Long time, no update, but I fully intend to make up for that with this chapter. I think these scenes add to the original in-game story nicely, but why not share your thoughts in reviews?
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Chapter IV: The white lady
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"It takes a hero to bear the mask of a villain without allowing it to become their true face."
- Safiya
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Less than half and hour later, Safiya and Gann found Neliel sitting in the berserker lounge, amidst a great deal of ruckus, which included, but wasn't limited to talking, laughing and the noises which generally accompanied hard training and excessive drinking. The elf herself wasn't involved in any of those activities, though she had a cup of wine in her hand and was apparently finishing a conversation with the resident shaman of the lounge. She noticed her newly arrived companions only when they were less than two meters from her, which was only natural, because it was difficult to even hear one's own voice.
Apparently, not only had she defeated most of the berserkers in single combat, she had withstood two other tests of aptitude and had been accepted as an honorary berserker into the lounge. Not that it truly meant anything, per see, as she was a foreigner still, and the others made a point of calling her "mageling" at times (though it seemed a good-natured nickname) and she would be leaving soon. Nevertheless, even as they left the lounge, she gave a slight smile and said that it was worth the bits of information and the extra sword training she had received.
The Veil was fully occupied by the thespians once they returned; Magda, the dwarf woman, welcomed them warmly, reminding Neliel very much of Duncan Farlong and how he had first welcomed her in the Sunken Flagon. The matron certainly seemed to match him in terms of temper, though in her profession, she likely had good reasons for it.
Kaelyn had made good on her promise – Okku was as fully restored as he could possibly be, calm and even somewhat cordial now, if still grumpy on the outside. Nevertheless, after a brief meeting between the four of them, it was decided that they would go to Ashenwood first, as their priority was searching for a possible cure for Neliel as soon as possible, then investigate the matter of the Sleeping Coven – Kaelyn had managed to get information out of Magda and promptly informed the others of Lienna's secret room, which they successfully investigated in Shadow Mulsantir.
To prepare for the journey, Neliel took another brief trip to the Vault, just to practice her new abilities somewhat. At first, she didn't want her allies to see it. The curse seemed very animalistic and cruel and it took her a few tries to get it right. The essences her ability managed to produce were also something new to her, but she got the hang of it quickly, managing to restore the gatekeeper golem near the four portals by utilizing one of those essences.
But what stuck in her memory most wasn't the great amount of spirits she had encountered or the new sensations of hunger clutching at her heart. It was the exorcism she had used in the Vault on a furnace of angry spirits. Not even when looking into the eyes of the King of Shadows had she seen such a concentrated evil. And when the spirits had left the furnace and surrounded them, some begging for release, some roaring for her destruction, she was briefly reminded of those minutes when she thought that she would die for certain, her spirit torn and destroyed…
"Ah, there you are, milady. I just brought you these, got them clean and folded, nicely like."
Magda entered the dressing room she was in with a pile of clean, warm-looking clothing. It seemed to be designed to withstand the cold. The elf liked Magda – she hadn't had the chance to encounter too many dwarf women in her lifetime, but she almost smiled inwardly at what would likely happen if she was able to introduce this authoritative theater matron to Khelgar. He had said once that he would like to one day settle with a "comely dwarven wench" to quote him and somehow, Neliel could imagine chemistry between those two. Either a passion or an intense dislike, but that amounted to basically the same as far as dwarves went.
"But these aren't mine, Magda…" the elf said with a frown. Certainly these weren't the clothes she had left behind after her change in the theater. She had left her tattered Neverwinter Nine tunic behind; it had been slightly torn and very dirty from the time she had spent in the barrow, not to mention her own battles prior to that.
Now, after who knew how long, she had finally gotten the chance to take a bath – an actual bath, which seemed a miracle – and put on clothes that might stay clean for a day. Elves were somewhat vain by nature and Neliel acknowledged this, but she couldn't deny her own joy at finally being able to relax; truly relax. The hot water succeeded in washing away the ache and grime that seemed to stretch throughout her entire body. She had just been drying her hair when Magda walked in.
Normally, she would have been quite conscious about anyone entering or leaving. In the good old days when there was only the impending end of the world to worry about (and when that seemed far beyond the horizon) Neliel had made a habit of bathing as often as possible, even when camping outside. However, to the dismay of possible peeping males, she had also perfected a little heat charm that allowed her to dry her clothes and hair (which seemed a little bushy afterwards, but she hardly released it from its braid nowadays.)
Thus, any males in the vicinity were always disappointed to see Neliel strip off only her armor and dive into whatever water source was nearby fully clothed.
It actually saved time, too – her clothes got washed at the same time.
Today, however, was a different story. It was a strange thing to see that her hair had grown back to its original length almost completely. Almost as if all those things had never happened.
"That I know, milady. But Ashenwood is nearly covered in snow this time of the year and those foreign clothes you have there don't seem to be winter-like or warm." Magda explained with a curt nod. "These will keep you safe from the cold. You can even wear them under armor, I'll wager."
