Chapter 15
I woke up to the rising dawn, fever and nausea gone and mind entirely clear. The dream visitor was true to her word, in that at least. Now there's the question of why she wanted to help us, and who she really was. The figure was clearly dodging my questions, but why? If they were who they claimed the information, who they really were would have been freely given. Why was she only appearing to us now, when we were about to be turned into mindflayers? Too many questions, and someone's holding out on the answers. Business as usual. I was gonna have to be exceptionally cautious on how much trust I put into our supposed saviour. Especially since she's encouraging letting the tadpoles have more power, could be she is the Absolute, searching for a more subtle way to control us when the artifact stopped her directly. I got shaken out of my trail of questions when I saw the others wake up and gather around the campfire.
"I guess you all had a really vivid dream about a golden armoured saviour who wants to help us defeat the Absolute and encourage us to embrace the tadpole," I said looking at the shocked and disturbed faces of my companions who realised it truly wasn't just a dream.
"Yes, the tantalising figure who came with the promise of power and safety. A truly beautiful illusion. I believe hearing them out would be for the best, the power on offer could be of great use to us, and they have proven they can hold back the stages of ceremorphosis." Gale said dreamily.
"Yes, taking the word of a powerful dream figure who won't even reveal their name and motives is a wonderful idea to follow out of hand," I said sarcastically.
Gale scowled at me, "I'm suggesting no such thing. A healthy level of caution is required, no doubt. But dismissing the power outright might prove fatal in the long term, and maybe the short, if the visitor decides to take away their protection."
"Every word and promise are nothing but ghaik deception. We should be more than weary, we must deny this invader any purchase on our minds!" Lae'zel said with roaring vigour.
"Agreed. Playing with fire only ever results in getting burnt. Dealing with honey-worded tadpole visions is no better than dealing with a devil." Wyll added.
"Now hold on a moment. Why are you all acting like utter drips, we have the chance to use these tadpoles for our purposes instead of the other way round, you're all prattling on about little risks. Waste not want not I say, these delicious new powers could be fun." Astarion said an annoyed expression turning into one of longing pleasure when considering the power the tadpole could give us.
"Or it could be lying to us and getting us ready for the Absolute marching line. For all we know it's the Absolute itself." I said frustration growing.
"That is rather unlikely, no study I've ever heard of has mindflayers giving their infected shared visions of possible escape routes and power fantasies," Gale said quizzically.
"And I'm guessing no other mindflayer tomes talk about delayed ceremorphosis, powers that control other infected and a seemingly new god in line with or as a disguise for a mindflayer plot?" I asked trying to get the idea through his ambitiously thick skull.
Gale looked conflicted for a moment, "Admittedly no, there is no such tome."
"So, in that case, we probably shouldn't take the power on offer. Just in case it's just another trick to get us on the company list for power-hungry mindflayer thrall."
Gale looked down for a moment, thinking, and then nodded to me in agreement. Lae'zel nodded in approval. Karlach spoke in concert with the nod, "Soldiers right. This whole taking favours from tadpoles business seems too spooky for my liking."
Astarion looked at all of us with disgust and annoyance, and then looked to Shadowheart, "Darling, you have to agree these powers could be of great help. It probably comes from that artifact you like so much."
Shadowheart looked to Astarion and then the rest of us in contemplation, "I don't know. My orders were to gain the artifact and then return. It made no mention of powers and taking deals with mysterious dream people. Best to hold off until our 'dream saviour' reveals more."
Astarion threw his hands up in exasperation, "Do none of you have any ambition?" We all stared at the whining vampire, he took in a steading breath and said, "Fine, fine. Seems I've been outvoted, but don't come crying to me when we all get killed because we didn't take all the advantages we could."
With that, the subject of the dream visitor was tabled for the time being, and I gathered the group that would go to save Halsin and kill the goblin leaders.
I decided to switch out Lae'zel for Wyll, due to her outburst with Shadowheart and her attempted murdering of all of the camp. We walked back to the bridge, and no overwhelming voice or symptoms occurred. So far, so good. The camp was still in full party mode, with goblins, humans and larger creatures all drinking and eating with reckless abandon beside the defaced and rotted columns of whatever god this temple used to praise.
