CHAPTER FOUR: DUELLING WITH GOODNESS
Phaan arrived late for the Council meeting, and sang exultantly inside at the chaos and disunity he saw. The Dehaunarch, the Council member in charge of the armed forces, was shouting at Nalia, who was pale and drawn, looking over an enchanted map with hundreds of red dots of ink that showed the villages that had been looted by the pirates and ogres, who, as a force of about four thousand, had rampaged through the virtually undefended north, razing garrisons when they came to them.
On the map as well, he saw the masses of green dots that stood for the armies of his empire, masses of them. Even as he looked, the green dots were advancing north, breaking through the lines of border garrisons, and plunging further north. And then there were the blue dots, which signified the Amnian legions. With the help of Harper wizards, they were holding onto the few fortresses they held along the border, and were now making Alain's warriors push for even the tiniest gain.
But the gains had been made. The static line had been broken, and now Alain had control of the borders, and loot, slaves and supplies were being shipped constantly to Murann and Brynnlaw, to pay the pirates for their loyalty. When the mercenaries from the rest of Amn received his summons, and crates of gold, then the war against Amn could be won. The main lines had been shattered, the Amnian forces had been weakened… now all he needed was a last push with new warriors, and he could raze that last fortresses, and then march on Athkatla itself.
If the City of Coin was to fall, however, and if Alain was to gain control of the empire completely, the leaders of the nation had to be killed… and that was his plan for today. If he removed Nalia, taking her by surprise while in Phaan's form, then the order in Amn would crumble, and he might not even need the mercenaries to conquer the rest of the Coinland.
"You're late, Phaan. We discuss the future of this entire nation, and you show up late?"
Nalia looked awful. Her hair was dishevelled, and her voice weary and exasperated. He almost felt sorry for her, but then he looked at her again, more closely, and any trace of pity was stamped out instantly. If she failed, then she deserved everything she got because of it. If she believed she could stand against him, if she believed she was superior to him, then let her deal with the consequences of being wrong- horribly, horribly wrong.
"My lady Nalia, I was busy preparing my estates near Amnwater for an ogre attack… the forces loyal to the Master of Spellhold are everywhere, and our armies seem to be doing little to stop them… had you listened to me a month ago, my lady, when I warned you about a seaward invasion, we would not be in this mess, so do not talk to me about being late!"
She sighed. "I know… forgive me, Phaan… I am just… tired. Whatever I do, whatever actions we take, are countered almost immediately by that cursed Bhaalspawn. I never suspected him of being such a cunning tactician… to predict the moves we make, even before we make them… Mystra knows how much I have blundered."
Phaan gave her a sympathetic squeeze on the arm, and smiled comfortingly at her. "Know this, my lady… I will stand with you even to the end. When the ogres lay siege to this City of Coin, I will stand alongside you, and I will face death in the eye, as a true ruler of Amn must. This I swear."
He saw tears appear in the eyes of the archmage, and he sneered maliciously within his heart. She deserved to be crushed, for being so weak… she epitomised everything he hated about the hypocritical servants of goodness… who cried and cried for the sorrows of the world, even though they could do nothing about them, and even caused many of the sorrows through inaction and cowardice.
"Thank you, Phaan… thank you."
He sat down, and watched as she exhorted, pleased, begged and bellowed, and even he had to admire her charisma and presence. After twenty minutes, the Council rallied around her, aided by Phaan. Many who wanted Amn to be destroyed, and who were in his position, might have wanted to continue spreading discord, but Phaan wanted to ensure that everyone was united around Nalia… so that when he killed her, they would be completely demoralised.
When the Council stood up to leave, he realised that now was his chance. He stood, and held up his hand for silence, and the Council members sat, watching him to see what he had to say, possibly hoping that he would offer them a plan to escape death. He looked at each one in turn, and then whispered something.
Nalia frowned, "Sorry, Phaan? I can't hear you."
An amused chuckle echoed through his mind, that Nalia couldn't even sense when a death spell was being uttered. The Council members narrowed their eyes, as grey magic started to play around his fingers, like sinuous worms, and then they yelled, panic-stricken.
"He means to kill us!"
The archmage de'Arnise breathed, "Traitor!"
