Part 1: Beginning Again.
(Spoilers for Act 2 and Gale's origin! Also, warning for some mentions of suicidal idealogy.)
With a single nod of the head, Gale realizes this is it. They've found the Absolute, and as he intended since Mystra granted him control of his orb, he will end it with a single surge of magic. An explosion the size of Waterdeep.
It's a time-sensitive thing, Gale knows, but he still takes a half-second to look at his companions. Karlach, who had a destiny similar to his own. Shadowheart, the betrayer of her Lady Shar. Lae'zel, a warrior who has found the truth and herself. Wyll, who will never end up breaking his pact. Astarion, who will die a spawn to Cazador.
And Tav, whose word has brought an end to them all.
They lost many along the way and being one for sentimental moments, Gale reflects on how far they've all come from strangers sharing nothing but an ocular invader. Now, he could almost call them all friends.
But the time for this is not now. It will never be, after this, but both Mystra and Tav call for his sacrifice and he won't let both down. Not when it would mean so much worse for everyone else. Yes, they will all die here, but it won't be so bad of an end, right? They could've very likely been a group of mind flayers. The druids could've killed them, or the goblins. Any manner of creature or enemy had their chance to change fate, yet here they stand. Together, to the end.
Gale doesn't think about the expressions his companions are making. He doesn't want to know if Tav's decision is agreed upon. This last act will take focus and a nerve of steel. He must remember his Goddess, all that he owes her.
His magic, his love, and now his life.
For so long, Gale has resisted the hunger of the orb -its pain has become near as constant as the danger they find- but now, he gives into it. He lets the weave expand through him, even as it burns the very essence of his existence. It floods his veins like boiling acid but he grits his teeth to it. This must be done. There is no other way, he knows.
For Mystra.
Like a bubble popping, the orb expands. He feels all control slip away and suddenly, Gale is scared. No logic can soothe the panic that screams, "No! No, let me live! I want to live!". But it's too late. The orb has already been set to detonate and now, Gale is nothing but a vessel for its destruction as his last seconds are cut smaller and smaller. As if in slow motion, Gale turns his gaze to Tav, sees the strength in those teifling eyes. They are prepared. They are ready to meet their creator in whatever form it takes.
If only he had such coura-
No, this is not right. This is not how things were meant to end.
Again. Thou shalt try again.
Gale...breathes? Gasps, even. He can see, which really shouldn't be accurate, but it's happening all the same.
Fire surrounds him, as well as the unfortunately familiar architecture of a nautiloid ship. He knows the veiny pods he spent far too long in, as well as the pool of tadpoles he's likely been infected with. This tells him that he's been captured again.
But the fire, that is also the same. It burns the same way it did just before the whole ship crashed. He can feel the craft shake violently, nearly enough to throw him to the ground. The roar of a dragon sounds just above everything else.
Now, being in a Nautoloid would not be so strange. A nautiloid attacked by dragons and mere minutes from crashing? A startling coincidence. But Gale is also alive, which he should not be. He remembers the orb taking him and the Absolute with it. He knows he's dead. And yet...
Yet, he isn't.
The wrongness builds as he watches the events of this particular crash play out. It fills his mind with fog as he sees the red dragons circling the craft, then once they somehow -he now knows Tav, Lae'zel, and Shadowheart are the cause- skip to their final destination: the humble beach a little south of Emerald Grove.
Like the first time, Gale is caught off guard. He's thrown into the air violently and freefalls for a good second before his instincts kick in. He pulls Feather Falling, the incantation already escaping his lips as grass-covered rocks grow nearer.
But the spell doesn't cast.
Gale does not know this spell yet. He learned it on their way to the goblin camp, in fact, from a scroll Tav picked up.
So, Gale falls back on the next best thing and he is thrust into a dark portal imbedded into the very rock he would've been crushed against. The impact still rocks his entire body and when Gale next opens his eyes, he's lying on another, temporary plane of existence.
His vision swims for a few long seconds. Or, perhaps that's simply because of the constant swirling of magic surrounding him. Either way, it forces a groan from Gale's throat. His head throbs and the orb in his chest sucks the rest of his energy like he's the magical item. That feeling was not one Gale missed and now that it's back, he can feel his control of the orb slip. He can hold it just enough to keep it from detonating...again, but it's far too loose for his liking. Like trying to catch running water, or grainy sand.