In the centre of the party, raised up upon a stand of wood and bone, was the bard I met at the grove. Volo seemed to be nervously entertaining the crowd of drunken goblins with positive limericks about their leader Dror Ragzlin, guess he didn't use the right words and that invisibility potion hasn't helped him yet. I stared intently at the bard, trying to think of a way to get him out of this without blowing my cover too early. Unfortunately, my staring caught the attention of one of the female goblins as she barked, "You! Move off!"
"Do as she says now!" Volo whispered to me in fear.
"Oy! Do yous know each other or something? That's my bird beampole. Look at him again and I'll clip his wings before you can touch 'im" The goblin said aiming a crossbow at the terrified bard.
I panicked and said in haste, "Me. Know this old piss ant of a bard, gods above no. I was just staring at him wondering how such a brightly coloured drip of a man, couldn't even string together a decent limerick to save his pathetic life. Keep him. He wouldn't be good for a footstool if he were nailed to the ground by the knee."
Volo's fear vanished for a moment to show outrage of a magnitude great enough for him to forget common sense, "Excuse me I am one of the most accomplished musicians, explorers and cataloguers in all of Toril."
The goblin told Volo to shut up and then took him back inside the temple, guess it's a double rescue mission now.
I began to walk towards the temple when I spied another familiar figure. The young owlbear was sitting miserably next to another female goblin. I went over to them and the goblin perked up, "Hey tall, dark and pale. You wanna try chicken-chasing!"
"What the hell is chicken chasing? And that's a baby owlbear, not a chicken where'd you get it?"
"It's got a beak, same thing. We got it from some cave after we ganked the big one. The last of the blighters meat was eaten last night. Now do you want to hear the rules?"
I looked at the baby owlbear again, like its mother it had brown and white feathers and a sharp black beak. But unlike the mother, it had no rage, no hunger in its eyes, only fear and loneliness. With the mother gone it had no home, no food and no protector.
I stared at the goblin with barely hidden contempt, "No, I don't. The owlbears coming with me. Pack the game up, your star quarter-back just went into retirement."
The goblin stared at me in annoyed confusion before saying, "You ain't taking it, it's my chicken. Go play soldiers with the drow ya nonce."
I looked down at the goblin with my best scowl, "Give me the owlbear, or I'm gonna start up a game, call it follow the scorched goblin's ass."
The goblin smiled at me, "You really think my comrades gonna allow that feck-shite."
"You will do as he commands. He is a True Soul! You worthless spittle!" I heard from across the area. The human siblings of the dead True Soul dwarf came up to us staring daggers at the goblin, whose face went from arrogant glee to red-faced horror.
"A True Soul?! Why didn't you say so? Of course, take the chicken and whatever else you like, just don't tell Priestess Gut." The goblin whimpered. I ignored her and took the owlbear to the bridge. It looked just a bit too thin, like it hadn't eaten in days. I grabbed a bit of food from my pack and gave it to him. He gobbled it up greedily and hooted at me in appreciation, I allowed it to sniff my hand, hoping it would follow the scent back to camp.
After that slight interruption, we went forward through the temple doors and Shadowheart let out a click of disgust, "Selunite temple. Just as well it's in ruins. The goblins might actually be an improvement."
"Really, so that statue you were staring at yesterday was a Selune statue. The one that reminded you of your purpose, the one Shar punished you with pain upon thinking about it too much." I said trying to lead Shadowheart down the train of logic.
"What are you implying Harry?"
"Nothing. Nothing, just putting the two facts together. The meaning behind it is up for debate." I said with a slight, self-satisfied grin on my face.
Shadowheart rolled her eyes at me and continued walking, but if our other conversations were anything to go by, she'd think about what I said, and what it meant.
We moved on to what looked like the main praying hall of the temple, which had been defiled and repurposed as a throne room for a female goblin with a skull crown, scarred and missing an eye and a leather outfit decorated with feathers and a human skull as a belt buckle. "Now, here's somebody special. The Absolutes touched you, hasn't She? Priestess Gut needs to touch you, too-hold out your arm so I can mark your flesh." As she said the last sentence Gut pulled a branding iron out a roaring fire.
