The Beast Within

Chapter Seven- Khai Khmun

"Arh…it's you. I thought I smell incompetence…." Sneered Safiya. She folded her arms, white faced and narrowed eyes. The Red Wizard of Thay did not seem to please to see this male Wizard the slightest.

"Another acquaintance of yours?" Leela arched her snowy eyebrow.

"…This is Khai Khmun." The Red Wizard tilted her head towards fellow Thayan's direction, introduced him with certain degree of insolence: "One of the most worthless piles of Sputum to wear the red robes of Thay."

"My, my, still a sharp tongue." Khai inclined his head and grinned wickedly: "And look at who you are with, a Windsoul genasi? Gods, you certainly are having a time of your life, aren't you, daughter of Nefris?"

"I'll take that you two aren't exactly in good terms in the Academy." Leela half-looked at her Red Wizard companion with higher raised eyebrow: "Rival of yours?"

"Him? Hells, no!" Safiya let out a sarcastic laughed: " iHe/i is not worth it! Khai here is a sniveling sycophant! My only rivals are magicians of worth."

"Watch you mouth, Safiya!" The other Red Wizard growled: "Khmun happened to be a junior instructor in the Academy!"

"Oh, yes." Safiya scoffed: "And that, too. Although how he got to that position was….rather worth pondering. As he certainly does not have much talent in magic arena."

"We will see about that one very shortly, will we?" Khai clapped his hands: "Now, Araman always rewarded his allies well. With she died, I've just got myself a promotion. I wonder what will I get if I…bring your head back as well?"

"So this is why you strayed so far from your master. You—wait, who's ishe/i?" It was only when Leela and Safiya noticed a large pool of blood on the floor behind the stage, with a dark and charcoal like burnt out skeleton soaking in it. The druid suddenly felt like being toppled over with a bucket full of ice. No…that couldn't be…

"Oh, that." Khai the Red Wizard's smug smiled deepen: "Whom do you think? Cha-cha, that old hag didn't even have the nerve to fight us! As soon as she realized she could not get away from us, she destroyed herself in a blaze of fire. What a shame, she must have known she couldn't best me."

Leela continued to stare at the remains of Lieanna for a moment before turning her icy glare at the junior Red Wizard instructor.

"Now my impression of you just slipped downhill a few degree more" The air swirl around her began to change and stirred more violently "You've better not telling me you've just murdered an innocent woman."

"Murdered? Didn't you just hear I said she torched herself? I didn't even have the chance to enjoy the pleasure of 'murdering' her." Khai arched eyebrow: "Now, I am pretty sure Master Araman warned me of you…You see, I want no trouble from you, genasi. If you can kindly step aside. My quarrel is with our lovely Safiya here. Let's see if her skill is as good as her reputation—Nefris' daughter. Though I seriously doubt she'll put up nearly as much of a fight as Lienna…or her mother."

"My… my mother?" Safiya blinked. Her face went white, her voice suddenly shaken, and fury burst out of her almond eyes almost at once: "Khai Khmun, you had best be mocking me... if you raised your hand against my mother, I will extract a thousand screams from your wretched hide!"

Khai Khmun began to laugh hysterically: "Arh, Safiya…she had no idea it was coming! She used every last cantrip she knew! But….you see, her loyal allies—her daughter, even—never arrived to save her. Isn't that depressing?"

Safiya shut her eyes tightly, with a mixture of utter disappointment, pain and grief written all over her delicate face: "……And to think you once claimed to care for me…"

"I still care for you, my sweets." Khai smiled viciously: "It just that my ambition to the top is far greater than everything. Surely you, out of all people, would understand that."

Safiya did not reply. Her hands went into fists and her whole body shook. For a moment she seemed as if she was in the verge of tears.

"Now, I think we've done enough talking here." Khai raised his hand. It was shimmering in blue light and sparks began to crackle between his fingers: "Lienna was wise to destroy herself rather than fight me. I doubt you'll have the old hag's sense to surrender - to make this quick... No matter, let's settle this!"

Two Erinyeses flapped their wings and lashed out their attacks almost immediately. In unison, Khai and the other Red Wizard waved their hands with elegant arch, murmured some syllables and caste protective shield spells on themselves, before sending showers of fireball on the top of Leela and her companion. Quick as a flash, Safiya's hands glow in silvery lights, small shielding charms spanned from her palms, blocking several fireballs near her and Leela. The air genasi flied several daggers at the Erinyeses, while holding her Short Sword inversely and stabbing the mummy snuck up at her back.

"Fluffy!" The druid shouted. Without further command, the giant spider got the message. Several squirts of webs threw towards the Red Wizards and the Erinyeses, entangled them temporarily. It proceeded on jumped and launched itself onto one of them, slicing its pincers through their body repeatedly.

