Welcome to the next part of the story! Someone from a previous chapter makes a (very unwelcome) reappearance in this one. I hope you’ll like it! Please R&R *smile*
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It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart... (Michael Jackson, “Thriller”)
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CHAPTER 18
Tiris, a sixteen-year-old lad with unkempt brown hair, was huddled in a corner and his freckled face was pale with fear, but his trembling subsided a bit when he saw the adventurers, "You are the heroes, right? You stopped the druids and...And sent the genies away, right?", he stammered, looking at them with a mixture of terror and hope.
Margaret Dawn sat down next to him, "It’s all right, we’re here now, you have nothing to fear", she said soothingly, "What happened, Tiris?". "It’s all so horrible, I don’t know where to begin! My...My beloved Raissa and I were coming home, two nights ago. Her home is right next door, you see.
I heard a noise coming from the dark, but I couldn’t see anything, so I just thought it was the wind. But then a man came out of nowhere and hit me on the head", the lad said, reflexively rubbing the back of his head, "I passed out and when I woke up, I was on the floor of a room and the man who had hit me was tying Raissa to a chair.
My head hurt and I felt dizzy, so I didn’t notice there was someone else in the room, until...", he trailed off, a shudder passing through him. "Until?". "Until that...Thing came to stand into the light and I saw it", Tiris’ face twisted with horror, "It was like a man, but skinless! I...I could see his muscles and sinews...
It hissed, the most terrifying sound I’ve ever heard and it made to grab me...I shrieked and jumped out of his reach. The man shouted at it to catch me and it shouted something in response, but I didn’t stop to listen, I just ran away as fast as I could".
"And the girl is still with them, I guess?", Anomen asked, struggling to keep his tone neutral. Tiris lowered his head, flushing, "Yes. I...I am so ashamed of myself, sir, I left Raissa there to die! Please, can you save her? The guards...They can’t do anything against such a monster".
Meg nodded, "We’ll do our best, I promise. Can you tell us anything more?". "Well...I think the creature called the man by his name. It was Rejiek". The Helmite swore under his breath at hearing that name and the Painbearer pressed her lips in a thin line. "Rejiek? Are you sure?". "Yes, why?". "Where did you last see them?". "Near the Southwestern Gate".
"All right. We’ll save Raissa, you just wait for us here, okay?", she rose to her feet and walked outside, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms. The squire joined her quickly and took one of her hands in his, "Meg, it’s not your fault". "Yes, it is! That bastard managed to flee Athkatla because of my ineptitude and now the people of Trademeet pay in blood the price for my stupidity! I am a good for nothing", she said bitterly.
"No, you’re not", he gently turned her to face him, "You’re always so hard on yourself...And you focus too much on your perceived flaws and not enough on your merits", he added with a small grin and her head snapped up.
"I think I know these words", she said, a reluctant smile curving her lips. "They’re the words of a very wise woman, my lady. You should trust her wisdom". "Maybe. But now we must gather the others and find Rejiek. This time that bastard won’t flee", she growled, a flash of gold passing in her eyes for the briefest of moments.
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The party was passing through the Southwestern Gate, when a man stopped them. "Halt! I want to know what kind of creatures you are, before letting you pass!". The Ilmatari walked up to him, "We’re the city heroes and you are?".
"I’m Darsidian Moor and I’m hunting a creature called Skin Dancer, a skinless monster similar to a human". "Then we’re hunting the same prey: it kidnapped a girl and it has an accomplice, a man named Rejiek Hidesman". "I see. I don’t know about the man, but if he is helping the monster he must be stopped too".
"Do you know where to find them?". He nodded, "The creature’s lair is not far from the Eastern Gate, outside the city walls". "Let’s go then". "No, I’d rather scout ahead alone. I’ll be right back with the information", Darsidian said, then he quickly left and Meg barely stopped herself from tossing a stone at his retreating back.
How dare he set us aside? Godsdamned arrogant windbag, if Rejiek manages to flee because of his incompetence, I’ll skin him and make a coat out of his hide!, she thought furiously, pacing back and forth like a caged tigress. Edwin stopped her by grabbing her arm, "Will you stop already? Or are you trying to dig a well?". The young woman sighed, "Sorry, but I can’t stand this waiting".
