Author's Note: Sorry about the wait for this chapter posting... but a great big thank you to all those who've been reviewing! I've been thinking of awarding points, you know, like the ones they give out on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"... which, just in case someone tries to sue me for using the official name, I also own nothing of.
They say that one of the main things that lets you know you're alive is pain... it was no exception for the young elf as her senses slowly returned to her aching and weary body. Granted, the main sensation she felt was soreness and throbbing limbs, but it was enough to let her know she wasn't already in the afterlife; a possibility she had considered quite real when the four strangers had appeared, unable to prevent herself from attacking them.
She tried to move her arms, to stretch the sore muscles that ached in her body... but she could not. With a growing sense of alarm, she was quick to discover that her arms could not move, neither could her legs, or any of her body. She panicked, imagining that her final memories of breaking through the enchantment placed upon her were false, only a torment upon her mind, but as the rest of her senses returned it became clear she was not under the spell any longer. Her current situation, however, did not appear all that much better.
"Do you... idea to ke... should be able to..."
"Can... take risk?"
The garbled bits of conversation she was able to make out did little to ease her mind, even as she felt another of her senses come back, though it was a most unpleasant sensation she could have done without. What tasted like some sort of a gag was running through her mouth and by quick reasoning she concluded that her limbs were not immobile because of magic or spellcraft; she was simply tied up. The brief feeling of relief she had felt when realizing she was no longer under the spell was now gone and her heart once again thudded in fear, eyes fluttering open as she tried to find some sort of release...
"Enough of this; she awakens." the tall female with a proud bearing glared down at the wide-eyed elf, a frown creasing her brow. A younger half-elf stood opposite her, though his fiery look of disapproval appeared more directed at the druid rather than her.
"For pity's sake Jaheira, I think we can at least take the gag out!"
"She nearly decimated our party before we could lay a hand on her." Jaheira frowned. "Do we truly want a repeat performance? She appears to be herself again, but I refuse to take risks that can be avoided with simple precautions."
"Precautions are all well and good, but... perhaps we might at least let her speak for herself." Yoshimo prodded. "True, she cannot make incantations if gagged like this, but it also makes it a bit hard for her to tell us what exactly is going on here."
"Boo does not think she looks like a villain. See? She is a witch like Dynaheir; not an evildoer who needs a thrashing." Minsc declared. True enough, Minsc's words held some merit. She was certainly not what one would consider an imposing sort; between her petite frame, the azure colored robes that adorned her figure and the blonde braids her hair was tied in... well, she wasn't exactly Sarevok.
Jaheira did not respond, she merely sighed and gestured to Greywulf. He nodded and knelt down beside her, her eyes tracking him with fear. "Look... I know you're probably wondering why we have you all trussed up like this, but we just had to make sure of a few things; namely that you wouldn't try to kill us when you woke up. I'm just going to remove this now-"
Greywulf pulled the gag from her mouth, the elf sputtering as the rag was removed. "Yeah, sorry about that. I hope I can assume you're not going to try and blast us with all manner of spells now, mostly because I'd never hear the end of it from Jaheira-"
Another upraised arm from the druid quickly stopped any more wisecracks from the sorcerer as he coughed once, turning serious. "Like I said, a few questions; you know, who are you, what's going on, just what do you remember from a few minutes ago, that kind of thing..."
The girl struggled to find her voice, still almost overcome with fear and doubt, unsure of what had just happened, who these folks were, what they-
"Come girl, we don't have much time. Speak if you have something to say!" Jaheira snapped.
"Aerie!" she cried, finally forcing herself to speak. "M...my name's Aerie, I'm an Avariel..."
Her voice trailed off quickly; Greywulf sighing in exasperation. There was no way they would find anything out from the girl while she was still so paralyzed. Pushing past Jaheira he quickly untied her bonds, freeing her arms and legs as the girl rubbed her wrists gingerly, looking at Greywulf with a mix of gratitude and fear.
"There... sorry about all of this; but you have to admit, you did quite a number on us to begin with." he said as gently as he could manage.
