Chapter 17
"Those archaeologists were a bit paranoid," Tomi said as they headed for the ceremony room.
Donnia looked over to Tomi, "Don't you think you would be too if you just realized what kind of power was hidden down here? Not to mention that we don't exactly look like scholars."
Tomi glanced at Donnia. No, neither of them looked like scholars. Donnia was carrying her greatsword instead keeping it in its sheath. Blood stained the tunic she usually wore under her armor, but now was all of the protection she had thanks to Aribeth. Her hair was matted to her head from sweat, blood, and grime from their recent travels and battles. Dirt smudged her face. Looking at her then, Tomi was glad that he was on her side for she was truly a sight that he would not want to see as an enemy.
They entered the long deserted ceremony room. Four pedestals stood in the center of this room, three of them were empty. The fourth still held the Source Stone, sitting just as it was for thousands of years. Donnia removed the three other Words of Power and placed them on the other pedestals. She waited for something to happen, telling her what she would need to do next.
Nothing happened.
"What do we do now?" Tomi asked as Donnia looked to the stones for an answer.
"I'm not sure. Let's just try something." Donnia walked to the Source Stone and looked down at it. The pedestal bore no markings of instruction. The stone itself was surprisingly normal in appearance considering the power it held. Donnia ran her hand over the stone and the world went black.
Donnia opened her eyes and found herself in what appeared to be a cave. Stone walls grew up on all sides around her, starting as the floor and then becoming the ceiling. The only light came from a stone on her belt.
A bright flash of light came from behind her and Tomi materialized out of nothingness.
"Don't do that!" Tomi yelled to Donnia.
Donnia looked confused, "Don't do what?"
"Just disappear! I'm tired of watching you vanish! I've lost count of how many times you've done that. At least give me a warning when you're about to do that."
Donnia smiled at him, "I'll do my best to remember to warn you when I walk into a situation where it might be possible for me to disappear by doing something that I'm unsure of the results or consequences."
Tomi glared at her for a moment before grinning. "Okay, I get it. You aren't more prepared for it than I, but at least tell me what you're planning on doing in situations such as this one. Deal?"
"Deal. I assume we're inside the Source Stone. Any suggestions?"
"Yeah, find Morag, kill her, and don't get killed ourselves in the process."
"Sounds good to me, let's go."
Donnia and Tomi went in the only direction they could, forward. No sounds but those of their footsteps could be heard. Donnia's belt remained the only source of light. Her mind was still reeling from killing Aribeth. The confrontation played over and over in her mind. Surely there had to be another way, she thought to herself. If I'd just tried harder... Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a voice. Not a normal voice, this one sounded raspy and the speaker hissed quite a bit.
Tomi glanced over to Donnia quickly. They both knew that Morag was not far ahead.
They came to a trapped and locked door that Tomi set upon disabling and unlocking at once. Donnia kept her trained ears alert for any words that she could pick up out of the conversation.
When the lock had been dealt with, Donnia walked over to the door and slowly opened it without making a sound. Inside she saw four of the lizard- race, one standing apart from the other three, still talking.
"...power has been released we shall rule over this land again. Go, tell everyone else to prepare for battle. These pesky intruders on our land will suffer greatly..." Morag then saw Donnia and Tomi standing inside the door, battle-ready. "Well, I must admit, I wasn't expecting you just yet. No matter, you shall be disposed of ahead of schedule." With that, Morag disappeared and her three minions turned and attacked the two adventurers.
Donnia released her poisoned dagger with fatal accuracy into the heart of one of the minions causing it to stumble backwards and begin seizing as the poison seeped into every part of its body.
She and Tomi split up to dispatch of the two remaining lizards. Despite not having half of her armor, Donnia still attacked with all her might. The lizard spat at her, trying to distract her, but she did not falter from her attack. She swung her greatsword, the Dagger of Chaos, across the lizard's body, at once stunning the creature into paralysis. With another swing of her sword, the creature's head rolled across the floor as the body fell limply to the ground.
