Everyone returned to the throne room in the palace. No doubt Ralis made quite an impression showing off his ability to transform into a humanoid monster with large claws capable of turning a giant's chest into pulp and hamburger in seconds. Back in the throne room, the sahuagin king sat in his throne, eager to tell Ralis who is standing 6 feet away from his throne ahead of his companions about how impressed he is. Ralis saw a smile play across his face before he spoke.
"Congratulations, my wondrous little human! You are indeed a mighty specimen... and the one sent to us by Sekolah, I might add.
As Ralis expected, Baron Thelokassyil, standing near the throne of his king, blurted out his objections.
"No! Most exalted Ixilthetocal, you cannot be serious!" He exclaimed.
The king looked at him and waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, stop complaining, Baron. So your high priestess lost the challenge, that's too bad. There's no need to go on whining about it."
Thelokassyil opened his mouth to utter more objections, but he held his tongue, no words came out, and all four of his arms quivered in outrage. He wanted to protest what is coming for his high priestess because it results the loss of her life. Sahuagin are very eager to weed out anyone or anything they see as weak or unworthy to compete for resources. High priestess Tlyysixxous argued against royal high priestess Senityili about Ralis and his companions being selected by Sekolah to save the sahuagin dwelling in the City-of-Caverns. Now that she has been proven wrong, the king sees Tlyysixxous as an unworthy priestess to keep alive, trying to usurp a fellow priestess who flawlessly knows Sekolah's prophecy.
"Time to take her away for sacrifice!" King Ixilthetocal declared loudly, and Baron Thelokassyil cringed and his arms started trembling in barely controlled rage.
King Ixilthetocal focused his silvery black eyes on anxious Tlyysixous standing near Senityili and a few guards, then he leaned forward while sitting on his throne and said with a sneer: "Try not to get caught in Sekolah's teeth, Tlyysixxous. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate it."
Tlyysixxous could barely keep eye contact with the king.
"I... I see. Of course, most exalted Ixilthetocal," she hesitantly said, lowering her head in defeat.
Feerlattiys and three other sahuagin escorted former high priestess Tlyysixxous out of the throne room. Where they are going, Ralis and his companions could only guess. The most likely fate for the former high priestess is execution. How? That is another mystery they can only guess. Sahuagin make sacrifices to Sekolah by feeding the victim to the sharks, and that is what will happen to the baron's high priestess soon, much to his chagrin.
After they departed the throne room, Ixilthetocal relaxed into his throne roughly made out of coral reef and sighed in content even as the baron tried his hardest not to throw a tantrum.
"Ahhh...Now that that little dispute is over with, perhaps we can get down to real business, eh?" He chuckled as he glanced over at Baron Thelokassyil, and noticed how displeased he looks. "Are you bitter, Thelokassyil?" Ixilthetocal asked.
Bitter is not the right word to describe how Thelokassyil is feeling right now. Tlyysixxous was not just his high priestess, but also his consort, his valuable mate, one of the few females in the City-of-Caverns ideal for mating with. Regardless, Thelokassyil managed to swallow most of his anger and responded to his king.
"N-no, most exalted one. As... as long as the prophesied ones deal with the rebels, they will have served the purpose Sekolah intended..."
The king's dark eyes widened and he stood up out of his throne abruptly, startling the baron.
"The rebels! That's right! And here I was on my coral throne, forgetting all about those rebels. That is an excellent task to set these surface-dwellers on!" He declared.
At that moment, Senityili stepped forward until she stood next to Ralis to his right.
"If... if I may speak, most honorable one, as to the Shark-Father's intentions?" She asked humbly.
The king looked at Senityili with a confused frown. If he had eyebrows like a human does, surely he would arch one of them upwards.
"Eh? Are you still here, Senityili? Didn't I just have you sacrificed?" He asked.
Ralis frowned in confusion too upon hearing the king say that, including Jaheira, Abdel, Korgan, Hexxat, Aerie, Mazzy, Dorn, Rasaad, Althir and Neera. They couldn't help wondering if the king has short term memory loss issues. How could he possibly forget who he sacrificed? Even the baron looked perplexed at what the king said to his high priestess.
"That was Tlyysixxous, honorable Ixilthetocal," Senityili corrected the king while looking nonplussed as everyone else.
The king tilted his head to the right briefly.
"Oh. How disappointing. Well, I suppose you can speak, then," he said.
Senityili nodded gratefully.
"I urge you not to listen to the baron. He would have you destroy the rebels when there is a far greater need for them in the City-of-Caverns. Our numbers dwindle, honorable Ixilthetocal. You have... exiled many. The hatcheries are barren, and there are too few females. In short, our bloodline grows thin. We need these rebels to join us, to add their blood to ours so that the City-of-Caverns may grow strong again!"
King Ixilthetocal nodded his head in agreement while relaxing back into his coral throne and resting his arms on the armrests.
"I see what you say, Senityili. Oh yes, I do," he said, and for some reason Ralis had a bad feeling about the hint of the thinly veiled sincerity in the king's voice. "We should have the rebel and his army join us... in principle. The drow and the illithids take more each year. I've no wish to retreat to the depths... But, no. I'd rather have the rebel's heart."
Senityili couldn't believe she just heard the king say he wants the rebel leader dead and his heart brought to him. Doesn't he care about the future of the sahuagin in the City-of-Caverns?
"But... but, honorable Ixilthetocal-!" Senityili stammered in disbelief.
"Excellent decision, our king!" Baron Thelokassyil exclaimed, interrupting Senityili purposefully.
Ixilthetocal glanced over at the baron and smiled.
"I thought you would like that, my baron, but I am not doing it for you. The rebel will invade with his army of exiles if he isn't stopped, you know," he said.
Baron Thelokassyil nodded respectfully and backed away a few inches from the throne to show Ixilthetocal that he is not upset that he intends on obtaining the rebel leader's heart for his approval. Now the sahuagin king turned his attention to Ralis, who had been standing silently the whole time, listening to their magically translated conversation.
"So it comes down to you and your allies, surface human! I am sure you have no wish to help a race such as us. But if you've no objection to killing a few..." Ixilthetocal started to say, but Ralis interrupted him.
"I neither love or hate your race, but your high priestess sought me out, so I might as well see this through to the end," Ralis said.
The king paused for a moment then started laughing.
"I like this human! You never cease to amaze and amuse me! Hunt down the rebel leader for me, my human... bring me his heart, and I shall reward you with great riches! Does your kind not object to sorcery?"
"Some do, some do not," Ralis replied.
"We have collected all that is magical during our raids. You are welcome to it ALL, if you bring me his heart." Ixilthetocal paused there, and then he leaned his upper body forward towards Ralis, placing his right forearm on his legs but keeping his left arm resting on the armrest of his throne. "So... what do you say to that, my surface human, chosen of Sekolah?"
"I want to know who is this rebel and where can I find him. It will be hard for me to hunt for him if I don't know who he is and where I can find him," Ralis replied.
Ixilthetocal reclined back into his throne again. "Oh, this particular one is a former rival for my position that I sent away years ago. What was his name again, my baron?"
"Prince Villynaty, exalted one," Thelokassyil replied.
A sahuagin prince?! Ralis frowned in confusion, wondering why does the sahuagin king wants to kill his own son, and why did his son rebel. Knowing the identity of the sahuagin rebel leader opened up more questions that Ralis doubted the king will answer honestly, or not answer at all.
"Right. Villynaty," Ixilthetocal nodded then turned his head to look at Ralis again, and Ralis quickly neutralized his facial expression so that Ixilthetocal won't notice how concerned he is. "You can find the rebels in the caverns outside the city. He should be no match for one powerful as you, my little human."
At first Ralis didn't want the sahuagin king to see how confused he is, but knowing the rebel leader is the prince of the sahuagin here in the City-of-Caverns opened up a lot of questions. Why did Ixilthetocal exile most of the sahuagin? Why is his son leading the exiled sahuagin? Why does Ixilthetocal consider his own son a rival instead of an heir? Why isn't Ixilthetocal open to Senityili's idea of letting the exiled sahuagin and Villynaty come back to the City-of-Caverns peacefully? And is Ixilthetocal open to the possibility of coming to peaceful terms with Villynaty and the exiles? That very last question is the one Ralis felt the need to ask the king.
"I would prefer to negotiate a peace, as the high priestess suggests," Ralis said, causing Senityili to glance at him and give him a faint smile.
"Well, I don't want a peace. I want his heart. You're the chosen of Sekolah, after all. And the rewards would be magnificent, I can assure you," Ixilthetocal replied.
Ralis sighed. The king wants violence, and there is no way around that.
"Well, if you want me to kill this Prince Villynaty, then my companions and I need our freedom. I can't fight him if I'm a prisoner," Ralis said.
"Prisoner?" The king asked incredulously and chuckled. "You are the chosen of Sekolah, my little surface human! You have been sent to us by the prophecy!"
Ralis shook his head.
"No, what I meant to say is that my companions and I need our weapons and equipment back if we are to fight these rebels. Is your royal priestess' clerical magic translating everything I say to you properly? We want our weapons and equipment back. No more spears or tridents, understand? I'm much better at using swords."
Ixilthetocal nodded slowly four times without saying a single word at first.
"Oh, I understand you perfectly, my little human. Since you have proven you are sent to us by the prophecy, I see no reason why I should restrain you from reclaiming your weapons and tools. Guards, retrieve the weapons and tools the surface dwellers had when they were brought here," the king said to the guards remaining in the room.
Without hesitation, six guards departed the throne room.
"After we're done here, you can wander off on your way... rest, rearm yourselves... whatever it is that you surface people enjoy doing, I suppose. Soon, you'll leave the city and kill this rebel prince, saving the City-of-Caverns as the prophecy foretells! And I shall reward you with great riches!" King Ixilthetocal declared while standing up out of his throne. "Until that time, you will have the free run of the City-of-Caverns. Go where you wish, my good human."
Just then, Ixilthetocal felt Baron Thelokassyil's upper right arm touch his left shoulder, and he turned around to look at him.
"B-but... but, most honored one! you wish to let them loose in the city?!" He exclaimed in utter shock.
"They are doing us a great service, my baron. I want everyone to treat them like... like... like oddly colored, small-toothed, skinny fellow sahuagin," Ixilthetocal replied casually.
Thelokassyil's silvery black eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"Yes. Like that," Ixilthetocal smirked at him.
Ralis saw no choice in the matter. His feelings told him that this isn't the only solution to the problem, or even the right solution, but what can he do about it? Either way, the fate of the sahuagin shouldn't matter to him. What should matter is he must get back on the trail to Jon Irenicus before he gets too farther ahead. They've been trapped in Brynnlaw for five months, who knows what Irenicus has been up to during those times?
"Very well. I will try to find this rebel you speak of and return his heart to you," Ralis agreed.
The sahuagin king nodded in approval.
"Good. The less rebels running about, the better. You shall save the city and be rewarded... everyone will be happy! except for Villynaty. And then you'll be free to go off to the Underdark, if that's where you're headed. Unless you'd care to try the oceans again, my little human!"