Phaan smirked as his death spell struck the table, and each spark of death magic struck the Council members. There were four pained, shocked and quiet grunts, and they slumped against the table, dead… their leadership for Amn completely gone.
Nalia paled then, and she sent a blast of green light- a finger of death that would dispatch most middling wizards… and the real Phaan, as Nalia knew, had only been an extremely weak wizard, whose energy had probably been exhausted by casting the death spell.
But smiling openly now, Phaan let the light strike him. He grunted as the magical force tugged at him, but the blood of a god flowed in his veins… he was not going to be dispatched with such casual ease… Nalia's eyes widened, and she took a step back.
"Who…"
Phaan rolled his eyes. "Can't you guess yet, Nalia? They said you were intelligent!"
"No…"
He chuckled nastily. "Yes…"
The form of Phaan vanished into a hazy mist, which solidified gradually, and he assumed the shape of Alain, Master of Spellhold, Lord of Brynnlaw… and soon to be Emperor of Amn. Nalia stumbled for a moment, her spirit defeated, but then that spirit snapped back again, and she said, "It is between you and I then, Alain…"
He nodded suddenly full of respect for the woman who had worked so long to thwart him… for ten years in fact. Briefly, he wondered what it would be like to finally rid him of her… but he couldn't imagine it. "Then let is begin."
Lightning lashed from his fingers, and wrapped itself around Nalia, and she shuddered as shock after shock raced through her body. But then the lightning fizzled out, as she dispelled it with a brief incantation. Alain retained the initiative by sending a volley of force missiles against her, but a hastily erected shield spell protected Nalia from any damage.
Eyes flashing with power, she sent a cone of cold washing towards him, and he heard the table crash to the floor as the force of the magic flung it aside. Alain raised his hand, and protected himself with a wall of flame, that melted the ice before it reached him.
As Nalia paused for breath, Alain sent a fireball rocketing towards her. Nalia teleported herself away from the blast, but the massive explosion destroyed the wall, and he heard screams of fear as servants started to run. The Council Chambers, on the second floor of the building, were now open to the air, and a crowd of people were gathering to watch the duelling wizards.
A blast of fire knocked him to the floor, but before Nalia could attack again, Alain rolled to one side, and stood up, releasing a spell as he did so. Another fireball and then another explosion. Nalia grunted, and whispered a single word. A sphere of solid air surrounded her, protecting her from the flames and heat.
Alain then launched three lethal ice daggers towards her, which crumbled the sphere easily. Nalia responded by sending blasts of energy, rainbow coloured and powerful, towards him. He rolled his eyes, and erected a shield, which protected him from her magic easily.
As Nalia started to chant another spell, Alain sent a blast of black energy slicing towards her, and de'Arnise was knocked to one side, cast onto the rubble of the Council chambers. Groaning, Nalia tried to stand, but could not, as she was dazed. Alain started to chant a quick spell, but as he did so, a Cowled Wizard appeared with a flash, and sent a lightning bolt tearing towards Nalia.
With an angry roar, Alain killed the wizard with a massive concussion of energy, and looked at Nalia, who stared at him in surprise. By way of explanation, he said, "This is between me and you… no-one else…"
He expected Nalia to nod, or say something, but instead she sent a whip of energy curling around him, slicing into his skin like thousands of teeth. Without panicking, for panic would mean his death, Alain unleashed one of his contingencies, a Shout spell. Nalia was lifted from her feet, and flew through the air, bleeding on her forehead where a piece of sharp rubble had sliced deep.
Alain struggled to draw breath for a moment, and then gestured with his hand, and called to the heavens. There was a rumbling, and from the sky, plunged meteors of gargantuan proportion, all soaring towards Nalia. Fire erupted in the Government District, and entire buildings were laid low with the meteor swarm, but from the flames, Nalia walked unhurt.
A lightning bolt crackled towards him, but rather than wasting energy in blocking it, Alain ran out of the way, aided by his boots of speed and levitation. Uttering the command word for his boots, he soared upwards into the air, wreathed in black power, like some avenging dark solar.
Nalia saw him, and levitated herself, and shimmering white power appeared around her. There were more screams, and those who were sensible fled now, shouting for the Cowled Wizards… for anyone who would help stop the nightmare these two mages were unleashing.
