Arc 9 Chapter XXIV: Heartbreaking (Patreon)

Many thanks for our local pyromancer for its moste terrible assistance in this endeavor, and its dread encouragement for what is to come.

Kindly do me the favor of reading the following:

Welcome back one and all to my dreadful author notes of great consequence.

Been a few months, huh?

I tried to pull back with the amount of well, complaining quite frankly, I did after my break and just keep going at it but unfortunately for my poor little pride there are things to be addressed and avoidance shall not address them.

I shall be most blunt.

I am no longer having any fun writing Sorcerer's Tale.

It is a sad thing to admit, and a part of me is disappointed to do it (even if a larger one feels I should have just ended it with the coronation, but my stubbornness is a mighty thing so it was inevitable.)

But it is also a fact.

I hoped introducing new characters and places would reignite my passion for the story but sadly both the level of power of the main character and the weight of my previous mistakes and missteps are dragging down every single little thing I could ever do about it, and effectively murdering the everloving fuck out of my enthusiasm, if you will forgive the parlance.

In short: I am not burning out, for there is very little fuel left to burn concerning this story.

I will of course not shut things down this instant, I am not that flippant, but it is likely that something will be changing the moment I feel it would fit best and replacing this weight on my neck with something fresh and exciting.

I would like to hear your thoughts and opinions on this situation, and how you feel about the following:

Ending it as soon as possible?

Finishing BG3 at the very least?

Going on a most likely infinite hiatus and using a small part of the cast as random side characters at some random point in the future?

Please, discuss away and give me your opinions and suggestions.

With that crashout behind us, my stubbornness has uses yet.

Enjoy the chapter.

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We did not immediately rush into the grand underground the moment it was mentioned. Unfortunately.

My curiosity had only grown since Scorch was first reminded of its existence, and if memory served a number of entire societies and races were dug deep into the place.

Most notably the discount Dunmer wannabes known as the Drow.

Was their domain grander than Blackreach I wondered?

Or would it burn just as prettily?

Ahh, I was almost tempted to leave my current quest and let Krein loose on their pitiful little cities, but alas Jergal would probably be pretty miffed if I went and did that.

And while I wasn't exactly afraid of the dead god, he was a respectable sort, and I wouldn't shit on his lawn without being heavily provoked first.

Politeness was such a damn killjoy sometimes...

I was saved from further inanery when I heard a dour if spirited conversation between Gale, Wyll, and Karlach. The trio were standing around a worn crate, looking over a large slab of a warm magical metal of some kind.

One sniff of the air easily identified it as sulfur, which meant devilry.

"Reinforcing it would certainly help." Gale explained to the Tiefling "But that doesn't stop the actual problem. The heart is simply not meant to persist on Faerun without constant infernal oversight."

"But you can delay it, right?" Karlach crossed her arms.

"Well I can certainly give some suggestions." The wizard shrugged "But you'd need someone who knows how to work the metal to make them real." He looked to Wyll "Wasn't there a smith among the Tieflings? I believe he went by..." He began snapping his fingers in an effort to remember.

"Dammon." Wyll informed him "Though just because he is a Tiefling doesn't mean he knows how to work infernal iron."

So that was it.

"The first step would be asking the man, I believe." I finally interjected into the conversation, leisurely stepping over to their little gathering "Though something tells me he should be able to do it, call it a hunch."

Wyll and Karlach seemed skeptical, but Gale, knowing I was a diviner of some level, merely rolled his eyes.

"Though you may end up not having to do a thing." I picked the slab of iron like it weighed nothing, bringing it close for inspection "What seems to be the issue?" I asked as I scanned the thing.

It was pretty weighty and reactive to the more 'evil' energies of the hells but aside from simple attunement it didn't seem all that special.

"My heart is acting up." Karlach said bluntly, pointing a thumb at her chest "Used to be I could control it perfectly after the devils replaced my old one but it's been slipping out of my control ever since I escaped."

"That explains why you were so afraid to shake my hand." I chuckled.

She nods, a slight smile on her face "Pretty much."

"Mind if I have a look?" I asked, and placed the infernal iron back on the crate with a solid thunk.

The Tiefling didn't hesitate for a moment "Go for it."

Wishing to be thorough, I summoned Void's Blink above my eye, drawing some curious glances but no questions for now, and got to work.

I did not move for nearly a minute which was more than enough to start worrying the tall woman "So doc, what's the verdict?"

"The heart is well integrated with you. Too well even." I said, scratching my beard in thought "So much so its infernal properties are getting treated as a bit of an intrusion by the world at large."

I leaned away and straightened my back "Were you a sorceress or a warlock like our sword slinger here." I made a flippant wave at Wyll "You would be able to control it pretty easily, but alas the only thing you have to pull at it is emotion, and you are neither a monk nor depressed enough to pull anything worthwhile off before going poof."

All three of them were agitated by my words.

