Chapter 14
When morning came I gathered the group that would infiltrate the goblin camp with me. I decided to keep the main three Gale, Shadowheart and Karlach, and bring along Lae'zel. She'll be good in a fight if it comes down to it, and let's face it, it probably will. I went to get Gale first and he looked weak and hunched over. When I went over to him, he raised his hand in a placating gesture and said, "I'm fine, one more item should do it." For the third time he pulled out a magical item, this time the locket we got from Arabella's parents, and he absorbed it into himself. Gale's face went from one of relief to one of pure horror, "Good gods. I don't know what to make of this. Three artifacts is a positive glut of magic, yet my hunger only grows. Listen I need to talk to you, to everyone. It would be unconscionable of me to remain silent now."
I gathered the rest of the group and said to Gale, "Gale, what's going on?"
Gale's expression went from fear to shame as he continued, "You have to know who I was. Who I really am. What I am is a walking shadow of the promise I once held. I'm what one might call a wizard prodigy, who from an early age could not only control the Weave, but compose it, much like a musician or a poet. Such was my skill it earnt the attention of the mother of magic herself. The Lady of Mysteries. The goddess Mystra. She revealed herself to me and became my teacher. In time, she became my muse, and later even my lover."
"Wait, wait. You're saying you made love with the goddess of magic." Astarion said gobsmacked beyond comprehension.
"Oh yes. We enjoyed each other's company. Mind, body and soul." Gale said in a combination of wonder and bone-deep longing in his voice. In response to this Astarion whistled in approval and admiration, the others just stared with looks ranging from wonder to complete disbelief.
"I knew you were avoiding the question last night," I said with a self-satisfied smile.
After Gale was done rolling his eyes at us, he continued, "But I desired more from our pairing. You see, no matter how powerful a wizard we mortals can become, we never more than scratch the surface of the Weave. Mystra keeps us in check. There are boundaries she doesn't let us cross. Yet every time I was with her, I stood on the precipice, gazing into the wonders that lay beyond. I sought to cross her boundaries." Gale said with an angry leer in his voice.
"To cross a god. An even higher risk than crossing a devil. Foolish or… cunning." Wyll commented.
"Big empathises on foolish. Anyone who tries to take power from gods beyond their boundaries tends to only get themselves or others hurt. What did you do?" I said having an uncomfortable reminder of Gravine and the Dark Hallow.
"That's just it. I wasn't trying to take anything from Mystra. Quite the opposite in fact." Gale said annoyed.
"Explain," I said flatly.
"Glad to. Do you want all the details of my folly or skip straight to the finale."
"Best to give all details. Anything involving defying gods is something we all need to know in full, to hopefully avoid Mystra's wrath if she ever appears." Shadowheart added staring daggers at the wizard. I nodded in agreement.
"Very well. Here goes: Once upon a very long time ago, a mighty lord lived in a tower. A flying tower, to be precise. I'll save his history for another time, but the gist of it is that he sought to usurp the goddess of magic so that he could become a god himself. He almost managed but not quite, and his empire- Netheril- came crashing down around him as he turned to stone. The magic that was unleashed that day was phenomenal, roiling like prime chaos that outdates creation. Even the Weave itself could not withstand the onslaught. It fractured, and shattered, and all magic was lost to the mortal realms until the day Mystra returned. She restored the Weave, reuniting all its scattered shards. Or so I thought, until in the course of my studies I learned of a book. A Netherese tome in which a piece of the fractured Weave had been sealed beyond her reach. 'What if', I thought. 'What if after all this time, I could return this lost part of herself to the goddess?' I was certain that this deed of raw power draped in romance would convince Mystra to take me by the hand and welcome me into her hitherto forbidden domains. I was mistaken"
"So, flowers and backrubs were off the table then?" I commented wittily.
"I never do anything in halves. Romantic gestures included." Gale said with a sad smile before continuing, "I obtained the fabled book and took it to my study. As for what happened next… Here place your hand over my heart. Let me show you." Gale said kneeling down on the last part of his explanation.
I placed my hand over his chest and suddenly I was transported to a memory. I see through Gale's eyes, staring down the corridors of his study. Then a book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It's teeth, its claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through and becomes part of you. And gods, is it ever hungry. I yanked my hand away from the swirling nexus that was Gale's chest and said stunned, "What the hell was that? And how could not tell me about it sooner? You gave your word."
"I know. I'm sorry, but until now this… orb, for lack of a better word, has been quiet as long as I fed it raw magic. But now the Netherese blight is growing unsatisfied." Gale said the terror settling back on his features.
