Wish was known to be the mightiest spell a mortal could cast, the ultimate 9th Level Spell. This was something that only the mightiest and most knowledgeable of wizards could cast.
Yet, Elminster looked at Eden with surprise as he asked, "You would accept that as a payment?"
Eden smiled, understanding Elminster's surprise. Powerful as it was, Wish was only one spell, and it was not omnipotent. The basic use of it was to cast any lower ranked spells, but it could not replicate other 9th Level spells.
The other functions of it, while reality altering, also had their limits, and the spell could also come with drawbacks. Moreover there was a possibility of the spell failing, and no longer becoming usable.
In comparison, the Necromancy of Thay not only included many spells, it also had numerous studies on high levels of resurrection magic. The best spell inside was a 9th Level spell that could create an army of the dead.
How effective exactly it would be, Eden did not know, but since he could not use it effectively anyway, he might as well go for the single strongest spell in existence.
The two made their final deal, before Elminster finally left.
The party left not long after, following the tracks left by the Githyanki.
Just as they had been warned, they crossed the paths of several groups of undeads, all tainted with Shadow Magic, but none of them represented any real danger to the party, allowing them to safely reach their destination.
That time was enough for Eden to learn and master the two lowest level spells he had exchanged with Elminster, Inscribe, Comprehend Languages and Knock.
[Inscribe (1st Circle): Magically write down a perfect copy of any writing, mundane or magical, onto a writing surface. The copied text is written in mundane ink. Cost: 80 (25) MP.]
[Comprehend Languages (1st Circle): For 20 (60) minutes, understand the meaning behind any spoken language heard, or any written language if the surface is touched. Cost: 80 (25) MP.]
[Knock (2nd Circle): Unlock one lock, magical or mundane. All mundane locks are automatically opened, and efficiency on magical ones depends on the potency of the locking magic. Casting it creates a loud knocking noise that can be heard within 100 meters. Cost: 180 (50) MP.]
None of them would help him in battle, but they were still immensely useful. If he had it back when he first entered Dreamland, Eden could have read the Necronomicon freely, for example.
Back to their adventure, Eden and the rest of the party knew they were nearing their destination when they spotted a massive human construction in the distance. The Rosymorn Monastery.
"Who's there?!"
Unfortunately, before they could properly admire the beautiful monastery in the distance, a raspy, old woman's voice cut through the air.
They turned to see an older woman dressed in armor, looking at them hostilely. She had set camp on a small cliff overlooking the monastery.
[Name: Esther]
[Title: N/A]
[Perks: Tier I, Duelist, Linguist]
[HP: 250/250]
[MP: 250/250]
[Strength: 21]
[Agility: 32]
[Physique: 25]
[Intelligence: 25]
[Wisdom: 21]
[Resistances: None]
[Weaknesses: None]
Her status certainly provided a change from the last few ones Eden had observed.
Seeing they were humans, she relaxed slightly, until her eyes fell on Lae'zel as she exclaimed, "Damn you, you are with the Githyanki?!"
Lae'zel narrowed her eyes at her, her hand reaching slowly for her sword, while Sylfine quickly reassured her, "No, we're not. We are simply headed for the monastery, we are not looking for any troubles."
Esther scoffed, "A monastery? These vile, primate Githyankis took it over, calling it a Creche. After slaughtering every monk inside, of course. If you ask me, it's more of a slaughterhouse than anything."
Lae'zel, who had been reaching for her weapon, relaxed slightly, saying, "Then consider yourself lucky you did not meet them."
Esther, apparently completely oblivious of who she was talking to, corrected, "Oh, I did meet them. Offered them to buy one of their eggs, but these uncouth barbarians tried to kill me!"
Everyone, including Lae'zel, paused, looking at her in disbelief. Gale asked, doubting his hearing, "You tried to… buy one of their children?"
Esther rolled her eyes, "So dramatic, I'd be doing it a favor."
There was a moment of silence, before Lae'zel said, "She's mine."
No one contested her as she suddenly attacked Esther, bringing down her flaming blade onto the old lady. Esther dodged the strike, unsheathing her blade with a scoff, "Foolish thing, meet your end!"
As it turned out, she was the one to meet her end. She was decently strong, but Lae'zel, powered by her fury, easily took care of her.
They looted a few interesting from the old woman, including nearly a thousand gold coins, spell scrolls for Remove Curse, Bestow Curse, Hypnotic Pattern and Stone Skin, all of which Eden did not know. They were all either at 3rd or 4th level too, making for quite the unexpected haul.
They also found a few other pieces of equipment, including a staff called Cacophony, a pair of Gloves of Cinder and Sizzle, an amulet called Periapt of Wound Closure, a cloth called The Graceful Cloth and another set of gloves, the Winter's Clutches.
Except for that last one, which went to Gale, they were all Rare rank, which was why they were so interesting.
The two that really interested Eden though were the Amulet, and the Gloves, as he took them both for himself.
[Gloves of Cinder and Sizzle]
[Rank: Rare]
[Strength: +3]
[Physique: +3]
[Dragonfire Fists: All unarmed attacks deal an additional 10 fire damage.]
[Scorching Ray: Allows to use Scorching Ray (3rd Circle) once every 24 hours.]
[Periapt of Wound Closure]
[Rank: Rare]
[Physique: +6]
Potent Healing: Adds 10 HP to all sources of healing.]
[Wound Closure: Injuries' debilitating effects are reduced by 20%.]
