Chapter 3:
I woke up to a needle piercing my brain. As I opened my eyes and realized it was the sun shining into my face and aggravating my splitting headache. Wait a minute, daylight, it was day, meaning the ship had crashed hours ago and I'm still alive? I got up and saw that I was now on a beachside somewhere, and turning around I saw the crashed ship, which was shaped like a giant squid and made of real flesh. Stars and stones if these cosmic bad guy types aren't obsessed with theming.
I checked myself over, no holes or blood, no broken bones that I could tell, slight bump on the head, oww, but otherwise I was doing fine for someone who fell possibly hundreds if not thousands of feet through the air to the ground. Even with the protection of the winter mantle and my armoured duster, I should be pancaked on the sand right now. So that means someone saved me, but why? No one would know me in this dimension, why would someone save a random visitor from a fiery death and how did they accomplish it?
That train thought ended suddenly when I realised, I was no longer feeling the dark presence that I fell into when first arriving. Which means I'm not close to where Maggie was taken, and I had no means of finding her in this alien land. Calm down Harry, Rashid told you to follow events as they unfolded, so be a good investigator and follow the leads you have. There were two: one, the dark presence was all over the land I was falling into so someone must know where the land of doom was, and two, the mindflayers and their parasite that burrowed into your brain likely have something to do with this whole plot. Even if they don't you should probably find a way to get it out of your head before it turns you. You're no use to Maggie as evil calamari.
On that uplifting thought, I started to walk forward along the beach until I spied a familiar face. Laying on the sand a few feet in front of me was Shadowheart and from the looks of it, she was also unharmed. I ran towards her and checked her pulse, still alive, then I spied the glowing object she had been so adamant about hiding from me. A less than trusting part of me wanted to take the trinket and examine it while she was unconscious, but the more rational and decent human being part of me decided it was better to try and wake her.
I shook her as gently as I could, in case she had sustained injuries I had avoided, and she roused with a start. "I'm alive. You're alive. How's that possible?"
"No clue, I'd say divine intervention, but I don't know any of the angels here and even the ones I know don't interfere unless shit is really hitting the fan."
Shadowheart looked at me with a confused grin, "I can't tell if you're trying to be funny or if that head injury has given brain damage."
"Better to not know. Keeps things from getting too boring." Despite the absurdness of the situation, or maybe because of it, we both had a quick chuckle at my terrible joke.
With a hint of the laughter still in my voice, I continued, "Anyways we should get moving, we're not going get these worms out of our heads just standing around giggling. And we should probably find our gith friend, she probably survived the crash."
Shadowheart's merriment died suddenly when she countered, "You might reconsider calling her a friend. If she's not here she probably ran off without us."
"Maybe, but we should look for her together, three heads are better than one and all that."
"So, you're sure I'll agree to travel with you, very presumptuous of you," Shadowheart replied with a haughty expression.
"You can go it alone if you like but considering our situation I'd advise against it. I promise no more plans involving grabbing my waist if that's what's worrying you."
"Well… never say never" Shadowheart said with a cheeky grin as she started walking towards the crashed ship.
Not knowing how to properly respond to the whiplash of her changing attitude I decided to follow her.
As we walked inside the crashed vessel, I heard a scuttling noise and three disgusting creatures appeared before us. They were human brains but they had animal-like legs and long antennae sticking out of them.
"Hells bells!" I gasped as I readied my blasting rod and staff for battle.
Shadowheart pulled out a mace and shield from her back as two of the brain creatures ran at her. The first slashed at her but she was able to block it and smashed her mace down onto it with a satisfying crunch. Unfortunately, that gave the other creature time to slash at her wrist. With a grunt of pain she dropped the mace, but before the creature could deliver another blow she cast her hand towards the brain and said a word. Green energy radiated from her hand, and she struck the creature, which rived in pain and then went full white with decay.
Whilst this was happening the third brain thing jumped at me. I quickly pointed my blasting rod at it and cast, "Fuego". A blast of fire burst from the green-red runes of the blasting rod hit the brain creature, turning it into a burnt husk.
