Part 10
"I am not going to run around looking for more damn ward stones," Avress ground out.
There seemed to be some kind of unwritten rule that hidden fortresses were protected by a series of ward stones 'cleverly' squirreled away. Avress could not count the hours she had spent searching for ward stones or some similar kind of item that would let her get to where she had to go. Of course, they would have to kill the inevitable monsters that guarded the desired item. This time she'd had enough. Already they had dealt with several contingents of fire giants and other monsters on their way to the fortress. Her patience had waned upon meeting the warded staircase.
"Imoen, how many disintegrate spells have you memorized?" Avress asked suddenly.
"Disintegrate? Well, I only have one memorized but I think I have a scroll or two," Imoen replied.
"Child, what is it that you're considering?" Jaheira asked alarmed.
"We don't have time to run back and forth. Only the doorways are warded. If Imoen can cast disintegrate on the walls... we won't have to bother about doing the ward stones one at a time."
"It will still take just as long and it is overly destructive," Jaheira commented.
"It will cut down on running back and forth. That saves time," Avress argued, not to be swayed.
"Fine. Just see to it that Imoen does not bring the ceiling down on our heads," Jaheira retorted.
There were four rooms in total but only two had to be disintegrated. Around the first open door, the party was very quiet. Heavy booted feet sent vibrations through the floors, warning them of guards posted in the room. In hushed tones, they formulated a plan that would hopefully not draw other guards down upon them. She and Imoen would lead. Together they crept up to the door. Hidden behind the door, Imoen began to cast a wilting spell.
As the small ball of swirling mist flew into the room, Avress began to cast her own spell. Muffled cries of pain told her that Imoen had aimed perfectly. Just as Avress finished her wilting, Imoen again began to cast. Adrenaline and magic intoxicated her. Avress loved the feeling of euphoria that this kind of casting gave her. She could feel her own magic singing through her veins and she basked in the waves of power radiating from Imoen. Two wilting spells and several magic missiles later and their foes were dealt with. When the men entered they double checked that they truly were dead. Then Avress helped relieve their foes of potions.
"How are we supposed to get past that?" Imoen asked gesturing towards the pedestal surrounded by molten rock.
"Do you have any protection against fire spells memorized, drow?" Jaheira asked.
"Not this time," Viconia admitted unwillingly.
"My armor affords me protection against fire," Keldorn suggested.
"So does Imoen's ring," Avress added. "If you could wear it as well as your armor, I doubt the lava would cause much harm."
"There are still several steps to the pedestal. It would also take time to take whatever is upon it," Keldorn replied cautiously.
"I could hasten you," Avress suggested.
Avress was a little surprised that the paladin simply nodded. She wasn't sure if she could blithely wade through lava, even with protections. Imoen handed Keldorn the ring and Avress cast improved haste upon him. Blurring as he dashed forward, Keldorn splashed through the molten rock. In a flurry of movement, he grabbed what had been on the pedestal and rushed out. Just as he returned to solid ground, the sizzle of gating creatures filled the room. The towering form of an adamantite golem rose up some distance away. A clay golem and purple golem that Avress didn't recognize also appeared.
"Sarevok! The adamantite golem!" Avress called and Sarevok hurriedly engaged the giant creature.
With his helmet that gave him protection against crushing blows, Sarevok was the best choice to take on the damage resistant creature. Viconia followed the large warrior, ready to heal any blows that Sarevok could not avoid. Minsc flew into battle with the purple creature. It spit out a wave of force that made Minsc falter. For a moment Avress held her breath but Minsc shook himself and attacked. Keldorn and Jaheira destroyed the roughly sculpted clay creature to their right and ran forward to help Minsc. Avress held Imoen back and waited. One blow from the golems could easy kill them, unlike their hardier and better protected companions.
"Ahhey?! Minsc's weapon has no effect!?"