Ralis groaned while the king chuckled heartily, and again, Aerie feared the likelihood of venturing into the Underdark. The mere thought of it made her legs tremble as if she were cold.
"But off you go, chosen ones. I desire meat now, and the king always dines in private," Ixilthetocal said, making shooing gestures with his right hand telling Ralis and his group to leave the throne room now.
Ralis nodded, then turned on his left heel and headed out the door with his companions.
When they got out of the throne room, they saw the six sahuagin guards arriving delivering bags containing their weapons and tools. They set the bags on the floor and opened them, revealing everything. Neera took her staff, Abdel found his broadsword and the Soultaker Dagger, Althir took his swords, Minsc got Lilarcor back, and the talking sword made it loud and clear how happy it is to be back in Minsc's hands.
"Where the hell have you been, big guy?! I was beginning to think that we would have no more fun spilling the blood of evil!" Lilarcor exclaimed.
Minsc chuckled. "It's good to have you back, sword! And yes, we can go back to kicking the butts of evil!"
Lilarcor cackled. "Hahahahaha, yeah! Damn, it feels good to be home!"
Minsc glanced over at Korgan and saw the dwarf looking at the sword in annoyed disdain.
"Blasted loud pig sticker..." Korgan mumbled.
"Hey! I ain't no pig sticker, shorty!" Lilarcor exclaimed.
Edwin got his quarterstaff, dagger and spellbook which is apparently wet and useless to his disappointment.
"Damn it! My book is all wet!" Edwin cursed.
Tashia got her leopard figurine that summons Peanelian and her +2 dagger. Mazzy got her shield and sword of Arvoreen back. Ralis got his two bastard swords Kondar and Albruin back, including the box containing Yoshimo's heart, and the item bag that is usually attached to his belt. While everyone was busy sorting out whose item and weapon belongs to who, Senityili departed the throne room to find Ralis and his party picking up their weapons and equipment and found that now is the right time to speak to Ralis. She walked up to him. Ralis did not expect Senityili to come speak to him again now that their audience with the king is over for now.
"Oh. You. What's wrong?" Ralis asked the high priestess.
"Before you leave the city, surface beings, come with me to the temple," Senityili suggested.
"What? Why?" Aerie asked.
"I can tell you things that will make your job much... easier," she said.
After obtaining all their weapons and equipment back, Ralis and his companions followed Senityili out of the palace and back to the place where they first woke up, the temple belonging to Sekolah.
It took them two hours to get from Sekolah's temple to King Ixilthetocal's palace, so it took them two hours to return. Along the way, Ralis, Jaheira, Hexxat and Valygar noticed that through there are many buildings in the City-of-Caverns, there are not enough sahuagin to populate the place. For instance, they did not see many sahuagin citizens and soldiers walking around the city. Either they prefer to remain indoors, or the largest population of them are located in a certain part of the city. Anyway, when Ralis, his group and Senityili arrived at the temple, they found Tlyysixxous accosted by several sahuagin guards, awaiting the return of the Royal High Priestess. They can't sacrifice Tlyysixxous to Sekolah without Senityili present to perform the sacrifice. Senityili signaled Ralis and his fellow surface dwellers to stand back, and as she approached the stiars, Ralis saw her holding a strange looking dagger with a jagged, crooked blade.
At the top of the stairs, Senityili met with Tlyysixxous being restrained by two sahuagin, one holding her left arm outstretched, the other holding her right arm outstretched. Senityili stood directly in front of Tlyysixxous who is breathing heavily out of anxiety and fear, and brought the dagger up slowly, the blade pointing upwards towards the cavern's ceiling.
"An offering to you, Sekolah! Open your mighty jaws and take this, your former servant, as sustenance for you!" Senityili exclaimed, then pointed the dagger's blade forward slightly so that it can point directly at Tlyysixxous' chest. When she saw the dagger pointed directly at her, her breathing quickened knowing that the moment when Senityili stabs her heart is coming in a few seconds.
"We are mighty, Shark-Father! We strike without fear and without remorse! Take this gift as a measure of our power!" Senityili exclaimed, then prepared to drive the dagger home.
"NOOOoooo!"
The dagger's blade punched through the fabric, scales and the heart of Tlyysixxous, ending her life immediately and she went limp and lifeless in the hands of the two sahuagin soldiers. Then the warriors had to carry her lifeless corpse away while Senityili cleaned the bloodstained dagger by dipping it into the waters surrounding the temple. Initially Ralis believed that they were actually going to sacrifice the baron's high priestess to Sekolah, not stab her heart with a dagger, but what he doesn't understand is, Sekolah is not here in the Prime Material plane of existence, he resides in Stygia, the 5th level of the Nine Hells, a world consisting of a vast, freezing ocean dominated by ice floes and icebergs. There, Tlyysixxous' soul will be sent, where Sekolah will be waiting.
Ralis glanced back at his companions, wondering if they have something to say about what they witnessed after the sahuagin guards carrying Tlyysixxous' body walked by them. Only Abdel spoke up.
"This is one reason why I'm glad I am born a human," he said.
Ralis didn't respond to his comment, he just walked forward towards the temple where Senityili awaited. She spotted him approaching as he walked up the stairs.
"Ah, it is good you have come to see me before you left. Before I departed the king's throne room, he has made it clear I should instruct you as to how you may enter the prince's base," she said.
"I'm all ears," Ralis said, crossing his arms, standing near the temple's entrance but never entering it.
"The prince's base lies at the far end of the city, beyond a chamber with two great doors," Senityili pointed to what Ralis assumes is east from Sekolah's temple, since they had to go to the western areas of the City-of-Caverns to reach the king's palace. "Long ago, Sekolah appeared there and slew a thousand infidels," Senityili added.
As Ralis looked to the east where Senityili is pointing, he saw a passageway to another section of the cavern 12 kilometers away unobscured by the buildings, roads and bridges between it and Sekolah's temple, likely leading to the area where the two great doors are located. He also silently assumed that Sekolah killing a thousand heretics must have happened during the Time of Troubles, when he was forced to be in mortal form.
"He decreed no heretic should again enter the city and sealed the doors. He placed his tooth upon the doors so that we could open them. Later, the drow came. With powerful magics, they stormed the city, led by a mage of great strength. He took Sekolah's Tooth from our lax guardians with the intent of blocking pursuit. The mage built an edifice in the southwest section of the city. He was killed, but his complex remains," Senityili pointed at the southwest passageway barely obscured by a building about 8 kilometers southwest from Sekolah's temple. "Sekolah's Tooth is guarded somewhere within..." Senityili told Ralis.
"Why hasn't anyone tried to retrieve Sekolah's Tooth?" Ralis asked.
"We have little need for it," Senityili replied. "The ocean is the means of our travel, but you need it. Seek out the drow's construct, foil his guardians, and obtain the key."
"All right, I can do this," Ralis nodded.
Senityili smiled, though she knew Ralis would not refuse.
"Excellent. This brings me to the next point. You must do something for me."
After hearing that, Ralis slowly turned around and faced the royal high priestess.
"A personal favor?" He guessed.
Senityili shook her head.
"No. This has nothing to do with me. Have you noticed anything strange about our king?" She asked.
Ralis frowned and scratched his head. "He, uh... has a very strange personality, I'll say that much," he haltingly admitted.
Ralis expected Senityili to smile at him in amusement and agree, but she didn't. What she had to tell him is serious.
"Our king is mad. Surely your audience with him showed you this," she said.
Ralis blinked, then looked over his left shoulder to see if any sahuagin warriors are close by outside the temple to eavesdrop on their conversation, but no sahuagin is outside the temple, just Imoen, Abdel and the others, waiting patiently.
"I'm a little surprised it concerned you," Ralis told Senityili, his voice low and mildly concerned. "The king seems to have... memory issues. I recall that when he called for the sacrifice of that other high priestess, he called her by name, but afterwards, when you spoke to him, he thought he sacrificed you even though he should have known that you weren't the priestess to be sacrificed. I found that very strange."
Senityili nodded slowly, apparently glad that Ralis was observant enough to note the king's strange behavior.
"There is a reason why he is like that. He is the result of... poor breeding. Like his father, he has executed or exiled far too many of our kind. Our numbers are too few, our blood too thin. We must regain what we have lost. Prince Villynaty, the exiles' leader outside the city, is our only hope. With the prince on the throne, we would be strong again... to fight the illithids and the drow."
Ralis realized that Senityili is Villynati's double agent. He also started to believe that the whole prophecy thing is a lie, Senityili was only desperate for some outside help to save the sahuagin inhabiting the City-of-Caverns.
"So you secretly are on the rebels' side, huh?" Ralis couldn't help but begin to find this all very amusing.
Senityili grinned at Ralis in a way that would almost terrify him if he weren't acquainted with the high priestess.
"Yes. I have been in contact with the rebels all this time, and now is the time to strike! What do you say, human? surely you have no love for our mad king. Help us survive lest we be swept away by the denizens of the Underdark!" She urged.
Ralis saw no reason to refuse or snitch on Senityili.
"So what do you need me to do, exactly?" he asked.
"I only ask you to talk with Prince Villynaty, that is all. Listen to what he has to offer., and decide then what you shall do," Senityili replied.
"Look, High Priestess..." Ralis said apprehensively. "I don't know if this plan will work. Villynaty and his warriors will likely attack me unless I prove I am not a threat. I have nothing that will prove I am not a threat."
Senityili turned her back on Ralis, walking a little further into the temple, crouched down and took something from underneath the altar. She returned to Ralis with a yellow orb in her hands. When Ralis looked at the orb, what caught his eye about it is that it has more than a dozen finger sized holes all over it, making it very easy for his fingers to grip on to.
"I will give you an orb the rebels will recognize... they will bring you to Villynaty. That is, of course, if you agree to talk instead of kill," She explained while gently cradling the orb in her hands.
"I swear I won't kill him. I'll try to talk to him," Ralis promised without hesitation.
"Good. Here is the orb," Senityili said as she handed the orb to Ralis and he gently took the orb into his hands. "Keep it in your possession when you leave the City-of-Caverns. You will be approached by an exile to be brought to the prince."
Ralis found that the orb is too big to hold in his inventory bag, so he had no choice but to hold it in his arms, or at least hand it to someone that can hold onto it for a while.
"I pray that you and the prince can come to an agreement... for the sake of all of my people," Senityili said.
Ralis nodded, silently hoping that nothing will go wrong with the whole plan, but he never uttered a word to the royal high priestess.
"Go, then, and may Sekolah guard you from harm," Senityili said.
As Ralis turned around to walk back down the stairs, he shook his head in mild disbelief that a sahuagin, a sea devil, is treating him like a valued ally, not as food. He rejoined his companions and briefed them on their objectives. He explained what they must do, and where they must go. Everyone listened intently, absorbing every little detail their minds could absorb.
"I had a feeling the king was... strange," Anomen commented before the whole group departed with Ralis, heading for the southwestern corner of the central cavern of the City-of-Caverns.
"Really? How did you know?" Nalia asked Anomen.
The paladin shook his head.
"My intuition, fair lady Nalia. Though the beast isn't human, his mannerisms mirror that of my drunken father," he confirmed.
