Griffin followed Alexander down the hallway past the stone door cautiously with the other adventurers. He had seen the handiwork of his companions when he was freed and even had a chance to put his new rapier to use but knew better than to let his guard down. Griffin was more vulnerable than he ever was before without his equipment as Indigo but he pushed on to ensure he could keep his friends safe. Andaisin may be running out of forces but she could still have more cultists or undead to fight against intruders. He wasn't sure how powerful the priestess was herself, but if she commanded the others around the complex, she had to have something to back up her authority.
Eventually, the long hall opened up into a circular chamber with a domed ceiling overhead. Griffin noted that there were several basins across the wall each filled to the brim with a different kind of liquid ranging from blood to bile to even milk. His eyes watered with how terrible the stench of all of the foul liquids covered the chamber and he rubbed forearm across his eyes to clear them out. There were metal boxes on the floor next to each basin and a golden statue that rose from a pool of crystal-clear water in the center of the room. The top half of the statue was that of a beautiful and nude woman, but below the waist were legs of bone. Griffin shook his head at the sight of the statue and noticed four shambling corpses moving around the statue, groaning in alarm, as they moved to stand guard by a woman kneeling by the statue.
"And so the hopeful heroes have found their way to me," the woman spoke and rose to her feet.
"Is that her?" Alexander whispered to Griffin.
"It is," Griffin said with a nod. "Andaisin."
Although Griffin wasn't too coherent when he saw her toward the end of Rolth's torture, he was still able to recognize her. Her skin was unhealthily pale and her long black hair was tied back into a ponytail. She wore a dark breastplate and a long cloak over her robes and carried a vicious looking scythe that was taller than she was. Her dark eyes gazed upon the group with amusement. Griffin imagined that Andaisin was attractive to some with her looks but knew that she was a truly wicked person for what she's done to the people of Korvosa.
"That's right," Andaisin chuckled. "You stand before the architect of your city's death. You may call Korvosa's doom blood veil but I know it to be the gentle kiss of the Pallid Princess."
"You're a fanatic," Viera said coldly. "There's no escape, Andaisin. You'll face judgment for what you've done."
"There's no need for violence," Andaisin said and gestured toward the basins with a free hand. "Choose one of the seven scourges to become one with my goddess. For those of you that drink, I shall cripple and leave you alive as her gift consumes you. Those of you who do not drink are fools not fit for this divine gift. You may throw yourself at my feet and I shall make your death all the more swift for it."
"None of that really sounds pleasant to me," Verik said, aiming two arrows at Andaisin with his bow.
"There is a third option that you haven't considered, Andaisin," Falenas noted, tossing one of his bombs from one hand to the other. "We kill you and put an end to blood veil."
Andaisin laughed and twirled her scythe in preparation for battle. "So be it! Even if I have to kill all of you myself, your end will still be more delightful than your lovely queen has led to create!"
"Take the shot, Verik!" Alexander ordered.
Verik let his arrows fly free but Andaisin was quick to swat them aside with her scythe before they could pierce into her. Takota fired his crossbow at her only for Andaisin to dash away, and much to the group's surprise, she started to walk on air as though it were stairs for her. Andaisin must have cast spells of her own in preparation for the battle, making it impossible to confront her in melee. Ishani and Viera started to chant their respective prayers while Griffin, Alexander, and Duke charged at the undead. Duke kept one of the zombies at bay while Griffin and Alexander struck at the same target: Alexander's flail struck the zombie across its shoulder while Griffin poked its eye out with his rapier. The zombie Griffin struck slammed its good shoulder into him, pushing him back, while another came at Alexander from his side to break through his defenses. Griffin's pain faded away when Falenas threw the bomb he had in his hands at the zombies as the warmth of the healing energies contained within coursed over him and Alexander to heal them both.
"Fall!" Andaisin commanded, her hand held out toward the adventurers.
