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[Laufey]

Cards Reshuffled 257 – Dark Corners Of The Mind

There is one thing that most every human or demihuman fears, and Bhaalspawn perhaps most of all. The answer is ‘themselves’. However, being abducted by strange vampires for sinister purposes also does very little for a person’s peace of mind.

Excerpt from ‘Interview With An Assassin’

“I am going to make you a suggestion,” the vampire said, his voice cool and thoughtful. “I could make it a command, but I suspect I might damage your mind if I tried to enforce it, and I wouldn’t want that. So, a suggestion it is.”

Dekaras looked up into the pale face floating above him, wondering once again why the creature had bothered rescuing him. Not out of charity. He wants something. The question is, is it something I can agree to? His mind still felt…fuzzy. Probably it was because of the recent torture. After all, he was still about as weak as a newborn kitten, unable to stand, barely able to even keep his eyes open. And it is getting worse again, not better. Aerie had partially healed him, so that he might better withstand her torture, but there was still plenty of damage left inside of him. That dull throb in his stomach…the jagged pain every time he drew breath, and the taste of blood in his mouth every time he coughed, they were constant reminders. Internal bleeding, and enough that it will kill me in not too long. And he was cold…so very cold. Freezing, really, but too weak and weary to even manage to shiver.

“If you will hear me out, I will try to make certain that you live,” the vampire went on. His eyes were a pale green, like glass. Almost transparent, they were. “If not, I might as well let you die.”

Oh, let me think about that. My, my, whatever should I choose? Death, or listening to a suggestion I don’t have to accept? True, if I deny him he might kill me anyway…but somehow I don’t think so. “What…do you want?” the assassin breathed, inwardly wincing at how weak his voice sounded. The cold and damp air around him didn’t help either. He had passed out for a while as he was brought here, wherever here was, but he was definitely still underground. Stone walls, a rather small and bare room. No sign of that Shadow Thief who had helped bring him here. Maybe the vampire wanted a snack. The cold was making him feel numb, as if he was half a corpse already. It also made him acutely aware of the fact that he was still in urgent need of some clothes, assuming he was going to live of course. Preferably his own clothes, come to think of it.

“I will not tell you,” the vampire said, placing a cool hand on either side of the prone man’s head. “Instead, I will show you.”

It occurred to Dekaras then that perhaps he had just made a very bad mistake. He didn’t have the time to protest though, or even to think about it. Images rushed into his head, spinning past at a maddening speed, breaking past all mental defenses until there were no hiding places left. No…stay out! Keep away! There was no actual malice involved, that was the worst. That somebody would do this, would invade his mind so casually, despite his best efforts to resist.

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

-*-

Yoshimo hadn’t slept much that night. For a miracle, it seemed that both Bodhi and her Avariel ally had believed him to have been duped, and hadn’t suspected him of actually being an accomplice in the failed break-in. Not surprising. Was I not a dupe of Bodhi and her brother from the start? It must seem natural that I could be tricked into being the tool of another.

The bounty hunter sighed, and once again stared out the window of the small second-story room he was currently renting. It was more or less a hovel, really. The damp night air crept in through the cracks in the walls, the bed was a lumpy straw mattress, and its only redeeming feature was that there didn’t seem to be very many bugs. They must all have starved to death.

Beneath him, the ‘Golden Avenue’ wound in serpentine coils between the surrounding dingy houses. A very glorious name it was for a narrow and grimy little backalley, and Yoshimo had been amused to learn that the reason for it was that the leatherworkers, with their tubs of urine for curing leather, had formerly kept their shops along it. Now, they had been mostly supplanted by thieves, courtesans, and such people too poor and desperate to find more respectable company. The faint dawn light didn’t manage to do much to improve it, but that wasn’t the point.

The day has come. If I am to do something to aid him, it must be now, while the vampires sleep. Yoshimo gave a small frown as he thought about this. The events of the disastrous outing were troubling him, in more than one way. He had started to grow to like his companion, quite apart from him being a valuable ally. And now, this. I knew he was going under a false name, of course. But this…how could he possibly tolerate helping me now, given who he is? Given the Geas I am under?

But no. That wasn’t the real issue, not at all. If his…colleague…lived, he would at least be able to talk to him, perhaps they could come to an agreement after all, now they both knew the truth about the other. If he lives.

