Cards Reshuffled 271 – Corthala Business
Winning is important, right? People like to win, and those who say differently lie. But sometimes, it’s only after you’ve won that the real battle begins.
Excerpt from ‘Ruminations Of A Master Bard’
Shields of moonpale light flared up against Lavok, and the ancient necromancer’s hands started moving with frightening speed as he cast a spell. Before she had the time to think, much less act, a towering creature made entirely out of writhing flames was bearing down on her. Arms of flickering flames reached for her, and she could feel the terrible heat beginning to blister her skin as the fire elemental advanced.
Close combat, bad idea. Standing still to cast a spell, even worse idea. Running? Good idea. She reached deep inside, drawing forth the power of Bhaal, and she shifted into her alternate form. From the perspective of a small red cat, the fire elemental looked bloody huge, but at least this way it should be easier to dodge it. She leapt aside, skidding along the slippery floor on shaking paws, but although the fur on her tail smelt burnt, at least her hide was intact.
Hurry, hurry, hurry. But where to run?
Getting the sense of a battle wasn’t exactly easy when you were this small, but she dared a quick look around her. The ground was going up in flames, and her friends were scrambling to get out of the burning area. The only one who didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by this was Valygar, who kept steadily advancing on Lavok. He was forced to make a brief pause though, as four shambling ghouls materialized in a circle around him. The stench of rotting flesh was strong in her nostrils as she dove between the legs of one of them, darting through the circle.
A confused roar rose from the throat of one of the ghouls as the fire elemental careened into it, and there was a large cloud of very smelly steam. When the bard retook her normal shape on the other side of the room, two ghouls were burning merrily on the ground, one was shuffling around trying to gather up its severed arms, and Valygar was busy decapitating the fourth and last. As for the fire elemental, it shrieked as a vast cone of freezing wind struck it, courtesy of Jan. When the miniature blizzard cleared, the elemental was a tiny pile of coal.
Hurriedly, the bard cast a simple Magic Missile, hoping that she’d be wrong about those shields. But no, the spell pinged harmlessly off against the shield, doing no damage at all. At least it wasn’t a reflecting shield, that’s something.
Minsc was roaring with berserker fury, stabbing again and again at the necromancer, but Lilarcor was no more successful at getting through the magical shields than magic had been. Somewhere behind, she could hear Edwin finishing a spell of his own, and there was a second fire elemental, this one coming for Lavok, hissing and spitting. The necromancer flinched – while physical attacks could not harm him, it seemed the elemental’s fiery aura was at least doing him some damage.
Bearing her teeth in a growl, Jaheira moved in towards Lavok’s right flank, pausing only briefly to pass a hand over her scimitar in a graceful arc. When the motion ended, small flames were licking the blade, and now the necromancer’s lifeless eyes were filled with apprehension at last. Anomen raised his arm, and the Flail of Ages struck home, adding its own elemental damage, making the necromancer flinch. Rini grinned, drawing her bow. A ghostly arrow flew straight and true, piercing the shield. While the necromancer was still protected against having his flesh harmed, the arrow’s enchantment still seared and burned him, and now the shields winked out, depleted at last.
But Lavok wasn’t nearly ready to give up. Flinging a claw-like hand out he cast another spell, his pallid face twisted with fury. Zaerini felt her movements slow to a crawl…the world had suddenly turned to sluggish taffy, and she was about as swift as a drugged slug. Even worse, she wasn’t the only one. Her friends were slowed as she was, and now Lavok was raising his arms again, his voice rising and falling in a rhythmical cadence that was horribly familiar.
Horrid Wilting. If that goes off, we’re dead. Have to…move…
Impossible, trapped, caught in a snare. No way to fight, no way to flee, able only to stand and die.
Wait. Something moving, something she could barely glimpse at the corner of her eye. A dark shape, moving steadily and with purpose. Valygar. He wasn’t as swift as he had said he had been when fighting the golem, but he was swift enough, and the air around him was filled with the unmistakable tang of strong magic.
Speed spell…he must have cast it just in the nick of time. Go Val, go!
Valygar didn’t speak. He didn’t smile, or taunt. He simply came on, heading for Lavok the way a piece of iron filing is drawn towards a magnet. The necromancer’s black eyes widened, and the shriveled red mouth moved faster as he desperately tried to finish his spell in time. He was almost finished…only a few syllables more…
And Lavok looked down upon the katana piercing his chest, clutching desperately at the sharp blade that had embedded itself within his flesh and penetrated all the way through his back. He went down on his knees, still clinging to the sword. “You…” he whispered. “You are The One. A true Corthala.”
