Author's Note: Okay then; a big apology to anybody who happened to read this chapter within the first oh... fifteen minutes of posting. Late nights with lots of studying and homework make a poor error-checker, and there were some whoppers when I posted it initially. After reading it again, I caught them and did some fixing amidst head pounding against the desk, so if you read it and ran across some very blatant errors, they should be fixed now. Once again, my sincere apologies.
Abyss... a never-ending void of space, forever yearning to be filled and yet always hungering for more. This chasm, this gaping void that lay in the very center of the once grand and majestic Windspear Hall had just seen fit to swallow two more in an attempt to fill its ravenous maw. Tempting fate by offering another two might have seemed foolhardy, but the speed and exact same decision of the two women nearby to rush to the edge, looking over in horror and searching for some sign of the fallen was uncanny. "Minsc!!"
Aerie's cry echoed and reverberated down through the endless hole and back up to them, Jaheira's own cry of helplessness going out with it. Seemingly driven from her own daze by the sound of their two voices sweeping down the abyss, Jaheira shook her head and, though unable to keep the similar tones of worry from her own voice, she quickly drew back and turned to Garren, who was still in shock at his own rescue from such a fate. "What is the lowest level of this castle? Where does it lead?!"
"The dungeon... it is as far down as my castle ever went. But this hole... it goes far deeper than I ever dug in my own rule. Surely it will not reach the bottom-" he said, shaking his head with a hollow tone to his voice.
"But perhaps there is a way to access it from there. If Firkraag has been 'improving' your castle below while leaving the topside to rot, then it is a logical first step." Keldorn nodded, seeing Jaheira's logic. "We should head there immediately and see if we can find where Minsc and Greywulf may have landed. They may yet be alive."
Garren nodded as the others began to follow him swiftly, Aerie still showing signs of shock and grief as she stumbled along beside them. She suddenly felt a hand of comfort land on her shoulder... she looked up to see the last face she'd expected. Jaheira met her gaze and gave her a tight smile. "Don't worry... Greywulf and Minsc are two of the most capable men I have ever met. If anyone can survive, it will be those two."
Aerie nodded, visibly trying to calm herself and focus on the task at hand. Jaheira noted it with a hint of satisfaction... and inwardly, did the exact same thing as Aerie. She could not let the fear she felt inside overwhelm her, especially not in front of the girl... she had to be strong. For Greywulf, Minsc, and Aerie. Even as the five men and women tried to navigate through the old ruins of brick and stone, the chasm they had left behind still echoed just faintly with the cry Aerie had put forth into it. It bounced back and forth across stone and dirt and outcroppings of rock, descending much faster than would have been expected. Sooner or later, it would reach the pair that was hurtling downwards, the two men still falling uncontrollably through the dark and the cold. Tumbling head over heels as the wind rushed through his hearing, Greywulf's world was a jumble of colors and rocks; the only constant was the blurred shape beside him and the tight grip he held onto Minsc's wrist, desperately hoping to keep from being separated in their free-fall. It was going to be near impossible to slow themselves; even if they could, what would they land on to rest? There were levitation spells to be sure, but the magical demand they placed with each second of use was so much, he would only be able to manage it for a few seconds, certainly not with two people depending on his already divided concentration.
