"Oh, look, a welcoming committee, what a surprise," Marcus observed dryly, after entering the cave and coming face to face with about a dozen githyanki.
"Zeeaire has foretold your coming, Kalach-Cha," said the commander of the githyanki, smiling viciously. "She has sent me here to end you."
The harbourman snorted. "Not if I end you first, gith," he growled. "We've butchered so many of you, I'm surprised there's any of you left." Marcus was in a very foul mood, and it had all started with the gith attack on the Flagon. Having to work with the smart ass ranger hadn't helped.
"Slay the Kalach-Cha," cried the gith commander in a resolute tone. "For Zeeaire!"
After dispatching their welcoming committee, Marcus and company carefully made their way through the winding cave system. As they went, they not only encountered githyanki, but imps and succubi as well, which made the harbourman wonder what in the hells he was up to his neck in. They'd even come across the construct that had attacked them in Neverwinter, though now it was completely inert.
"I do not like this, Marcus," Casavir said. "Someone must have summoned the imps and succubi that we have been facing. There is another unknown party here, but what is their goal?" the paladin wondered.
"I don't know, Casavir, but having to fight those demonic females as well as the gith isn't on my preferred list of things to be doing," Marcus replied.
"Did I hear you right, oh great leader?" Bishop asked snidely. "You don't like fighting demonic females? Yet you're more than willing to get intimate with her?" the ranger said, pointing at the tiefling. "That's a double standard if I ever heard one."
"I'm nothing like those demonic bitches, Bishop," Neeshka snarled. "But I'm more than willing to make an exception in your case, so you can see how demonic I can be," she said sweetly, her eyes flashing dangerously.
Marcus sighed, but before he could think of anything else, his attention was taken by the cavern they were coming up to. In the centre was a hulking creature flanked by several succubi and gith. Standing before them was a bald-headed man.
"I think we're about to find out, Casavir. Look," Marcus said, pointing up ahead.
"Find the githyanki leader and retrieve the shards from her, Zaxis. Leave no one alive," the man said, addressing the large creature, before it lumbered off deeper into the cave.
The man paused, looking over his shoulder and smiled before he turned back to the succubi. "As for these newcomers... deal with them," he said casually before he ran off after the creature.
"Just who was that guy with the beard and glowing tattoos?" Neeshka asked, as they took a break after clearing the cave of gith and demons. They'd stopped in front of a pair of large stone doors that Marcus had recognised as being Illefarn in origin.
"A warlock," Casavir said quietly. "A very powerful one, too, for we saw him summon that demon, Zaxis."
Marcus was standing by the stone doors, looking at them. "Now we enter the gith's real base. An old Illefarn ruin, by the looks of these doors," he said, as he opened the door and stepped through. The harbourman's heart skipped a beat when he saw what was on the other side. It wasn't the three succubi that had him worried, oh no. It was the devil they were clearly tormenting that had Marcus wondering, and not for the first time, what in the hells he was up to his neck in.
"What did you find out, Sand?" Kari asked.
"Well, our tiefling, Neeshka, is, as I suspected, no ordinary tiefling. From the information I've found, she had an enchantment placed on her when she was in the care of Helm's Hold," Sand said. "It is now starting to... fade for want of a better term and that was why I could feel her power. It seems it was done when she was about two or three years of age as she'd started to show signs of premonition." The wizard smiled. "That alone was enough to send the priests into a panic. They didn't want someone with power they couldn't control, so they simply had it suppressed. Crude, but effective… and, given her age at the time, the only option they felt happy with."
"There were other options?" Kari asked.
"There are always options, dear girl," Sand replied. "They could have brought her to the mages of the Cloaktower, here in Neverwinter. That would have been the wisest thing to have done. Second is what they chose to do, simply suppress Neeshka's abilities, which is not without consequences, and third," the wizard paused, "I don't think I need to tell you what the third option could have been."
"So what do we do now?" Aarin asked, concerned.