"And what happens if it continues to be 'unsatisfied'?"
"I will erupt. With enough force to level a city the size of Waterdeep."
Everyone stared at Gale in incomprehension. Well, this is just typical. Of course, on top of goblins, cultists, a dark land of death and a dark god to contend with, I have a friend with a magical nuke in his chest.
Karlach was the first to break the silence, "Well… at least I'm not the only one that might explode at any moment." Only Karlach laughed awkwardly at her joke.
"Unbelievable! Do you have any idea what could happen if the ghaik parasite turned you wizard? The consequences could go far beyond blowing yourself up." Lae'zel snapped furiously.
"She's right. How could you keep something that dangerous about yourself from your friends." Astarion said. Everyone, including Lae'zel, gave Astarion a sideways glance, "Oh, you know what I mean." Astarion said flippantly.
Gale looked at us all with an expression of guilt and regret, "All of this… It must feel like a betrayal. Say the word, and we'll part ways."
"His presence is too much of a danger, send him away Dresden," Lae'zel said.
"Wait a moment. Sure he'd lied about something pretty big, but he's still our friend we should try and help him." Karlach chimed in.
This was a tough one. On one hand, he lied about a potential city destroying power that could have gone off at any moment and broke his word to boot. On the other, Gale was looking like a decent friend and I didn't want to abandon him. I took a deep breath and said, "I'm not going to leave you out to dry friend but lie to us about something this big again. I'll throw you to the wolves myself."
"Understood and thank you. That is a great relief- a great relief indeed. You truly are a soul that steels my own. I thank you all. I understand those who stand against me, humbled by those who stand with me. Either way, I will do my best to not let you down." Gale said with the first genuine smile of the day.
"Right, enough of the make-up mess. We have a druid to rescue." I said with all gathered enthusiasm. And so, we did.
We teleported back to the ruined village and walked back to the outpost made out of two cliffs and a bridge. The outpost was occupied by about four goblins and two worgs, one of which was at the side of one of the goblins who were guarding the entrance.
We walked up to the outpost and the goblin next to the worg came up to us, "Lookit Klaw! Suppers here! Unless you have a reason to be here feckshite." The goblin growled petting the worg almost affectionately.
The power of the parasite burns in my head along with the mark on the goblin's face. Before I could consider using it Lae'zel chimed in, "We are the new warriors your master has hired. Let us through or face the wrath of a githyanki of creche K'illir, or if you're unlucky Dor Ragzlin."
The goblin gulped with fear and croaked, "Of course, enjoy the party. The boss'll probably be in the temple with Priestess Gute and the drow."
Lae'zel nodded curtly and continued forward, and we all followed. Shadowheart walked up beside Lae'zel and said, "Impressive. I thought gith only fought with swords and bows."
"A swift sword and a true arrow are often the best course for battle, but if words are needed, a githyanki are more than able to provide them," Lae'zel said in her usual combination of hostility and pride. Despite her tone, Shadowheart smiled in slight admiration for Lae'zel's skills.
Walking down the path past the outpost we found ourselves at a stone bridge that connected to an old temple that had been taken by the goblins. The sound of roarkus chaos and the smell of ale assaulted our senses as we walked onto the bridge. Before any of us could complain an unknowably powerful force forced all of us down to our knees. "Hear my voice. Obey my commands." An ethereal voice commanded in my head. It was the voice of the Absolute, using the power I used on the goblins, but amplified a hundred-fold. I couldn't push against the voice with any of my physic defences, its authority was unyielding. Suddenly my vision goes dark, and three figures appear before me. An armoured male elf, exuding power and command. A handsome younger human with a quick, easy smile. And a pale young woman with even paler eyes. "These are my Chosen. They speak for me. Aid in their search for the weapon, and you will be worthy to stand beside them. In my presence." Suddenly, the unrelating power of the Absolute was lessened as I looked behind me, to see Shadowheart pushing the artifact upwards as it glowed and radiated out a sphere of golden energy that dispelled the Absolute's voice. "My power grows. My forces gather. The reckoning draws near…" The Absolute whispered as the voice faded away.
I got up and looked at Shadowheart, who was looking at the artefact with shocked fascination. Her expression switched to guarded annoyance when she noticed my eyes on her, "Don't give me that look. I don't know what just happened any more than you do."
"The voice is gone-muted by that gith relic. This confirms it you stole it from my people!" Lae'zel spat with raging fury.
"Yes, I did I lost all of my people to get it. Don't moralize to me githyanki we'd all be mindflayer thralls if I didn't have this artifact." Shadowheart threw back with equal venom.