Jaheira and Keldorn also found their weapons to be useless. Imoen let loose a set of magic missiles that had no effect. Chills of fear ran up Avress' spine. It had been a long time since they had found something that defied their attacks. The strange golem did not seem to be harmed but the others were giving it little chance to spit again. Avress tried an acid arrow but met with the same failure. The creature seemed unfazed by it. Before she could try a fire bolt, the ground shook as Sarevok downed his golem. Unprepared for the sudden unsteadiness of the ground, Jaheira tripped, and her boot met the purple golem's leg. It hissed and retreated a little.
"Magic! It's immune to magic!" Imoen called out. "Use your fists!"
It made perfect sense. The giant guards they'd killed had carried mundane weapons. That had seemed very odd when magical weapons were so common in the area due to the war. It made sense they would want a defense against the creature if it somehow slipped the magical directives placed upon it. The only problem was that it had been along time since her companions carried unenchanted weapons.
Avress struggled with the knots of her bag of holding and said a prayer to Tymora. With a cry of thankfulness, she pulled out the set of throwing daggers she'd wondered if she'd discarded. Under the combined blows of the others the golem was weakening but fists would not be enough. The creature had a 'skin' that held together the swirling mass of raw magic that it was composed of. That 'skin' was tough and did not give easily under their blows. It would need to be punctured to kill the creature. Taking careful aim, Avress threw the small aerodynamic blades. The first two hit perfectly. The third only grazed the creature but it was enough. The magical essence poured out and disappeared in a flash of light. In a puddle on the floor, the skin melted into nothing.
Minsc crowed his triumph and engulfed Jaheira into a bear hug. The druid seemed less than pleased but did not comment. Avress was just pleased Imoen had figured it out in time. She glanced towards the pink haired woman and smiled softly as Minsc whirled her about. Avress could almost believe the conflict of the past few days had been a bad dream. Shaking her head, she moved over to the fallen adamantite golem. Somehow Sarevok had actually managed to cleave a chunk of metal from the thing. Considering for a moment, she added it to the bag of holding. Done with her scavenging, she took a quick mental inventory of her party's wounds. Jaheira had taken two blows from the purple golem but was healing them as Avress watched. Minsc seemed fine but Keldorn sipped a potion. Sarevok, if he'd been injured, was already healed.
"I just hope after all this we have something to show for it. Keldorn, was there a ward stone on the pillar?" Jaheira grumbled.
"Indeed there was. There was also these two items," Keldorn said and offered the items.
"'Elminster's Ecologies'!" Jaheira groused. "If only we'd had that before meeting that golem. It seems that it was a magic golem. According to the book we should also beware of fire trolls."
"Fire trolls? I have seen much since coming to the surface but I have not heard of those," Viconia spoke up.
"Perversions of nature! This book says fire giant sorcerers have given them the burning touch of lava."
"Most ingenious," the drow replied with a smirk.
"We should get ready for the next room. Imoen you better find your scroll," Avress interjected, heading off the argument between cleric and druid.
* * *
Sarevok dug pits with his eyes in the small form of his sister as she inspected the ward stones. Things were not developing how he had expected. The conflict brought on by his presence he had anticipated. By the abyss, he'd even looked forward to it. Causing strife would be the least he could do to repay the mess in which Avress had left his carefully constructed plans. Now that he was experiencing it, Sarevok found himself less than amused. That he was deprived of that amusement frustrated him. The reasons for this displeasure were even more maddening. That she would stand against trusted companions, for his sake, was inconceivable. He did not know why she bothered. After all, it was hardly to her benefit to defend him. She defied his understanding.
Recent events had only highlighted Sarevok's internal struggle. It had been unsettling how quickly he'd acted to pull her from harm's way. The shade had awoken memories he'd thought buried with Gorion. The very memories that had fueled his rage and bile had been flung into his face... and yet he'd still pulled Avress from the creature's grip. Why?
Leaving her to the shade would have ended her life. Why should he act to save her from that fate? That annoying elf had been the bane of his existence from the start. She'd fairly tied him in knots during his bid for power in Baldur's Gate. No one had stood against him quite like she had. There was something about her that refused to be ignored or disregarded.
