Baldur's Gate: Adventures In The Sword Coast Ch4

Baldur's Gate: Adventures In The Sword Coast
Chapter 4: Doing Favors

Ralis and his group were just leaving the ruined bandit camp, heading southwest back to Friendly Arm. It is almost dawn, and the sun is beginning to rise up in the sky to the east.

"Aagh! The light! It burns!" Viconia wailed, shielding her eyes from the sun's light.

"What the-?" Ralis turned around, looking back at Viconia who shielded her face from the sun and pulled her hood over her head.

"Are you a vampire?" Ralis joked.

"Your jokes don't amuse me, surface dweller. My race has been banished underground for many centuries. We aren't used to the light of the surface," Viconia responded in a cold manner.

"I pity your people, being in a world underground where neither the sun nor moonlight can shine down," Ralis said in the most non-offensive tone as possible as they walked on.

"I pity your kind for your short lifespan," Viconia retaliated, taking Ralis's remark offensively.

Ralis bristled almost involuntarily. Humans are one of the humanoid races with a short lifespan compared to elves, even half-elves like Neera, Khalid and Jaheira live longer than humans.

"I c-c-can't understand why he brought that drow with us," Khalid said to his wife.

"Me neither, but does it matter? She hasn't hurt anyone yet," Jaheira replied.

They continued walking along the grasslands in silence for a few minutes until Ralis felt someone tapping the left shoulder-plate of his splint armor. He turned around to see it was only Neera.

"So, Ralis, after giving it some thought, I want to ask you a favor," She said.

"Certainly, Neera. What do you need?" Ralis responded.

"Remember the story of how I accidentally set my classmates on fire? Even though I first ran away because I was scared, I've begun to think I should find a way to reduce the unfortunate side effects of my otherwise awesome spells," Neera replied.

Ralis felt amused. "This sounds like a good idea, but aren't "unfortunate side-effects" the main feature of wild magic?"

"It only seems that way because everyone forgets all the times my untamed magic made my spells more powerful," Neera replied wryly. "All anyone remembers is when I accidentally incinerated a classmate,"  

"A surface dweller who can't control her own magic is a sign of weakness." Viconia butted into the conversation.

"Not exactly. My wild magic can be powerful, but wild, emphasis on the word "wild"." Neera replied to Viconia. "Casting wild magic is like... playing a flute by ear. I just kind of picked it up as I went along, doing what felt natural. In magical terms, I can play a pretty mean tune. But when I miss a note, the flute shoots fire at everyone." Neera said, now speaking to Ralis more than Viconia and everyone else.

"Hmm," Was all Dorn said.

"How unfortunate, but it is to be expected," Xan said grimly.

"Also the flute sometimes turns me into a hamster," Neera added.

Minsc's eyebrows perked up once he heard Neera say that. "Did you hear that, Boo? Maybe she will turn into a hamster, and we will have a little friend for you to wrassel!" He excitedly told Boo as he gently petted him and gave him a hamster food pellet to eat.

Neera looked back at Minsc in a horrified manner, her eyes wide in fear. "... Ralis, promise to keep him away from me if it does happen again!" She said nervously to Ralis.

He chuckled. "You can count on me," He promised.

"Aww! I wanted to see a hamster fight!" Imoen groaned sadly.

"... Uh, Imoen, you don't want to see it. Trust me," Ralis gave Imoen a worried look.

"Yeah. Anyway, wild mages tend to keep to themselves for obvious reasons, but I've heard of one nearby. They say he's very old and wise," Neera said.

"And you think he can help you learn to tame your wild magic?" Ralis asked her, guessing what's on her mind.

Judging by the smile on her face, he guessed right. "Hey, you're smarter than you look. That's exactly right. Someone who's lived so long with wild magic must be able to teach me a thing or two."

"Who is this wild mage, and where can we find him?" Ralis asked.

"His name is Adoy, and he was last spotted to the east of Firewine Bridge," Neera told him.

"Okay. We'll take a quick detour there, go to Nashkel and meet this Taris woman Dorn told me about who will lead us to Kryll, then we'll head to Cloakwood Forest," Ralis declared.

Neera smiled warmly at Ralis, which made him smile back. "Thanks, Ralis. You're more than a convenient escape from vicious Red Wizards. You're a real pal," She said to him.

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"Hold, Ralis. I need to ask you something," Dorn called out calmly.

Ralis stopped and turned around. "Yes, Dorn?" He answered.

"Do you worry it is a mistake to bring others in your mission? Someone could betray you," Dorn said.

Ralis frowned incredulously. "I don't tolerate traitors," he said firmly.

Dorn nodded in approval. "Good. My betrayers let me live, but yours might not make such a mistake."

"Why are you telling me this? Who would betray me? I'm too adorable and cute to hate," Ralis said with a skeptically warm smile.

"Since you ask..." Dorn paused there as he slowly turned his gaze to Neera. Everyone else looked at Neera too.

"What?" Ralis asked in disbelief.

"Don't listen to anything that big bully says. You know you can trust me," Neera said.

"Even if that is true, you cannot trust her wild magic," Dorn announced.

"Something we can agree on," Dynaheir noted.

"So you see, even those you hold close cannot be trusted," Dorn told Ralis.

Deep down he knew Dorn is giving him dark but wise advice, but Ralis didn't want to be so cold and distrusting.

"You were suspicious of everyone even before Simmeon, weren't you?" Ralis asked him.

Dorn scowled. "I was not suspicious enough of Simmeon's gang. They masked their hatred for my half-orc heritage, fooling me into thinking they were my friends. Never again will I delude myself in such a manner."

"I see. Well, we don't have to be friends. All we need is to have trust, nothing more, nothing less," Ralis told Dorn.

Dorn rubbed his partially hairy chin in thought. "Hmm. Perhaps the strong may trust the strong, but it remains to be proven," He said.

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Ralis did not like taking the detour through The Wood of Sharp Teeth because he heard that dire beasts, hydras and werewolves live in the woods, so stayed in the boundaries of the woods, not going to the deepest parts where they would likely encounter hydras and such, but fortunately they didn't encounter any, just giant spiders, dire rats and wolves, and a few satyrs, which are fey creatures who look like human men with sylvan features from the waist up and have goat legs from the waist down. They aren't known to be hostile unless provoked, luckily. When they camped out for the night, Dorn, who stood guard over the camp noticed a pack of dire wolves sneaking in the camp and woke everyone to fight them off. Then they could sleep peacefully.

Ralis, however, did not sleep peacefully. As time passed, his mind subconsiously thought back to events past, and conquests well won. Then, he began to dream. In his dream, he relived the moment when he and his group attacked the bandit camp. These bandits, the Chill and Blacktalons, were once a feared force in the Sword Coast, but now, they seem like nothing more than ants to Ralis now. He strode through the camp just like he had done before, deflecting and parrying attacks and striking down anyone that dared to attack him, all in the name of justice, leaving a trail of dead bodies as he moved deeper into the burning campsite. A well won victory for the good guys indeed. Then, something odd happened. The earth opened up to accept Ralis passage to a new area.

What...? He looked around.