"You fight well, we might just survive this after all," Shadowheart said as she held a glowing hand to the one the brain creature damaged, presumably healing magic.
"You too, what the hell were those things?"
"Intellect Devourers, servants of the mindflayers. Easy pickings alone but difficult in groups." Shadowheart responded now apparently better and picking up her mace.
Before I could question her quick healing magic I felt a burst of magical energy on the edge of my senses. I focused on its location and beckoned Shadowheart to follow me. The source of the magical energy was a circular portal on a stone wall just outside the ship. The portal felt like the ones I used to access the NeverNever but more centred, more direct. Despite this, the portal was unstable, spiting purple energy erratically. I reached out with my magical senses to check for the source of the portal when an arm burst out of it.
"A hand? Anyone?" the voice that accompanied the arm asked.
"Who are you? And how'd you end up a hand in a stone?" I asked the mysterious arm.
"Slight mishap with a teleportation spell and introductions can wait till after you've helped, so please…"
On that note, I focused my will on the unstable portal. I think if I employ the same method I use to close portals to the NeverNever it should stabilise the portal enough to pull the rest of the man through, and hopefully not close the portal altogether and cut him off at the wrist. I felt the portal weaken at my will.
"Whatever that was it did wonders. Now I just need a little pull." I grabbed the man's arm with both hands and pulled him out with enough force to throw him out and onto me.
After we both got up, I was able to get his profile. A human, Caucasian man with long brown hair, brown eyes and a short beard cropped close to his face. He wore blue earnings in a star design and wore a purple robe with brown accents along the waist and wrists, and in the space of chest the robe revealed, a section of tattoo formed on part of his chest and spread up and around his neck, a shooting star design.
The man straightened and grabbed my hand in a fierce shake, "Hello I'm Gale of Waterdeep. Sorry, I'm usually better at this."
"At introductions?" I asked ending the handshake.
"At magic. But I know you don't I, in a manner of speaking anyway. You were also treated to a rather nasty intrusion of the ocular variety."
"Couldn't have put it more succinctly myself."
"Indeed, did you know that after an excruciating gestation period, it will turn us into mindflayers. It's a process called ceramorphosis and trust me it is to be avoided." Gale said with emphasis on the last words.
"Hey, you don't happen to be a cleric by chance. A surgeon? Particularly adept with a knitting needle?"
"If you have such knowledge on the subject, you should know that our condition is beyond any normal cleric's skills," Shadowheart responded to Gale's questioning.
"And my magic leans more to the evocation and translocation side of the magical spectrum," I added.
"Pity. In that case, we all should go in search of a healer together. A parasite shared is a parasite halved or thrided in this instance."
"Sounds good it'll be good to have a fellow wizard along. But on the note of sharing the load have you seen a githyanaki come by this way before you got stuck in the stone? She's about yay high, green skin, a permanent scowl on her face."
"Didn't see anything before my mishap I'm afraid."
"Too bad, let's get moving," I said, but before I could turn Gale touched my arm.
"Before we go, thank you for pulling me from that stone. It was an act of foresighted kindness I assure you."
I slapped Gale on the arm congenially and we continued to the left and back inside the fallen vessel.
As we walked Gale continued our conversation, "You said you were a wizard didn't you?"
"That's what it says on my driver's license". I answered guilelessly.
"Right… Do you consider yourself particularly well-read? The aid of someone learned could be of great use to me."
"Depends on what you want. Most of my skill as a wizard comes from on-the-job experience as much as study and I'm more geared towards finding things and setting the things that took it on fire. Do you need something like that?"
"Not quite but thank you for the offer. If you run into any elder wizards let me know, there is a private matter I wish to discuss with a master."
"I'll keep a lookout for one, but you should probably do the talking. Most of the elder wizards I know tend to dislike my youthful guile and pension for running my mouth when they deserve it."
Gale chuckled, "Yes, those traits do tend to irritate the more set-in-their-ways sages I've encountered as well."