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be a likely prospect, right now. While Yoshimo wasn’t intimately familiar with the Avariel priestess, not in the way ‘Mordo’ was, what he had seen of her suggested that she could easily match Bodhi when it came to cruelty. And with both of them involved, well, that seemed to spell certain doom. If not one of them, then the other. Yoshimo sighed, frowning to himself. And he cannot even take the honorable way out. Could I help him with that, at least? Even if I cannot help him otherwise? It was something to consider, although he had a dark suspicion that it would probably already be too late for his fellow rogue.

There was a knock on the door, and the bounty hunter startled a little, half expecting it to be Bodhi herself, come to punish him for his treason. Or Aerie – it was getting light out after all. “Who is it, please?” he called out, even as his hand slid towards the hilt of his katana. To his surprise, the voice that replied was that of a small child. A girl, he thought.

“Got a message for ya, sir,” it said. “I’ll just slide it under the door, shall I?” A small white square of paper was pushed under the door, and there was a patter of small feet disappearing down the stairs. Yoshimo delicately reached a foot out, pulling the note closer. He didn’t want to stand too close to the door, just in case. However, nothing happened, and after a few minutes had passed with no further incidence he felt reassured that it wasn’t an ambush. He picked the letter up, unfolded it, and read it, cursing under his breath as he did so.

I have your friend, the letter began. He is still alive, but will probably not be so for much longer. If you wish to help him, you will come to the place described in this letter, and bring healing potions along. You will be granted safe passage, as long as you come alone.

Then followed instructions about how he should descend into a certain part of the Athkatla sewers, and where to go from there. Yoshimo read the letter through once more, to make certain he had missed nothing. No explanation. No name of the writer. It could easily be a trap. However…

…will probably not be so for much longer.

“So,” Yoshimo murmured to himself. “That is how it is. But no matter how crippled the honor of Yoshimo has become, there are limits. I will not abandon him.” Quickly, he gathered his weapons together. Time to go shopping for some healing potions, and then to take a little walk in the sewers.

He had been directed to choose one of the manholes in the Temple District, one that was situated behind the Temple of Talos, and did so, then continued to follow the directions of the letter. He had of course taken care not to be spotted as he descended into the sewers. The last thing he wanted was for one of Bodhi’s minions to spot him and start asking awkward questions.

The air of the sewers was heavy with the stench of human waste, and the water flowing past the narrow stone walkway that Yoshimo was following had a nasty color indeed. Here and there, faint light trickled down through one of the gratings in the ceiling, and made it possible to avoid falling into the muck. Interestingly enough, all seemed peaceful and quiet. At one point, he saw a goblin skittering around a corner, and the little green creature just gave a small squeak and scurried off. Another time, he saw a large green slime lazily propelling itself through the waste water, reminding him a little of the froth that might form on top of a stagnant pond. Apart from that, no sign of life. And yet…he could feel something. There was the faint sense of being watched, even though he couldn’t see or hear anybody.

Eventually, he reached his goal, a small wooden door at the end of a tunnel so narrow he almost had to walk sideways through it. Bracing himself, he prepared himself to knock on it as he had been bid. The unpleasant thought occurred to him that this all reminded him of a certain child’s tale he had been told when little. It had been Tamoko who shared it with him, and he hadn’t slept well for a week afterwards, as he recalled. Come into my house, said the wicked fox to the children. Come inside, and all your wishes will be granted – for a price. And they did step inside, and when they came out, the curse was upon them.

However…he was already under a curse. One more would make little difference. Yoshimo knocked on the door, thinking himself prepared for anything. What he hadn’t been prepared for was the creature that opened it to greet him.

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

“Enter,” The vampire said, stepping aside from the door. “And you’d better hurry, he doesn’t have long.”

Yoshimo was tempted, very tempted, to turn and run, run far away from this strange vampire who was like no vampire he had ever known. But instead, he moved past it, acutely aware of the cold, oddly salty smell that surrounded it, and the faint rustle of the plain black robes it was wearing.

The room was small enough, and he at once spotted the wounded man lying unconscious on a plain mattress. The assassin’s eyes were closed, and his breathing heavy and labored. Even worse, his skin was an unhealthy pale color and his lips and fingers were practically blue. “He’s freezing!” Yoshimo exclaimed, even as he hurried over to kneel beside his companion. “Have you no sense, to keep him like this? He needs blankets, or clothing, anything to keep him warm or he will die.”