The earth itself began shifting and changing suddenly. The cascading rocks and gravel surrounded Ralis, preventing him from going anywhere but down to the core of the world. Having no choice, he walked down the tunnel that the shifting ground had created for him. Then, before he knew it, the tunnel grew so deep and dark, he could not see where he is going now, but he knew that he is descending into the core of Toril. A few seconds after the darkness enveloped him, the walls around him illuminate and his adjusting eyes slowly registered that he is in a cavern of some kind. Though he could see no more than 4 feet ahead of him or behind him, he carefully walked forward for a few minutes until he came face to face with... himself.

In front of him is a 11 foot tall stone statue of himself. The statue is the spitting image of himself, from the largest details to the smallest details, like the two sided dirk in his belt. The statue of Ralis held his +1 bastard sword in the left hand up high, as if he had won a major victory. And suddenly, startling the real Ralis, he heard a sinister voice from somewhere within the darkness say:

"Look at yourself. Such pride undeserved, great conqueror, when your whole being is borrowed. Credit where it is due, and dues where payment is demanded." The voice said accusingly, and oddly enough, in an amused way.

"What? Who are you? What are you talking about?" Ralis called into the darkness but couldn't see anyone.

Just then, from out of the darkness, the same bone dagger from the previous dream that tried to goad him into stabbing Mulahey flew at the the statue of Ralis and struck it square in the chest. Ralis cringed at the sight of seeing that dagger strike his statue in the chest. He could imagine how painful it feels being stabbed by such a sharp, non metal weapon before death claims him. And the strange thing is, he actually felt the pain as he looked at the dagger stuck in the statue's chest. The statue cracked slightly from the dagger's impact, and Ralis felt so weak he fell on his knees.

"What's... happening...?" He called weakly.

"You were made as you are..." The voice hidden in the darkness taunted. "... and you can also be broken."

Then Ralis's legs no longer felt the dark, solid ground and he fell deeper and deeper into the dark void, unable to find something to cling on. Ralis woke up the next morning sweating.

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After 5 days of traveling the boundaries of The Wood of Sharp Teeth until they reached the southern part where Ralis and his group saw Durlag's Tower many miles away, the tall, foreboding tower. Then they headed east for another day until they reached Gullykin, a halfling village near the Uldoon Trail and close by Firewine Bridge. Because its so close to Firewine Bridge, Gullykin lies hard up against the fallow, rubble field. Every house in the village is made out of wood and other materials Ralis is not familiar with. The houses appear like dark green colored bread rolls or pancakes when viewed from 17 feet in the air. Ralis and his group saw many halfling men, women and children going about their everyday lives, cooking, cleaning clothes, etc. Ralis could clearly see the Firewine bridge south from the village.

"That's the bridge right there, isn't it?" Ralis asked Neera.

"Yeah. I don't see any other bridge near here," Neera said.

"Then that is where we must go," Rasaad announced.

"If it will help Neera tame her magic spells, I'm all for it!" Imoen enthusiastically declared.

"Wait!" Ralis heard a voice exclaim before he could take a step forward.

He turned his head to the right and saw a halfling woman approach him. "You foolish adventurers aren't planning to pass through Firewine Bridge, are you?" She asked nervously.

"We are. Why? Is the bridge haunted or something?" Ralis asked her curiously.

"Are you crazy? It's dangerous to even pass through there! If you pass through that place, you'll invite the misfortune of those who died and do not sleep." The halfling woman said.

Ralis and his group paused in silence.

"So you're saying that evil spirits roam around Firewine Bridge?" Neera asked her.

"Not just the bridge, but also the ruins. Don't go in the ruins!" The halfling woman pleaded, genuinely scared.

"Okay then, thank you for the warning. We'll be careful," Ralis said and he and his group stomped through the hard, rubble infested soil towards Firewine Bridge.

Just when the small village of Gullykin was 400 meters behind them, Ralis and his group encountered a party of 4 people, all males, two humans named Molkar and Drakar, one dwarf named Morvin and one halfling named Halacan. Molkar is a cleric, meaning he can cast evocations and use melee weapons, he wears +2 chainmail armor, a helm with two small horns and has a +1 longsword but no shield. Drakar is a fighter and uses a +1 morning star as his weapon of choice, he wears splint mail armor and no helmet, his hair is long and red colored. Morvin is a cleric like Molkar and wears normal chainmail armor and uses a short sword and two throwing axes as weapons. Halacan is a fighter like Drakar and uses a bastard sword and large shield, wearing full plate mail armor and a hornless helmet.

"Heads up," Imoen said when she saw them coming.

"Hmmm," was the only thing Dorn said. He had a bad feeling about these four individuals.

"So, we finally meet," Molkar said to Ralis with a sinister smile.

Ralis frowned. "Do I know you, sir?"

Molkar slowly shook his head, chuckling, tickled at how clueless Ralis is. The tightening feeling in Ralis's gut told him that Molkar and his party are not friendly.

"Poor little Ralis. I assume you're completely clueless as to why you must die. I'm sure you've had problems with an assortment of incompetent bounty hunters," Molkar said.

Ralis laughed sarcastically and drew his swords. "You have no idea," he said.

"Well, those days are done. Today, you will die," Molkar said with cold, sinister confidence, drawing his sword. Drakar, Halacan and Morvin did the same. Ralis and his group prepared for a fight as well.

"Heh. I'm sure you'll be no tougher than the previous bounty hunters who tasted the steel of my blades. You're the one whose fate is sealed," Ralis said coolly.

Molkar smiled. He admired Ralis's bold personality. "You'll be a feisty kill, little one. When you die, know that it was Molkar who killed you," Molkar told Ralis.

"Charge!" Ralis yelled, running straight towards Molkar with Minsc.

"Butt kicking for goodness!" Minsc exclaimed, gripping the handle of his greatsword tightly.

Molkar wasn't a good distance away from Ralis to successfully cast a Hold Person spell on him in time, but Morvin had time to do so. Morvin chanted the command words to cast Hold Person on Dorn because he seemed like the most dangerous person in Ralis's group, and the spell worked, leaving Dorn in temporary stasis before he could fire his crossbow. Khalid and Jaheira engaged Drakar in battle, Rasaad and Xan battled Halaean, and Viconia alone battle Morvin. Dynaheir, Neera and Imoen stayed out of melee battle because they either have ranged weapons like a slingshot or shortbow or because it's not safe to face an enemy armed with a sword with only magic spells. Casting magic takes time, enough time to get stabbed in the heart if the enemy is close enough. Dynaheir casted Blindness on Morvin so that Viconia will have an easier fight, but the spell didn't affect Morvin at all, and Neera tried to cast Blindness on Molkar, but a wild surge happened instead.

"Oh no," Neera moaned.

"What now?" Dynaheir looked at Neera suspiciously.

"Wait. Nothing happened," Neera said after a five second pause.

As soon as she said that the ground started vibrating.

"W-w-what's going on?!" Imoen exclaimed.

Ralis, Minsc, Molkar, Rasaad, Xan, Drakar, Khalid, Jaheira, Halacan, Viconia and Morvin stopped fighting, wondering why the ground is vibrating.

"What's going on?" Morvin called.

"This is no earthquake," Halacan said.

Ralis had that feeling too. Whatever is making the ground vibrate, it is not an earthquake. At that moment, in front of Morvin, a monstrous arthropod called an ankheg popped up out of the ground just 3 feet in front of him! Ankhegs are insect like beasts that look like a result of when a giant ant, cockroach and larval antlion crossbreed. They have six legs and a many-segmented body all covered in brown or green colored chitinous exoskeleton. Their heads have black compound eyes, and their mandibles are capable of snapping thin trees apart. They usually burrow underground. They can spit acid, sometimes as a last resort or if they intend on devouring their victim because their digestive system is weaker than an anaconda's. The ankheg roared loudly.