Thankfully, Darsidian came back shortly later, breathless and apparently unharmed, "I found them! Come with me!", he led the adventurers to a bright orange tent, inside which they found a girl of sixteen and an unconscious man lying a short distance from her. As soon as she saw them, the girl relaxed, "Oh, you are here at last! Good".
Darsidian pointed at the man on the floor, "He was going to kill her when I arrived. I knocked him out, but he must be killed. I’m gravely wounded and he may wake up any moment now...Kill him while you can!". Raissa nodded, "Yes! Yes, kill him! Do it now!", she said urgently.
Minsc raised his halberd, "Minsc and Boo will apply the Boot of Justice to the backside of the evil man who steals the skin of the good people!", the ranger declared, but Margaret Dawn stopped him, frowning. "Hold on, Minsc. There’s something strange going on here". "Strange? Why do you say so, little Meg?".
"It’s just a feeling. Darsidian?". "What?", Darsidian asked. "Why didn’t you kill him yourself? He’s out cold, after all", she noted, the insistence of the two making her wary and he blinked, taken off-balance. "What? I...Well, I’m wounded". "Really? Wounds usually bleed and I don’t see blood on your clothes. But even if you were, how hard is it to stab an unconscious man? Why do you want us to do it?". "Well, because...".
"And while we’re at it, where is the Skin Dancer? I don’t see it anywhere". "I-I killed it". The Painbearer arched an eyebrow, "Really. Where is the corpse, then?", she asked and the man began to sweat profusely. "The corpse? Eh, it...It...Dissolved! Yes, it dissolved. That’s...Its nature", he stammered.
"If you say so", she kneeled next to the prone form of Rejiek and when she touched his shoulder, his closed eyelids fluttered lightly. "Tiris? Is that you?", he murmured...With a girl’s voice. "What a surprise", the Ilmatari rose quickly to her feet and used her momentum to punch Darsidian in the face as hard as she could (that was not much, truth be told), sending him reeling back in surprise, "Get him, guys!".
The fake Raissa dropped the act and lounged at Minsc, "You won’t sssssstop me!", she hissed and the voice that came out of her mouth was Rejiek’s. The Rashemi stopped the attack with his halberd, giving Yoshimo the chance to step behind the enemy and slash its throat open with his dagger, while Anomen crushed Darsidian’s head with his mace.
"Take this, you perverted scumbag", Meg growled, kicking Rejiek’s corpse, then she went back to the real Raissa, "Raissa? Can you hear me?". The younger girl opened her eyes and tried to focus her gaze on the Painbearer’s face, "Yes. What...What happened?".
"It’s okay, they’re dead. Can you stand?". She nodded and slowly rose to her feet and the skin she was wearing dropped off of her, leaving her muscles and sinews bare, "Oh Gods! I...I need my skin back! Where is it?".
Edwin huffed and grabbed the fake Raissa’s hair, then he gave a violent tug and again, the skin slipped off of the body as easily as water on a window glass, "Here it is. Now put it on before the elfling here throws up. (Thank Kossuth I don’t have such a weak stomach)".
"Oh, thank you!", she eagerly took it and wore it as thought it was a dress, "But...But the black magic is still working on me, I can feel it! Oh, please, can you help me?". Aerie bit her lower lip, "But what can we do?". "When they...When they took my skin, Rejiek said that the only way to remove the magic was a “Restoration” spell. Then he laughed in my face and said that I would never get it.
I think the priest at the Temple of Waukeen may have it...But I know that these kind of spells are expensive and I don’t have much money", Raissa’s face fell, but Margaret Dawn smiled. "Don’t worry, I have it memorized. Hold still", she cast the healing spell and a blue glow surrounded the younger girl for a moment.
"Oooh...I feel it! My skin is my own again! Oh, thank you so much! I must go home now, I must see Tiris! Thank you again, my saviours, you are wonderful!", Raissa ran out of the tent, beaming and eager to see her beloved again.