Ralis led the group to an open road that took them between two buildings, where they passed by five sahuagin who paused in shock upon seeing a large group of surface dwellers walking their streets.
"But the sahuagin king is not drunk, Anomen. He's just... edging on the side of insanity," Cernd admonished the paladin as they walked by the five sahuagin who whispered among themselves:
"Are those surface dwellers? What are they doing here...?!"
Anomen shook his head. Part of him felt annoyed that no one is taking his word as truth, but he suppressed his annoyance and answered the druid calmly.
"I know it sounds hard to believe, but there are more ways for an individual to lose their sanity than drinking an alcoholic beverage," Anomen said.
"Like poor breeding?" Imoen asked.
Anomen snapped his fingers, glad that Imoen understood his point.
"Exactly! The root of his problem is in his genes," he confirmed.
"Sir Anomen, did I forget to mention to you that Ano the lobotomized orc was also the result of poor breeding among the orcs?" Jan asked.
Anomen's eyes flashed in rage. "Gnome, I will...!"
Anomen started to turn back and attack Jan, but Valygar and Rasaad stood between him and Jan, urging Anomen to calm down, and everyone stopped moving and watched to see what would happen.
"Calm yourself, Sir Anomen. He is not worth attacking," Rasaad reasoned with him.
Anomen calmed down and snorted like a mildly annoyed bull.
"Consider yourself lucky, gnome. Next time you say something sharply belittling about me I won't stop until I have your neck in my grasp," Anomen warned him and continued moving, and so did everyone else.
As much as Neera enjoyed Anomen being insulted by Jan, she wanted to know how deep the sahuagin king's insanity goes.
"So, getting back on subject, if the sahuagin king were to get drunk, then he would be a lot more crazier than he is now, right?" Neera said.
Ralis shuddered as he led his group towards a bridge up ahead.
"That's a scary thing to imagine," he said.
The group fell into silence when they reached the bridge and crossed it. No one initiated further conversation the rest of the way. After crossing the bridge and setting foot on a new road that branched off in two directions, they had no choice but to follow the road west or east, continuing forward was not an option at the moment, so they chose west. The road took them west a couple kilometers, then they came to a junction that allowed them to either continue forward or go south. They took the new road south, passing by more residential buildings, most of them uninhabited and empty. There were a few sahuagin guards patrolling the streets, but when they saw Ralis and his group, they were surprised to see a bunch of surface dwellers, but they did not attack them. Besides, it would be foolish for them to attack a group of 21 surface dwellers.
Minutes passed to an hour later, and the group slowly drew nearer to the cavern passageway that will lead them to the part of the City-of-Caverns where the drow construct is located. When they got near the opening to the tunnels leading to the southwestern parts of the cavern city, Ralis and his party saw two sahuagin standing guard at the entrance.
"Halt, surface dwellers!" One of the sahuagin exclaimed, he and his partner held their tridents ready to attack.
"Relax, I am on a mission on behalf of your king. He wants me to deal with the rebel leader, but I need Sekolah's tooth hidden somewhere in the forbidden area of the city that was once occupied by the drow mage," Ralis explained to the guards.
The two guards paused, looked at each other for a few seconds, then back at Ralis together.
"Surface human, do you have any idea what is back there?" One of them asked.
"Yeah," Ralis nodded. "Sekolah's tooth. I need it to get past the doors that lead into the parts of the cavern where the rebels are."
The two guards pointed their tridents directly upwards now, a sign that they now know the surface human and his allies are not a threat.
"If you plan on passing this point, surface human, you should be warned that it is not truly part of the City-of-Caverns. Beyond here lies an old place home to the blackened elves, with enough traps to send any to the belly of the Shark-Father. Enter at your own risk," the sahuagin guard with a scar running across the bridge of his nose said.
Ralis nodded in acknowledgement, then the guards stepped aside, allowing Ralis and his party to enter the tunnels that will lead them to the forbidden area.
It took them twenty-seven minutes to journey through the twisting and winding tunnel, and eventually they came out in a new section of the City-of-Caverns. In this area, there is a fairly large patch of land that drops off almost a hundred feet to an underground lake below, but there is a bridge ahead. The buildings in this open area look completely different from the sahuagin buildings. While sahuagin buildings seem to be made of stone and reef, drow buildings seem to be made of iron, adamantite and various gems, and their architecture is completely different. Ralis and his party checked their surroundings and discovered that this section of the City-of-Caverns has less ground to walk on. Without the bridge ahead, moving on would be impossible. The drow buildings are built on the flat heads of the many gigantic stalagmites jutting from the large underground lake 65 feet below the bridges that connect each building.
Almost everyone was in awe at what they were seeing. Neera and Aerie walked over to the railing near the edge of the only natural platform in this area of the cavern near the first bridge.
"Whoa... This is amazing..." Neera said in awe.
Anomen walked up to Neera and Aerie, standing between them.
"This place is beautiful, yet haunting," he said.
Viconia smiled to herself, realizing that the reason why the drow mage and his cohorts built a town so close to a sahuagin city is because they discovered that this part of the cavern, though not directly in the Underdark, has a considerable amount of faerzress in the area. Turning to look at Ralis, she said:
"We should check for traps as we move on ahead. A drow settlement cannot thrive without a magical radiation from the Underdark called faerzress, so we should be wary."
Ralis nodded in agreement. "She's right. Hexxat, Imoen, Rasaad, Jan, I want the four of you ahead of us checking for traps," he instructed.
Following his orders, Hexxat, Rasaad Imoen and Jan gathered in front of the bridge and prepared to cross it. Fortunately it is not a bridge made of wood and rope, it is made of iron and adamantite, meaning it is strong and wide enough to support 21 people crossing it at once. The bridge took them towards a drow monolith, and they movd around it, continuing across the bridge. A few yards ahead, Ralis saw the tallest stalagmite in the cavern, and above it is another platform. Though he couldn't see a way to get up there from where he stood for the time being, he had a feeling that Sekolah's tooth is up there.
They eventually came across a part of a bridge branching off like the letter "T" to two directions, both of them leading to various drow buildings suspended over the water by the stalagmites they are built on. Ralis chose to take the right route, and near the first drow building they got close to, they were ambushed by five sword spiders and one ettercap. However, the giant arachnids never had a chance to defeat such a large group of adventurers. As they progressed, they eventually realized that this drow town is built around this one large, very thick stalagmite, and whatever is built above it, must be what they are looking for. when they reached the western section of the drow town, Ralis saw a flight of stairs leading directly up to the platform and building built upon the large central stalagmite. When they reached the rear of the drow town, they finally found the path that takes them towards the stairs that will lead them up to likely where Sekolah's tooth is being held.
Ralis went up the stairs first, accompanied with Hexxat and Rasaad watching for traps, Viconia, Edwin and Imoen right behind them, and everyone else stayed behind in case something might go wrong. Ralis had to fight the urge not to look down as he ascended the stairs, because the higher he ascended, the more dizzying the view of the waters down below got. If he slipped and fell off the stairs, he would fall little more than a hundred feet down into the water, and who knows what carnivorous creatures are dwelling in the cavern's waters? Viconia did not feel well ascending up the stairs. On top of that, the hunger pains were getting to her again, warning her that her body and child need more nourishment. She felt relieved that there are no obvious signs of her having a child, but six months from now, she won't be able to hide her baby bump anymore. Hopefully before then she will go her separate way from Ralis and his party. What could possibly stop her from leaving him once they return to Amn?
Ralis was the first to reach the top, and what he saw there is not what he expected. He discovered a wide open circular platform, and near the edges of the platform are six treasure chests, and further back loomed a giant green beholder with four eye stalks. It saw Ralis appear, but did not approach or attack him. And it is not just the green beholder that is up here with Ralis, Imoen, Edwin, Viconia, Hexxat and Rasaad. There were imps here too. Two of them. Imps are vicious, manipulative devils that were among the weakest beings in the infernal hierarchy because of their small size and minor strength, and they were in the middle of the open platform, and they immediately noticed the new arrivals.
"Hoo-oooh! Someone has come to play at last!" One of them said excitedly, jumping with joy and clapping his little hands.
"Yes, yes, yes! Someone will play with us now!" The second imp said happily, flapping his wings until his feet were lifted off the metallic floor.
"And not that stodgy overgrown fish-king!" The first imp said with disgust in his voice.
The second imp landed on his feet. "Yeah! That old fish-king! Pheee-eeeww!" He pinched his nose and fanned the air with his free hand as if someone nearby him passed gas. "No sense of humor!" He added in a nasal voice because he still pinched his nostrils shut.
The other imp chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! None! But now..." He turned his attention to Ralis, Viconia, Imoen, Edwin, Rasaad and Hexxat, grinning to show his sharp teeth. "You big peoples will want the treasure, right?" He asked.
Ralis opened his mouth but the other imp spoke up before he did.
"Big peoples always want the drow's treasures! Yes!" Imp #2 said, grinning mischievously yet happily.
Ralis felt that this is all too good to be true. The imps, little devils they are, would not part with something valuable easily. Even Hexxat, Edwin, Viconia, Rasaad and Imoen knew better.
"You can have the drow treasure, oh yes! But you have to play our game first! Hee hee! You have to play our game!" Imp #1 squealed.
Ralis could only hope that this game has nothing to do with life or death.
"Why would I want to play this game of yours?" He asked the imps.
"Tee hee! Well, you COULD go and look in all of the chests if you WANTED to..." Imp #1 said slowly while grinning, and Ralis did not like the tone of his voice. These treasure chests could be booby trapped, for all he knows.
"Yes, yes, you could! Hee hee! Most of them are empty now, anyway!" Imp #2 said while happily jumping, but never flapping his wings.
"Most of them! All except for one... one of them is locked up tight and has all of the drow's treasure! All of it!" Imp #1 exclaimed with an excited grin, knowing that Ralis should realize by now that if he wants the drow mage's treasure, he has no other option but to play their game.
"And something else, too!" Imp #2 added.
"Something else?" Ralis repeated.
"It has a nasty nasty nasty inside it that will come out and steal your soul! You'll be forever dead-dead!" Imp #1 exclaimed, grinning wickedly.
"Hee hee! We can unlock the chest and protect you from the nasty nasty nasty..." Imp #2's voice trailed off and he looked over at his partner to finish what he said.
"But only if you plays our game! Only if you plays, yes! So what says you, big peoples? Will you plays our game?" Imp #1 asked.
Ralis glanced back at Rasaad, Edwin, Viconia, Hexxat and Imoen, but they neither nodded or shook their head.
Ralis frowned. "Give me some advice here, people. What should I do?" He asked almost impatiently.
"The choice is yours, abbil. We will follow your lead," Viconia said.
Imoen glanced at Vicona with her mouth dropped open in shock. She never expected to hear Viconia speak respectfully to Ralis.
"There is a possibility the imps are lying, Ralis, but I doubt they are, they could be magically bound by the drow mage to protect the chest this way," Rasaad said.
So many possibilities, so many ways to fail. Ralis sighed and nodded, then he turned to face the imps ahead of him.
"Very well, I'll play your game if that's what it takes," he conceded.
The two imps gasped and looked at each other like astonished children.