"Ankheg! Run!" Morvin shouted, but before he could run a safe distance from the ankheg, it quickly bent down and used its mandibles to snap Morvin's stout body in half.

"Nooo! Morvin!" Drakar yelled.

Just then, seven more ankhegs popped out of the ground! Dynaheir quickly realized what's going on and glared at Neera.

"Oops. My wild magic summoned ankhegs..." Neera stated nervously.

"The sooner we find this Adoy, the better," Dynaheir said.

"We gotta get out of here, Minsc! We can't fight them all!" Ralis exclaimed.

"You're right!" Minsc nodded and punched Morvin in the head to knock him down to the ground, leaving him vulnerable to be attacked by the ankhegs.

Then he and Ralis ran back to where Dynaheir, Imoen, Neera and Dorn who is still in stasis stood.

"We'll let nature deal with them! Let's go!" Jaheira exclaimed as soon as Drakar started fighting the ankheg that killed Morvin.

"Right!" Khalid nodded and he and Jaheira ran to safety with Ralis and Minsc.

Viconia followed after them. Drakar is focused on killing the ankheg that killed Morvin. He slashed and stabbed at the ankheg in rage, causing the creature to roar and shriek in pain until it collapsed dead. Then the other four ankhegs surrounded Drakar. He knew he had no chance in defeating them all by himself, but he didn't go down without fighting. The ankhegs eventually tore him apart with their sharp mandibles. Halacan rushed over to Molkar and helped him stand up.

"Come on! Stand up! We need to flee and pursue Ralis or we'll never be rewarded 500 gold pieces!" He exclaimed.

"I know! They won't get far," Molkar said.

Ralis and his group wanted to leave towards Firewine Bridge, escape the group of ankhegs, but Dorn is still can't move because the Hold Person spell is still in effect!

"Leave him! We have to go or we'll be ankheg fodder!" Viconia exclaimed.

"No! The spell might wear off soon! Dynaheir! Neera! do any of you know a spell that will free him?"

"Alas, I do not," Dynaheir shrugged.

"Neither do I, sorry," Neera said.

"I'm not leaving him!" Ralis exclaimed.

"Your funeral, then," Viconia said and ran off for Firewine Bridge alone.

Halacan and Molkar were heading for Ralis and the others. Ralis and his group were prepared to fight, but Molkar and Halacan were stopped by two ankhegs. They had no choice but to fight the ankhegs, but the two ankhegs spat strange liquid down at them. Suddenly they were screaming in pain, and Ralis saw why. The sticky liquid that covered Molkar and Halacan's bodies were slowly melting their armor and flesh. The ankhegs spat acid on them! Ralis watched in horror as Molkar and Halacan were slowly and painfully dissolved by the acid. They tried to run from the ankhegs, but their bodies were under so much pain from the acid they could barely walk as the acid burned away at their skin and flesh. It is a gruesome sight neither Ralis or his friends would soon forget. Molkar and Halacan looked like lumbering zombies with burning skin.

"By the Three...!" Dynaheir's eyes widened.

"It's like a bad dream..." Imoen gasped.

At that moment, the Hold Person spell wore off on Dorn, he could move now.

"Finally! Let's get out of here!" Ralis exclaimed, and so he and his friends ran off to Firewine Bridge to catch up with Viconia.

By the time they started running, the acid had finally done enough damage to put Molkar and Halacan out of their misery. The two ankhegs who killed Molkar and Halacan ate their melting corpses and burrowed back underground with their remaining fellow ankhegs.

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After crossing Firewine Bridge, they continued east, passing through the Uldoon Trail. Eventually they saw a large village up ahead which borders the northern parts of a large lake. Up ahead is a fortified "wall" made of old wood, wooden stakes and other junk guarded by goblins. It is now the afternoon. Ralis looked down and saw a squirrel about 6 feet away from his feet. Then the squirrel began making the sounds a crow makes. Ralis and Imoen frowned in confusion.

"What the...?" Imoen said, puzzled at hearing the squirrel caw like a crow or raven.

"Am I dreaming or did that squirrel just caw at us?" Ralis turned around looking at his group to make sure everyone heard it.

Neera smirked. "I think that means we're getting close. Unless that squirrel had a crow for a father, I'd say it was recently polymorphed," She announced.

Ralis frowned in confusion again. "Why would he turn a crow into a squirrel? Maybe he hasn't learned how to control his magic after all."

"Maybe the squirrel was annoying him with questions about his magical talents," Neera replied in a mildly sarcastic way.

Ralis couldn't help but see that Neera doesn't want to notice the hint that maybe this Adoy can't help her, but that's negative thinking. "Come on, let's go." He said, leading his group on towards the hobgoblin village entrance.

"I sure hope we do something about her wild magic. It's troublesome," Viconia said.

"It would be easier if we just banished her from the group," Dorn said.

"Hey! I'm not kicking out anybody Nobody is leaving my group unless I say so! Let's keep moving," Ralis commanded firmly, leading his group towards the opening between the large amounts of rubble which is supposed to be a fortress wall for the goblin village.

One of the goblins who guarded the entrance into the village saw Ralis and his group coming and told his fellow guard: "King Rogdok! Tell King Rogdok peoples is coming to get Bargrivyek! Gots to protect Bargrivyek!"

The other goblin was about to leave until Ralis called out to the goblin who gave orders to the other goblin: "Who is this Bargrivyek?"

"Bargrivyek is goblin god of setting territory and ker opa... ko upper..." The goblin began scratching his head, unable to pronounce the next word fluently.

Co upper... Ralis began thinking. The only word that came to mind was "cooperation".

"Cooperation?" Ralis asked the goblin.

The goblin's eyes lit up, nodding quickly.

"Cooperation! That be it. Territory and cooperation. Bargrivyek be god of that stuff," The goblin confirmed, smiling.

Ralis snorted in derision. "You have no trouble pronouncing 'Bargrivyek', but 'cooperation' ties your tongue? Never mind, just let us speak to Bargrivyek."

"Nobody gets to see Bargrivyek anymore. King Rogdok keep him safe from outsiders."

"All right, then take us to see Rogdok. We'll ask him for permission," Ralis said.

"Rogdok be inside cave, guarding Bargrivyek from other tribes. I lead you there now, so you not mess up our stuff!" The goblin said.

"Thank you," Ralis nodded gratefully.

The goblins let Ralis and his group enter the village. The goblin that Ralis has been speaking to all this time led the way.

"East. We go east now. Not go north. Crazy live up north," The goblin said.

Ralis tried to look ahead up north while following the goblin. He thought he saw a cabin ahead, but it is obscured by so many trees to see clearly. Ralis and his group followed the goblin east, The path the goblin guided them through curved around the top of the lake and moved down towards a wooden bridge. The ropes on each end were held together by very large, heavy boulders. the goblins don't have the tools to anchor a wooden stake to the ground to tie the rope around. Ralis looked at the bridge, unsure if it is safe.

"This bridge seems..." Rasaad's voice trailed off.

"Unstable," Xan finished for Rasaad.

The goblin looked behind him after taking a few steps on the bridge to see that Ralis and his group had doubts about the bridge.