Using the moonlight as a focus, Nalia sent a wall of pure silver light towards him, but Alain contemptuously levitated upwards, and the spell passed harmlessly to one side. Reacting quickly to the change in duel, from one of two dimensions, into one of three, Alain pulled out a red globe, one of the globes he had seized from Watcher's Keep.
He sent a fireball washing towards Nalia, but it was a fireball that homed in on its target. Nalia, however, did not panic like many lesser wizards would have done. She just stood there, and a globe of shimmering white power surrounded her.
Alain started to chant another spell, but lost control of the magic, when he saw Nalia's eyes start to glow white, lightning arcing from her head towards him. The magic struck him directly, and he screamed as the energies wracked through him… but his robes protected him, and dissolved the lightning before it could do much damage.
He cast another spell, and from his mouth, leapt thin, writhing vipers, that flew towards Nalia, enchanted by magic that enabled them to fly. Nalia raised an eyebrow, and sent a grey death spell towards the vipers, killing all of them instantly, sending their limp bodies towards the crowds below.
The crowds below.
An idea suddenly took root within Alain's mind, and he sent blast after blast of energy, not at Nalia, but at her boots, and watched as she plunged to the ground, the levitation magic gone forever. A quick stone skin spell saved her from death, but Alain's plan had succeeded.
Now Nalia was vulnerable on the ground.
He touched down on the floor, in the centre of the crowds of civilians, and he chuckled to himself. A series of complicated words later, and a sweeping red light leapt from him in a great ring, and he heard the multitude of screams as the life-force of the crowd around him was whipped away. He felt their energy enter his bloodstream, and he gasped with the potency of it, as his Bhaal blood absorbed their power… he groaned in sheer ecstasy, and had he not spent years developing his control over his Bhaal powers, then he would have lost his mind…
As it was, he forced himself to open his eyes, and saw the crowd of civilians had been stripped of their flesh, turned into skeletons on which tatters of clothing now hung. Their hands transformed into hideous claws, and they lumbered towards Nalia, who was paler than he had ever seen her now.
Not waiting for her to deal with his undead minions, sent magic missile after magic missile at the archmage, distracting her attempts to banish the undead. By the time she was surrounded by the undead, Nalia had not cast a single spell, and the power in Alain's blood was starting to hum with a vibrancy that it had never possessed before.
A claw struck Nalia brutally, and she screamed as crimson blood spurted.
Another claw sliced across her face, and yet another spell of hers disintegrated into useless, harmless magical sparks. Knowing that eventually, Nalia would defeat the undead, Alain started to cast his most powerful spell, summoning the power of his Bhaal blood, and channelling it into the workings of his spell. Energy gathered around him once again, black and foreboding, and he saw Nalia looked fearfully at him.
Fire flowed from her in desperation, and the undead were burned into ash, and Nalia was finally able to send a swarm of magic missiles towards Alain… but by then, it was too late… his spell was finished… every light within the radius of a mile was extinguished, and even the light of the stars faded… everyone found themselves unable to see, except for Alain, who could see perfectly.
Energy swept into Nalia, and he saw as her skin was ripped apart, as if by a savage demon, though Alain knew there was no demon, only the berserk souls of the civilians he had killed, seeking someone to kill, seeking blood to spill.
When the lights returned, Nalia was stumbling towards him, bleeding, sobbing, and dribbling… she had been driven insane… either that, or she now had the mental capacity of a two-year old… she halted about a metre from Alain, and fell to her knees, her silver tears now turned to blood, as she shrieked, desperately trying to find release from the pain.
But the release did not come, and she finally collapsed, dead, after ten minutes of agonised screaming.
Alain looked at her bloody corpse, and knelt beside it. He drew the insignia of Bhaal on the floor in her blood, and then plunged his hand into the gaping hole in her chest, and touched her still heart. When he raised his hand into the air, the blood had disappeared.
Standing, he looked almost sadly at the wrecked body of Nalia de'Arnise, and he whispered, "Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee…"
With a long pause, he finished, "none escape Bhaal."
Alain made sure none were watching- none remained alive to watch- before shape shifting into the form of Phaan… it was time to take control of a nation, and proclaim himself Emperor of the Coinland… it was time for Bhaal's greatness to be finally recognised.