Adrian: Baldur's Gate

Everone in the party looked down at the ground immediately. In the hot day, the bright, searing sun would point out the shadows of the Basilisks to them, saving them the trouble of having to face them directly.

They saw the shadows almost instantly, but a much smaller shadow stood in front of them.

"Tiax, is that you?" a thin, reedy voice said.

"Mutamin!" Tiax exclaimed, careful to keep his eyes on the ground. "Tiax thought you dead!"

It was extremely frustrating to Adrian not to be able to raise his head. "You know this one?"

"He is from the same clan as Tiax! But he sought magecraft to begin his rise to power rather than service to Cyric."

"Yes, I serve no master save my own ambition," agreed Mutamin. "And I have gained control of these Basilisks. They sculpt with their eyes, and make me pretty stone gardens! You are next! Sorry Tiax, old friend, but you too stand in my way!"

"I'm sure," muttered Adrian. "Xzar...."

Xzar needed no further prompting. He sent his giant skeleton lumbering forward, and it drew the attention of the Basilisks. This enambled Xzar and Montaron to challenge Mutamin; to be able to raise their eyes to him, and fire a horde of magic missles. Tiax, too, seemed to take Mutamin's challenge personally; he summoned his own pet ghoul and sent it charging in. By the time Mutamin had recovered his wits from the magic missiles, the ghoul was right in his face. It struck him thrice, and he was dead. Then it went on to assist the giant skeleton against the basilisks.

At first, Adrian was tempted to let the undead face the Basilisks alone. They were immune to the gaze attacks, which only left the Basilisk's powerful bite. But while Tiax could always summon another Ghast, the same was not true of the Giant Skeleton. While it was now powerful enough to take a lot of damage, once it was gone, it would be gone, and Xzar had invested a lot into it.

So Viconia summoned a few more skeleonts to join the fray, and the mages spent the rest of their magic missles on the Basilisks, who were still staring at the undead. Adrian and Tiax added their own missle weapons to the fray. It took some twenty minutes, but the end was certain.

"Tomorrow we will reach the Red Wizard base," said Edwin, but he looked troubled as he said it.

"Good, but we're not camping in this dusty hell tonight," said Adrian, and led the party on until they reached slightly cooler, more grassy country.

That night, Viconia curled up next to him but made no erotic advances.

"Lover....what are we going to do?"

"The best we can, Vicky," he said.

Her eyes widened at the nickname, not in anger but in surprise. "I do not understand you, male, I really don't."

"Do you understand that I care for you?"

"Yes....."

"Do you understand that I wish you to stay with me?"

"Yes....."

"Isn't that enough?"

"It never has been before." She frowned.

Adrian reached out and caressed her cheek. "We have soemthing, Vicky. I don't want to lose it."

She nodded, slowly, and they lay down together, simply holding one another, feeling another's warmth, and drifted off into sleep.

All slept well that night save Edwin, who stared into the darkness for a long, long time, filled with fear and doubt.