He could remember the first time he'd seen her at Candlekeep. He'd been eighteen then. She would have been perhaps twelve. Sarevok doubted she'd seen him then. Reiltar had allowed him to enter the great citadel but had cautioned him to keep himself close. At the time, he'd not dared to disobey. So, he had stayed with Reiltar as he prowled the library. Unbeknownst to Reiltar, Sarevok had learned a great deal about the Bhaalspawn the man had tried to keep from him. Then, just as they were leaving, he'd seen her racing across the carefully nurtured gardens, shrieking with delight as she was chased by the burly form of a guard. Instantly, he had known something about her was different. He'd not been able to look away, even when Reiltar, who was always quick to spot a weakness, noticed. Reiltar had simply bent down and whispered that she was the Bhaalspawn taken in by the sage Gorion. With those carefully spoken words, his fascination with the laughing elf girl turned into bitter resentment.
After that, Reiltar had not allowed him to return to Candlekeep. The next time he'd seen Avress had been when he'd murdered the old man. Even as he'd jeered and taunted Gorion, his eyes had been fixed on her. That strange magnetic pull that she had on him refused to let him tear his gaze from her. She'd grown since he'd seen her last. Elves weren't supposed to mature so fast but she stood beside Gorion, a woman grown. For all that she'd matured she had looked so... young. Innocent. Sarevok had found himself considering mercy as he'd watched her. Then Gorion had attacked, and he lost sight of her for a moment. When he looked up at her again, the rage and hate in her gaze had shocked him. There was no more innocence in her eyes and he knew there would be no possibility of mercy. Sarevok had felt a strange pang and then cursed himself for being a fool to have even considered it as she ran off into the night.
They had become enemies and they'd danced with deadly intent. He had savored ever moment. Now the familiar pattern of their dance was disrupted. Sarevok was not certain what to make of Avress now she was not his enemy. It galled him that she had done what he could not but against his will he had begun to admire her persistence. She had bent the taint to her will, was it so surprising she had made him her lackey? Pride flared. He was no one's lackey! But what he was exactly he did not know.
"We should be able to use the staircase now," Avress spoke up as she placed the stones on the central pedestal.
"We had best be careful. There are sure to be more guards," Keldorn replied.
Sarevok forced himself not to sneer. As if they could not guess for themselves! The druid then piped in with her assessment. He ground his teeth and reined back a verbal barb. The druid was the least tolerant of his presence. Even the high and mighty paladin seemed to accept him better. It didn't help that every time he heard Jaheira or happened to glance her way that he was reminded of the bargain Avress had gone to great lengths to strike. Sarevok disliked the debt he owed Avress for that and he wasn't sure what she would desire in return.
The guards at the top of the staircase were adept at their job. Wisely they did not allow the party to reach the second floor. Instead they had to deal with the uncertain footing of the stairs. Sarevok amassed his fair share of wounds that the drow quickly healed. Her hands lingered on his flesh and her eyes held carnal promises. He drew away and gave her a glare that was ineffective. Once, her attentions might have been welcomed as he'd developed a taste for dangerous women in the past but Sarevok found himself unswayed by her touch. The cleric's attentions were simply an unwanted annoyance.
"Sarevok, help the others try the main doors. Hopefully they'll give as Imoen doesn't have anymore disintegrate scrolls," Avress ordered.
Without comment he did as he was bidden and aided the others press against the huge doors. The heavy metal doors barely moved, even with their combined might which was substantial after the ranger had been given the girdle of strength. Avress cursed and then began to inspect the openings in the wall where lava poured forth. Sarevok wondered if his sister was mad. They would be unable to fight if they entered that way.
"We'll have to get in through here," Avress said pointing to the opening. "If we're careful, we can walk on the edges where the lava does not touch."
"Boo says that Minsc must be very careful indeed. Minsc can't give the boot to evil if there is no boot!"
