Chpt 9. Halsin
Trigger Warning: Violence, Blackmail, Dad is Angry.
My communion with Shadowheart worked to clear my head, and I'm grateful for it. I'm not interested in spending the rest of the day a slave to my carnal urges. We walk further into the pens as Lae'zel brings up the rear of our party, watching, ready to shepherd us away from any more distractions. Shadowheart puts a hand on my arm as we walk down the corridor. I feel her humming with dark power, as if Shar's presence is a resonance that's still echoing through her body. She speaks openly, "We've been through a lot today, and my magic is spread thin. If we get into another fight, I'm not sure how much use I'll be. I'd recommend avoiding it if we can, unless you're fine with nothing but cantrips from me."
I playfully scoff at her, "I'm not going to believe for a moment you won't bash a goblin in with your mace." She gives me a flattered smile, and I dig into my cloak pocket, handing her my healing potions. "If it really comes down to it, I hope you have good aim. Either way, I agree. After the fight with the ogre, my divine power has diminished. I must admit, I'm still confused about the divine smite. I know my blows will sometimes come with a smite; it's to be expected. What was unexpected was the volatility. I'm not sure what to make of it, and I'd like to figure it out before something like that happens again."
Her lips tighten and she grips me reassuringly. "It must have been a fluke, but it got the job done. We'll just have to be vigilant." She takes the potions and stows them in her satchel.
As the corridor opens into the main chamber, we can see "The Pens" appear to be an old dungeon. We're standing on a landing that stretches out to the far walls on either side of us, met by two short flights of steps that lead down to the main floor of the chamber. In front of us is a stone banister, separating us from the drop-off to the floor below. It's only a meter down, but effective for crowd control, especially when wrangling captives. Prison cells line the walls, mostly empty except for the two main cells on the lower floor. The cell on the left is occupied by two worgs, and the cell to the right holds the bear. My eyes immediately begin tracking the goblins occupying the space. There is one guard pacing the dungeon, likely the one that Lae'zel had to turn away while Shadowheart and I had our discussion. Two more goblins to our left are chatting as one butchers meat for the worgs. I get a faint whiff of... Elf? Human? It's certainly not a beast. The last guard is speaking to two goblin children in front of Halsin's cell. As I walk in their direction, I practice summoning the symbol of The Absolute in my palm. It finally sparks and phases into view.
The excited goblin children are provoking the bear with stones, as he thrashes with fury, battered but maintaining his wild facade. The guard is giving them advice on how to make it squeal the loudest. "We'll see if we can get some sharper stones. Make sure you aim for his snout, One, that should get him nice and riled."
As I close the space between us, I raise my palm to show her the brand, "True Soul Vash, I've come to inspect this place. Who approved of allowing children in the Worg Pens?"
The guard turns her attention to me and at first doesn't answer, merely staring, mouth agape. The children stop their teasing and look up at me, faces filled with wonder. The taller one speaks first, "A True Soul? Like Dror Ragzlin?"
I give her an authoritative nod, "The very same."
An excited look crosses her face, and she begins bouncing, "You must have been in the presence of The Absolute! Did she give you magic powers too? Can you read my mind?"
Just like that I've become Uncle Vash, magic man of The Absolute. I kneel, getting eye-level with the child, "What are your names?"
She looks elated and quickly points to the other girl and herself, "That's Three, and I'm One."
"What kind of powers would you like to have, if you could be blessed by The Absolute?"
One is still bouncing, "Oh! Uhhh... OH! I want to fly! I want wings like a bird! I want to see the world!"
Three's grinning, but fidgeting with her hands, "I'd like to go invisible whenever I wanted to." She giggles and folds her arms over her head, swaying back and forth, as if to protect herself from everyone's eyes. Her bashfulness is charming.
"I have no doubt you will be blessed by The Absolute as long as you have faith and follow the lead of the True Souls."
"Like you?" One interjects, her smile broad and eager.
"That's right. You catch on fast!" I stand and turn my attention to the guard, "I was sent from Moonrise, come to prepare for the raid on the Druids' Grove. I need you all to clear out so I can inspect these creatures. If you did your jobs right, they should be battle-ready."
The guard looks at Three and One, "Looks like we need to get movin', last thing I want is to have you two running around while the True Souls are busy."