I suddenly felt queasy. I did not want Priestess Gut 'touching' me. With or without the branding iron, but I needed to get her to trust me at least a little bit so we could get her someplace quiet to take her out, "Why should I brand myself? My faith to the Absolute requires no such displays of barbaric ritual." I uttered in my most self-righteous tone.
"Let's the faithful recognise each other quick-sharp. That way, nobody'll mess with you. An' it's charged with magic. Ordinary slobs can't; only us that follow the Absolute."
That made things more interesting. If we got out of this alive, and if there were still more cultists to deal with, a mark that made me an instant ally would be exceptionally useful. But there was no need for us all to suffer for a possible advantage, "Very well, but only I will get the mark. These other scrubs aren't worthy of the honour." I said in my best pompous lord impression. The others played along, bowing in feigned subservience.
"Right then, brace yourself it'll sting." Gut said as she pushed the burning iron onto my left hand, which I had removed the glove from, no need to damage my unburnt hand. The iron burnt and stung for one horrible moment before the winter mantle took the pain. When she took the brand away, the symbol glowed and showed the symbol of the Absolute. "All done then, I knew you were special just like me."
At her word, she began searching through my mind. Tangling her mind with mine I saw a vision, of Gut being given instruction by a handsome young man, one of the Chosen. I use my tadpole to push deeper into her mind, her faith floods into me. A tide of shuddering ecstasy. Her tadpole nestles within that mania, secure… hidden.
"I feel you in there, digging around. Works both ways. And I saw some weird shadows in your head just now. Maybe I can help with that. Us True Souls got to stick together." Gut said with a genuine tone of comradery.
This was my chance, "That would be most helpful, but let's go somewhere private. My servants are all True Souls but these other rabble are unfit to know of such matters." I said laying the lord act on nice and thick.
"Of course, come to my chapel only I'm allowed in there." Gut said helpfully as we all followed her through to the left side of the temple and into a private room that was made up to be a shrine to the Absolute.
"Ready to clear your head?" Gut asked
"Of course but before we start I have a question. Do you know where they're holding the druid that broke into the temple? He should have been with some mercenaries."
"Druid? Ain't no druid round these parts cept the ones at that blasphemous Emerald Grove the drow is planning on raiding. If you think otherwise go to the other side of the prayer hall, they're probably still torturing the one unlucky bastard we left alive. Now are you ready?" Gut asked with increased impatience.
"Think so. Wyll now." As I gave the order Wyll waved his hand in a circular motion, said a word and suddenly Gut was frozen in place. Then Karlach nonchalantly lopped off the priestess' head from her shoulders. There was a hole in the wall of the room that led to a massive drop, we threw the corpse down and left the room.
We gave a quick council inside our heads, "Well that was easier than expected" Karlach said surprised.
"She was a fool to get in a room alone with us. I doubt any of the other True Souls will be as blinded by faith to follow strangers into a private room." Shadowheart replied
"And we know how to get to Halsin, just need to find that mercenary and get him to talk. Preferably along with letting him go." Gale said flippantly.
"Definitely letting him go, Gale. We aren't leaving some poor soul to die because he took the wrong job." I said concretely.
"Well either way good job everyone, that was a good, clean swing Karlach." Wyll complimented
"That spellwork wasn't too bad either Blade," Karlach responded with a blush forming on her cheeks.
"Really? I'll be happy to teach you a thing or two. When we have a moment alone." Wyll said flirtatiously.
"And I'd love to help you practise your sword swing." Karlach responded in kind.
"You both realise we can hear you right?" Shadowheart said cutting them off
"And partially feel your emotions as well," Gale added a laugh creeping into his psychic voice.
"Alright let's just get moving," I said out loud now. "We have work to finish. You guys can discuss 'training' later." I finished giving a sly look to Wyll and Karlach.
We moved to the other side of the prayer hall and checked the first door. It was a bare and mouldy room made of crumbling cobblestone, and inside it stood a circular cage that housed Volo, his jailer standing guard, "Oy, shove off. This pigeon is mine."
"Don't worry I'm not here to poach your bird. Just wondering why you're keeping him?" I asked with masterful guile.