"Keldorn, you best go first. If there are guards, you will have to hold them off until the others get through," Avress said and the paladin began to skirt the edges of the lava. "Then Minsc and Sarevok."
As Sarevok edged his way across, he could feel heat baking through the thick leather of his boots. Sweat soaked the padding under his armor and made his fingers slippery on the wall he clung to. Just as he thought the heat would begin to burn his heels, he reached the other side. Thankfully there had been no attack as he and Minsc crossed. That luck ran out as Avress began her crossing.
"Intruders in the Sacred temple! The fire of our master can never be extinguished!"
In response to the alert, giants rushed towards them. With the giants came large cats that were well trained to kill. Blade swinging, Sarevok laughed as the furor of battle consumed him. Even the heavy blows from the two giants he dispatched felt like nothing as he reveled in the slaughter. The bone chilling wave of cold that materialized several feel away plowed through the giant that had called the alert. Distantly, Sarevok realized the giant had been chanting. Pushing such concerns from his mind, he engaged the last giant, fighting in tandem with Minsc. The giant fell quickly and he turned back to the party. To his amusement the drow was swearing foully as Jaheira healed her. He gathered she'd been hit by a pillar of flame, courtesy of the chanting giant. The fallen bodies of insects were also remains of the giant's work.
Sarevok coolly pawed through the belongings of fallen giant cleric. Several gems were stashed in a pouch with a shriveled claw of some creature. The claw intrigued him. It seemed strange to keep it with gems of such value. Was it some kind of trophy? Something about the feel of the claw hinted at something else. Glancing up, he saw that Avress was sipping on a potion that had been looted from one of the corpses.
"Avress," Sarevok called. "I found this on the giant cleric. There is something about it that is unusual."
"It's a demon's claw. A baalor, I believe," Avress replied with wonder.
"Why would it be kept with these gems?"
"I'm not sure," Avress admitted. "I know that parts of a demon's body can be magical. Perhaps there will be a use for it so do not throw it away. For now we had better take Yaga-Shura's heart and search for that witch's."
Tucking away the claw and gems into his backpack, Sarevok shook his head. He could not help but wonder at her motives. Was it a gesture of trust that she let him keep the claw and gems? She had just given him a powerful item and a king's ransom. Already she had given him the boots of speed. If he wished to, he could simply walk away and rebuild his life elsewhere. His eyes followed the slender elf as she looked over the items the paladin removed from yet another pedestal. For a moment his eyes met her knowing ones. Damn her and her trust.
* * *
Nyalee's heart hadn't been in what Avress guessed was the altar room. Instead it had been stashed in a pillar in the second room. The second room had raised the hair on her neck. Her instincts screamed at the power hidden in the back room. Primarily it had been the chained 'woman' that had bothered her but she did not wish to linger to find out whatever else Yaga-Shura kept within his fortress-temple.
With the heart had been Yaga-Shura's diary. Reading the oversized book sent tendrils of fear worming through her. If Yaga-Shura had been the one to confront her in the woods, she would be dead. Of that, Avress was certain. More chilling were the things he had not said and the plans that went unwritten. Angrily, she threw the book into the lava and watched it burn. The Bhaalspawn and Saradush was just the beginning.
Avress could feel time slipping through her fingers. Since leaving Suldanesselar, she had learnt more of what was happening but would she be able to put the puzzle pieces together in time? No, she could not afford to worry about that yet. First she had to save Saradush. The more Bhaalspawn killed, the closer the prophecy came to fruition. Feeling more certain in her plans, Avress pulled the party into the pocket plane. Once in the pocket plane, they didn't not linger. As battle worn and tired as they were, they had decided to press on to Naylee. Then they would rest before confronting Yaga-Shura.
The forest of Myr had not lost any of its grim aura. As they entered the temple, Avress could not help but look back to where the shade had appeared. She'd half expected it to challenge her once again. Forcing herself onward, she readied the hearts. Naylee seemed not to have moved since they saw her last.