We continued walking until we reached another large hole in the crashed nautiloid and saw another survivor lurking outside it, seemingly searching for something in the bushes. The man turned to us and said "Hurry, I got one of those brain things cornered."
The man was one of the fancier dressed victims I've ever encountered wearing a dark blue tunic with purple accents around the upper chest and embroidered with gold. The man's features matched the clothes, pale white skin, soft yet sharp cheekbones, short wavy white hair and fiery red eyes. He also had pointed ears like Shadowheart's but his were longer and pointed higher.
"It's in the bushes, you can kill it can't you? Like you killed the others?" the pale man asked with quickened intensity.
"Sure, stand back it shouldn't take long then we should talk," I responded as readied my staff for a quick emulation. There was a quick movement through the bushes but before I could let off a spell I noticed it was just a boar. Which was exactly the hesitation the pale stranger needed to tackle me from behind and pin me to the ground holding a dagger to my throat.
"Shh shh shh, stay still. We don't want to hurt that darling neck of yours." The pale stranger whispered in an almost seductive tone.
"And you two, no sudden moves or this gets messy!" The pale man spat looking towards my party.
Shadowheart pulled out her mace and shield and Gale pulled a short staff from his back with his left hand, which was decorated with swirling purple runes. In his right hand, he summoned crackling blue lightning as he retorted, "Now, now good sir I've just got acquainted with this fellow and I'd hate our relationship to end with him being roasted by lightning. But willing to risk it if you don't let him go now."
"Promises, promises gentle wizard but I have other business I'm afraid. Now I saw you on the ship, didn't I? Nod." The pale jackass demanded turning his attention back to me.
This would surprise you but, this is not the first dangerous person to hold my life in jeopardy. I know shocking. But thanks to the regulatory of situations like this I've come up with various ways of getting myself free. This time I thought the use of a familiar spell with a bit more power put behind it should do the trick.
I focused my mind on the handle of the dagger the pale man was holding to my throat and pushed my will out through the thought Flickum Bicus. The handle erupted with heat and the pale man yelped in pain dropping the knife. I rolled out of his grasp and rose, seeing that he had pulled a short sword from his back as he got up himself.
Before the dancing started my head erupted with pain again and I saw images flash by, me looking through the pale man's eyes stalking dark city streets. Once again, I got a pocket of information, this man was an elf, a high elf to be exact, and the city I saw through his eyes was Baldur's Gate the largest mercantile city in Faerûn.
"What was that? What's happening?" The pale elf said, alarm touching his recently confident voice.
"That you incredible ass, is the mindflayer tadpole those squid bastards put in our heads. So how about you stop trying to give me a ruby necklace and just talk." I responded dripping sarcasm and annoyance.
"Yes… you were on the ship too. I saw it in whatever that was. And to think I was about to paint the ground with your innards. Apologies." The elf said putting away his short sword.
"I doubt that's how it would have gone down but fine, what's a quick knife to the throat between friends."
"Indeed, my name's Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me." Astarion responded.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry Dresden and my companions over there are Shadowheart and Gale."
"Charmed. So, do you know anything about these worms?"
"Only that they'll turn us into mindflayers."
"Turns into-ha. Hahaha!" Astarion laughed in a large but entirely mirthless bellow that reminded me strangely of my half-brother Thomas when he was being especially sarcastic.
"Of course it'll turn me into a monster. What else did I expect? Although it hasn't happened yet. If we find an expert-someone that can control things- there might still be time."
"Sound logic, no one better than that to help us get rid of these unwelcomed brain tenants," I responded with mock cheer.
"Get rid of it right… Anyway, I'll be joining you then- I was ready to go this alone but going with the herd is probably the best course."
"Cool, any signs of civilisation on your end all I've done is pick up travelling companions."
"No civilisation to speak of but I spied a back door into that temple by the beach there. Could be supplies or loot we could trade." Astarion said as I looked to my right and over the wrecked nautiloid. I saw a temple that looked abandoned and decrepit even from across the beach.
"We shouldn't dawdle on supply runs that might not work. ceramorphosis won't wait for us." Gale chimed in.