The further they went, the more apparent it became to Greywulf... his magics were useless. Magical snares and grabs, trying to catch on the various rocks embedded in the walls? The magics broke as soon as they solidified. Magical forces pushing downward in an attempt to equalize the force of gravity? Possible, if they were only falling thirty or forty feet. Most of the time, he would use magic to prevent getting into this situation, not getting out of it. The only possible salvation for them lie in brute strength... but Minsc did not seem to have any idea how to use it. That or he was unwilling to; perhaps the ranger had resigned himself to the fate beneath them; knowing they had done all they could. Garren had been saved at least... that was true enough. In the end, what more could they do? Greywulf fought a slowly growing urge to relax, to finally take a rest from his labors. Surely he and Minsc had both earned it-
The slightest noise pushed through the wind swept rush plaguing their hearing. Two faint but familiar cries reached them, the tones of Aerie and Jaheira somehow finding them and piercing their ears. The urgency and helplessness in the voices was like someone grabbing Greywulf and smacking him in the face. Any thoughts he might have been entertaining about finally giving up were banished; he strengthened his hold on Minsc and tried to catch his gaze in their falling world, staring at him as he so desperately tried to get Minsc to realize what he was thinking. The art of magically communicating thought was not one Greywulf had ever been good at; give enough time and spell ingredients he was capable, but on such short notice with everything still spinning in mid-air, there was no chance. Just trying to get the air into his lungs was proving a struggle- Come on!! We have to survive this! You heard them too; there are two women up there depending on us! We don't have the luxury of giving up!! Damn it Minsc, only you can save us right now!! Minsc!!!
As if hearing his very thoughts, a fierce cry echoed back from the ranger's mouth, his broad arms reaching behind him as they continued somersaulting downwards. Greywulf squinted through the rapidly darkening void as Minsc's free hand gripped the handle of Stonefire, yanking it forward. He slashed it outward, striking the rock and dirt wall they were beside. Even as it bounced off the wall, Minsc tried again-
An outcropping slammed into the two of them, shattering as they hit and sending Greywulf flying from Minsc's side. The pain was there but pushed away as their situation worsened. Greywulf felt something wet at his side; he couldn't see in the dark, but he had a strong suspicion he would need healing if they survived this. Still, Minsc reached out, trying to find Greywulf again in the darkness; Greywulf could faintly see the man's outline through his infravision; Minsc would not have the same luxury. The two had been knocked just a bit too far away to reconnect so easily; Greywulf tried to twist his body in midair as they continued to fall, reaching out magically to push himself towards the ranger... just enough. The wave rebounded off the opposite wall and nudged him toward the big man. His free hand clutched Minsc's shoulder and moved to solidify the grip as he wrapped his arm around his waist while the ranger tried his move again, this time bringing both axes into the wall. Showers of red and blue sparks rained from the impact of the axes as they tried to sink into the rock and dirt, powered by magic and the brute strength of the berserker Rashemaar. Any other axes would have been twisted beyond recognition in the first few seconds of the attempt, but the magical steel of the weapons proved more than up to the task.
Frostreaver and Stonefire continued to bounce off and around as Minsc applied more and more pressure to them, nearly losing his grip as they cut into the rock, leaving nicks and gashes that glimmered with red and blue, frost and fire; the axes jolted here and there but never quite found solid cutting material to dig into- there. Finding their niches at last, the axes began slicing long, half-foot deep ruts in the wall as they kept moving downward, their descent not stopping yet... but slowing. Oh, they were not anywhere close to stopping yet, but their descent was indeed slowing down. Seconds passed as Minsc's grunts of anger and effort were finally audible amidst the shrieking of the magical steel against rock, Greywulf finally seeing a sliver of hope that they might survive this. Given enough time, it was feasible they would have slowed to a halt. Given another hundred feet of cavern wall or another ten seconds and they would have been dead still, supported by Minsc's trembling and exhausted arms, but at the very least able to come up with some plan to either make their way back up or descend in a controlled fashion.
However... they didn't have another ten seconds. Only five of those precious increments of time remained... and then it was over. There was no more wall for the axes to dig into; it abruptly ended into an open cavern clearing below, the axes digging straight down and sending them into freefall once more. Minsc twisted around to try and see what was below them... only to see the ground rush up to meet them both.
X X X X X X X X
"I... I'm sorry, Aerie."
Aerie looked up from her stare towards the ratty carpet she had been maintaining since leaving the main hall and descending through the bowels of Castle Windspear toward the dungeon that Garren had informed them of. The shock of seeing both Minsc and Greywulf, whom she had considered and heard the others refer to as well, the heart and soul of the group, respectively, was almost too much for her to bear. Still, her surprised gaze met Garren Windspear's troubled face, a look of guilt and pain in his face. "Garren? Why are you-"
"I can see you were close to the sorcerer and ranger; it... it is my fault, truly. If not for my stubborn pride and refusal to stay at the cabin, your friends would not be in this danger now."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Garren." Aerie said, swallowing as the thought of the two men ran through her mind again. "You couldn't have just stayed home... your daughter is in danger. I do not blame you; none of us do."