"Keep him safe. Listen to him coo. Till I get hungry or some such." The goblin said as if she were discussing a prize poultry.
"Your pigeon is actually a very famous writer. Priestess Gut ordered me to tell you to let him go, so he can spread the good word about the Absolute." I said doing my best evil Mormon impression.
"Him? Nah. And Priestess Gut gots no interest in word spreading."
"She absolutely does. Got me to talk to her about in her private chambers, ask the others they'll say she took me in there."
The goblin jailer looked at me sceptically, then went outside and yelled at a guard, "Hey! Ragboot! Did you see Priestess Gut go off with a tall human, long stupid black coat and staff?"
"Yeah, she branded him, then him and his mates went and talked to the Priestess alone. She hasn't come out yet."
The goblin came back in, "Show us the mark." She ordered beckoning me with her hand.
I removed my glove and showed her the mark, it glowed slightly when she looked at it. She scowled and muttered, "If it's the Priestesses' orders fine. Take the key and the pigeon." The goblin threw me the key and stomped out of the room closing the door.
I unlocked the cage and Volo said enthusiastically, "Ha-HA. Look at this- I'm quite saved! A joy to see a familiar face in such a… precarious setting. I guarantee the story of your rescue of my person will live for aeons to come."
"You're welcome. Now how many of those invisibility potions do you have left?" I asked.
"Both of them. I never leave without backup equipment."
"Good give me one and get yourself out of here."
"Ah. I assume you'll be rescuing the screaming fellow down the hall." Volo said understandingly.
"Yes, where is he?"
"About two doors down, on the rack. I'd be careful my friend, they won't fall for the Priestess ordered him free line as easily as my captor."
"I'll worry about that give me the potion please," I asked reaching my hand out. He placed a white bottle with some clear liquid in it on my hand, then downed the other one and disappeared.
We moved down the path Volo described and found the man. He was human, blonde and covered in cuts dirt and bruises. The two goblins taunted him and asked questions about why he and his band attacked the temple. I stepped forward to defend the man when Shadowheart grabbed my arm and moved in front of me.
It was then the goblins noticed us, "What are you doing 'ere. We got torture duty." The first goblin barked."
"Yeah, we drew the largest hip bone." The other goblin added.
Shadowheart looked at them with a certain amount of swagger and said, "Your technique is crude and ineffective. We've been tasked with taking over and mending your inadequacies."
"What makes you so much better little half-elf." The first goblin said mockingly
"Yeah, you gonna cry 'im into confession little girl." The other goblin jabbed.
Shadowheart looked at them both with a stare so cold it could have given Mab a brain freeze and said, "Because you know how to make them scream and cry for their lives. I know how to make them wish they were dead already."
The emotions I felt when listening to Shadowheart's line was mixed, fear and worry over the fact she definitely wasn't lying. And a sick sort of excitement and arousal coming from the winter mantle, and other places I prefer not to indulge in. The goblins picked up on the intensity of the clerics message and promptly left the room avoiding her gaze. We walked up to the captured man, and he begged, "Please don't hurt me, I've told you everything."
Shadowheart ignored the cries and reached for the lock on the man's arms and unlocked them with a quick twist of the wrist, "We're not here to hurt you. We just need some information and then you can go." Shadowheart said, dropping the menacing tone to one that was almost sweet as she uttered a quick healing charm on the man.
The mercenary looked confused for a moment but eventually said, "What do you want to know?"
"Where did they take the druid that came with your band?" I asked quietly
"Down past the big hall in one of the backrooms, I think. They don't know he's a druid, he turned into a bear before they took us."
"That'll have to do. Take this and sneak out. Go back to the druid's grove. They've stopped their crazy ritual; you'll be safe there." I said handing the man the other potion. The mercenary gave his thanks, chugged the potion and similarly disappeared.
We moved on following the man's directions we found a hallway with two entrances, one was blocked by a large wooden door and the other was fully open leading to what looked like a library. We decided to take the open option first and walked into a small library whose back wall had long been smashed open. The hole led to a full drop, where a bridge was built to connect the destroyed library to a stone platform, where five goblins and a dark skinned woman were arguing. In my mind, Gale said, "That must be the drow the goblins were talking about. Another of the leaders we need to kill."
