Prototype's Gate

Alex stepped outside of the portal and walked to the turret. Despite the massive amount of energy that had been inside it, it was now empty, thanks to Lathander. His mind drifted back to their conversation, his words playing over and over in his head. "I need to focus," he said, shaking his head. He jumped from the roof and gently landed on the ground, then headed to where they had killed the shadow druids, making sure to avoid being seen in case a patrol was still around. But he doubted that; the commotion he caused must have made all the Githyanki in the area regroup. Alex now understood the Githyanki thinking process and culture after consuming the inquisitor and his comrades. It was only a matter of time until the Githyanki vessels appeared, now that they knew where the Astral Prism was.

After consuming the shadow druids, he found the reason why they were here. They were looking for the Blood of Lathander, to use it against the grove ,after their leader Olodan was captured.

Alex's body began to shift, his stance lowering as a ripple of transformation coursed through him. Black fur, as dark as the night, erupted from his skin, spreading in a wave of shadowy sleekness. His muscles rippled and expanded, giving way to a powerful, agile frame. His fingers retracted, turning into strong, padded paws with razor-sharp claws.

His face elongated, morphing into a sleek, snout. Alex's eyes glowed with an eerie, golden light . His ears sharpened and perked up, catching the slightest sound, and a long, bushy tail sprouted from his back, swaying gracefully with each movement.

Alex dashed away, heading to the grove.

Approaching the grove, he could see a massive dome of thorns surrounding it. "They must have finished the ritual," Alex as he turned around and headed to the beach.

No one was there.

Alex took a few sniffs of the air and headed to the temple, making sure to shift back to his bipedal form.

As he opened the door and he almost got hit by a sword. He caught the sword and turned his head to the tiefling holding it. "Sorry," the tiefling whispered as Alex let go of his blade.

Alex’s gaze moved throughout the room. Almost all the tieflings of the grove were there whispering among them self but stopped as soon as they saw who just stepped inside .

"Zeus!" someone shouted.

From the crowd emerged Halsin. He stopped before Alex, his eyes widening in surprise before resuming a more composed expression.

"Everyone gathered here as you ordered," Halsin said.

Alex looked at Lump, who was sitting close to the door.

"Did as you said, boss," Lump said.

"Is everyone ready?" Alex asked in a loud voice.

Zevlor walked to Alex, his gaze determined.

"A group," he paused for a moment, trying to find his words. "Decided to leave alone."

"Their decision," Alex said, turning around and heading for the beach, the tieflings following a few steps behind.

The nautiloid rose from the water and opened its shell.

The blow of a horn reverberated from somewhere close by.

"Shit. They already found us," someone swore.

Alex could feel a cluster of minds approaching them.

"Go inside," Alex ordered Zevlor and the few tieflings by his side.

Some tieflings headed inside the nautiloid, but some remained. Zevlor looked at ones that remained , their eyes full of determination. "We are coming with you to the Moonrise Tower."

Alex looked at the group for a moment before moving his gaze to the group of githyanki that was approaching.

"Don't die," Alex said as he shifted his arms into a pair of claws and dashed away.

The rest of the tieflings inside the nautiloid waved their hands as the nautiloid shell closed down, while the others unsheathed their weapons, ready to fight. A red dragon came flying and opened its mouth to burn the ship, but before it could do so, the nautiloid sank to the bottom of the river and burrowed deep into the riverbed until nothing was left. The dragon flames touch the water creating a dome of mist that quickly dissipated.

Alex raised a wall of fire between him and the group of Githyanki. His arm shifted into the whipfist. The tip of the whip cut through the air and barely sank into the dragon’s flesh.

The dragon howled in pain and flew away, its flight strained. The deadly poison Alex had just injected into it was taking effect.

He dismissed the wall of fire and raised his hand. The Githyanki dropped their swords and crossbows as they began to brighten up. Disarmed, Alex pounced on them, turning them into minced meat.