"Truly, there is only one to blame for this tragedy." Yoshimo noted, slowing his pace just enough to join the two in conversation. "Perhaps when this is over we will all have received some manner of well-deserved payback."
At the front, Keldorn's eyes shut tight, his mouth tight as he fought back a shudder of anger. Maria's body, cold and lifeless... Keldorn picked her up gently, unwrapping the silk from her neck which had so violently ended her life. The tears still flowed down his face as he cradled her and held her body close- a small piece of parchment slipped from her gown, fluttering to the floor. Keldorn noticed; setting his wife down carefully, he bent to pick up the small note. As he read it, his eyes narrowed... his hand convulsed, crushing the note with a righteous fury like nothing he had ever felt before burning in the paladin's eyes. He picked her up again and descended the stairway, letting the note flutter to the floor as Keldorn moved to report the deaths of his family. The note partially unfolded as it finally touched the ground... dark red blood had been smeared on the parchment, writing a message. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. As much as he wanted to hate Firkraag... it could not be about vengeance. It could not be about revenge, if even for the murder of his wife and children. His anger could not be allowed to grow... it had to be quenched, turned into something manageable, something that a paladin could use. Justice, not vengeance. That's what it had to be. If anything else... he could not allow it. Keldorn breathed deeply as he tried to center himself-
"Keldorn? We have reached the cellar doors. Garren said they should lead to the dungeon." Keldorn's head jerked up, nodding to Jaheira who was watching him with a frown. "Keldorn, are you well?"
"I will be fine... please, lead on. I shall watch the rear for some time." He said, bowing to let her pass as he slipped to the end of the line. Jaheira did not hesitate but kept them moving, despite the fear and doubt that plagued her steps. Losing Minsc and Greywulf... it was not a prospect she ever wanted to think about much less face, and here she was, clinging to the slim, some might say unreasonable hope the two of them could have survived the fall she had seen them undergo. It was eerily similar to a situation she had faced with Khalid during their years before marrying; an investigation had taken a sour turn, and Khalid had disappeared into a chasm while chasing their foes through a system of caves that appeared to spell his end. Many there had written him off, given up hope right away, but Jaheira refused to admit defeat so quickly. She had searched and searched, with and without the support of her teammates, and in the end they had found him. Bruised and battered, but alive. Without her unflagging hope he would have been lost; still, it was one of the first moments she had realized how much she really loved him.
The rest of her Harper squad had been relieved... the Harper squad... she felt a grimace spread across her face at the thought of her kin. Too many things nowadays reminded her of the betrayal at the Harper Hold. Galvarey was powerful; he had many connections in the organization. Despite her messages, she was certain the events would be told from the favor of the dead traitor. One of the few remaining things that gave her strength was the fact that she was not alone in this; that she had those close to her to fight and stand by her side even as she did the same for them. Minsc and Greywulf... the fear of losing them ran through her again. She swallowed the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her, and with a determined shake of the head, set off down the stairway, dimly lit by torches and fading lanterns.
Aerie's magic quickly proved to be the only light in the dim staircase, keeping them from tumbling to their doom on the treacherous walk. Crumbling stairs and moss and slime made the path slick, a difficult journey even in full light. After endless walking, the stair began to level off and open from a narrow portal downwards into a large underground cavern. They were still inside the formal castle, as was evidenced by the large amount of torches and royal insignias mounted upon the wall, but like every other place, the sign of orc and goblin destruction was rampant.