"The big peoples will play our game! Hurray! Hurray!" Imp #1 cheered.
Imp #2 also went "Hurray! Hurray!" with Imp #1 for a few seconds.
Then the two imps stopped cheering and they signaled Ralis and the others to come closer to them.
"Okay, big peoples... this is how our game will go! There is five chests here with nothings in them! In front of each empty chest, a famous big people will appear!" Imp #1 explained as Ralis, Imoen, Viconia, Rasaad, Edwin and Hexxat approached them and stopped 4 feet away from them.
"Famous big people! Oh, yes, powerful famous big people!" Imp #2 nodded in agreement, grinning like a child in a candy store.
"Each famous big people will give you a gift that belongs to another famous big people... and they will hints to you what gift belongs to them!" Imp #1 said.
While the imps were speaking, Hexxat and Rasaad were scanning the area, and they could see in certain spots of the platform, there are traps. Four of them. They are all trapdoors that which stepped on, will drop the victim down into the water. These imps won't be playing this game fairly.
"If you thinks you knows which famous big people a gift belongs to, you puts it in the empty chest behind them, yes? Very simple!" Imp #1 gave Ralis a thumbs up for luck... for what its worth.
"Once you places all five, you comes and asks us! If you wrong, we laugh at you! If you right, we open the sixth chest and you can laugh at the nasty nasty nasty!" Imp #2 declared.
"Lotsa fun! Okay, we starts now!" Imp #1 said, then he and his partner start flapping their wings, slowly hovering higher and higher above ground until they are out of reach.
Then five figures materialized around five of the six treasure chests placed around the circular platform clockwise. Ralis, Rasaad, Viconia and Imoen recognized some of the famous people of the Forgotten Realms standing in front of the treasure chests.
"I don't believe it... It's the open lord of Waterdeep over there!" Rasaad pointed out at the man standing in front of the treasure chest in the 1:00 position.
The man Rasaad was pointing at is none other than Piergeiron (pronounced "Peer-geer-on") the Paladinson. However, the first famous individual that caught Ralis' eyes was none other than his idol, Drizzt Do'Urden himself.
"Ah. Ha ha. I should have known Drizzt would be one of them..." Ralis said, shaking his head while chuckling, and Viconia groaned in disdain.
Drizzt stood in front of the treasure chest in the 3:00 position. No one stood in front of the treasure chest in the 5:00 position, but Elminster stood in front of the chest in the 7:00 position, Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun stood in front of the chest in the 9:00 position, and last but not least, Alustriel Silverhand guarded the treasure chest at the 11:00 position. In the 12:00 position is ap ath that leads directly towards the green beholder who floats silently.
Before Ralis could move towards the illusion of Drizzt, Hexxat stopped him and whispered into his ear, telling him about the few trapdoor traps around. Ralis nodded after Hexxat explained everything, then told his companions to let him and Hexxat play this game alone. Hexxat will be his guide, to tell him where to avoid the traps. As he and Ralis approached Drizzt's spot, Hexxat forced Ralis to stop.
"Wait! Trap!" She whispered.
"Where?" Ralis whispered.
"Less than a foot away from you," Hexxat warned.
Her hands on Ralis' shoulders, she urged him to turn right and walk around the trap until it is safe for them to directly approach Drizzt. the imps watching from above were shocked that Ralis and Hexxat somehow avoided the trap, but they kept their displeasure quiet.
As soon as Ralis and Hexxat got near the illusion of Drizzt, he spoke. It has been three years since Ralis had personally met the real Drizzt. He helped Drizzt fight off a large group of gnolls. Back then he told Ralis that he was on his way to Icewind Dale, but the bandit attacks were slowing him down during the iron crisis. Did he make it to Icewind Dale? Where is he now? Despite the severe depression of losing Yoshimo weighing him down, part of Ralis wondered when will he meet with his favorite hero once again, if fate would allow the reunion to happen. He grew up hearing the tales of many heroes in the Realms from Gorion, from the heroics of Tristan Kendrick during the Darkwalker War in the Moonshae Isles to the heroics of the Knights of Myth Drannor, but Drizzt's heroics were Ralis' most favorite. How did Drizzt leave the Underdark? What makes him think and act differently from his evil kin? These are answers Ralis will never learn until he meets the real Drizzt again.
"I am Drizzt, a drow who left my hated home below to become a hero true. I require something with which I have vanquished many, one of two," Drizzt said, his lavender irises glowing slightly.
Ralis glanced down and noticed that Drizzt is missing one of his famous scimitars. One thing that Ralis never noticed about Drizzt until now is that he is one inch shorter than Viconia.
"I give you a helmet here... a symbol, so I'm told, of rulership on the surface land in a city far north and cold," Drizzt said, handing Ralis a helmet that looks more like a crown.
Ralis took the helmet, examined it for a moment and recalled that this "helmet" is the symbol of the Lords' Alliance, worn by only the person who is the leader of the alliance, and there is one man who that could be. He and Hexxat moved on towards Piergeiron. Fortunately no traps stood between them, so Hexxat had no reason to stop Ralis and go around anything, they just moved on straight towards Piergeiron.
Piergeiron is a tall, muscular, and handsome human man with slightly graying hair. Despite being around Keldorn's age, most of his hair is still black. Many decades ago, when he was a young man, Piergeiron used to be a soldier in the Waterdeep City Guard before he became the Open Lord of Waterdeep in 1314 DR. Not only is he the Open Lord of Waterdeep, he is also the leader of the Lords' Alliance, an organized partnership of merchant cities founded in 1325 DR. Its members are from the Sword Coast, the North, and Western Heartlands, including Waterdeep, Silverymoon, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter, as well as other free cities and towns in the region, which made up the bulk of the organization. The Lords' Alliance was formed to oppose the growing influence of the Zhentarim in the North, as well as the Shadow Thieves of Amn.
"I am Piergeiron, a paladin of Tyr's faith and the Open Lord of my northern land. If you will, place a symbol of my rule within my hand. I give to you this staff of darkest hue which has faced many an evil foe. It is not mine, but I tell you now, it belongs to one I know," Piergeiron said.
Rasaad, overhearing him speak and seeing him pass a black staff to Ralis and Hexxat made him immediately realize that the staff belongs to Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun. When he was junior member of the Order of the Sun Soul alongside his brother Gamaz, Rasaad heard rumors back in the Year of the Shadows when the Time of Troubles were happening that Piergeiron and Khelben were involved in the incident when the Dark Army of the Night, a cult dedicated to Shar like the Order of the Dark Moon, attempted to kidnap Selune's avatar.
Hexxat checked the chest behind Piergeiron for traps, and when she gave him the all clear signal, Ralis placed the helmet Drizzt gave him into the chest and closed it. Next, Ralis and Hexxat approached the illusion of the human wizard, Alustriel Silverhand. Despite being born very, very long ago in 762 DR, Alustriel is very beautiful, for a human woman not looking a day over 40. She has warm and compassionate eyes that sparkled like a river reflecting the light of the sun, and a flawless, warm face. She is just shy of six feet tall, and possesses the silver hair and everlasting youth common to the rest of her sisters. The Seven Sisters are seven immortal women, all Chosen of Mystra and mortal daughters of the goddess Mystra. They are all spell casters born to the ranger Dornal Silverhand and his wife Elué Silverhand, whom Mystra possessed to give birth to the children. The Seven Sisters are Anastra Syluné Silverhand, Alustriel herself, Dove Falconhand, Storm Silverhand, Laeral Silverhand Arunsun who is Khelben's wife though they never officially married, The Simbul a.k.a. Alassra Shentrantra Silverhand, and last but not least, Qilué Veladorn, the youngest of the Seven Sisters, and the only sister of Alustriel who is not human, but a drow.
Alustriel has served for many years as the ruler of the open city of Silverymoon to this day, and later as the High Lady of the League of the Silver Marches, a confederation of various states in the areas around Silverymoon. She grew up as the second child of Elué Shundar and Dornal Silverhand. After Elué died, Alustriel and her sibling Syluné were taken by a woman who was really disguised Mystra to the home of the minor lord and Harper known as Thamator the Old.
Alustriel quickly took to adventuring but had very strong ideals about fostering peace between all races and promoting the arts, and so abandoned her wanderings early to travel to Silverymoon and see her ideas realized. She traveled in disguise in 815 DR to that fair city, taking the name Elué Dualen and demonstrating magical prowess far surpassing what her apparent age would have suggested. She became fast friends with the High Mage Amaara Nharimlur and her sister Lynnà sha. The three of them created Silverymoon's famous moonbridge and established the Lady's College. Then, in 857 DR, Amaara named Elué High Mage when she retired.
In 861 DR, Alustriel met and fell for a fellow Chosen of Mystra named Sammaster. Unfortunately, in Alustriel, Sammaster saw the beauty of Mystra herself, a beauty that he grew infatuated over, and he became obsessed with Alustriel over the next three years, trying to dominate her. When Alustriel decided that enough was enough and ended their relationship, Sammaster didn't take it well. Under the influence of Algashon Nathaire, Sammaster attacked his former love in 875 DR and Alustriel had to call upon her fellow Chosen, Khelben and Laeral to save her.
A year later, in 876 DR, Alustriel left Silverymoon, taking Lynnà sha, Lynnà sha's lover Tulrun and all of their apprentices to the outer planes to battle a tanar'ri lord with designs on the north, leaving a council behind to pick her successor. Lynnà sha died in the fighting and Tulrun disappeared. Alustriel's apprentice Tanalanthara Mytersaal, who she'd sent back from their quest to defeat Lashtor, who was High Mage of Silverymoon at the time.
In 1235 DR, Alustriel's beloved Silverymoon was once again attacked by evil forces. Shaloss Ethenfrost had exploited the situation in Silverymoon and proclaimed himself High Mage of the city while it was besieged by the Black Horde. In the ensuing Battle of Tumbleskulls, Alustriel and her sister Storm led an army against the orcs, breaking the siege, then Alustriel personally killed Ethenfrost in spellbattle. Alustriel ruled Silverymoon as High Mage without any disguises for nearly a century-and-a-half, rising to become widely heralded as the most beloved ruler in all Faerûn.
"I am Alustriel, a daughter of Mystra and one of the seven. Lady of the Moon, give me my symbol of the sword bequeathed by my mother from her home in Heaven."
Alustriel opened her hands, revealing an old smoking pipe made from the roots of a tree.
"I give to you this pipe of root and magic... its power is strong, I will not lie. Bequeath it to a man instead one older than I," Alustriel suggested.
Ralis examined the pipe in his hand and smiled immediately realizing who Alustriel is referring to. He has no idea how old Elminster is compared to Alustriel, but he has seen Elminster smoke a pipe before. He was about to run straight for Elminster until Hexxat grabbed his right shoulder.
"No, wait! Traps!" Hexxat warned him.
Ralis felt that he deserved a slap in the face for being so stupid.
"Dammit, I forgot..." He muttered shamefully.