The moon elf smiled. "I'll have to train her, of course," Sand said simply. "She'd never submit to the same enchantment now. If I can get to her before it fully fails, I can teach her to control and use her powers safely. Otherwise she could well go mad." The wizard sighed. "Which, at the lighter end of things, would mean she may just act a little oddly at times but, at worst, Marcus may be forced to slay the woman he loves."
Kari and Aarin exchanged a look, and then Kari turned back to Sand.
"Do it, Sand. Train her. Neeshka doesn't deserve to go insane and the man she loves doesn't need to lose her either."
Sand smiled. "Very well, consider it done, dear girl." The moon elf stood and walked out of Kari's home, heading for the Flagon.
This brings new meaning to the phrase handsome devil, Marcus thought with irony. The man in front of them, clearly bound to the summoning circle, may have looked elven but it was his eyes that told the truth. They reminded the harbourman of Neeshka's eyes, but they were much more sinister in appearance.
"Well met. I am grateful to you for ridding me of those... nuisances," the devil said pleasantly.
"Careful, harbour boy... there's something strange about him," Neeshka said, suspicious, as she stepped closer to Marcus, taking his hand. She sniffed. "He smells like a pit fiend, one of the higher devils of the Hells," the tiefling whispered.
The pit fiend smiled on seeing Neeshka at the harbourman's side. "Ah... it seems you have brought blood of the Lower Planes with you. Well met to you, tiefling," the devil said as he bowed slightly.
"Don't talk to me like we're friends!" Neeshka cried angrily.
"Easy, sweetheart. I don't trust him anymore than you do, Neesh, but we need to talk to him, alright?" Marcus said quietly.
"Well, all right... but I never trust anyone who's polite as he is." Neeshka shivered. "Apart from you and Casavir," she added with a weak smile.
The devil arched a fine eyebrow. This is indeed an unexpected turn of events, he mused. Not only do I encounter one of my own bloodline, but she seems to be in a relationship with…This could be most advantageous. "Such prejudices are not uncommon, my tiefling friend, even in the lower realms... I meant no offence," the pit fiend said, and then he turned back to Marcus. "Regardless of your intent, young man, your actions have benefited me. I wish to help you in return, if you will allow it," he said elegantly.
"Careful in dealing with him Marcus," Casavir spoke up. "Devils are lawful beings and have strict rules they must follow when interacting with others. However, that does not change their natures."
Marcus folded his arms over his chest. "I don't trust you, fiend, but if I don't accept your help, well, we won't be getting much further," he said, looking at the shimmering wall that blocked their path.
The pit fiend nodded, with a smile. "Your paladin friend is correct however as you see, I am not here by choice. I was bound to this circle by the githyanki... old enemies of yours, I believe. Once bound, I was forced to shape the barrier you see ahead to prevent any... trespass."
Marcus frowned. "So… how do the githyanki pass, then?" he asked.
"Oh, it was not the githyanki that commanded such a shaping. My fortunes have shifted, and I have passed from one master to another," the pit fiend explained. "The soul of the githyanki who summoned me was devoured by a tanar'ri, a demon named Zaxis... a recent arrival. By consuming her, Zaxis has gained the githyanki's power over me... and I cannot disobey his command," the devil said. "If nothing is done, the barrier, unfortunately, will remain. And it is no simple thing of stone, metal, or clever lock. Similar to the githyanki portals, the barrier exists outside this plane." The pit fiend went on. "It has been shaped into an extradimensional wall through which nothing may pass. It cannot be dispelled, but my presence here feeds it and allows it to maintain its shape. If you were to banish me, however, it would resume its natural shape, a tiny sphere... far less of an obstruction than the wall ahead."
"Alright, how can I banish you, then?" Marcus asked. I hope to Torm this works, he thought.
"You can banish me by speaking my true name... and, of course, I will need your promise that you will use it only to banish me," the pit fiend said. "This agreement will be as binding as this circle. If you have any doubts, please know that I only wish free passage for us both. Do you agree?"
After a few moments thought, Marcus nodded. "As long as you honour your side in thought and deed, then yes," he said.
