Prototype's Gate

As Alex leaned back, the grove settled into a quieter rhythm. The air was cool, carrying the mingled scents of nature and the remnants of the night's festivities. He let the calm wash over him, each breath steadying his thoughts. Alex could feel Selûne's magic stirring inside his body, like a gentle sea calming the raging inferno that was his fire elemental energy.

Nearby, a group of tieflings laughed softly, sharing stories from their travels. The firelight danced across their faces, casting playful shadows.

"I swear it was a big red dragon," one tiefling boasted.

"Great, now we have dragons flying around," another lamented.

The once-boisterous grove now felt serene, the revelry giving way to a peaceful ambiance. Alex's mind wandered as he observed the scene, reflecting on the night and the unexpected camaraderie he found among these diverse companions. Despite the initial wariness, the party had been a success.

At some point, the man dressed in pompous blue clothes, Volo, whom Alex had saved at the sanctum, came to his table and offered him a drink.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me. I will make sure that your name is spread far and wide across Faerûn," Volo boasted, taking a small sip of ale.

"For lockpicking a door and sneaking around?" Alex asked with a small smile.

"For fighting a dozen goblins, ogres, and bugbears bare-handed. Then lockpicking the door and teleporting with an injured man on your back," Volo corrected.

"I fought nothing," Alex said.

"I know, for a man of your caliber it must have been child’s play."

Alex pondered if this man somehow knew who he really was but pushed the thought away. He took another sip of the ale in his cup. He didn’t have the habit of drinking, believing that people showed their true faces when drunk—something that Alex detested, at least until he died. Now he couldn’t get drunk unless he allowed it.

"Good night, sir," Volo said, performing an exaggerated bow like an actor before an audience and leaving

Again, Alex closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

A soft rustling of leaves drew Alex's attention. He opened his eyes to see Halsin approaching once more, a gentle smile on his face. The druid sat down beside him, the warmth of his presence a comforting anchor in the night.

"Quite a night, wasn't it?" Halsin remarked, his voice low and content.

Alex nodded, his gaze still taking in the serene surroundings. "Yeah, it was. Different from what I'm used to, but good."

Halsin chuckled softly. "Sometimes, it's the quiet moments after the chaos that hold the most meaning."

Alex let the words sink in, appreciating the wisdom in them. "I suppose you're right."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, listening to the gentle murmur of the grove and the occasional laughter from the lingering partygoers. The night felt timeless, a fleeting moment of peace in a world often filled with turmoil.

Alex stood, stretching his limbs. He looked down at Halsin, who nodded in understanding.

"Time to rest," Halsin said.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, time to rest."

He made his way out of the quiet grove, stepping carefully around the sleeping forms of his friends. The night had been long, and the battles hard-fought, but in this moment of tranquility, strangely Alex found a sense of belonging and peace. Unfortunately it would not be for long.

"Sir," a tiefling came running into the cave, breathless. "That guy Zeus said for everyone to gather at the beach."

Zevlor lifted his head from the map he was reading and looked at the tiefling. "For what reason?" he asked.

"He just said he wanted to show us something."

"Show us something..." Zevlor murmured, rubbing his chin. "I suppose it's something important. Tell everyone to gather at the beach."

The tiefling turned to leave.

"And tell them to be armed. We don't know what is waiting for us," Zevlor added, looking the man in the eyes.

The tiefling gulped, thinking they might have to fight that thing, but he followed Zevlor's order and did what he was told.

An hour later, everyone was waiting at the beach. Tieflings, druids, and some familiar faces—Karlach, Wyll, Gale, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Astarion, Alex, and Halsin—were among the crowd.

"Where is the giant squid ship?" Karlach asked, looking around. The crater was still there but no ship was in sight.

Suddenly, the water shook. Everyone stood still, eyes wide open, as a black nautiloid ship rose from the water. Weapons were unsheathed, and spells prepared. Before they could attack, the side of the shell opened up, revealing a tall figure. It was Zeus.

Halsin stepped forward. "What is happening?" he asked.

"I hear some tieflings still want to leave the grove for Baldur's Gate despite the danger, so I prepared our transportation."

"I'm not stepping inside a mind flayer ship," a tiefling shouted from the back.

Alex turned to him, and the tiefling took a step back.

"I'm not forcing anyone, but if you think the shadow-cursed lands are safer, go on, I'm not going to stop you."

The tiefling gulped and looked at the black nautiloid.

"Where did you get a nautiloid? They are extremely rare," Halsin asked.

"I used the remains of the one that crashed in this location," Alex responded.

Halsin looked at him as if someone had just told him the moon was made of cheese.

"Let me show you the inside," Alex said. The nautiloid slowly moved to the beach until it hit the land, then he moved to the side.

Inside, it was not what they were imagining. Wooden floors, simple carpets, beds, and sofas were lying around. Small yellow balls hung from the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft light. Glut was lying on a sofa with his eyes closed. Nothing from the grotesque and unsettling design remained.

"I have more preparations to do. In the meantime, I'll let Glut be your guide to the ship," Alex said as he turned around and walked through a wooden door, leaving his audience.

