Chapter 4 - Into the Fire

I awake gasping for air, stumbling my way out of the pod I was placed in. I'm still alive…? This is already the second time I've come close to death, and quite frankly, I'm starting to get tired of it. I sigh in a mixture of relief and soreness as I rub my swollen right eye.

What happened? And where in the Hells am I?

I remember passing out after trying to fight the Mind Flayers in the forest. Later on, I woke up to one of those slimy bastards placing a worm-like creature, with rows of sharp teeth, onto my eye. I shiver at the memory. The pain was indescribable — I thought I was going to die. I fainted again shortly after that.

So… is it inside my head now? A squirming sensation in my brain seems to answer in response. Gods, that is disgusting.

I slowly take in my surroundings. I must be on the Illithid ship. The entire room, even the doors and walls, are made out of a fleshy substance. It looks as if chaos swept throughout — with some areas caught on fire.

I spot a dead Mind Flayer in the corner. I faintly recall that someone else was trapped here, a green-colored woman with flowing brown hair and silver armor. Could this be her doing? I don't see her… Perhaps she managed to escape somehow.

I should get going myself. I'm not entirely sure about the process, but I heard that Mind Flayers kidnap victims to keep them as thralls, and sometimes evolve them to become Illithid themselves. Who knows how long I have until I change into a brain-eating monster?

Shit.

I shake my head, trying to get rid of the idea. Well, I am still me. For now, I need to focus on getting out of here. Gripping my staff in comfort, I make my way through the suspicious-looking door.

This room is bigger than the last. I see a deceased Goblin on a table, it appears they were preparing to dissect it. Runes and tablets litter the place, all in an indecipherable language. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot another pod — similar to the one I was in. Approaching it, I see a pale elven man resting inside.

Wow… I can only describe this man as beautiful. His face seems to be chiseled from marble, his wavy hair a silvery white. Upon closer inspection, there is a small scar on his neck that could easily have been missed. Are those… bite marks?

Wait a second — I recognize this Elf. This is the man who caught my attention while I was passing through Rivington. How odd, I wonder how he got caught by Mind Flayers if he was in town.

I just hope that Falnar is safe.

Now that I've been observing him, I notice that his chest isn't moving at all. He is completely still — not taking a single breath. Could he be dead? Suddenly, I hear a faint voice crying for help from behind me.

"Help us!" it weakly cries. Another survivor! Or survivors? I quickly turn to locate the person, but I hesitate. I feel a bit guilty for leaving this man behind.

Come on, Aquina. He's already dead, I think to myself. There is nothing I can do. May you rest in peace, beautiful stranger.

I start to make my way towards the voice from before. I find an elevator that takes me to a loft above. On an operating chair, I see a naked man covered in blood — with his entire brain exposed. Oh Gods… how is he alive? The voice speaks again, but it is not coming from the man — it's almost like it's coming from inside my head.

"Yes! You've come to save us from this place!" the exposed brain quivers in expectation.

"What in the nine Hells am I talking to?" I wonder out loud, shocked by the spectacle before me. Everything about this place is alien and grotesque.

"A newborn. Born new from this husk. Remove us from this body. Please! We must go to the helm," the creature continues to plead.

Yuck… It's revolting, but this thing seems to know the ship better than I do. Could it be serving as a minion to the Mind Flayers? And perhaps it knows the way out of here. Maybe I should free the brain. I pause for a moment, then decide to commit. I need all the help I can get if I'm going to survive this.

I place my hands on the squishy matter and gently prise it from the skull. Gross — but my efforts are worth it. The man serving as its host closes his eyes, finally at peace. The brain has been successfully set free, dropping onto the floor and immediately forming legs. I wipe my bloody hands on my robe as I give the creature a look over.

It's actually kind of cute — in a slimy and disturbing type of way.

"Our freedom is ours. Friend," it states. "We will not survive here. We are needed at the helm — we are needed to leave this realm." The minion starts to scuttle away, heading for the exit.

