A/N: Apologies for the delay in updating -- was on holiday!
General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.
-----------------------
Guardians
-----------------------
"Wow..."
Maiyn silently agreed with Imoen's breathless assessment of their surroundings. They stood upon a branch that appeared to be thicker and wider than some rivers they'd crossed in their travels. Behind them were the stairs leading up and into the palace, seemingly carved into the very trunk of the Tree of Life itself. There was no sight of the ground below; hundreds of smaller boughs could be seen reaching out below them, their leaves larger than the companions. Maiyn drew away from the edge.
"Be careful," she said warningly. "I don't think falling would be very pleasant..."
She stopped, noticing a shimmer in the air; a haze, then the outline of something appeared faintly. Slowly it became more and more clear and focussed, until the ghostly figure of a very beautiful elven woman stood before them. It seemed to be a struggle for her to maintain her presence; she looked tired, and her eyes were narrowed as she strained to look at them.
"My Queen," Solen said, bowing his head, and placing his right hand upon the hilt of his sword as he stood tall and to attention. Maiyn struggled to remember the woman's name; the elves they'd passed had murmured it as they cast worried looks to the city's palace, but the ranger had been paying little attention. The fate of the city was not -- would not be -- her responsibility. She was here for Irenicus alone.
"Fair Queen Ellesime," came Coran's voice. Maiyn turned to see him smiling warmly to the apparition, straightening up from one of his flourishing bows. "It is exceedingly warming to the heart of a wanderer to see your undeniable beauty once again..."
She gaped at the thief, then slowly shook her head. "The Queen?" she asked. "I mean, I wouldn't doubt you probably tried, but-"
"You... you are the Child of Bhaal, aren't you?" Maiyn turned slowly; the figure was addressing her. The ranger nodded hesitantly.
"The one that Joneleth... Irenicus... boasted of stealing power from?" Ellesime frowned slightly. "He claimed to have slain you!"
Maiyn snorted before she could stop herself. Jaheira threw her an amused look, while Xan looked slightly horrified at her lack of manners. She cleared her throat hastily.
"He tried to, but he wasn't very successful. Now, it's our turn to return the favour."
"You must help us," the woman beseeched. "I am with Joneleth, within his cage of corruptive magics. I can send my image no further than here."
"What is he doing?" Jaheira asked, her brow furrowed as she looked around. "Why has he taken you here?"
"He... is drawing power from the Tree of Life into himself." The Queen spoke slowly, haltingly; Maiyn could hear the stress in her voice. "There are... parasites on the tree draining it for him..."
"Parasites?" Imoen asked. "How? I mean... are they magical?"
"I do not know of their manner," Ellesime sighed. "But they are corruption itself; they feed Joneleth the power and maintain this cage that holds me. They keep Irenicus is invulnerable -- he is protected by their power."
"Won't he know you're... well, here? Talking to us?" Maiyn asked, looking around with sudden trepidation, almost expecting to see the masked man striding over to them.
The elven woman shook her head. "He is oblivious to his environment while he absorbs the power, as the ritual requires his utmost concentration," she explained. "They are his defence, and his source."
"And so we need to kill them before we kill him," Imoen mused. Ellesime nodded solemnly to her.
"It matters not about your reasons for being here," the Queen continued, turning her gaze back to Maiyn. The ranger shifted uncomfortably. "Whether you are here to save my people, or just kill he who tormented you; the path you need to take is the same."
"Is it safe to kill the parasites on sight?" Xan asked suddenly. "When they fall, what damage will it cause the tree with his magic?"
"When they fall, my cage will be destroyed," she replied. "I will be able to sever his link to the tree and to protect it from any further harm from him."
Maiyn nodded. "You had better be prepared, then," she noted. "We'll find the creatures and destroy them, and then we'll take care of Irenicus."
"I will be able to reach my brother when my restraints are removed," Ellesime said, her voice becoming faint. "He will come to fight beside you..."
Her vision faded, and the group were left alone, standing together solemnly on the branch. Maiyn quickly assessed the situation; there were three clear ways from the branch, leading around to other parts of the tree. They needed to work fast, and that meant...
"We split up," she said confidently, taking control of the situation. To her surprise, Jaheira merely nodded. "Im -- you think these parasites are magical?"
Imoen frowned slightly. "Jaheira or Xan might want to correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't see how they'd be completely natural. Also, to act as his defence..."
"I would imagine that they are at least under the influence of some magical powers," Xan agreed.