"Come! Cross bridge! We build all by selves... Well, we got help. Help from Bargrivyek!" The goblin said.

Reluctantly, Ralis and his group followed the goblin across the bridge. On the other side, Ralis saw four tents, two on both sides of the trail and a few goblins eating food and telling jokes in their native language. After passing by the four tents, Ralis saw a large cage to his right.

"What's in there?" Ralis asked the goblin, pointing at the cage.

"This is where we keep the bear. The bear eated some of my friends! Now she sits in her cage getting madder and madder and madder... well, you get idea." The goblin said and continued guiding Ralis and the others.

"After being caged up, I can imagine," Ralis responded to the goblin and continued following him.

Then they passed by dozens of tree stumps. Ralis knew that seeing this would anger Jaheira. Soon they goblin took them to a part of the village where the trail leads them to an area where two large walls of rock towered over everyone on both sides.

"Are we there yet?" Ralis asked the goblin in a high pitched voice similar to Xzar's voice when he sounds like a whiny kid.

"Almost there now! Watch for falling rocks. Grub Grub got smooshed the other day. We rescued him, but he just Grub now. Hey! Maybe we feed Grub to bear and bear not get angry!" The goblin exclaimed.

After passing through the area where the goblin claimed a rock crushed Grub Grub, he finally stopped in front of the cave entrance which is next to the other part of the lake to Ralis's left.

"Okay! Here now!" The goblin said.

"Thank you. And work on your Common while we're gone. It needs more polishing," Ralis told the goblin then he and his group entered the cave. The goblin felt hurt by Ralis's words.

"I thought my Common was good... Oh well, I go practice," The goblin shrugged and left.

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Enveloped in darkness at first when they stepped in the cave, they eventually found a few goblins surrounding a fireplace trying to keep warm. Ralis noticed that there are large pieces of amethysts sticking out of the wall. This place would be a good place for jewel hunters to come mining. Ralis thought to himself. Ralis and his groups approached the five goblins around the fireplace, but to his surprise, they weren't as friendly as the goblin who led them here.

"That moron let intruders in again! Kill them all before Rogdok finds out and punishes us all!" One of the goblins exclaimed.

Reacting quickly, Ralis drew both of his swords, and Dorn joined in before the goblins could reach their weapons, ending their lives with just one slash.

"So I guess we're not really welcome here, after all," Imoen said.

"Doesn't matter. We need to find Adoy at any cost," Ralis said.

"Yeah. I need to know if he can help me with my wild magic," Neera said.

"But that squirrel we saw a while ago... What if Adoy has as much trouble as Neera?" Rasaad asked.

"G-g-good question, Rasaad. What if?" Khalid agreed.

Neera lowered her head. Ralis could tell that she is afraid of the possibility that Adoy can't help her.

"Come on, guys. We won't know if he can help unless we find him," Ralis said.

"Ralis, what if nothing can be done about Neera's uncontrollable spells? What then?" Minsc asked him.

Ralis didn't immediately reply. He didn't want to kick Neera out of his group. He had a feeling that along her journey to the Sword Coast from High Forest, Neera had made a few friends along the way but lost them all because her wild magic caused them misery. He wanted to show Neera that he's different, that he won't renounce his friendship with her because of her wild magic.

"... We'll cross that bridge once we get there," He said finally.

They moved forward, eventually coming across another bridge with rope anchored by very heavy boulders on both sides. Below the bridge 20 feet is a small body of water.

"One at a time," Ralis called to his group. He crossed the bridge first, then Neera, Imoen, Xan, Rasaad, Viconia, Dorn, Minsc, Dynaheir, Khalid and last, Jaheira.

"An open wound in Mother Earth... I would plug it had I the power," Jaheira declared, visibly upset by the large chasm she had to cross over.

"You're just one half-elf, Jaheira," Ralis said.

"Sometimes I wish just one half-elf could make a big difference," Jaheira said forlornly.

Nearby, to the left, Ralis saw large amounts of treasure stacked in the corner to the right. He also saw two legs partially hidden behind the mound of treasure.

"What the...?" Ralis rushed over to the treasure mound and next to the large mound of gold and silver coins, he found a corpse of a human woman dressed in class 8 leather armor of a ranger.

"Guys, someone died over here," Ralis called.

Dynaheir, Imoen and Neera came up to Ralis while the others stayed behind, making sure no goblins ambush them.

"Who is that?" Neera asked Ralis.

"I don't know..." He replied.

He checked the woman's body again. He saw sword slash marks on her armor around the abdomen and inches below the bust of her chest, deep enough to cut into her flesh. Ralis then realized that this woman has been killed by the goblins for some reason. When his eyes wandered down to her right hand, he saw a ring on her index finger. Curious, he grabbed the woman's cold, lifeless hand, pulled the ring off her finger and examined the words inscribed on the ring as he slowly turned the ring clockwise.

"With eternal devotion - Magreb."

After taking the ring, Ralis stood up and said: "After we meet Adoy, we'll bury the body somewhere and find out what exactly is north from this goblin village," Ralis said.

Next, they walked down a narrow passage until they entered a room where a hobgoblin, Rogdok himself, and four more goblins were. They immediately noticed Ralis and his group come in.

"What idiot let you in here? Eh, it doesn't matter. If you haven't already killed those useless guards, I'll deal with them as soon as I've finished with you!" Rogdok declared.

"Get 'em!" Ralis yelled, drawing his swords and charging at Rogdok.

Minsc, Xan Rasaad, Dorn, Viconia, Khalid and Jaheira joined in and practically overwhelmed the goblins, defeating them. Rogdok stood no chance against Ralis. Rogdok was not as nimble as Ralis and he couldn't parry strikes from both of Ralis's bastard swords at the same time with just one sword. It didn't take long for Ralis to find an opening in Rogdok's defenses and deliver a finishing blow with his tainted bastard sword. However, the poison inside the tainted bastard sword caused it to break as soon as Ralis pulled it out of Rogdok's chest, leaving the broken part of the blade inside Rogdok's chest and he slumped to the ground, a small circular pool of blood growing around his corpse. Now all Ralis has is his +1 bastard sword, his two sided dirk and longbow nicknamed Dead Shot.

"I don't see any way forward," Xan said.

"We've reached a dead end," Viconia noted.

"No. There must be a secret passage somewhere. Feel on the walls for a secret switch, everybody," Ralis instructed, beginning to touch the cold cavern walls.

Everyone else did the same except Neera. She noticed stacks of wood on the wall ahead. As she examined it, she found a doorknob blended in with the wood. She opened the door, finding the secret passage!

"Guys! Is this what we're looking for?" Neera called. Everyone looked at her, dumbfounded.

-------------------

Ralis and his group entered another room, much larger than the previous one. Inside the room is an elderly, chubby human with gray hair, a gray beard, wore a beige green shirt and brown pants. In his room, there's a king sized bed in the corner with lavender colored bed sheets, a burning cauldron in the middle of the room for cooking stew and soup, a dinner table with 3 chairs on the opposite side of the room from the bed, and a small pond of water where water leaks in from the wall nearby the cauldron so that the man can drink water. Ralis and his group approached the chubby, elderly man.

"Thank Mystra someone has come for me at last! It's too bad you and your friends had to cut your way through," The man said.

"We're looking for a wild mage named Adoy," Ralis told him.

"Adoy is me, and I am Adoy. Why have you sought me out?" Adoy asked.

