Chapter 9- Pain & Bhaal
There were days that Anni really really wanted to kill someone. Today it was Edwin. After regaining Boo from Simon they had left Umar Hills at Edwin's insistence and headed to the Graveyard in Athkatla. They had walked for almost twenty hours straight, every time Anni had called a break, Edwin would keep going. She had no choice but to follow him. In fact the only reason the rest of the group had followed was because she refused to let him go alone.
They were now at the Graveyard, the sun was slowly rising and it would soon be a new day. She tried one last time to reason with Edwin.
"Edwin, for the love of Lathander, we need to rest." She yawned.
"Hmph. If you insufferable monkeys cannot keep up I will go myself."
"Can we not just leave him, my lady?" She just glared at Anomen, who wisely shut up.
"Edwin Odesi, Odeses, um...what the hell was it again?" She always stumbled over his last name, which annoyed him to no end. Usually with him threatening her with a fireball if she didn't get it right. He turned around and started his usual rant.
"Odesseiron! Stop butchering my name with your lack of the common tongue." Instead of backing up his threat or continuing it like usual, he turned and started towards the crypts.
"If Edwin would put this much thought and effort into his job, we would have beaten Irenicus already." Jaheira stated. Edwin ignored her, intent on finding that Nether Scroll.
"Well, you can say one thing about him, once he gets something in his head he won't let it go." She shared a look with Jaheira. "Edwin Mordred Alexander Odesseiron, I demand you stop this instant!" Anni yelled at his back. She had learned at an early age nothing will stop a person like the use of their full name. Inwardly she cringed, thanking Lathander only Imoen and Gorion knew her full name. Edwin turned slow enough that she could pull off her little plan.
Even though he was grown up and now a powerful Red Wizard, there were few things that could strike terror in him like the use of his full name. He could count on one hand how many times it was used by his mother.
Usually after he had done something he really shouldn't have. The fact that Anni even knew his full name angered him. The only way she would know it is if she had been snooping through his stuff, again. Two things became apparent as he looked at Anni. One, she looked half dead on her feet and the other being she was chanting a spell.
"You wouldn't dar-" Was as far as he got before the sleep spell she cast took effect. She watched as he crumbled to the ground and yawned again.
"So who's going to carry him?"
"I vote we leave him here. All in favor?" Five hands went in the air.
"We are not leaving him here Jaheira. Minsc, could you pretty please carry him?" She gave him her best puppy eyes.
"Boo does not like this, but he agrees no one can resist hamster eyes. Yours are better than Boo's when he wants more to eat." Minsc walked over to the sleeping wizard and lifted him over his shoulder to carry him like a sack of grain.
---
Twelve hours later, Edwin finally awoke and was greeted by the sight of Anni looking through his stuff.
"Good evening Edwin, have a nice sleep?" She just looked up at him as he ripped his book out of her hands.
"I have told you before to stay out of my stuff, you -"
"Edwin, I'm just worried, this whole scroll bit could be dangerous. I wanted to double check your translations and see if any of it hinted to it being dangerous."
"Keep your dirty little scabby paws out of my personal belongings! Those translations are to be seen by people of the upmost intelligence only not for little girls like you!"
"I'm not getting in this fight with you. I'm telling you right now, after we get that scroll you are going to let me see it and you will not cast whatever it is without being there to heal you when you blow yourself up."
She reached in her pocket and pulled out several scrolls. "Here a peace offering okay? Here's some summoning scrolls, I know how much you like them. Oh and don't forget to cast protection from evil before you use the last one. I do not want another incident like last time."
"It is hardly my fault if you cannot keep up with my spell casting."
"You know, the more time I spend with you the more I really respect your Teacher Dekaras. He must be a real patient man not to strangle you or worse." She left the room quickly before he could get a word in.
---
"This is it. This must be it. This has to be it! The just and unjust alike will all fear the overwhelming power of Edwin Odesseiron and his Nether scroll!" Anni just glared at him seriously considering knocking some sense into him with her morning star. Of course he didn't notice any of them leaving, except for Anni, since he was already entranced with the scroll.
-Who would have thought there would be a lich guarding it! A lich and what does he do? Demand the scroll and then really piss off the lich.- She was starting to wonder how he ever made it pass his teen years. "Edwin you do remember what I said right? And I do hope you're going to use it to help us right?" She reached for the scroll to look at it, his response was to hit her hand with his staff.
