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And just like that, it was all over.
We all felt weary, beyond weary. The fight with the netherbrain had taken so much from us, but also given us so much. Of all my arcane studies, time spent reading in dusty tomes, I hadn’t seen such exponential growth in my magical prowess since the crisis following the infection of the illithid tadpole.
I took a deep breath – Gale had already regaled me of his plans to reassemble the Crown for Mystra. I would aid him in this quest, as our Mistress was one and the same. The sins of Karsus do not bear repeating. And yet, there were more pressing matters at hand.
Of the many unexpected things to happen to me in the past month, nothing prepared me for the tumble into the abyss of my heart I took when I fell in love with the fearsome yet sensitive Tiefling we were tasked with slaying, by a group of so-called “Paladins” who expected us to return with her head and nary a word with the fiend. Of course, they were lying, sent by their mistress Zariel to retrieve her, or kill her, as they saw fit.
I was first struck by her fearsome mien, her features bore so much more than rage, though, but fear, and also… a certain sadness, and… relief?
And that was the start of my adventures with Karlach.
But now, here, on these very docks in Baldur’s Gate, far from my home in Silverymoon, I found myself facing the very end of this journey with her.
She stood solemnly at the end of the docks, looking out over the water.
“Sirina… hey, soldier… we did it… it’s done. Everything’s going to be alright… you’re going to be alright.”
Her words were heavy, weary.
I gave her a weak smile, but I knew that end that she talked about for so long, her engine giving out, the heat…
Flames rippled around her, and she was running just as hot as when I first met her. Her cries of pain – as much as they pained me in our battles, were just as cutting now, though I feared the worst as she fell to her knees. I rushed over as she collapsed onto those aged oaken planks, taking deep, heavy breaths. The sun loomed overhead, its rays barely penetrating the thick cover of dust and smoke.
The woman was always much taller than my gnomish stature, of course, but here, crumpled over, all I could see was someone so small, so vulnerable, and I couldn’t stop myself from tearing up. Staying prepared was my mantra - I always had a contingency, but nothing could possibly prepare me for the wretched sight before me.
“S-stay back, Sirina! I’m runnin’ too hot here…” Her words were labored, as she took deep breaths.
“Like hells I am!” I called upon my strength, wreathed myself in ice and cold – protection from fire, something I learned when we first met, something that could at least keep me from searing my flesh when we first shared an intimate moment, back before her engine was fixed. Wisps of steam and ice crackled with her hot flames, but still, I reached out one of my hands, clutched hers, and let myself endure that heat. Even if it were to burn me, I couldn’t just not touch the woman that I loved, not now.
“Heh… engine’s finally cooked. Held on just… long enough.”
Her flames abated for a moment. Sweat poured from her face, and all I could do was take a few shuddering breaths.
Karlach couldn’t help but give another one of her cheeky grins. “How’d… How’d I do?” she asked, taking another breath. “I bet I was amazing, wasn’t I?” Even now, she couldn’t avoid levity. I loved – love – that about her.
“Karlach, you… you did great.” I stammered. “But it’s not over yet! We can still save you! Please, you have to hang on.”
Suddenly, the flames wreathed her again, and I felt the hair on my forearm singe, for just a moment, before my own protective magics flare up, but the heat would hardly be bearable for us for much longer, either of us.
“H-hot, please, be careful.” Karlach gasps.
Through the fire, all I could see was the woman I loved, her face drenched in sweat, clutching her chest.
“Karlach!” Shadowheart cried out from behind me, as the others gather, keeping their distance.
“How’d I do? Spectacular, right?” she gasped, as she forced the words from her mouth. I couldn’t keep the tears back. She was trying to pretend things were alright, and I felt them start to flow freely, where they quickly evaporated, fighting between the ice and fire.
Karlach took an exasperated breath. “It’s the one thing I can’t beat, isn’t it? Same below and above…” She grits her teeth, her beautiful, sharp teeth, points as sharp as mine, given my draconic ancestry. “I… Love… You.”
I took a sobbing breath as I pressed my forehead against hers. She flinches back for just a second. “I… don’t want to hurt you.” She says, her voice as gentle as it was when we first experimented with touch. Suddenly, her flames glow blue – safe, for just a moment, as I reach out and pull her into a hug, as tight as my arms could. “I love you… more than anything.” She says. “I saw-“ And there was another nova of flame pouring from her. “-gods!” I held on as tight as I could, feeling the heat rising.
“Sirina-“ She cried out in pain. “You’ve got to let… got to let me go.”
But what she didn't know was that, despite the fire, despite the heat, the only thing that hurt more was following through with that. I could never let go of her.
She pushes me back as gently as she could, as she looks out on the sea. “Goodbye sun, goodbye sea, goodbye… Sirina.”
“No! Karlach, no, no, no, no…” I reached into my belt pouch, and I pulled out the one thing I knew that could save her. A tuning fork, made of cold iron, with the scent of Avernus,
Specifically, one place.
I took the time, one night, to visit that Diabolist at the Devil’s Due… With some prodding – and a sizeable amount of coin – I was able to procure a means of returning to Avernus, the same night I bought the components to take us to the House of Hope in the first place... I made sure to attune it to the place when we first arrived, and thankfully, Karlach didn't notice.
I was prepared for this moment the moment I had the fork, had the gems, I had everything. Planar shifting was complicated, one misplaced word and everything would be off. But I had attuned it to the House of Hope. There, at least, we could find a bit of peace while we weighed her options.
“Karlach… I can’t allow you to die. You’re going back to Avernus. We’re going to Avernus. Together.”
The flames roared around her again. “No! You can’t… it’s… I made my choice! And I couldn't put you through-” She winced in pain. "-hell like that."
“Karlach! I’ve been to hell and back – literally – with you. Nothing could be worse than having a fucking tadpole wriggling behind my eye! And despite all that, I never wanted to leave your side, not never! Do you want to leave me alone? I’d rather be in hell with you than anywhere here in Faerun! I'd rather spend my days in Avernus with you than an eternity in Elysium without!”
Karlach looked up at me, making eye contact for the first time in the past few moments, her own tears instantly evaporating as they traced across her skin. She looked shocked, I probably swore more in that sentence than in the entire time she knew me. She took a sobbing breath.
“Damn, you stubborn-"
“Damned and stubborn. I’ll keep her fucking claws off of you.” I snarled.
I held the tuning fork high.
“We gotta go now, Sirina! P-please, I haven't much time.”
I look back to the others, giving them a faint smile.
They all look between each other, before suddenly shouting goodbyes.
“This isn’t forever!” I shout back.
I started to chant the words of the spell, diabolical tongues, as the smell of sulfur rose around us. The wind kicked up, and the heat, gods, the heat.
But there was still, one thing, one single thing that we both held in our hearts.
Hope.