"I'm Ralis, and... well, my friend Neera is a wild mage, too. She hoped you could teach her to control her magic," Ralis said, pointing back at Neera.

Adoy shifted his gaze to Neera.

"It's true. I hoped you could... teach me how to control my magic," Neera said slowly and uneasily.

"By the Three, we all want the same thing. We cannot afford any more surprises from your whimsical spells," Dynaheir remarked.

Adoy stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Is that so? Well, I'm afraid I'm not the best example of learning to control wild magic. I'm not sure anyone can do that. You can't govern chaos! Otherwise, it wouldn't be chaos anymore, would it?"

I knew it... Ralis sighed.

He knew ever since meeting that polymorphed crow that Adoy had nothing helpful for Neera.

"Don't tell me we've come all this way for nothing!" Neera exclaimed sadly, refusing to to believe nothing can be done about her wild magic.

"Of course not for nothing. You have just experienced the honor of meeting Bargrivyek, the goblin god of cooperation and territory," Adoy announced.

Ralis' eyes widened in surprise momentarily. "That's funny, you look nothing like a goblin."

"I hope not! Although one time I did transform myself into a goblin while making supper," Adoy remarked then he sat down in a chair. "It's all part of the wonders of wild magic. You have to be ready for a little unexpected excitement at any moment."

"He's not joking, let me tell you," Neera told Ralis in a serious tone.

"The real trouble began when Rogdok came to find out where all the new goblins had come from. He didn't believe for a second that I was a god, but because the goblins did he dared not attack me. Instead, he locked me up. As long as I remained in his care, he could control the goblins," Adoy continued.

Before Ralis could ask Adoy if he knew anything about the woman back in the treasure room who was murdered by the goblins, seven Dimensional Doors opened up a few feet behind Adoy. And, to Ralis and Neera's dismay, Ekandor, the leader of the group of Red Wizards who are hunting Neera, one ogre berserker armed with a morning star, two Red Wizard mages and three Thayan soldiers armed with spears appeared through them! Ekandor smiled once he saw Neera.

"At last! Not only have we caught up with that slippery elf..."

"Half-elf! What is wrong with you?" Neera corrected him, slamming her staff to the ground in frustration.

"Half-elf. You'll regret spoiling my grand entrance once we subdue you for examination," Ekandor replied, and then turned his attention to Adoy.

"And what is this? Another wild mage? Perhaps I should thank you for leading us to yet another test subject," He went on.

"You will find that I do not submit meekly to tests, especially tests from Red Wizards." Adoy defiantly said.

"Yeah, and I didn't even finish school, so no tests for me either," Neera added.

Ralis stepped forward a few feet, pointing an accusing finger at Ekandor.

"The only thing being tested here is my patience. I've had enough of you, Ekandor," He spat spitefully at the wizard.

"Then prepare to die!" Ekandor replied.

"Not if I can help it! Behold, the power of untamed magic!" Adoy exclaimed, preparing to cast a spell.

Everyone backed away, expecting Adoy to unleash some grand spell, but instead, the wild surge turned him into a rat. Ralis slapped his right hand into his face. What an epic fail moment. Adoy, realizing what had just happened ran straight for his bed to hide under it.

Now here comes the epic parts. Ralis charged straight at Ekandor so that he wouldn't get the opportunity to cast any spells on anyone, but there are still the other two mages to worry about. The Thayan soldiers tried to stop Ralis from reaching Ekandor, but he breezed past them and Ekandor managed to successfully parry with his quarterstaff. Minsc battled the ogre berserker, Khalid and Xan battled one of the Thayan soldiers, Jaheira and Viconia battled the second Thayan soldier, Dorn and Rasaad battled the third Thayan soldier. One of the mages chanted the command words in an attempt to cast a Sleep spell on Dynaheir and Neera, but Dynaheir planned ahead, casting a Web spell on the two mages trapping them in webbing just 1 second before one of the mages could cast the Sleep spell.

"Me will crush you to goo!" the ogre exclaimed to Minsc, trying to strike him down with his morning star. Minsc nimbly dodged the strikes, and surprisingly, Boo did not fall off of Minsc's shoulders. Minsc stabbed his sword into the ogre's left leg!

"Owww! Me mad now!" The ogre yelled, but still Minsc was a bit too agile for the ogre, especially since he's not wearing heavy armor.

"I may not be as huge as you are, but I definitely have the strength!" Minsc declared and continued attacking the ogre.

Neera and Dynaheir casted magic missiles at the two mages while the webbing still held them, killing them both. Fortunately no wild surge happened for Neera this time. The soldier Viconia and Jaheira were battling tried to stab at Viconia, but she blocked the blow with her shield and the soldier dodged away from Jaheira's attack. The soldier then tried to keep his distance from both Viconia and Jaheira as they closed in on him. Little did the soldier know that Viconia and Jaheira were backing him into Adoy's cauldron. the soldier suddenly lost his footing and sat in Adoy's pot, the hot liquid burning his arse.

"Yeow!!" The soldier jumped out of the pot and into Jaheira's sharp spear.

Ralis tried striking at Ekandor from all angles but he managed to parry each blow with his strong quarterstaff.

"You confuse me," Ekandor said as he kept parrying.

"What?" Ralis asked but didn't let up attacking.

Ekandor jumped on Adoy's dinner table and jumped down on the other side away from Ralis. "

"You've been traveling with that half elf girl for many days, yet you keep her around despite the fact you know the dangers of her wild magic," Ekandor said, trying to figure Ralis out.

Ralis said nothing, he just simply scowled at Ekandor. Then the answer came to Ekandor.

"Ah! It all makes sense now. You've taken a fancy to her, have you?" He questioned Ralis with a small smile.

He tried keeping his expression neutral as possible.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked Ekandor, trying to keep his voice calm as well.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, and I daresay that you are the biggest fool in Toril if you think you'll have a happy romantic life with a wild mage like her," Ekandor said.

Ralis could not keep his expression neutral any longer because Ekandor is completely oblivious to Neera's plight.

"I keep Neera around because her wild magic has given her a difficult life and most people don't understand that. It's her gift and curse, and unlike some people she has met in the past, I won't leave her if her magic creates a snowstorm! I won't leave her if her wild magic polymorphs me into a chicken! And I definitely won't leave her if her wild magic brings bad luck in my life! What she needs right now is a friend, not a heartless mage who wants to dissect her brain!" He exclaimed angrily, loud enough for Neera to hear, and she heard it all, and it brought a truckload of mixed emotions swirling around in her heart.

She never met anyone so devoted like Ralis. He really feels that way...? Neera wondered to herself.

"So be it, fool!" Ekandor began to cast a magic missle at Ralis.

He didn't have time to leap over the table and stab Ekandor, and running away is out of the question because the missiles never miss hitting their target. Thinking quickly, Ralis flipped over the table in front of Ekandor, creating a barrier, and the magic missile that Ekandor casted hit the table instead, creating a large circular scorch mark on the wood.

"Curse you!" Ekandor hissed.

Ralis jumped over the table and slashed at Ekandor!

"Agh!" Ekandor yelped, staggering back a few feet clutching at the non-fatal wound on his chest. "You'll pay for that!" Ekandor snarled and swung his quarterstaff at Ralis.