Griffin could feel Andaisin's magic weighing down on him, trying to force him to drop down to the ground. He grimaced as he fought against the magic mentally, and fortunately, his willpower allowed him to resist the spell. The same couldn't be said of Alexander and Duke, but as the warrior fell toward the ground, he slammed his flail to catch the zombie that attacked him across the skull, ending its existence. Griffin glanced over his shoulder to see that the rest of his friends had also fallen to the ground on their stomachs except for Ishani. The priest looked around the chamber, surprised at how things have turned out, and Griffin turned back to face the three remaining zombies.
"This isn't good…" Griffin muttered.
"I can't get up!" Verik exclaimed.
"Ishani, help us!" Alexander called out.
With little chance to help his friends, all Griffin could do was focus on the fight and hope that Ishani would be able to stop Andaisin's magic. He jabbed quickly with his rapier, targeting the zombie he and Alexander had focused on before. Two quick strikes to the neck was enough to end the creature, leaving him with only two other undead abominations. While he backed away from one of the zombie's claws, he could only look in horror as the other fell onto Alexander, trying to break through his armor. The warrior screamed out in pain, trying his best to move his shield to protect himself, but the magic working against him made it a difficult process. A crossbow bolt slammed into the skull of the zombie that Griffin backed away from. Even though Takota was on the ground, his position didn't make it too difficult to shoot his crossbow. Griffin lunged toward the zombie on top of Alexander, piercing the back of its neck with his rapier to put an end to the monster.
While the zombies fell to the adventurers, Andaisin continued to work her magic while up in the air. She fired a beam of darkness towards the backline and Griffin recognized the magic from the Dead Warrens. He looked over his shoulder to see the beam strike Ishani, who was praying over Falenas with divine magic. The priest gasped and fell back by a step with a gasp. Griffin sighed, realizing that Ishani had been blinded like when Takota had fought against the derro that served Rolth in the Dead Warrens. Many of the adventurers struggled to get up from the ground, still limited by Andaisin's magic, but Takota was able to aim his crossbow up toward the foul priestess. The blow glanced across her cheek and she scowled. Andaisin muttered a dark prayer under her breath as her free hand became coated with dark flames.
"I will try to spare one or two of you at the very least," Andaisin told the adventurers, stepping back down to the ground. "That way, you can experience the ecstasy as my blood veil claims your life."
Griffin hesitated for only a moment when he turned to face Andaisin, who was now in front of him. He wasn't sure what kind of magic those dark flames were and her scythe looked like it could cut him in half. Still, if he didn't fight her, she would strike at one of his helpless companions. Griffin lunged forward, jabbing his rapier forward to catch Andaisin by her throat. She swatted his blade aside with her scythe and brought her flame-covered hand toward his chest. Griffin grimaced to feel the intense cold of the flames as they covered over him, trying to sap away at his life. The flames faded away and he was thankful that he was still standing.
Before Andaisin could press her attack, she backed away in time to avoid a longsword that nearly cut off her extended hand. Viera, having broken through the magical command, had rejoined the fight with her blade and eyes glowing white with divine magic. Andaisin scowled before a crossbow bolt fired by Takota slammed into her shoulder. She cried out in pain and Griffin saw his opportunity. He advanced and struck out with his rapier. The tip of his blade found a weak point in her breastplate, piercing through it to strike at her heart. Andaisin's eyes went wide for a few moments before they rolled back into her head. Griffin pulled his rapier free and Andaisin fell down to the ground.
"It's done," Griffin sighed in relief. "Viera, Takota, thank you both."
"With Iomedae's blessings, I was able to break through her enchantment," Viera said with a smile. "With Andaisin's death, we'll finally be able to put this plague behind us."
"I wasn't expecting her to go down that easily," Verik chuckled and stood up. "It looks like her magic's worn out."
"For you, maybe," Ishani shook his head with a frown. "I can't see anything."
"This isn't our first time dealing with a spell of blindness," Falenas assured Ishani as the alchemist stood up. "We just need to get you back to your temple."
"I can lead the way," Verik offered, stepping over to join Ishani. "It's about time we leave this place."
"Grah!" Alexander grunted from the ground with Duke trotting over to his side. "I can't get back up!"
"Surely the magic would have worn out by now," Griffin said, frowning. "Something's wrong."