On the way to Elminster, bypassing Khelben, Hexxat guided Ralis around the traps between them and their destination while Viconia, Rasaad and Imoen watched from a safe distance. The two imps were watching too, and they were in utter disbelief that the two "big peoples" were avoiding the traps as if they knew they are there. The truth is, Hexxat could see where the traps are, but she was unsure if she could disarm them. When Ralis and Hexxat got close to Elminster, he said:
"I am Elminster... You know me, friend, as the oldest wizard to have walked the land. In my heart, I am but an old man, and I require an item to while away time's sand." Elminster paused and revealed a sword in his hands. A scimitar. One of Drizzt's scimitars. "I give to you this curved sword, I am too old to fight. Give it to another warrior, one whose skin is black as night," Elminster suggested.
Ralis placed the pipe in the treasure chest behind Elminster after Hexxat checked it, then they took the scimitar. Hexxat held the scimitar while Ralis held onto the black staff. Next they approached Khelben, without worrying about any traps. Khelben stood just over 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall and was a well-muscled elderly man in blue robes. Khelben was born in 414 DR to Arun Maerdrym, the first half-elf born to a noble elven family of the ancient city of Myth Drannor, and the human ranger Arielimnda. Khelben's half-elf father followed an ancient elven custom and did not give him a name upon his birth. He remained unnamed even at the age of 12 when he started to learn the ways of magic, joining the Incanistaeum as a pupil of Mentor Wintercloak. He'd collected a number of nicknames though. Among some commoner elves he was known as "Biir". Some elven nobles named him "Zenar", while his elven friends simply called him "Bhin". Upon leaving Myth Drannor in 449 DR, he took the only name he was proud of: Arun's Son (Arunsun). His nameless origin followed him as he came to be known as "The Nameless Chosen". In 464 DR, in the Sword of Anauroch, Khelben came across his father, who had been escorting Evereskan elves, his then wife and children, westwards, in combat with the phaerimm. After both Khelben and Arun ran low on spells, and inside a protective sphere, Arun struck the Duskstaff of Sarael using his Lupinaxe, killing them both and transforming the surrounding desert into a crater of glass. Later Mystra resurrected Khelben and he became a Chosen of Mystra like Elminster.
Ralis recalled that he met the real Khelben Blackstaff years ago, back when he was a year old. It was an embarrassing memory that he did not want to look back at. Thanks to the monks Theodon and Jessup bringing it up the last time he was in Candlekeep to spy on Sarevok's foster father and the other leaders of the Iron Throne, he'll never forget it. According to them, when Ralis was a year old, he liked to run around naked on a whim, and have Gorion chase him down. One day Khelben visited Candlekeep on a day Ralis was again running around naked but wearing Gorion's cloak fairly close to Khelben until he used the Mage Hand spell to grab Ralis, and everyone including Gorion were afraid that Ralis ended up annoying Khelben, but he burst out laughing, causing everyone else to start laughing. Though often thought to be humorless and grave, Khelben is actually neither. He simply found it easier to deal with people if they were intimidated by or even frightened of him.
"I am Khelben, a wizard of great power... one of the rulers of the finest city int the north. I need the item that supplies my fondest name... and an extra leg as I walk forth. I give to you this pendant of silver, for it belongs to another. Place it around the neck neck of one who is sister but not mother," Khelben said, then handed Ralis a pendant.
Ralis looked over at Rasaad, Imoen, Viconia and Edwin.
"So? Have you figured this blasted game out?" Edwin asked.
Ralis nodded. He and Hexxat returned to Drizzt and put his scimitar in the chest behind him. Next they returned to Alustriel and put the pendant Elmister gave them into the chest she stands in front of. Then they went back to Khelben and put his black staff into his treasure chest. After that, thei mpls descended down and landed on their feet, their sinister faces having the expressions of surprise and awe written all over them.
"OOooohh! You gots it all right, you did! You outsmarted us but good!" Imp #1 said.
"Awww, is the game over already?" Imp #2 moaned.
Ralis snorted.
"Yes, I beat your game! And I should have known you would place traps all over this platform! You better give me my reward, and no tricks or games this time!" He demanded.
Imp #1 folded his wings behind his back and nodded, conceding defeat.
"Okay, okay, we keeps the deal. You goes and opens the last chest now, and we imps will save you," he said, pointing over at the unguarded treasure chest in the 5:00 position of the platform. "We gets to laugh at the nasty nasty nasty!"
"Oh goody! Goes and opens it, big people!" Imp #2 exclaimed impatiently.
Ralis inhaled and walked over to the unguarded treasure chest while the others watched.
"Do you think that the imps are lying? What if they don't save him?" Imoen whispered to Rasaad.
Rasaad had no idea what to say, so he said nothing.
"If they lied to him, there's nothing we can do," Hexxat said.
Ralis paused in front of the chest, crouched slightly, and then opened it. I blue flash of light temporarily blinded him, causing him to recoil back two feet. When his eyesight came back he saw a specter levitating above the open treasure chest. A specter appeared as a humanoid, with a mostly transparent and faintly luminous form. They looked much as they did in life, though the injuries that caused their violent deaths were visible on many specimen and could be recognized by someone who knew what the person looked like before they passed away. As far as Ralis could tell, this specter has a humanoid body, and he could vaguely see pointy ears, which show that this specter in its physical life was once an elf of some kind. Likely a drow.
"Ahhhhhhaaaaa... you hhhaaavvve rrreleeeaaasssed me..." The specter hissed in a cold voice that chilled Ralis' spine.
Then it reached out at Ralis with its right arm, its hand attempting to touch him to drain his life force, but something prevented him from moving closer to Ralis so it can touch him. Some kind of barrier.
"But... whaaaat isss thiiisss? I... I cannnot rrreeeaaach yyoouur liiifffe fffooorrrccce..." The specter looked visibly confused and retracted its arm.
Then the imps started laughing.
"Ha ha! Poor nasty nasty nasty!" Imp #1 taunted the specter.
"You can't do nothing, nasty! We protectings the big people!" Imp #2 exclaimed proudly, then raised the index finger of his right hand up to the lower eyelid of his right eye, pulled it down and stuck his tongue out and made a flatulence noise at the specter.
Now the specter looked worried, the look of fear it had on its face was a welcome sight for Ralis.
"Nnnnnoooo! NnNnNOOOO!" It screamed, placing both of its hands on its head as if it has a severe headache and threw his body back while it yelled "No". "I... I aaaaammmm tooo weeeeeaaaakkkk..." Then the specter slowly faded away into thin air.
Imp #1 and 2 slapped each other a high five after the specter was gone.
"Ha ha! That was fun!" Imp #1 grinned.
Then they turned their attention to Ralis and the party that followed him upstairs to this platform.
"You funny big peoples! We go now," Imp #2 said, then the two imps departed by jumping through a dimensional portal they cast.
After the imps left, Ralis approached the open chest and discovered there is no tooth inside, just a pair of boots and a cloak of some kind. Ralis struggled hard not to scream in frustration, but he did grunt and drop his head.
"Well, monkey? Is the tooth in there?" Edwin called.
Ralis turned around and glared at him.
"No! Just a pair of boots and a cloak. Look for yourself if you don't believe me..." He replied.
Edwin, Viconia, Rasaad, Hexxat and Imoen approached and Edwin peered into the treasure chest. He grabbed the cloak first and examined it.
"Hmm. Hmm..." Edwin stroked his beard, trying his hardest to identify what kind of cloak is it, whether it is a cursed cloak or not.
"Well? What does your knowledge on everything arcane tell you?" Imoen asked the Red Wizard.
Edwin shook his head. "No good. I don't recognize it, and I don't have an Identify scroll, or have the Identify spell memorized." He passed the cloak over to Viconia and she took it into her hands, and he turned his attention to the boots inside the chest. "Hmm. But these boots..." He reached in and picked up the boots, examining them. "... I think these are the Boots of Etherealness."
"Eh?" Imoen raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Edwin gave her a mildly annoyed frown that looked comical.
"Pay attention girl, I'll only explain this once. These boots grant the wearer the magical ability to withstand attacks from normal weapons for 30 seconds, more or less, even when casting spells," he said.
"You mean, you cannot be disrupted by normal weapons while casting a spell?" Rasaad asked.
"Exactly, peon," Edwin nodded with a smug grin. "These boots are a mage's best friend against those using swords or arrows against you that are not magically powered."
"So does that mean you want to wear it?" Ralis asked.
Edwin grinned while taking off his regular boots and putting on the Boots of Etherealness.
"You're damned right I do, simpleton ape!" Edwin said proudly.
After putting on the boots, he stood tall and proud.
"Yes! I am near invincible now!" Edwin said proudly, then he turned around to look at the illusion of Elminster several yards behind him and he shouted to it: "In your face, old man! 50 years from now, after I get my own pointy hat, I'll kick your ass in a spell casting duel!" However, Elminster did not respond to Edwin''s snide remarks, he just stared off into space, showing no awareness.
"But if Sekolah's tooth is not in this chest, where could it be?" Hexxat asked.
While looking around, Ralis and Rasaad noticed the green beholder, and they couldn't tell, but they thought they could see a treasure chest partially obscured by the green beholder's body.
"I think that beholder over there is guarding it," Ralis said.
They headed for the 12:00 position of the platform, and crossed the narrow path to the next part of the platform, getting closer to the beholder. This beholder has a 4-foot-wide body which seems to weigh 250 pounds (113 kilograms). It has four eyestalks, unlike the previous beholder Ralis has seen, The Unseeing Eye, with two located on either side of the upper half of the body. Its skin appeared thick, lumpy, and rubbery, with numerous blood vessels visible on the surface. Like other beholders, the spectator has a single main eye in the middle of its floating body, above its mouth.
When they got 12 feet close to it, the beholder finally spoke.
"Visitors! It has been some time since I have had anyone but the mad little sahuagin come to this place... and that one is not full of riveting conversation," the beholder said, speaking verbally instead of telepathically, in Common. "Ah- but I see you hesitate. No doubt you have heard of my kind before, or even met some. You call us beholders... yes, I think that is the term you use."
"Are you saying you are not really called a beholder?" Ralis asked.
The green beholder shook his levitating head.
"I am but a spectator beholder, however, and not quite like others you may have met," he said.
Edwin blinked twice in surprise, because he never expected to personally see an extraplanar relative of the beholderkin in his life. Spectators are vigilant and trustworthy, and could be relied upon to protect items in all but the most dire situations. They possess two methods of behavior: a free-thinking mode and a contemplative mode. Free-thinking spectators would wander the planes at will, openly, if cautiously, talking to anyone they came across. In their contemplative state, they were philosophers who would spend over a century pondering vast philosophical questions. Approached in this state they were still friendly and enjoyed discourse but would soon after request to be left alone so as to continue philosophizing.
"I am set in this place to guard one thing and one thing only," the spectator added.
Ralis slowly reached for the handles of his swords, and the spectator noticed that.
"I will not attack you... unless you try to touch what I guard. Touch anything else you'd like! Provided you weren't driven insane by those imps back there," the spectator said.
"What's the story with those imps, anyway?" Ralis wanted to know as he retracted his hands away from the handles of his swords.
"Oh, they've been here since the drow who summoned me was slaughtered," the spectator replied and rolled his central eye disdainfully. "Sixty years with only two imps and a mad fish-king for company. Is this Hell?"