"But wait, there is more!" I snapped my fingers, making the two men frown and the woman groan in annoyance "The heart itself also seems to be purpose built to slowly destabilize while away from its assigned master."

For an instant, Karlach stilled completely, and then the temperature in the room rose by several degrees as tongues of flame began dancing around her body "You mean to tell me this is a fucking slave collar?"

"Are you surprised?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Fuck!" She kicked the crate, breaking through it and nearly falling on her ass due to the sudden lack of resistance.

I waved my hand to put the rotting wood out of fire and looked down at the hyperventilating Tiefling "I wasn't quite done."

She shot me a glare and grit her teeth "Alright, fine. What else?"

"I can fix it." I smirked.

She did a very fine impression of a mental record scratch going by her expression "You what?"

"I can fix it." I repeated calmly.

"How?" She asked "Why?"

I found myself frowning slightly "Did I not say you were all under my protection?" I tilted my head "Did you not see me fold that devil bitch into Wyll's sword for threatening his soul?"

She snapped her mouth shut and looked away "Right. Sorry."

"Bad memories with bosses?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Last one sold me to the Hells." She huffed "So yeah, pretty fucking bad."

"Apologies for drudging up bad memories then." I ever so slightly bobbed my head.

"It's fine." She waved it off "No point in pretending it didn't happen."

"My, how wise." I chuckled and pointed my right hand at her "This is going to hurt. Like a bitch."

Instead of faltering, she grinned "Bring it on, soldier."

I did not hesitate any longer, a wave of gold mixed in with baleful grey washed over her in an instant, making her scream out in pain before she was rendered unable to do even that as my anti-outsider domain simply purged the infernal infection seeping into her being.

Some I allowed to remain as she was a Tiefling and I wasn't about to experiment with the natural order of the world against her will just to see if I could, but I ensured she wouldn't be treated as an infernal being by the world in turn.

Half a second later, my wave of restoration followed, and her chest split open on its own, and spilling no blood I levitated her mechanical heart out of her before simply willing a perfectly healthy (and slightly buffed as I was a nice fellow to work for) one to regrow in its place.

The wave of power retreated as fast as it came and I found myself holding a still beating mechanism in my hand, and a rather healthy Karlach breathing heavily in front of me.

She sucked in a deep breath and straightened her back, her eyes wide "Shit." She cursed "You did warn me but what the fuck was that?!"

"Disinfectant." I shrugged "Best to make sure whatever the Hells seeped into you doesn't fuck with you later, no?"

"Right." She nodded a few times "Right, that makes sense."

"Want me to get rid of your scars too?" I asked.

"Will it hurt like a bitch?" She asked immediately.

"Nah." I waved it off "This is just basic healing."

She frowned in consideration for a while before shaking her head "No, I earned these fair and square."

"If that is what the lady wishes." I chuckled and offered the heart "You want this thing back?"

Her face scrunched up "Keep it." She huffed "I don't want to see it ever again."

"Most excellent." I snapped my hand shut and the heart disappeared 'Who knew, it might just give me some inspiration for later.'

I turned to the two men who had become very quiet during that whole operation. Gale was looking at me consideringly while Wyll was directing Karlach with his best supportive smile.

Gale and I shared a quick look, a silent conversation in an instant, and both chuckled.

"Curious if I can do the same for you, Gale?" I asked as Wyll approached Karlach and she began bragging about her breath finally feeling clean.

"It can't be that simple." He exhaled slowly "The Netherese Orb is far more unstable than an infernal heart, I don't think for a second there would be no complication."

Seeing my raised eyebrow he quickly tacked on "With all due respect to your skills, of course."

"Meh." I shrugged "I could deal with it." And before he could get all hopeful on me "But it is best we leave that attempt for when we are alone and a good distance away from others."

"Yes." He nodded slowly "That is probably wise."

"Worst case scenario?" I pondered aloud "I just have Scorch grab the thing and fly as high as he possibly can as we detonate it."

Gale gave me a weird look at that "You'd sacrifice your own familiar?"

"Scorch is a phoenix." I shrugged "He'll get better."

"I'm sensing a story there." He noted curiously.

"You sure you want to know?" I asked, looking at him dubiously "And I mean do you reaaaally want to know?"

The poor, poor man, in his foolish curiosity, said "Yes."

-----

Gale was still slightly shaken by the glorious tales of some of Scorch's war crimes by the time the entire group reunited. And to think I had yet to regale him of the Argonian War!

Some other time maybe.

"So." He spoke up as everyone approached "Where to next?"

Wyll seemed to jolt in memory all of a sudden "Ah, I remember one of the Tiefling scouts telling me something about an inn a few hours away from the road toll station. She said she had seen Flaming Fist members guarding its entrances."

He frowned in distaste for a moment but shook his head and focused "We might be able to request their aid what with the cult's focus on Baldur's Gate."

A fact that had been revealed to us by the lesser Minthara, who was by now still under the tender care of my two spider bois.

