Prototype's Gate

Karlach, Alex, Glut, Lae'zel, and Shadowheart were already moving forward to intercept the cursed Githyanki. As the group drew closer, their adversaries straightened up and rushed forward. Their previous shuffling gait was replaced by swift and agile movements.

The sword-wielding Githyanki gracefully dodged and swung their weapons while arrows flew by, shot by the rangers in the back.

"Why are you not killing this rotten meat? You are more than capable of doing so. I am still puzzled why a being like you is wasting his time in the company of these weak walking meats," Glut asked Alex.

"Because they need to learn to work together," Alex responded while swiftly dodging a sword that passed just centimeters from his face and kicking away the attacker with enough force to break several ribs. "Besides, they will prove useful later." And a small part of him enjoyed their companionship.

"Move away, this isn't a dancing ring," Lae'zel said as she moved ahead of him and slashed at one of the corrupted brethren.

"Back away!" Wyll shouted. Everyone dashed aside as a fireball came crashing down on the cursed Githyanki.

A dark mist appeared where the fireball landed, enveloping the surviving Githyanki from Gale's spell.

They waited at the periphery of the spell, ready to engage.

The Githyanki emerged from the mist covered in a thin layer of ice, patches of burnt skin on their bodies, and their pointy ears eaten away by the caustic effect of the spell.

Already injured by the combination of spells, the group quickly dispatched them.

"This happens to those claimed by the Shadowlands, corrupted into husks of their former selves," Gale said to Alex.

After the Githyanki died, the corruption disappeared.

"At least they died an honorable death," Lae'zel said.

She took one last glance at the bodies before turning and walking inside the cable car.

Alex crouched next to one of the bodies and shifted his eyes.

He could spot some type of energy slowly dissipating like smoke. As he reached for it, trying to consume it, he heard a whisper in his ear.

"Don't do it," a woman's voice said, melodious and sweet.

Alex stopped his hand and walked to join the rest of the party as they headed inside the cable car.

Karlach grabbed a lever and pushed it. The cable car shook for a moment before slowly starting to move ahead.

Wyll walked to Lae'zel, who was looking at the monastery.

"How do you feel about killing your own people?" Wyll asked.

Lae'zel looked at Wyll for a moment before resuming her gaze at the monastery.

"They were already dead the moment they were corrupted," she responded. Despite her calm demeanor, Alex could see her hands clenching at Wyll's question.

The cable car shook once more before stopping.

Everyone stepped out but was stopped by a group of five druids and their animal companions. The druids were covered with symbols similar to those of the shadow druids Alex had met at the grove.

Wyll opened his mouth to speak, but Alex pushed him down just as an arrow flew through the space where his head had been.

A wall of fire rose between them just in time for a barrage of arrows to fly into it, burning to ashes.

"Thank you, Alex, and you, Gale, for the wall of fire," Wyll said as he straightened up.

Gale looked at Alex for a moment before nodding. "Always a pleasure."

Alex had been the one to raise the wall. Up ahead, hiding in the bushes and trees, were three more druids standing still.

"Astarion, turn invisible and try to strike the druids hiding in the bushes and trees up ahead once Gale dismisses the wall of fire," Alex said.

"I'm not taking orders from you," Astarion replied.

Alex unsheathed his sword and looked ahead. "Sing," he commanded.

A beautiful song started to play around them as a silvery light enveloped them before disappearing a moment later.

"Whoa, this feels nice," Karlach said as she unsheathed her battle axe.

"Gale, dismiss the wall," Alex said.

Gale nodded, and the wall disappeared.

The shadow druids and their animals lunged at the party. Alex front-flipped over the group and ran into the bushes ahead. Screams could be heard from them.

The rest of the party didn't stay idle and engaged the druids. This time, everyone was at the front except Gale, who was casting cantrips.

Karlach charged forward with a roar, her battle axe swinging in wide arcs, cutting through the animal companions with ease. Wyll was at her side, his strikes precise and deadly, fending off the druids' attacks with his rapier. Shadowheart moved gracefully, her mace swinging and shield bashing, with Lae'zel by her side cleaving anyone who came close enough with her flaming sword.

Glut lazily swung his mace around as he looked over the battlefield.

Astarion, albeit begrudgingly, turned invisible and slipped into the shadows. The sound of his daggers finding their marks soon joined the cacophony of battle.

Gale, meanwhile, stood back, launching firebolts and other cantrips, ensuring the druids and their companions couldn't regroup. His spells kept the pressure on, preventing the druids from mounting a coordinated attack.

The battle was intense but swift. The shadow druids fell one by one. The last druid standing, realizing their defeat, tried to flee but was cut down by Karlach's axe.