"Indeed." Jaheira growled, glancing down at the blackened spot on her plate mail.
Glaring at the druid, Greywulf turned back to Aerie, exhaling with a smile. "Look... we're not exactly sure what's happened here or what you've been through, but it's obviously been quite the ordeal. I can also understand if you don't particularly trust us right now, seeing as all we've done in the way of introductions is fight and tie you up while unconscious, but believe me... we're here to help." He stood, extended one hand to help her up.
Aerie blinked once as she gazed at Greywulf, as though trying to decide whether to trust the half-elf... her small hand reached out tentatively and grasped his, the sorcerer quickly pulling her to her feet.
"W-who are you?" Aerie asked, glancing at the band of four that stood before her, her gaze not lingering on any of them overlong, though it was especially quick when passing over Jaheira's distrusting face.
"Ahem...Yoshimo, Master Thief at your service, should you need anything." the Kara-Turan man deftly slid past Greywulf to bow to Aerie, taking her hand with a gentle kiss, the elf quite unsure what to make of it.
"Yes, yes... that's Yoshimo." Greywulf sighed, nudging the man aside. "Over there's Minsc, Jaheira, and I am Greywulf. We were investigating what happened to your circus, when... eh, we got a little sidetracked; what with the whole ogre attack and all."
"Ogre attack...?" Aerie frowned a moment, before her eyes opened wide with realization. "Oh! Oh, please forgive me, I could not control-"
"No, it's fine." Greywulf interrupted her apology mid-stride, waving her down. "No harm done... except to our pride, maybe. If you truly desire to make it up, you can tell us what you know about this place, or better yet, what the hell is going on here."
"It's Kalah; he's behind all this!" Aerie cried in desperation, all the terrible memories flooding back. "We were... well Castin was, he was supposed to take the stage, but Kalah was filling in since we couldn't find him. He's never been very good at magic, but this time he was better... really good, in fact. The audience didn't seem to care, they just wanted to laugh, and so they did... Kalah got mad, he said things I couldn't hear, and the whole tent began changing! He captured everyone, and... and turned me into that ogre! We have to stop him, he still has Uncle Quayle inside!"
"Who is this Kalah?" Jaheira questioned.
"He's an illusionist gnome... but he should never have been able to do something like this..." Aerie said, nervously glancing back at the structure behind them. "He's in there... all the performers and Quayle, all of them are trapped in there with him."
"If what you say is true, than we will find a way to free this place. Wait here until we return... with any luck, the next time you see us we'll be back in a circus tent." Greywulf nodded briefly, waving the others on towards Kalah's palace.
Aerie watched their retreating forms for a moment; she could barely believe it... four men and women out to save her and her circus for the sole purpose of helping others... No. She wasn't a warrior, she had never been in a battle until just now and it was quite clear that Jaheira didn't like her... but she had to. Quayle was in danger and needed her help. She called out, her mouth suddenly dry. "Wait! I... I could help you... I could help you find Kalah, stop him. I've been studying as a mage all my life, and... and I've also studied as a cleric-"
"Nonsense. We do not have the time to watch over and take responsibility for some girl who believes she is an adventurer because she can cast a few spells." Jaheira said abruptly.
"Jaheira, if you hadn't noticed, those 'few spells' were enough to wipe the floor with us a few minutes ago." Greywulf countered. "She's obviously talented in both divine and arcane magic-"
"And when her opponents believe her to be an ogre with nothing more than a club for defense, those spells will be very effective in taking them by surprise." Jaheira said through gritted teeth. "Look at her; she has no experience in the world or on the path we lead."
"Neither did I, when you and Khalid first watched over me and Imoen." Greywulf responded. "But if you really feel so bad about this, let's ask the others. Minsc? Yoshimo?"
"Her skills are impressive indeed." Yoshimo admitted. "I would not be adverse to her accompanying us."
"Another witch in our company would be most welcome, yes!" Minsc nodded eagerly. "She is just what we need; Boo is never wrong about these things."