Underneath the pile, Magda showed her the tattered remains of her tunic. It could be fixed, she said, but it would take time. It was also a binding promise that she would return, Neliel realized.
"They're all white; it would be a shame to stain them." She touched and examined the clothes. She had a good guess as to whose they were.
"Aye, these are – were – Lienna's clothes. She won't be needing them anymore, unfortunately, and you are about her size, if a tad shorter." The dwarf hid her sadness admirably at the mention of her mistress´ name, but the wound was still too fresh for her to completely suppress a momentarily pained look. "But that can be fixed easily. Consider it a gift from the establishment you saved."
"I couldn't take these." But Magda stepped back and refused to accept the bundle.
"Tis no problem, milady. Clothes are meant to be worn. Besides, I reckon Lienna would have liked you to have them. She thought you were important." the dwarf woman said, with a level-headed frown and a meaningful look. "While I don't know her reasons for thinking so, I know she was right."
With that, the dwarf woman left. Neliel was momentarily perplexed and ashamed, but then tried out the clothes. The full white robe fit her figure perfectly, though its former owner had clearly been slightly taller. It wasn't that difficult to fix, though. When there was an Enlargement spell, there naturally had to be a counter for it as well.
Some adjustments had to be made; light armor was a necessity, even for a mage, but the robes proved great against the coming cold. Knowing that they had some time to spare before the nearest battle, Neliel allowed herself the rare indulgence of letting her hair flow freely down her back, though she kept the white band close at hand, ready to braid it as soon as need struck.
Her newfound companions froze for a moment when first seeing her in this new attire, but it seemed they approved. After all, they were going to petition the Wood Man for help, so Safiya supposed that it wouldn't hurt to make a good first impression, especially if the ancient spirit had had dealings with the spirit eaters before. In truth, the change of appearance suited the elf, who had a tendency to wear dark colors most of the time, usually to blend in with the shadows.
Neliel hadn't actually expected a crowd to gather near the harbor to see them off, but there certainly were a few stragglers there, trying their best to seem casual observers only. She could also still feel Sheva Whitefeather and her powers, as if something was breathing down her neck. The list of reasons as to why she didn't bother pulling the white hood over her face was growing thin.
Unsurprisingly, everyone kept to themselves throughout the somewhat long boat ride. The witchboat apparently knew where to go without any need of guidance, but Neliel still sat at the helm, just to watch the scenery. Magda had been right – winter was coming.
And then, there was the bad feeling she had been having ever since hearing the word…
"A dash of charm for your thoughts?"
Gann appeared at her side, looking as upbeat as ever, though he was observing her carefully. Neliel recognized that look: concern. Very carefully hidden and not as deep as she was used to seeing, but present nonetheless. And she was right. Her somewhat moody and out-of-character behavior was enough to make even Gann wonder if the revelation of her condition had truly shaken her that much.
But somehow, it was hard not to smile at his rather ludicrous offer.
"Is that even a fair trade?"
The hagspawn sighed rather melodramatically. "Spurned before I even speak. I would have thought your victory against those berserkers would have improved your mood."
"It's just… I'm getting tired of being the one who has a mission to fulfill. I thought… ah, never mind." Neliel waved the thought away with an attempt at being blithe. She was, unfortunately, not too convincing.
"No, do tell. You gave quite the start when the ferryman mentioned the command word for this boat." Which was the truth; it had sounded like pure gibberish to him, but the elf had almost jumped. "Until our songbird sees that you're not upset about something, she'll keep giving you that righteous-look of hers."
Neliel glanced towards what she saw as the end of the river, beyond the horizon, then lowered her head. "Well, the word brings back memories, actually."
"Bad ones, I take it?"
"Not particularly."
"Why so downcast, then?"
"Well… to put this shortly, I used to travel with a gnome that believed in the Wendersnaven, actually." She gave a brief and short description of what she remembered of the mythical, all-powerful and most likely non-existent creatures. While she had admired Grobnar's enthusiasm in pursuing them, she herself simply couldn't bring herself to believe in them, at least not fully. It was simply too fantastical a story. "He considered them possible allies for our cause."
"You seem to have a talent for attracting odd traveling companions." Gann's statement was underlined by a poignant glance at the far side of the boat, where Safiya was continually refusing Kaelyn's offers of help with whatever she was doing, though with continually increasing annoyance. Okku was doing his best to keep to himself. Kaji was flying around, apparently entranced by the boat.
He reminded Neliel of a fire mephit that they had once freed from an enchanted book at…
Instead of continuing that line of thought, the sun elf sighed. "Tell me about it."
"I'd rather not." Gann noted, studying her expression. "Why don't you tell me about this cause you speak of? I would be interested in hearing about it."
"Haven't we already progressed beyond the background exchange game?" the elf asked, an eyebrow rising in surprise.
"Not entirely, no. I refuse to believe you are only what you said you are. You told me only about your history, but not of your recent exploits – how you came to be in Rashemen, for instance. Safiya told me about the barrow and Old King Bear offered some vague mysterious hints, but I would hear about what happened before you came to be in the barrow."