Meteors clashing down from above, sent everything shaking and burning—Saifya had just caste a Meteor Swarm spell. Now in total rage, she yelled out another set of syllables, flying several purple magic missiles towards Khai. His protective shield blocked a few of them before wearing off. He staggered backwards and cursed loudly. His hand reached out and several icicles shot towards her. The daughter of Nefris blocked of his attack with a mere hand wave.

The whirling wind around Leela became intense. She flipped backwards, avoided the spears heading at her direction. The air genasi then back to her feet, sprung around and high kicked one Erinyes right on the stomach, sending the creature slide across the stage and landed on the top of the hay bales below. She strode across the stage, wrenched the sword from the now charred mummy body and attacked the other Erinyes. The Erinyes snarled and caste some fire spells at her. They bounced off against Safiya's defensive shield.

The druid's lips moved silently. An intense light circle emitted from the far end of the theatre. Smoke began to surge above the circle. A dire bear appeared. It waved its heavy claws and bashed at the male Red Wizard. He couldn't get away fast enough.

Large clouds gathered above them and soon lightening followed, clashing and hitting everything in its path. Then acid rain started pouring down on them, sending enemies screaming in pain and dodging for cover. Safiya smiled in triumph as Khai writhing around the ground, roaring in agony as the poison liquid burnt through his robe.

"Nice touch." Leela stabbed her dagger into the Erinyes' chest and nodded at her companion: "What was that you just did?"

"'Storm of Vengeance'." The Red Wizard's face was glowing with certain degree satisfaction: "This is for my mother, Khmun!"

Khai Khmun rolled around. His red robe was now battered with holes. Shaking, he slowly dragged himself to the sitting position and glared at his former colleague. There was something flicker in his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched. He slowly raised his hand and mumbled something under his breath. Two rays of light beamed around him. It soon became clear that he had just summoned two more Undeads. They stumbled onto their feet. Skin rotted and some actually started to peel off. They glared at the druid with a strange glow in their eyes—something evil, something magical, no doubt. The creatures opened their toothless mouth and shriek. Leela covered her ears. Gods how could the corpse made such a loud noise like that?

Webs squirted past her shoulders and landed directly on the top of the creatures. Hanging from the silk it has just spun, Fluffy swung past them and across the stage. It lunched itself on the top of the Undeads. It took the arachnid less than 10 minutes to silence their ear-piercing shriek and dissemble them in one fluid motion.

"Nicely done, Fluffy!" Leela shouted.

Spells whooshed past her ears. She sprung around and noticed both Red Wizards had got back to their feet. The Undeads were merely a distraction, buying them time to regain strength. Both with hands in the air, they caste multiple spells, one after the other, towards the druid and her companion, including summon two more mummy lords, one Erinyes and one dire bear. This was slightly unexpected. The air genasi and the Red Wizard only had little time to react.

Without thinking, Leela stretched her arms wide, fingers tightly stretched. A cool surge of wind rushed through her body and burst out of her fingertips. The swirling air around her became more irregular and violent. They spin faster and faster, expanding the covering area as they speed. Soon the entire theatre was within its radius. The strong Gale made nearly everyone struggling to stand, let alone moving. Hay bales were flying and spinning in the air. Seizing the opportunity, Safiya uttered the now familiar syllables. Meteors once again showered upon them. Suddenly, the whole chamber was full of the sound of twirling wind, the vibration of ground shattering, the smells of fire burning through the flesh, screaming and shrieking of their enemy in agonizing pain. When the commotion around them finally settled, neither Khai Khmun nor his allies were moved.

Fluffy ascended from the ceiling, slowly crawled between the enemies, checking if they were still breathing. It's pincers waved up and down, finishing up those who stirred but too weak to fight back.

Panting and covered in sweat, the druid lowered her hands and slowly walked towards the junior instructor's dead body. The male Red Wizard's handsome feature no longer responded to his surroundings. His lifeless eyes glared somewhere in front of him blankly, unfocused and emotionless. His mouth was slightly open, with a trickle of blood streamed out of the corner.

"I always assumed Khai's ambition would get him killed…but I didn't think it would be my hand…" Said Safiya abruptly. She appeared by Leela's side and stared at her dead former colleague. Her face returned to her usual serene and calm.

"How did you know him, anyway?"

"Oh, that." Safiya grunted: "He was once….very friendly to me. It was only later I learned the only reason he was doing so was because I was Nefris daughter. Didn't I tell you back at the Barrow there weren't any true friend in the Thay, everyone approached everyone for a reason? Our Academy is actually one of the better one… but still..." She took a deep breath: "No matter… he will not be missed."

"Are you sure you are alright?"

"I will be alright." The Red Wizard smiled rather sadly: "Given a bit of time, everything always turns out alright."

"…He mentioned about your mother." Leela turned and looked at her companion: "I'm sorry."