"However, it's unlikely that we'll find the cure tonight and we need to eat at some point." Shadowheart interrupted.
I stood there thinking it over. More time spent looking for supplies meant less time looking for a cure and hopefully a route to Maggie. But I won't be any good to my daughter if I starve to death or die from exposure. We needed supplies and resources.
"Shadowheart's right Gale, lead on Astarion." At my word, Astarion nodded and carefully picked up his cooling dagger and placed it by his waist.
Astarion led us down through the ship and back onto the beach where the door was located. He then pulled out two bobby pins and began to work on the door. The lock clicked open within a few seconds and Astarion opened the door gesturing us to go forward smugly adding "On you go age before beauty". We all gave a variation on the same scowl as we entered the door and Astarion closed it behind us.
It was then we all clumsily ran into the guard walking towards the door. "Oh shit, lads we got some adventurous types moving in on our turf." The guard said in a vague cockney accent. Six more rough-looking types came bursting through a metal door that was down at the end of the room. Most of them were human-looking, some had pointed ears like Shadowheart and one was completely red with pointed horns and a tail similar to the devil that I saw on the nautiloid. But none of them were attacking, snarling or acting generally monstrous, they were just pointing their crossbows and spells at us menacingly. Sentient beings then, probably mercenaries, criminals or simple graverobbers. That made things more complicated. It was against the first law of magic to kill another human being, and knowing the White Council if I got caught killing the elves or the horned woman I'd still probably be executed on the basis of sentience in this universe. It was more than that though, I didn't think it was right to use magic to simply murder people in anything other than self-defence or defence of others. So instead of unleashing my power on the group in my path, I said "Oh sorry guys, didn't know this ruin was already occupied we'll just be leaving."
Astarion scowled, but before he could complain the goon in front said, "While that is mighty decent of ya, Charlie and the Knobwhompers don't leave witnesses."
"That is not the name we agreed on Charlie," the horned woman said in annoyance.
"Whatever just kill 'em" and on his word Charlie the goon hit the floor in front of the two goons on the left and a hail of crossbow bolts and fire came barrelling towards us. I readied my shield and spread it to encompass all four of us. The projectiles flashed harmlessly on my transparent shield.
As the grave robbers stood there confused, Gale took the opportunity to raise his short staff. I quickly lowered my shield as he spoke a word in a quick snap and a bolt of lightning shot out of the staff. The bolt rammed through Charlie the goon and hit the two other robbers, electrocuting them until they were nothing but blackened husks with lightning crackling around them.
Astarion also used the opportunity to pull out two small crossbows and shoot at the goon next to the electrical show. The first went into his stomach but was stopped by what looked like leather armour, but that only opened him up for the second bolt which went straight through the goon's right eye.
The goon next to Astarion's victim was a bit quicker on the uptake as when Shadowheart threw another one of those light globes at her she dodged to the right, in front of the last two other robbers. And right into my line of fire. I focused my will through my blasting rod and rather than a simple bolt of fire I angled the spell into a semi-triangular torrent of flame, "Fuego!" I yelled as the flame thrower-like spell rushed out the rod in my hand. The flames burned the goon in front into charcoal but the two behind him were merely singed and disoriented with the pain. Astarion used their confusion to his advantage. Quick as a panther he dashed down the steps towards the goons, he plugged his short sword into the left one's chest and slashed the neck of the right one with his dagger. And just like that the indefinitely named Charlie and the Knobwhompers were dead.
"Well, that was fun," Astarion said cleaning the blood from his weapons with the clean parts of one of the dead goon's shirts. His hand trembled slightly, and he turned his face away from us. Was he feeling guilty? Was killing not as natural to him as his reflexes and skills seemed to indicate? Unlikely he seemed too quick and precise to be anything other than a trained fighter. "But we should probably search their pockets for gold and supplies before moving on. Those that aren't burnt or electrocuted that is." Astarion mused, turning his face back to Gale and me with a shit-eating grin.