"Immediately before that?" Neliel thought about it for a moment. It was a blur, the whole scene, a whirlwind of screams and sounds and people… and pain. Searing pain. All colors bled from the world, only black remaining. "I can't really say. I was knocked out, as those gargoyles at the theater said. Presumably, rocks fell on my head, judging from how the rest of my companions ended."
"They only said that one was dead for certain." The spirit shaman pointed out, recalling the babbling confessions of the former Red Wizards. Some sorcerer that had been with her was dead; perhaps this had been some kind of arcane test? But no… her dreams suggested something… else. "How many were with you?"
"As in on my side?" The way she said it was strange, but Gann understood when she added the second question. "Before the battle began or after?"
Betrayal. This had not been an expedition; it had been a full-blown battle. And someone with her had been foolish enough to become a turncoat at the last minute. Gann could understand why, especially if a sorcerer had died; arcane power was usually attained through careful study. Yet Neliel had it in abundance and from what she had told them all, she hadn't studied at any known academy, here or back at home. Mages were a jealous species.
"I can hardly believe that anyone would make the decision to go against you. Not only is that exceptionally foolish; it is somewhat illogical as well."
Neliel didn't necessarily share that opinion. She understood why Qara had chosen the path she did; the fool girl probably hadn't even thought that they were offering her to become a Shadow Reaver. She only saw the chance to magnify her own power… no. No, her decision wasn't based on a craving for power, but on spite. She loathed being the one who was commanded, not the one in charge. Even after all the displays of power she had seen, she had still believed herself to be superior to all of them, especially Sand.
Neliel was a different story; with her, it was hard to deny her power, thus the human had viewed her as a possible challenger for her supremacy in raw magic power. Or perhaps she was just offended that the two elven wizards in their group got on well together and respected each other's opinion far more than anyone respected hers.
Whatever the case, she had chosen her path… though Neliel doubted that she would ever forget the sight of the sorceress casting furiously, fire blazing from her fingertips, and then the look of horror on her face when the Construct cut her down with its blades.
Qara had always been dreadful at melee combat.
"I'm not sure it was that way back then. We were mortals up against a seemingly invincible creature of the Shadow Weave… to this day, I'm not quite sure as to how we actually won."
"I already sense the makings of a great tale." Gann noted, smiling in a far more carefree fashion than such a story should provoke.
"A great tragedy, perhaps. It's a long story, despite the short time over which it took place."
"The suspense is killing me already." One look at him was enough to discern that there was no seriousness at all in the statement. "Perhaps you should get some of it off your conscience. You have a keen listener, beautiful bard. Do share your story."
Neliel almost spluttered. She had been subject to lame compliments before, but coming from Gann, it actually sounded plausible. Something had to be wrong with her. That, or she was being edgy because the bards she had encountered thus far were either insane Wendersnaven hunters, stuck-up posers who didn't know when to give up their Golden Lute or Harper recruiters that ended up vanishing from her life as abruptly as they had appeared in it.
Moreover, it was a career she had always associated with either blabbermouths or drama queens.
But it was more shocking to have Gann identify himself as a willing and keen listener. Though he had denied it already, he was a talker in every sense of the word.
"Somehow, I picture you as the talker, not the listener."
The hagspawn shrugged, blueish hair falling into his face as a chilly wind swept the boat. The witches had been correct; it was freezing in these parts already. "Perhaps things are simply different in your case."
"I'd very much like things to be normal in my case, for once." Neliel muttered darkly. "It would be a nice change."
"Being a spirit eater of legend isn't to your liking?" Somehow, Gann felt relieved to hear that. He was both glad and irritated by the fact that the sun elf was the one to bear the curse; glad because she seemed to be willing to vanquish it and irritated because he discovered that, strangely, he cared about her life beyond the fact that he didn't want her to die on principle.
He wanted her to live.
And the serious if somewhat cool look she gave him affirmed that decision. "You know the answer to that."
"And I'm somewhat glad that it hasn't changed." the hagspawn admitted, smiling in a somewhat more genuine fashion.
That caught Neliel by surprise. "Why would it change?"
Considering that there was literally a guillotine hanging above her head and the agony the hunger brought – not to mention the animalistic nature of the feeding process – she really didn't understand how anyone could make a different decision than trying to be rid of it. Besides, it wasn't as though the power was actually hers. It came from the curse, meaning it was an outward source.
"I heard stories of spirit eaters who believed themselves to be superior to nature, stylizing themselves as gods, even." With his upper lip curled a bit in obvious disgust, for a moment, Gann looked very much like some of the nobles from Neverwinter at the thought of having a peasant accepted as one of them. That is, until her public knighting that never actually took place. "Pathetic."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Fortunately, the illusion was gone within a moment and then it was Gann again, carefree and roguish, but still strangely honest. "It was meant as a compliment. You've shown great restraint in dealing with Okku. Another might have devoured him immediately, without hesitation." he said, for a moment sounding almost proud.
