Firkraag's lair was set inside a hollowed mountain and a big part of it was occupied by a maze full of Ogres, Trolls and Goblins. The adventurers and the paladins worked well together, despite the misgivings of some of them and managed to reach the corridor to the fourth room, even if they had to leave a trail of corpses behind to do it.
After Yoshimo had picked the lock, the door opened and a woman came forward, a sword in her hands and a snarl on her face, a group of five men following her closely. "Stop! I have already killed some of...Oh", she blinked and lowered her weapon when she saw the Humans, "Sorry, I thought you were another group of Ogres. There's lots of them in this place".
Edwin snorted, "Well, obviously you were wrong! (As if anyone could ever mistake me for an Ogre! In the case of the Rashemi gorilla, on the other hand...)". Meg cleared her throat to hide a chuckle and addressed the stranger, "As you can see, we're not Ogres. May we know who you are?". "I'm Samia, a gra...An archaeologist. Are you here for the tomb too?". "I didn't even know there was one, actually. We're here to save a child kidnapped by a bandit on behalf of Firkraag".
"I see. I was accosted by some Firkraag guy, he said I would need his protection to get to my destination. It's not been that hard so far, just a handful of Ogres and Goblins, but now we're stuck", Samia smiled, "Maybe we could join forces. How about you help us in finding the tomb of King Strohm the Third? It's a treasure of immense historical value, you know", she added with a strange glint in her eyes.
"Sorry, but we can't spare any time for that: there's a living child who needs our help more than you. History will have to wait". The grave robber dropped her act, "Damn! I had hoped to have you do the hard work for us...And we obviously can't work with you goody-two-shoes behind our backs. Kill them, guys!". "Figures", the Ilmatari muttered, blocking Samia's sword with her enchanted staff.
The group of ruffians didn't stand a chance against the small army composed by the combined forces of Meg's party and Ajantis' group and soon the floor was littered with dead bodies. The Painbearer sighed, "Let's get some rest, ladies and gentlemen", she suggested and busied herself with looting the corpses, while the others sat down to catch their breath.
Ajantis shot her a dirty look, "You proved me right once again, Bhaalspawn: you bring nothing but death and misery to those you meet", he spat and she started and silently walked back into the third room, where she sat out of view with her knees close to her chest.
Anomen quickly joined her, "Don't pay him any mind, Meg", he said soothingly, "He knows nothing about you". "But he's right! It's my fault that Taar is in danger: Firkraag is using him as bait for me, just as Jon is doing with Immy", the young woman murmured sadly.
"Helm's beard, you can't always take the blame for everything! Firkraag is the villain here, not you", he replied and without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Forget about Ajantis, he's a fool". "And a bufflehead", she added, a small smile curving her lips, "Thanks, Anomen". "You're welcome, my lady".
The priestess bit her lower lip pensively, "You know, I was thinking about that sculpted Dragon head on the outer door...What if our enemy is a Dragon in disguise?". The squire laughed, "No offence meant, but I think your imagination is a bit too wild: I've never heard of Dragons in Human form. It must be his family crest". "Uhm, yes, it was a foolish thought".
He sobered, "Meg, I...I have a confession to make: I lied to you. About my accomplishments", he admitted, looking at his boots with his cheeks aflame, "I didn't kill the Wyvern on my own, it was a team work. As for the battle in the Ommlur Hills, well, I did take part in it, but it's not where I got this scar from. The truth is that it was my father's doing: when I was five, he threw an empty bottle at me and though he missed his target, the bottle shattered and one of the shards hit me in the face".
"Oh, Anomen... ", Margaret Dawn stroked his cheek, feeling a lump in her throat, "Why didn't you just tell me the truth?". "Because I wanted to look worthy and experienced in your eyes. I feared that...That you wouldn't want me in your party otherwise". She shook her head, smiling softly, "There's no need for lies with me. And just so you know, you've proven yourself worthy time and time again and I'm glad and proud of having you with me...With us".
"Really?". "Really, I swear to Ilmater. Now, if you want me to, I can remove that scar: I have a spell at my disposal for that exact purpose. It's the only reason why I'm not...", she trailed off, a flash of anguish twisting her face for a moment, then she smiled again, "Never mind. So, may I?". He nodded, "Yes, please. It's a memory I would really like to put behind myself".
Meg intoned the healing spell and a soft blue glow covered the right side of his face for a handful of seconds, leaving the skin smooth and intact as if the scar had never been there to begin with. "There you are", she announced, handing him her small pocket mirror, a gift she had received from Khalid and Jaheira for her eight birthday.
"It's gone! My lady, I...". "You must eat something now", she cut him off, taking two loafs of bread out of her pack and giving him one of them, "It will probably take a while before we can find the end of this maze, so we need to regain our strength". "As you command, my lady", he joked, smiling and his smile grew even wider when she smiled back and shuffled closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. And Helm received yet another prayer of thanks from His faithful servant.
oxoxoxoxoxo
After nearly a day in the maze, the party finally found the cell in which Taar was held prisoner, only to discover it was guarded by twenty Ogres and an old acquaintance of theirs: Tazok, the Half-Ogre, stood proudly in front of them, a smirk on his hideous snout.
"Ah, you came! They told me you would, but I thought you were too much of a coward to do it. I will taste your blood at last!", he said. Meg snarled, "Don't count on it, monster. You died once, you'll die again".
"Oh, I died, but I am alive again now. My new master is more powerful and way much smarter than that fool of my prev...", he couldn't finish the sentence, for she attacked him with the fury of a tigress. "Don't you dare speak ill of him!", she roared, enraged, landing a blow that broke two fingers of his left hand with a satisfying cracking sound.