They had not gone much further before Jaheira motioned for Aerie to dim her lights, hoping to avoid attention from any creatures of the darkness. Luck was not to be had though, for not more than a dozen steps had been taken before a sharp growling was heard echoing down the hall; the feral panting of a beast made little question as to what creatures lurked in the shadows before them. Unable to see the threat completely, Aerie brought her arm in a full circle, sounding incantations as she did. A flash went out, igniting all the torches upon the walls with blue flame. With the new illumination, the group saw their approaching attackers; two wolfweres growled at their prey, leaping out as their advantage of stealth was taken away.
Keldorn stepped up immediately to the first of the leaping creatures, immediately bringing the Hallowed Redeemer across his body to defend. It batted the wolfwere aside, though damage was negligible. Yoshimo had already backed up and drawn his bow, launching an arrow into the shoulder of the second wolfwere. It jolted its charge a bit, but the beast shrugged it off and launched itself anyway. Jaheira seemed to blur in from nowhere with her spear, sticking it into the hide of the beast from the side as she knocked it completely off course, rolling away from the relieved bounty hunter as he quickly switched weapons to his katanas.
The battle raged hard and fierce, the regenerative capabilities of the beasts making them unusually tough opponents, even more so than trolls. A difficult balance was struck, dodging between striking the beasts quickly enough to hurt them and evading the claws and teeth of the Wolfweres was no easy task. Aerie's magics were mostly ineffective against them, so she switched to a supporting role, blessing her allies and keeping them filled with vigor and strength. As the two beasts continued their mad frenzy, Aerie backed up slightly and pointed at the group, uttering a few arcane words. A whirlwind seemed to engulf each of the party members, hastening their actions to superhuman heights. With this new advantage, they went about their task swiftly; with a mighty shout from the former Lord of the Windspear Hills, Garren's blade flew downwards and cut off the head of one of the Wolfweres as it made a desperate leap at Aerie.
"Do not let it escape; perhaps it will lead us to the lower levels!" Keldorn barked as they flew after the wounded and fleeing wolfwere, slowly continuing downwards, further and further into the depths of the Castle and the dangers that lay below.
X X X X X X X
Pain... it was less a question of what hurt, more of what didn't hurt. There was only slight comfort to get in the fact that feeling the pain in his legs was better than not feeling them at all. Greywulf's world was spinning; despite the fact his eyes were still clenched shut. He had preferred unconsciousness; at least he hadn't been able to endure such agony then. He tried to inhale, almost immediately clenching in pain. The ribs he had injured in battle with Gaal had more than likely been rebroken; Jaheira would not be happy at having to repeat her healings.
How far had they fallen, Minsc and himself? He could barely remember the whole event; they had come close to stopping, he remembered that. Now, he felt lucky just to be alive. Trying to focus enough to open his eyes, he finally pried them open, the blurry surroundings not much better than before. Craning his head to the side, he could make out a large human sized shape beside him, crumpled over on the ground. A small squeak reached his ears; squinting hard enough he could make out a small furry shape skittering back and forth on the top of the unconscious ranger. Greywulf smiled through cracked lips; perhaps Boo was more than a regular hamster after all.
He tried to roll over, to give himself some measure of leverage for standing, but a sharp jolt of pain hit his shoulder almost immediately. Trying to turn his eyes enough to see, he fought back a wave of sickness that threatened him at the sight. A small yet jagged stalagmite, grown out of the cavern floor, was impaling his right shoulder at the moment, the bloodied tip protruding through the flesh and meat and bone at the shoulder joint. He managed a bitter smile; he should consider himself lucky; a foot to the right and it would have struck his head. A sudden flash of memory hit him to when they were plummeting downward; a sticky wet feeling at his side. He groaned, stopping immediately for pain, then ran one hand down there, frowning as he felt a few pieces of broken edges and glass. Realization hit him as he simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief and a curse.