The children deflate, and One mewls pathetically, "But we wanna watch the True Soul!" Three agrees with a silent, yet exuberant nod.
The guard waves her arms to shoo them out of the pens, "Come on now, we'll have plenty of time to play later."
Three and One drag their feet and follow the guard toward the exit, but one of the other goblins raises his hand and saunters over, "Hold on! Who are you to come in here and start bossin' around my people? I'm the Beast Master here, I'm in charge of these creatures!"
I look over at the goblin guard who was ferrying the children. She's stopped and is watching both of us. I give her a command, respectfully, "Go, ma'am. Let me speak to this one alone."
She takes my order to heart and leaves with the children.
The Beast Master is belligerent, and I begin to feel hollow, as I did when I held down the halfling. I press him, my voice calm as I track his eyes, "My orders will not be ignored. As I said, if you did your job correctly, there won't be a problem. Clear out."
He grunts and postures. "No! You clear out! I'm only taking orders from Minthara or Ragzlin. Not some upstart who says he blew in from Moonrise!" He's shouting now, waving his arms wildly, "I'm sick of you bastards swooping in and trying to strong-arm your way into my affairs! I'm not leaving them alone with some goons that look like a circus act! I don't care if you're True Souls!"
I smile and grab the hilt of my sword as the Beast Master presses his fingers to his lips. A sharp whistle echoes through the dungeon and before us materializes a summoned worg in a flash of ranger magic. At that, I bring my sword down on him, crushing his shoulder. Bloodthirsty but composed, I command the others, "Take him down-don't worry about the summons!"
Lae'zel is already charging him; the fight has quelled the angst that had been boiling over inside her. She's alive again as she takes an artful swing at the Beast Master. She cuts firmly into his side, burning deep into his flesh. With a scream, he falls, and the worg summons vanishes.
A forceful surge of silken magic engulfs the goblin butcher as he tries to make a run for the worg pens. Shadowheart has evoked Toll the Dead, and the goblin is plagued with a sickening malady. He rattles out a wheezing cry before curling up and withering into a husk of himself-snuffed out in a single surge of magic. The silken power emanates from Shadowheart's hands like dark smoke. She looks at me, her excited eyes shining, "I feel her! Lady Shar's blessing! I've never felt such power!"
She can thank me later for that. It seems our little altar desecration pleased Lady Shar more than I assumed it would. I flash her a knowing grin. "You will only get stronger. You deserve nothing less."
The goblin guard that had been roaming the dungeon is charging forward, determined to release the worgs from their pen. I chase after her, but she pulls the lever before I get a chance to strike. As I catch up with her, I use my tail as a counterbalance, letting the weight of my sword take command of the blow, gashing her deeply in the side. The gate swings open, releasing the beasts into the fray.
At that moment I hear the bear let out a guttural bellow as he begins ramming the doors to his prison. Ancient, rusted hinges buckle under the stress of the assault before the doors collapse, unleashing him on the worgs who are poised to attack. He tackles one to the ground as it tries to attack Shadowheart.
A flaming arrow shoots past me, hitting the struggling guard between the ribs. She crumples to the ground, dead. From the corner of my eye, I see Astarion lowering his bow and giving me a mocking wave of his fingers.
I scoff, losing focus for a moment. I suddenly feel the jaws of the second worg clamp onto my arm, grinding its teeth against my bones. The only saving grace for my arm is the wool of my cloak, keeping tension against my skin as I drop my sword and reach for my dagger. With frustration, I begin stabbing the fucking worg in its thick fucking skull as pain shoots through me. My anger rises as the strikes lacerate the beast but do nothing to make it relent. I finally aim for its eye, angrily thrusting with all my strength, the blade shattering orbital bone and cutting deep into its brain. It abruptly and unceremoniously collapses. If I focus, I know exactly how to make something die quickly. A welcome advantage from all my medical knowledge.