The pit fiend inclined his head respectfully. "Of course. Laws bind my kind as well, you know. Now, listen carefully... my true name is 'Mephasm'. Speak my name and say, 'I command you be banished from this plane'. And I shall be free of this place."
Alright, here we go. "Mephasm, I command you be banished from this plane," Marcus said in a calm clear voice. He wasn't calm on the inside, however.
The magic barrier blocking the hallway to the inner complex begin to dissipate. Mephasm let out a relieved sigh. "At last... I feel the circle unravelling... and look, the barrier relaxes into its normal shape, as promised. I shall call it to me so you might see..." he said, raising an arm. "Look, barely a pebble, and an obstruction no more," he said, as he handed the small glowing gem-like stone to Marcus. "Here, keep it, it may be of use in the time between our next meeting."
"Next meeting? Not if we can help it," Neeshka said ruefully.
"Ah, would that you were able, my little one," Mephasm said cryptically. "We will meet again." Then the pit fiend simply faded from existence.
"So what's the news about Marcus?" Georg asked.
"It's mainly rumour and hearsay, unfortunately, due to the lockdown," Merring warned. "But it seems he's a member of the Watch and a Lieutenant who answers directly to Watch Captain Brelaina."
"That's good to hear," said Georg with a hint of pride. "His militia training will serve him well."
"Then it gets… interesting," Merring said. "It seems young Marcus has got himself a lady friend, who, it has to be said, is somewhat… unusual to say the least."
"Marcus, a lady friend?" Tarmas asked, surprised. "Sometimes I wondered if he knew what a girl looked like."
"What is so unusual about her, Merring?" Daeghun asked.
"It seems his lady friend is a tiefling," Merring said.
"A tiefling? As in 'with-horns-and-maybe-a-tail' tiefling?" Georg asked, astonished.
"Do you know of any other kind?" remarked Tarmas dryly.
Merring nodded. "Yes, and this I can partly confirm, as Natrisse saw Marcus and some of his friends being escorted past the temple to the sage's house. And there was a young woman walking to his right who clearly was a tiefling, as she had horns and a tail."
The four men sat in silence, not quite knowing what to say or think.
The large demon turned slowly to face the party of adventurers. "Zaxis does not know how you got past the barrier, but Zaxis is pleased to see you," the demon said mockingly. "All our bashing and rending have failed to open this door, but our claws will tear you easily."
Neeshka grinned. "Let me handle this, harbour boy," she said, sauntering forward. "He sure does have an odd smell, though," the tiefling added with a frown.
"Why do you wait, tiefling? Do you fear to face Zaxis?" the demon taunted, looking down at Neeshka.
"No, just wondering when you last had a bath," Neeshka replied, holding her nose. "We are both here for the same reason, and that door blocks both our progress."
"Yes... the door will not yield to Zaxis. The one within, the female gith, Zeeaire, has sealed it." The demon growled in frustration.
"Won't your master be displeased if you fail him?" Neeshka asked.
"Yes... his anger will be great. If Zaxis fails his task, he shall be cast down," the demon admitted. Zaxis wasn't very bright, it was rather plain.
"Who would dare to do such a thing to one as powerful as you?" the tiefling asked.
"The master wields great magics... greater than any mortal Zaxis has ever faced. Many demons have been torn from the Lower Planes, now and in the past, to follow him," the demon answered.
"So he has summoned others of your kind in the past?" Marcus asked curiously.
"Oh yes! Many decades ago, he subverted many demon-kind to his cause. Zaxis was one among many to join his campaign. He led Zaxis and his brethren to face an army of soldiers of the flesh-town Neverwinter." The demon began to sound gleeful. "Along the way he could not stop the demons from playing, so many villages were consumed in the wake. Never before or since did Zaxis glut on so much mortal flesh. But now this door thwarts Zaxis, keeps him from the gith!"
The harbourman's blood boiled. He knew all too well what the demon was referring to. Marcus took a deep breath to calm himself. "Wait... if your task was to breach the door, you've already failed your master, haven't you?"
"Zaxis has not failed! The door stands but it will fall!" the demon yelled.
