Chapter 27: Mutamin's Garden
Ember was in a bad mood even before they encountered the other group of adventurers. Her mood had soured an hour or two earlier, when a lone, armed woman had accosted them. She had challenged their best warrior to a duel, insisting upon only fighting a man, and refused to speak to anyone but Ember and Imoen. And the rewards she had offered for winning... Twenty gold to her if she won, and her sword pledged to their cause if she lost. Ember, not seeing the point of an ally who would not fight women, nor of an ally who only valued her skills to twenty gold, had scoffed and told the woman they were not interested. The woman had flung insults after them as they walked away from her, calling the men cowards and the women spineless and henpecked. Ember had been enraged; if not for Imoen's hand on her shoulder, she would have gone back and told the woman exactly what she thought of her, and not necessarily done so in words.
Shortly after that, they had run into a patrolling group of gnolls. By the time all the gnolls were dead, Minsc had almost entered a berserker rage again.
And now, a group of four humans were blocking the path ahead, leaning on their weapons and grinning. The three men wore suits of armour, while the woman was simply dressed in leggings and a long tunic.
"Hey Lindin, look over here, we've run across some travellers," the woman said lazily to her companions. She walked towards Ember and her friends, halting a few paces in front of them. "Hey there, my name's Kirian. Me and my buds are an adventuring band. You look to be the same, except," she laughed, "a little worse for wear. Still learning the ropes of the business, eh?"
"What are you talking about? Clearly, we are beyond comparison with that rag tag band of yours you call an adventuring party. (Arrogant, posturing simians...)" Edwin said.
Kirian raised an eyebrow. "Really? Come on now, let's be real. Look at yourselves. The bunch of you have about as much style as a pack of gibberlings. The way you hold yourselves, pathetic. All you are is a bunch of hicks who slapped on some armour and weapons and decided that they could be adventurers. It's real sad."
Ember lost her patience. "Sad? I'll show you sad," she growled.
"That sounds like a challenge!" the woman said with another small laugh. "Boy oh boy, you just moved into the big time. We're not some small town hick adventurers, we're Waterhavian, born and bred. Maybe you want to rethink your earlier statements?"
Ember was not deterred. "I think you need a good lesson, and we'll be the ones to administer it to you," she said.
"Ohh, and what kind of lesson is that going to be. Are you going to paddle my rump with a big bad sword?" Kirian asked mockingly, then turned and called to her companions, "HEY GUYS! Let's take these chimps out!"
One of the men ran towards them. He was wielding a sword much like Ajantis's, and the paladin immediately stepped into the charging man's path. One of the other men was casting a spell, while the third was firing arrows at them. Ember ran towards the spellcaster and managed to disrupt his spell, but no sooner had she done that than another spell hit her. The woman! was all she had time to think before panic took her.
A few minutes later, the giant ankheg that loomed over her shrank into Minsc's familiar form. "Gods, I hate that spell," she blurted out.
"Minsc does not like that spell either," the ranger said as he helped her to her feet. "It makes him think Boo wants to eat him, even though Minsc knows better."
Ember looked around. The fight had ended while she was enspelled, and all her friends were still standing. The spellcaster was healing some burn wounds on the archer's arm, Ajantis had taken the other fighter's sword, and Imoen was standing guard over the woman, who was waking up from unconsciousness. Judging by appearances - and by the lingering stench - Edwin had cast a stinking cloud on their opponents while she was incapacitated. "I take it we won?" she laughed.
"Yes, miss Ember," Ajantis said, and handed the sword back to the other fighter. "Leave now. If I were you, I would think again before mocking other travellers on the road."
Kirian gave Ajantis an astonished look, then laughed. "Ah, I hear you are also from Waterdeep! No wonder your little band was so capable. Well played, good sir!" She curtseyed deeply in front of Ajantis, gathered her companions, and headed south.
"Are you well?" Kivan asked Ember. She nodded. "That is good," he said. "Next time, do not let such people goad you into foolishness." Ember blushed with embarrassment and nodded again.
-.-.-
They reached the outskirts of the wood of Sharp Teeth around sunset. There was an unnatural stillness around them; they could hear none of the usual sounds of nocturnal wildlife.
"Something is wrong here," Kivan said.
"Would that be it?" Imoen asked, pointing ahead. The hunched form of a ghoul was slowly shuffling towards them.
Kivan sighed. "Aye," he said.
"Wait, me no want fight!" the ghoul called out in a wet, gargling voice. "Me Korax, me friend!"
"Friend? I never heard of a friendly ghoul before," Ember said.
"Or a talking ghoul," Imoen added.
"It is indeed unheard of," Ajantis said. "The poor creature must somehow retain shreds of its humanity."
Minsc walked up to the ghoul. "Hello, Korax! I am Minsc, and this is Minsc's sword of justice," he said, brandishing his sword under what was left of the ghoul's nose. "You are a very strange friend, and Minsc cannot put sword away till he knows why Korax is a friend."
"Me will be good boy, me promise," the ghoul said. "Me will help you!"
"But why?" Kivan asked.
The ghoul hesitated. "Me know path in woods, will show you!" he said.
"Clearly, an explanation is beyond this creature. (Even though it is one of the smarter beings we have met today.)" Edwin said.
Ajantis chanted a brief spell and looked intently at the ghoul. After a while, he nodded. "I believe it has no ill will towards us, even though it is nigh impossible to read the undead. It is perhaps trying to seek penance for acts committed in its lifetime."