Both were quite good for Eden, as they would enhance his current fighting style. Since he had learned Speak with Dead himself anyway, Eden did not hesitate to swap out the Amulet of Lost Voices, and put on the gloves.
With the baby snatching lady dealt with, the group walked down to the monastery.
From the outside, there did not seem to be any traces of Githyanki, although Lae'zel assured them they had left traces. The few corpses also helped. Eden was more surprised to find two Players among the corpses strewn in front of the monastery.
Although Lae'zel could not wait to get deeper inside to her people, Eden convinced them to go through the outside first. Thanks to that, not only did they get an Uncommon Helmet that went to Shadowheart, but more importantly, Eden completed the small ritual by gathering the ceremonial weapons that netted him the Dawnmaster's Crest. It also granted the whole party a temporary Perk, the first of its kind Eden had ever seen.
[Morninglord's Radiance: All weapon attacks deal an additional 8 radiant damage. Lasts for 24 hours.]
It was not terribly powerful, but it was better than nothing. The Crest was the reason for exploring the Monastery anyway.
Once they got that, the party entered deeper into the monastery. Eden did leave his Simulacrum safely atop the Monastery though, knowing how things would end already.
They were greeted by a small squad of Githyanki warriors, all Tier I, who drew out their weapons upon seeing them. Before things could devolve into a fight, Lae'zel commanded, "Stand down! It is Vlaakith's will to welcome her faithful!"
This caused the Githyankis to pause, and their leader stepped forward, her weapon not leaving her hands as she said suspiciously, "I was not expecting any visitors. What is your purpose here?"
"We seek the Zaith'isk. We were sent by his most esteemed Supreme Commander, Kith'rak Voss. Show me the way!"
Despite the name dropping, the Githyanki tightened her grasp on her weapon, demanding, "You are infected?! A Ghaik thrall is something to be purged, not argued with!"
"You would go against our Queen's mandate? You are to lead me to purification!"
"Fine, you may head to the infirmary. But step carefully, Creche Y'llek is watching closely."
Lae'zel scoffed, passing by the squad, with the rest of the party following behind. This was her people, and she knew exactly how to deal with them.
They received a few glares on their way to the infirmary, but no hostility, and while this left most of the party relieved, Lae'zel clicked her tongue, dissatisfied, "They shame us all, letting strangers walk as they please in their Creche. Inviting a man capable of wiping them out on his own, oblivious."
Wyll, who walked next to her, scoffed, glancing over his shoulder at Eden, "Like that'd do them any good."
Lae'zel looked at Wyll, her usual sharp tongue having grown more reserved lately as she justified her remark, "Of course I would rather have them lax, but this is not normal. Something's afoot."
Despite her warning, they reached the infirmary without a problem. Not much had changed from the time the monastery was still a temple to Lathander, with a few tables along the walls filled with vials and books.
The most striking feature of the room however, was distinctly alien. It was a large semi-organic machine that looked strangely Illithid in design, possibly made from Illithid body parts and steel. Through True Sight, Eden could see that it hummed with psionic energy.
There was also a female Githyanki, distinctly different from the others, dressed in a robe and observing a tadpole through a strange apparatus.
Seeing she was ignoring them, Lae'zel asked, "We seek purification. We were infected with Ghaik tadpoles for days, yet show no signs of transformation. We must be rid of the parasites before it's too late."
The female doctor, Ghustil Stornugoss, stopped what she was doing, and stared at Lae'zel with an unhealthy curiosity, one that almost bordered on obsession, "Several days, you say? Then you either are special, or your tadpole is… Come, to the Zaith'isk."
She walked up to the strange machine, and with Lae'zel being the only one in the party to actually believe this would work, she met no resistance as she sat first in it.
Ghustil secured her in place, before activating the machine. The upper part, which looked like the mandibles of a great beast, twitched, their tips glowing with psionic energy, connecting to Lae'zel's head.
Her eyes brightened purple as she started muttering in Githyanki, prayers to her Goddess.
It quickly became apparent however that something was going wrong. The members of the party frowned, their tadpole connected to Lae'zel, sharing the pain. And despite being so many at it, they were being overwhelmed.
Minthara fastened herself, attempting to persuade Lae'zel, "Leave this infernal machine, it is killing you!"
It failed, unsurprisingly, "No, Vlaakith protects me, I shall be purified! I am a Githyanki, and I shall not turn into Ghaik!"
She pressed on, but the pain only got worse, and even without being connected to her, Eden saw her mind slowly being pulled out of her head, threatening to shatter.
Wyll groaned painfully, using what magic he could gather to resist the pain as he shouted at Ghustil, "Do something, it's killing her!"
Ghustil only looked at them with interest however, muttering, "Interesting, connected tadpoles, as if governed by an Elder Brain." Her eyes switched to Eden, the only one who seemed unaffected, before turning back to Lae'zel, encouraging her, "Go on, our queen demands it! Be purged of the Ghaik!"
Lae'zel roared, steeling her mind to resist, but that only caused its fragmentation to worsen. Any more and she would have her mind broken.
Seeing this, Eden finally spoke, in an apologetic voice, "You can feel it, can't you? The Zaith'isk was never meant to destroy the parasite, but to kill you."
Lae'zel struggled, the psionic glow intensifying, before she screamed in rage and despair, "No!"
She leapt off the machine, just in time to avoid its explosion. Landing on her feet, she wobbled for a moment, shaking her head to shrug off the effects, while Ghustil looked like her life's work had been destroyed before her eyes. Which it had.