"Ooooooh. I'm sure the door is shaking off its hinges with fear... oh, wait, it's not!" Neeshka said with a wicked grin.
"No! Zaxis only needs more time, that is all…" Zaxis had been defeated by his own stupidity. A few seconds of silence… and then a burning crevice opened up in the stone floor and swallowed the demon. As he disappeared, the demon cried out one last time. "Rrrrrrrr, NOOOO!"
"Sand, what in the hells are you doing here at this hour?" Duncan asked.
"Keep your shirt on, Duncan. Are Marcus and Neeshka here?" the wizard asked.
"Uh... No, they're not, Sand. Why, what's wrong?"
The moon elf frowned. "That's inconvenient," he muttered. "Oh, nothing to worry yourself over, Duncan. But I will need to see them when they get back from whatever misadventure they're currently on," Sand said, as he turned and left the Flagon.
"Though these demons were unanticipated, your arrival was not. I have seen it burning brightly in my visions for some time," Zeeaire, leader of the githyanki said. "How long did you think you could escape us? You have stolen our shards, defiled them with your touch, and now you will die, Kalach-Cha."
"You have kidnapped Shandra against her will, and you will answer for that crime," Marcus said calmly, not at all impressed by the head gith.
"Trust me, once he gets on your trail, you're doomed," Shandra said from her cage.
"Know that you are in no position to demand anything from me. You will answer for your crimes... along with this frail thing that carries the last of the Jerro blood," Zeeaire snarled.
"Really? So you're going to kill me without telling me my crimes? Some justice that is," Marcus said in his best mocking voice.
"You truly do not know your crimes?" Zeeaire asked, surprised. "Very well, let me recount them. You have slaughtered many of our people, and you hold in your possession relics sacred to the githyanki, a... silver sword of our people, fragments of it."
"It seems a lot of trouble for just one blade," Elanee said.
"You put too much importance on his crime. He has nothing that other thieves have not stolen before. Do you think there is something special or unique about his crime, or the shards his carries? There is not!" Zeeaire told the wood elf.
"I don't think so," Marcus said thoughtfully. "I'm beginning to suspect that this blade is more important to you than your minions know."
"You dare to presume to know more than I about this matter?" Zeeaire asked. "You know nothing of what you have done, nor the importance of what you carry!" she said, trying to hide the truth.
"So these shards are part of something more than just a silver sword?" the harbourman asked, going for the kill.
One of the other githyanki who had been frowning at last spoke up. "Zeeaire, forgive my words, but... I, too, felt the power from the shards when the Kalach-Cha entered, and when I gathered the shards you carry."
"As did I. This seems a matter greater than us. Our Queen should know of it. It has been too long since we have sent word to her of our... actions here," another githyanki said.
Zeeaire was beginning to panic, as she saw her troops getting confused. "Ignore the words of the criminal, they are deceptions... he seeks to manipulate you as our illithid masters once did, do not allow it!" she said, but it was too late. She'd lost about half her men. "Now you will face your punishment, Kalach-Cha. It is why your path brought you here... and why the shards you carry will soon be added to mine!"
Zeeaire raised her hands as she cast a powerful spell, and all of the shards in the harbourman's belt pouch floated away from Marcus and hung in the air just in front of him. Marcus wasn't that surprised. "Did you really think you could keep such relics of my people? They do not belong to you… Odd, I have all the ones you carry... yet it seems you still possess one." Zeeaire cast a more forceful spell.
Marcus fell to his knees and jerked in a spasm of agony. He clutched at his chest, which was now glowing brightly where his old chest wound was.
"What in the Nine Hells is she doing to you, harbour boy?" Neeshka whispered, terrified.
Awareness came into Zeeaire's eyes and she cackled triumphantly.
"You have a piece of the Sword inside of you." Marcus's wound suddenly glowed brighter and he convulsed in great pain, letting out an ear-splitting scream. "And I shall remove it from you by force!"
Marcus was only barely aware of the fighting erupting round him, he was in that much pain. He felt as if his heart had almost been ripped from his chest while it was still beating. He stood shakily and, realising he still held the stone that Mephasm had given him, he used the last of his strength to toss it at Zeeaire's portal. The harbourman was rewarded with a satisfying explosion before his world turned black.