Donnia turned to assist Tomi, but found he needed no help. With his amazing dexterity he was able to move faster than the creature could react and proceeded to stab the creature through its armor and move behind it to deliver the final fatal stab.
Without a word the two pressed forward searching for Morag.
Along the way Donnia found odd various weapons. All of them seemed to be charged with a specific type of energy. For instance, one was powered with thunder, another with lightning, and one with poison. There were five in all. She picked them up and carried them with her, not wanting to leave them behind should they be important.
They had not gone much further before they found Morag again. She was in what appeared to be a ceremony room. At the head of the room were eight figures seeming to pray. Magic seemed to pour from them and collect over Morag. Each contributed their own specific energy; one was thunder, another lightning, five of them matching up to the energies that powered the weapons that Donnia had just picked up. She knew then that the only way to beat Morag would be to beat her source of power.
She quickly leaned over to Tomi before being spotted by Morag. "I need you to distract her so I can get rid of her power source."
Tomi nodded briefly, "Sure thing, love. Just so long as you know what you're doing."
"Always. Good luck." With that she clung to the shadows, hoping to get past Morag without being detected. She knew that if Morag saw her heading for her power source that she would not be distracted by Tomi, but would instead focus all of her attention on Donnia.
She was about half of the way across the room when Tomi made his move. "'Ey you!"
Morag merely flicked her tongue out at him.
"You scaly bitch! You think you can just waltz back into Faerun and lay down the law?"
Morag turned to face him allowing Donnia a little more leeway in her movements.
"You don't have any power left to try to rule. You think this stone is going to protect you? Not if I destroy first." Tomi turned and ran back toward the way they had entered the room, back toward where they entered the stone.
Morag gave a quick hiss and took off after him.
Donnia said a quick prayer for her friend and laid out the five weapons. She took up the first one; a small hammer powered by thunder, and went toward the figure supplying the power of thunder to Morag. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself and swung the hammer at the figure. At once, the magic flowing from the creature lessened. She hit it again and again until the figure stopped releasing any energy and disappeared.
"Let's see how you fare without any power now, Morag." Donnia repeated the same process with the four other weapons and their corresponding figure at the head of the room.
As she placed the final blow on the fifth creature she heard an ear- shattering scream reverberating throughout the room. Tomi had led Morag back toward the ceremony room, knowing that Donnia would be about finished with what she needed to do.
Tomi stopped at the sound of the scream and turned back to face Morag, a face contorted even more so with pain and confusion. She quickly regrouped and charged after Donnia. "You think that is all my power? *hiss* Foolish woman, enjoy your death, for it shall be the last merciful thing I grant you."
* * * * * * * * *
"Not to interrupt your story, Donnia, but isn't that what the Valsharess said to you?" Valen asked.
Donnia's pain had lessened during the night and she was now sitting up, leaning back against Valen's chest sharing their warmth in the cold room. "Yes, it is what she said to me as well. When I heard her say it to me, it was as though I had been pulled back into that fight, like it had never finished and I was stuck there trying to win all that time ago. It was as though nothing had happened since that time, that there was nothing since that time, only my eternal fight for the revenge of Neverwinter."
Valen squeezed his eyes shut. He remembered well what she had been like when she had come back from that visit from the Valsharess, and how he had treated her.
Donnia sensed his thoughts. She squeezed his hand lightly, "There was no way you could have known. I think she knew what to say, that she knew everything about me, and how to get to my soul, my being easily. Now, let me finish my story."
* * * * * * * * *
Donnia was braced for the attack, Tomi was running to attack from behind, and yet the only sound Donnia could hear was her own heartbeat. She could see Morag rushing for her and Tomi rushing for Morag, but their feet made no sound as they struck the floor. Donnia immediately recognized what was happening. She had heard stories from other adventurers and heroes of such occurrences. She was finally in tune. Her sword became a part of her body. Her breathing calmed, clearing her mind. Her body no longer tensed in preparation, relaxed, but still stayed ready for battle.