For a second, he half expected the vampire to rip his throat out for his audacity, but it simply looked at him blankly for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Oh,” it said. “Yes. Humans need that, of course. I had his things brought here as I brought him, but had forgotten about them. They are in the corner over there.”

Yoshimo looked, and yes, there was a dark pile of clothes lying in the corner. Well and good. But first, healing. He wrenched the cork out of one of the bottles he had brought, pulled the unconscious man into a half-sitting position and managed to force his lips open, then trickled some of the fluid into his mouth, hoping he wouldn’t choke on it. The assassin swallowed, coughed some, then swallowed another mouthful, before Yoshimo had to stop to let him draw breath. He shivered, then his eyes opened and he looked back at the bounty hunter.

“Yoshimo?” he asked, his voice a little slurred with exhaustion.

“Yes, my friend, it is I. What has this fiend been doing to you?”

He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”


Next: Back to Rini and gang, and we learn just what the reason was for that scream.

[Laufey]

Dekaras looked up into the pale face floating above him, wondering once again why the creature had bothered rescuing him. Not out of charity. He wants something. The question is, is it something I can agree to? His mind still felt…fuzzy. Probably it was because of the recent torture. After all, he was still about as weak as a newborn kitten, unable to stand, barely able to even keep his eyes open. And it is getting worse again, not better. Aerie had partially healed him, so that he might better withstand her torture, but there was still plenty of damage left inside of him. That dull throb in his stomach…the jagged pain every time he drew breath, and the taste of blood in his mouth every time he coughed, they were constant reminders. Internal bleeding, and enough that it will kill me in not too long. And he was cold…so very cold. Freezing, really, but too weak and weary to even manage to shiver.

Very well described.

Thank you!

It occurred to Dekaras then that perhaps he had just made a very bad mistake. He didn’t have the time to protest though, or even to think about it. Images rushed into his head, spinning past at a maddening speed, breaking past all mental defenses until there were no hiding places left. No…stay out! Keep away! There was no actual malice involved, that was the worst. That somebody would do this, would invade his mind so casually, despite his best efforts to resist.

Poor Dekaras.

Oh, it's bad all right. This hurts him more than physical torture, really.

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

Yeah, this vampire made you scream...but he wasn't even trying, was he? He probably won't take any enjoyment at all from it, where she would have relished it, and held it over you and waved it like a banner. Personally, I'm glad if you had to scream... it wasn't for her. It sounds like a very complicated request/suggestion/command...thingy. I can imagine that you hate vampires more than ever now...

You're right - in a way, it would have been worse if Aerie had made him scream, because then there would have been the component of humiliation as well.

I can't help but imagine this:

B: Um, Yoshimo?

Y: Yes, MistressBhodi?

B: I couldn't help but notice that you have been hanging out in the filthiest of places...you sleep in "the golden avenue" and you go sewer strolling on your days off...do you have some sort of fetish I don't know about?

Eventually, he reached his goal, a small wooden door at the end of a tunnel so narrow he almost had to walk sideways through it. Bracing himself, he prepared himself to knock on it as he had been bid. The unpleasant thought occurred to him that this all reminded him of a certain child’s tale he had been told when little. It had been Tamoko who shared it with him, and he hadn’t slept well for a week afterwards, as he recalled. Come into my house, said the wicked fox to the children. Come inside, and all your wishes will be granted – for a price. And they did step inside, and when they came out, the curse was upon them.

How extremely ironic.

THank you.

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

Hmm. A very interesting description. I'm intrigued.

There is a reason for this, of course.

He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”

*Shiver* Appearantly quite a lot. Hopefully, even after whatever you've been programmed to do happens, you remember that Yoshimo came to your aid when no one else could.

Oh, I dare say he will.

[Laufey]

There is one thing that most every human or demihuman fears, and Bhaalspawn perhaps most of all. The answer is ‘themselves’. However, being abducted by strange vampires for sinister purposes also does very little for a person’s peace of mind.

Hmm, I always thought that being alone with themselves is the most wonderful thing that can ever happen to a person. *wistful sigh* But Dekkie might think different, of course.

Yes - his mind isn't really a very nice place to be!