Ekandor managed to knock the bastard sword out of Ralis' hands, and before he could reach for his dirk, Ekandor smacked Ralis' in the face with his staff, sending him falling to the floor, his right cheek bruised from the blow. He laid on his back, looking up at Ekandor who stood over him, preparing to impale his face with his staff. Before Ekandor brought his staff down, he heard Neera exclaim:

"Leave him alone!"

Ekandor turned around. "Or else what, half elf?" He taunted.

"Or... or... THIS!" Neera exclaimed, unable to think of a good threat.

Then she attempted to cast a random spell. She was hoping her wild magic would cast an acid arrow or something at Ekandor, but instead, the wild surge caused everyone who is still alive in the room to polymorph into animals. Neera turned into a dire wolf, Ralis turned into a worg, ironically, Minsc turned into a rabbit, Dynaheir turned into squirrel, Xan into a blue jay, Khalid and Jaheira turned into owls, Xan turned into a badger, Imoen turned into a blue jay bird, Viconia turned into a beaver, Dorn turned into a boar, and Rasaad turned into a dog. The ogre berserker, the three Thayan soldiers and two mages were already dead, and Boo and Adoy are already animals, so the spell didn't affect them. Ekandor, however, turned into a mouse, and that's bad news for him since Ralis and Neera are predator animals now.

"Oh no. No. No!" Ekandor cried as Ralis and Neera looked down at him, growling.

He knew what they intended on doing since he's a mouse now. He tried to run away from them but he had no chance of escape. Neera beat Ralis to Ekandor and grabbed him into her jaws, violently shook her head for a few seconds and threw her head back, swallowing him.

Soon the wild magic spell wore off and everyone morphed back to their normal selves, except for Ekandor since he died as a mouse. Adoy brushed the dust off his clothes.

"Whew! What an inconvenient mix up," He sighed in relief.

"What do the Red Wizards want with wild mages, anyway?" Neera asked Adoy.

"The Red Wizards pursue us to capture and study... or perhaps just our brains, to learn why we can wield the power of arcane chaos and they can't. And I'm sorry, my dear Neera, but there is no way to control wild magic. I seldom visit settlements these days, so perhaps your friend will get more use out of it than I do... and maybe a little peace of mind," Adoy gave Neera am enchanted belt.

"Oh. Great, a belt. It's not even my color." She said.

"That's very generous of you. Thanks," Ralis thanked Adoy on behalf of Neera.

"Oh don't think I've forgotten you, Ralis. Watch as I conjure my fabulous treasure trove, all for you!" Adoy declared.

Ralis had a sudden bad feeling about this. "Wait, is that such a good idea for you to conjure--?"

Before Ralis could finish that sentence, the wild surge caused Adoy to randomly teleport somewhere.

"Wait!" Neera exclaimed.

"The laws of probability suggest that was no accident," Xan noted.

"There's a lesson in that for you, Neera. Wild magic may be powerful, but it can't be trusted," Dynaheir told Neera.

"Wait! Come back!" Neera exclaimed to Adoy who is already gone.

"No! It's not fair! I've traveled so far and overcome so many obstacles all on my own and he just disappears!" She exclaimed in sorrow and anger all at once as she dropped to her knees in despair.

"To be honest, Neera, things wouldn't have turned out so well if you had been all on your own." Ralis said.

Neera looked up at Ralis and said sarcastically: "Oh, of course you helped, Ralis. I haven't forgotten that it's all about YOU."

Ralis took some minor offense at that sarcastic remark, but decided to let it slide, knowing that Neera is just having a difficult time accepting the fact that Adoy can't help tame her wild magic.

After leaving the caverns, they headed up north even though the goblin warned them not to. There, Ralis' suspicions were correct: There IS a house here! There they met a traumatized man named Magreb, who lived in these forests with his late wife, Rilsa for many years. When Ralis questioned him about his mental condition, Magreb explained that goblins popped up out of nowhere, took Adoy into the caverns, then Rogdok came and appointed himself as king of the goblins. Rilsa tried to peacefully communicate with the goblins, but they killed her, which is what led to Magreb's mental breakdown. Ralis gave Magreb Rilsa's ring and told him he had already avenged Rilsa. Magreb was thankful but had no rewards for Ralis and his group.

-------------------

After 18 hours of walking back to Nashkel, they rested at the Nashkel inn. The next morning around 9:56 a.m., when Ralis was eating pancakes and sausage for breakfast at the bar, the woman who Dorn interrogated a few days ago conveniently came up to Ralis asking him in a soft but mild foreign accent:

"Oh, you haven't seen a man about uhmm..." She paused for a few seconds. "... This tall and this wide, have you? That lout!" Taris said, using her arms to emphasize how tall and wide the man's physical appearance is.

Ralis's eyes lit up. "If your name is Taris, I may be able to help you, if you give the information I seek," He said.

Taris seemed to act confused and flustered. "I... I don't know very much about this area, sir. I am looking for my husband, you see. He left me a week ago and... Oh, the danger on the roads, and then that AWFUL woman. I've been trying to find him ever since," she explained to Ralis, unable to stop fidgeting and shifting her body nervously.

"This woman you mentioned, would she be a mage of some sort?" Ralis questioned further.

"Well... I don't really know. My husband has vanished. He was seen heading east in the company of some woman. I followed them for a while, but the wilderness became too dangerous!" Taris explained, still nervously shifting and sometimes stumbling over her words.

"Please continue, and do not leave anything out. Even the smallest detail could aid me in finding your husband." Ralis told Taris coolly.

"... When I asked some of the other people in town, they said that woman had lured several men away, not just my husband. I don't know what kind of game she thinks she's playing, but it isn't natural." Taris said.

To Ralis's surprise, Dorn was relaxing against the wall nearby, listening to him question Taris.

"Hmmm. When I asked this woman about Kryll, the description I gave matched the mystery woman who lured away her husband. When I demanded more information, she fled. Typical," Dorn said with a shrug.

You're very intimidating, that's why. Ralis thought. Out loud, he spoke to Taris. "Taris, please continue." He urged her on.

"That's really all I know. Somewhere to the east, perhaps past the mines. I miss Hagar so much, but I don't know if I could ever forgive him."

"East of the mines, right? And you say you haven't been able to reach that area?" Ralis asked her then took another bite of his syrup covered pancake. "

Oh no, it's far too dangerous. I really don't know what to do. I have little money, and my husband is off with that wench! That horrible woman has stolen my Hagar!" Taris exclaimed.

"You need a new husband," Ralis told Taris.

"I know most women would just move on, but Hagar loved me! I can't imagine him leaving me for some tramp, but I can't think of any other reasons. That doesn't explain the others who left with her, but none of this makes any sense," Taris whined.

"I'll see what I can do about Hagar. Wait here." Ralis told her then sat up, ready to go.

It took them 16 hours to get a few hours east from the Nashkel mines starting from the town Nashkel, but the problem is Ralis and his group have no idea where their destination is. All they know is it's somewhere southeast from the mines, a few hours east. Viconia kept her face covered under her hood the whole time so no one would suspect that she is a drow, and also to protect her eyes from the harsh sunlight.

"I don't like this. We're flying blind," Ralis shook his head.

Before Dorn could say anything, four skeleton monsters armed with long swords and shields appeared out of nowhere and attacked Ralis and his group! The skeletons were severely outnumbered, so they were beaten easily. Ralis looked around at the piles of bones that were once hostile living skeletons once they were beaten.