"I know. But it wasn't… entirely a matter of choice." It was clearly a hard admission for her to make, but Gann approved of it. Lying to oneself never did anyone any good.
"I guessed that. But that doesn't lessen your choice in any way." he reminded the elf. Then, to keep true to his original intentions and lessen the seriousness of the discussion somewhat, he cracked an amused smirk. "We just have to hope that we encounter many wraiths along the way. That Vault in Shadow Mulsantir must have seemed like paradise to you."
"Not funny." Neliel grumbled glumly. Even after a year of crawling through undead-infested dungeons, she wouldn't compare them to any of the higher planes. Haunted castles and caves were simply… different.
"I'm only looking out for you. You are turning out to be a source of constant excitement in a rather dull country." The way Gann said that wasn't comforting at all, but it somehow managed to cheer her up. "I would hate to lose that so quickly."
"Actually, it wasn't the memory of my comrades that got me thinking." So, the mystery elf was beginning to open up, if only slightly. That would hopefully make things easier on them all. With the kind of group she was traveling with, it wasn't difficult to see that she, as their binding link, would have to be the one to give out most information about herself to keep things interesting. "It's that whenever we went searching for the Wendersnaven, accidentally or intentionally, we ended up in trouble. I just… I think this trip might prove to be more trouble than it's worth. I can't say how I know."
"I wouldn't have thought you to be superstitious." Gann pointed out bluntly.
"I'm not. But it seems… well, either a ridiculous coincidence or an ill omen, I don't know which." And really, whenever the Wendersnaven were involved… well, last time, they had been ambushed by an orc raiding party and then, even worse, Grobnar found that horrid whistle-like… thing. At least he claimed to have found something that made the weird sounds.
"Or it could be your gods inflicting further punishment on you." Gann suggested, making his disdain for any kind of deity heard in his mocking voice. Emphasis on your gods, of course.
"My god is known for blessing those who hate others and spurning those who flee from their foes." The sun elf said, rather calmly. It always pleased her to think of Corellon Larethian, somehow. She had turned to faith in a difficult period of her life, so she believed that, in a way, it had made her stronger and more cultured. Gave her a sense of direction, even. But every person had to discover that for themselves. "I rather think I made the right choice in worshipping him."
"So you say." Gann said, clearly unconvinced. It was actually somewhat of a disappointment to discover that Neliel was one of the Faithful. It didn't seem that she was an overzealous worshipper like their little songbird, but the fact that she actually claimed allegiance to a god…upset him, in a way. He had always assumed that the strong had no need for religion, especially if they had a clear goal in life and a will to match it. That someone who seemed to have both still clung to a notion so absurd as worshipping some mystical being was… "And has this god of yours aided you any?"
"Yes." She said it immediately and without hesitation, but not like an attack; it was a simple admission, somewhat unlike her.
"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe."
Neliel shook her head slightly. "You don't understand. Belief alone can help you at times. If you concentrate on believing in receiving aid from a deity, the problem might resolve itself through your force of will alone. At times, religion is merely a focus for your own will." she explained patiently, despite knowing all there was to know about Gann's stubbornness in not believing in gods.
"So you believe in faith in yourself, then?" Gann suggested, "As in, your belief in the gods is only a superficial sentiment?"
"Not at all. I worship Corellon Larethian. But I know from experience that prayer alone doesn't resolve a situation." Neliel pointed out. She, too, was against the ideal that sitting in a tower and praying to the gods would help if the person praying didn't have any incentive to do something about it on their own. "If you want something done well, you must do it yourself. I suppose the gods don't help those who can't help themselves."
Reluctantly, Gann knew that she was thinking in a logical manner. Gods and the life were against everything he stood for, but from a psychological point of view, it was an acceptable solution. After all, the weak always sought someone who could protect them, someone who would hand them a means of resolving their problems on a silver plate. There would always be the weak and the strong; and, supposing that gods actually existed and had even the slightest bit of power, they were likely very fickle about choosing who to support and who to spurn.
And, as these gods seemed to exhibit very human traits, it was also a plausible guess that they would admire the strong and taunt the weak. After all, no one liked to be the safe haven everyone else turned to for an answer at all times. Everyone had to learn to stand up for themselves.
And only after that could they earn any kind of respect.
"I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense." he conceded with hesitation. If there had been a look of triumph in the mage's eyes, he would have lost a great deal of respect for her.
However, she was too guarded for such a display now. "It will take a lot more than that to convince you even the slightest bit, won't it?" she said, reading his expression perfectly. And she wasn't pushing him to see things her way, it seemed… it took strength to allow people to have their own opinions, different opinions.
Everyone respected strength of character.
"You seek to convert me?" Gann phrased it warily nonetheless.
"No, we have Kaelyn for that." This, in Neliel's opinion was an academic if philosophical discussion, certainly not a tactic of theological persuasion. "Besides, the gods of my pantheon likely wouldn't suit you. They are devoted to elves exclusively."