“I am going to make you a suggestion,” the vampire said, his voice cool and thoughtful. “I could make it a command, but I suspect I might damage your mind if I tried to enforce it, and I wouldn’t want that. So, a suggestion it is.”

Oh, Dekkie's mind probably resembles a sponge by now: Wychlaran first, then Rini, then Aerie - nothing good will ever come of it, I fear.

Well...he won't go insane or anything. But there will be some consequences.

“If you will hear me out, I will try to make certain that you live,” the vampire went on. His eyes were a pale green, like glass. Almost transparent, they were. “If not, I might as well let you die.”

Is it a clue?

Not really, I'm afraid.

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

*stretches lazily* Good. It's past time Dekkie actually done something Eeeeevil. I'll be looking forward to it.

Just how Evil it is, you'll have to decide for yourself. It won't happen for quite some time though.

The bounty hunter sighed, and once again stared out the window of the small second-story room he was currently renting. It was more or less a hovel, really. The damp night air crept in through the cracks in the walls, the bed was a lumpy straw mattress, and its only redeeming feature was that there didn’t seem to be very many bugs. They must all have starved to death.

Ewww. *wrinkles nose* Why doesn't he rent a more comfortable room, then?

I don't think Bodhi pays him very much.

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

Why do I get the impression the vampire is simply bored and wishes to be left alone?

Hm...sort of. But there's another reason too.

For a second, he half expected the vampire to rip his throat out for his audacity, but it simply looked at him blankly for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Oh,” it said. “Yes. Humans need that, of course. I had his things brought here as I brought him, but had forgotten about them. They are in the corner over there.”

Poor dear... forced to deal with assassins and images and Bodhi... *pats vampire's cheek* I say, he needs a good, sound sleep in a comfortable coffin.

He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”

Who is talking here, Dekkie or Yoshi? And who does he talk to? And... what does he mean?

It's Dekkie. And what he means is that he doesn't remember a thing of what happened in this chapter.

[Laufey]

[quote][quote]
It occurred to Dekaras then that perhaps he had just made a very bad mistake. He didn’t have the time to protest though, or even to think about it. Images rushed into his head, spinning past at a maddening speed, breaking past all mental defenses until there were no hiding places left. No…stay out! Keep away! There was no actual malice involved, that was the worst. That somebody would do this, would invade his mind so casually, despite his best efforts to resist.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
This is one very powerful vampire!
[/quote]

Yes and no.

[quote]
[quote]
The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked.
[/quote]
[/quote]



[quote]
This can't be good...
[/quote]

No, it's pretty awful. Then again, it may lead to something good. Or maybe not, depending on your pov.


[quote]
[quote]
Beneath him, the ‘Golden Avenue’ wound in serpentine coils between the surrounding dingy houses. A very glorious name it was for a narrow and grimy little backalley, and Yoshimo had been amused to learn that the reason for it was that the leatherworkers, with their tubs of urine for curing leather, had formerly kept their shops along it. Now, they had been mostly supplanted by thieves, courtesans, and such people too poor and desperate to find more respectable company. The faint dawn light didn’t manage to do much to improve it, but that wasn’t the point. [/quote]
[/quote]



[quote]
Nice use of a bit of historical fact there.
[/quote]

Thanks!

[quote]
BTW, interestingly (or not) urine was a key component in early gunpowder making, too.
[/quote]

[quote]
And the early Romans used it as a base for a kind of toothpaste.
[/quote]

[quote]
I'll stop talking now.
[/quote]

Oooh...er...yummy. I know it's also been drunk as a sort of remedy. Can't remember against which illnesses though, and I seriously doubt it worked.


[quote]
He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?” [/quote]
[/quote]



[quote]
Ahhh...nice cliffhanger!
[/quote]

Thanks!

[quote]
Is this vampire a "canon" character, btw?
[/quote]

Maybe...maybe not. I'm being tightlipped about this character for a very good reason, that I'm sure you'll understand later.


[quote]
This should be quite interesting. I think I have a good hunch about Dekkie's vision...but we'll see.
[/quote]

Please let me know if you were right!

[quote]
Good chapter!![/quote]

Thanks!

[Laufey]

This is damn intriguing!

Thank you!

Very well written, & what appear to be some fascinating departures from the plot of the game! Aerie as Bodhi's ally? I DEFINITELY want to know how that came about...