"I would concur," the druid added. "He will know that we intended to follow him; even if he believed us to have fallen, the elves would have eventually reached him in here. He knew he would face attack at some point, and no natural parasite that I know would be able to offer him the defence he would need to fend off such an assault."
"Then I say we split into three groups," Maiyn said, "each with a mage for countering these creatures. Im-"
"Minsc and Boo and Larry shall go with their witch!" the berserker interrupted.
Maiyn grinned slightly. "Im; take Minsc and Boo and Larry and Anomen, and follow the branch around the trunk?"
The young human mage nodded. "Sure thing."
Maiyn peered cautiously at the thinner branch leading away to their right. "Xan -- can you take Jaheira and Solen along that way?"
Xan looked as if he was about to sigh; but to Maiyn's surprise he caught himself, straightened up, and nodded. "We will need a plan for when the final creature falls," he noted dryly.
"How will we know when they're all dead?" Nalia asked timidly. She was standing closest to the stairs, looking almost terrified by her surroundings. Maiyn tried to smile reassuringly at her.
"If Queen Ellesime is right," Xan said, "then Irenicus will find his attention shifting quite rapidly..."
"The Queen will warn us," Solen added. "She will be able to tell us, somehow."
"And then we just need to find each other," Coran remarked thoughtfully. "Somehow, I feel that suggesting we meet amongst the branches will be pointless..."
"We could return here," Anomen suggested hesitantly. "It... it is not the ideal location for a battle, but if we can keep our bearings as we move, it is one point where we should be able to retrace our steps to, perhaps."
"And if Elhan and his men are really going to come and help us," Maiyn said, ignoring Solen's rather indignant look at the lack of conviction in her tone, "then he'll reach us faster here."
Jaheira nodded. "Then we return here -- you, myself and Minsc should not have a problem with tracking our way back if we need to."
Minsc beamed proudly at the mention, earning himself a rather dry smile from the druid. Maiyn nodded.
"Then, at the risk of hastening our doom," Xan muttered, "perhaps we should go? Much damage has been done already..." The enchanter pointed to some of the smaller twigs extending near to the group. The leaves were curling up as they discussed their plan; browning and withering with amazing speed.
"Absolutely," Maiyn agreed, waving to Imoen as the human darted off after Minsc, the berserker striding along the branch and disappearing around the corner of the trunk before Anomen had even begun to move. The knight dashed off after them both, looking slightly less confident.
Jaheira skirted over to her own group's path, studying the way the branches weaved across each other and deciding on the most appropriate route. Within a few seconds, she'd nodded to Xan and Solen, leading the way into the thicker leaves as the men followed. Maiyn watched them go; before disappearing, Xan turned back and allowed his eyes to meet her for the first time in what felt like days. With an almost hopeful smile, he disappeared into the foliage.
"Right," Maiyn said, nodding to Coran to lead the way, and beckoning Nalia to come out onto the branch properly. "Let's see what we can find."
-----------------------
Imoen had never seen anything like it before.
And she didn't just mean the tree. Admittedly, it was an amazing spectacle; everything was so big in the main, but there were also branches and twigs that were more normally sized in her opinion, and yet they seemed to grow and thrive as much as the boughs that were hundreds of times larger. Or they had been thriving... more and more areas were showing brown tinges and decay as their life was drained from them. And now Imoen could see exactly what was doing it.
It was very large; bigger than Minsc by three or four times, and latched onto the branch of the tree at several points where it was sucking the sap and the goodness from the bough. Her hand, still resting upon Minsc's arm, was the only thing that had restrained him from launching straight into an attack; she'd asked him to remain at her side until she could determine how best to destroy it.
It had taken them no time at all to find it -- the ranger had been determined in his route, almost as if his instinct had guided him to the creature. Imoen didn't dare hope that the others would find the remaining parasites so quickly, which meant that she could give herself a few more minutes to examine it and to try and work out where its alleged protections lay -- because from where she was standing, it looked very vulnerable indeed.
"Perhaps a magical barrier?" Anomen suggested, his eyes also studying it.
She frowned slightly. "Not sure," she admitted. "I can't see any sign of there being anything like that, and I can't... feel it."
"Minsc and Boo can smell the stench of evilness emanating from it," the berserker noted. "Boo says we cannot stand here idly and watch it destroy nature so."
