the wolf somehow looked different from the others: instead of the glowing, transparent, almost see through bodies, it was more stone like and shimmering in blue and purple; crystal spikes grew on its back. Patterns and symbols carved all over its body.
"There you are. Thought we smell your scent in our sleep. It woke us up." Its voice sounded compressed and echoic, as if it was talking from one end of a long tunnel.
"Who are you?" Leela queried. Her grip on the sword tightened.
"Arh..here is something from the Cavern of Runes. You came here empty handed, Red Wizard. And now you're leaving with this? " The Wolf Spirit didn't sound pleased.
"My name is Leela Imarr. What's your name, spirit? "Asked Leela again.
"Is the name really that important?" Sneered the Wolf Spirit, baring its glowing teeth: "Very well, my name is Nakata."
"Look, here is the thing." The air genasi tried to explain: "Someone, or something placed me down there. It wasn't my intention, or my idea to start with. All I want to do now is to leave here and figure out who did this, or why. We weren't meant to disturb you."
"Cha-cha…what a polite little thing! There's the problem." Nakata sniggered: "We were told things inside the Cavern of Runes…is poison. A poison at the heart of our dream…swallowing memories and names. Anything emerges from the Cave, cannot be allowed to walk free."
"Says who?" Safiya arched her fine tattooed eyebrow.
"Our god." Replied Nakata simply.
"You have a god?" Leela frowned: "What god? Perhaps if I could speak to him..."
"Speak to him? Nonono…" Nakata laughed wickedly: "The beast god slumbered above. You will never live to see him—"
Hungry.
Something prickled at the back of Leela's neck. A fainted, barely recognised echo, raised next to her ears. The air genasi turned her head around, but saw nothing.
"Hey, what's that scent?" Distracted, the Telthor wolf suddenly seemed serious. it glared at the druid curiously.
"What? I can't smell anything?" Leela sniffed around.
So hungry.
Here was the fainted voice again. It sounded distant, almost inaudible. Once again the druid sprung her head around and check. Still, there was nothing. Perhaps she was imagining things?
"Blood…humph…I smell blood…" Nakata's head tilted to one side, seemed to determine the source of the scent.
"Oh, how very amusing." Leela mocked: "Yes, you can probably see there is a gash on my chest. It's been soaking through my tunic and clearly visible on my leather. It's nothing trivial to figure what one out..."
Feed.
The whisper sounded louder this time. Leela became slight agitated. What was it? Where was this voice come from?
"Shuush!" Nakata pawed its claws impatiently: "Your wound is mortal. What I smelled was different…it is much…much deeper… Now, surely I've seen it somewhere before….why have I not remembered this…."
Need to Feed…now.
Suddenly, the Telthor Wolf jerked its head, something flickered through its eyes but soon replaced with immense fear: "No…You…NO!"
Want to Feed. NOW.
At once, without warning, the strange presence Leela had felt since woken up in that chamber twisted and rose up, nearly crushed her lung into pieces.
HUNGRY. FEED. NOW.
The air genasi's pulse quicken. Voices groaned next to her ears, louder and louder, nearly burst her eardrum. Unable to stand still, she collapsed onto the ground, writhing, both hands covered her ears and screamed helplessly as the voice within her shrieked. She could vaguely see Safiya stared at her with mixture of horror and disbelief.
HUNGRY! SO HUNGRY!
The presence within her stretched its way outwards and lashed itself towards Nakata the Telthor Wolf. Leela's mind suddenly went blank. Her body felted like shredded into million pieces…
"Oi, don't tell me you just drank that!"
"What, but this is good stuff!" Leela grinned at the ranger in front of her.
"Yeah, but…that's…"
"Arhh…I see. You've been ogling this one for quite some time, yes, Bish?" The druid waved the heavy bottle in hand: "Duncan's finest?"
"No…that's…" Bishop's face was crimson: "We've been down in those damn ruins for days, woman. THAT thing is the only thing that gets me moving."
"Awe~!" Leela burst with laughter: "Isn't it such a shame I've nearly emptied the whole bottle?"
"You are making fun of me, woman. Do you know what happen when you tease a Luksan ranger?" Hands rested on his slim waist, Bishop looked at the druid angrily.
"No. Use me as archer practice?"
Bishop glared at the air genasi for long while, brown eyes suddenly softened and glittered with emotions.
"Come here." He reached out his arms and gathered Leela to him: "I've got quite a few in my head at this point and time…"
He tilted his head and gently pressed his lips against hers…
"….Leela? Leela…can you hear me?" Safiya's soft and serene voice drifted into her head. Leela fluttered her eyes; saw the Red Wizard hovered over her, with concern written all over her face.
"Now, what just happened?" The druid moaned and rolled onto her back.
"Armm…You…right…you…" The Red Wizard stuttered: "Honestly…I am not sure…I am not sure what I saw, or how can I describe it…"
"Try me." Leela crooked her eyebrow.
"You…humph…you…kind of armh… swallow Telthor Wolf Nakata…" Safiya answered hesitantly.
"I… WHAT?"
"I told you I am not sure what I saw!" Safiya snapped: "Gods, that was…I've read this somewhere in the library way back…but…somehow in the moment like this I can't recall anything…Hells…"
"That's not a spell, is it?" Sitting up, the air genasi rubbed her eyes with her knuckles.
"No, definitely not. And it's not a divine invocation either. I know what they look like. No…it was like you suddenly turned inside out. A dark shadow lashed out from you and literally gulfed the Wolf down…" Safiya shuddered; her face was still chalk white.
Something brushed gently against her elbow. Leela looked down, saw Fluffy glared at her with all four of its eyes worriedly. She grinned and gently patted the eight-legged companion.
"I am not sure what it was…" Said the druid thoughtfully: "I've been feeling unusually hungry since I woke up in that cavern, but somehow I had always assumed it was because I haven't been eating anything for some times. The last time I recalled having any decent meal was the night before our final Vale assault back at the Keep. Now came to think of it, that hunger was not normal. Someone, or something had placed it in me after removing the shard."
"Humph.." Safiya frowned. Seemed wanting to ensure something, she leaned over and gently touch the gash on Leela's chest: "…..The wound has healed up completely…"
"Do you think it is because I ate that Spirit Wolf?"
"I don't know…" The Red Wizard shook her head: "Well, whatever that was, we'd better get moving. Nakata…that wolf spirit… did mention there's another bigger Telthor spirit up there. Let's hope all these commotion isn't waking him up. How are you feeling? You reckon you are able to walk?"
"Yeah…" Leela slowly dragged herself to her feet and was surprised her muscle aches were gone.
"Then we'd better make haste." The Red Wizard took the backpack Kaji handed over.
They continued their way along the cavern, fending off any Earth Elementals and Telthor Spirit charged towards them. Soon, they noticed the airs began to turn colder and brittle ice crystal started to appear here and their. Finally, when they came to the end of the tunnel, Leela found themselves facing a rather large ice chambers.
"Wow…where the hells are we?" She gushed.