Ah, now that's a long story! My Aerie is somewhat...different.

I'm new to these boards, so I'm not quite sure...is there an indexing system that would let me find the previous 256 quickly, or do I have to go digging?

Kendris

The story is even longer, since it starts in BG1, but if that doesn't put you off you can start here:

http://www.gamejag.net/Cards/

If you should wish to know more about the background to my Edwin, the Novellas section in The Cellar is the place to go.

[Laufey]

Oh, let me think about that. My, my, whatever should I choose? Death, or listening to a suggestion I don’t have to accept? True, if I deny him he might kill me anyway…but somehow I don’t think so.

Down to one hit point, and still sarcastic as ever

He'd be that even if he was dead.

It occurred to Dekaras then that perhaps he had just made a very bad mistake. He didn’t have the time to protest though, or even to think about it. Images rushed into his head, spinning past at a maddening speed, breaking past all mental defenses until there were no hiding places left. No…stay out! Keep away! There was no actual malice involved, that was the worst. That somebody would do this, would invade his mind so casually, despite his best efforts to resist.

Much, much worse than any torture Aerie could come up with

Give her credit - she'd have thought of it in time.

I have your friend, the letter began. He is still alive, but will probably not be so for much longer. If you wish to help him, you will come to the place described in this letter, and bring healing potions along. You will be granted safe passage, as long as you come alone.

Interesting, it looks like whoever this vampire is, he knows that Yoshimo was helping Dekaras.

Yes, so he does.

Yoshimo was tempted, very tempted, to turn and run, run far away from this strange vampire who was like no vampire he had ever known. But instead, he moved past it, acutely aware of the cold, oddly salty smell that surrounded it, and the faint rustle of the plain black robes it was wearing.

Still looks like something's pretending to be a vampire. I've an idea who it is, but I'll keep it to myself.

Well, I can't very well say much on the subject.

He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”

That's very omnious. Dekkie's been programmed to do something, and has no idea it's happened.

Oh yes. Nasty thought, isn't it?

[Laufey]

Anyway, Dekaras already met his greatest fear a couple of chapters ago when Aerie got him. This other fellow can only be his second greatest fear at worst.

Actually, being captured by Aerie wasn't his greatest fear. You'll get to see his greatest fear eventually - and it won't be a pretty sight.

“I am going to make you a suggestion,” the vampire said, his voice cool and thoughtful. “I could make it a command, but I suspect I might damage your mind if I tried to enforce it, and I wouldn’t want that. So, a suggestion it is.”

*brrrrrrr!!!* If I were Dekaras right now, I’d be taking any “suggestions” this fellow made with the utmost seriousness.

Definitely, and he knows it.

Dekaras looked up into the pale face floating above him, wondering once again why the creature had bothered rescuing him.

Hmmmmm. I’ll be surprised if “rescue” turns out to be the right word here.

No, it's sort of like being a worm rescued off a hook by a fish.

Not out of charity. He wants something. The question is, is it something I can agree to? His mind still felt…fuzzy. Probably it was because of the recent torture. After all, he was still about as weak as a newborn kitten, unable to stand, barely able to even keep his eyes open. And it is getting worse again, not better. Aerie had partially healed him, so that he might better withstand her torture, but there was still plenty of damage left inside of him. That dull throb in his stomach…the jagged pain every time he drew breath, and the taste of blood in his mouth every time he coughed, they were constant reminders. Internal bleeding, and enough that it will kill me in not too long. And he was cold…so very cold. Freezing, really, but too weak and weary to even manage to shiver.

Chilling description.

Thanks!

It also made him acutely aware of the fact that he was still in urgent need of some clothes, assuming he was going to live of course. Preferably his own clothes, come to think of it.

No clothes? He must feel incredibly vulnerable.

Oh yes, or at least he would, if he wasn't nearly dead.

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

Wow. This vampire must be very powerful to have entered Dekaras’s mind so effortlessly.

That he is.

Yoshimo hadn’t slept much that night. For a miracle, it seemed that both Bodhi and her Avariel ally had believed him to have been duped, and hadn’t suspected him of actually being an accomplice in the failed break-in. Not surprising. Was I not a dupe of Bodhi and her brother from the start? It must seem natural that I could be tricked into being the tool of another.