As Morag neared her, Donnia raised her sword and swung with all of the might her body possessed. All at once, her senses returned to normal. Everything came rushing back to her at once. She felt the weight of her sword in her hands, heard Tomi's rushing footsteps, heard Morag's body fall to the floor, blood rushing out from her chest where Donnia's blade had cut through her armor, scaled flesh, and bone.
Tomi slowed his pace as he neared Morag's fallen body. He said nothing but looked up at Donnia. She too said nothing, but there was something different about her. Tomi could sense a change in her. True, he had always thought she contained a great deal of power, but now that power seemed to glow from the inside out, illuminating the dark cavern where they stood. Her face, no longer set in pain or grief, was set in long-awaited victory come at last.
He was about to say something when the world started to collapse around them.
The floor shook beneath their feet. The ceiling fell down around them. The walls began to collapse.
They were too far away from where they entered the stone to attempt to go back there. Just as Donnia thought they were finished, a small portal appeared before them. Not caring where it led, she and Tomi stepped through it at once.
Haedraline, the word-slave that Donnia had met before in her search for the Words of Power stood before her. "Thank you *hiss* for all that you have done."
"You are most welcome. But where are we?" Donnia asked. They seemed to be on nothing more than a floor that was floating through some vast void space.
"In the planes. *hiss* I at once sensed the end of Morag's hold on my powers and knew that you must have defeated her, but it was her power that sustained the Source Stone. I made a portal for you so that you might escape with your lives. *hiss*"
"Then I must thank you for saving us." All at once Donnia realized that this was the end. She had nothing waiting for her anymore. The plague had been cured, the cult behind it stopped, and the power behind the cult destroyed. She had no idea what she was to do now.
Haedraline sensed her thoughts. "This is not the end for you, Donnia Thensbane. You will go on to many more adventures. Tales will be written of you for years to come. But do be cautious. With your power and fame known throughout all of Faerun, and possibly even all of Toril, some will come to oppose you, hoping to gain fame by your demise."
"Thank you, again, Haedraline. Can you return me to Neverwinter? I must spread the good news of this victory for all of Faerun."
Haedraline gave a short nod of her head, and opened another portal, back to Neverwinter, and into whatever lay before her.
"Those archaeologists were a bit paranoid," Tomi said as they headed for the ceremony room.
Donnia looked over to Tomi, "Don't you think you would be too if you just realized what kind of power was hidden down here? Not to mention that we don't exactly look like scholars."
Tomi glanced at Donnia. No, neither of them looked like scholars. Donnia was carrying her greatsword instead keeping it in its sheath. Blood stained the tunic she usually wore under her armor, but now was all of the protection she had thanks to Aribeth. Her hair was matted to her head from sweat, blood, and grime from their recent travels and battles. Dirt smudged her face. Looking at her then, Tomi was glad that he was on her side for she was truly a sight that he would not want to see as an enemy.
They entered the long deserted ceremony room. Four pedestals stood in the center of this room, three of them were empty. The fourth still held the Source Stone, sitting just as it was for thousands of years. Donnia removed the three other Words of Power and placed them on the other pedestals. She waited for something to happen, telling her what she would need to do next.
Nothing happened.
"What do we do now?" Tomi asked as Donnia looked to the stones for an answer.
"I'm not sure. Let's just try something." Donnia walked to the Source Stone and looked down at it. The pedestal bore no markings of instruction. The stone itself was surprisingly normal in appearance considering the power it held. Donnia ran her hand over the stone and the world went black.
Donnia opened her eyes and found herself in what appeared to be a cave. Stone walls grew up on all sides around her, starting as the floor and then becoming the ceiling. The only light came from a stone on her belt.
A bright flash of light came from behind her and Tomi materialized out of nothingness.
"Don't do that!" Tomi yelled to Donnia.
Donnia looked confused, "Don't do what?"
"Just disappear! I'm tired of watching you vanish! I've lost count of how many times you've done that. At least give me a warning when you're about to do that."
Donnia smiled at him, "I'll do my best to remember to warn you when I walk into a situation where it might be possible for me to disappear by doing something that I'm unsure of the results or consequences."
Tomi glared at her for a moment before grinning. "Okay, I get it. You aren't more prepared for it than I, but at least tell me what you're planning on doing in situations such as this one. Deal?"