"How do you know it isn't trying to lead us into a trap!" Edwin protested.
Ajantis smiled coolly at the mage. "Its honest intent shows up clearer than yours," he said.
Ember looked at the ghoul. It was standing perfectly still; its one eye had a pleading look about it. "I think we should see where it'll take us," she said. "We may be able to help it, and if it takes us somewhere bad, we might be able to do something about that, too."
"Either way, it'll be interesting!" Imoen said.
"Korax can be our friend," Minsc told the ghoul, "but you must not do anything bad."
"Korax good dog, yes, good dog!" the ghoul exclaimed. It shambled into the woods and looked expectantly over its shoulder.
"The decision is made," Kivan said. "Follow it."
The ghoul was not following a specific path, but as far as Ember could tell, they were moving in a mostly straight line into the woods. The eerie stillness remained. It's as if nothing is alive here except us, Ember thought.
A few minutes later, they came across the first statue.
It was a perfectly sculpted bear, right down to the fur on its back. It was liberally covered by moss and lichen, but other than that, it looked like it was ready to move in a lumbering gait across their path. A second statue stood a bit further off; a gnoll, perfect in every detail. Its snout had broken off.
"Who made these?" Imoen said. "They're... perfect."
"A little too perfect," Ember said as they passed another bear, its paw raised as if to strike something.
They entered a clearing in the woods. At least a dozen statues of bears, wolves, gnolls and humans littered the open space. A living gnome walked from statue to statue, seemingly talking to each in turn. Soon, the gnome noticed them and approached with folded hands and a toothy grin.
"Greetingssss... I am Mutamin," the gnome said. "I hope you enjoy the artwork my pretty lizards have sculpted. They sculpt with their eyessss. They sculpt when nasty travellers come by, yesssss. I don't like nasty travellers. They should keep to the roads." He stuck two fingers between his lips and whistled shrilly. "You will join the beautiful work of art that standssss before you. You will become a piece of the art... forever," he said, grinning wider than ever.
Two large reptiles, one yellow and the other green, lumbered out from between the trees at the far end of the clearing. Mutamin.
"Basilisks!" Kivan hissed. "Do not look at them. Prepare yourselves, quick!" Edwin and Imoen immediately reached into their bags, searching for the appropriate protection scrolls.
The ghoul moved towards the two basilisks. "Korax sorry, but he so very hungry," the ghoul said. "He must eat now! He must eat you!" Ember and her friends watched with astonishment as the ghoul slammed his fists into the creatures' noses.
"They cannot petrify him," Ajantis said. "Now is our chance!" Edwin and Imoen quickly cast protections on everyone, and they all ran towards the basilisks.
"No! No! You cannot do thisss!" Mutamin shrieked. He fired a volley of magic missiles at the ghoul, but it was not enough to destroy the creature. Before he could cast a second spell, Kivan shot an arrow through the gnome's throat.
The basilisks, unable to petrify any of their attackers, were little trouble.
"Korax good doggie!" the ghoul declared when the last of the creatures died, and shambled towards one of the petrified humans; a woman, as far as they could tell in the waning light. Ajantis followed Korax and gently touched the petrified woman.
"Still warm! She lives yet," the paladin cried.
"Bring her back!" Imoen told Edwin, handing him a scroll of petrification reversal. The red wizard rolled his eyes at Imoen, but obediently read the scroll to the statue.
The stone shimmered and melted away, revealing a pale woman dressed in leathers. She moved unsteadily; Ajantis quickly offered her an arm. "What... who are... what has happened?" she asked dazedly.
"Rest yourself, you have likely been petrified for some time now," Ajantis told her.
"Petri...? How...? I remember fighting some gnolls with Korax... he fell... gods, he is gone! And... and then there was this lizard-thing... and then... and then you."
"Korax good boy," the ghoul said. The woman stared wide-eyed at the ghoul.
"He guided us here," Kivan explained.
"Oh, Korax..." the woman sobbed.
"Tamah safe now," the ghoul said.
"Yes," the woman whispered. "Tamah is safe. Thank you, Korax."
"Me must go now."
The woman smiled at the ghoul, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Go, my love," she said.
The ghoul appeared to smile. Its body trembled and fell to the ground. Then, there was nothing but ashes.
-.-.-
Tamah shared their camp that night, and in the morning, she helped check the other statues for signs of life. Unfortunately, none of them were still alive; they were all as cold as natural stone.
They offered to escort Tamah to the Friendly Arm Inn, but she declined. She was used to travelling and more than capable of taking care of herself, she said, and a few healing potions had been more than adequate to restore her health. Ember watched Tamah as she quietly gathered her lover's ashes in a burlap sack so that she could bury him properly. The woman's eyes were full of grief, but her manner was calm and peaceful. If it were me, I'd probably be screaming and crying and hitting things, Ember thought. To her surprise, she realized that she wished she were more like Tamah.
They gave Tamah one of their spare swords, rations for a day's worth of travel, and, despite Edwin's protestations, some gold. She thanked them profusely. "You have rescued a perfect stranger," Tamah said, "and asked for nothing in return. Certainly a selfless act if ever I have heard of one! I shall speak well of you to anyone that asks. Thank you once again!" Then she shook hands with the men, hugged Ember and Imoen, and set out for the Friendly Arm Inn.
"We must also leave. The bandit camp awaits us," Kivan said.