"Hold on! What should I call you?" I ask out of pure curiosity, and not wanting to be left behind. I must be going crazy. Why am I trying to make conversation with a walking brain? The creature pauses for a moment, waiting for me to catch up.

"Us. We are Us," it says simply as if the answer was obvious.

I follow Us as we start our journey towards the helm. On the way, we pass by the deceased Elf in the pod. For a second, I thought I saw a flash of red, but when I looked back — he still had the same resting expression as before.

Must be a trick of the light, I suppose.

We arrived at a hallway of the ship where the wall had been blown away — exposed to the outside. I look down below to see a barren landscape filled with gray mountains rush past. The sky's the color of ash. I have a feeling we're not in Baldur's Gate anymore.

All of a sudden, a red dragon flies past me, towards the front of the vessel. First Mind Flayers, now dragons? I thought those legendary beasts went extinct a long time ago. So much has happened that I'm too numb even to be surprised anymore.

While I'm lost in thought, a strange woman in gleaming silver armor leaps down from above. She then points her long sword at me, poised to strike. I didn't even have time to react.

"Abomination. This is your end," she growls, daggers in her eyes. Her skin is a yellowish green — her petite and upturned nose is raised higher than what's considered normal. I have no clue as to what race to classify her as. But I know one thing, this is the woman I saw before.

And now she wants to kill me.

Before I can explain myself, my head starts to throb, and my skin tingles. Visions rush past. I see recent events but from a different point of view. Are these her memories? How is this possible?

"My head. What is this…" she groans in discomfort. She seems to be experiencing the same phenomenon as I.

"Tsk'va. You are no thrall — Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together we might survive." Thankfully, she lowers her sword — no longer seeing me as a threat. She's a bit scary, but the idea of teaming up is too appealing.

"My name is Aquina," I hesitantly introduced myself. "Who are you?" I ask, wanting to learn more about my new companion. Really, I wanted to ask 'what' she is… but that would just be rude.

"Who am I? Your only chance of survival," she confidently states, one hand on her hip.

Okay… Not a woman for conversation. I guess now isn't the time for pleasantries anyways.

"Well, do you have any suggestions on getting out of here?" I promptly ask.

"First we get rid of these imps. Then we head to the helm. That Devourer of yours will help us — as long as it still thinks we're thralls." She looks at the path ahead of us and begins to draw her sword again.

Looking past her, I see a trio of devilish winged creatures, feasting on the bodies of their victims. Gods, what layer of the Hells are we at? I draw my staff — preparing to unleash my magic once again.

The woman runs forth and immediately plunges her sword into the nearest imp — killing it in one sweep. Us dashes past me and strikes at another with surprisingly sharp claws. While it's dealing with that one, I feel my powers warming up, the familiar feeling of electricity flowing through my veins.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this.

I run up to the last monster and strike it using my electrified hands. It drops from the air like a stone and starts to write in pain. But it's not dead yet. The imp tries to claw at my feet — but my companion follows up from behind me and strikes the finishing blow.

Just like that, it's over.

I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm glad I'm not fighting my way through this place alone.

"You prove surprisingly adequate in battle," the woman comments in approval. "Now — to the helm." She already starts to stride off, before I can say anything.

I rub the back of my neck in comfort, as I take a moment to view the damage. During the battle, I noticed that one of the imps was carrying a crossbow. I pry it off its stone-cold hands and strap it onto my back, along with my staff.

I may not always be able to rely on magic, and besides, it never hurts to have a backup. Immediately after, I hastily try to catch up to my warrior companion.

After traveling into the upper layers of the ship, we appear to now be in the ship's main room. A thumping sound immediately catches my attention.

We encounter another pod. This time, there's a Half-Elf woman with black tied-up hair and a lengthy scar across her nose. She's frantically hitting the case — unable to get it open.

"You! Get me out of here!" she demands, desperate to be set free. I approach with caution.

"We don't have time for stragglers!" My companion brutally states. "This ship won't be able to survive another dragon attack — we must get to the helm quickly."