The first to step inside was Karlach. She looked around, unsure if this place was some kind of trap.

"Hey, little guy," Karlach said to Glut.

Glut slowly opened his eyes and looked at Karlach. Despite his face being covered by armor, she could see that Glut was not pleased to be disturbed.

"What do you want, flesh-walker?" Glut asked.

"Is this place a trap?" she asked.

The rest of the group was a few steps back at the entrance. Astarion facepalmed after hearing Karlach's question.

"If he wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now," Glut stated.

"So, Zeus is a guy?" Karlach asked.

Glut shrugged.

Karlach glanced at her group and then slowly moved closer to one of the couches. She patted the fabric, noticing that it was not burning. Deciding it was now or never, she lay down on it.

A moan escaped her mouth. "Karlach! Did something happen?" Wyll asked.

"This feels divine," she said, closing her eyes.

"Move aside, scaredy-cats," Astarion said as he took a seat on another couch. "Ooo, this feels sooo good," he added.

"Really?" Shadowheart asked.

Astarion didn't respond, just weakly waved for them to move.

An hour later, the place was full of people.

"How did he make those couches and beds?" Astarion asked for the tenth time. Glut wanted to grab his adamantine mace and smash the white-haired man to a paste, but Alex had prohibited him from doing so.

"I don't know," Glut said for the tenth time, also prohibited from revealing how Alex had taken all the nautiloid flesh that remained and mended it back together.

...

At some point, Alex left the nautiloid and walked back to the camp.

"It seems the decoy worked just fine," he muttered to himself.

Alex had decided that it was better to keep Zeus and himself as separate identities, at least for now. He had created a flesh puppet, which he controlled using his psionic abilities. Now, back at the camp in his normal form, he walked to Alfira to check on her; she was still sleeping.

He had told Gale that if anyone asked about how Alfira was revived, to tell them that Withers had done it. Gale had argued that it was better to be truthful, but in the end, he agreed that the group was already shaken by what Tav had done and the time wasn't right yet for more revelations.

"Your comrades have left the place," Glut notified him through their mental link.

"Where?" Alex asked.

"Don't know," Glut responded.

Alex heard the church door opening and everyone stepping inside.

"Alex, you're already here," Wyll said.

"Did something happen?" Alex asked.

"We just talked with Halsin. He wanted to discuss our worm problem. I know you're not infected, but you can come with us if you want."

"I'd like to be there," Alex said.

"Good, let's go then," Wyll said, waving for him to follow.

---

"I can't help you. Those tadpoles are strange, unlike any I've seen before. I'm sorry," Halsin said.

Everyone seemed disheartened by Halsin's words.

"If we could find a creche, then we could get rid of these tadpoles," Lae'zel suggested.

"Unfortunately, we don't know of any," Halsin said.

Everyone deflated again.

"I heard some tieflings speak of spotting a red dragon flying around," Alex said.

"Then there must be a dragon rider nearby," Lae'zel said.

"Hmm, do you know where they saw it?" Gale asked.

"We could ask them," Alex suggested.

---

"I spotted the dragon to the east," the female tiefling said, pointing in the direction.

"Let's go check the place then," Lae'zel said impatiently.

As they left the grove, Alex stopped everyone.

"What happened, Alex? Why did we stop?" Karlach asked.

"While I was in the Underdark, I met a mind flayer," Alex said. All eyes suddenly turned to him. "I know what everyone thinks of mind flayers," he continued, looking at everyone. "But this mind flayer seemed friendly. It even had a colleague it worked with. Maybe it can help you guys with the tadpoles."

"Never trust a ghaik," Lae'zel responded.

"I think we should listen to Alex. Maybe that illithid knows a way to get rid of the tadpoles," Gale argued.

Alex and Gale had already spoken about his decision to visit Omeluum, and Gale had agreed.

"It won't attack us. It lives in a myconid colony—a colony that I helped while I was there. If something happens, they won't hesitate to help us."

"It's worth a shot if we can't find the creche," Wyll agreed.

Lae'zel stared daggers at him and Alex.

...

Karlach suddenly grabbed her chest and leaned forward, grimacing in pain.

"Ahhh," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Karlach, what's happening?" Wyll asked, being the closest to her.

"Fucking infernal engine is acting up again," Karlach replied, gritting her teeth against the pain.

Alex looked at her and saw what was causing her distress. Something in her chest was burning so hot that even her natural fire resistance couldn't offset it.

"Gale, do you know Create Water?" Alex asked.

Gale nodded and, with a few gestures, conjured several liters of water, dropping it onto Karlach. The water hissed as it made contact with her, but it helped cool her enough to alleviate the pain.

"Has this happened before?" Alex asked.

"Yes, ever since I got here, my engine's been so hot I can barely contain it until now," Karlach replied.

"Do you know a way to fix it?"

Karlach nodded. "Tav... and I spoke with a tiefling at the grove Dammon , who said he could fix it, but he needs some infernal iron. With everything that's happened, I haven't had time to look for it."