The Red Wizard let out an frustrating sigh: "I can only hope he said that just to unsettle me. I shouldn't…. shouldn't give him the pleasure of getting so angry."

"But it's your mother he was talking about." Leela examined the Essence she had just loot from the dead Erinyes' body: "It's only natural."

"…Thank you." Safiya smirked, but her chest was quickly fallen: "But if he's telling the truth… I... I should never have left the Academy when I did. My mother, Nefris - she has the respect of the other wizards, but not their love... Had the situation been reversed—had someone harmed me, her wrath would have been... merciless. I will grieve for my mother by finding Araman... and crushing him."

"Well, looks like he's going to answer a lot of question, if we manage to find him." Leela grinned: "Now I started to wonder why would they want this Lieanna woman dead as well…. Khai Khmun and that necromancy student both mentioned his name…"

"Yes." Safiya nodded.

"You said he was a professor, or an instructor or some sort in the Academy…"

"Yes." The Red Wizard of Thay took out a small pouch and a pair of scissor-like tool from her backpack; the air genasi knew at once her companion was about to combine the Essence they had just collected again: "He's a rather quiet tutor. Soft-spoken, He spent most of his time hiding in the library. We hardly aver changed more than one words per year. Now come to think of it, he's the perfect candidate of starting a coup."

"Oh?" The druid gathered Fluffy into her arms, letting it crawled up onto her shoulders, while watching Safiya waved the scissor, combining the Violant Essences into Brilliant ones.

"If he voiced his discontent about my mother, do you think he will be in the Academy today, scheming a coup at all? No, I don't think so. Always the quiet one that's unexpected." Safiya held up the Brilliant Essence and admired it more closely.

"More here, mistress!" Squeaked Kaji.

"Oh, thank you." The Red Wizard smiled at her familiar warmly: "At any rate, I think he sending Khai here is a brilliant one."

"What, knowing you probably would appeared at any given point and killed him? That's completely waste of effort, isn't it?" They gave the blood puddle one last look, before slowly walking back to the portal.

"No, it's not. Khai was just a pawn." Safiya shook her head: "I don't think he would care about losing someone like that. A bit of sacrifice goes a long way. But manipulating someone who was ambitious but no brain into assisting him was quite an achievement. Humph…"

"…I'm still curious why someone wanted this Lienna woman dead." Leela pondered.

"Why indeed." The Red Wizard slid her pack back to her back: "Lienna is nowhere near our Academy. Somehow her association with my mother must have been very important. Or Araman wouldn't waste all the trouble sending someone here to kill her…"

"Well, we can't really ask her anymore, so let's not dwell on that." The air genasi shrugged in front of the Shadow Portal: "I suggest we might as well head back to Mulsantir to see if we can find anything."

"Yes. Someone must know something that we don't." Safiya nodded in agreement: "Perhaps…that Magda lady will know something. She seems to know an awful lot."

"Humph…" Leela stared at the Portal before her: "I really, really hate going past this thing."

"Make you feel nauseated, isn't it?" Safiya smirked as she watched her companion slid an arm into the dark, smoky clouds.

"Indeed." The druid made a funny face before took a deep breath and dived through the Portal…..

"Do I have to go through that?" Bishop groaned as they stood in front of the Song Portal over the hilltop. He was surrounded by Neeshka, Zeeaire and Leela. It was a beautiful sunset: the crimson sky, the gentle evening breeze, and flower pedals showered over them. Nearby, trees sweep against the wind. Several birds passed by, in the hurry to return their nest. Owls started making their sounds in the woods. Daegun had always told her if you get a brilliant sunset like this, it almost guarantee a fine weather the next day. Nature's own way of foretelling the future, you see.

However, none of the druid's companion seemed to be enjoyed the scenery.

"Well, hurry the bloody up!" Neeshka the tiefling stomped her feet, her tail flapped impatiently: "Don't be a pussy!"

"What did you just call me?" Bishop shot her a side glare: "Hells, do you have any idea how unpleasant this is? It's like your worst hangover, ever—waking up feeling like being beaten by half a dozen of Circle of Blade recruits and toss down from the top of the Host Tower. I hate this thing."

"Don't we all." Neeshka rolled her eyes: "Well, if you want to go to the ruin on foot, be my guest. But let me warn you, grunty-arse, at this rate, by the time we got there, the King of Shadows probably had taken the entire Toril."

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny. I got the idea, thank you very much." Bishop retorted: "I swear to Gods, one more Portal after this is over, I will personally smash it into pieces, historical significance or not. I prefer to walk. And if I want to go anywhere in a hurry, I will go by horse."

Leela tried her hardest to hide her grin, while slid her hand over his and gave him a quick squeeze. Bishop jerked his head around and gave her an annoyance look, but one side of his mouth twitched up slightly.

"Oh, well, alright then. " He took a deep breath: "Let's get this over and done with quickly, shall we?"