"Flaming Fists?" I hummed "Elaborate."

"Ah." Wyll nodded "They are the mercenary company in charge of keeping order in the lower city. They are under the command of Duke Ravengard."

"Ravengard?" I gave him a pointed look.

He exhaled "My father."

"And you believe he will be reasonable enough to aid you despite your history?" I asked.

"I am no longer bound by the pact not to reveal the truth." He said firmly "And he is a dutiful man besides. He will not abandon his city just to spite me."

"Let us hope that is not just your naive nature speaking." I hummed and ignored the man's frown "Astarion, you said something about your new Zhentarim contacts being in the same area as well?" 

"Indeed." The vampire smiled "The directions they gave me just happen to be in the same area."

"Truly?" I drawled "My, how fortuitous."

"Quite so." Astarion chuckled.

"Very well." I nodded "Astarion, Wyll, Lae'zel, and Gale" I looked at them "You four should go to this inn and extract whatever advantage you are able from both the Duke and the... business conglomerate."

The quartet accepted their task with all due enthusiasm, even if Gale seemed a bit miffed he'd be away from my most precious tutelage for a short while.

A healthy hunger to have, but not one that was more important than the task at hand.

I turned to the rest "Durge, Shadowheart, Karlach, you three are with me. We are going spelunking."

The lizard and Tiefling just nodded, but the half-elf frowned "Why?"

"Because I'm sensing an entire stairwell leading down there and judging by your hatred for the 'moon witch' as you put it, you know more than enough to inform me about it." I shrugged "And because I said so."

Durge snorted.

Shadowheart sighed and shook her head "Very well."

"Oh don't pout at me, girl." I rolled my eyes "Think of it this way, you might get to ransack and desecrate your enemy's domain, or whatever else you religious extremist types like doing."

"I am not a-" She began but quickly shut her mouth.

"Hmm." I scratched my beard while offering her my most condescending of nods.

"Are you forgetting someone?" Durge asked.

"You want me to bring the Drow?" I asked, immediately catching his implication "Why?"

"She knows the underdark." He shrugged "Probably."

'He does make a fair point.' Scorch chirped.

'Irritatingly so.' I hummed in agreement "Alright." I shrugged "Her posturing might amuse me a bit."

The draconic man gave me a blank look at that but I was already ignoring him in favor of summoning my skittery boys and their cargo.

"Let me down this instant!" The familiar wrath filled voice reached our ears soon enough "Put me down you traitorous curs, I command you!"

And just as she reached the highest point of her latest attempt at flailing I gave them the mental command to do exactly as asked.

Leading to the Drow noblewoman effectively flipping herself out of their grip and rolling through the air in an impressive spin that inevitably ended up with her falling on her ass.

Sixteen expectant eyes snapped in my direction.

"Excellent job, boys." I clapped and tossed them a few treats.

The two spiders immediately got to ravaging the alchemical concoction I usually fed Nimhe while the Drow slowly got her ass up from the floor with a hateful glare on her face "What do you want?" She hissed.

"You are being conscripted to serve as a guide to the underdark." I said with a small smirk "Be honored."

The woman's calculating gaze sharpened at that information, and she impressively ignored my implied insult to her station "Very well." She said, weighing every word "So long as you cease your childish humiliations."

"Give me no reason to reach for them and we shall have a deal." I chuckled and snapped my fingers, making the spiders chug down the last of their meal and straighten up "Come, we are already burning daylight."

---

My final statement felt rather comedic as we finally finished our descent into the vaunted underdark.

Not before having to go through a childish puzzle of all things to open the way, of course.

Why not just blow your way through, one might ask? 

Because it felt oddly nostalgic to color match four stones to open an ancient passage!

The really concerning bit however was something else.

The supposed continent-spanning cave network, or at the very least its uppermost entrance, was far, far too close to the surface for me to believe it was nearly as all encompassing as my followers implied.

Which meant there was some kind of bullshit going on!

That or I was expecting something unreasonable and got hit with a merely mildly fantastical cave system instead.

On the other hand, the beauty of the view managed to surpass my expectations!

Great stalagmites and stalactites pointed at each other or outright connected at the edges of the immense cave that was easily taller than the one that held Blackreach, luminescent plants of all forms spread out just enough to warm the eyes but not overtake the view.

It was all one might expect of a grand fantasy cave system, and just as delightful to behold.

That or I was just admiring the novelty and it would all turn dull soon enough.

Unfortunately, pondering that would have to wait.

For it seemed our little ungoblinated temple hid more secrets than it implied, as we found ourselves exiting the staircase directly into a fortified yet crumbling shrine complex.

One that had been through a siege of some intensity, and still emanated a small divine aura of its patron, a gentle soothing glow that clashed most terribly with the sorrowful darkness of whatever the fuck was sitting on Shadowheart's shoulder.

And to my curiosity, I felt the host flashing with the tiniest touch of recognition at the sight of the priestess...