A chill fell into the air as a faint green light formed over Andaisin's skin. Her body rose into the air and Griffin and Viera stepped away when they saw boils form over her face. The foul liquid from each of the basins swirled from their container toward Andaisin, wrapping around her. Verik fired an arrow towards the horrific scene only for a faint, sickly green barrier to block and destroy the arrow. Griffin didn't dare try to attack, and although he was far from a religious man, he had an idea of what happened. Andaisin had the attention of Urgathoa, and after the priestess had come so close to destroying Korvosa, the Pallid Princess sought to give her another chance to destroy her attackers.
The foul humors formed a new form for Andaisin as the transformation came to an end. She was a specter of some sorts as her physical torso levitated in the air while her legs now a swirl of dark fog. Her equipment in life fell down to the ground but that didn't make her any less deadly. One of her hands had long claws and the other shifted into a large scythe head. Horns formed from the top of Andaisin's head and her violet eyes turned toward Griffin, the man who struck her down before. Griffin froze in place as fear overtook him and Andaisin lunged forward. Her scythe struck him across the chest, cutting through his clothes with ease, but wasn't deep enough to be painful. He hunched over in pain as Andaisin slashed her other hand toward Viera, raking her claws underneath her neck, missing anything vital by only a few inches.
Viera grimaced in pain but concentrated. The light from her eyes faded but her arms became enveloped in the same light as she slashed back with her sword. Andaisin screeched in pain as the aassimar cut into her chest. Griffin followed behind Viera, jabbing his rapier to pierce into her violet eye. Andaisin backed away before he could drive his rapier deeper into her skull but it left herself open for the archers. Verik and Takota each fired a barrage from their bow and crossbow, and while Andaisin deflected a few of the bolts and arrows with her scythe-like claw, others still pierced across her shoulders. Griffin felt the warmth of Ishani's healing course over him, and surprisingly enough, Falenas flew up into the air to drop a healing bomb right over Andaisin. The alchemist must have taken an extract to grant him that power, and while the undead priestess screeched in pain, Griffin felt his wounds close and could see Viera's wounds didn't bleed much as well.
Andaisin's transformation may have made her more powerful and given her a second chance to defeat her foes, but even with her goddess' 'blessing,' she was still outnumbered. Griffin and Viera glanced at each other and nodded, both ready to put an end to the fight. With a violent screech, Andaisin charged at the pair, ignoring the archers that continued to fire at her. Griffin knew that his rapier wasn't good for blocking her scythe claw and so he leaned away from the attack. Her scythe still cut into his shoulder and her other claw cut across Viera's face, cutting the priestess beneath one of her eyes. Viera pushed through the pain and swung her sword down upon Andaisin's twisted scythe.
Viera struck at Andaisin's forearm with her first slash and the second slash severed her scythe from her arm. Seeing an opening, Griffin stepped forward and jabbed his rapier toward Andaisin's chest. Like before, the tip of his rapier pierced through her skin and struck at her heart. With one last scream, Andaisin fell limp upon Griffin's rapier. He pulled his weapon free and Andaisin's corpse fell upon the ground. He approached the body cautiously along with Viera, worried that Andaisin would rise from the dead to continue the fight once again.
Takota pushed past the two, handaxe in hand. He grabbed Andaisin by her long hair to hold her head and neck up. Griffin and Viera grimaced while watching Takota swing his axe violently and repeatedly at Andaisin's neck but they had to admit that the action was necessary. Once Andaisin's head was removed from the rest of her body, Takota held it up for a moment before tossing it to the side.
"She isn't coming back," Takota stated firmly.
"I wouldn't put it past Andaisin to return as a ghost or some sort of headless undead," Falenas commented as he landed on the ground. "Still, I think we don't have to worry about her any longer."
"With her final death, the cultists of Urgathoa won't have a leader to turn to in Korvosa," Viera sighed in relief. "How soon can we put an end to blood veil?"
"I'll need all of the notes we've acquired but it should be sooner," Falenas answered, tapping his chin in thought. "Getting the cure for blood veil to everyone in Korvosa may prove challenging but I'm sure we'll find a way."