"They have race-exclusive distinctions, these gods of yours?" the horror and disdain in Gann's voice almost seemed real, not the dramatic fabrication he used at times. "I suppose they don't have a pantheon for my kind. Shame, that."
"I don't know." Neliel wondered, mentally going through the names and roles of all the deities she could remember. "I guess not. But you're part human, you could worship one of their gods, I suppose. But not even a conclave of all the gods of all the planes could probably convince you."
"Not even all of them begging would do, I'm afraid."
X X X X X
Their first day in Ashenwood didn't pass altogether well.
At first, Neliel had only been mildly uneasy about things.
After her conversation with Gann, she had been nudged a bit to make formal peace with Okku. It turned out that the old bear spirit was rather agreeable, kind of like an elderly grandfather who liked his rocking chair, his pipe and his rest, but didn't fail to find time for his grandchildren, providing they behaved. All in all, once the elf apologized for her behavior in the barrow – however unintentional – they had a new start, for which the mage had high hopes.
It wasn't even the fact that Safiya changed back into her red robes partly to spite the resident hathrans, even though she was well-aware that it was the witches who governed the garrison. After the few encounters they had had with the witches of Rashemen, Neliel was actually feeling very much pro-Thayan in this case. Of course, once the Red Wizard realized how cold Ashenwood was, she had to wear the thickest cape they had and a nice pair of gloves and warm boots. Still, she was willing to go through with things, just to show off her robes.
When Kaelyn offered to help her rebraid her hair, Neliel was actually grateful, because it was always hard to reach behind her back and completely secure the long hair into its previous state. Actually, it seemed like a very good start to an unwanted adventure.
That is to say, before the scent, for lack of better word, hit her newfound senses.
She could feel it even from afar. It was impossible not to, because something in her stirred, as if there was lava in her, an organ she had never felt ache before but was always there. Not quite her stomach, but where else could hunger come from?
Spirits. The forest was teeming with them, and within her, the instinct of the spirit eater was awakening from its slumber. It was highly fortunate that she had eaten before embarking on this journey towards redemption. She would need that stamina, badly.
It wasn't altogether surprising that the resident hathran turned out to be completely unhelpful. Neliel had been actually counting on that somewhat.
Grouchy bunch, these witches. She thought as they left the garrison.
"I don't trust that Nadaj." Safiya noted as soon as they were out of earshot of the garrison.
The young ethran had offered them aid upon hearing that her superior had refused them. Neliel had agreed, though she couldn't help but feel that there was something… off. She was instinctively wary of people who offered her help, especially when they came from likely sources. Honest help was usually found in the most unlikely source.
Moreover, there was something odd about the way the ethran had spoken, something that almost seemed to attract the attention of the curse within the elf, but not quite. And her selflessness had been quite surprising. Usually, arcane initiatives were conceited and flaunted their power whenever given the slightest chance, such as Qara had done. They were power-hungry, but ready to show-off that they weren't normal humans any longer.
Kind of like that Kazimika witch had done in Mulsantir, Neliel reflected. Jumping to conclusions at once, not examining facts, unable to switch to a different opinion…
"She is the best chance we have at the moment." Okku noted, in that rumbling voice of his. The bear spirit walked a bit ahead of the rest of them, just in case they were attacked or the spirits considered them a threat. He was much stronger than any of them when it came to physical might, thus it was only logical that he would defend them from the front.
"That doesn't necessarily imply trust."
"Guilty until proven innocent, then, Safiya?" Gann asked lightly, sweeping through the wilderness like the wind. Along with Neliel, he seemed to be the one most at ease with trekking through a forest, even though he still showed signs of not being used to walking on the firm ground.
The Red Wizard didn't seem to be willing to start a debate over this. "If necessary, yes." she said curtly, melting a large heap of snow in their way to create a path.
Neliel was feeling uneasy all day, but fortunately, save for the single Malarite they encountered that day and a rather vicious beast of the same god, they faced only low-intelligence foes which didn't require too much strategy. Finally, later on, Neliel thought that since beating out her anger had worked before, she ought to deal with another of the persistent problems of the forest, the ice giants.
After thoroughly humiliating the current jarl by taking over his position and sending the giants packing, she decided to call it a day.
Thus there remained only one question.
"So what now? Do we return to the garrison?" Safiya asked once the undead berserker they had encountered took his place as the guardian of that small island. They had done quick work in the forest; almost everything Nadaj had asked them to do was resolved now.
"Do you honestly think they would take us in?" Gann asked, still searching around for possible stray arrows he could add back to his quiver. The ice giants had been generous enough to leave those he had fired at them at the island before leaving, which truly was a perk. "I mean, considering the charming way in which we were kicked out by the wonderful witch…"
"We aren't going back." Neliel said firmly. Once they were out of the garrison, she had readily reassumed her position as their leader. Her disdain out of not finding the Wood Man ready to answer her question remained, but instead of being angry now, she seemed to be focused on finding a means of reaching him, whatever it might take. "I don't want to stay in this forest any longer than necessary, but I know we won't get too far today."