"You... think this is over?" Zeeaire asked weakly. "You are wrong, mate of the Kalach-Cha, and I hope the pain you have brought here is revisited upon you a thousandfold. The Lich Queen will know of my fall... yes... but it will be too late." She coughed. "What comes for you will be revenge enough."
Neeshka just looked stony faced at the dying githyanki.
"We were never the ones you had to fear. In defying us, he has harmed his own people and everything on this plane. The githyanki will strike at him no longer; this was the last of our strongholds devoted to the recovery of the shards... there will be no more attacks from my people, because it will serve no purpose... he has sealed your fate."
"What are you on about, you green faced bitch?" Neeshka snarled.
"The shards he carried were needed... the shard in him, all are needed. Evil wakes, mate of the Kalach-Cha, and in killing me, you now stand alone against what comes," Zeeaire said mockingly.
"You're the only evil here, gith bitch," Neeshka said, her eyes blazing.
Zeeaire smiled a little. "And there you are wrong. An ancient enemy comes for him, one that has existed for millennia. Your mate has already felt the effects of his presence, and he will grow stronger with time. This enemy, this King of Shadows... if he succeeds in his plans, your mate's civilization will become dust, and all life will be consumed by darkness. I will see you in death, mate of the Kalach-Cha. I do not think I... will have to wait long."
As the light went out in her eyes, Zeeaire's body turned to dust. The shards lay among the ashes, glimmering. All Neeshka had to do was bend down and pick them up.
Marcus groaned. "Torm's teeth that hurt," he mumbled, as he stood slowly on shaky legs. Neeshka was at his side almost at once, supporting him. "Thanks, Neesh," he said, and then he saw what was left of Zeeaire. "Damn! Did she say anything?" he asked.
"Yeah… but I'll tell you later when you can think straight," Neeshka replied as she gave him the shards, including the ones Zeeaire had. "Though she did call me 'mate of the Kalach-Cha'. Cool, huh?" she asked with a smile.
Marcus laughed, then regretted it. "Ow! Damn, that hurts," he said, rubbing his chest. "I don't even want to know how the gith knew about us." Then the harbourman frowned. "Duncan and Daeghun have a lot of explaining to do," he muttered.
"I'm getting so tired of this. You have to let me save you sometime, or else I'll never be able to pay you back," Shandra said, once she'd been let out of her cage by Casavir.
"Oh, don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for you to pay all of us on the way back to Neverwinter," Bishop said suggestively.
"You all put me in danger! I'm not paying you a single coin," Shandra exclaimed.
"Well, then you'll be paying me another way. My bedroll's a little cold at night. I'm thinking you can fix that," the ranger said seductively- but there was no warmth in his words.
"Your words are vile and disrespectful, Bishop. The women of this party are to be treated with respect," Casavir said sternly.
Elanee rolled her eyes, Marcus scowled, and Shandra suppressed a shudder. All of them were disgusted at Bishop's behaviour and all would be glad to see the back of him once they got back to Neverwinter.
"You know, I could always set you on fire, Bishop," Neeshka said with a devilish grin. "That'd solve two problems."
"You wound me, girl… or is that jealousy I hear?" Bishop said mockingly. "Don't worry, I'll get to you soon enough," he said with a sniff.
The harbourman's expression darkened considerably at the ranger's lewd suggestion towards Neeshka. He'd been mad enough when Bishop was having a go at Shandra and now…now he just saw red. "I will not have you speaking to Shandra like that, Bishop, or any other woman that's in the party," he growled. "You may not be a gentleman, but at the very least try and act like it." If he hadn't still been in a great deal of pain, he might have been tempted to do more than just growl at the ranger.
Bishop raised an eyebrow. "Quick to defend both the demon girl and the farm girl, I see, and not hard to see why, from the looks of them. But… perhaps my words were ill-chosen, just like this journey. Now that we have our precious little treasure, shall we go?" the ranger asked.