He paused, waiting for Ralis to respond to his question, but none came. The spectator shook his head-like body again, feeling foolish for trying to display his dry sense of humor.
"There is a chest in there that the sahuagin put something valuable in. Always whispered the incantation to open it, though. Like I would care. The imps figured out the incantation. I suppose they told you, if you didn't squish 'em on the spot. Not that I would be sad, exactly, to see them gone..." the spectator said, trying to sound indifferent.
"They told me nothing. Anyway, what is it that you guard?" Ralis asked.
The spectator's lower left eye-stalk twisted back, glancing at the treasure chest behind him then focused all five of his eyes on Ralis.
"Just the one chest behind me. You are welcome to open the other ones with the imps, or do whatever else... I'm not here to do anything about them in the slightest."
"But why are the other six treasure chests empty?" Imoen asked.
"I think the sahuagin looted the other chests long ago. They might have put some stuff of theirs around here, though, thinking I would scare off thieves." The spectator paused there and his central eye widened briefly as if something surprised him or he suddenly remembered something. "... Oh, that reminds me. I promised that mad little sahuagin that I would make an effort to scare off intruders. So... boo!"
The spectator made a halfhearted lunge at Ralis, but he didn't flinch. In fact, Ralis lifted his right eyebrow in a manner to say "What was that?" using his body language, not words.
"And that's about as much effort as I'm willing to put into that." The spectator sighed in mild depression. "It's been a pretty lonely experience so far, you know," the spectator added sullenly, apparently depressed that he couldn't scare the humanoids in front of him.
Ralis felt unsure of how to look into the treasure chest behind the spectator without causing him to attack. Best to ask more questions until an opportunity presents itself.
"Do you know what's in that chest you are guarding?" Ralis asked.
"Not a clue," the spectator replied without missing a beat. "I wouldn't recommend touching it, though. I haven't had any real excitement in a long time, but I've no compulsion towards killing, you know."
Ralis found this beholder rather amusing. I didn't think a beholder like him existed... Ralis remarked silently. Out loud, he asked:
"How did you end up here, anyway?"
While the spectator replied to his question, Ralis felt someone tap his right shoulder. When he looked back he saw Viconia.
"Ralis. Do not indulge this creature with more questions. Let's just kill him and see what's in the chest. He was not told to defend himself," she whispered, but Ralis was half listening to her and half listening to the spectator speak.
"Mmm. I was summoned by a mad little drow who took over this part of the sahuagin city a long time ago. The chest was extremely important to him, apparently. The sahuagin were attacking, and he didn't want them to get the chest after he died... so *POOF!*, in I came, attached to a 99 year contract. Only 40 years to go. The drow wasn't much more entertaining than the sahuagin, really. He smelled better, though. I don't think I'll ever be able to stomach fish again... Yech," the spectator stuck his tongue out in disgust. "To top it off, I got stuck with the drow's imps, too, which are bound here but keep teleporting away from the sahuagin. I wish they would just go away. I mean, I can only play "I spy" and "peek-a-boo" so many times without getting tired of it, but not THEM, oh no. Rotten impish bastards..." The spectator looked away from Ralis in depression, even his eye stalks drooped slightly.
Something strange in the spectator's statement caught Ralis' attention. Beholders don't have a nose. At least, not one visible.
"Er... just how can you smell without a nose?" Ralis asked.
The spectator's eyes refocused on Ralis now, looking miffed as Jan when someone tells him his inventions are second rate.
"What, you think I can't smell just because I got the one-big-eye thing going?" He asked, his voice sounding a bit offended. "How much do you know about magic, anyway? You're almost bad as the imps..." The spectator snorted derisively.
Ralis noticed something now. An opportunity. By understanding how lonely and depressed the spectator is in this lonely task, he figured now is the time to see if he can dance around rules of the spectator's contract through technicalities.
"Is there no way I can release you from your task?" Ralis asked him.
The spectator's frowning eyes softened.
"Awww, that's sweet. Short of death, there isn't any way to shorten the 40 years I have left... and I'm not eager to greet the Beyond just yet," he said.
"So, are you sure I can't see what's in the chest?" Ralis asked.
The spectator gave him a confused look now.
"What? Are you in desperate need or something? You have a dying relative that desperately needs what's in the chest?" He asked.
"I don't have any relatives," Ralis admitted.
Then the spectator's eyes grew wide and he smiled, showing his sharp teeth.
"OH, I get it! You just HAVE to have what's in this chest, right? Because if a beholder is guarding it, then whatever is inside it HAS to be cool!" He exclaimed with sarcasm.
Ralis shrugged but did not verbally respond.
"Keep in mind the drow who summoned me was mad. But hey, who am I to judge, I suppose. I've been playing tic-tac-toe with a pair of imps for 60 years." The spectator rolled his central eye and sighed. "Oh... in case you didn't hear an answer in that: No, you CAN'T look at what's in the chest. The drow specifically summoned me to guard this chest."
Ralis felt the nagging urge to give up now. He tried everything, sweet talking the spectator into not guarding the chest failed. Just when he was starting to think Viconia's approach of attacking the spectator is the only course of action, Edwin stepped forward.
"Hold on, creature. Tell me... did this drow wizard summon you to guard the chest or what's in the chest?" He asked.
Ralis blinked and glanced at Edwin in surprise. Did he just find a flaw in the drow wizard's contract?
"Hmm... Well, he screamed "my chest", as I recall. A spear was being thrust through his own chest at the time, so he could have been referring to that. I assume he was talking about this chest, though. And that means I can't let you open it... or do anything to it... even if I'm not guarding what's inside," the spectator beholder replied.
"But that doesn't mean you can't open it, right? Then I could get what's inside without touching anything," Ralis requested, hoping that suggestion is the key.
The spectator blinked. "Hey, you're probably right. Hmm. Actually, I've been wondering what's inside. Tell you what... I won't turn around, and you just go take a look, okay?"
Ralis nodded and smiled, and immediately approached the spectator, walking around it and approaching the treasure chest. As promised, the spectator did not turn around and look at Ralis as he opened the chest. Ralis' eyes beamed when he finally laid eyes on what he is searching for. Sekolah's tooth is here. He reached inside the chest, grabbed it, closed the chest, walked around the spectator and held it up in front of him, and the spectator focused all five of his eyes on the tooth in the palm of Ralis' outstretched right hand.
"Hmph. Is that it? Shoot, you'd have thought the whole future of the drow race depended on it or something, the way that mad drow was screaming." He sighed. "i suppose I have to resign myself now to guarding a completely empty chest for the next 40 years. Yay."
While Ralis walked back towards his companions, Edwin said:
"Ha! As a wizard, I can tell you that the drow would never wish that. There is no point in guarding an empty chest, beholder."
The spectator thought over what Edwin said, and everything made sense.
"Huh. You know... you're absolutely right. Not even that drow mage would want me to guard an empty chest. It's not even a nice chest. There's no way that the beholder council, bloated bladder-bags that they are, would hold me responsible for this contract! I... I'm free! Free! Yippee!" The beholder levitated higher, fell back down then rose higher again a few times, then he calmed down.
"What to do now? Hmm... Kill the imps... yeah. Those bastards deserve to die. But first, I'm gonna go eat something. You have no idea how hungry I am."
At that, the spectator floated away, going somewhere northeast. Ralis, with Sekolah's tooth in hand, returned downstairs with Imoen, Rasaad, Hexxat, Edwin and Viconia to where everyone else waited for them, then they departed the forbidden area of the City-of-Caverns, returning to the section inhabited by the sahuagin.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Ralis said to Edwin.
"I can't believe you possessed the intellect to outsmart the creature," Edwin responded.
Ralis decided to take that as a compliment instead of an insult even though he knew it is an insult, knowing how much of an ego Edwin has.
"Maybe now you will learn to never underestimate the intelligence of monkeys," Ralis smiled at him, gave him a pat on the back, which surprised Edwin.
The guards that guarded the passageway to the forbidden area of the City-of-Caverns were surprised to see Ralis and all of his companions return unharmed. They did not disturb the surface-dwellers with any questions, they just let the surface-dwellers pass by and go on their way. The walk to the doors where Sekolah's tooth is needed to unlock took longer than Ralis predicted. The central cavern of the sahuagin city is more vast than he imagined. However, the number is sahuagin citizens does not match the number of buildings. Sahuagin warriors are more numerous than the civilians. Fortunately, Ralis and his party were never attacked. As time progressed, Ralis and some of his party members were beginning to feel hungry and a little thirsty, but nobody complained, because they all doubted that the sahuagin eat or sell cooked meat. They did pass by a few shops, but most of them were either closed or sold nothing of value to them. Besides, it is unlikely they take copper, silver or gold pieces as currency.
Eventually after a very long walk, Ralis and his party finally stood in front of the doors to the eastern parts of the cavern past an archway that has a gigantic stone statue of a lobster with large claws sitting on top of it. Ralis saw a depression shaped like a tooth on the door, and he placed Sekolah's tooth inside. Then he heard two audible clicking noises, then he tried to push the door open, and it opened effortlessly. While holding the rebel orb in his hand, Ralis surveyed the new surroundings ahead of him. The eastern section of the City-of-Caverns looked different from the central cavern. There is a little less light, and the buildings look more like temples varying from small to large than residential buildings and shops. Before all of Ralis' companions could come through the door, everyone heard a nearby hissing noise, and from both sides, hidden behind clusters of stalagmites, dozens of sahuagin warriors appeared, wielding spears and tridents, slowly advancing towards the intruders with their teeth bared and hissing like angry snakes.
These must be Prince Villynaty's rebels... Ralis silently guessed as he slowly raised the rebel orb up so that all the rebels could see it.
They noticed it, and ceased all hostile advancing. Then a couple moments later, one of the rebels approached Ralis with his spear lowered towards the ground.
"You have the orb, surface creature. This means only that the most sacred Senityili could have given it to you."
"That's right. You know her?" Ralis asked the rebel.
"She has sent us word of your intentions. Do you wish to be brought to the most honorable Villynaty, he who has saved us? I am willing to lead you to him, surface beast," the rebel replied.
Ralis nodded. "Take us to see him... but I shall remain on guard against any treachery, so do not try anything!" Ralis warned the rebel.
"It is not our intention to commit violence against you, surface being. but we certainly put no trust in you... as you have no trust in us. No matter. Follow me, and I shall take you to the prince," the rebel replied.
He turned his back on Ralis and prepared to lead the way. Ralis followed him, his party followed behind him as well, escorted by 14 rebels flanking them from all sides. the remaining rebels stayed behind near the doors in case the king's warriors try to ambush them. The walk through the near semi dark section of the City-of-Caverns was almost leisurely, the roads are smooth, but the only problem is the limited light source. The sahuagin rebels have no problems with the limited amount of light in the area. Besides, sahuagin can see clearly in darkness and in areas dimly lit with light. However, the grounds of the caverns in this area are littered with bio-luminescent fungus, providing enough light for Ralis and anyone in his party who does not have low light vision to see where they are going. They followed the rebel through the city of abandoned Sekolah temples until they came to one temple of Sekolah that is bigger than the others, and had a large flight of steps that would put the steps up to the sahuagin king's palace to shame. The climb up the stairs was exhausting, but nothing that Ralis and his group could handle.