"Backtracking will only cause us to lose time and sleep." Kaelyn noted. She was being exceptionally quiet. In truth, aside from the few words she shared with Neliel about their ideals and goals, she couldn't think of much to say. These woods were foreign to her and she had never had time to walk through forests such as these. Besides, aside from the souls inhabiting Mount Celestia, she was generally a stranger to spirits, no matter what their nature.
Actually, she believed that this was Gann's field of expertise; the hagspawn certainly seemed at home in the forest, more so than he had appeared in the city.
"You want to camp out in this cold?" Safiya asked, shivering involuntarily. "I hardly think that's a good idea."
"Our magic could generate a barrier, but I think there isn't any way to maintain it if we go to sleep."
Seeing as the mages could likely go on for hours about fire magic, Gann decided to intervene this time before they got into a discussion about what kind of spell to use. "It seems to me we have two alternatives."
"Those being?" Neliel asked, obviously slightly disgruntled by the fact that she couldn't lay out a plan as to how they could generate the aforementioned barrier.
"One, we sleep in that cave you so generously cleared of the beasts of Malar." the hagspawn explained. "Two, we go to that burning valley and find a spot close enough to the fire, but far enough so that we don't get burned."
The decision was swift and almost unanimous.
"I'm for the valley."
In the end, it worked out.
It had been a ludicrous idea at best, but in the end, they managed to find a spot far away from the fire, but close enough so that the scorching heat seemed only like nice warmth. Safiya and Neliel melted the snow around them through their magic, so it was no problem setting up camp. For now, they actually had supplies that Magda had given them, so hunting was not an issue, and Kaelyn had taken care and refilled their flasks of water at the sanctuary. They could hardly ask for purer water.
It was decided that they would take turns at guarding and Neliel volunteered for the first shift. She wasn't tired at all, and, having slept more than her fill in the last few days, she was looking forward to do some studying on her own.
However, Safiya decided to stay up as well, at least for the time being. The others went to sleep before the fire they had started died out.
"I had thought that elves were supposed to appreciate nature." the Red Wizard noted when Neliel seemed to practically edge away from the forest, towards the end of the valley. She certainly was a strange one, but she was handling the situation admirably.
"I have spent the last few months mostly in a nice, comfortable bed." Neliel explained. The sun elf proceeded to start sharpening her sword with a few simple spells instead of using a blunt rock, as there wasn't any kind of tool in sight. "I find I miss it."
"I miss my own bed as well, I suppose. Though not the rest of the Academy." Safiya could only speculate how her next arrival at the academy would be viewed or what reaction it would provoke. She knew it would eventually be necessary to go back to Thay, but it didn't seem right just now.
On the rock nearby, Neliel fidgeted somewhat, like a guilty child. She hadn't heard much she would like about the headmistress of the Academy of Shapers and Binders, but Safiya clearly wasn't taking the loss of her mother very well. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean that Neliel was the right person to console her, as she was dreadful at dealing with loss, but still, she was the only person nearby, so…
"I'm still sorry about your mother." She almost mumbled it, as if she didn't want Safiya to hear it.
But the Red Wizard was too close not to. Surprisingly, she gave a tired sigh and almost rolled her eyes. One more "sorry" and she would be shocked for life. Usually, no one apologized to her unless they were her inferior and blew something up in her face. And even then, only when she threatened to kill them with acid.
And leeches, of course. Those were a necessity to a successful threat.
"There you go again. Next, you'll be claiming you gave yourself the curse just so you could travel to exotic places and meet ancient wood spirits."
"That certainly wasn't my intention." the elf grumbled. Consulting mythical entities was not her strong suit. Nolaloth was a prime example of a grumpy ancient spirit and she had gotten him to cooperate simply because he hated her enemy more than he hated her, Ammon Jerro and the Illefarn.
Still, she prided herself as being the only one of their group who could actually memorize and pronounce his full name.
"What was?" Safiya broke her train of thought. The elf, startled, looked to her right to see the human studying her with mild interest.
"Pardon?"
"Well, if not going on another adventure, what was your intention?" Safiya clarified, "I was under the impression that you had completed your previous mission before ending up in our current mess."
"I…" Neliel was at a loss for words. She didn't know. She honestly didn't know, after so many nightmares of impending doom. "Never really thought that far, I guess."
Safiya frowned, clearly unconvinced. "You must have. If there's one thing I know about wars, it's that soldiers always think about times of peace that will follow."
She didn't know the half of it. When the nightmares about impending doom lessened, Neliel always dreamed about completely random things, but never about any coherent visions of peace. She had forgotten the true meaning of that word when living with Neeshka and Grobnar for so long.
"I honestly don't know." the sun elf repeated, hoping that she sounded convincing. She didn't want to go back to might have beens. There was no returning to Neverwinter for her, not now. Not even to Candlekeep, she realized; not in her condition. "But I would… I would have liked to study magic some more. Properly, not because the situation required it. I can craft items just fine, but my potion-brewing skills are sorely lacking."