"Calm down both of you!" I snapped in the middle of their argument. "We don't have time to fight amongst ourselves."
Lae'zel and Shadowheart stopped screaming and settled on death staring each other. "Shadow, you sure there's nothing you know about this artefact?"
"The only thing I know about it is that I need to get it to my cloister in Baldurs Gate. I'm the only one of my group to survive so I can't fail." Shadowheart said with emphasis on the need to get the artefact back.
Before I could press the cleric more, a strange nausea overcame all of us. I felt as if I was about to pass out and my mind started to feel foggy. "We need to get back to camp," Gale said in a slurred voice before teleporting us back to the camp.
I must have passed out when Gale teleported us back, as I woke up to night having fallen. I hobbled over to the training dummy at the edge of camp and leaned my back against it. I wiped my hand against my head, it came away covered in sweat and flakes of skin. Before I could freak out about that Lae'zel suddenly appeared in front of me holding a knife to my neck
"Ch'k'l ghaik Vlaakith m' zath'ak! Can you feel it? Tendrils squirming in your chest, gripping your heart, pricing your belly? Your bones popping, your flesh swelling? I can. I see it in you. I feel it in me. We are lost. I will be quick with my blade. First you. Then the others. Then myself."
Our minds are forced together, I could feel her disgust and her uncertainty. I used the parasite to push further, she was terrified of becoming a mindflayer. If she did, she could never go to Vlaakith's side in the Astral Plane, never to fly amongst the stars with her people in glory.
"Lae'zel, we can get through this, the symptoms will pass. If you kill us and yourself you'll never get yourself cleansed, you'll never earn your way to the Astral Plane."
Lae'zel growled in rage, but her hands trembled, and her eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty. Finally, she put her dagger away and said "Bah- I cannot trust my own mind. So, I must trust yours. I will wait. But know this: I am watching. If the sickness does not pass come dawn. I will end us all."
Lae'zel then walked away scowling at me until she was out of sight. I suddenly couldn't hold myself awake any longer and passed back into darkness.
I suddenly woke up to a woman in golden armour waving glowing hands over me. The power that she washed over me felt soothing and calm, and most importantly, was banishing the symptoms of ceremorphosis. Looking up I saw the women's features. Light chocolate skin, small, pointed ears, long raven black hair, a lean and beautiful face and huge brown eyes. "I came just in time. You are transforming." The mysterious woman said in a smooth faintly British accent.
"Who the hell are you? How am I here?" I said getting enough strength back to speak.
"I am who saved you." She responded, and suddenly I was falling from the nautiloid again, about to hit the ground when I was suddenly stopped by a telekinetic force. "And I'm here to save you again."
I was back with the stranger sitting on the ground, which seemed to be a cobblestone floor… that was floating in outer space. I looked around me and saw that we were floating in an infinitely vast and coloured sky. The magical energy around us was so overwhelming I had to close my senses to avoid being overloaded. Wherever I was, whatever was happening right now, it was no dream.
"You will not become a mindflayer. Not while I'm around. I'll protect you." The dream figure said standing and offering me a hand up.
I got up on my own and gave the outstretched hand a suspicious look and then switched it to the figure's face. "Independent. Good." The figure said with amusement. "We haven't much time, so listen closely."
"Hold up brown eyes. Before I listen to anything you have to say, who are you? Why are you helping me?"
"Simple, I'm just like you. An adventurer who got infected by these tadpoles and is trying to find a way out." The dream figure said with complete sincerity that I didn't quite believe, you can be sincere and still lie.
"How are you stopping the transformations, how did you stop the symptoms?"
"That is a more complicated answer." She said as she walked towards the edge of the cobblestone platform. Beyond it, I saw a floating decapitated head the size of a building looming motionless in the infinite sky covered by an energy field of blue and purple. "You have great potential because of that parasite. Your instinct is to resist the power it gives, but you must accept it, and nurture it. I will keep it from consuming you. But for both our sakes, you must learn to wield it."
"Not gonna happen, and if you're just another adventurer trying to help why would you be encouraging using the tadpole? And you haven't answered my questions. What is your name? And how do you stop ceremorphosis?" I said louder, agitation and rage filling my voice.
Before I could get an answer out of the dream visitor a loud crashing sound came from the floating head, and I saw what looked like glowing outlines of people bashing against it. "I have to go. The enemy is closing in. I will be back." And then the dream woman pushed her hands towards me and a glowing purple light came from her palms and eyes. "Wake now. You'll feel better-I promise."