Flesh tendrils wrapped around the bodies, consuming them.

"We are heading to the shadow-cursed lands," Alex said as the ground shook.

From the ground emerged Bullet before plunging back into the hole it had just made.

Alex waved to his group to follow and dropped down into the hole. One by one, everyone jumped, the last being Lump. His landing shook the tunnel.

"Follow me," Alex said, his imposing figure lighting the tunnel.

As they headed to their destination, the tunnel kept collapsing every dozen meters.

A tiefling walked up to Zevlor. "Are you sure he will not lead us to our deaths?" he asked.

"If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. Keep focused," Alex said from the front.

Zevlor threw him a glare, and the tiefling walked back.

They must have walked a few kilometers before they stopped. Bullet dug upward until the rays of the sun lit the tunnel.

Alex jumped up and reached the surface. He let down a white rope that everyone used to climb up. The rope was strong enough even to hold Lump.

"Where did you find such a strong rope? It’s smooth like silk," Halsin asked from the side.

"It’s made from spider web," Alex responded.

"Oh," Halsin said, flabbergasted.

Everyone looked around to see where Alex brought them . They were close to a dirt road . Bushes and small tress surrounded them .

"Blah," one of the tieflings said, grabbing his nose. "What died here?" he asked.

Alex raised his hand and pointed to a group of decomposing ghouls and ghasts, the same ones Alex’s party had killed.

They walked down a slope and over old, rotten bridges. The trees around them started to change, becoming crooked and looking like gray tumors riddled with holes. They stopped before a sign with a skull on it. It read, "Beware of shadows."

A few meters ahead was an arch made from a crooked tree . Once they passed through that arch, they would step inside the shadow-cursed lands.

Alex raised his hand. It was time to put to use the knowledge Lathander had given him. A small orb of light formed over Alex’s raised palm. It released a pulse of golden light, enveloping the group.

"This should protect you from the curse, but stay together; the shadows could still approach," Alex warned, stepping through the arch followed by the rest of the group. Immediately, he could feel the air getting colder.

As they walked deeper inside the shadowlands, the sky darkened, becoming covered by a dark mist, faint whispers coming from it. The mist was blocking their view, allowing them to see just a couple of meters ahead. A flame formed over Alex’s head, illuminating the area. Alex shifted his eyes, trying to see through the mist, but it was in vain. The mist somehow blocked any attempt at seeing further than the space that was illuminated by them.

A goblin holding a torch appeared from the shadows.

"Are…are you…the True Soul?" she asked, her voice fearful.

The goblin twitched and fell to the floor. Alex’s arm shifted into a claw and pierced her chest, tendrils of flesh consuming her.

Alex stood up, looking at the group. Everyone was looking at him, trying to appear calm, but their body language said something else, except Zevlor. Maybe because everyone was looking up to him, he was trying to be a pillar for the others. He turned his head and started to walk. The group of tieflings looked at Zevlor.

"We will follow him," he ordered.

As they walked, they encountered a gruesome sight. An ox sat decapitated on the side of the road, its head next to the body. Alex could spot dark green mist rising from the body similar to the one he saw after killing the corrupted githyanki "This ox, they took it before they left," Zevlor said from the side. Alex turned his head and looked at him.

"The group that left after your friend warned us of the Githyanki attack. Hells. I hope they didn’t die here," Zevlor said, looking at the head of the ox. Up ahead, they passed by some crates with supplies, their contents rotten from the curse.

"A battle took place here," Alex stated the obvious, looking at one of the crooked trees around. The mark of a claw cut deep into its bark.

Alex felt the mist moving around him. Suddenly, he turned around and threw an orb of light. A wicked dark claw emerged from the mist, ready to strike one of the tieflings in the back, but the orb hit it right before it struck. Whatever Alex hit started to shriek, the sound clawing at their ears.