Managing to crane his head just enough to look, sure enough, there was no dramatic injury there, only a soreness that spoke to one hell of a bruise. However, the three healing potions he kept on his belt were smashed and spent, shattered when he had collided with the rock outcropping on the way down. Fantastic... I'm all but unconscious, Minsc still is, my healing potions are gone, and neither of us are healers. Chances of survival are looking pretty bad; have to find some way of moving from this position and keeping my shoulder from bleeding out, waking Minsc up and making sure he'll be fit to travel, navigating through a completely unknown and strange cavern that's probably crawling with Firkraag's men, find the rest of the party, and then rescue Garren's daughter. And make it back to the surface alive. Sometimes I hate my life.
A guttural growling noise came from somewhere behind Greywulf, the sorcerer almost immediately freezing as he heard the noise. Staying perfectly still as the adrenaline flooded his weary system, he started analyzing his options. None looked particularly favorable. The distinctive sound of an orc grunting finally made itself known, coming closer without a doubt. Greywulf reached around for the familiar feel of his quarterstaff, but finding it while lying down would be next to impossible if- and a rather large if at that, it had even made it down in one piece. A nasty orcish laugh sounded, and it was rather obvious he had been seen. Greywulf tried to remember the words to his spellcraft, tried to recite some sort of protection or wizardry to keep the two of them alive for a few more seconds, but whether by sheer exhaustion or lack of concentration, the magic fizzled before it had even finished forming in his trembling hands.
As if emboldened by the sight, the footsteps of the orc behind him sounded faster, obviously hurrying to claim his share of the spoil before his fellows arrived, Greywulf thought bitterly. The thuds grew closer and closer- a blur to the left of Greywulf drew his attention as the footsteps abruptly halted, replaced with a gurgling noise that Greywulf had heard a number of times before, usually when someone had a blade or some similar weapon embedded in their stomach. Craning his head, he sighed in disbelief as he saw Minsc on his side, his massive arm holding the Sword of Chaos in the approaching orcs' stomach. The orc blade was upraised as it looked down in disbelief, crumpling over as Minsc yanked the blade out, sinking back to the ground with a quick smile at Greywulf.
"You had me worried there for a moment." Greywulf managed, trying to keep the familiar humor in his voice as they lay together. "Thought our luck had just about run out."
"Boo has enough luck for both of us... but right now Minsc would like some healing." the ranger tossed back, bringing a smile to both their faces in such a dark place. "Can you move?"
"Not very well; let's just say that my shoulder's shot, and unless I get some healing soon, the rest of me will be too. You?"
"Minsc does... does not think his leg should bend this way." Greywulf glanced down at Minsc's left leg and winced; the joint at the knee was obviously pushed way out of its normal line of movement, and judging from the rest of the lower leg, there were several fractures running along the bone there as well. He must have landed on it when they reached bottom; still, if not for Minsc's efforts with the two axes, they'd both be dead right now. "I suppose either of us going for help is out of the question then."
Minsc nodded with a grimace, dropping his grip on the sword he carried for a moment as he rested himself on one arm. "Do not fear, Greywulf. Keldorn and Jaheira and Aerie and Yoshimo will find us, and we will all be reunited once more!"
"Good to see you haven't lost hope... I wish I had your kind of confidence." Greywulf smiled wearily, trying desperately not to move his shoulder. "I don't suppose the healing potions on your belt survived the trip..."
Minsc did a surprisingly good job of not showing pain as he tried to sit up and look at his belt, but could not stifle an intense grimace as his leg twitched a hair. Unsurprisingly, the potions on his belt were crushed as well. "That's all right..." Greywulf shook his head when Minsc noted the lack thereof. "We'll make do. Like you say, I'm sure Jaheira will find us soon and lecture us on the virtues of learning how to jump. In a little while we'll all be wishing we were back here on the ground rather than listening to her yell at us."
The joke was half-hearted and rather contrived, but Minsc smiled nonetheless. The two of them laid there in silence for a while, the only sound the dripping of water and their heavy and labored breathing. Greywulf glanced over at Minsc again, trying to get a feel for any other injuries that might need tending too. Miraculously, his armor had prevented much injury to the man's torso or chest, though it would need some major blacksmithing if they got out. There was a rather nasty gash that ran across his bald head, undoubtedly from their mid-air collision with the rocky outcropping. Still, it looked like it the cut had stopped bleeding for now; any exertion and it might start again. "Greywulf? May we ask you a question?"