Whilst he was telling me this, I quickly searched his mind on what he knew of drow. They were grey-skinned elves that lived in a place called the Underdark. The most prominent houses live in the city of Menzoberranzan, where they are taught to be ruthless warriors, liars and manipulators.
We walked over the bridge, and I was able to get a closer look at the drow leader. She was grey of skin, white hair like the fallen snow, red eyes almost on par with Astarion for glowing intensity and she was garbed in an insectoid-like armour of black and gold. There was also a radiant aura of magic around her, similar to Shadowhearts but strangely distinct as well. Whilst it was the power of faith, the drow's power felt like it was sourced internally, rather than Shadowhearts which felt like it was poured onto her from an outside force i.e. her god. So, the drow's faith comes from something within herself rather than from a god. This place was becoming more interesting with every new variant of magic I was encountering.
I was pulled out of my academic admiration when the drow woman noticed our presence. Upon looking at me I could feel her reaching into my mind, a cold hand caressing my brain, looking for answers. In response, I looked through her mind. I found little, only her name: Minthara and the confirmation she was a high noble of Menzoberranzan. The chamber suddenly goes dark, and I see Minthara talking with the pale-eyed woman from the vision of the Absolute, the woman was whispering something in her ear, but I couldn't make it out before the vision faded away.
"A True Soul? I suppose all are welcome to bask in the light of the Absolute, even inferior surface-dwellers." Minthara said with a hint of bone-deep contempt. "Are you here to join my hunt?"
"No, me and my fellow 'inferiors' are on a hunt of our own. Looking for a certain druid. Perhaps you could climb down out of your superior ass and help us." I said with an impish smile in my voice. It had been a long day and mouthing off to bad guys with superiority complexes is like my therapy.
Most of the room remained shocked into silence, while Karlach gave a choked laugh at my impudence. Minthara's grey skin started to turn a shade of dark crimson when she said, "You dare speak in such a way to a fellow True Soul? A chosen of one of the upper echelons of our faith! What reason you give for me not to flay you where you stand?"
"Because I know the location of your prey. The grove of blasphemous druids." I said putting on the tantalising messenger act strong and thick.
Minthara's expression went from rage to one of pure desire, "Tell me where it is. Tell me and we'll hunt them together, and gain the Absolute's glory."
"Look into my mind sister, and you'll find your prize."
She began searching my mind for the location, and while she did, I looked for what she knew about Halsin. Minthara saw the bear the mercenary mentioned being dragged to the room to our right. It's where they keep the worgs and is accessed by the ladder on the right wall of the destroyed library. Finally, Minthara found what I had used the tadpole to direct her to. A memory of mine involving some attacking Outsiders and a bucket containing an amplified message to an old friend. The remembered ear-splitting ferocity of my Jurassic birthday declaration shook the drow and caused her to shield her ears. I used that moment to point my staff at her and cast, "Fozare!" The True Soul went flying backward smashing into a drum at the edge of the stone platform. To her credit, she got up immediately, drew two maces from her back and screamed, "Traitors! Kill them, IN HER NAME!" The goblins surrounded us as my party drew their weapons and Minthara leapt in front of me her maces sparking into a blindingly bright glow of radiant power.
Minthara swung the first of her glowing maces at my head, I managed to block her with my shield but the power of the strike on my magic drove me to my knees. The drow struck again, and it went straight through my shield and hit my defending left arm. A wintery numbness flowed through from my shoulder to my fingers, but from the looks of how my arm was dangling, she had broken the bone. The lack of screaming pain on my end confused the drow for a moment, enough for Wyll to blast her with his signature lances of green force. Minthara rocketed backwards but was able to land on her feet before she went careening over the edge. "You shall perish in the Absolute's name too, devil-sworn!"