Aerie could not help but stare a bit as Minsc mumbled something else to his hamster, but Greywulf quickly got her attention once more. "That's it then; consider yourself one of us, for the moment at least. Follow close, and stay behind Minsc and Jaheira."
"Really? Thank you!" Aerie said in surprise, a look of what could only be construed as part determination, part naivete on her face. "I'll do the best I can, I promise."
"Do as you will, but I cannot say I approve." Jaheira said, ending the conversation with a sharp glance at Aerie.
Unable to keep a look of embarrassment off her face, Aerie quietly slunk into the line behind Yoshimo, fingering her quarterstaff nervously. The five of them moved quickly, reaching the entrance to the grotesque structure swiftly. The door opened at their touch, but what lay inside was a different matter. A maze of stairways, walkways and portals leading seemingly nowhere and yet everywhere at once pulsed and spun within, a vortex of confusion that hurt to even look at. Forcing the door closed with effort, Minsc wiped his brow and glanced down at the others. "What now?"
"It would take us several lifetimes to navigate through such a maze... more so since Kalah himself will no doubt be controlling our path the whole time. Our odds of reaching him would not exactly be favorable." Yoshimo noted.
"We can't give up, there must be some way of getting through!" Aerie protested.
"I bet there is..." Greywulf turned to face Jaheira. "When I cast the True Sight spell, you mentioned seeing Aerie underneath the illusion of an ogre. Did you see anything else around? Was it just Aerie or did the whole tent become visible for a bit?"
"It... it did appear real for a moment... just a brief second." Jaheira frowned. "The illusion was too powerful for the True Sight to affect anything for a length of time, but yes, I saw the tent begin to come back into focus."
"Kalah will never let us reach him willingly; let's see if we can't surprise him." Greywulf smiled. "Aerie, what does Kalah look like?"
"He's a gnome... a dark beard and brown robes with a black sash. He never smiles... you'd know him as soon as you saw him."
"Let's hope so." Greywulf turned to Yoshimo. "Best get ready, you'll probably only have one shot at this before he realizes what we're doing and puts a stop to it."
Yoshimo nodded as he put an arrow to his bow and raised the weapon high, ready to be fired at a moment's notice. Greywulf took a deep breath and began chanting, summoning the magic of True Sight... as his voice echoed, the world around rippled and hazed, a disturbing mixture of illusion and reality mingling within their vision for a brief span of time. Five sets of eyes darted back and forth as quickly as possible, trying to spy the one behind this chaos...
"There! The evil gnome is there!" Minsc's booming cry brought Yoshimo spinning around in a blur, trying to aim through the blurred shapes and figures that were rapidly returning to the illusionary forms Kalah had summoned...
His arrow launched with the twanging of the bow string, the telltale sound of an arrow piercing flesh sounding to their ears along with a cry of pain. The world pulsed again, revealing a brief glimpse of the injured gnome. Though he was injured, Yoshimo's shot had been slightly off, the arrow was sticking out of his left thigh, the frenzied look on Kalah's face enough to show that he was not nearly through fighting. Still, perhaps they could end it here...
All five of them charged towards him but at the last second the world flashed again, a throne room where no longer a gnome but a giant of monstrous proportions stood, flanked by shadows and wolves. "You will never escape this place!" Kalah roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "Shadows, Fiends! Come to me! Slaughter them and feast on their remains!"
The response was swift, dozens of shadows seemed to spill from nowhere, all swarming over each other towards the five adventurers. A fireball scattered the majority of oncoming undead, Greywulf moving behind Minsc as the ranger struck, cutting down each enemy as it came within range. Across from him stood Jaheira, struggling to advance at Kalah as the shadows kept her contained, Aerie striking down illusions left and right with her magics.
Another arrow flew past the giant, a rushing shadow just enough to throw off Yoshimo's aim from striking Kalah in the chest. He had been forced to dodge and draw his own blade to defend himself, Kalah quickly directing his own wrath at the thief. An Acid Arrow hurtled at Yoshimo, Aerie crying out a warning as she hastily tried to deflect it. The magical tendril she sent was just fast enough; the spell flew off target, Yoshimo giving her a quick nod of gratitude as he slashed into another enemy.