Gale rolled his eyes, and I gave him the finger before obeying him and searching the bodies. A few pieces of gold and some basic supplies were found both in the corpse's pockets and around the dusty room which seemed to be an old kitchen. After collecting what we could we moved on through the door the goons came through and found a hallway with four doors. The first room was completely collapsed, the second had nothing but old rusted furniture in it, the third was mysteriously locked and even Astarion couldn't break the lock, and the fourth, on the very end of the hallway, seemed to be an old library.
The library, like the rest of the temple, was old and dilapidated. All the books had either disintegrated or were so sun-browned they were unreadable. There were a few more supplies scattered around the area, along with some bedrolls. I grabbed the supplies and one of the bedrolls and put it in the satchel we were all using for supplies, Gale loaned it to us and called it a 'Bag of Holding' which couldn't be the same as the one I'm thinking of… right?
"Right gang I think that's all we can get because I'm not risking breaking down that other door and collapsing the rest of the temple on us. So, I declare this morally questionable scouting trip adjourned." I knocked twice on a weird door knocker thing on the wall I was leaning on in lieu of a bell and a groaning sound suddenly went off on the other side of the door. We all go back to the hallway and find the mysteriously locked door wide open. My three companions look at me with exasperated looks on their faces. "Alright, morally questionable scouting trip restarted. Let's go chums." I said in my best overblown British explorer voice.
We walked through the door to find… more doors. Specifically, two large metal doors on either side of the large room that was covered in dust and mould. Astarion tries lock-picking the door on the left, but no luck. We then moved over to the door on the right, which was unlocked. I open the door and begin to take my first step when Astarion grabs my arm with an unexpected strength.
"Wait a moment beam pole" he snaps as he pulls out a bag, which he reaches into and throws sand onto the floor. Sand spreads around the area and reveals what looks like pressure plates as the sand slinks under them. "Any place with this many difficult locked doors always has traps in them." Astarion mused smugly. Astarion then signals us to wait as he carefully tiptoed around the room, whose only real feature was a large ornate coffin, and eventually ended up right next to the coffin. He then pulled out what looked like an old Swiss army knife and started sorting through the various bits before smiling and using the item on the coffin. The lid opened with a groan and Astarion began rooting through its contents.
Astarion came back as carefully as he came holding a key and a faded gold spear, "Only things in there I'm afraid, here wizard this key probably unlocks the other door." Astarion threw the key at me and caught it in my right hand. "And here other wizard, this spear looks vaguely magical and spears aren't my thing really." Astarion then gingerly tosses the spear at Gale, and he clumsily grabs it with both hands nearly dropping the blade end on his foot. Gale glares at Astarion and then turns to me, "Let's just get moving."
Thankfully, Astarion was right the key unlocked the other door and inside we found a large open space filled with benches, coffins and a large statue of a skeletal figure in a cloak holding a book. I looked at the group, "Well Astarion pretty much already made us grave robbers anyway so have at it". And on my word, we began searching the coffins. There wasn't much and between the three of us, we only found a few coins and two gems of unknown value. I say the three of us as Gale didn't participate in the search as he stood in the middle of the room studying the skeleton statue.
"Aha, that's it," Gale said with schoolboy-like enthusiasm.
"Something you'd like to share with the class Gale?" I asked
"This temple is dedicated to Jergal." Gale said with a self-satisfied hum in his voice I often got when suddenly figuring out something that had bothered me.
"The former god of death, that's not alarming at all," Shadowheart added sarcastically.
"Former god of death?" I asked
"Do you not know the story? Well, let me regale you." Gale said with even more enthusiasm. "So, long ago three adventures by the names of Myrkul, Bane and Bhaal went out on a quest to track down the god of death Jergal and through many trials and tribulations they found themselves at the threshold of his domain. They of course demand power and riches for being cunning and strong enough to reach him and Jergal, having grown weary of his role as God of death gives them the ultimate form of power. Godhood. He gave one aspect of his station to each of the adventures, Myrkul got judgement of the dead and necromancy, Bane got tyranny and Bhaal got murder. Thus, they became the Dark Three. Then after an event called the Time of Troubles, which made all the gods mortal, they were all killed due to the fact they were all monstrous bastards, and they then became the Dead Three. They're still out there but diminished in power due to their deaths."