I know she speaks the truth, but my consciousness won't allow me to leave this person to their pitiful fate — especially if there is something I can do to help. Plus, she may prove useful to us. I continue to study the pod and sense that magic may be at play here. I can see unfamiliar runes surrounding the air. The console on the right seems to be linked to it.

"Just give me a second... I think I may know how to help her," I reply in determination.

"Please, hurry!" the woman urges, while my companion mutters a foreign curse under her breath.

Hopefully, this works.

I promptly inscribe the dormant device with the glyphs I sensed from the pod's runes. Immediately the console hums to life. I hesitantly placed my hand upon it.

Suddenly I feel a hideous squirming in my head. Could this be the worm? The discomfort fades, and another sensation washes over me. Connection. Authority. A foreign power from inside my mind beckons me to use it.

I will the pod to open, and it heeds my command. The woman is finally free, falling to her knees once she's been released.

"I thought that damn thing was going to be my coffin. Thank you -"

Before she can finish her sentence, my mind lurches into her thoughts. The sensation is similar to the one before. She is grateful but is wary because of whom I'm traveling with.

"You keep dangerous company," the elven woman remarks, visibly on guard. "You do know that she's a Gith?"

The term sounds familiar but isn't ringing any bells. I want to avoid conflict between these two, so I decided to change the subject. We need to be able to work together if we are to get of here.

"Did you feel that? We were in each other's heads." I say in wonder and a hint of fear.

"I did… Must be because of those parasites they put in us…" she warily replies. "But they'll have to wait. Let me come with you. We can get off this ship, and watch each other's backs along the way."

She's already way ahead of me.

"Perfect, let's get going, shall we? I'm Aquina," I introduce myself in a friendly manner.

"And this is…" I motion at the Gith woman, urging her to introduce herself as well. She glares at me in disapproval but indulges me.

"Lae'zel," she declares, snidely turning her head to the side.

"Shadowheart," the Half-Elf states. "One moment…" She quickly turns to grab an item from a bag lying on the floor, and slyly slips it into her pocket. Shadowheart glances back at us as if to make sure we didn't see anything. I was able to catch a fleeting glimpse. The object appeared to be pitch black, with numerous sides and spikes protruding from each corner.

My curiosity is piqued, but judging from her body language, she clearly doesn't want to talk about it. She seems to be a mysterious woman with plenty of secrets.

"All right then, let's head out," I asserted, once Shadowheart was finished.

"Finally," Lae'zel abruptly remarks. "We've wasted enough time here. We need to get to the helm."

"She's right," Shadowheart quickly agrees but rolls her eyes at the Gith. "Let's go."

And with that, we swiftly depart for the helm. The brain on legs energetically leads the way.

Once we've crossed a couple of hallways, Us begins to scurry about in excitement. We must be nearby.

"We are close," says Lae'zel. "Once inside, do as I say."

"Who put you in charge?" Shadowheart scoffs. "I'll trust my own judgment."

"Kainyank," Lae'zel spits. The two girls look at each other with fire in their eyes — neither one backing down.

Oh boy… I get the feeling that these two are going to be trouble. Hopefully their conflict doesn't cause our doom. I hold back a sigh and hastily follow Us through the door.

We finally enter the helm and find ourselves in the middle of a battle. Mind Flayers are fighting Cambions and imps — both sides seem to be equally balanced. I watch in horror as a Mind Flayer rips into the brain of a Cambion, but is then cut down by a group of imps shortly after.

The final Illithid left standing notices our arrival. Suddenly, I hear its voice reverberating within my mind.

"Thrall. Connect the nerves of the transponder. We must escape. Now," it demands while battling a fierce-looking Cambion.

"Do it," Lae'zel urges. "We will deal with the ghaik after we escape."

"Connect the nerves! We will connect them!" Us chimes, more than happy to obey orders.