"Better devil-sworn than to give an oath to a false god, oh paladin of the Absolute." Wyll said drawing his rapier, "Now face the Blade!" Minthara ran at Wyll with full force, quicker than the horned man expected. I knew from the Blades stance he wouldn't be able to block the attack in time. So, I went about cushioning the blow for him. I quickly opened my magical senses and noted that the radiating magic coming from the drow's maces felt heat-based, so I raised my good arm and cast at the mace coming for Wyll's head "Infriga!" All the heat coming from the mace was sucked away leaving the weapon covered in frost. When it hit one of Wyll's curving horns, the weapon shattered into brittle ice. Wyll was staggered for a moment but quickly regained his balance as I got back up pointing my blasting rod at Minthara with my good arm. We attacked her from both sides Wyll's rapier, now empowered with necromantic energy, clashed with her remaining mace and I blasted the drow with fire bolts, which she blocked with a minor version of my own shield spell. She couldn't hold out for long, so while she was focused on blocking Wyll and I's attacks on her body, I quickly aimed my rod at the stone at her feet casting "Dispertius." The stone floor cracked slightly under her feet, and she lost balance, causing her mace swing to miss the rapier and allowing Wyll to slice off the fingers holding the mace in two quick strikes. As Minthara fell to the ground screaming her shield faltered, I pointed my blasting rod at her and spoke, "Time to go home." I blasted her with another gale of force throwing her off the side into the black abyss.
The others made quick work of the surrounding goblins. Karlach cut at least three down while Shadowheart blasted the other two with globes of light. Gale during this fight focused on a figure I had not noticed, a floating ball of black and purple energy that flew in a circle and began a wail that was cut off by Gale firing the sphere with lightning.
As the adrenaline of battle wore off, we quickly tossed the goblin bodies over the edge with their master and Shadowheart was healing my broken arm when Karlach said, "Well that's two down. Though I'm not sure why the whole gang of 'em aren't rushing in to murder us all?"
"I was able to put a silencing charm on the entrance as Harry here was bad-mouthing the drow." Shadowheart said smacking me upside the head as she finished the healing spell.
"Oh, come on Shadow she was asking for it." I wined, "And I was able to get the exact location of the druid, he's in a room to the right and up that ladder over by the library. So, it was worth it." I said sticking my tongue out at the half-elf.
She rolled her eyes at me and groaned, "For someone as cunning as you. You act like a childish buffoon a lot of the time."
"I still heard the cunning so I'm taking it as a complement. Now we need to get moving before the goblins start wondering where their leaders have gone." The group agreed and we moved on following Minthara's directions.
After climbing over the wall, we went through the door at the end of the room. Inside was a large room with two cages built into the wall. One was filled with worgs while the other was occupied by a large brown bear growling at two small goblins throwing rocks at him.
"Throw it again! I wanna hear it squeal!" The tiny goblin said merrily to the other. A regular-sized goblin was standing guard at the cage and perked up when he noticed us.
"What are you's doing 'ere. No training with the worgs until they've had their feed'in. Ragzlin's orders."
"We're not here for the worgs. We want the bear." I said pointing at the animal, which upon further inspection had far too intelligent eyes to be a simple animal. Halsin the Arch-Druid hid underneath that furry disguise. "The bear?! That thing came in with the raider band that attacked the temple. We were thinkin' of puttin' it in with the big spiders to see if it'd win or get wrapped up for supper." The goblin said with a deep chuckle in his tone. "Why do you want it?"
As the goblin asked this, I felt the tadpoles influence mark the creature. This time I gave into the power. I needed this room emptied quickly and couldn't waste the energy I needed for the fight with Dror Ragzlin. "Give me the key to the cage and get the rest of your useless kind out of the room. In Her Name." The goblin shivered then obeyed he ordered the rest of the goblins out of the room and we were left alone. I unlocked the gate and the bear growled at us menacingly. "Arch-Druid Halsin we were sent by the Emerald Grove to save you. We are not with them." I said raising my arms in placating surrender.
The bear cocked his head to one side in confusion, before dissolving into green sludge and revealing the druid inside it. Halsin was big. Both in height and frame. He was taller than me by about a half inch and was built like a brick house, all big weighty muscle. He was garbed in the same green and brown gear as his fellow druids at the Grove, but his was sleeveless and had a more prominent leaf symbol on the chest. The outfit was also accompanied by bracers and boots that looked to be made of tree bark. Looking up into his face, a motion I was not used to, I saw his round head had long wavy hair, long elf ears, light brown eyes, a tattoo in a circular style on the left side of his face and a large animal slash scar on his right side stopping at his eyebrow.