This is believable. Of course Bodhi knows about the geas, so she would assume he was entirely under her control. And Aerie would see Yoshi as Bodhi’s servant (that’s how they were introduced), and would assume he was Bodhi’s thrall.

Thanks! Yes, I thought it would make sense for them to assume this. Especially since Bodhi isn't a mage, and doesn't know the limits of the geas.

The bounty hunter sighed, and once again stared out the window of the small second-story room he was currently renting. It was more or less a hovel, really. The damp night air crept in through the cracks in the walls, the bed was a lumpy straw mattress, and its only redeeming feature was that there didn’t seem to be very many bugs. They must all have starved to death.

Awww, couldn’t he afford something better?

Bodhi doesn't pay much - he's just her slave, and one not currently in her good graces.

But no. That wasn’t the real issue, not at all. If his…colleague…lived, he would at least be able to talk to him, perhaps they could come to an agreement after all, now they both knew the truth about the other. If he lives.

And Dekaras is the only hope he has of somehow getting around the geas.

Oh yes, slim as the hope may be.

I have your friend, the letter began. He is still alive, but will probably not be so for much longer. If you wish to help him, you will come to the place described in this letter, and bring healing potions along. You will be granted safe passage, as long as you come alone.

Wow! More and more mysterious. This strange vampire knows about Yoshimo and Dekaras’s alliance, something even Bodhi hasn’t discovered. I guess vampires wouldn’t normally have healing spells.

No...I don't know how it would work with a cleric vampire though. Perhaps they would keep theirs, if their deity was an evil one at least.

The air of the sewers was heavy with the stench of human waste, and the water flowing past the narrow stone walkway that Yoshimo was following had a nasty color indeed. Here and there, faint light trickled down through one of the gratings in the ceiling, and made it possible to avoid falling into the muck. Interestingly enough, all seemed peaceful and quiet. At one point, he saw a goblin skittering around a corner, and the little green creature just gave a small squeak and scurried off.

Much more realistic than in the game, having a goblin run away. And a nice description of the sewers.

'

Thanks! Yes, I agree that those little green pests ought to be pretty scared of Our Heroes by now, at least when not in a huge pack.

However…he was already under a curse. One more would make little difference. Yoshimo knocked on the door, thinking himself prepared for anything. What he hadn’t been prepared for was the creature that opened it to greet him.

Yoshimo is being so heroic, I really hope he winds up with at least a nobler ending than in the game.

I hope so too - we shall see.

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

Wow. Very intriguing description.

Thank you!

“Yes, my friend, it is I. What has this fiend been doing to you?”

Hmmm. I’d be scared to call him a fiend with him standing right there. Although given your description of the vampire up to this point, I’m sure he wouldn’t care a bit.

No, he wouldn't.

Next: Back to Rini and gang, and we learn just what the reason was for that scream.

Very nice the way you’re keeping us on the edge of our collective seats by switching back and forth between one cliff hanger and another. I really like the way you’re developing this new vampire character. The way he thoughtlessly used a thief as a beast of burden, the way he casually entered Dekaras’s mind, the way he forgot to clothe Dekaras, and the way Yoshimo described him at their initial meeting. Unlike Bodhi or Aerie, this vampire doesn’t seem to take pleasure in suffering. He comes across as being not cruel, but completely amoral and indifferent, which makes him at least as scary as Bodhi. He must be very powerful given the way he so easily entered Dekaras’s mind. Perhaps the really powerful evil vampires don’t have to indulge in cheap theatrics. Hear that, Bodhi?

Yes, you're right. This fellow isn't cruel as such - not in the sadistic way. He's simply totally amoral and indifferent, and completely devoted to his own agenda.

By the way, I hope in the chapter after the next one, we get to see Aerie’s reaction to finding Dekaras missing. I’m looking forward to that.

--Rick Taylor

Not the one after last, but you will get to see it, I promise.

[Laufey]

“I am going to make you a suggestion,” the vampire said, his voice cool and thoughtful. “I could make it a command, but I suspect I might damage your mind if I tried to enforce it, and I wouldn’t want that. So, a suggestion it is.”

Suggestion is something that you’re supposed to be free to refuse – doubt that’s the case for Dekkie, here.

Well, *technically* he could. He wouldn't exactly be punished - just left to die.