Imoen nodded and sighed. "Be careful," she said warningly, as Minsc readied Lilarcor in his hands and set off towards the parasite. Anomen followed him cautiously, his own weapon readied in his hand, and his family shield raised defensively. Imoen rummaged through her pouch, one part of her mind noting where various components were, and another working in conjunction as it silently suggested the possible scenarios she might have to face. If Anomen was right, and a magical barrier was in place, she would need to learn more about it to discover the method to dispel it. If the creature itself was merely deceptive in appearance, and was a fearsome creature under an illusion or clever disguise, she would need to find a weakness while the fighters defended themselves. And despite all these thoughts, she watched intently as the men approached, and as Larry swung through the air, slicing into the creature and making it shriek in horror.
The elements! Her brain shouted at her, guiding her fingers as they reached for the tiny icy crystals that she'd subconsciously moved to rest atop some large petals. Words to incite a storm of ice found their way to her lips, and she intoned them with as much feeling and longing as she could muster. The air took on a deathly chill, and she only just managed to call out a word of warning to the two fighters as the crystals dissolved in her hands. Large hailstones began to rain down from above them, seemingly undaunted by the layers of leaves that stood between them and the sky.
The rest of the spell was spent in a mesmerised trance; the creatures of fire were unable to withstand the force of her onslaught, and both Anomen and Minsc were able to evade the storm, only venturing back towards the hissing parasite when the precipitation had ceased. Imoen found herself smiling serenely as Lilarcor was driven into the body of the creature, causing it to shrivel and curl, dying outright as the furious berserker destroyed its form. Gorion had always told her that magic was pretty; he'd tempted her with incantations of rainbows and ways of making everything pink; but it had never appeared quite as beautiful as it did now. It was coming to her -- the time she'd spent learning under Dynaheir, then persevering on her own, despite their capture, despite... everything. She was becoming a wizard in her own right, and it... it was beautiful.
And it is only the beginning came a voice into her head. She smiled more.
-----------------------
Xan heard the sound as clearly as his elven kinsman and druid companion had. They all exchanged quick glances; it had to be one of the creatures, and it sounded as if it had been attacked. If that was truly the case, then they desperately needed to find the others and bring them down as quickly as possible, in case Irenicus somehow managed to learn of his creature's failure, and break his concentration to ascertain what was happening. Then he would become aware of their presence, and they would no longer be the ones in control of the situation.
As if she wordlessly agreed, Jaheira picked up her speed, dextrously making her way across dangerously narrow branches. Solen followed her silently, his own sure-footedness enabling him to stay close to her while Xan brought up the rear, occasionally stumbling as he missed a vine on the path. It was ridiculous, really... he was not meant for this. It wouldn't be long before he tripped for one last time, ultimately plunging to his unavoidable doom and-
His inhaled sharply at the sight. It was repulsive, to say the least; a bulbous creature, ooze surrounding the tentacles that it had driven through the bark and into the branch of the tree. It made no sign to suggest it was aware of their approach, though Jaheira remained cautious, signalling for them to stay quiet and walk slowly under the cover of the shadows.
When they were close, she stopped and looked at him expectantly. Solen was still gazing at the creature, repulsion shining in his eyes. A true kinsman, Xan thought to himself idly. Were it not for the emotion in his eyes, he would have the detached expression that my People have perfected.
Xan shrugged at the half-elf, causing her to roll her eyes in exasperation. He didn't know what she expected -- he'd never seen anything like it before, and he had no idea what it was. He could cast a few experimental spells, but they would probably do nothing except alert it to their presence.
"Shall we attack, then?" she asked irritably.
He looked around. There was nothing obvious guarding the parasite; the branch was fairly exposed and free from the heavier foliage they'd made their way through to get here. There was a hazy, magical feeling in the air, but it was no stronger than it had been at the stairway when they first descended onto the boughs; and due to the nature of the ritual Irenicus was performing, it wasn't surprising.
He nodded, sighing gently as his two companions inched forward, weapons in hand, muscles tensed. Solen was the first to strike -- his sword cleanly sliced through one of the tentacles, causing ooze and sap alike to pour out from the wound and make the bark sticky. This caused some distraction for the two fighters; they deftly avoided the spill, but their attention was kept from the swirling air that was developing behind them. Xan shouted a warning as he prepared his magic, thankful to see them both dodge to the side as the whirlwinds ripped past harmlessly, the air elementals drifting to either side of the parasite to defend it.
Silently, and with a calmness that almost scared him witless, he pulled out the necessary reagents from his pouch and pockets, and closed his eyes briefly. The words were not familiar to him; it was a spell he knew he would, one day, have the power to wield, but he had never tried. It was the only way he had guaranteed himself not to fail, he'd told himself -- by never trying. But now... Now, he had nothing to lose.
He shouted a warning, told Jaheira and Solen to prepare themselves, to be aware of their balance. They nodded to him; both appeared so determined, so confident -- but his words had caused them both to have brief, vague looks of worry. He felt serene, though -- this was what he was meant to do. This is what every mage was born to do.