"Hmm. Reason would tell me trusting a True Soul would be foolish, but you chased off those other rabble. And if you knew of my presence, you would have informed one of their leaders and they would be speaking to me. Thus, you must be of your own mind, despite the influence of the tadpole. How is that possible?" Halsin asked in a deep but uplifting voice that matched his frame and position perfectly.
"Because of this artifact," I responded beckoning Shadowheart to show it to the druid.
Looking at the artifact, Halsin uttered, "That has some powerful magic to it, but I've no notion as to how it's blocking the voice of the Absolute."
"You and us both Arch-Druid," I said deflated.
"Just Halsin will do. Can't demand honorifics from those who saved my hide. I suspect there's more to my rescue than orders from the grove. You're after a cure for this parasite. I've been studying these parasites for a while now. Ever since I discovered so-called True Souls are infected with them. Someone is using very powerful magic to modify these tadpoles. They are using it to exert control over the infected."
"We figured that much. But do you have any notion as to what magic is modifying them?" Gale asked.
"No, and I've no knowledge on how to undo the magic either, so I can't cure you. But that doesn't mean I can't help. I didn't find what I came here for- a way to remove the tadpoles- but I found the next best thing. I found where they come from. That must be where the enchantments are placed on them, and it's where you'll find your cure."
"Where are they coming from?" I asked
"I overheard that the cultists are sending all their captives to Moonrise Towers…" Alarm bells started going off in my head. Moonrise Towers, the major location in the area Maggie was located, where the land of darkness was festering. It made almost too much sense the Absolutists would have a base there; they've been tangled up in my investigation since coming to this dimension. Did that mean Nicodemus sacrificed Maggie to the Absolute? I still pin it to Shar more than anyone else, but the evidence was pointing the Absolute's way just as much as my gut feeling. I realised Halsin was still talking and went back to listening, "… Given that all these True Souls are infected, it has to be the source of the magic. If you want a cure, you must head there and discover how the tadpoles are being manipulated."
"Do you know how to get to Moonrise? Can you guide us there?" I asked trying to push the desperate hope down and out of my voice.
"I wish I could, but there's still work I've yet to finish- blood I've yet to spill. I cannot allow these butchers to threaten my grove."
"Speaking of the grove, there's something you need to know. Kagha was working with the Shadow Druids, to seal the grove off forever and position herself as leader. She did a lot of bad to attempt it, we had to kill her and the rest of the Shadow Druids that accompanied her."
Halsin looked distraught as he said, "Damn Kagha, always too eager for power, never thinking of the consequences. Her fate, as her teacher is my doing, you were just defending the grove and those it had sworn to shelter. But that doesn't change what needs to be done. The leaders of this camp: Dror Ragzlin, the drow Minthara and the abomination of priestess Gut must be killed if the grove is to remain safe."
"Way ahead of ya there big boy. We already whacked Gut and Minthara, only the hobgoblin to deal with," Karlach said with pride.
"Excellent, then let us go forth and exterminate this Ragzlin. For the Grove!" Halsin declared as he shifted back into bear
We followed Bear Halsin back to the large wooden door. The enraged bear rammed through it and revealed the scene inside. The room was an altar, that was converted into a throne room for the bulky red figure sitting on the throne. Dror Ragzlin was muscular, red of skin, and his face was made of scrunched cheekbones and a large nose and pointed ears, He was wearing little more than a loincloth and straps that laid over his torso. The hobgoblin stood up and proclaimed, "You dare intrude in on the presence of Dror Ragzlin, the leader of this temple and True Soul of the Absolute." As Ragzlin boasted I felt his mind, the room went dark and I saw him speaking with the armoured elf, the final representative of the Absolute. At our minds parting I saw realization dawn on Dror Ragzlin's face. "You slew the other leaders of the temple. TRAITORS! TO ARMS SERVANTS! I WANT THEIR GUTS STRWEN ACROSS THE TEMPLE FLOOR! FOR THE ABSOLUTE!" Ragzlin bellowed as five goblins and two humanoid figures armed themselves.