Dekaras looked up into the pale face floating above him, wondering once again why the creature had bothered rescuing him. Not out of charity. He wants something. The question is, is it something I can agree to? His mind still felt…fuzzy. Probably it was because of the recent torture. After all, he was still about as weak as a newborn kitten, unable to stand, barely able to even keep his eyes open. And it is getting worse again, not better. Aerie had partially healed him, so that he might better withstand her torture, but there was still plenty of damage left inside of him. That dull throb in his stomach…the jagged pain every time he drew breath, and the taste of blood in his mouth every time he coughed, they were constant reminders. Internal bleeding, and enough that it will kill me in not too long.

Methinks, Aerie might have tried Evan’s Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion on Dekkie…

http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=20

Oh, *ouch*! Yes, I wouldn't be at all surprised!

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

I know that Dekkie has been weakened and all, but it was still quite surprising to see this vampire getting past his mental barriers so effortlessly. Hmm, maybe the vampk knows him from before, maybe it’s a Rashemi vamp or something.

This is not a slipup on my part - there's a reason for why it happened this way. Unfortunately, I can't tell you.

I have your friend, the letter began. He is still alive, but will probably not be so for much longer. If you wish to help him, you will come to the place described in this letter, and bring healing potions along. You will be granted safe passage, as long as you come alone.

Yes, so he does need Dekkie alive for some reason – I do wonder how that vampire will make certain that Dekkie does whatever the vamp will want him to do.

He can't be absolutely certain.

Eventually, he reached his goal, a small wooden door at the end of a tunnel so narrow he almost had to walk sideways through it. Bracing himself, he prepared himself to knock on it as he had been bid. The unpleasant thought occurred to him that this all reminded him of a certain child’s tale he had been told when little. It had been Tamoko who shared it with him, and he hadn’t slept well for a week afterwards, as he recalled. Come into my house, said the wicked fox to the children. Come inside, and all your wishes will be granted – for a price. And they did step inside, and when they came out, the curse was upon them.

Not on Dekkie, though – I now have a nasty suspicion about what that vamp will do to Dekkie.

*whistles innocently*

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

Hmm, I guess it’s not your ordinary vampire, then. Still, I don’t expect it to be easy to pass for a vampire even with some magical illusions… so I’d wager it’s still some sort of unnatural, probably undead creature.

No telling!

He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”

Heh, so it’s a memory wipe for poor Dek? Still curious about the goals of that vampire – you’ve done quite a job in keeping it all very vague.

I'm afraid it will remain vague for now, you'll have to wait a long time to find out what this is all about.

[Laufey]

“I am going to make you a suggestion,” the vampire said, his voice cool and thoughtful. “I could make it a command, but I suspect I might damage your mind if I tried to enforce it, and I wouldn’t want that. So, a suggestion it is.”

shades of the "Manchurian Candidate"!!! so what this strange vampire wants dekkie to do is something he'd at least consider willingly???

It is, yes. Or rather, it will be.

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

Nasty, right?

Beneath him, the ‘Golden Avenue’ wound in serpentine coils between the surrounding dingy houses. A very glorious name it was for a narrow and grimy little backalley, and Yoshimo had been amused to learn that the reason for it was that the leatherworkers, with their tubs of urine for curing leather, had formerly kept their shops along it. Now, they had been mostly supplanted by thieves, courtesans, and such people too poor and desperate to find more respectable company. The faint dawn light didn’t manage to do much to improve it, but that wasn’t the point.

what really disturbs me is they used to use urine for shampoo...

Eeeewww! Now that I didn't know.

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

he's already fed...or....

he's not a vampire....

the hidden???

Not saying one way or the other.

Next: Back to Rini and gang, and we learn just what the reason was for that scream.

yay!!!

[Laufey]

[quote][quote]
“If you will hear me out, I will try to make certain that you live,” the vampire went on. His eyes were a pale green, like glass. Almost transparent, they were. “If not, I might as well let you die.”
[/quote]

[quote]
Oh, let me think about that. My, my, whatever should I choose? Death, or listening to a suggestion I don’t have to accept?
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Heh. Probably just as well he's too weak to speak much.
[/quote]

Yes. He's usually able to restrain himself better than Edwin, but the tendency is still there.

[quote]
[quote]
The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
So it wants... an assassination?
[/quote]

Not saying.