"You little beast!" Kalah screeched, watching Aerie's interference furiously. His summonings increased in intensity, bringing forth shadows and beasts faster than the five could slay them. Still, in the midst of it all, a lightning bolt conjured by Greywulf sizzled through in a line towards Kalah, destroying all illusions in that road of sight. It was a path, if a small and rapidly closing one.
Jaheira did not hesitate but immediately dived through, rolling past the desperate attacks from the summoned illusions, coming up by Kalah. He tried to stumble backwards at the sudden threat, but to no avail. Jaheira's spear came up quickly, catching Kalah in the gut.
His scream was drowned out as his concentration and spellcraft faded; the howl of wind, rushing as everything imploded upon Kalah, was deafening, a veritable sonic boom going off to drop all of them as the illusions finally faded, disappearing to reveal the tattered remains of a circus tent. Trying to pick themselves up, it was a horrible mess that surrounded them, in more ways than one. Not only were chairs, furniture and the whole ring destroyed, several bodies were scattered, those unfortunate guards and simple peasants and circus performers who had suffered Kalah's deadly wrath. The mortally wounded gnome's rasps and coughs drew their attention, his hand outstretched at them as though still trying to smite them.
"You... you have killed me!!" Kalah spat with dying rage. "This... this isn't what was promised to me, not what I was to be given...you beastly, greedy fools with your thirst for adventure! You have killed Kalah and destroyed my world... my happiness!"
"Your world? Your happiness? What about all those who have been killed, those who have died just so you could have your little imaginary kingdom?"Jaheira growled in anger, looking at the fallen gnome.
"I just wanted to be respected… in Athkatla, a mage is a criminal and a gnome is a spectacle." Kalah whispered, life draining fast. "Just wanted… to be…respected. To show them… what it felt like to be… laughed at."
He said no more, his wounds overtaking him at last... though if any of the five had taken notice, they would have seen the small onyx ring around Kalah's finger flash dimly then crumble, disintegrating unto dust. "Such a poor, pathetic creature. I almost… I do feel sorry for him." Aerie said quietly, looking down at the dead gnome.
"Perhaps we can find something that would have allowed him to create such powerful illusions." Yoshimo murmured, bending down over Kalah's body as he searched him.
"Aerie!" the shout issued from a corner of the tent, Aerie whirling quickly to spot a small gnome in what had used to be fine purple robes, though they were a bit worse for wear now. She darted over to him eagerly, helping him to his feet with gladness on her face and a sigh of relief in her heart. "Uncle Quayle! You're okay!"
"Yes dear... I'm fine. A little shaken, but nothing serious." Quayle adjusted his spectacles and discarded the ruined top hat he had been wearing before grasping Aerie's hand. He took a look around and shook his head in sorrow. "I had no idea Kalah was so disturbed. I should've noticed, should've done something earlier-"
"You did all you could, Uncle." Aerie comforted, walking with him back over to the adventurers.
"I suppose." Quayle sighed, looking down at Kalah's body. "And I must have you four to thank for getting us all out of this mess. I owe you much, friends. Introductions are in order, I should think. I am Quayle, the ringmaster of this circus."
Looking around briefly, Quayle sighed again and said, "Well, what used to be this circus, anyway. I assume you have already met my niece, Aerie?"
"Yes, indeed we have!" Minsc boomed with a grin. "She is a very nice young girl. I think that she would like to meet Boo. Would you be okay with that, Boo?"
"Wait one moment..." Greywulf frowned, a smile creeping on his face, a look of barely suppressed horror growing on Jaheira's as they both made the connection at the same time. "Quayle, you said your name was?"
"Why, yes." the gnome said, peering through his spectacles. "Is something wrong?"
"I do believe, if my memory isn't failing me, that we've met before, near the city of Baldur's Gate." Greywulf grinned. "Almost a year ago, but I'm positive we traveled together for a few days. Do you remember?"