"That was pretty random," He noted, sheathing his sword.

"The undead rarely rise up of their own accord, Ralis. This business reeks of Kryll. Step carefully. She lurks nearby," Dorn whispered cautiously, loud enough for Ralis, Imoen, Neera and the others to hear.

An hour later, they found a woman with red colored hair standing around five bodies of dead men. There are large splashes of blood on the stone wall behind her. Kryll herself is a fair skinned woman about Ralis's height, and she wore a gown similar to Dynaheir's but is gray colored instead and does not have a cleavage exposing neckline, and the skirt of her gown is cut high above her knees, showing her shapely thighs. She has chestnut colored hair and hazel colored eyes.

"Oh..." Imoen groaned in disgust.

"Such display of power..." Viconia smiled admirably at Kryll's handiwork.

"Is that her?" Ralis asked Dorn.

He nodded and at that moment, Kryll noticed their presence.

"I thought you alone saw past my half orc blood, Kryll. Now I see you are just like the others. Perhaps Senjak was too handsome for you to ignore, but I've taken care of that," Dorn said to Kryll.

"Someone had to take a fall to divert suspicion from the rest of us, and Simmeon chose you. Besides, you obviously escaped. There's no need for revenge. It's beneath you, Dorn. Don't be so petty," Kryll said coldly.

Ralis could feel the rage burning inside Dorn as he drew Rancor out. "Petty?! You left me to die in Luskan. There will be no forgiveness! Stand and die, Kryll!"

Ralis drew his sword too, including Xan, Rasaad, Khalid, and Minsc.

"Once again you fail to realize what's happening around you, Dorn. Rise up, my children. Rise up and feast on the living!" Kryll exclaimed.

At Kryll's command all the dead men's bodies around her stood up.

"What the hell?!" Ralis gasped.

"Stand back, everyone!" Jaheira exclaimed.

Kryll raised her arms in the air, summoning evil, arcane energies. Ralis though he was imagining things but he though he saw something that looked like a swarm of green colored bees buzzing near Kryll's head, and on the ground in front of her, a small patch of grass disappeared. and a large face in the mud roared so loudly, the clothes, skin and flesh of the dead men exploded! Blood and guts flew everywhere!

"What sorcery is this?!" Dynaheir exclaimed.

"Attack them!" Kryll ordered the naked skeletons of the dead men.

Jaheira chanted the command words for the to cast the Entangle spell on the skeletons, and the bright green tentacles emerged from the ground, catching and holding on to the five skeletons. Almost at the same time when Kryll began chanting the command words to cast a magical shield on herself that protects her from magic missiles, Dynaheir began chanting the command words to cast a Deafness spell on Kryll. Kryll thought Dynaheir would cast a magic attack on her, but she thought wrong. Soon Kryll couldn't hear a thing. Neera tried casting a magic missile at Kryll but instead, a wild surge happened, but nothing in particular happened. Ralis, Dorn and Imoen used their ranged weapons and fired at the skeletons, hoping their arrows and bolts would knock their heads off their bodies. It worked, Ralis managed to kill two skeletons, Imoen killed two and Dorn only shot one down. Kryll tried casting a Dire Charm spell on Ralis so that he would turn against his own group, but one of the bright green tentacles conveniently grabbed Kryll, interrupting her chanting and hand gestures. Dorn took the opportunity to aim his crossbow at Kryll's head and fire. The bolt hit her right in the forehead and she slumped down forcefully by the pull of the green tentacles.

Dorn smiled, lowering his crossbow and looking up at the cloudy sky as thunder rumbled.

"I can see you suffer, Kryll, I can see your soul writhe in the Abyss. Of all my betrayers, you are the one whose pain pleases me the most," Dorn proudly called up into the sky.

"I would assume that you speak metaphorically, Dorn? Or can you really gaze into the Abyss?" Ralis asked him.

"Perhaps not literally. Not with my eyes, but I do have channels of communication. Enough of this. Let us search the body. By the way, you look a little... different."

"Different? How?" Ralis asked.

"You... look... feminine," Dorn slowly said, choosing his words carefully.

Ralis turned his attention to everyone else.

"Guys? Anything wrong with me?" He asked them.

Viconia cleared her throat and turned away. Neera gasped.

"Uh.. Ralis... You... Have you noticed your voice is a bit higher and your..." she let her voice trail off.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Ralis touched his face, then his neck, then chest... At that moment, he felt something different. He looked down and noticed that there are two fairly large lumps on his chest that showed even underneath his armor, something he shouldn't have unless he is a woman instead. "No..." He whispered. He touched his nether regions to see if he actually turned into a she. He truly has.

"OH NO!!!" Ralis yelled loudly.

Neera's wild surge changed his gender! He's a woman now!

"I can't believe this!" Ralis whined.

"I'm sorry, Ralis..." Neera apologized.

"Tell me it isn't permanent..." Ralis moaned.

"I've never had my gender changed before, so I don't know..." Neera replied honestly.

"Leave me alone. Just leave me alone..." Ralis turned away from Neera.

"I'll check the body, Dorn," Rasaad volunteered.

He walked over to Kryll's body and checked her mage robes. He found a note and Dorn approached Rasaad to get a better look at it.

"That note, let me read it," Dorn instructed Rasaad. He handed the note to Dorn and read it. After reading the note silently, Dorn smiled.

"At last! Simmeon, the king bastard himself. Quickly, Ralis, let us make haste!" Dorn exclaimed.

"What happened?" Ralis approached Dorn.

"Simmeon, the leader of the gang who betrayed me, this note tells where he is located! He's in Baldur's Gate!" Dorn exclaimed.

"Aren't you worried he knows you are coming? He could be waiting with a trap," Ralis said, still sad that he is female now, for the time being.

Dorn shook his head. "It matters not. I will escape any trap they lay for me, I will overcome any obstacle they place in my path. I know better than to trust the word of those I have slain already, but I sense it is true that he gave the order. Simmeon must die," Dorn said.

"Whatever happened to caution, Dorn? Let us continue onward, we will meet Simmeon soon enough. Besides, I don't think Baldur's Gate has opened their doors yet," Ralis reasoned.

Dorn's eyes narrowed at her. "Hmmm, have you lost your taste for revenge, human? I would not have expected you to turn down a challenge. I've seen how you fight. You lead with courage. You're a bold warrior. Until now you have proven to be a capable leader," Dorn said.

"This is your quest for vengeance, not mine. Mine lies with the Iron Throne. After we take care of the Iron Throne in Cloakwood forest, we'll go to Baldur's Gate next," Ralis said.

"Hmmm. So be it. I'll be at the Friendly Arm waiting. Farewell," Dorn said.

-------------------

They headed back to Nashkel and Dorn moved on to Friendly Arm alone. Ralis sat at the bar of Nashkel's inn, feeling blue. Many hours have passed and the wild magic spell still hasn't worn off allowing her to return to being male. She wondered if she would ever return to her original gender again. Neera sat nearby with Imoen and Dynaheir eating soup, looking at Ralis. Neera felt severely guilty.

"He hasn't talked to anyone in hours, not even me," Neera said sadly.

"Thy whimsical magic has hurt his pride. I knew it would happen sooner or later," Dynaheir said.

"Poor guy-- I mean girl," Imoen playfully joked.

