EPISODE 11
Two days had passed since Ka had given the mind shield to Zoe. On the first day, she had eagerly returned to the gladiatorial arena, in hopes of finding Dil'andau there once more; unfortunately for her, the fighter was not attending the tournament that day. Ka feared that the drow's master had perhaps decided to set Dil'andau to a task other than combat, due to the unfortunate incident the day before with the dwarven warrior's master. On the second day, things did not look any better for Ka -- Dil'andau was missing once again.
On the third day, however, things were looking up...sort of.
What's wrong with you? Rain asked Ka as the two of them slowly made their way through the community, heading towards the arena. You're not as eager as you used to be. Are you worried about being attacked again? He asked. Ka sighed heavily and shook her head, not bothering to look over at the illithid.
"No...I'm just tired is all." She lied, forgetting the futility of an action of the sort in a place like the Caverns of Thought. Rain made an impatient gesture with his hand and looked down at the drowess who trudged along at his side.
Don't lie to me, dark elf. You're wasting your time. This is about that fighter isn't it? He snapped irritably. He didn't wait for Ka to react before continuing his speech. I have never understood the things you underlings call emotion; it seems to me that all that nonsense is a waste of time and energy. One can live effectively without succumbing to things such as the crippling 'love' abomination or the ever-pointless 'pity' phenomena. Ka rolled her eyes and looked up at her master.
"Hey! I don't succumb to pity or love!" She defended at once; her lips curled up into a smile just as soon, "But I'm quite allowed to find another member of my race, of the opposite sex, handsome." She laughed and nodded firmly, content at the defying effect of her words. She took a moment to consider what she'd said then and decided that she had just revealed something to herself. She did find Dil'andau handsome; despite his lack of intelligence, childish behaviour and disgusting manners, the dark elven warrior was actually an alright fellow...he could even be interesting at times, if he kept quiet and let his brain be picked at without complaining. Rain threw his arms up and shook his head.
Nonsense! Why even bother with a hassle like finding a mate based on physical appearance?! It's ridiculous! It shows how petty you creatures are, and how inferior your mental development is. He argued instantly. Illithids were amphibious creatures that reproduced by need and nothing more; emotions and physical appearance were completely alien to them.
"Way to put me down there, champ." Ka muttered in response, using her brother's preferred insult; she smiled as she said it, a burst of longing surging through her, and then she swept the feeling aside and frowned up at Rain, "You're just jealous." She pertly returned, smirking triumphantly. Rain drew back and then muttered something in his native tongue that Ka could not understand.
Watch your mouth, slave. He chimed and stalked up ahead.
Ka laughed again and hurried after him.
***
Ka felt somewhat cheerier than she had a couple days before as she stepped into the back room of the gladiatorial arena. The little chat with Rain had lifted her spirits -- despite the numerous insults she had been victim to.
With a big grin spread across her face, Ka closed the door behind her and whirled to face all the mismatched gladiators that awaited their turn in the arena, "Vendui all you freaks!" She cried enthusiastically, "I feel like singing today, so you're all gonna have to suffer, alright?!" She went on, nodding to her 'audience'.
There came no reply to her words; the slaves turned their attention to her, staring straight ahead with their hollow, soul-less eyes.
Ka clapped her hands together after a moment's silence, "Alright, you asked for it!" She warned and immediately began singing her old House war tune, the one the Weapons Master of House Venorik'Z'ress would sing in the halls before he died those many years ago. Along with her singing, Ka strode back and forth through the tightly-packed aisle, waving her arms and spinning about like a young girl on her first sugar-rush.
As she came to the end of the line, towards the fighters who were set to fight next, Ka stopped in mid-sentence and gasped. For the first time since she'd last seen him, there sat Dil'andau, staring blankly in her direction with a frown on his face.
"Dil!" The drowess cried and grasped the man's arms. "Where have you been?!" She demanded pointlessly; it wasn't as though the drow would be talking to her. Never-the-less, Ka smiled wide and kept her eyes firmly set on Dil'andau's. "I'm not quite sure if you can hear me, but I have some good news to tell you." She squeezed his arms in an unconscious effort to rouse his senses. "Two days ago, a boy came here and told me of Zoe and Rose. I gave the kid my pendant, which is now a mind shield by the way--" She paused, holding back the urge to laugh at the fact that Dil's current blank expression was probably the same as what he'd given her if she would have tried to explain the matter to him while he was fully conscious, "--and I told him to give it to Zoe so that Zoe could free Rose. We may be getting out of this real soon!"
There came a cheer from outside the room; it would appear that another duel had come to an end. Ka frowned and growled at the frustration of not getting any response from Dil'andau, but released her grip on his arms and stepped back from him.