Amie… even after all this time, she remembered her first friend clearly. And what had happened to Bevil, who had braved his fears and become a good sergeant to her leadership at Crossroad Keep? Was he still alive?
"You've never had a proper instructor?" Safiya seemed stupefied.
Neliel, back on the earth, did her best to look modest. She knew she had a certain amount of prodigious skill, but it had never done her too much good. Either people underestimated her based on her origins or they flocked to her to seek her aid for some meager reward. It wasn't exactly noble to refuse them, of course, but a fat purse of gold always quickened the process of helping…
"I did, but he wasn't that much of a… proper academy wizard, you might say." She was thinking of Tarmas. Bevil had said that he had survived, too, but where the grumpy wizard was now, she had no idea. "He taught me the basics of magic and helped me, but beyond that, I learned most of the things I know through self-study. Then, for a short time, a friend of mine, who is… was… a studied wizard helped me practice." Neliel frowned – Safiya was shaking her head slightly. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I am. Forgive me, it just seems incredible that you've learned all you know through trying on your own. Most wizards cannot get past cantrips on their own, let alone spells of the caliber you use."
Well-aware of that, Neliel shrugged. "Well, the situation required it."
That was a gross understatement. Safiya was forced to wonder what kind of hardships the young mage had been put through that required her to practice destructive spells on such a high level. Certainly, it was good to have a high self-defense, but if she had entered some kind of dueling tournament, she could have been champion. Perhaps this was why she had defeated those berserkers so easily.
But a thought came to her. "Does it have something to do with that shard you mentioned was supposed to be in your chest?"
Neliel seemed surprised that her memory was so accurate. After her reaction at the operating table in the Shadow Plane, she shouldn't be so surprised, Safiya thought. It had been rather disturbing, not to mention troubling. Clearly, her hunch was right. After all, chunks of metal imbedded in someone's sternum were hardly a normal occurrence.
"Yes." Neliel confirmed, slightly edgy now. "Yes, it has everything to do with that."
"Can you…" Safiya swallowed. She wanted to hear more, but she didn't want to pressure her friend into telling something she didn't feel up to telling yet. Wait… friend? When had they become friends? Since when did she consider anyone a friend? It was probably best not to ask Neliel that. "Could you tell me about it? I know so little of you, personally, I mean."
"It's a long tale and I'm not certain I can tell it yet." Safiya got the feeling that someone from their little group had already received that same answer. She also had a good idea as to who that someone might be. "It involves a lot of pain and some of it is fresh… I'm sorry. I'll tell you one day, I promise."
"Don't be sorry. I shouldn't be prying into your privacy, but I find myself regretting that you hadn't come to my academy as a prospective student." A smiling Red Wizard was certainly a disturbing sight, but somehow, peaceful as well. "You are unorthodox, but you have great potential."
And Neliel returned the gesture. "Thank you. It means a lot, it does. I know others might have thought it, but they weren't really experts on the arcane and Sand was always a miser when it came to compliments."
"Sand?" Safiya asked, assuming it was a name.
The elf saw that there was no way out of this one and that there was no harm in saying anything about a former companion. "The mage I mentioned. Due to some machinations among diplomatic parties from Neverwinter, my city and Luskan, a rival and enemy, he got involved in my whole mess on an ultimatum. He helped me out of a few tight spots, including a false homicide accusation."
"I can hardly claim to be an expert on politics, but it seems that you were important to your city, if someone went through the trouble of implicating you with such a crime. Sand, then." Safiya tilted her head in interest. The name was certainly unusual. Was that an abbreviation of something longer or an actual name? Or… a comparison? But she doubted Neliel would know that. "What was he like?"
"Sarcastic, never lacking self-confidence… traits that sometimes got him into trouble and always out of it." It was the best summary the elf could produce. Certainly Sand would feel insulted that he could be summed up in a few words and proceed to describe himself in far more detail and glory, but Neliel really didn't want to go into that. "A good lawyer and an involuntary spy of an order of knights that decided to place their faith in me. And he'd probably rather eat poison than admit it, but I think he considered me a friend."
"He certainly sounds… interesting." That was probably the easiest way to put it. "But a spy? You allowed that?"
"Like I said, he was a friend and a great help." Neliel said solemnly, smiling. She understood the way Safiya thought. But she wasn't there. She didn't understand the circumstances under which they had met Sand. "The rest was easy to figure out, because of his highly reluctant and unnervingly timely intervention when I was accused of massive manslaughter. He helped, and that is enough for me."
The Red Wizard nodded, almost impressed. She certainly appeared grateful for receiving that much information, even though Neliel ended the discussion like that. "I see. So I suppose this is where you get your theory that allies should come from unexpected sources. You seem to trust those others would have difficulty even looking in the eye. That is… admirable."
