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Into the Maze


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#1 Guest_Bibbi_*

Posted 02 March 2004 - 06:19 PM

Jaheira woke up with a throbbing headache. As she sat up to gather her bearings, she noted that all of her equipment had been stripped of her, and that she was in a large, stone chamber with several doorways.

There was no immediate sign of danger so she took her time to ensure that she was not seriously harmed. Then, she crawled over to the only other feature in the chamber: Ajantis’ prone form. He was still alive and seemed unharmed, merely dazed. She roused him with vigorous shaking and helped him sit up.

“What happened?” he asked woozily.

“I am not sure. Wherever we are, we appear to be alone. I remember that bastard Yoshimo handing us over to the pirate, and then nothing. They stole our gear and our companions. I hope they fare better than us.”

They both looked into the shadows, seeing the faces of their companions and friends. “We must find them,” Ajantis affirmed. “We would not be good companions if we left them to die.”

“I agree,” Jaheira stated with equal intensity. “But first we must survive this place. Whoever put us here must have some reason, and I do not wish to stay to find out what that reason is. We may not even be anywhere near our friends.”

“Lady, you must keep hope strong in your breast if we are to vanquish this evil. Many a fight would have gone against me if I had succumbed to the greatest evil of all: doubt.”

Jaheira gave a wry smile. “For once, paladin, I agree with you.”

As they stood and carefully walked to the nearest door, they heard a cold chuckling from above. Both warriors spun around to face the sound, battle reflexes taking over. A small ledge presided over the chamber, leading to an opening near the ceiling of the room. On the ledge crouched a pale woman, beautiful in a feral sort of way. She flexed claws at the end of her hands and revealed sharp fangs in her grin.

“So the mice have come to play?” she laughed. “I’ve been so terribly bored here while Irenicus performs his experiments; the Shadow Thieves don’t last nearly long enough here to be any fun. I hope that you will fare better. I haven’t had any good entertainment in ages.” Jaheira recognized the woman as her abductor outside of Baldur’s Gate.

“Ah, I see we’ve met before. How kind of you to remember me, druid. I don’t believe I’ve been introduced to the brave knight, however. I am Bhodi. I have endured this island long enough and will soon be back to my normal haunts. But I can have one last bit of fun before I go.”

So the vampire could read minds, Jaheira noted. They were facing a powerful undead creature, and without any equipment, their only hope of surviving this encounter was to distract the capricious beast long enough to escape.

“Oh, don’t worry, Jaheira. I have no intention of killing you now.” Bhodi smiled as Jaheira cursed herself for not guarding her thoughts more closely. “You have been placed in this maze alive for one reason: to find freedom. I have wagered against my brother that you will make it to the end alive. He has so little faith in fleshlings, while I know the damage you can do, if left unchecked. So, I offer you a deal. If you manage to survive the maze long enough to escape, you shall leave this island without harm. Whichever companions of yours survive will be free to go, too. Except delicious Tybalt and Imoen, of course.”

“What would you gain from this?” Jaheira demanded.

“The thrill of the chase, of course! I will be watching you, harrying you at every turn. I have had little to hunt for some time, and you are worthy prey.”

“We will not trust such a beast of vile darkness!” Ajantis shouted.

“But you have no choice. You can either run my gauntlet or you can wait here for the end. I know which choice I would take.” Bhodi’s form dissolved as she spoke, turning to mist and flying back into the darkness.

Jaheira and Ajantis looked at each other. “She is right,” Jaheira sighed. “We have no choice but to move ahead.”

“I do not trust that monster to keep her word!”

“Neither do I. But for now, we can only wait until we regain the upper hand. There will be a reckoning, of this I am sure. We must be patient for it, though.”

Grudgingly, Ajantis nodded and followed her into the dark.

*

Valygar turned from corridor to corridor, unsure of where he was going. He had encountered no one since leaving Suna, making him think that the fortress was for the most part uninhabited.

He almost bumped into Cerebus as he rounded the next corner, and bit back a cry. “There you are! It’s good to see at least one friendly face, here.” The dog whined its agreement and nosed his hand. “Come, we must find the others.”

Cerebus barked and pranced down the hall, looking back at Valygar. “Do you know where they are?” The dog barked again and loped down to the end of the passage. Valygar trotted to keep up, making sure he remained silent in his pursuit of the dog.

He came upon Cerebus at a doorway. The dog was looking through the partially opened frame at the room beyond. Several stacks of adventuring gear were piled on tables, guarded by a single woman. The ranger recognized the equipment as Jaheira’s and Ajantis’s and wished desperately to know where they were. Fear clenched his stomach at the thought that Jaheira might not have survived capture, that her equipment was a sign of her death.

He refused to give in to such fears, however, knowing that whether she was alive or not, he needed to live long enough to see Irenicus dead. Then he would deal with the consequences of their visit to this island.

Behind the woman and the equipment, a stairway led down to a lower level. The woman looked to be a lithe warrior, though not one who would present too much of a challenge. Besides, she did not look as if she was expecting company anytime soon.

Valygar unsheathed his sword and walked into the room. “You and your master will rule us no more. Stand down and tell me where my companions are.”

The woman jumped and looked vaguely annoyed that she had been surprised, but recovered her composure. “Ooh, hello there. I didn’t know that the Bhaalspawn had such an assortment of strong men to accompany him. Much better than that elf I found. Too bad I’m under strict orders not to let any of you leave, otherwise we might get to know each other better.”

“Xan? You know where Xan is?”

“Well, last time I saw him he was a little tied up, but I doubt you’ll care about him soon. If Irenicus doesn’t have plans for you, I’m sure mistress Bhodi can find something.” The woman licked her lips. “She holds the key to eternal life, one I’m sure you’ll agree is worth any price. If you’re good, maybe you can get on her good side. She does so enjoy having…strong slaves at her disposal.”

“I will have nothing to do with that witch other than end her mockery of a life!” Valygar shouted. “And if you will not see that, then there are no more words we need share.”

“As you wish,” the woman snarled, drawing two short swords and leaping at him.

Despite the fury with which she attacked, she was no match for Valygar and his family’s blade, and she fell into a spreading pool of her blood before long. Cerebus stood at the stairway down, waiting for Valygar as if knowing the fight’s outcome from the start.

Valygar sighed and stepped over his foe. He gathered what equipment he could carry from the tables, hoping to be able to return it to Jaheira and Ajantis soon, and followed the hound down into the darkness.




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