The words came. Stilted at first, but then more naturally, more smoothly. He allowed his chant to become melodious, rather than the forced monotone voice he usually used when shaping the weave to perform his art. Magical aura made its may into his conscious, and his vision became tinted with a spectrum of colours. Sparks shot from his fingertips as he concluded his invocation, and for a terrifyingly long moment, nothing happened. The fighters had tensed, looking around almost fearfully, and holding onto the branches that weaved their way around the parasitic creature that was causing Xan so much offence.
The air elementals did not pause. They each chose a target and began to float towards it. They did not seem to notice the surroundings becoming darker, but Xan did. He smiled softly; it had worked. It was working. It was one of several similar and almost fabled magical spells, and there was no guarantee that he'd ever manage to perform any of the sister conjurations at this level of achievement. But he'd managed this one -- and at that moment, it was all that really mattered.
The roar was deafening. He saw Jaheira bury her head into her arm as she crouched low, shield covering her as much as possible as she grasped the vines and boughs. Solen was staring up, his mouth agape. Xan's eyes followed his kin's stare, watching as it happened almost in slow motion. The comet burst through the overhead branches as if they were not there, and plunged into the branch with a thunderous crash. The light from the magical collision caused his heightened vision to flare uncomfortably, and he had to avert his gaze, closing his eyes tightly to try and quell them from the glare. The ground rippled beneath his feet, and he shrank back against one of the thicker branches, hoping that it would be enough to keep him from falling.
For a moment he was too scared to look back. The reality of the power he'd harnessed and unleashed penetrated his magic-induced tranquillity, and the images of what he might see flooded his imagination until he had no choice but to stand and turn back to where his companions had been, and open his eyes.
The elementals were gone; wiped from existence by the force of the rock, and the parasite had been obliterated in its wake. Jaheira was standing up slowly, an incredulous look on her face as she surveyed her surroundings with wonderment. Solen was already standing; a wide smile on his face as he looked at Xan with undisguised disbelief. The tree itself was untouched by the spell -- the only damage visible was from the wounds from the parasite.
He only noticed that his hands were shaking as he dusted off his robes, waiting for his companions to return to him; he was not wholly sure he could trust his own legs to safely guide him across the smaller branches to them at that point.
-----------------------
Nalia wondered what was happening at home, then berated herself slightly. She'd always fantasised about living the life of an adventurer; donating the money she'd invariably make from it to the poor so that they could live better lives. Of course, it hadn't exactly been how she'd imagined it as a young girl; at no point had she imagined her father dying and a marriage of convenience being the only way to secure the safety of her lands.
But now that it was happening, she felt increasingly aware of how much she missed the security of the De Arnise Keep. The weeks since the troll invasion, since her father's death... she'd experienced a freedom that she'd yearned for, but it had come at a price that was almost unbearable to deal with, and always hard to accept.
And part of that was the responsibility for the affairs her father had dealt with, which she had easily left in the hands of Captain Arat. That couldn't go on indefinitely, of course -- at some point she would be required to take over the control of the estate, and to ensure the well-being of the tenants living within her borders. Only, now... now it was becoming almost appealing. As Coran's attention drifted away from her, the course of his current wind of affection pointing more towards Maiyn's direction, her homing instinct grew louder and louder inside. She'd promised to help, though, and she would keep that pledge -- but they were very close to the end of their quest, and her obligation would end then.
She'd already decided to return home, and to concentrate on matters closer to her heart and soul. With Isaea's true colours now known to those who mattered in Amnian circles, her lands would be able to thrive freely from his interference, and there would be no reason to carry on with the sham of a marriage she'd naively accepted. She didn't doubt that Coran would be glad she thought that way; she'd wondered -- perhaps, even hoped -- that he'd decide it was his duty to also return to the keep, as part of his promise to her as Steward of the lands... but it was foolishness to continue in that vein, and she would merely have to inform him that his tenure was no longer needed.
It would be better for both of them.
She jumped when the shrieking howl echoed eerily through the branches of the tree, only partly relieved when she saw Maiyn's own worried expression. Coran just frowned, trying to ascertain which direction it had come from, before leading them another way, hoping to cover another area. The rumbling roar that happened soon after, and the branch faintly shaking beneath her feet, was enough to make Nalia pale significantly. This was much more than the simple pick-pocketing that Mae'var had required.