"Looks like you're up, Dil!" She piped, "Who's your opponent this time?" She asked -- yet another pointless question. She watched a moment as the drow's facial expression changed, and then he turned away from her and headed towards the door that lead out to the arena. His master had just alerted him that it was his turn to fight, and he had obeyed by stepping out of the backroom.
Ka watched him go and sighed when he opened the door to reveal the massive arena outside. Although she made an effort to remain optimistic about his martial skills, she couldn't help but be apprehensive when he stepped into the Ring of Likely Death.
Why don't you go outside and watch then? Rain's placid voice chimed inside her mind.
Ka jumped at the interruption, but did not turn down the logical offer; she would have returned a telepathic message to her master, but she promptly remembered that she was not allowed to communicate with Rain in such a manner unless it was an emergency.
Without much hesitation, Ka darted off after Dil'andau just as the door to the back room swung shut behind her. She stopped and stayed put once her feet set upon the sandy floor of the arena, while Dil'andau walked on ahead to the center.
The green-clad drowess was about to sit down and make herself comfortable, when the door to the back room opened up again; out stepped a creature as tall as an illithid, but that looked like a giant praying mantis. Ka gasped and jumped back towards the arena wall as the thing passed by her and headed towards Dil'andau. It was a mantis warrior! A thrikreen! The warrior belonged to a race of insectoid creatures with moderate intelligence that lived in large colonies in the far reaches of the Fungi Caverns; they were skilled fighters with no less than the polearm...or halberd, if you prefer.
Ka drew in a sharp breath and blinked as she watched the brittle-looking creature head towards her fellow drow, "That thing's got a stick...just like Dil'andau!" She cried, in reference to the halberd; she took a few steps forward, being careful to stay within her boundaries, and frowned deeply, "Hey Dil! It's got a stick too!" She cried to the other dark elf, but there was no response.
Despite his mental state, Dil'andau grinned upon seeing the mantis warrior. It had a halberd! This pleased him greatly, for the halberd was an older, unpopular weapon that few bothered to train with anymore. Dil'andau had chosen to master it for this fact, and because he found it suited his fighting style. If the mantis thought it stood a chance against him, it was sorely wrong.
With a cry, Dil'andau heaved his blade in a wide, diagonal sweep, sending the mantis on its guard and starting the battle once and for all. The mantis hissed and took a defensive position; it decided that it would not attack Dil'andau until Dil'andau attacked it.
Undaunted, the drow charged forward and dipped low to the side, sweeping his halberd at the mantis' spindly, spiny legs. Cleverly, the mantis scurried back and hooked Dil's blade, effectively prying it away from its vicinity. It met the drow's blade with its own as he slipped back to full height to counter a skull-crushing blow. The mantis launched a few jabs and tight, low cuts at Dil'andau in hopes of sending the drow on the defensive, but its efforts were all in vain.
Dil'andau smiled and promptly locked the shaft of the creature's weapon against its chest and roughly shoved the mantis away from him. Deftly, he repositioned his blade and charged the green insect-thing for the second time during the fight.
The creature and the drow entered a particularly quick, graceful routine of short, sharp cuts and powerful blocks. It didn't look it, but the momentum with which even the smallest of maneuvers was executed was immense, and to block just about any attack, the defender would have to use an amazing amount of strength.
During this time, the audience was abuzz and excited. Ka, on the sidelines, bit her nails and jumped up and down nervously. "Go Dilly!!!" She cried at the top of her voice, over and over again until her throat burned. She was so proud to see him fight this well, but it was such a dangerous game to play!
It was that particular cry on Ka's behalf that switched the fight's momentum.
Dil'andau and the mantis locked each other in a test of strength, each trying to pry the other -- and their blade -- away. There was nothing on Dil's mind at the time...nothing at all but the desire to win and please his master...but then Ka's last, shrill cry of encouragement sounded in his ears and in his brain.
The drow's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He recognized the voice! It was the annoying little psion Ka! Dil'andau drew in a sharp breath and, without thinking twice, turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. As his eyes fell upon a familiar little figure in a garish green robe, he was thrown back violently.
The mantis, having used Dil'andau's moment of weakness, bolted towards its opponent and hacked down on Dil's weapon until he fell to the ground on his backside. The mantis reared up and brought its halberd down at Dil'andau, sensing impending victory, but the drow raised his own halberd and blocked the massive blow.
Wondering why on earth he didn't feel his master's presence anymore, Dil'andau realized in just what kind of situation he was currently in. He struggled to get to his feet, but the creature stabbed down at him viciously with the blade of its lengthy weapon. Frightened now and unable to do anything but squirm and wriggle away from the ugly mantis, Dil'andau cried out for help.