Eventually they entered the temple, and inside they found two sahuagin clad in clothing that made them stand out differently from the rebels standing in front of an altar, where sacrifices to Sekolah are performed. The sahuagin to Ralis left looked almost as tall as the sahuagin king, so Ralis assumed that must be Villynaty, and he is right. Villynaty, upon seeing his rebels bring the large group of surface dwellers before him bravely strode forward, walking with calm confidence.
"Ahhh, so it seems the surface creatures we have heard so much about have finally come to see us." Villynaty stopped 3 feet away from Ralis and examined him for a moment, then took a glance at his party members, then he turned around to address the sahuagin he was standing next to.
"Are these the ones that your mother spoke of, Sallinithyl?" Villynaty asked her.
Huh? The royal high priestess has a daughter? Ralis thought while frowning.
She nodded slowly.
"They are, most honored Villynaty. The most sacred Senityili was most specific in her description."
Villynaty laughed for a moment, which made Ralis and some of his party members wonder what tickled him.
"Ha! I do not think the description had to be all that specific. As if they would be anyone else, ugly as they are. Their flesh, it is so soft and scaleless..." Villynaty said, making his personal feelings about the surface dwellers no secret.
Funny, we find you ugly too, fish man. Your have wet, slimy, scaly skin, and you all smell like rotten sardines... Neera remarked in her thoughts.
"My skin may not have scales, but it has seen many suns come and go. Boo thinks you could use some sun too. Then you might not smell so much like wet laundry," Minsc boldly remarked.
Villynaty waved a hand dismissively in response to Minsc. "But your hideous appearances mean little. As does this nonsense about Sekolah sending you, as Sallinithyl and her mother believe so strongly." Villynaty walked over to the alter and positioned himself behind it and slowly revealed a ceremonial dagger in his hand as he continued speaking. "What matters is that mad Ixilthetocal has sent you surface beings to collect my heart. He is so certain of your success that now is the perfect time to strike!" Villy naty raised the ceremonial dagger up above his head and brought the blade down towards a sahuagin heart resting on the alter, piercing it, and staining the altar with more blood.
"We have a heart, surface human..." Senior Priestess Sallinithyl said, gesturing with her right hand towards the heart on the alter that Villynaty just stabbed to tell Ralis and his party to direct their attention to it. "... a heart that you can return with to ixilthetocal and claim as Villynaty's. The guard of the City-of-Caverns will be down, and we will be able to strike."
"Do not attack any guards," Villynaty advised Ralis and his party. "This will tip off Ixilthetocal to your treachery. Wait for our attack, then launch your own assault on the king and his baron. I will come as soon as I can. Once Ixilthetocal and Thelokassyil are dead, I shall take the throne of the City-of-Caverns. The madman shall be dead!"
The sahuagin rebels nearby shouted a war cry of excitement that made Ralis' heart jump.
"And the City-of-Caverns shall be saved with the return of its exiled blood," Sallinithyl added, feeling invigorated at the thought of finally overthrowing the mad king.
"Yes, yes, whatever," Villynaty indifferently said to his priestess. "The throne is what is important here," he said.
Ralis recalled that he had a different idea of Villynaty's personality before he met him. He thought that Villynaty would be the noble leader type, promising that once he takes over the throne, he will make life better for all sahuagin. In reality, Villynaty is apparently the "end justifies the means" type. Now Villynaty turned his attention to Ralis.
"So, surface creature. Assuming that you are capable of intelligent thought, do you agree to this plan? Or shall we be forced to engage in simple slaughter?" He asked.
"I want to ask you do you think it is possible for you and the king to come to a peaceful solution, but I have my doubts," Ralis replied.
"You have met ixilthetocal. What do you think, haired one? if, of course, you are capable of coherent thought," Villynaty replied.
Ralis shook his head. "To be honest, I don't see it happening. The king doesn't have as much sanity as we all do. He sacrificed the baron's priestess a few hours ago, and then seconds later, he thought that he sacrificed Priestess Senityili. The king's mind is unstable," Ralis explained.
Villynaty smiled and pointed at Ralis approvingly.
"Amazing. You proved my point, haired one. No. Peace is not an option. The king is mad, as you have proven. That will be his undoing," he said.
Ralis nodded. "Then let's get his undoing underway. I will help you. Give me the fake heart and I will return to the king," he said.
Villynaty looked amused. He clearly did not expect Ralis to agree. He hesitantly grabbed the heart off of the altar and slowly approached Ralis.
"Maybe you are intelligent enough... for a surface species," he said.
"We are all intelligent beings here... It's just that after hearing how terrifying and ruthless you are to sailors, I never expected you to be as civilized as us," Ralis admonished him.
Villynaty shook his head.
"Whatever. Take this heart and bring it to Ixilthetocal. I shall set up my forces and prepare for the attack," he said as he handed the heart to Ralis.
Ralis struggled hard not to cringe so visibly when he held the heart in his hands. He is still psychologically owunded by the fact that he had to cut out Yoshimo's heard himself, so he did not want to hold another heart in his hands, so he passed the heart over to Abdel, who reluctantly took the heart in his hands even though he wanted to object to Ralis choosing him to carry the heart.
"This is the only way to save our people, human," Sallinithyl reminded Ralis. "I pray that you are indeed the ones promised by Sekolah... and that we shall all meet with success."
After all that has been said, Villynaty commanded his rebels to escort them back to the doors where they arrived.
The walk back to the king's palace felt long unlike last time. Probably because they've visited the forbidden area of the City-of-Caverns, and then ventured into the parts of the city where the rebels were locked. In addition to those locations, returning to the king's palace feels like they have been traveling on foot from Athkatla to Crimmor, even though a walk from Athkatla to Crimmor would be a 3 1/2 day travel. Ralis couldn't help wondering if is it daylight or nightfall on the surface, three or ten miles above the deep waters. The thought of having to travel through the Underdark to get back to the surface chilled his spine. He wished there were other options he could gladly take, but there are none.
"Uh, Ralis..." Abdel said, walking alongside Ralis as they made their way down the road towards the sahuagin king's palace, breaking Ralis out of his deep thoughts of what's to come.
"What, Abdel?" Ralis asked without looking at him.
Abdel looked down at the fake heart in his hands for a moment before presenting his question to his half-brother.
"Why am I holding the heart instead of you...?" Abdel asked as they walked up the first flight of steps.
Ralis looked up at Abdel incredulously.
"Because I don't want to hold the heart. It makes me feel uncomfortable..." He said.
Abdel did not know that Ralis had to cut out Yoshimo's heart, but he couldn't help wondering why Ralis has such a strange averion to holding an organ like a heart.
"But, Ralis, the sahuagin king will be expecting you to give him the heart," Abdel reminded him. "You must hold the heart so you can give it to him. He expects you, his favorite human to give him Villynaty's" heart."
Ralis stayed silent for a moment as they headed towards the next flight of steps that will take them directly in front of the front doors of Ixilthetocal's palace, where the two guards armed with a trident and spear stand guard. They walked up the stairs, and as they did, Ralis finally decided to face his fear of holding a heart in his hands again.
"*sigh* Give me the heart," Ralis held his right hand out towards Abdel, and he placed the fake heart in Ralis hands.
As soon as Ralis felt the lukewarm organ in the palm of his hands, he closed his thumb and fingers around it and lowered his arm in time to see the doors of the palace come into view rising above the final steps. The sahuagin guards opened the door for them as soon as they saw the heart in Ralis' hands, and they entered the palace. They knew their way to the throne room, the guards knew that, so they did not send an escort to guide them to the throne room, they just made their way there, passing by patrolling guards who whispered among themselves when they saw Ralis holding what they believe is the heart of prince Villynaty.
"Is... is that human holding the heart of Villynaty...?" Ralis heard one of the sahuagin guard say, Senityili's clerical magic still at work magically translating whatever sahuagin language words Ralis and his companions hear into Common.
"It must be! The surface dwellers have finally killed the rebel leader!" Ralis overheard another nearby sahuagin say.
"The king will be overjoyed!" Sahuagin #3 said.
Ralis didn't overhear anymore conversation after walking straight through the main hall, entering the hallway that leads directly to the throne room. Ralis opened the door and stepped through first, catching king Ixilthetocal and his baron Thelokassyil by surprise, including their bodyguards.
"Oho! It is my surface human, come to me once again!" Ixilthetocal cried happily almost like a boy happy to see his lost dog come back, and his eyes were immeditely drawn to the fist sized red object in Ralis' right hand. "And does it have...?"
Before Ixilthetocal could say anymore, Ralis stopped walking towards the throne and held out his right arm, opening his hand to reveal the fake heart.
"... why, yes, I think I smell the blood of a rebel! You have the heart with you!" Ixilthetocal snapped his fingers and signaled one of his bodyguards to confiscate the heart from Ralis' possession.
One of the sahuagin guards approached Ralis, took the fake heart, then approached Ixilthetocal sitting proudly in his throne, handing the heart to him. His silvery black eyes wide in awe and swelling joy, he gazed into the heart resting in his cupped hands, the hole in the heart that Villynaty made was visible to Ixilthetocal's eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes, YES! I knew this was coming, yes I did. My men reported your return, and I asked Sekolah if it was done, and he told me that it was!" Ixilthetocal declared proudly.
Ralis frowned, and as he looked around, something felt amiss here. Where is Royal High Priestess Senityili? Why isn't she here? Ixilthetocal can't communicate with Sekolah without her, or any other cleric.
"You spoke to Sekolah? Or did your priestess?" Ralis asked inquisitively.
Ixilthetocal gave Ralis a rather puzzled look, tilting his head to the left.
"What? My precious little human, what are you talking about? I have no priestess," he said innocently.
Ralis blinked in disbelief, his eyes wide in shock.
"Wha... what am I talking about? How could you possibly forget? You had a royal high priestess named Senityili! Where is she?"
Ixilthetocal still looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened and he clapped his hands together as if he just got an idea or remembered something.
"OH! That one! I know who you are talking about now. While you were gone, I was so confident of your success that I made early preparations for your return. One of my men caught the priestess communicating with her daughter, who was one of the rebels, so I sacrificed her to the Shark-Father..."
Ralis struggled hard not to reveal how shocked he is to hear this. He struggled to act indifferent, and by some stroke of luck, Ixilthetical did not notice the changes in Ralis' facial expressions, and Baron Thelokassyil is whispering something to a guard near him.
"Your high priestess was in league with the rebels? How could we have missed this?" Ralis asked, still masking his true feelings.
"No one could have noticed," Ixilthetocal shrugged. "She kept her true allegiance hidden real well. after I learned of her betrayal, I realized that there may be more rebel sympathizers here in my city. So I sacrificed a few hatchlings and a guard to the Shark-Father... and I had the rest of the guards prepare for the festival..." Ixilthetocal paused for a moment to stand up out of his throne. "... there will be a feast tonight!" He proudly shouted.
This lunatic is really crazy! He ordered the sacrifice of a dozen young sahuagin and Feerlattiys?! The sooner we take this nutcase out, the better! Ralis thought, shaking his head in dismay.