"The Korvosan Guard can help us on that front," Griffin said.
"Speaking of, we should return to Cressida," Alexander stood up, dusting himself off with a frown. "I can't believe that I spent most of the final fight on the ground…"
"We'll leave that out of our final report," Griffin told Alexander with a grin.
"We're going to tell Cressida what Andaisin said, right?" Verik asked, frowning. "We all heard her say that the queen was responsible for the plague."
"And we had to fight Gray Maidens and the very physicians Ileosa appointed as well," Griffin added. "Even before we heard the truth from Andaisin, we saw enough to know who was truly behind blood veil."
There was no use denying it. While there wasn't any direct proof that Ileosa had murdered her husband for the throne some time ago, the same couldn't be said of her involvement with blood veil. She may not have created the plague directly but she recruited the cultists who had the means to do so and provided them with a place in the city. Griffin never thought highly of Ileosa but even he couldn't reason why she would want to kill her own people. He wanted to believe that Ileosa had some sort of grand plan but she already have the Crimson Throne to herself. There wasn't anything to be gained from killing her own people so it made little sense.
"Then we know what we have to do," Alexander said, addressing the group. "I've turned a blind eye to Ileosa for too long, believing she was misunderstood. What she's done to Korvosa is unforgivable."
"As long as she remains on the throne, Ileosa will continue to threaten Korvosa," Viera nodded in agreement. "She must face justice for her numerous crimes against the people of the city."
"I've been saying that the queen's up to no good since we've met," Verik reminded the group. "You can count on me to help deal with her."
"It's about time," Takota grunted.
"Are… are you all serious?" Ishani asked, his tone showing his disbelief. "I will not defend Ileosa's actions and believe she does need to be punished but you're talking about overthrowing her yourself. Can you truly do that?"
"We have to try," Alexander told Ishani
"And we'll try when the moment is right," Griffin said, shaking his head. "As much as I want to see Ileosa removed from power for everything she's done, now isn't the time. If we strike now, we threaten to turn Korvosa against us for opposing the queen."
"But she's responsible for blood veil!" Viera exclaimed, turning to Griffin. "How can you justify letting her continue to rule Korvosa after her physicians captured and experimented on you?"
"And what physical proof do we have of her crimes?" Griffin asked. "Everyone who can testify against her has been killed, and even if we left survivors, their word would hardly hold up in a court of law. Even the Queen's Physicians and Gray Maidens can be swept aside by saying they went rogue. At the end of our day, it's our word against Queen Ileosa and her own allies."
"We can at least let Cressida know," Alexander offered. "She may know of a way that we can deal with Ileosa after what she's a cure for blood veil," Falenas told the group and clasped his hands behind his back. "I don't care much for the matter of politics when there are still people dying on the streets from a deadly disease."
"Falenas has the right idea," Ishani said with a nod. "One thing at a time. We deal with blood veil now and the queen later."
"Very well," Alexander said. "Takota, I want you to search the rest of the dungeon. If you find any other enemies, find us and do not engage them. Take Duke with you just in case. Verik, you're in charge of looking out for Ishani until we can get his sight restored. Griffin, Viera, you'll help get Ruan back to the hospice."
The adventurers nodded in agreement with Alexander's commands, and aside from Takota, followed him out of the chamber. While Griffin had been ready to put the matter of blood veil behind him, there was still a greater threat to Korvosa. They may not be able to deal with Ileosa now but it was something that the adventurers would need to look into for the future. Griffin was starting to think of plans to remove Ileosa from the throne but the odds weren't in their favor at the moment. Until then, he felt that following Falenas' advice on ensuring blood veil was eradicated was the best thing they could do for Korvosa.
A/N: With Andaisin defeated, we are nearing the end of this story. There's only a few chapters left and I have a good feeling I'll be finished writing this story by the end of November or start of December.
In other news, I'm thinking about starting a Discord server for my fanfiction projects. This wasn't a idea I was initially going forward with but I'm getting tired of a scam going around the website. I'm hoping that having a small place for true fans to get together will help brighten my mood after these scams. Be on the lookout for more information on that.
Until next time.