“Yes,” Valygar said, his voice as heavy as lead. “Yes, I am.”
The slowing spell finally broke, and as Rini approached, she could easily see why. On Lavok’s pale and wrinkled skin dark blotches were appearing…almost as if he was decomposing before her eyes.
“Dead soon…” the necromancer whispered, and his voice was almost inaudible. “Dead at last. Thank you.”
“Thank you?!” Valygar spat, and now he sounded truly angry. “You thank me? What do you think this is, wizard, some kind of game? Do you even know what you have done? To me and to all the Corthalas before me?”
Lavok closed his eyes for a moment, but then looked at his descendant again. “I know…” he whispered. “I sought the stars…sought power. And I found it…it found me.”
“What did?”
“It. Outside our stars.” He coughed, spitting out gobs of black blood. “Things beyond the mortal mind. It found me. It took me. And now…it is gone.” The unnaturally red lips twitched into a feeble smile, and the glassy eyes were moist with tears. “I am free.”
Valygar bent over the dieing necromancer. “You expect me to forgive you?” He said in a low voice. “Just like that? After everything you did?”
“No…” Lavok whispered. “No, I don’t expect that. But…there is one thing. The Sphere…it is stranded here. I will aid you. I will tell you how to start and steer it, how to bring us home.” He coughed again. “It has been so long. If you can, will you let me see our own sun and sky one more time?”
There was a long silence. None of the other party members spoke, and Rini was sure that they all felt as she did. This was Corthala business, Valygar’s choice to make. She had no idea at all what she herself would have done.
“Tell me,” he said. “Then, we will see.”
-*-
“So,” Jaheira said a while later. “A demon heart. Just that. As simple as can be.”
“Well,” Zaerini said with a quick grin, “this is the Abyss. They shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
“That is not the point, child, and you know it well.”
Rini looked around, inwardly conceding that Jaheira had a point. This wasn’t exactly the kind of place she would have chosen to go hiking in, had she had a choice about it. Behind, the dusty gray shape of the Sphere, their only safe refuge, looked worryingly small and distant.
The ground was cracked and dry, with deep fissures spewing bubbling lava here and there. Above, the sky was a swirling vortex of red clouds, and if there was a sun, it was nowhere to be seen.
“The wizard could have lied, you know,” Jaheira went on. “I would not consider him the most trustworthy of people.”
“I guess he could, but I don’t think he did. And if he did, Valygar’s back there to take care of him.” Zaerini frowned. “Then again, if that becomes necessary, I guess we all might be dead. So yeah, I know what you mean. But what should we have done? Kill him?”
“It would have been a prudent course of action,” Edwin agreed. “Then again, while I could undoubtedly manage to deduce the inner workings of the Sphere, it might take even my gargantuan mind some time, so the ramblings of this insane necromancer might prove useful. Not to mention that his equally deluded descendant is currently out of our hair, playing nursemaid to him. (Thank Kossuth that I come from a more stable family environment than that.)”
“That is no good at all!” Jaheira protested. “With Valygar keeping an eye on Lavok to make certain he gets up to no mischief, we have one person less to help with the hunting of demon hearts.”
“Ah, but surely we will faire well on our own,” Anomen said with a smile. “Come now, my lady, we have faced and conquered many foes to this day, and there is no doubt in my mind that we will triumph once again.”
The druid simply snorted at that.
“Oh, the glory of awaiting battle!” Minsc said, skipping merrily along with Boo perched on his shoulder. “Boo says that we can gain much honor in this place, but that if we see a very big demon with two monkey heads we should leave it for him.”
“Monkey heads?” Edwin asked. “As in Demogorgon, prince of demons?”
“Boo did not mention the name, but his tiny hamster teeth itch for blood.”
“Well, that should be an entertaining spectacle to watch, at least. (I wonder if it would be possible to magically record the event for later watching?)”
“Uh, guys?” Jan suddenly said. “These demons we’re hunting, would they be about as large as a horse, with fangs and claws, and tentacles coming out of their shoulders?”
“Sounds about right,” Rini agreed.
“And would they have weird glowing eyes, and batwings, and spikes along their backs?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Why?”
“Well, there’s one of those perched on that ledge right above us, you see. Don’t like to interrupt you, but I just thought I’d mention it.”
Next: A demon - and a meeting.