Meg let out a sigh of relief, then her eyes closed and her knees gave way under her, but Anomen quickly caught her before she could hit the floor and lifted her in his arms as if she were a bride. "She is fine", he said, "She just needs to rest. That spell is very powerful, but it’s also very draining for the caster. I should have cast it...".
Jaheira shook her head, "She would have never allowed you to do it: she felt responsible for Rejiek’s flight, so she considered it her duty to heal Raissa". "It wasn’t her fault". "I know, but what can we do about it? She’s a Painbearer", the druidess made a helpless gesture, "She always takes everything upon herself. And she’s as stubborn as a mule. Come, let’s go back to the inn".
They left the tent and while walking, the squire couldn’t help keeping on stealing glances at his leader, who slept peacefully with her head on his shoulder. She looked so soft and fragile in her sleep, but he knew how strong she was: after all, she had survived that hellish dungeon.
The Helmite gritted his teeth, his temper flaring at the thought of the horrors she must have endured during her captivity. He remembered all too well what he had seen there: the steel blades stained with dried blood, the dirty cells, the tables ruined by acid and fire, the things into the glass tubes...
Anomen was by no means a coward, but all of that had made his blood run cold and had even caused him a nightmare, that had woken him up with a start in the middle of the night, drenched in cold sweat.
He tightened his hold on her a bit and silently swore to Helm that he would never allow anyone to hurt her like that again. When they reached the inn, he insisted to be the one to put her into her bed and before leaving, he tenderly brushed a strand of hair back from her face, whispering, "Sleep well, Meg. You are safe now".
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"Stand", Irenicus’ voice, cold and authoritative, woke the Painbearer up and opening her eyes, she found herself in the dream-Candlekeep again. "What do you want from me this time, Jon?". "You rest uneasily every night. You fight every day", he walked slowly around her, like a shark circling his prey, "You are tired, aren’t you? But this will never end. Not unless you put an end to it, not unless you accept what you truly are".
"Oh, come on, I thought I had made my opinion about this quite clear during our last conversation". The wizard ignored her and cast a spell, creating a perfect copy of her, "You walk among the mortals, pretending to be one of them, instead of taking advantage of your heritage.
So many fleshlings are superior to you, their body is so much stronger than yours", a second spell evoked a Pit Fiend, "Look, Child of Bhaal. Look at how easily you fall before their muscles and claws". The Pit Fiend immediately spotted the fake Meg and threw itself at her, tearing her to shreds with a triumphant roar before dissolving.
"Why do you accept this weakness? Why do you make yourself vulnerable, when you have the power of death itself in your bones?", Irenicus asked, summoning another copy of her, "Should you accept your heritage, even the most powerful beings would bow and fall before you!", he exclaimed and summoned a Vampire, a Lich and a Mind Flayer.
The monsters tried to attack the second copy, but this time, instead of being butchered, she smiled cruelly and evoked a sinister black fire, that shot from her extended hands and consumed her enemies in a handful of seconds, reducing them to three piles of unrecognizable scorched flesh.
The real Meg couldn’t help smiling at that sight, "Okay, I admit that this was a very, very cool trick", she said reluctantly and the wizard seemed pleased by her words. "Good", he nodded, dissolving her copy, "You will learn to fully appreciate it.
Come and receive the gift that is rightfully yours to take. Come, if not for yourself, at least for the ones who died because of you", he said, then he cast a bolt of lightning at her and everything went black.
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When she truly woke up, Meg found out that she was in her room in Vyatri’s pub and frowned, How did I come here?, she wondered: she remembered healing Raissa…Then nothing. With a shrug, she rose and quickly tidied herself up, then went to the common room, where her friends were gathered around a table, "Good morning".
"About time you woke up: we were starting to wonder if you hadn’t by chance fallen into hibernation like a wild animal!", Edwin grumbled, "And for your information, it’s evening". "Oh, good evening, then".
Anomen quickly took out a seat for her, "Did you sleep well, my lady?". "Yes, thank you, Anomen. By the way, how did I get to my room? I don’t recall coming back to the inn", she asked. "I carried you". "Oh, Gods, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be a burden". "Not at all, it was a pleasure", he hastily reassured her, then blushed, realizing what he’d just said, "I, uh, I mean...".