"Most anxious, Nyalee is, oh yes! Have you founds her precious hearts, spawn-child?"
"I have two hearts. Here... are they what you need?" Avress asked.
"Tis Nyalee's heart, it is! The spawn-child has found Nyalee's poor heart! One spawn takes it and another returns it! And, yes... this be the boy's heart, as well. Gives Nyalee her heart and she will extinguish the boy's, she will, oh yes!"
"You will extinguish Yaga-Shura's heart first?" Avress asked, feeling a tingle of apprehension.
"Yes, yes. Cautious the spawn is! Naylee will extinguish the boy's heart. Is that not what poor Nyalee said?"
Avress extended the hearts towards the witch who grabbed them greedily. Nyalee muttered and spoke to them as if they could understand her. Finally she crooned out a wavering song. Avress could not understand the words but power built with the song. Finally the wreath of fire that had surrounded Yaga-Shura's heart disappeared. Then the witch sung again and restored her heart to her chest. As she did, Avress felt the tingle of fear turn into a flood.
"Yes! Yes, at last Nyalee has her heart. Nyalee had forgotten how it feels to haves a heart, she had. Many old memories. It makes Nyalee sad. A simple thing, it is and the boy's heart is cold, now. As... as cold as his mother's old heart!! You... you will hurts my boy, won't you? No... no, what has Nyalee done?! My poor boy, the spawn-child will hurts him! Nyalee must stops her!!"
"I don't understand?" cried Minsc. "The witch has her heart back... why is she not nicer to us? What? Oh... yes, I see. Uh-huh. Thank you, Boo. Boo is so smart."
"Come, spirits of the glade! Come, woodsies of the forest!! We... we must protects my boy! My precious Yaga-Shura!!"
Avress pulled the wand of frost from her belt and aimed at the witch. Just as the wave of cold met Nyalee, she finished her call. Four shambling mounds appeared as did a score of spiders and two nymphs. Jaheira and Viconia turned to deal with the nymphs that had appeared. The shambling mounds pushed forward to be met by a berserk Minsc and Keldorn wielding his holy blade. Avress barely had time to breathe as she sent a flaming arrow at Nyalee. The witch hissed and advanced on her, swinging her staff. The enchanted staff hit Avress' rib cage with a painful crunch. She had managed to dodge somewhat but Avress had felt two ribs crack. Retaliating by slicing her dagger across the woman's chest, Avress was pleased to see her fall back a little.
Working feverously, Avress managed to call her stoneskin before the woman attacked again. This time she didn't dodge and instead began to cast her next spell. Enraged Nyalee attacked again. Imoen's wilting billowed into being foiling Nyalee's attack. Avress then let loose her cone of cold. It finished the witch and damaged the shambling mound behind her. Glancing behind her, Avress saw that Sarevok had finished with the spiders. He then joined Minsc and Keldorn to fend off the shambling mounds. Jaheira and Viconia had finished with the nymphs and were beginning to pray. The elementals they called helped turn the tide of the battle. Imoen was doing less well having been held by one of the nymphs' dying spells. Avress countered the spell just as the last shambling mound fell.
The battle over, Avress began to regret not resting before seeing Nyalee. She was tired and most of her spells were spent. That always made her feel exceedingly vulnerable. Mages or sorcerers without spells were easy pickings. She forced herself to check the dead witch's body for anything of value. Nothing caught her eye and so she let Jaheira heal her without comment. The pain decreased but did not vanish entirely and she looked up at the druid with an enquiring expression.
"We must rest before I can give any more healing," Jaheira said. "The drow is likewise lacking in healing spells. We will have to rely on scrolls and potions."
"I'll take us back to the pocket plane," Avress agreed.
Once in the safety of the plane, Avress watched as her companions were mended. Satisfied that they were well, she spread her bedroll out on the floor. She was too tired to bathe. Thankful that unlike a wizard she did not need to memorize spells, she let slumber take her. Mind fogged by sleep, she did not see the dark glance that Imoen gave Sarevok.