A circle of fire appeared ,surrounding the group. The light pushed away the darkness, revealing what had tried to attack them. It was a shadow, resembling a dark exaggeration of a humanoid. Alex raised his hand again. The creature was enveloped by a golden flame that instantly killed it, leaving behind a small ball that glowed with a faint green light.

"Up ahead, there is a group of cultists. Don’t make a sound," Alex cautioned as he dismissed the circle of fire.

Empty cages lay around, the strong smell of blood hanging in the air. It was coming from a broken tower up ahead.

A goblin was playing with a smaller hyena, waving a bone by its mouth.

"Hey boy—yeh want the bone? Yeh want the bone? Fetch," he said, throwing the bone inside the ruined tower.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked.

"Argh!" The goblin screamed, jumping a step back. "Hells - I nearly stained myself. I'm just seeing if this shadow curse is as bad as they say. Word is it eats anyone who gets too deep into the dark. I take it you're the True Soul we're waiting on? Needs passage to Moonrise?"

"How do you plan on getting me through this cursed darkness?" Alex inquired.

"Don't worry, boss. You're in good hands. We've got a guide. Talk to Kansif inside - he'll run you through it."

"One last thing - go and fetch the bone you threw."

The goblin started to laugh. "Wait. You're...joking, yeah? But we're ready to go. You just need to tell Kansif inside."

"Go on. Fetch," Alex commanded, his voice infused with psionic energy. Even some tieflings behind him flinched a little.

"So you want me to...I mean, I'll just...I'll just go and, eh..." the goblin mumbled, slowly heading to the tower where the bone was, stopping every couple of steps and looking back.

When the goblin stepped inside, he started to scream.

"No-no! Argh!" The goblin's scream was followed by a wet munching sound, like something tearing through flesh.

The hyena that had almost been killed by its owner whimpered and walked inside its cage.

Alex walked to Kansif, a half-orc male waring clothes with the symbol of the Absolute who was staring at him, two more goblins by his side doing the same.

"True Soul," Kansif said, bowing. "An honor. Did you bring the lyre?"

"A lyre?" Alex thought as he remembered something. When Alex killed Nere, the drow at the adamantine forge, he found on his body a beautiful silvery lyre. He consumed it, feeling some magic from it, but it was just a simple enchantment that made the sound travel further.

Alex put one hand behind his back. The goblins stared as his flesh twisted, forming an exact replica of the lyre.

"I have it," Alex said, bringing the lyre forward.

"Then pluck a tune and our guide will come scuttling."

Alex started to play the lyre, and after a few notes, he could spot something emerging from the shadow. Its lower body was a spider's, and its upper part was a drow. The left part of its face had four spider eyes around its original eye.

"Yes. I hear them, your majesty. Calling us. Their god, together," the abomination said as it scuttled to them. In its left hand, it was holding a lantern by its staff. The lantern was glowing with a beautiful silvery light, pushing the shadows away.

"Greetings, in the Absolute's name. You have been charged with," Kansif said but paused, averting his eyes, disturbed by what was in front of him, "- guiding us," Kansif said from the side.

"New flesh for you, my queen. But who are they?" the drider asked, looking at Alex's group.

"Best introduce yourself. Perhaps he'll listen to a True Soul," Kansif whispered from the side.

Spikes appeared all over the ground, impaling the half-orc and the goblins. The drider was faster, dodging the spikes but ending being trapped by a circle of spikes erected around him. Alex phased next to the drider. A purple sword appeared in his hand, and he swung it vertically, cutting the abomination's chest. The drider started to scream in pain, a red aura forming around its body. Alex tried to cut him again, but the aura stopped his attack. The drider raised his clawed hand and started to attack Alex. Alex front-flipped over the drider, a thin string flying from his hand and attaching to the lantern.

Alex pulled the string, his strength proving too much for the drider as the lantern slipped through his fingers.

"My queen! They took your gift! Give it back!" The drider kept shouting, clawing fanatically at the spikes.

Alex's focus was instead on the lamp.

"There's something inside," Alex thought. Inside was a tiny pixie.