As the final enemy fell, the forest grew silent once more. The party stood amidst the aftermath, catching their breath and assessing their injuries.

Alex walked out of the bushes and looked around. Minced bodies lay scattered around.

"Is everyone alright?" Alex asked, looking around at his companions.

"We're fine," Karlach replied, wiping blood from her axe. "Thanks to your quick thinking."

"We handled it well. But we need to stay alert. There could be more of them," Shadowheart said.

"Let's move quickly and carefully. We've made enough noise to attract attention," Gale said.

"Stop right there," a feminine voice shouted.

Everyone turned around to see a group of Githyanki approaching.

Lae'zel walked forward, and the group stopped a few steps before her.

"Walk ahead," the female Githyanki at the front ordered as she moved to the side.

Lae'zel walked ahead, followed by the rest of the party. The Gith's weapons were trained on their backs, ready to strike at the slightest movement.

At the monastery gate, a cultist gnome lay dead, an arrow in her back.

"What happened to this one?" Alex asked.

"Shut up," a Gith said, pushing him with his crossbow.

They were escorted inside the monastery basement and met with another gate guarded by more Githyanki. "Sentries, to arms! Istik. State your purpose. Quickly," a female Githyanki commanded once they walked close enough.

"Stand down, Gish. It is not Vlaakith's command to welcome her faithful?" Lae'zel said as she walked forward.

"I expected no visitors, faithful or otherwise. Why have you come?"

"We seek the Zaith'isk. Show me the way," Lae'zel responded.

"You are infected? A Ghaik thrall is something to eradicate, not reason with."

"The faithful must be purified. This is Vlaakith's protocol!"

"Tsk. Let the Ghustil carry out your fate. Report to the infirmary at once. And be careful. Creche Y'llek watches you," the female Githyanki said before stepping aside. The gate opened, revealing a broad corridor that split into three with a marble pillar in the middle.

Lae'zel walked ahead, but when the party took a step forward, they were stopped.

"Step inside!" a Githyanki shouted, opening one of the grated doors on the side.

The room it led to was dark, but Alex could smell blood inside.

"They are with me. They know where the artifact is," Lae'zel said.

The Gith holding the door open looked at the woman Lae'zel had just spoken to.

"Let them in," she said.

Everyone walked to Lae'zel except Alex, who walked inside the dark room. He raised his hand just in time to catch an arrow aimed at his head.

He looked inside the room, where dozens of individuals lay unconscious, all in dire condition. He spotted a familiar figure chained to a wall, naked, beaten, bruised, and covered in blood. It was the tiefling woman they had met at the mountain pass.

Alex crouched next to her. Her pulse was weak, her breathing shallow, and if the blood beneath her was truly hers, she had lost too much blood. He quickly brought forth a healing potion and poured its contents into her mouth.

"Stand up," a male Githyanki said, the tip of his blade pointed at Alex's neck.

He slowly stood up and walked out of the torture room. He was shoved to the wall with his back facing the Githyanki.

As he stood there, the female Githyanki unsheathed her dagger and started to slash at Alex's back. Alex remained silent, not making any sound. The lack of noise seemed to anger the woman, and the last slashes were deeper, cutting into muscle. When she finished, Alex was pushed to his party.

"Shadowheart, please heal him," Wyll said as Alex approached them. "Why did you do that?" Wyll asked, eyeing the Githyanki as he handed Alex a healing potion.

Shadowheart approached Alex with a look of disgust, but nevertheless, she healed him. Her magic mending the fresh wounds on his back.

"Remember the tiefling we met at the mountain pass?" Alex asked.

Wyll nodded, concern etched on his face.

"She's chained inside that room, knocking at death's door," Alex continued. Wyll's eyes widened momentarily, his hands clenching into fists, his gaze fixed on the grated door leading to the torture room.

Alex patted Wyll's shoulder reassuringly. "I gave her a healing potion. She should survive."

Wyll nodded and turned to follow Lae'zel, though his eyes lingered on the door for a moment longer.

"I didn't think you were so tough. Admirable," Shadowheart said, her tone begrudgingly respectful.

They took a left, walked a bit, and stopped beside an imposing portrait of an old female Githyanki.

"Vlaakith herself. She is both the sun that blinds us and the void that contains us. Praise be," Lae'zel said with reverence.

Vlaakith looked different from the Githyanki they had seen so far. Her stark white skin stretched over her sharp features gave her a distinct, otherworldly appearance. In the corner of the painting was a symbol that looked like a flame blown by the wind.

"What's that symbol, Lae'zel?" Gale asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"Tsk, that's a comet," she responded tersely.

"A comet? And what is its significance?" Gale pressed.

Lae'zel walked ahead without responding, her silence an answer in itself.