"No, it's a habit born of desperation and need." Neliel countered. If she took care to find allies she could trust, she would never have brought any of her former companions into their group. None were without their own agenda. "But I managed to hit the mark with him. Unfortunately, I have to assume that all of my companions died during the cave-in of the Illefarn temple we fought in."
"Yes, like those gargoyles mentioned." Safiya said, remembering their encounter with the strange former Red Wizards at the Veil. "They must have been watching you for quite some time to be able to follow you into those ruins. I still don't understand why my mother would do such a thing, however. And it bothers me that Magda seemed to think she and Lienna looked alike."
"She only mentioned red robes. It could have been a different Red Wizard." However, the elf clearly didn't believe that possibility. Nefris clearly knew too much for this to be just a set of coincidences. Plus, the gargoyles had been powerful and not easy to control, clearly.
"I don't know. I think there is something larger at work here… I simply hope the Wood Man can help us, so that we may pursue our answers once you are safe from impending death." Safiya said, sighing. It would be much easier to conduct an investigation when there wasn't a sword hanging above their leader's neck. Now, it was just playing for time.
That was the only thing they had little of.
"We have gotten quite a few leads over such a short period of time. I don't really know which to pursue first, but I think we should find the Slumbering Coven. Hags are not the most amiable of creatures, but I suppose they will help us, if the price is right. It can hardly be more difficult than bargaining with a baatezu…"
"You've bargained with devils?" If Safiya had thought that Neliel couldn't surprise her even more, she had been wrong.
And, apparently, the elf wasn't joking.
In fact, she nodded with a most serious expression. "Oh, yes. I knew a warlock who collected fiends, actually, but that's not relevant. I've… befriended one of the servants of the Still Lord, a devil called Mephasm. He was actually quite cordial to me when treated well. If there was time and if I had the tools, I'd try to summon him here to see what kind of information I would get, but I suppose that will have to wait."
"Is this the one those gargoyles spoke about?" Safiya took the chance to change the subject. From experience, she knew that summoning dangerous devils was insanely difficult, tremendously stupid most of the time and never risk-free. "The one who wasn't afraid to chase them, even if it meant facing my mother?"
"That sounds like Ammon Jerro, all right." Neliel said with a sigh. Clearly, she didn't want to talk about the warlock.
"I see. I have one more question, then, if you don't mind."
"Of course, go ahead."
"You asked those gargoyles about someone in particular, if he was alive…" Safiya tried to remember, but it had seemed irrelevant at the time… now, however… "I forgot the name…"
"Casavir?" The way she spoke the name almost sent shivers down even Safiya's spine. It was a strangely sad, weary tone, as if she had been utterly defeated. "Do you mean him?"
"Yes, that was his name." she said, unwilling to show how much it had affected her. "You asked them if he was still alive. I know you probably wanted to ask about the others as well, but you were denied that chance. I just wanted to know... was this man special to you in any way? You seemed distressed to hear that he seemed dead."
"He loved me." Safiya wasn't expecting such a simple answer.
Simple, poignant, explaining everything in three words.
"I see." She didn't. Not completely. She understood romantic relationships from an outsider's point of view, but, never having experienced a successful one, she couldn't know much about the dynamics of it. She could only assume that things didn't end well, especially if the man was dead. "I'm sorry for bringing this up."
"I'm not making myself clear, Safiya." Neliel noted, frowning. She didn't seem distressed by this, not more than she had been over the deaths of her other companions. "The feeling never had the chance to be mutual."
More than ever, Safiya got the feeling that Gann was only pretending to be asleep this time while he was drinking up every word Neliel was saying, though she had no way of proving it. But she could have sworn that he radiated some kind of contentment when hearing this. She decided to let the matter be, for now.
"Because of the war you mentioned? With that King of Shadows?"
The sun elf seemed to grimace slightly. "Partly. But I would liken it more to the relationship between you and the late Khai Khmun."
"You mean he was a slime that only cared about your status? Why would you care about what happened to him, then?"
And, just like that, the elf laughed. "No, he wasn't like that. But if there was anything he fell in love in, it was what I was, not who I was. People don't want to consider champions human, Safiya." she said, somewhat bitterly. "They want an idol that remains perfect even when no creature alive could. Casavir loved what I represented, not me. In the end, it hurt him more than it did me."
Safiya understood parts of it, but not the whole of it. Still, one thing was clear. How strange that an explanation of something completely different would make her see it.
"It seems that your comparison was rather inaccurate. I don't really see the similarities between that dead coward and this man you speak of." The Red Wizard smiled unexpectedly, her scorn for the dead instructor that had tried to fool her apparently buried and forgotten, as it should be. "But I think I see why you were picked to bear this curse, if there was an actual reason for it."
The elf crooked an eyebrow – now this, she'd like to hear. "And what might that be?"
"You're a hero, Neliel." Safiya announced with a strange simplicity, as if she spoke a proven, complete truth. "Someone who can carry the world on their shoulders, even though they keep grumbling whenever they trip. And it takes a hero to bear the mask of a villain without allowing it to become their true face."