"Deal. I assume we're inside the Source Stone. Any suggestions?"
"Yeah, find Morag, kill her, and don't get killed ourselves in the process."
"Sounds good to me, let's go."
Donnia and Tomi went in the only direction they could, forward. No sounds but those of their footsteps could be heard. Donnia's belt remained the only source of light. Her mind was still reeling from killing Aribeth. The confrontation played over and over in her mind. Surely there had to be another way, she thought to herself. If I'd just tried harder... Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a voice. Not a normal voice, this one sounded raspy and the speaker hissed quite a bit.
Tomi glanced over to Donnia quickly. They both knew that Morag was not far ahead.
They came to a trapped and locked door that Tomi set upon disabling and unlocking at once. Donnia kept her trained ears alert for any words that she could pick up out of the conversation.
When the lock had been dealt with, Donnia walked over to the door and slowly opened it without making a sound. Inside she saw four of the lizard- race, one standing apart from the other three, still talking.
"...power has been released we shall rule over this land again. Go, tell everyone else to prepare for battle. These pesky intruders on our land will suffer greatly..." Morag then saw Donnia and Tomi standing inside the door, battle-ready. "Well, I must admit, I wasn't expecting you just yet. No matter, you shall be disposed of ahead of schedule." With that, Morag disappeared and her three minions turned and attacked the two adventurers.
Donnia released her poisoned dagger with fatal accuracy into the heart of one of the minions causing it to stumble backwards and begin seizing as the poison seeped into every part of its body.
She and Tomi split up to dispatch of the two remaining lizards. Despite not having half of her armor, Donnia still attacked with all her might. The lizard spat at her, trying to distract her, but she did not falter from her attack. She swung her greatsword, the Dagger of Chaos, across the lizard's body, at once stunning the creature into paralysis. With another swing of her sword, the creature's head rolled across the floor as the body fell limply to the ground.
Donnia turned to assist Tomi, but found he needed no help. With his amazing dexterity he was able to move faster than the creature could react and proceeded to stab the creature through its armor and move behind it to deliver the final fatal stab.
Without a word the two pressed forward searching for Morag.
Along the way Donnia found odd various weapons. All of them seemed to be charged with a specific type of energy. For instance, one was powered with thunder, another with lightning, and one with poison. There were five in all. She picked them up and carried them with her, not wanting to leave them behind should they be important.
They had not gone much further before they found Morag again. She was in what appeared to be a ceremony room. At the head of the room were eight figures seeming to pray. Magic seemed to pour from them and collect over Morag. Each contributed their own specific energy; one was thunder, another lightning, five of them matching up to the energies that powered the weapons that Donnia had just picked up. She knew then that the only way to beat Morag would be to beat her source of power.
She quickly leaned over to Tomi before being spotted by Morag. "I need you to distract her so I can get rid of her power source."
Tomi nodded briefly, "Sure thing, love. Just so long as you know what you're doing."
"Always. Good luck." With that she clung to the shadows, hoping to get past Morag without being detected. She knew that if Morag saw her heading for her power source that she would not be distracted by Tomi, but would instead focus all of her attention on Donnia.
She was about half of the way across the room when Tomi made his move. "'Ey you!"
Morag merely flicked her tongue out at him.
"You scaly bitch! You think you can just waltz back into Faerun and lay down the law?"
Morag turned to face him allowing Donnia a little more leeway in her movements.
"You don't have any power left to try to rule. You think this stone is going to protect you? Not if I destroy first." Tomi turned and ran back toward the way they had entered the room, back toward where they entered the stone.
Morag gave a quick hiss and took off after him.
Donnia said a quick prayer for her friend and laid out the five weapons. She took up the first one; a small hammer powered by thunder, and went toward the figure supplying the power of thunder to Morag. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself and swung the hammer at the figure. At once, the magic flowing from the creature lessened. She hit it again and again until the figure stopped releasing any energy and disappeared.
"Let's see how you fare without any power now, Morag." Donnia repeated the same process with the four other weapons and their corresponding figure at the head of the room.