[quote]
[quote]
He didn’t want to stand too close to the door, just in case. However, nothing happened, and after a few minutes had passed with no further incidence he felt reassured that it wasn’t an ambush.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
incident
[/quote]

Thanks!


[quote]
[quote]
The air of the sewers was heavy with the stench of human waste, and the water flowing past the narrow stone walkway that Yoshimo was following had a nasty color indeed. Here and there, faint light trickled down through one of the gratings in the ceiling, and made it possible to avoid falling into the muck. Interestingly enough, all seemed peaceful and quiet. At one point, he saw a goblin skittering around a corner, and the little green creature just gave a small squeak and scurried off.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Post-Adventurer Stress Syndrome? Poor goblins.
[/quote]

I sort of felt sorry for it myself.


[quote]
For a second, he half expected the vampire to rip his throat out for his audacity, but it simply looked at him blankly for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Oh,” it said. “Yes. Humans need that, of course. I had his things brought here as I brought him, but had forgotten about them. They are in the corner over there.”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
I like this guy.
[/quote]

He's not very good at the human touch, so to speak!

[quote]
[quote]
He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Something we all would like an answer to. [/quote]

And you shall have it...eventually.

[Weyoun]

“If you will hear me out, I will try to make certain that you live,” the vampire went on. His eyes were a pale green, like glass. Almost transparent, they were. “If not, I might as well let you die.”

Odd fellow, this. Hmmm...

The pictures kept coming, explaining what the vampire wanted, and offering suggestions and alternatives, showing the different choices to be made. They were storming through his head, leaving only the smallest sense of self huddled against the wall of his mind, barely clinging to sanity. Far in the distance, he could hear himself scream, although it sounded muffled and choked. The tiny part of him that could still form coherent thoughts wondered just how enraged Aerie would have been at learning that the vampire had succeeded where she had failed.

Hehehehehe, stupid Aerie.

But no. That wasn’t the real issue, not at all. If his…colleague…lived, he would at least be able to talk to him, perhaps they could come to an agreement after all, now they both knew the truth about the other. If he lives.

That's a pretty big if at the moment.

“Got a message for ya, sir,” it said. “I’ll just slide it under the door, shall I?” A small white square of paper was pushed under the door, and there was a patter of small feet disappearing down the stairs. Yoshimo delicately reached a foot out, pulling the note closer. He didn’t want to stand too close to the door, just in case. However, nothing happened, and after a few minutes had passed with no further incidence he felt reassured that it wasn’t an ambush. He picked the letter up, unfolded it, and read it, cursing under his breath as he did so.

Let's hope it doesn't explode.

Eventually, he reached his goal, a small wooden door at the end of a tunnel so narrow he almost had to walk sideways through it. Bracing himself, he prepared himself to knock on it as he had been bid. The unpleasant thought occurred to him that this all reminded him of a certain child’s tale he had been told when little. It had been Tamoko who shared it with him, and he hadn’t slept well for a week afterwards, as he recalled. Come into my house, said the wicked fox to the children. Come inside, and all your wishes will be granted – for a price. And they did step inside, and when they came out, the curse was upon them.

Interesting story. Did you hear it or make it up yourself?

The vampire was tall, taller than any he had seen so far. Taller than most humans, in fact, and thinner. There were deep hollows in its pale cheeks, and its green eyes were sunken in and shadowed. And there was something else as well. Yoshimo had seen more vampires in the past year than he had ever wished for, and though they could vary a great deal in appearance, this one was somehow different from them all. It wasn’t its looks, or at least not just that. Rather it was in the way it watched him. Vampires, even the most mindless of subordinate fledglings or the most outwardly controlled of masters, always had a sense of hunger about them, that made you aware of how they wanted to leap on you and drink your blood. But not this one. It just eyed him coldly, almost indifferently. Whatever it might want from him, it wasn’t blood.

Nice mystery you've got going along. This just getting odder and odder.

“Yoshimo?” he asked, his voice a little slurred with exhaustion.

“Yes, my friend, it is I. What has this fiend been doing to you?”

At least he's still alive.

He looked uncomprehending at first, then followed the bounty hunter’s gaze to where the vampire stood silently against one wall. “I’ve never seen him before…in my life,” he whispered. “Have I…been missing something?”

Ooookkaayyy...

Next: Back to Rini and gang, and we learn just what the reason was for that scream.

I'd venture a guess in saying it wasn't a climatic scream?