Adrian: Baldur's Gate

Adrian didn't like this. Unlike the battle with the horde of lackeys, he had no way to plan this ahead of time. He had no way of knowing what he was facing, save that his opponents would be much more powerful. Thieves, almost certainly. Fighters, probably. But what else?

The wizards understood. Magic Missiles worked on almost everyone, and would be able to disrupt any spells an enemy mage or cleric might cast. The tent, while large, was not large enough to prevent their own fireballs from affecting them, so such would not be used. Lightning bolt, likewise, would bounce back and forth in unpredictable ways.

Adrian gritted his teeth. He didn't like it, but there was nothing else for it. They had prepared as best they could. It was hoped that like their underlings, the lieutenants would just be waking up.

They charged in.

The lieutenants were, in fact, already up, but not for long. Still wiping the grit from their eyes, they nevertheless reacted quickly when the party burst in. Adrian quickly counted two human warriors in front, flanking a Gnoll, a mage off to the left, and shadowy movement in the back that probably indicated another foe.

Kagain charged the Gnoll directly, taking him on. Axe crashed against halberd.

The wizards hurled magic missiles at the mage, but he had already cast mirror image on himself. Fortunately, all but one of his mirror images went down immediately. This meant, though, that he could start casting another spell.

Adrian cursed, and threw a Minor Drain into the depths of the tent at the shadow figure. Leaving the mages to deal with their own kind, he closed with the nearer of the two human warriors, while Viconia faced the other. Safana hurled sling bullets at the figure in back, who proved to be shooting poisoned arrows at them. One bounced ineffectually off Adrian's storm armor.

The mage got off a Horror spell before Xzar and Edwin's magic missiles found him. Xzar and Safana turned and ran. Edwin spat a Thayvian curse, and blasted the enemy mage with another wave of missiles, disrupting him.

Kagain and the Gnoll were evenly matched, axe and halberd continually parrying. Adrian put his foe down with some difficulty, then went to aid Viconia, favoring the Gnoll with a Minor Drain as he went. He had almost reached her when a poison arrow found it's mark, digging into his chin. He pulled it out, but knew the poison was already in his veins.

Edwin had finished off the mage, and turned and treated the Gnoll to an Aganazar's Scorcher, which enabled Kagain to defeat it. Kagain charged deeper into the tent, to face the archer.

Between Adrian and Viconia, the other human warrior had no chance, going down quickly. Adrian shuddered as the poison coursed through him, and Viconia turned to him. She had no poison slowing spells memorized, but healed him each time the poison hurt him, enabling him to ride out the venom without it's killing him.

Kagain and Edwin were taking down the archer nicely, who proved to be a Hobgoblin, when Safana returned, and dropped a sling bullet between his eyes to finish him.

"Scared ya, did he girlie?" Kagain chuckled.

Safana shrugged. "Xzar was too."

"Xzar jumps at his own shadow," Edwin sneered.

"So did you, the other night, if I recall," Adrian pointed out, shuddering through another burst of poison.

"That was more than a shadow," Edwin said, trying not to show fear.

"No," Adrian agreed. "That was a response to your plotting."

Edwin shrugged. "You would have done the same."

"No," Adrian said. "If someone paid me to serve them for a year, I would honor the contract."

"Believing in the Law all of a sudden?" Edwin asked.

"Nothing to do with law. Everything to do with money."

Edwin shrugged. "I fail to see the point."

"The point," said Adrian, shuddering through the last of the poison and Viconia's accompanying healing spell, "Is that you have no reason to criticize Xzar of one of your own flaws."

"I don't agree."

"I don't care if you agree, just shut up about it."

Edwin sneered but held his tongue.

It was Kagain who spoke. "E's a good leader, Eddie. Dinna push him."

"Don't call me Eddie!"

"He helped you achieve your mission, did he not?" asked Viconia.

Edwin shrugged.

"Enough of this," said Safana smoothly. "I'll get Xzar."

"No, Kagain will," said Adrian. "I need you here. The treasure chest of these bandits will obviously be trapped."

Indeed it was, but Safana disarmed it. Kagain was delighted by all the gold, and the Hobgoblin's bow, which could be sold for a high price.

Adrian too savored the gold, but was more interested in the evidence that pointed them next to Cloakwood, where Tazok had gone. They would not go there immediately; this fight had proven they needed more experience. But their ultimate course was clear.

They loaded up on the gold, treasure, and excellent chicken roast the bandits had prepared for themselves, and then used the surviving cooking fires to set the tents alight. Any surviving bandits would not be using this base again.

Abruptly, one of those bandits was in Adrian's face. Raiken!

"I should have known," he snarled. He must've been hiding in the trees.

His sword sparked off Adrian's armor. Adrian didn't bother to draw his sword; he merely punched Raiken in the face, hard. Raiken staggered back, into Viconia, who pounded him into the ground.

They slipped off into the woods, as the tents started to blaze.

Later in the day, Edwin acknowledged, grudgingly, Adrian's tactical prowess in setting up the raid. It was as near to an apology he would give, and Adrian was content with that. They sat round the campfire that night, not far from Baldur's Gate, just off the Coast Way, and regained some of their camaraderie. Each of them, in his or her own way, sensed that they were onto something big here. Xzar and Adrian most of all.

Another dream.

Adrian stalked anew through the burning tents of the camp, glorying in his own skill as a warrior. Warrior? By the Hells, he was becoming a Warlord. As his armored foe had been. One day they would come to blows....

His thoughts were interrupted as the ground opened beneath him, sucking him down without impact or fanfare. He struggled to regain the surface, but oddly there was no soil to grasp at, only Darkness.

Eventually he came to a lighted statue...of himself! Lifelike in every detail, his image carved in stone.

"Such pride undeserved, great conqueror," said a chilling voice from the depths, "When every bit of your being is borrowed. Credit where credit is due, and dues where payment is demanded."

"Show yourself!" Adrian shouted to the darkness. "Who are you! Why do you torment me!? What are these powers?"

"Ask the wizards," the cold voice invited. "But I doubt you'd believe them even if they told you. Rush not into this knowledge, less you truly wish to be mine."

A dagger of bone flew from the darkness and struck the statue, square. It cracked only slightly, but Adrian felt as though he had been ripped asunder. He doubled over in pain.

"You were made as you are," taunted the voice, "And you can also be broken."

"I have made myself," Adrian hissed through gritted teeth. "And I will break you, if you bother to show yourself, coward."

The voice did not reply. Adrian floated in the darkness until morning woke him.