"AAAARGH! You will suffer for this, woman!", Tazok cried, his sword missing her throat by a hairsbreadth. The others took care of the Ogres, while she duelled with the Half-Ogre using the dirtiest tricks she knew. Tazok growled in frustration as his blows didn't even scratch her Stoneskin protection, "I'll destroy you, bitch!".
"Keep on dreaming, beast!", the Ilmatari shot back, striking his right ear and then she embedded the metal-clad end of her staff in his right eye and used it to channel lightning into his body. He started convulsing and then sagged like an empty sack.
Tazok was dead. Again.
Minsc cheered, "Oh, joyous day, little Meg killed the evil Half-Ogre all on her own! Minsc is so proud! And Boo is proud too!", he exclaimed, taking the Painbearer in a bear hug. "Heh, thank you both, my friends", she smiled, hugging him, then she stepped back and looked at the corpse, a subtle golden glow flickering in her eyes, "But now I have to make sure this monster can't be raised again. Edwin?", she called, turning to the Thayan.
The Red Wizard felt a cold shiver running down his spine at having those unnaturally bright eyes fixed on himself, "Yes? (Kossuth, I hate it when she does that)". "Can you lend me your dagger, please?". "If I have to", he muttered, handing her the requested item.
"Thanks", Margaret Dawn knelt next to Tazok and with disturbing ease, she opened up his ribcage, seemingly unaware of the dark blood soaking the sleeves of her grey robe, then she frowned, "Anomen, do you still have your war hammer with you?". The Helmite gulped, shocked at what he'd just witnessed, "I, uh, I do. Why?". "I need it to break the ribs...Come to think of it, maybe you should do it. I'm not strong enough for that", she admitted with what looked a lot like a pout.
You could be, little Goddess. I could give you all the strength you need and more, the Slayer said inside her mind and she scoffed.
And there you go again. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested?
Aren't you now? What is this eagerness that I sense in you, then?
It's...That's none of your business! Leave me alone!, she gritted her teeth and turned to the squire, "So? Will you help me?".
Anomen hesitated, then he nodded and took the war hammer out of his pack, "I will. Step back, my lady, I don't want to hurt you by accident". "I've had worse", she muttered under her breath, but she did as she was told and watched with morbid fascination as he slammed the weapon down two times, until the bones were shattered. "Is that enough, my lady?".
"It is, thank you, Anomen", the young woman knelt again and cut out the Half-Ogre's heart, then she whispered a spell and the organ wilted like an old leaf, "Enjoy your stay in Hell, Tazok, for you won't come back anymore". Ajantis tried to take a step towards her, but Castalia, guessing his intentions, grabbed his arm and shook her head warningly, so he just sheathed his sword with a frown.
"Lady Alybeth!", Taar's voice came from one of the cells, tired but cheerful, "You're here! I knew you would come!". The female paladin walked up to him, smiling kindly, "Of course I came, my young lord: I could never abandon you to your fate. How are you? Do you need healing?". The child's cheeks flushed with happiness at her words, "Oh, no, my lady, I'm fine, they didn't hurt me".
"That's good. Now we'll set you free". He sobered, "I'm afraid you can't: this door is magically locked and Firkraag has the key now. Please, try to take it without fighting him, he...He's not what he seems". "What is he, then, my young lord?". "A...A red Dragon".
A stunned silence descended in the room and Anomen fixed his boots uneasily, remembering how he had laughed at Meg's suggestion about their enemy's real identity. Thankfully, the Ilmatari didn't notice his discomfort, "Okay everyone, keep calm. I know a Dragon is not an easy foe by any means, but we've already killed one, remember? We'll kill this one too, we just need a good plan".
Sir Nathan's eyes widened with surprise, "You killed a Dragon?". Edwin snorted, "Of course we did, you goody-two-shoes orangutan! Where do you think the armour of these two gorillas come from? (Why do I always have to work with lesser beings?)", he grumbled.
The other man ignored his insult with an easy smile, "Impressive, truly, especially for such a small party. You must be quite skilled, then". Meg smiled back at him, "We try. So, first of all, what do you know about red Dragons?".
"They're fire creatures, so they can breathe a cone of fire", the Thayan answered, glad for the chance to show off his culture, "They usually make their lair in deep underground caves in mountainous regions, with a preference with places where there is volcanic activity and they are probably the cruellest and most powerful among chromatic Dragons.
All Dragons are vain and arrogant, but red ones are the worst: they believe themselves to be the absolute pinnacle of Draconic nature and see all other species as impure. They consider vengefulness, rapaciousness, avarice and ferocity as merits". "Indeed. Are you sure you are not a red Dragon, then?", Jaheira asked him with a small smirk, but he barely glanced at her.
"I don't know what you mean: I'm absolutely not vain and certainly not arrogant either, I'm merely aware of my own power and worth", the Red Wizard replied in the same tone a teacher would use with a particularly dense student, "And once I've completed my study of that scroll, I will be more powerful than any of these overgrown lizards. Are you finished with your useless babbling? (Obnoxious Harper harpy)". "I am. Please do go on, oh omniscient and extraordinarily powerful wizard".
He ignored her sarcasm and turned back to Margaret Dawn, "As I was saying before this rude interruption, red Dragons are extremely greedy and vain and give utmost importance to the size of their...". "Don't wanna know!", the Ilmatari hastily cut him off and he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Their hoard, foolish girl".
