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37. Strange Attractions


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#1 Guest_Kulyok_*

Posted 01 March 2009 - 07:24 PM

Ala jumped to the bottom of the pit. "Stop it, you two!" she panted. "Edwin, have you wasted the spell? Could you hide both of you with it?"
"How thick can you get? The invisibility spell I have can only cover a single person! Single! And this monkey has destroyed her own protection!" the wizard sat on the floor, clutching his belly. Obviously Dynaheir's kick hurt quite a lot. But there was no time for this.
"So, you have a single spell for the two of you," Ala repeated patiently. "There is a way to make it work, if you are quick about it. The gnolls are coming!"
Both wizards looked at her with identical looks of disgust.
"Never."
"No. (Under any circumstances, no.)"
"Die, then," she shrugged, looking around her. There was a body under the wooden stairwell. Closing her eyes and putting a hand over her nose, the girl lifted the corpse and slipped between the body and the ladder, hiding herself from view.
Edwin looked at the female wizard before him. "You realize that I'm doing this only to survive."
"Likewise," Dynaheir stared at him with pure hatred.
With a sigh, the Red Wizard completed the incantation, as his female opponent moved closer. The last thing Ala saw was Edwin bringing his lips to the woman's as he picked Dynaheir up. Then both of them disappeared.
Intimate physical contact indeed. Ala chuckled inwardly, remembering an old manual back at Candlekeep. "In cases of emergency, said spell can be stretched upon two individuals, provided both of them are in close proximity. The mentioned individuals are to enter the intimate physical contact the instant the spell is completed, and not to break it until the spell is to be lifted."
Pity they are invisible. Then she remembered Minsc. On the other hand, perhaps it's for the best.
Fortunately, the mages' escape went unnoticed. Ala heard gruff voices speaking in an unfamiliar language, and then a gnoll came down to the pit. She pressed her head to her knees and held her breath. Don't look. Don't look. The first rule of every rogue: never look straight, if you're trying to be inconspicuous, not intimidating. Otherwise your opponent will notice you for sure.
The creature stopped in the middle of the hole and sniffed at the corpses. Go. Just go. There's nobody here. Ala screw up her eyes. She could feel other monsters on the edge of the pit, staring down. If they notice me here, there's a very real chance I'll take Dynaheir's place permanently.
After an agonizingly long moment the gnoll turned and went back to his comrades, apparently satisfied. She took a deep breath. Soon, the gnolls' voices had died in the distance, and the girl assumed it was safe to begin the journey back. She shifted the corpse and ascended the ladder, but a familiar sound of a drunken song had stopped her in her tracks.
These two again. Ala rolled her eyes and retreated into a dark corner, letting the guards pass. Wait, they have spoken about the book before, haven't they? And I've seen which way it lies! It is probably unguarded now, because these two are here. The girl grinned, anticipating a short and rewarding venture. I think my party can wait for a while.
It was dark in the cave, and very cold. A large chest stood in the middle. Is it trapped, I wonder? No, it isn't. Good, let's have a look. Some scrolls, the girl tucked them into her belt, more potions, always good, and what is this?
A large tome, bound in orange leather, was nonchalantly lying in the far corner of the chest. It was covered with dust and cobwebs, but Ala hastily snatched it just the same. "Nether Tome of Truth," she read after wiping the front cover of the book.
The girl opened it with trembling fingers, and the world around her began to revolve...