Minsc's oddly normal sounding question was a bit off, but Greywulf did his best to shrug with one shoulder and replied, "Of course... it's not like either of us are going anywhere."
"Our witch Aerie sounded and looked like she was perhaps... eh, growing fond of you. Not in the way that Minsc is fond of smacking down villains or that Imoen is fond of pulling pranks..."
"I know which way you meant, Minsc." Greywulf chuckled, trying not to cough as his ribs jolted him again. "What about it?"
"Minsc wonders... perhaps this is not his business, and Minsc has often warned Boo on the evils of eavesdropping, but Boo could not help but overhear you and Aerie speaking. He mentioned how you told her that you and she would not go together in the way she hoped you would. As Aerie's protector, we were wondering... why?"
Of all the conversations he had carried out with the big ranger, this was definitely one of the... odder ones. "Well Minsc... if Boo was listening in, he should know why. I'm fairly certain I explained it in-depth."
"Well, Minsc may disagree, but he understands; he wonders if perhaps... if perhaps there is someone else Greywulf is fond of instead." Minsc inquired innocently.
Greywulf rolled his eyes with a grin as he lay there, wondering if the blood loss was making them both dizzy. "I never pegged you as being the gossipy sort, Minsc. When did you become interested in the romantic affairs of the party?"
Minsc did not answer, only shrugged. Finally, Greywulf sighed and answered him. "No... none that I can think of. I'm a hopeless bachelor, Minsc."
The ranger nodded; still, his body language betrayed a question he was still hiding, something he desperately wanted to ask and yet dared not. The sorcerer sighed and said with a hint of amused exasperation, "Minsc, for the love of Helm, just ask whatever it is you want! Surely we've known each other long enough to be comfortable with topics of romance and dating."
"Does our friend Greywulf like our friend Jaheira in that way?"
Dead silence...
More silence...
A pot of silence with a dash of silence thrown in here and there, boiled over a roaring fire of silence.
"Minsc said, 'Does our-"
"I heard you the first time, Minsc." Greywulf replied, though his tone was obviously one of shock and total bewilderment on how to respond.
"Then what is your answer?"
"My- wow. Minsc, I'm really not quite sure what to say to that. You are talking about the same Jaheira I'm thinking of, right? The one who's probably cursing our stupidity even as she worries herself to death about our safety?"
"Yes. Also, Minsc notes, the one who let herself be injured so she could bring you back to life."
"The one who constantly berates me over whether or not my pack is tied up well enough for the day's hike?"
"Yes. And the one who will always take the burden of your pack on herself if you have been injured."
Greywulf frowned, seeing where Minsc was heading with this. "And don't forget, the one who just lost her husband a few months ago?"
Minsc's response was a bit slower this time, and a bit more deliberate. "Yes. And the one who has depended on you through it all for support and comfort. The one who is devoted to you above all else, and would give her own life for."
"She'd give her own life for any of us, Minsc." he responded, but Minsc merely shrugged. "You have not answered our question yet."
Before either could say more, and to Greywulf's relief, before he had to answer the question, a voice broke through the silence, "Minsc! Greywulf!"
Her familiar tones were unmistakable, both Minsc and Greywulf tried to look at where the source was, to see the Avariel elf in the darkness. Slowly, Aerie's form began appearing in the dark before them. "Aerie; you have no idea how glad we are to see you-"
Greywulf was cut off as he saw Aerie fully, a number of swords to her back as she stared at the two men in horror, the other four with her either unconscious and carried by orcs or similarly kept from moving by threat of blade. A hulking form came past Aerie into the light, an ugly sneer on his scarred and monstrous face as he stared at the sorcerer lying on the ground "On the contrary; you have no idea how long I have awaited this day, Bhaalspawn..."
The face flashed through his memory for a moment... then came both recognition and horror. "Tazok."