"Try to touch the scroll again, you'll pull back a stump.(Head, limb, leg...your choice.) I will use this for the benefit of the group, I assure you. (Yes, I assure you of that.) But no one reads it but me." She rubbed her now sore hand and kicked him in the shin. He yelped and hopped on one foot holding his abused shin.
Anni grabbed the scroll out of his hands and started to look it over. She dodged him as he tried to get it back. For once being shorter than everyone came in handy as she evaded him. After a while she stopped trying to even look at the scroll, she was having more fun with teasing him.
She was laughing as he finally caught her, his arms were around her waist holding her back against his chest. Her laughter died when she turned her head to look at him. Their lips were only inches apart, she wasn't sure which one of them moved, maybe it was both of them, who ever moved closed the distance and they kissed. Her lips parted under the pressure of his. She whimpered softly as his tongue entered her mouth. Her hand came up to clasp the back of his neck as he deepened the kiss. Her other hand was held by his, their fingers entwined. After several long minutes he raised his head to look at her. They stared at each other for a few moments, neither of them blinking.
Before she wretched herself out of his arms, he saw something akin to fear in her eyes. Her thoughts raced as she tried to think of something to say. -I need to get him away from me before he finds out. I would rather have him hate me than look at me with disgust if he found out what happened. What will piss him off the most?-She forced her face to be blank and her eyes as dead as she could get them.
"Well, that was certainly pitiful. Here I was considering taking you as a lover, but not only are you a weak powerless man, you are also a horrible kisser. Why I ever considered someone like you is beyond me."
"Anni?" He was speechless.
"Seriously, I have more power in my little finger than you could ever dream of. Maybe with more power and training you might be an acceptable lover. Until then I don't know why I bother." She turned and walked away heading for the exit. -I'm sorry Edwin. It's better this way.-
Edwin felt like a piece of himself had been ripped out. He watch her walk away from him. His fists clenched tightly, almost crushing the Nether Scroll. He looked at it.
"Not enough power? I'll show you Bhaalbitch."
---
Anni was feeling miserable by time she reached the doors to the graveyard. She didn't want to hurt Edwin but she had no choice. She ran her hands through her hair, which had come lose from it's binding, her hair fell around her like a cloak. She wished it could shield her from Edwin's eyes, the way he was looking at her she was surprised she wasn't bleeding or worse. All thoughts of Edwin were pushed from her mind at the sight that greeted her. Her companions where engaged with several vampires. She ran down meaning to help her friends when she saw her.
-Bodhi- The creature's name hissed through her mind. She felt a wash of red rage as she stared at the creature. Bodhi's eyes connected with Anni's and smiled. Anni wanted to kill that bitch so much but she knew she could never take on Bodhi by herself.
-You could if you would just accept my power Annalesca- Bhaal's voice entered her mind.
"Gee, 'dad' I was wondering when you would show up again. You've been too quiet. And do not call me Annalesca, my name is Anni."
-The name your mother gave you was Annalesca, daughter.-
"Oh get out of my head."
-Take the power I offer, you can kill her then.- Purposely images of what Bodhi had done to her replayed in her mind.-Kill her.- He whispered. Time seemed to stand still as he waited for her answer.
"Yes..." She hissed.
It feel like she was burning inside, but it felt good. She closed her eyes as it washed over her. She remember the first time she accept the power when she faced Sarevok, it had felt good then too. The world had slowed down, everything was still moving but much much slower. She walked towards Bodhi ignoring everything around her when she neared the vampire she lifted her morning star and swung it as hard as she could into her face.
As soon as her weapon connected the world returned to it's normal speed. The blow to Bodhi's face sent her flying landing through one of the gravestones. She slowly got to her feet, just as Anni brought her weapon down again this time hitting the back of her skull.
"This is not over child of Bhaal." She hissed as her and her minions turned to fog and disappeared.
"Dammit! You coward!" Anni screamed, she lashed out at the closest thing, which was a gravestone, and punched her fist through it. She didn't even blink an eye when she managed to destroy it with one hit. She could hear the others behind her drawing closer. She could hear their hearts beating, smell their fear and she knew how easy it would be to kill them all. She closed her eyes feeling something growing deep inside her. She smiled as she realized that if she wanted to she could change form and become the Slayer. She wondered what it would be like to kill them all.
"They will all died eventually. You can hasten it, make it less painful for them." Bhaal instructed her. "They fear you. If you do not kill them now, they will kill you."
"Yes Father."