"And what happened to Jergal?" I asked thoroughly fascinated
"Jergal reduced his role to the scribe of the dead and has remained in that role since ascending the Dead Three."
"That's amazing, do people often become gods by annoying a cosmic being so much they give up on themselves," I said with a large grin on my face.
Gale smiled in turn and answered, "No the Dead Three are unique in their methodology."
"Gentlemen, while I'd hate to break this scholarly exchange of ideas, I've found something you might want to look at," Shadowheart said from another part of the big room.
Me and Gale joined Shadowheart and Astarion at a wall to the right of the statue and spied a single button on the wall.
"So do think we should press it," Astarion asked giddily
"A mysterious button in the middle of a mausoleum dedicated to a god of death. Yes, we should absolutely press it." Shadowheart said, sarcasm dripping from her lips.
The group all looked generally in agreeance with Shadowheart's logic, and I was about to do the same when I realised, I had pressed the button while she was mouthing off Astarion. Hey, don't judge me. There's only so long I can keep up the wise sage part of myself before my monkey brain decides it wants to touch the shiny.
The wall next to the button began to move and reveal a secret room, but I didn't get a chance to look inside it when the coffins around the mausoleum began to groan and robed skeletons rose from them. After giving me an admittedly deserved scowl the group all ran to the centre of the room and faced four of the skeleton priests.
The skeleton furthest to the right cast its hand forward and purple light glowed from it. A semi-transparent dome encompassed the four of us and I suddenly couldn't hear myself breathe. I tried to cast a spell on the skeleton but no sound came out. The two skeletons in the middle shot beams of ice at me and Gale. I felt a slight pinch in my chest, but Gale was pushed back slightly and grabbed his chest in pain.
Astarion and I suddenly sprinted in different directions, me to the right and Astarion forward. I ran towards the skeleton holding the purple power in its hand and pointed my right fist at it. The spell the skeleton was casting did not feel like a ward, so it likely only blocked speech rather than magic, so I activated two of my rings of force and blasted the thing to the wall behind it. Upon hitting the wall, the skeleton crumpled into a regular corpse again. The dome suddenly vanished and I looked back towards my party.
Astarion had already taken care of another of the skeleton priests but was scrapping with the other two, short sword and dagger clashing with their staffs. "Out of the way!" Shadowheart and Gale shouted in unison and Astarion jumped and crashed to the floor away from the skeletons as the two practitioners threw fire and lightning at the remaining skeletons, turning them to clattering bones and ash.
After collectively catching our breath, we walked towards the opening the button revealed and inside there was a single small chest and a large coffin on either side of the small room. Gale went straight for the chest and grabbed out a skeletal-themed amulet and stuffed it into the pack. The rest of us went towards the coffin which began to stir and open. A mummy floated out of the coffin and stood in front of us opening its eyes menacingly. I say it's a mummy because I have no other way of describing this shrivelled corpse with bandages on its arms, a grey, purple robe and a small gold circlet on its crown.
"Ah, things go along as it should." The withered mummy thing said in a rasping voice. "What a curious way to awaken."
"Okay Withers, you gonna give us questions three to let us go or are we gonna start this right now." I replied with my usual charm.
"Only a single question and only to thine, wizardling."
"Alright shoot"
"What is the price of a single mortal life?"
"All life is equal it has no price except what the individual places on it."
"And thus balance is achieved, none can win if none can advance." Withers said sagely. "I am satisfied. I shall join you in thy camp, we have much to discuss."
"But we don't even have a camp ye…" But before I could finish the sentence the mummy thing vanished in a puff of green smoke.
"Well, that was random and slightly unsettling," Astarion said with mock cheer.
"Indeed, what do you think it wanted with us Harry," Gale asked
"No idea but it can't be good. We should probably get out of here and see if we can find some settlements down the way other way we came." And so we did.