Now, he's been nested in a portal of his own making on top of it all. Sitting up, Gale tries to pass back through it, hoping he can somehow figure out what in Mystra's name has happened, but he stops when the portal doesn't give. A push, a shove, and a poorly aimed punch only get one arm through. When Gale tries to shove the rest of himself out, he's stopped by the drain on his energy.
"...Gods," Gale sighs. He tries to wave his hand around, hoping to grab anything for support, but all that touches him is cool air.
Logically, his companions should also be on that beach. It was night when the nautiloid ship crashed, which means it could be hours before he's found. And what if Tav doesn't see his portal? Who's to say he landed in the same place this time around? Knowing his Tav, they would sooner search the entirety of the Underdark before they spot him.
A dreadful thought, but at least there is a fairly simple solution.
"Hello?! Anyone?!" Gale can only hope his voice carried through the portal. If not, then he'll be yelling himself hoarse.
Oh, how a wizard can fall from grace. Not only had he lost his role as Mystra's Chosen and been forced to endure the torture that was being infected with a mind-flayer tadpole, but he's now been stripped of his role as Tav's hero. Their weapon against the Absolute.
"For all the good it did," Gale mutters between cries for help. He's now been thrust back to the beginning, before his noble sacrifice was even a concept. There is, once again, a camp full of goblins to conquer and a grove yet gone unsaved. So much effort, just for it to be ripped from him at the very end.
Is this another one of Mystra's kindnesses? A show of her boundless forgiveness?
Gale dreads the answer.
Something brushes past Gale's hand and he's quick to snap back into focus. "A hand?! Anyone?!" He shouts, his fingers meeting only air and he waves again and again. Oh, come now. Someone was just there-
Small but firm hands grip around his wrist and begin to pull. Easily, Gale slips through the portal and tumbles to his hands and kneels, wincing against the bright sun. When has it turned to day?
"Thank you for the help, my friend! I am Gale of Waterdeep, expert wiz-" Gale pauses.
He recognizes Shadowheart and Astarion. Those cold gazes have become quite familiar over the month or so. But what really strikes Gale is the Githyanki in front of him. It's not Lae'zel, that much he knows. The armor is wrong, as well as the hair and face. Really, this githyanki looks nothing like Lae'zel apart from their race. It's...odd. Gale can't think of who this might be, but he recovers his act quickly.
"-wizard. Please, your name?"
The githyanki bows slightly, with a smile. "Tav." She says, her voice much softer than it should be, but not without a certain rasp to it.
If Gale weren't such a brilliant wizard and man, he would've scoffed at the mere suggestion. This is Tav? No, no his Tav is a dark Tiefling with ravenous eyes and pale hair. They were tall, taller than anyone else at their camp besides Halsin. They also didn't wear the robes of Helm's clerics. No, Gale's Tav was an honorable paladin.
But neither Shadowheart nor Astarion bats an eye, so Gale returns the bow despite his growing unease. "A pleasure." He should say more, Gale knows. He did the first time around, but something about this whole situation makes his stomach turn. Another word may make him lose what little dignity he has left.
This new Tav blinks at him, then turns her head to the side. "Were you also on the ship?" The question is asked in both curiosity and suspicion. Like Lae'zel, but much more open. Strange for a githyanki.
Now, Gale remembers his script. He swallows the bile that rises in his throat and tries to relax. If anyone suspects him of knowing as much as he does, he could soon find himself an enemy of both his old companions and the Absolute.
It's not a position Gale can afford to be put into.
"Indeed I was! And while it seems you've laid waste to their ship, the...guests in our heads haven't quite made their exit yet. I may be a powerful wizard in my own right, but medicine is not one of my many skills. Would you, perhaps, know someone with such a skill? Getting rid of these parasites is a rather urgent ask."
Tav grimaces as she looks at Shadowheart, then back at him. "Neither of us have enough skill for something like this. I was hoping to find my kin and the nearest creche."
Ah, yes. The githyanki creche. Gale knew that would be a dead end the moment Lae'zel mentioned it.
But, he'll play along. "An excellent idea! I'm sure having a wizard of my skill would certainly aid in such a plan. I am rather knowledgable about the githyanki race, after all." Hardly, but he remembers what Lae'zel told him and that will have to be enough.
Tav nods sternly. "Join me. Perhaps you'll be able to quell this one's suspicion." She throws a glance toward Shadowheart, who stiffens. Gale can already see the tensions growing between all three of them. A follower of Shar, a githyanki, and a vampire. Quite the group when it comes to trust and secrets.