Quayle thought for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Why yes... now that I think about it, you are somewhat familiar. That was near all of the business with the iron shortage and the impending war. I traveled with you for a short time, though your path quickly turned places I was not quite willing to go, as I recall."
"Such a shame." Jaheira forced out, an obviously fake smile plastered on her face. Greywulf couldn't help but snicker just a bit; Jaheira had hated the gnome's presence the entire few days he had traveled with them, more than once he had heard her referring to the gnome as her own personal hell amidst death threats aimed in the illusionist's direction. Granted, Quayle had been quite vocal about making his own opinions known, usually while making some degrading comment about the others' intelligence, but he wasn't quite as bad as Edwin. Besides, Greywulf and Imoen both found him very amusing, especially when it came to tormenting Jaheira. He had never seen her quite so happy as when the gnome had decided(with some considerable persuasion by Minsc, Khalid, and Dynaheir) that the group did not fit his tastes.
Still, the gnome's demeanor was quite different from what he remembered, nary a snide comment having passed from his lips in the nearly two minutes they had been talking; that and the obvious admiration the elven maiden showed for him spoke of at the very least a changed attitude.
"My eternal gratitude to all of you." Quayle bowed. "I fear there is little I can give you for this; though Kalah must have used some magical items to create such illusions. You are welcome to them."
"Thanks... actually, there is one more thing you could do for us, information might benefit us more than gold. Can you tell us anything at all about the Cowled Wizards, such as where they keep their prisoners?"
Quayle raised one eye at the question, obviously surprised. "The Cowled Wizards, did you say? The stuck-up control freaks who think they own this city?"
"Those would be the ones." Greywulf said, smirking slightly. "They have taken a dear friend of mine unjustly and any information you have regarding their prisoners' whereabouts would be greatly appreciated. Imoen, if you remember her."
"Oh yes... the pink haired girl." Quayle mused. "Those meddlers are always messing around into other people's affairs. I have no doubt Imoen is as innocent as you claim, but the Cowled Wizards don't let anyone know where their prisoners are held. I'm sorry."
"Thank you anyway." Greywulf bowed and said, "We're just glad that you two could be reunited... though I imagine you have some rebuilding to do around here. We will take our leave, there is much we still have to do."
"Thank you for all your help; it was... it was good to meet you." Aerie managed, waving slightly at the group as they turned to leave.
Quayle watched her fading smile as the four adventurers stalked away, almost to the exit of the tent... he had been able to see the whole battle from his imprisonment by Kalah. He had watched Aerie with great fear and at the same time intrigue; she had never fought in battle, never engaged in any sort of combat as she had done a few minutes ago. And yet she had, in those few moments he had seen, appeared more alive than in the many years he had spent teaching and caring for her. It was a moment of great pride for him... and long-awaited sadness. Deep down, he had always known this day would come... it was one of the main reasons he had made certain she furthered her training in both clerical and wizardly studies.
He had intended to give up the circus someday, for the two of them to head out on the road... but that dream had faded until it was almost unreachable. He had abandoned the path of adventuring and every year that passed was another year his body grew older, more tired and less willing to bear the strain of returning to such a life. Aerie would never be willing leave his side to go out alone and he was less than thrilled with the idea of her trying to find her place in the world without someone to look out for her... she would have needed his guidance were she to travel. But perhaps... perhaps these four would be her last chance-
"Please, stop!" Quayle's call surprised both Aerie and the four companions about to leave, Greywulf turning as Quayle hurried over to them, Aerie close behind. "I... I have been thinking, and I have come to a conclusion. You four lead a life that I can no longer manage, one that I gave up not long after meeting you. But Aerie..."
Quayle felt his throat tighten as he continued. "Aerie deserves better than the inside of a circus tent for the rest of her life. She has great potential, as both a cleric and a wizard, you saw that much in battle. For me to keep her here with me, looking after a gnome who's only growing older with each day... it wouldn't be fair to you, niece."