Ka, unlike the illithids who were too entranced in the fight to notice, heard the cry. She blinked and gaped; could weak-minded Dil have broken through his mental block?! Why else would he have asked for help?! The drowess whimpered and fought with herself about whether she should help her fellow dark elf or disobey her master.
Meanwhile, the mantis' incessant stabbing finally paid off. It hissed triumphantly as its halberd's blade dug firmly into Dil'andau's arm, pinning the drow in place.
Dil'andau's blood-curdling scream snapped Ka out of her internal debate. The drowess, seeing Dil's dire situation, took off at a dead run, heading straight for the center of the arena. "DIL'ANDAU!!!" She screeched, having found her voice all of a sudden. "DIL'ANDAU!!!"
The mantis looked up from its victim to see Ka running towards it; for a moment, it looked utterly confused as to what to do, but then it sunk its blade deeper into Dil'andau's upper arm, slashing him up into his shoulder muscle, and turned on Ka, leaving its halberd planted in the fallen drow.
Ka stopped dead as the mantis produced a knife from the scaly folds of its midsection. She knew very well that the knife was poisoned -- the thrikreen poisoned all their weapons...did that mean that the halberd had been poisoned as well?
The very thought of it drove Ka mad; she pointed to the oncoming mantis and sneered, "You dare incur my wrath!?!" She screamed and closed her eyes. She searched out the mantis' brain with her own and once she found it, she ginned.
The illithids in the audience watched as the mantis warrior's head quite literally exploded in a gooey mess.
That over with, Ka opened her eyes and darted for Dil'andau. She dropped to her knees by his side and rested her hand on the shaft of the halberd sticking out of his bloody arm. "Oh Dil!" She moaned and leaned over him; she was happy to see that his eyes weren't dead as they had been a few moments ago. "Are you okay?" She asked dumbly. The drow winced and managed to give Ka a comical look.
"Well I've got a stick in my arm, but other than that..." He choked sarcastically. Ka managed a smile and touched Dil'andau's face gently, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
"We've got to get you some help, fast." She considered taking the blade out of his shoulder and arm, but then figured that it was blocking the bleeding; she clenched her hands into fists and growled, unable to think of what to do to help. If only she was a priestess... A voice thundered inside Ka's mind then, interrupting her train of thought.
You killed my gladiator! It roared. The drowess looked up at the audience and tried to pinpoint the owner of the voice.
He was going to kill Dil'andau! She screamed telepathically in return, no longer caring if she violated the illithids' instructions by sending a telepathic reply.
It did not take long for Ka to be punished. The psychic blast that the dead mantis' master sent her way was horrendously painful. The drowess cried out and put up her own mental block, but the enraged master continued his assault, bent on making her pay for her foolish actions.
Rain!!! Ka cried telepathically. Rain, help me please!!! She pleaded and bent forward, bringing her hands to her head as a set of tears rolled down her cheeks. It would not be long until she dropped into unconsciousness or death...whichever came first.
Rain reacted instantly, warning the attacking master to stop his assault. Being a respected member of the illithid community, Rain had effect on the enraged master's actions...but not without a couple psychic blasts, of course.
As pandemonium struck in the arena, Rain made his way down to the fighting ring and approached Ka, who looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a horrified expression on her face. Aren't you wearing your mind shield? Are you faking this for his sake? He demanded, pointing down at Dil'andau. Ka shook her head and struggled to get to her feet, but she found she couldn't.
"No! I..I gave the mind shield to a friend." She explained instantly, unsure about how her master would take the news. Rain cocked his head to the side.
Oh? Why? It better have been a good reason if it was worth going through what you just went through. He snapped then gestured for her follow him away. Now come, we must away and you must explain what all this mess is about. Ka held the illithid's arm.
"Wait." She called; when her master turned to face her, she motioned to Dil'andau. "Take him with us." She demanded.
Rain's tentacles twitched, and then he turned to look up at the rapidly-leaving audience; he pinpointed another illithid that was heading their way.
Ka watched tensely as Rain 'spoke' to what appeared to be Dil'andau's master. She smiled as she felt Dil's bloodied hand over hers; she turned to look at the fighter and he gave her a wink. Done with the drow's master, Rain returned his attention to Ka and Dil'andau.
I can take him home, but it's going to cost me, so hurry up and get moving. He snapped moodily.
"Ummm...what do I do about this?" Ka asked, grabbing the halberd that pinned Dil to the ground. Rain looked at it a moment and then shrugged. On the ground, Dil'andau moaned.
"Oh for the love of Lloth!"