Seeing him in straits, Yoshimo mercifully intervened, "Say, sekai no hikari, what is that bundle sticking out of your pack? Did you find something interesting?", he asked, earning himself a rare grateful glance from the Helmite for the diversion.
Margaret Dawn nodded, her face lighting up, "Oh, yes, I found a nice gift for Immy. And I have something for you too...And for Minsc and Boo, as well as for Edwin. Come with me! ", she led them to her room and took a small package out of her pack, "This is for you, Yoshimo".
The bounty hunter looked at it with curiosity, then he carefully unwrapped it and his eyes widened with surprise and happiness as he saw the content, "They’re yatsuhashi! I haven’t tasted them since I left Kozakura...Arigatou, Meg", he said, bowing lightly. "Dou itashimashite, sensei", she returned his bow, then she took a pot jar and handed it to Minsc, "This is for you, Minsc".
The Rashemi broke the seal and looked inside, "But...This is stroganoff, my favourite dish! And it even smells as good as the one that my Tabatha cooks for me at home!", he exclaimed joyfully, taking her in a bear hug, "Thank you so much, little Meg!".
"You’re welcome, my friend. And this is for Boo", the Ilmatari passed him a cloth purse, "They’re sunflower seeds, I know how much our brave furry hero loves them". "You’re really a good friend to us! Right, Boo?", the ranger asked and the hamster squeaked loudly, twitching his nose as if in agreement.
The Red Wizard cleared his throat, "And what about my present? (If she has forgotten about me...)". She took a small barrel out of her Bag of Holding, shaking her head with a smile, "Come on, Edwin, how could I ever forget about you? This is your present".
"Uhm. Let me see", he opened the cork only of a fraction and took a cautious sniff, "What...It can’t be...Thayan wine? How did you ever manage to put your hands on this? It’s very hard to find some in these lands! (It must have cost a small fortune...And she bought it for me...)", Edwin muttered, feeling a lump in his throat.
"There’s a shop in this town that sells exotic foods. It made me think of you guys and I thought you would have liked getting a taste of home", the Human girl stretched her aching back with a grimace, "Ouch! Sweet Ilmater, I’m aching all over. I guess I’m not used to sleeping for so long anymore".
"Do you need a healing spell?", Jaheira asked. "No, thanks, I just need to move a bit. I’ll take a walk". Anomen readily seized the chance, "Can I accompany you, my lady? The hour is late and it could be dangerous for you to walk alone". Meg nodded, her eyes shining a bit more brightly than before, "Of course, Anomen, I would really appreciate your company".
They bid their companions goodnight and left the inn, walking slowly through the still crowded alleys lightened up by tall street lamps. "How strange...", she said, looking around, "In the cities, even at this late hour, there’s always some people around.
In Candlekeep, everyone retired to their room at sunset and until morning, everything was silent...Well, except for Immy’s snoring, of course", she added with an impish grin and the Helmite laughed. "I don’t think she would be glad of knowing that you’re divulging such scandalous information about her, my lady".
"Probably not. But you’ll see that, as soon as she’s with us again, she won’t waste any time in regaling you with some equally scandalous tale about me". "I highly doubt that you have something in your past to be ashamed of, my lady: you are a paragon of honesty and virtue".
Who, me?, she thought, surprised, but smiled anyway, "Uh, thanks, but I didn’t mean it like that: it’s more embarrassing than shameful. You see, when we were ten, Immy had the brilliant idea of stealing some spell components from Tadeus’ office...Tadeus was our chemistry teacher...To try and create a Potion of Invisibility and she mixed them completely random.
Then she needed to try it out, but since she didn’t trust it to work properly, she offered it to me, saying it was a refreshing drink". "But it is outrageous! How could she put you in such danger so carelessly?", he exclaimed, shocked. "Well, she didn’t think it could be dangerous at all, otherwise she wouldn’t have done it! She’s a prankster, but she’s not evil. Anyway, the potion had a very...Unexpected effect...", she grinned, remembering that day.
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Arigatou (or “arigatoo”) = thank you (Japanese/Kozakuran)
Dou itashimashite (or “doo itashimashite”) = you’re welcome (Japanese/Kozakuran)