"Uncle... w-what do you mean?" Aerie asked, her face splashed with confusion.
"I mean that you should go with Greywulf and his friends... that you should travel with them, should they be willing to have you." Quayle gazed at his surrogate niece, shock registering on her pretty features. "Aerie, you've been a daughter to me and I have tried to be a father to you... but I've taught you everything I can. There's so much more to life than what I can show you, and... and these men and women might just be the way for you to not only discover your place in the world, but to do some good in it as well."
"But... but I-"
"I can't keep you here any longer... and you can't cling to me forever, Aerie. Someday you will have to face your life outside this tent... and I can see no better time and opportunity than with these fine people right now." Quayle smiled weakly as Aerie knelt and embraced him.
"Y-you're the kindest man I've ever met." Aerie whispered, one tear leaving her eye.
"I wasn't always this way, Aerie... you changed me quite a bit, for the better I should hope. I imagine Jaheira would hope so as well, if I remember her reaction to my presence so long ago." Quayle winked at the smirking druid as Aerie straightened up. "Well Greywulf? Would you indulge an old, retired adventurer's request?"
"It's up to Aerie." Greywulf smiled, nodding to Aerie, the elf swallowing visibly. "We travel rather light. Mostly just our weapons and armor, not much in the way of personal belongings. This may not be what you're used to, but the path we tread is not an easy one."
"I...I've always known this day would come; I've been dreading it too. But… you're right. It is time for me to leave." Aerie said to Quayle. "Greywulf, I know I could be of great help if you'll let me come."
Despite a disapproving look from Jaheira, Greywulf nodded and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, "Aerie, we would welcome you as a permanent addition to our group. Your presence will be greatly appreciated. Quayle, don't worry. Your daughter will be well taken care of."
"Thank you, Greywulf." Quayle said, a sad smile upon his face. "If you'll give us a few moments to gather some items she should bring, to say a few last goodbyes?"
"Of course. Take what time you need." Greywulf nodded as Aerie and Quayle exited to her tent, Yoshimo and Minsc directing one rather dazed looking lady outside, the woman's face blossoming in relief, calling her son's name as she ran outside.
He sighed in a bit of contentment at the final outcome of the whole ordeal, then turned to Yoshimo."So, what did you find on Kalah?"
"A bit of gold, around one hundred pieces, and a few spell scrolls. His dagger had a few enchantments on it too, but nothing powerful enough to summon such illusions."
"Hmm... nothing much we can do about it now that he's dead... if we sell some of this stuff, add that to the total gold we have already, we should have around seven hundred. We're really getting nowhere fast." he sighed.
"I could help out, perhaps add to our coin the best way I know how?" Yoshimo offered, flashing his best smile.
"None of that, Yoshimo. The last thing we need right now is to get the city guard after us."
Yoshimo's face had just dropped in shock of the idea that he could possibly be caught when Aerie came back, a small pack loaded up on her back, her quarterstaff in hand. "Okay, I've got everything I need. I'm ready."
They had just stepped back out into the fading sunlight of the evening when the guard they had run off before approached, tapping Greywulf on the shoulder. "Citizen, I assume you were the group responsible for resolving the situation in there?"
"That is us!" Minsc bellowed proudly. "The team that is Minsc and Boo and Greywulf fights evil wherever we go and we have fought it here, kicking its butt thoroughly! Run free, clowns! Serve food, circus! Juggle ba-"
"That's a yes." Greywulf interjected, stopping Minsc.
Looking at Minsc oddly, the guard turned back to Greywulf and said with a hint of wariness, "As an official guard of Athkatla, I am giving you this reward of five hundred gold pieces for aiding the city. Technically, this was the standard fee paid to the Cowled Wizards for their help in these matters, but since they never showed I'd be more than happy to give it to you instead. I gotta say, none of us expected you to come out again. You were in there for three days."
"Three days? No wonder I'm so tired." Greywulf said with a yawn. "Surprising how time gets messed up when you enter illusionary worlds."