As she placed the final blow on the fifth creature she heard an ear- shattering scream reverberating throughout the room. Tomi had led Morag back toward the ceremony room, knowing that Donnia would be about finished with what she needed to do.
Tomi stopped at the sound of the scream and turned back to face Morag, a face contorted even more so with pain and confusion. She quickly regrouped and charged after Donnia. "You think that is all my power? *hiss* Foolish woman, enjoy your death, for it shall be the last merciful thing I grant you."
* * * * * * * * *
"Not to interrupt your story, Donnia, but isn't that what the Valsharess said to you?" Valen asked.
Donnia's pain had lessened during the night and she was now sitting up, leaning back against Valen's chest sharing their warmth in the cold room. "Yes, it is what she said to me as well. When I heard her say it to me, it was as though I had been pulled back into that fight, like it had never finished and I was stuck there trying to win all that time ago. It was as though nothing had happened since that time, that there was nothing since that time, only my eternal fight for the revenge of Neverwinter."
Valen squeezed his eyes shut. He remembered well what she had been like when she had come back from that visit from the Valsharess, and how he had treated her.
Donnia sensed his thoughts. She squeezed his hand lightly, "There was no way you could have known. I think she knew what to say, that she knew everything about me, and how to get to my soul, my being easily. Now, let me finish my story."
* * * * * * * * *
Donnia was braced for the attack, Tomi was running to attack from behind, and yet the only sound Donnia could hear was her own heartbeat. She could see Morag rushing for her and Tomi rushing for Morag, but their feet made no sound as they struck the floor. Donnia immediately recognized what was happening. She had heard stories from other adventurers and heroes of such occurrences. She was finally in tune. Her sword became a part of her body. Her breathing calmed, clearing her mind. Her body no longer tensed in preparation, relaxed, but still stayed ready for battle.
As Morag neared her, Donnia raised her sword and swung with all of the might her body possessed. All at once, her senses returned to normal. Everything came rushing back to her at once. She felt the weight of her sword in her hands, heard Tomi's rushing footsteps, heard Morag's body fall to the floor, blood rushing out from her chest where Donnia's blade had cut through her armor, scaled flesh, and bone.
Tomi slowed his pace as he neared Morag's fallen body. He said nothing but looked up at Donnia. She too said nothing, but there was something different about her. Tomi could sense a change in her. True, he had always thought she contained a great deal of power, but now that power seemed to glow from the inside out, illuminating the dark cavern where they stood. Her face, no longer set in pain or grief, was set in long-awaited victory come at last.
He was about to say something when the world started to collapse around them.
The floor shook beneath their feet. The ceiling fell down around them. The walls began to collapse.
They were too far away from where they entered the stone to attempt to go back there. Just as Donnia thought they were finished, a small portal appeared before them. Not caring where it led, she and Tomi stepped through it at once.
Haedraline, the word-slave that Donnia had met before in her search for the Words of Power stood before her. "Thank you *hiss* for all that you have done."
"You are most welcome. But where are we?" Donnia asked. They seemed to be on nothing more than a floor that was floating through some vast void space.
"In the planes. *hiss* I at once sensed the end of Morag's hold on my powers and knew that you must have defeated her, but it was her power that sustained the Source Stone. I made a portal for you so that you might escape with your lives. *hiss*"
"Then I must thank you for saving us." All at once Donnia realized that this was the end. She had nothing waiting for her anymore. The plague had been cured, the cult behind it stopped, and the power behind the cult destroyed. She had no idea what she was to do now.
Haedraline sensed her thoughts. "This is not the end for you, Donnia Thensbane. You will go on to many more adventures. Tales will be written of you for years to come. But do be cautious. With your power and fame known throughout all of Faerun, and possibly even all of Toril, some will come to oppose you, hoping to gain fame by your demise."
"Thank you, again, Haedraline. Can you return me to Neverwinter? I must spread the good news of this victory for all of Faerun."
Haedraline gave a short nod of her head, and opened another portal, back to Neverwinter, and into whatever lay before her.