Not that Gale will be any better. His need for magical items is suddenly overshadowed by the haunting knowledge of...well, everything. Their entire future together.
"Gladly." He nods, then files in behind the others. He knows not to let Astarion out of his sight, not before they've established how poor Gale tastes; and Shadowheart looks equally as ready to murder him as everyone else. So, he'll ride this out and hope the addition of Wyll and Karlach helps soothe things.
And maybe, if this is truly the same Tav he knew in all but appearance, then he'll have a chance at what they once had. Maybe, he hasn't lost everything just yet.
Just like before, the druids in the Grove are complete arses. They scoff and sneer at each Tiefling that crosses their path. Having met Halsin and knowing how passionate the gentle giant is about the refugees getting the aid they need, Gale finds Kagha -Halsin's complete opposite- even more insufferable. He can't help but grimace at the way she speaks of the tiefling child, as if she deserves such treatment just for existing. It's cruel and entirely needless.
Unlike the first time, however, Tav doesn't bother will the druid healer, Nettie. Instead, she focuses on Halsin. Helping the tieflings comes second to their tadpoles and Tav seems convinced that only Halsin and a githyanki creche can do that. She marches them straight out of the Grove and toward the Goblin Camp.
Gale would protest if it wouldn't give everything away. He's supposed to be just as unfamiliar with this land as the rest of them. A wizard plucked straight from Waterdeep. Far less well traveled as Wyll, who could tell endless stories of his adventures as the Blade of the Frontiers.
So, Gale allows them to rush ahead. He follows Tav's orders and does what he can with his weakened connections to the Weave. The orb doesn't help in the slightest. It aches and yearns for magic. Once again, Gale feels like an empty void that can never be full. He will always need more, will always hunger and hunger until it finally consumes him.
It did consume him. He let it, by Mystra and Tav -his Tav's- word. He doesn't regret it, but the phantom feeling haunts him. Pure Netherese Weave coursing through him in pulses. The sting of a dagger, then so much more. More, more, and too much. It was too much but he couldn't stop it before-
"Are you alright?"
Shadowheart has stopped, her eyes narrowed in a cross between suspicion and concern. It's so different from the faces she just started to make once they had left for Moonrise Towers. She started to open up, to allow others to really see her. She spoke of her fears and how the loss of her memories has started to drag on her conscience.
Here, Shadowheart is closed off. They are strangers once again.
"I assure you, I have never been better." Gale smiles too wide, perhaps, because Shadowheart simply stares at him. He's quick to fill the moment of silence. "Considering all that's happened recently, I believe it reasonable to get distracted every now and then, yes? We just escaped a nautiloid ship! That's no simple feat, my friend. And to live with Mind Flayer tadpoles within our skulls? Well, mark me eager. The sooner this mess is over, the better."
The woman lets out a huff of mocking laughter. Then, she turns to walk just behind Tav and Astarion again. "You talk too much."
"Ah." Gale nods, ignoring the slight sting of her words. "I have been told that before; but I will point out, at least I don't use my many words for insults, hm?" He looks at Shadowheart pointedly. She huffs, another cruel smile crossing her lips. She's defensive again, all of those many walls coming up in an instant.
"I don't need to like my company." Shadowheart snaps. "The only reason we're even traveling together is for safety and the fact our goals happen to be the same. If you lot manage to get yourselves killed in this attempt, it will bring no sorrow to my heart."
The version of Shadowheart Gale knows would never mean such a thing. But this one? The Shadowheart he first met what feels like ages ago? He knows she means it with every fiber of her being. Should things go wrong, she will leave and never look back.
Gale backs down. The last thing he wants to do is lose a friend so soon. Especially one as intelligent and reliable as Shadowheart. "I apologize. It seems I've made a proper fool of myself. Do forgive me for my arrogance. I should know better than to antagonize my allies." He nods toward her in respect. Then, a slight smile crosses his face. "If you believe it necessary, you may-"
Pain flares from the orb. Gale gasps, completely caught off guard by the agonizing throb it releases. He stumbles for a few steps before stopping.
It hungers for magic. He can feel his control of the orb slip. Gale tries to take steadying breaths to ease the pain and overwhelming yearning, but it does little to help.
"-alright?! Gale, look at me!" Shadowheart's voice barely registers in his ears, like the wind chimes in Waterdeep as the storms hit. It's there, but hardly noticeable against the terror of losing control.
When was the last time he consumed magic? He can't remember two lifetimes ago, but it must've been before he was taken onto the nautiloid.