"Yeah well... you all just keep on moving. Now that this mess is over with, we'll have to file reports and probably clean up, so just stay out of trouble." the guard huffed once before leaving them again, Minsc tucking the purse of gold away in his own pack.
"Well, that's another five hundred. We're another one-twentieth there; we'll have twenty thousand in no time. Hell, maybe Irenicus will have died of old age by the time we get to him."
"Irenicus? Who's that? Why do we need-" Aerie asked, confused.
"Twenty thousand gold? To rescue a friend- oh, right, right, you're new here." Greywulf said, nodding as he looked at her. "I forgot to mention a few things. First off, the friend we're trying to rescue is Imoen. Nice girl, but can't cook if her life depended on it. Second, we're hunting an extremely powerful mage named Irenicus, who captured us all in the first place before we escaped from him. Caused the big explosion, all the rubble over there. We're trying to find him and kill him, even though he's in all likelihood many times more powerful than we are. Third, we have to get twenty thousand gold pieces to get the Shadow Thieves' help to find them, and fight the Cowled Wizards who have captured both Imoen and Irenicus. Er… maybe I should have mentioned that before you made a decision to come with us."
Aerie just stared at Greywulf until Yoshimo stepped in, "Don't mind him, Greywulf has the uncanny talent of making the most dire situations seem funny. Still, that is indeed the scope of our quest."
Aerie quickly recovered and responded, "Well, I guess I can help; I don't have as much experience as I'm sure all of you, but I know the Promenade pretty well. There's an inn right over there we can rest at for the night."
"I'm sure you'll do fine... but I agree. Some rest would be fairly welcome right about now. Let's go." Greywulf replied.
They had reached the inn within minutes and rented three rooms, all five companions falling into sleep quickly. Even as the shadows grew longer outside, shadows continued to grow in their own minds and thoughts as well, Greywulf no exception.
X X X X X X X X
Greywulf snapped awake, covered in sweat, his chest heaving. Looking around frantically, he saw not the comforting walls of the inn, but a dark and shadowy realm, covered in the blackness of the void and lit by stars forever out of reach. At his feet lay the bodies of his four companions, each one curled up as though still asleep, but for all Greywulf's efforts they could not be awakened. Standing straight up, Greywulf found himself dressed in his traveling robes, quarterstaff in hand and battle-ready. He looked himself over, trying to make sense of his surroundings... the sound of footsteps approaching jolted him to the ready. Out of the shadows walked a familiar face, one with none of its usual cheer, none of the happiness so often reflected.
"Imoen?" Greywulf asked hesitantly, looking into the somber face of his childhood friend. "Is that you?"
"Greywulf." Imoen spoke, her voice slightly odd. "This is… this is a dream. A dream of…many things. These dreams always mean something… don't they? Follow me."
Greywulf found himself drawn to Imoen and followed her to within view of a bridge crossing a moat. On the bridge stood three men, the mighty wizard Elminster, and the man Jaheira mourned, Khalid. But most haunting was the man between them…
"Gorion?" whispered Greywulf, his head pounding with confusion and hazy memories that distorted his thoughts.
"Do you remember any of them?" asked Imoen. "Gorion… or any of the others at Candlekeep, or the people we once knew? It was so long ago… so many memories fading with his touch. The touch of Irenicus. I tried to keep them, to remember... but it didn't last. It couldn't last. I…I don't remember any of you."
With that, the three figures seemed to stiffen, their features slowly hardening and turning gray until they were all naught but stone statues, cracking and breaking. The statues slowly fell apart, crumbling into dust to open the path. Imoen continued walking, Greywulf inexorably following, unable to stop his movement as he trod over the remains of those he had once known. They continued until the castle of Candlekeep was within view, where Imoen stopped again and began speaking.
"Candlekeep. Gorion. It was so far back. It was… home. They wouldn't take us back now, you know. None of them would, not after Gorion died and they found that you were a Bhaalspawn. That's why we left Baldur's Gate so soon. People feared you, found out you were a Bhaalspawn... in their eyes, you were just as bad as Sarevok. We… we don't have a home."