As I refocus, the bear is nearly done ripping the last worg apart. I take a moment to grab my arm, shaking my wrist to soothe the pain, then gather my greatsword from the ground. Grabbing a cloth from my pocket, I wipe the blood from its blade. I look up, only to be met with a wall of brown fur colliding with me, knocking me to the ground. My greatsword is thrown from my hands and skids across the floor. The large, raging paws of the bear rip and tear at me. I pull my hood over my face and bring my knees to my chest instinctively. The feral bear huffs and roars, trying with all his remaining strength to tear into me. I feel the hot steam of his breath as he snaps at my cloak, straining to pull the heavy shroud from my body. I reach up and try to grab hold of his rabid jaws, struggling with all my might to shove my hand down his throat. In frustration, I bark sharply at the others, "Get this bastard off me!!!"
Shadowheart, with a remaining boost of power, casts a calming trance over Halsin and me. I feel tranquility settle over me, and the bear slows and shifts into a stupor. He slumps and I catch him, pushing him off me and lying on my back looking up at the ceiling of the crumbling dungeon. I feel blood trickling from the gashes on my face and chest, but the voices in my head are muted. Corralled behind a paper wall. I close my eyes and finally speak, focusing all my strength into the tone of the words I say, "Halsin! For gods' sake listen to us for a moment!" That's as much as I can get out before my consciousness ebbs behind another paper wall. Layers of tenuous thought being pushed further back before collapsing into a single mind, somewhere far away. I'm lucid but effectively subdued. Shadowheart's spell is like a drug I've never felt before, it's wonderful.
With great effort, I roll over and climb to my feet, my bones feeling heavy and cumbersome. I shuffle over to him and put my hands on my knees, catching my breath, head in a haze, "If you are Master Halsin from the druids' grove, we've come seeking aid."
With that the bear glances up at me from his lethargic state, before slowly climbing to his feet. He polymorphs into a large elf, barrel-chested, with long ginger hair smattered with random braids. Even charmed and exhausted, his presence is commanding. He does his best to stand tall but he's struggling to keep his composure. He finally speaks, anger still palpable despite his inebriation, "You are a True Soul. You said... you said you were going to mount an attack on the Emerald Grove."
I feel my mind slowly coming back to me, the paper walls falling away. I wave my hand at him, broad and dismissive, "Stories. All stories. All in an effort to find you."
Halsin deflates, choosing to give me a moment to speak. I finally stand upright, staggered, but stable. I meet his eye as an equal, "My name is Vash Neel. These are my companions Shadowheart, Astarion, and Lae'zel." I gesture toward each, "We are... sick... With a condition we've been told you're familiar with. This is a matter of great urgency for us."
He looks wary but intrigued, "I'll need to know exactly what's wrong in order for me to offer any help. May I?"
I hesitate before stepping forward. Halsin holds up a hand and scans my body with verdant druid magic. He takes in the details of my condition and finally pulls his hand back, eyes wide. "You... are infected with an illithid parasite, and you're aware of this? I've never seen this before. How are you not a mindless thrall, like the rest?"
I look back at Shadowheart. She has her hand resting on her shoulder, close to the hilt of her mace, ready to fight her way through Halsin if it came to it. Good girl. I give her a curt nod. "Show him." She looks shocked, considering my command for a moment, then carefully pulls it from her satchel, holding it up to Halsin.
He doesn't move to touch it but leans down, observing, "...what is it?"
Shadowheart pulls it closer to her, "We're not entirely sure, but it seems to be shielding us from The Voice of the Absolute."
Halsin shakes his head in disbelief, "Voice of the Absolute, what do you mean? So she communicates with you directly?"
I drag my fingers over my right eye, thinking about the tadpole. I hear laughter in my mind-shrill, manic, and victorious. "Yes, she seems to speak to the True Souls. We heard it entering the camp, but this prism activated a shield that pushed the voice out. It's protecting us, though how, I can't say."
He folds his arms and rubs his chin in deep consideration, "These are strange times indeed, but you are stranger still. You're tadpoled, yes, but your brain is ruined. Are the others in the same condition as you?"
"No. Something happened to me before I was infected. I have no memory of how I came to be in this state. Is there anything you can glean from what you've seen of me?" It hadn't dawned on me that he might be able to provide insight into my brain damage, but I'm excited to see if he is able to gather anything from it.
"It seems intentional, an attack of some kind. It's likely you were tadpoled shortly after, then operated on multiple times, like a practice cadaver. How you're standing is a mystery."