They passed through the dormitory to reach the infirmary. All the Githyanki they met looked at them with disgust, some even shouting slurs at them. The infirmary was a simple room with something that looked like a bear-sized eyeless snake wrapped around a silvery metal chair on a platform. To the left, examining a tadpole through a plate-sized magnifying glass, was the healer of the creche.

The party moved towards her. Alex almost bumped into Wyll when he suddenly stopped and looked to his left. Alex followed his gaze and spotted three tadpoles floating in individual jars on a table in the left corner of the room.

It wasn't just Wyll; all the party members with tadpoles were looking in that direction. Like nothing had ever happened, the group moved their gaze back to the healer.

"What just happened?" Alex asked Wyll.

"We'll tell you later," Wyll said, his eyes moving to the healer and back to Alex.

"Intestinal coloration consistent with samples 231 to 259," the healer murmured before standing up. "Do you have a question, or are you just going to stand there gawking?"

"I am a child of Gith, not discarded rat flesh. Am I not due your respect?" Lae'zel asked, clearly displeased with the healer's greeting.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Be quick. My work is of vital importance."

"We carry ghaik tadpoles and have done so for countless days—yet we show no symptoms. We must enter the zaith'isk."

"You are infected but showing no symptoms of cerebral impairment? Fascinating. Either your tadpole is special, or you are. We must find out which. Go to the zaith'isk. I will ensure you are cured," she said, pointing at the flesh construct on the platform. "Even Githyanki rarely experience the zaith'isk. You are very lucky."

"How does this zaith'isk work?" Gale asked the healer as they gathered before it.

His question fell on deaf ears.

"The zaith'isk. Vlaakith's purity, distilled. My duty, my right," Lae'zel said, eyeing the device and then looking at Wyll.

"Go ahead, Lae'zel," Wyll said, his voice steady.

"Praise Vlaakith. Let it be done," she said as she laid down on the metal chair.

"Sit, child. Let the zaith'isk end your suffering," the healer said softly. "You must focus on the parasite at all times. The zaith'isk will do the rest."

The device's head moved down closer to Lae'zel's, and its fangs started to glow with white light. Immediately, Lae'zel began to squirm in pain, and all the party members with tadpoles felt a searing agony.

"I feel like a blade cleaves my mind in two. Ahh. Impossible pain sears my bones and body in concert with Lae'zel's," Wyll said through gritted teeth.

"Ngh! Vlaakith tavik na'zin! Vlaakith tavik na'zin!" Lae'zel kept shouting.

Alex linked his mind with the rest of the party, and Wyll was right; the pain was unbearable.

"Yes, child, speak the tla'ket. Meditate on its verses," the healer said, excitement in her voice.

The party fell to their knees, squirming in pain, except Alex and Glut.

"I can feel her mind ripping and rupturing. Is this really the cure?" Alex thought.

"Get out of there, Lae'zel! You won't survive this anguish!" Wyll shouted as blood started to flow from Lae'zel's nose.

"Out of my head! Vlaakith m'zath'ak, isk'a'zaith!"

"No! Lae'zel will die if she remains!" Wyll shouted back.

"Yes, child. Ch'mar, zal'a Vlaakith. Call your queen!" the healer urged from the side.

"My queen, hear me!" Lae'zel screamed.

"That thing looks set to kill her," Gale said, grabbing Alex's leg.

Alex looked at Glut and linked his mind. Glut would have frowned if he could.

"What are you doing?" Glut asked telepathically.

"Trying to save her," Alex responded.

Alex's mind focused, linking directly with Lae'zel's. His vision warped and narrowed. He sensed myriad specters of Githyanki past—their fates, their anguish. His mind focused on the visions. Lae'zel's life lay bare among those that came before. Her thoughts turned to silver threads and relayed to the Astral Sea. Alex flinched as an infinity of voices cried out.

"The zaith'isk collects memories from the infected and executes them. It is not for curing; it's for killing," Alex realized, understanding the true purpose of the construct.

Lae'zel screamed in pain one more time before the device exploded, sending everyone flying.

For a moment before the zaith'isk exploded, Alex felt a mind whispering to Lae'zel, "Let me protect you."

"NO-NO. The zaith'isk... What have you done? My life work is gone. And yet you live, and so does your parasite," the healer shouted, looking at the destroyed construct.

"The parasite's dead. I felt it die," Lae'zel said, her voice shaky.

"Really? Then—all this destruction was a symptom of its power... Incredible. I'm disappointed that we could not extract it alive. It would have been an exceptional specimen," she said with a smile that quickly disappeared. "In any case, your problem is resolved. Leave me. I must salvage what I can," she said, pointing to the door.