Karlach and Bear Halsin ran through the crowd of attackers and went straight for Ragzlin, who drew a warhammer from his back. Upon entering combat, both Karlach and Ragzlin roared a berserker call to violence. They both swung at each other Karlach with her axe and Ragzlin with his hammer. Karlach slashed and bashed at the muscle-bound hobgoblin, leaving gouts of red blood and opens wounds on his arms and chest. While Ragzlin pummelled Karlach with his warhammer each blow popping muscle and cracking bone. But their rage and strength were equal to each other, even the raging heat from Karlach's hellfire heart had no effect on the leader of the goblin camp. It was a good thing Halsin was there to tip the odds. As the duo of barbarians whaled on each other the brown bear that was the Arch-Druid slashed the hobgoblin in the back, leaving two long bloody marks. Ragzlin turned around and swung his hammer into the bear's head, it crunched with Halsin's skull with a concerning cracking sound and the druid was forced back into his true form. At that opening Karlach buried her axe into the raging bastard's back, screaming in rage and pain Ragzlin rips Karlach and the axe off him throwing her off the stage. The wounded sub-creature was then entangled in thorny vines that bit into his skin and open wounds, stuck in place by a druid's spell. Equally wounded but even more enraged Karlach jumped up into the air and came down on Dror Ragzlin crushing the hobgoblin's skull with one last roar of rage and victory. Wyll having a pause in his own battle looked upon this display of beautiful violence with awe.
It was at that time my own battle went into full swing, with Gale and I fighting the two humanoid figures. One was a tall Caucasian human man and a male drow. The human draws out a bow and pumps a spell through it shooting a hailstorm of arrows at me that I only barely block with my battle-heated shield bracelet. The drow facing Gale used his magic to summon a gargantuan creature made of mud and earth and standing on all fours. Another volley of arrows hits my shield and the power within begins to lessen, I was running out of juice, I needed to end this fight quickly. Whilst I was preparing my attack Gale was being thrown across the room by the earth creature, the wizard got back up dazed but still ready, and he blasted the creature with a blazing goat of fire. The creature moved forward the mud beginning to harden under the massive heat of Gale's spell, but Gale didn't have enough time to kill it outright as the creature began to slowly gain speed. I looked at my attacker who was gathering his will to fire at me with his spell-weaved bow, his metal spell-weaved bow. I pointed my staff at the weapon and cast, "Venteferro!" As the archer cast his arrow spell I forced the metal in his bow to shift to the left of him, redirecting his blast of projectiles into his drow companion. The drow man was riddled with arrows and he fell to the ground blood pooling around him. At its summoner's death the earth golem disintegrated and Gale, looking at my weakened form blasted the confused human with a bolt of blue lightning.
Wyll and Shadowheart's battle with the remaining five goblins went the same as any of the others went. Wyll used sword and spell to cut the goblins to ribbons or blast them into walls craking their skulls, and Shadowheart bashed them with her mace or fried them with her light magic.
When the charged silence of battle faded I looked to see Karlach down on the ground bleeding heavily, I rushed Shadowheart over to her. She quickly healed her up, closing the wounds and setting the bones. The effort nearly forced the cleric into unconsciousness, but I caught her and helped her to her feet. I looked at Karlach who was healed but weak croaking out, "That's two out of three I've taken out. You need to step your game up soldier."
I laughed, "Yeah I'll be sure to rush head first into more swords and hammers to catch up fire girl."
As Karlach let out a laugh that got more strong and more vibrant as her strength returned to her, I felt I familiar stirring of energy. A piece of infernal iron was in this room. I followed the energy until I found a room with a pile of gold, gems and one glowing piece of infernal iron inside. I direct Wyll to blast the door open and we stuffed the pack with as much gold as we can. Karlach takes hold of the infernal iron and rejoices, "Yes! Dammon can use this to fix me!" Wyll smiles joyously at Karlach's happiness.
Suddenly there's a large bang on the wooden door of the throne room, "I believe it is time to leave this place. The leaders are dead and the grove is safe." Halsin said interrupting Karlachs revelry.
"Right, everyone stand by me now," Gale commanded. We all did and I saw the door crash open with dozens of goblins pouring into the room before we teleported away.