All right, get to the transponder, and connect the nerves before we crash to our deaths… all while avoiding the imps and other Hellspawn. Easy, right? I ready my staff and take a deep breath.

Here we go again.

I sprint past the monsters — casting a blue bolt of electricity at one of the imps. It shrieks in pain before it dies. Lae'zel focuses on holding back the other imps that try to swarm us, while Us supports her by scratching at them.

Unexpectedly, I feel a layer of protection enveloping me. I look back to see Shadowheart chanting a protection spell and gives me a nod of acknowledgment.

So, she's a cleric! Ha, I wasn't expecting that.

A new feeling of confidence surges through me. I trust that with these strangers, we'll be able to make it out of this cursed nightmare — alive. I continue to rush past the chaos, but out of nowhere, a dragon's screech fills the air. More monsters appear in front of me, preventing me from accessing the transponder.

Damn it!

"Tsk'va! Hurry — before they strike!" Lae'zel yells as she jabs her sword into a nearby imp.

I feel my fingers tingle with energy as I unleash a wave of thunder at a group of monsters, knocking them unconscious. A Hellsboar starts to charge at me mid-spell, leaving me with no time to react.

I flinch and embrace myself for the blow — suddenly a bolt of light stops it in its tracks. The boar cries out in pain as Shadowheart follows up by striking at its head with her mace. I nod my head in thanks and continue on my way forward. The path to the transponder is now free.

We're almost there! Just in time too. Out of the corner of my eye, I see two Cambions rushing to join the fight. Gods, we wouldn't stand a chance against them.

I quickly approach the transponder, tentacles grossly protruding from it. Those must be the nerves. Without any hesitation, I grab two of them at random and squish them together. The nerves combine and the transponder begins to vibrate and hum. We did it!

However, the dragon from earlier settles down in front of me.

Uh oh…

It bears its humongous head forward and lets loose its fiery breath. I barely dodge out of the way just in time, but the damage has already been done. The ship lurches forward all of a sudden — and I'm thrown back. I grab the nearest wall, preventing a fall to my death.

The air surrounding the vessel begins to shift — the scenery changes. The sky is now filled with stars, and there are trees below us. However, the ship is swiftly heading to the ground. We're going to crash!

I try to think of a plan, but panic consumes my mind. This is it… I look to the left of me and see the Mind Flayer from earlier staring right at me. Its piercing orange eyes seem to look through me, and I'm unable to look away.

Do Mind Flayers also feel fear?

Then, out of nowhere, a large piece of debris hits me at such a speed that I lose my grip on the wall — promptly knocking me out of the ship.

I feel myself falling head-first, the stars in the sky getting smaller and smaller every second. The wind rushes past me. I'm falling so fast that I can't even breathe. There is nothing I can do…

I close my eyes — I want this feeling of dread to be over already. How long do I have before I hit the ground? Before I experience the pain of every bone in my body breaking? I just hope that my death will be a swift one.

…But the impact never happens.

Have you ever had a dream where you're falling, but right before you hit the ground — you wake up?

This sensation is similar to that.

Mere seconds before my death, I felt a foreign force stop me in mid-air. It only lasts for a moment. Then, I gently tumble onto the floor.

I can't even comprehend what just happened to me. I feel all the energy and adrenaline immediately leave my body. I pass out on the ground, my surroundings fading to black once again.

Author's Note: The intro of the story is now finished! Eventually, we'll be meeting the rest of the companions. I literally started a new playthrough in order to accurately portray some scenes and dialogue. In journey-mode this time though - some of those fights are tough.

Also, I added the bit with finding Astarion on the ship, because in the game he says that he saw you on the nautiloid, however, you don't see him. I thought that was a shame.

Anyways, please feel free to let me know what you think of the story. If you've made it this far, you can tell that this a slow burner. But is it too slow? Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting too much into detail than I should be.

Either way, thanks for reading!

Side Note: Us actually died in my playthrough at the fight at the helm. I got greedy and wanted to kill the Cambion to get the flame sword... RIP Us.