"Karlach, you should have told us. We could have looked together," Wyll said, concern evident in his voice.

Eveyone looked at Wyll .

"Sorry" He said realizing his mistake.

"This infernal iron—how rare is it?" Alex asked.

"Rare enough that we haven't found a piece yet. But maybe we can find some in the village. We didn't have time to explore it thoroughly," Shadowheart said.

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we can find a piece at the Shattered Sanctum," he commented.

"Where is that place?" Wyll asked.

"Not very far, a bit farther than the village. The army's main force had their camp there. We'll need to go there at some point to reach the Underdark," Alex explained.

"Lets check the village first then the sanctum " Wyll said.

---

When they reached the village, they spotted a column of smoke rising into the sky somewhere far ahead to the north.

"You guys stay here. I'm going to check it out. Look for some infernal iron in the meantime," Alex said, running off towards the smoke.

"Who made him the leader?" Astarion scoffed.

---

Back in the village, the group searched every nook and cranny for the infernal iron.

"Any luck?" Wyll asked as he searched an old blacksmith's forge.

"Not yet," Shadowheart replied, rifling through a chest.

Just then, Karlach's eyes landed on a partially buried box near the remnants of a collapsed building. She pried it open and found several pieces of blackened, twisted metal.

"Guys, I think I've found something!" she called out.

They gathered around and examined the pieces. Shadowheart nodded. "That looks like infernal iron. Let's hope it's enough for Dammon."

---

Alex jumped over a broken bridge and ran towards the source of the smoke. He found a burning mansion, goblins and drow corpses strewn around. A woman dressed in silver armor with a red cloth draped over it was crying over a man’s corpse, similarly armored. A few meters ahead, a group of men and women wearing the same armor were trying to push open the main door of the mansion. Alex walked over to the group, and one of them turned to him.

"Grand Duke Ravengard could be inside. Don't stand around—push!"

Alex approached the door and, with a single powerful kick, the door fell to the floor. He paid no mind to the astonished stares directed his way and used his psionic abilities to scan the area. He sensed two minds upstairs, one to his right and another to the left. He leaped to the upper floor, as the stairs were already destroyed by the fire, and turned towards the room on the right, already engulfed in flames. Walking through the fire, which licked at him without causing harm, he found a man trapped under a wooden beam. The flames hadn’t reached him yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"Please help!" the man pleaded, struggling to push the heavy beam off himself.

With one hand, Alex pushed the beam away and helped the man stand up. He looked around and saw a collapsed door frame. With another powerful kick, he cleared the debris and pushed the man towards safety.

"Thank you," the man said before running away.

Alex nodded and turned back towards the flames, heading for the other mind he sensed. The fire was spreading rapidly, and the smoke was so thick that even he struggled to see ahead. He found a collapsed wooden frame, kicked it away, and walked into the room to find an elven woman with dark skin, silver hair, and a dark blue robe, lying on the floor and struggling to breathe.

Alex grabbed her and ran to an open corridor, kicking away some wooden grates before jumping down to safety. He let go of the woman so she could catch her breath. At the same time, the rest of the armored individuals gathered around her.

"Fresh air at last," she said, taking deep breaths before straightening up and looking at Alex with a firm gaze. "Your boldness is a blessing. My name is Florrick, and I'm in your debt."

"Counselor, are you alright?" a woman asked.

"It takes more than fire to break me, Eva. Now listen closely. Duty calls. The drow have taken Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard westward if my eyes and ears can be believed." She turned to another member. "Gauntlet, report to the Manip and send reinforcements. We must find the Duke."

"On your command, Counselor," Eva responded before running away.

"The rest of you, count the dead. Spread word of their sacrifice to the city," the counselor ordered before turning back to Alex.

"My name is Alex."

"Alex, I must ask for your aid again. Please rescue the Duke from his drow captors. The council will reward your efforts. May I trust you will see it through?"

Alex thought for a moment, skimming through the memories he obtained from the Absolut army members he consumed. This Duke Ravengard must have been taken to the Moonrise Towers.

"Moonrise Tower? Along the old road? That place is cursed. Few could survive there... unless darker forces are at work. This was not a random attack. The Duke must have been their target."

"I plan on heading there soon. If I see him, I will try to save him. But why is this Duke so important?" Alex asked.

"Grand Duke Ravengard is an invisible force holding Baldur's Gate together. Without him, the city faces collapse. In fact, I fear that may have been the intention of those who abducted him."

"I will see what I can do," Alex said, more to calm the woman than anything else.

The counselor nodded. "Thank you. And if your courage falters, remember Duke Ravengard's generosity. Approach the tower with care. The place has been swallowed in shadows. I will seek reinforcements and join you when I can. Choose one of these to help you on your journey." She nodded to a man who came running a few moments later with a bow, trident, and staff, each glowing with a soft blue light and small arcs of electricity dancing around them.

"I already have a good weapon," Alex said, pointing to the sword on his back.

"Then when we meet again, you can ask me for a favor."

Alex nodded and turn to leave but suddenly stopped. He could feel a mind at the periphery of his radar. It was alone and not moving.