"Not that we're planning on feasting on you, or your allies, my favorite little human. No, no," Ixilthetocal assured Ralis as soon as he noticed him shaking his head, then he turned his head to look at Baron Thelokassyil who just ended his private conversation with a guard.
"You weren't planning on eating my human, were you, Baron?"
The question caught Baron Thelokassyil off guard.
"Huh? Err... no. No, I wasn't planning on it, most honorable Ixilthetocal," Thelokassyil protested.
Ixilthetocal smirked knowingly at him. "Liar. I heard you talking earlier. So be a good baron and go get the reward for my little human here. It has certainly deserved one, oh yes!"
Just when the baron was about to depart the throne room, walking past Ralis and his party, heading for the doors that lead out of the throne room, the doors opened before Thelokassyil could get withing reaching distance of the doorknobs, and a wounded sahuagin soldier, Captain Alyittyl came lumbering into the throne room, clutching his bloodstained chest with one arm and holding a spear with the other, drawing concerned looks from Thelokassyil, Ixilthetocal, his bodyguards, Ralis and his party.
"Most exalted one! Alarm! Alarm! The rebels... the prince... they have crept into the City-of-Caverns, and they are attacking!" Alyittyl exclaimed, breathing heavily, trying to stop himself from bleeding out.
Ralis turned his head to look at Ixilthetocal, and he saw him looking at him in utter disbelief and a little sadness that made Ralis feel a pang of guilt.
"What?! You... you have betrayed me, my human?! No... this cannot be!" Ixilthetocal sounded as if he didn't want to believe the truth.
Ralis had to admit that he felt a little bad for betraying someone who trusted him, Ixilthetocal is less xenophobic than his son Villynaty, but this is all for a good cause. Thelokassyil ran back towards his king's side, grabbing two spare tridents from the weapon racks for him to use and his king while Alyittyl left the throne room to tell the guards in the palace to come aid their king because the surface dwellers have betrayed them all.
"I told you that the surface beasts could not be trusted!" Baron Thelokassyil exclaimed while handing a trident to his king.
Ixilthetocal's dumbfounded face quickly turned into a face etched with rage, not just because of Ralis' sudden betrayal, but because he did not recall the baron ever saying that the surface dwellers could not be trusted, he withdrew all of his objections after Ralis proved he was sent by Sekolah.
"Oh, shut UP, Thelokassyil! Just kill them! Kill them! I WANT ALL OF THEIR HEADS ON MY PLATE!"
Ralis drew his swords and charged at Thelokassyil with Abdel and Dorn while everyone else stayed behind and engaged in melee combat with the 28 guards who barged into the throne room ready to defend their king. Ixilthetocal's bodyguards engaged Ralis, Abdel and Dorn before they could get close to Ixilthetocal and Thelokassyil, but that does not mean that the king and the baron hung back while their bodyguards started attacking their attackers.
Tashia pulled out her figurine and called forth Peanelian to join the fight, then she deflected an incoming spear jab from a sahuagin warrior. Korgan got busy slicing up any sahuagin that dared to try to attack him. Minsc defended Aerie while she cast spells like Burning Hands, Chromatic Orb and Ray of Enfeeblement, making her a one of the prime targets of the sahuagin warriors since she is casting magic, and sahuagin greatly fear magic. Even Althir and Mazzy defended Nalia as she cast her own spells. Anomen and Valygar defended Jan while he used the Horror spell to make at least some of the sahuagin warriors flee in terror, but it only worked on two of them, then Jan went back to shooting sahuagin with his Flasher Launcher gun, firing +1 crossbow bolts in three burst mode.
"Your slimy kneecaps are mine, fish freaks!" Jan yelled while firing his strange weapon.
"Wow! These guys really don't like spell casters!" Neera exclaimed, speaking to nobody in particular, and not having her mind focused on the battle nearly cost Neera her life.
A sahuagin ran at her with his spear ready to skewer Neera, but she got saved by Viconia, of all people. Viocnia jumped on the sahuagin, tackling him and smashing his head like a grape with the +2 mace Mauler's Arm. But Neera didn't have the time to thank Viconia, and Viconia did not have the time to acknowledge Neera's thanks ,they had to fight two more sahuagin. Neera dodged the trident then whacked the sahuagin with her staff, burning its face.
Ralis, Abdel and Dorn were doing fine against Ixilthetocal's bodyguards at first, but when Ixilthetocal and Thelokassyil joined the fight, things got a little more rougher. Since Thelokassyil has four arms instead of two, he primarily made the fight worse. When attacking Dorn, he would stab at Dorn's head, holding his trident with his upper two arms, and after Dorn dodges the three pronged sharp ends, Thelokassyil would come at Dorn again, throwing haymaker uppercuts at Dorn's body with his lower two arms. Dorn never saw it coming, he was more used to battling opponents who would attempt to attack him, but never counter his counterattack. Thelokassyil ended the body blow combo with an uppercut to Dorn's face, sending him flying halfway across the room, knocking him nearly unconscious. Ralis and Abdel were aware that Thelokassyil knocked down Dorn, but they had to keep their focus on the fight because they still had the king, the baron and three of their bodyguards left alive to fight.
The fight in the throne room got more bloodier, especially when Villynaty and seven of his rebels entered the throne room to join the fight. The tide of the battle quickly turned with their arrival, though Tashia had to tell Peanelian not to attack Villynaty and his rebels. Although Ralis and his party had the advantage with mages and a cleric in their party, the fight was still tough. After killing the last bodyguard, Abdel fought Thelokassyil while Ralis battled Ixilthetocal. Villynaty and his rebels couldn't aid Ralis and Abdel yet, they had to deal with the dozens of sahuagin warriors battling Ralis' companions. At this point, only Dorn, Anomen, Jahiera, Hexxat and Abdel suffered some minor injuries, receiving minor cuts from spears and tridents. Ixilthetocal fought aggressively against Ralis, yelling and snarling every time he tried to jab his trident into Ralis' chest but missed every strike. Ralis fought calmly and coolly, he didn't try swinging his swords at Ixilthetocal too often, he wanted to tire him out a little first before going completely offensive. Abdel fought the opposite way against Thelokassyil. He got punched a couple times in the face, but that just made him even more angrier. Abdel in his bloodrage swing his broadsword several times at Thelokassyil, and only managed to create cuts on his arms a few times, which turned out to be good, because minor cuts can go a long way. Eventually Thelokassyil had to switch from using his upper arms to hold his trident, to using his lower arms because his upper arms are numb with pain and dripping with blood from the numerous cuts.
Ralis managed to take down Ixilthetocal when he made one more jab with his trident, and Ralis dodged, stuck the blade of Albruin in between two of the three prongs, pushed his sword down so the blade can be pulled upwards but be stopped by the middle prong, and by doing this, prying the trident out of Ixilthetocal's hands, then Ralis stepped forward and stabbed both of his swords into Ixilthetocal while he stood poised to throw a left hook at Ralis' face, causing him to stop in his tracks with the blades in his abdomen. Ixilthetocal looked down in disbelief to see the blades halfway run through his abdomen, then Ralis pulled the blades out, spun around and slashed at Ixilthetocal's chest, creating two diagonal "l" shaped deep blade wounds too big for him to survive having, and he collapsed on his knees and fell face flat into the floor, and Abdel killed Thelokassyil in a similar fashion, knocking down the outstretched trident, placing one boot on it so Thelokassyil can't pull it back, and then jabbed his broadsword into the sahuagin's chest.
The battle ended after the last sahuagin loyal to former king Ixilthetocal was dead.
What followed after the intense battle an hour later, was the rebels cleaning up the bodies of dead soldiers and their rebel brethren all over the palace, including the corpses of Ixilthetocal and Thelokassyil, even wiping off the bloodstains. After the cleaning was done, Villynaty stood face to face with the coral throne where his father once sat. After a moment of hesitation, he turned his back on the throne and sat down, while Ralis, his companions, Senityili's daughter and thirteen of the rebels watched. Villynaty slowly smiled with pride and satisfaction as he rubbed his forearms slowly on the armrests.
"Ahhh, yessss... So I am now the king of the City-of-Caverns! The mad tyrant is dead, and we are well rid of him! May Sekolah gnaw on his bones for all eternity!" villynaty said.
The former sahuagin rebels cheered for a few seconds, then died down into silence when Villynaty raised his right forearm, signaling his soldiers to be quiet for a moment. Then he stood up out of his throne and approached Ralis.
"You and your allies have done our people a great service, human!" Villynaty smiled approvingly.
Ralis smirked and shrugged. "Doing people a great service is what I excel at, honorable king Villynaty," he said, causing some of the sahuagin to chuckle at hearing a human address their new king that way.
Senior Priestess Sallinithyl approached Ralis with a smile that was a little unsettling to see on a sahuagin.
"Greater perhaps than you even know. With Ixilthetocal dead, those that were exiled can now return to the City-of-Caverns. Where once our people grew weak, now they can be strong again. Their blood will return to mix with the old, and only together can we protect our city from the advances of the illithids and the drow. Ixilthetocal was too mad to see what he was doing," she said.
Ralis turned his attention back to Villynaty, getting the feeling he has something more to say, and he does.
"And now the City-of-Caverns is saved. The prophecy is completed... even if not quite the way that pale eel thought it would be, eh?" Then to Ralis' surprise, Villynaty placed his right hand on Ralis' shoulder, smiling more warmly than he has seen him do before. "We owe you a debt, human. We are unfamiliar with your kind, but you are welcome among us. And you did more than was asked, bearing the brunt of the battle." Now Villynaty removed his hand from Ralis' shoulder, reaching into the bag strapped around his waist. "For that, I give you the first spoils of war."
Villynaty gave Ralis a key.
"Take this treasury key from Ixilthetocal's corpse... use it to enter the city's treasury and take what you will," he said.
"You have my thanks, exalted honorable king Villynaty..." Ralis said as he took the key from Villynaty, then paused for a moment to see if the sahuagin rebels in the room will start laughing at what he just said, and they did.
Clearly they were thoroughly amused to hear a human address the new king the same way they do. When the laughing died down, Ralis spoke.
"So, uh, can you tell us how to get to the Underdark? I understand that it is our only way back to the surface since we'll drown minutes or seconds before we reach the ocean's surface," he said.
Villynaty nodded in agreement. "I understand. I also understand your apprehension of venturing into the Underdark. To enter the Underdark, you will need this magic rope here," Villynaty showed Ralis the rope, grabbing it from being tied around his waist.
It looks just like a regular rope, extending 30 feet long generally, but what makes it special is its ability to extend, meaning if you need to descend 100 feet down, the rope can extend to that length.
"Use this to go down the pit in the temple where we first met," Villynaty said, then handed Ralis the rope.
Ralis gave the rope to Valygar, then turned to face Villynaty.
"Well, I guess this means farewell. We are going to the treasury room, then... *shudder*... we are on our way to the Underdark..." Ralis said.
Villynaty nodded and he and his high priestess watched as Ralis and his group headed for the doors to the treasury room close by. Ralis unlocked the door, then he and his companions entered.