"It's not funny, Imoen!" Neera exclaimed at Imoen as she banged her fist on the table. Not only Imoen was shocked at Neera's outburst, but also Neera herself.

She shook her head and stood up. "I have to go. I have to leave." Neera muttered sadly.

"What? Child, where are thou going?" Dynaheir called.

Neera didn't bother to answer. She just bolted out the door and Dynaheir quickly chased after her in the night.

"Neera! Where do thou think you're going?" Dynaheir called after her.

"I have to go away! Far away!" Neera exclaimed, never looking back at Dynaheir.

Dynaheir eventually caught up to Neera on the bridge, grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to look her in the face.

"What is the matter with thee? Ever since your wild magic changed Ralis' sex you've been acting like this for hours! What is the matter with you, child!?" Dynaheir asked her.

"Isn't it obvious?! Everywhere I go, everyone I meet, my wild magic always seems to do something wrong!" Neera exclaimed, trying her best not to cry.

"And thy think Ralis wants to send you away just like that?" Dynaheir asked Neera, releasing her grip on Neera's shoulders.

"He doesn't have to say it. I know exactly how he feels," A tear fell from Neera's right eye.

"Child, have thee even asked him how he feels?" Dynaheir asked.

Neera frowned, puzzled by Dynaheir's question. "What do you mean?"

"He has had plenty of opportunities to send thee away, he has seen what your unpredictable magic can do, yet he still wanted to befriend thee. By the Three, I have no idea what vexed that child to keep thy like he's obligated to take care of thee, but thy should at least talk to him and ask him how he feels," Dynaheir said.

Neera then thought back at the times of how Ralis has been helpful and friendly to her despite the fact her wild magic may cause him misery. She thought back to the time when she accidentally set her classmates on fire, and also about the time when she met and befriended Ettin, who is a tressym, a winged cat who was her previous friend... until she accidentally set the forest on fire defending herself from a group of orcs and Turlang the treant banished her from High Forest. Ettin refused to travel with her after seeing what bad luck she can bring. She'll never forget his last words to her:

"You not only set the forest on fire, you turned your own hair pink. Neera, you're the worst!"

Is he really different...? Neera wondered to herself, remembering the time when Ralis used his unknown special power to heal her wound after being shot by an arrow.

"Neera, the least thy can do is talk to Ralis first. If he wants you to leave, then leave. If he wants thee to stay, then so be it," Dynaheir said.

Neera came to her senses and nodded. There's something that she wanted to ask him anyway. "I'll ask him. Thanks, Dynaheir," Neera hugged Dynaheir gently.

"Thou art welcome, Neera."

-------------------

In Ralis's hotel room, she washed her face in the bathroom sink, splashing water in her face a few times. When she looked up at the mirror, she saw that his face is no longer feminine. He touched his chest and noticed that it is flat. He touched his nethers and smiled. He's male again! He pulled off his armor, wearing only his shirt and underwear. He laid in the bed, free from the despair he felt. Just then, he heard knocking on the door. He opened the door and he saw Neera.

"Oh! It finally wore off! Great!" Neera smiled.

"Yeah. I knew it couldn't last long. What brings you here, Neera?" Ralis asked her as he invited her into his room.

"Well... I've been thinking about you, Ralis," Neera said, choosing her words carefully.

"Good thoughts, I hope." Ralis replied with a warm smile, scratching his nose. Neera shrugged.

"Not bad ones, anyway. Mostly I can't figure you out," She said.

"In what way?" Ralis asked her.

"For example, why did you help me escape the Red Wizards?" She asked him.

Should I give her pieces of the truth? Ralis wondered.

"... It seemed like the right thing to do. You needed help, and it's unethical for people to kidnap and study other people against their will," Ralis said.

"That sounds very noble, but is it the real reason?" She wanted to know.

Okay, okay, I'll give her a little more of the truth. Ralis told himself quietly.

"To be honest, your predicament intrigued me. I wanted to learn about you," Ralis said.

"What do you want to know about me?" Neera asked Ralis, sitting with him in the bed, but not close in an intimate way.

"Well, what did you do to rile up those Red Wizards?" Ralis asked.

"I didn't do a thing! They wanted to open me up and see what makes me a wild mage. They try so hard to control everything they understand and destroy everything they don't," Neera exclaimed.

"Heh. Considering how little they understand, they may end up destroying everything. Some things just aren't meant to be tampered with, you know," Ralis said.

Neera's eyebrows lit up. "Ha! That's a good point. A good, scary point, if you think about it. Let's not think about it," she said.

"There's something else that's bugging me. I can't figure out whether you were brave or crazy to run away from home."

"Aren't brave and crazy two sides of the same coin? I bet a lot of people think of you as crazy when you take on some of the enemies you've fought," Neera said.

"Eh, mayhaps they would. I'm sure you'd have done the same," Ralis said.

Neera narrowed her eyes at him in a friendly way and smirked. "Don't be too sure about that," she said. "When faced with the fight or flight impulse, I always choose the latter."

"I see. Oh yes, I'm also curious why you chose to study wild magic," Ralis said.

Neera rolled her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. "Sometimes I wonder whether I chose wild magic or it chose me. Some of my teachers said it was a flaw in my character that came out through my magic," Neera explained.

At that moment, Ralis instinctively found this moment to make a good flirty line. He didn't think it over, it just quickly came to him straight from his subconscious mind.

"Flaws? Did you say flaws? I don't see any flaws in you. Maybe I need a closer look. Come over here so I can check you over." Ralis said, leaning towards Neera to examine her face and body.

Her eyes widened and she smiled slightly as she gasped softly.

"You are bold when you want to be!" Neera exclaimed. She started to speak again, but at first no words came out even though her lips were moving. "I... well, I rather like this side of you. Still, your timing could use some work," Neera said.

"If you say so," Ralis said with a shrug.

"Now, I have some questions about you. You know more about me than I know about you. Where are you from?" Neera asked.

"Candlekeep. I've been raised by my father Gorion for just about all my life. I never met my real parents at all. Gorion raised me and Imoen together. I always think of her as my sister," Ralis explained.

"Sounds like you've had a good childhood," Neera remarked.

"For the most part, yeah," Ralis nodded.

"Did your foster father know your parents?" Neera asked.

"... He... he claims he doesn't but I get the feeling that he does," Ralis replied slowly.

"What happened? What made you leave Candlekeep?" Neera wanted to know.

Ralis exhaled. He didn't want to think back at this memory, but Neera wanted to hear the story. "Oh... I'm so sorry, Ralis..." Neera said with sympathy. "Gorion was a good man. He was respected by everyone in Candlekeep, even the guards, and I didn't know until recently that he also knew Elminster. Whoever that armored man is that killed him, I will hunt him down and drive my sword into his black heart for murdering such a nice, honorable man like him," Ralis said through gritted teeth, clenching his fists.

Neera felt she couldn't carry the conversation on, so she said: "I better go get some sleep. Good night, Ralis."

"Good night, Neera."

Neera opened the door, but before she headed out, she wanted to ask Ralis one final question.

"Ralis?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want me to leave your group?" She asked.

"No. I meant what I told Ekandor that day. I'm your friend to the very end," Ralis said firmly.

Neera felt so overjoyed, she felt it would be embarrassing for Ralis to see her so happy. She quickly left his room and closed the door. Ralis laid back in his bed, wondering why he came up with that badly timed flirt line. He wondered if he really considered Neera as a friend or something more.