"Are you all right?" She accepted the hand that was offered to her, smiling up at Coran's concerned face and nodding. He gave her a reassuring, lop-sided grin in return and squeezed her hand as they walked. "This is just a walk in the park," he said conversationally. "Remember that planar prison?"
She nodded, shivering slightly at the memory. Coran's body had fallen, limp, and there had been no sign of life there at all; and yet... his eyes had fluttered open and he'd moved on as if nothing had happened. If death itself couldn't daunt Coran from pursuing his goal relentlessly, then she had no chance of standing between him and it, truly.
She only just managed to stop herself from bumping into Maiyn, noticing the ranger had drawn up abruptly and was pointing ahead. Nalia's hand rose instinctively to her mouth as she gazed on it; a bulging white mass, pulsing rhythmically as it drew the life from the branch it was attached to, two spindly antennae swaying gently in the slight breeze that managed to drift across the open area between the leafy boughs.
"Any ideas?" the ranger asked, her elven eyes fixed firmly on the creature as if she was afraid it would disappear if she looked away.
"It doesn't look dangerous," Coran said. "Let me-"
"Coran?" Maiyn's voice was low and level.
"Hmm?"
"Be quiet, and let Nalia tell us what to do."
The mage tried to hide her smile; Maiyn was perfectly still and expressionless, completely focussed on the parasite, while Coran gave her an openly indignant look and opened his mouth to speak. Within moments, though, he'd decided against it, and sulkily turned his own gaze to the creature as his hands drifted once towards the Sword of Chaos' hilt, then veered away quite dramatically.
"I can't see anything to suggest it's as protected as I feared," Nalia said, frowning slightly as she examined their surroundings. She pulled a few items out of her pockets. "There could be invisible sentries or guards, of course, so first I'd like to check for that."
Maiyn managed to look away from the parasite long enough to nod, seemingly impressed by the logical reply. It only took a few words and one small piece of mirror for Nalia to receive the gift of true-sight. She sighed heavily as she looked around.
"Nothing," she said softly.
"Could they be under magic powerful enough to be undetected by your own counter-spell?" Maiyn wondered.
"Possibly," Nalia replied dubiously. "It would have to be an extremely potent conjuration."
"Well, this is Irenicus," Maiyn murmured. Nalia just nodded.
"If that is the case, then we can only hope that they reveal themselves somehow," the human girl sighed. "I can then hit them with some faerie dust, perhaps, which will show us where they are."
"You want us to go and attack it then?" the ranger asked.
"I can think of no other option, really," the noblewoman replied. "We cannot fight what we cannot see -- what we don't even know is here, really."
"Okay then." Maiyn prodded Coran, frowning at the male elf until he reluctantly pulled the huge sword into his hands properly and followed her towards the creature. Nalia watched, readying herself. She couldn't see anything to make her believe there were hidden guardians, but something was telling her that it would not be a case of simply destroying the parasite unhindered.
And her instincts were proven true as Maiyn's sword slashed across the tough flesh of the creature, deftly avoiding the carapace. It chittered sharply, and a flash of light temporarily blinded the young mage; when she managed to clear her vision, two tall moving rocks were easily fending off the elven attacks, and it was only the nimbleness of her companions that was saving them from being hurt from the powerful attacks levied at them.
Without a second thought, Nalia grabbed a few feathers in her hands, and dropped her pack to the ground, dragging her spellbook from it. Quickly, she leafed through a few pages until she reached her destination, and let her eyes swiftly drift over the words, trying to familiarise herself with the words appropriately. She tried to ignore the voices in her head; mocking tones, wondering why she needed to refer to a book like that, when none of the other mages in the group did... they could study them at rest, and cast at will... but not her. She was just an apprentice, really.
She shook her head, trying to shift her insecurities, but it was no good. A quick glance up showed that the elves were faring no better, and she realised she had little option. She'd have to just make the attempt.
She read from the page, using one finger to trace lightly over the runes as she chanted, the other holding the feathers out towards their foes. The words rolled from her tongue, coming as naturally as everyday speech, and it was only at the end that she was able to stand, turning her attention fully towards the earthen elementals as she intoned the final syllable and opened her clenched fist.
The feathers exploded, creating bolts of pure lightning that shot from her fingertips and encased the creatures. She saw Coran and Maiyn throw themselves to the ground, avoiding the energy rippling above them as it coursed through the parasite's guardians until they both crumbled into dust, floating away in the breeze.
Maiyn looked over to her, giving a loud whoop, as Coran neatly cleaved the leeching creature with the Sword of Chaos. It was only when it fell, and Ellesime's voice drifted into the air that Nalia realised she'd been holding her breath.