Chapter Text
Shadowheart looked around. She was alive. She said a quick prayer of thanks to her goddess.
Chunks of the craft were strewn about and some were on fire. Black smoke rose into the sky. She wrinkled her nose at the stench. Was the strange ship made of flesh?
Then she noticed the sky. Such a beautiful blue. At the end of the beach, she saw an arch. Climbing it got her away from the wreckage. She looked around to try to get her bearings. But the only thing she saw was a rune with sparks shooting out of it.
"Best keep away from that."
She continued moving away from the crash site until she heard the sound of voices. Crouching nearby, she listened as two Tieflings carried on a debate. She moved a little closer. Then she saw it. It was the gith from the ship. She was in some kind of cage.
"Oh, this is too delicious. She's been captured. Serves her right for leaving me on that beach to die."
Then a voice behind her said, "You know that woman?"
Shadowheart nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise as she turned around to the sight of a very pale elf.
Then she felt it, just like before, a psychic connection. She caught a glimmer of the man's thoughts.
She readied her mace and shield, "You oughtn't sneak up on people!"
"You were on the ship!" he hissed, "I recognize you now. Did you feel that?"
"Yes. It must be the tadpole. I felt it on the nautiloid, too."
"Well, it seems we're bound together. Now put that away before you hurt someone. Then we can figure out how to help your friend."
"She's not my friend. I was actually planning to watch those Tieflings kill her. Assuming they didn't spend all day arguing the merits of it. They've been discussing it far longer than I expected."
"Hmm. They don't seem like bandits. Probably scouts? They'll just take her prisoner. Assuming they don't leave her there."
"It's none of my concern, either way. I suspect they'll regret trying to take her prisoner. She fought quite viciously on the ship."
"Oh," said the man as he looked past her, "she's some sort of warrior? Interesting."
"Why interesting?"
"I don't know where we are, but if we're to do something about these creatures in our heads, we will need all the help we can get."
"She wont help us. She already abandoned me on the beach once I was no longer of use to her."
The man turned to look at her, "Maybe you haven't noticed, but she's trapped in a cage."
"Your point?"
"This might be a good opportunity to get some leverage over her."
"Aren't you a cunning one."
Shadowheart paused to consider the situation. Then she had an idea.
"Why don't you use some of that cunning to persuade those Tieflings to leave? Once they're gone, we can talk to the creature while she's still caged. If we don't like what she has to say, we'll just leave her there."
The man looked thoughtful as he considered the plan.
"I don't like it. What if something goes wrong? It's two of them against the one of me."
"I'll be right behind you."
The man frowned.
"I'm sure you're quite the intimidating force where you're from, but...," he looked down at the mace, "...you don't exactly put fear in my heart. No, this plan is no good."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"If only we had some way to disguise you as another gith. That might be enough to scare them off."
"That... that might work."
Shadowheart uttered an invocation and her appearance changed to that of a githyanki.
The man's eyes widened in surprise, "Not bad. Now go free that damsel. She looks very distressed. Or very angry. Hard to tell at this distance."
"Oh, no. I'm not going alone."
"But I don't look like a gith!"
"I'll tell them you're my slave."
The man rolled his eyes and made a gesture of mock surrender, "Very well. Let's just get this over with."
The Tieflings were visibly startled by the arrival of a second gith and were easily convinced to leave with their lives. Once the situation was resolved, the pair stood near the cage as the woman berated them.
"Don't just stand there. Get me down."
"I'm regretting this already," said Shadowheart.
The man shrugged, "At least you can talk to her now."
Shadowheart spoke to the woman, "Why should I help you?"
"I know of a cure."
Shadowheart turned back to the man, "What do you think?"
He shrugged, "I really don't know what to think. Sounds too good to be true, but she doesn't seem to be the deceptive type."
Shadowheart looked back at the cage.
"Alright, shoot the base off that trap. I'll stand back in case she decides to try anything."