That's not good. That's not good at all. It's been days since he last fed the orb. He remembers now, that he had to feed the same day he met his companions. Before, he told Tav of his condition as they exited the Grove. They offered a powerful ring and it sated the beast until after they had destroyed the Goblin Camp and saved Halsin.
But Gale has not fed it yet. He's long overdue and if he doesn't focus, he may lose it at this very moment.
Breathe in, then out. Stabilize. Hold the Weave in, like blocking the sun from his eyes. He can stop this. He has before and he will now.
"M-Magic..." Gale gasps. He would cast a prayer to Mystra, if he thought she would respond. Instead, he gives a sort of prayer to Tav instead. He falls to his knees, fingers clenched over the glowing orb, and begs. "I need...I need magic!"
"Magic? In what form?" Tav asks, her githyanki features screwing in a frown. She stands there, unmoving in her confusion.
Shadowheart looks between them, concern radiant in her expression. "Gale, what's the matter? Do you need me to heal you?" She raises her hands in preparation for her spell.
"Are wizards supposed to glow?" Astarion couldn't be less bothered.
They're wasting time. Gale groans as the throbbing worsens, from a sharp pain to humming energy. It's growing, he knows. He needs to absorb magic now!
Without thinking, Gale reaches out and snatches the necklace from Tav's neck. Before anyone can protest, he pulls it to his chest and takes the Weave from inside. It hardly satisfies the orb, like a single drop of water in a vast desert, but it's enough to regain control. Gale can pull himself back together until he feels nothing but the constant ache.
When he stands again, Gale is met with three scowls.
"What in the hells was that?!" Astarion demands, as if he was the one who lost a necklace.
"Did you just absorb the magic from that locket?" Shadowheart stares at the hanging charm still clenched in his hand. "How- why?!"
Tav's grey eyes glare into Gale with burning anger. "Spill your secrets before I decide you're more trouble than you're worth, Wizard." Green fingers twitch toward her sword, a warning and a threat.
Gale has no choice, then. "I didn't mean to cause a scene, but it seems this was unavoidable." It was entirely avoidable, if he had the forethought to simply remember it.
A deep breath, then Gale explains. He tells them about his connections to the Weave, and how the orb was a gift for his Goddess, only for it to become lodged in his own chest. It now serves as a constant reminder of his failures to Mystra and just why she cast him aside-
"Yes, this is all so very interesting, but I do believe we have a camp of goblins to kill." Astarion interrupts.
Now, Gale has never gotten along particularly well with Astarion. The man is far too flirty and selfish, if Gale could be blunt about the matter. Not to mention the fact he had stolen a drink from Karlach, unaware that a single taste would give him exactly what a thieving vampire deserves. And drinking without asking aside, Astarion seemed all too bored by the ways of magic. He never spoke to Gale unless he needed something, so Gale never really spoke to him.
But this? This is simply rude. "You asked about my condition. Would you prefer it if I didn't answer to the fullest of my abilities?"
"Yes, but I don't need your entire sex life added in."
"This is much more than just my-"
"Chk! Enough!" Tav stops them with a single hand. Gale's Tav used to do that as well, with Lae'zel and Shadowheart. It was amusing at the time, but now Gale realizes it's not nearly as much so when receiving the gesture. "We have much more to worry about than this bickering. The tadpoles come first." She turns her steely gaze to Astarion. "You, silence your whining for a moment longer. You will have plenty to kill soon."
Astarion's offense is very much amusing, but Gale doesn't get the chance to revel in it. Not before Tav is turning to him.
"And you! I can provide you with magic, but you must ask me first. Your condition is severe but I will not allow you to take items from my neck again. Understood?"
"Entirely and fully, Ma'am." He nods solemnly. This Tav is too much like Lae'zel for his comfort.
Gale thinks of the Tav he remembers as they walk. A good leader, but not one who grew up on the cultures of the githyanki. They were strong but not unkind. They joked and allowed for a light amount of banter, so long as it didn't cross into genuine argument. Gale could relax around them.
Not like he can this Tav.
Longing tastes bitter as Gale swallows it down. He knows it's unfair. This Tav is a fine leader in her own right. She too is strong; and while she may put up with less of their nonsense, she doesn't dismiss their needs. He can be grateful for those small mercies.
Gale only hopes that this Tav can be the same under all of these changes. He longs for that ripe love they held for each other. The feeling that he matters to someone, is loved by someone besides Mystra, as blasphemous as the thought feels.
Time will only tell.