Imoen turned and kept walking, her words eating at Greywulf's mind, finding himself unable to speak along with lacking the ability to control his movements. The sound of armor shifting together reached his ears as Imoen stopped one more time in the courtyard of the Keep, a fog before them bringing a nameless fear and terror to Greywulf's heart even though he could not see through it. That changed soon enough, an imposing figure in Bhaal-armor striding forward, all too familiar to the sorcerer.
"Do you remember Sarevok?" Imoen asked, gesturing at Greywulf's dead half-brother, the man's glowing yellow eyes still boring down on Greywulf as he stood there, his sword held in both hands. "He seemed so... so important at the time, he did such things, hurt so many people; he had to be stopped. We killed him, stopped him from doing…something, but why? I don't remember… anything."
Sarevok hardened until he had befallen the same fate as Gorion, turning to stone and dust.
Unable to bear the situation any longer, Greywulf turned to Imoen in desperation, only to see her staring at him. "Do you remember me?"
Imoen stopped for a moment to shake her head in sorrow, and said, "Me, Imoen. I can see… I am forgetting you. You... you are forgetting me, whether you know it or not. You will come too late to save me; I can see it. He is coming for me and he awaits you. You… will come too late."
With that, swirls of magic surrounded Imoen, turning her to stone as well.
Suddenly, he found himself able to speak again, shouting Imoen's name, but to no avail. As Greywulf darted to the statue of Imoen in horror, trying with all his might to find some way of dispelling the magic, another figure walked into the light, an arrogant sneer upon his grotesque face.
"Remarkable. She has shown great resilience to the horrors she has endured so far... but she is indeed breaking, as you can see."
Greywulf whirled towards Irenicus in anger, swinging his staff straight at the figure's head, the fury driven strike powerful enough to take any man's head off. The staff whipped straight through Irenicus' head, not affecting him in the least.
"Come now, Greywulf." Irenicus chuckled. "You cannot harm a dream. Try and be sensible."
"Where have you brought me, fiend? Speak!!" Greywulf shouted, seething in anger.
"Irenicus has done nothing, Greywulf." he said pointedly, growling at the sorcerer as the two of them slowly began circling each other, their eyes deadlocked together. "This is your dream... I am but the figure your mind has chosen to speak through. You know that you can never win, don't you? For all the power that you possess, you will always be weaker because you limit yourself to the 'morals' that you live by. Why do you not embrace your past, take the power you are owed, the power I tried to unlock within you!?"
"If you wanted it, then I'm sure I don't." Greywulf said through gritted teeth. "Unlike you, I care for the lives of others, for my friends and loved ones."
"Ha... and while you cling to your pathetic dogma, who are the ones who suffer most? Your friends and your loved ones. You may survive because of your divine blood, but you cannot protect your friends with the power necessary if you do not accept your heritage. Say what you like, but in the end your hands are just as bloodstained as mine. You only have to decide how you will stain your hands... with the blood of your enemies, destroying all who would threaten you and your companions... or with the blood of your friends, whom you were too weak to protect... whom you may as well have killed yourself."
Irenicus glanced at Imoen's stone figure as they stared each other down, then smirked wickedly. "You've already been responsible for two deaths... perhaps three will change your mind."
Irenicus thrust one hand out, a blast of lightning shattering Imoen into hundreds of pieces.
"I'll kill you!!" Greywulf screamed, unleashing an inferno of magical flame upon the dark mage...though as before, the magical flame passed right through the man.
"It is as I said." Irenicus said calmly. "Your friends will suffer because of your lack of power and eventually you will die as well. You have no choice."
"I will not fail them. And I will not become a despicable murderer like you." Greywulf heaved with barely contained rage, trying to steady his shaking hands. "This power you offer, I want none of it."
"Fool." he spat. "You don't know what you speak of. You will accept the gifts offered to you."
A blast of power from Irenicus brought darkness, the screams of his dying friends echoing in his head.