"Hello again, my dear," her double was sitting cross-legged on the fresh snow, in the middle of the familiar empty black plain.
"Not you," Ala gritted her teeth.
Cold laughter filled her ears. "You made a grave mistake by opening this book, my dear. Why, you could continue to stumble about, listening to imaginary voices and fighting non-existent gods. 'No, sir, it was the inner voice of my Father who made me do this!'" She laughed again, this time almost good-naturedly. "But from this point on, the excuse would ring false. The imprint of Netherese magic on the said tome grants you a perfect villain's exposition!"
"I don't understand."
"Not surprisingly." Her double shot her another toothy smile. "Well, I shall begin, and you would catch on as you see fit." She made a dramatic pause. "Bhaal is dead. Permanently. It is possible to bring him back, but, frankly, I doubt someone would be crazy enough to actually make the attempt. His 'gifts' are products of the divine essence you shape yourself, following your innermost desires, and his voice is a figment of your imagination."
"So nice to hear I am talking to a figment of my imagination," Ala said slowly.
"My dear, it is you who is a little more than a brief dream," the pair of eyes in front of her flashed menacingly. "A flicker of my finger, and you are no more. However, there is a small matter of Ao's edict..." she trailed off and looked at the girl questioningly. "Well? Do you know who I am?"
"No. Not a clue."
"In the name of the Abyss! Even an average member of my priesthood is more intelligent!"
Priesthood... with glowing eyes. Golden eyes.
"You are Cyric, the reigning God of Murder."
"Not the most interesting of functions in my portfolio, but yes, dear girl, I am. Great Cyric--or, rather, the miniscule part of his mind, his avatar on the Prime Material Plane. Restricted to watching and observing, but that cannot prevent us from having a friendly chat, can it? Yes, sad to say, I am not your father." Her double sniffed, closing her face with her hands. Then she laughed again, and as she did, her face and figure changed, shedding the half-elf's appearance.
Plain red and grey clothing. Short dark hair. Two stark black eyes on a strikingly handsome face. A male face, looking hardly older than Ala's.
"The game was interesting, but it started to bore me," Cyric continued cheerfully. "That tome of yours was a good pretext to have a nice and long conversation about your taint, among other things. Mortals are so easy to manipulate: a bit of disinformation here and there, and they start to believe that Bhaal forces them to commit unspeakable atrocities!" He chuckled. "You would not believe how many Bhaalspawn killed themselves or were driven insane because of that. Of course, it makes the process of eliminating my would-be rivals all the easier."
"Doesn't Bhaal possess me?"
"How? Traveling through time to advise his dear offspring? No. In reality, the taint heightens your so-called urges, but this is all. Ironically, what your pet magician suggested is the only way to control them: if he tried to erect a mind shield, it would have no effect, as nobody can protect you from yourself. But I am not here to give you advice on maintaining the ways of Light. Unlike you, I do not have a stupid notion of controlling my urges."
"Really?" Talking to a live deity was harder than to a dead one. "So, was that the reason why you sent bounty hunters after me? Indulging your urges?"
"Me? Sending bounty hunters? My divine company has turned your head, it seems. No, and I am not going to tell you who has done it, either." He yawned. "This cursed object forces me, Great Cyric, to speak the truth at the moment, but that does not mean all the truth."
"But why are you telling me even this? The taint, the fact that all this bloodthirsty desires are mine? They do not feel mine, by the way. I couldn't kill an ogre mage on my own, and-"
"Ah, of course. You are a paragon of Virtue, so all this little dirty things are above your station, and only can be explained by Evil Influence. Stop this nonsense, Ala. Every person has murder within; yours is easier to reach, that is all. If you live to master your essence, killing any mortal would become an easy feat. And as for 'why', the main reason is that I am worried about your path, my dear. Worried about your destiny, as one might say," he stood up and bent over her hand in a parody of a bow. "But we shall talk about it at a later time."
The world started to revolve again...

Ala opened her eyes. She was shivering in the chilly air, but the girl was sure that the true cause of her sudden cold lay deeper.
Cyric! All right, he is not exactly hunting me, he is haunting me, but it does not make it any better. What in the Nine Hells does he want? Worried about my destiny? Worried, ha! Worried that I am still alive, more likely. Ala shuddered.
But what if he doesn't? If he is simply concerned? And he is so handsome, he looks so...
Ala, shut up.
There were no monsters near the entrance, but there was something else. A wide, spectacular blaze was shimmering in the air, not far from the place where her companions must have been. Sparks flew over the rocks right in front of her, and the girl heard the shrill, dissonant sounds of desperate chanting. A single thought pierced her mind. The gnolls cannot use magic. Edwin!




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