I try to recall and an image blinks into my mind. I'm on an operating table; I've woken up and my entrails are lying in a pool on my abdomen. There's a woman, the surgeon who's been maiming me. I am filled with rage as I strangle her with my own entrails, then the memory fades. I run my hand across my stomach, "And the tadpoles? What do you know of them? Can you remove them? Can you save us?"
Halsin holds his hand up, halting my questions, "I will say no more on the matter. I cannot take your word that you are here just for a cure. You may have killed the goblins, but I see no reason not to believe you are a True Soul."
I shift my footing and side-eye him, a pang of foreboding in my chest, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I would be more inclined to help you, if you can prove to me you're not an Absolutist. I need your help taking out the goblin leaders. They are an affront to nature, and a threat to the balance of the Emerald Grove. Once that is done and I can be sure the grove is safe, I will tell you everything."
Astarion walks up next to me, and as it registers what Halsin is asking, he audibly sighs. He's as exasperated as the rest of us, "Gods, that could take forever."
My anger surges, but I quickly push it down. I press my hands together and gesture towards him, speaking through my teeth, "Master Halsin, respectfully, it is my word that determines whether the goblins march on the grove. That wasn't a lie. I want you to consider how important it is for us to be cured as soon as possible."
Halsin's face twists into disgust, "If that's your game, then you don't just need salvation, you need redemption, True Soul. If we're at an impasse, then I choose to kill you now or die trying."
I stare at him, and his eyes burrow into mine with finality. The silence seethes between us and I can do nothing else but concede, "I'll help you, but you understand our position. We could turn at any moment. On top of that we don't have the means to take on an entire goblin camp right now; we're spent."
"If you have been touched by the Absolute, then you likely won't turn anytime soon, judging by the state of the other True Souls."
He is right, the other True Souls haven't turned. That, in the very least, offers a modicum of comfort. He's still leaving me in a difficult position. If I kill Minthara, then I obviously won't be able to use her to gain access to Moonrise Towers. However, Halsin seems to have a more clinical understanding of the tadpoles. It's not just cultist ideology, Halsin's knowledge may prove far more valuable to us. If I go along with him now and discover that following Minthara is the better solution, then so be it. "Very well. Give us a few days to prepare. You say you'll help us once the grove is safe?"
He seems assured but visibly uncomfortable, "Yes. I am choosing to trust you, my friend. I will remain here and gather all the information I can, as was my intention. I'm counting on you."
I lift my chin, still battered but assuming my paladin's poise, "Let my actions show that you've put your faith in the right company."
Halsin allows himself to sink into relief, "Good luck. Please, return as soon as you can." At that, he abruptly shifts into a mouse and scurries off into the walls of the temple.
I watch him go and my tenuous grasp on my patience suddenly slips away. My face falters and my bones quake with frustration. With force, I kick The Butcher's corpse, sending it flying, "GODS FUCKING DAMN IT!!!" It hits the wall of the dungeon with a sickening splat. I press my palms against my eyes and lean back. It just doesn't end.
Astarion pauses, apathetic as he stares at the mangled body of The Butcher, "...well, I hope your little tantrum has made you feel better."
I take a sharp breath in, brushing my hair back, "Apologies, it's just... exhausting. I suppose I put too much stock in Halsin being able to cure us now. I well and truly want to be done with all of this. Despite the comfort in assuming we won't be turning soon, I was not planning on being every godsdamned person's little errand boy. I promised you all my priority was finding a cure, and it feels like everyone is intent on keeping us from that."
He scoffs, but puts a hand on my shoulder, "At least you have your priorities straight, darling. It's no surprise to me at how selfish people are. Halsin acts righteous, but he had no compassion for us. That's not your fault."
His words are surprisingly comforting. I hear Lae'zel scoff as she walks up to us, "As undisciplined as a hatchling, istik, I suggest you keep a cooler head in the future."
I lift my brow, "Are you giving me advice on diplomacy?"
Her cheeks flush, but she pushes past it and barks at me, "Discipline, not diplomacy. It is with discipline that we will survive this madness."
I look over at Shadowheart and she's watching me carefully, her face stoic but resigned, "There was nothing you could have said that would have convinced him to help us now. At least we have a path forward."
I run my hand over my face, feeling a headache begin to press behind my eyes. My tail sways subtly to soothe myself from the stress of the day, "Let's... let's get out of this place."