Escape
The moment he is released from this tiny corner of the Astral plane, the eyes of Kisame’s new companions bore into him, full of a silent demand to hear about what just happened.
Lae’zel grabs his wrists and yanks him forward, yellow eyes locking onto his.
“Is my queen’s enemy dead?!”
Kisame flinches, knowing he’s about to deliver some news that would absolutely shatter Lae’zel’s hopes.
Despite her harsh tone, there’s a desperation in her yellow eyes. A silent plea for him to tell her everything has gone according to plan, that her queen’s orders had been carried out.
He wants to tell her that. To tell her that everything is going to be just fine.
But that would be a lie. And Kisame hates liars.
That doesn’t make this suck any less.
“...Something isn’t right about all this,” he says, speaking carefully. “What we’ve been told, I mean. Whoever that is- whatever they are- we can’t kill them. They’re the one who’s protected us so far. I know that for certain.”
“They are lying!” she insists, stomping her foot in frustration and giving him the most wicked sort of glare.
“I really don’t think so,” Kisame answers, trying to keep calm so he doesn’t make the situation worse.
He’s seen plenty of people in this state over the years- though usually people far younger than Lae’zel.
Then again, nobody Kisame has known has basically been told to their face that their god, who they have devoted the entire life to, is nothing but a pretender.
(What a horrible thing, to learn your entire world is a lie...)
“They told us we’re being lied to- not by them. By Vlaakith. For who knows how long.”
“Impossible- show me!”
Lae’zel forces her way into his mind, and he decides not to fight the intrusion- he owes her that much.
She rifles through his memories frantically, searching for the truth.
She finds it, of course- he has no reason to hide anything from her.
“Kaincha-“
She shakes her head in disbelief, resting a hand on her forehead and screwing her eyes shut like a wicked migraine is brewing in her skull.
(Considering the tadpole and recent events, maybe there’s a good reason for that.)
He keeps his gaze on the asteroids that float about aimlessly in the endless sea of stars below them so he doesn't have to look at her distraught face any longer.
“Impossible. How could she- there must be some mistake.”
“Maybe. But it’s pretty certain that someone’s lying to us, regardless.”
“I cannot- I don’t understand-“
Lae’zel bites her tongue, steeling her resolve before she can question herself further.
“We must leave this place,” she insists. “If I am able to explain what happened here, surely my queen will understand. She must- she knows my faith. She knows my devotion. Surely she will listen...”
Kisame feels like Lae’zel is only fooling herself. And he’s pretty sure, deep down, Lae’zel knows that, too.
But there will be time to worry about that later.
As easily as thinking about it, they’re returned to the material world, where the air is thick with impatient anxiety.
The sudden return of proper body weight almost sends everyone falling to the ground.
(Kisame makes a note in his own mind that, if he’s given the chance to visit the Astral plane again, he’ll have to brace himself for it first.)
The Inquisitor and his entourage all stare at them with looks of disgust.
Stepping forward, the Inquisitor gives Lae’zel a look of utter disdain.
“Our queen has named you h’sharlack,” he says, perfectly calmly, like he’s addressing an unruly child. “You are not to leave this room alive. None of you are.”
Wide-eyed in panic, Lae’zel tries desperately to say something in her own defense.
Before she can manage that, however, the man lunges at her, silver sword at the ready.
Swinging it throws everyone back with a wave of pure thought, flinging them against the far wall and leaving impressive dents in the stone wall.
Well, shit. This isn’t an ideal situation.
Kisame’s blood hums with adrenaline, instinct taking over before he thinks too hard about how dire this is.
Hidan manages to grab one of the gith and twist their wrist in just the right way, prying their fancy sword from their grasp so he has something suitable to swing around.
It’s a far cry from the scythe his god gifted him as a reward for his faith, but it’ll do for now.
Lae’zel looks halfway to tears, but her eyes are steel the same as ever.
She isn’t letting the betrayal of her own people cloud her judgment or make her movements sloppy. Good.
It’d be easy for her to lose her nerve in these circumstances- Vlaakith probably counted on it, as a matter of fact. Too bad for her, Lae’zel’s training has done her a lot of good, so she doesn’t fall into that trap.
(That’s an irony that happens a lot, in the world he’s come from. The training that was meant to keep people under control is often the very same thing that empowers their would-be victims to break free.)
He ducks behind the inquisitor, even though the psyonic energy surging through his skull makes him dizzy and more than a little nauseous.
His current sword, while not the worst thing ever, simply won’t do against the plate armor the githyanki wear.
It’s a long shot, but if he can time this just right, he should be able to make it...
He lunges forward, one hand reaching for the inquisitor’s blade, the other shoving itself firmly into the small of his back.
Against all odds, Wwargaz stumbles, cursing in Gith as he does. Kisame grabs the hilt of his silver sword and yanks, managing to pry it loose from his grip.
The blade is expertly crafted, the weight of it resting in his hand as naturally as if he’d been born holding it.
Truly remarkable craftsmanship- and it slices so cleanly through flesh and sinew, like a hot knife through butter.
Oh yes, he’s going to enjoy this.
It’s not quite his beloved weapon, of course. But he isn’t even sure if Samehada made it to this new world, or if it did, where he could possibly find it. So, for now, this will do.
At the very least, githyanki have an incredible talent for smithing.
The Inquisitor doesn’t move anymore, but Kisame stabs him a couple more times just to be absolutely sure he’s dead.
The rest of his entourage haven’t fared much better- Lae’zel kicks the severed head of one of the warriors away so she doesn’t have its blank, lifeless eyes staring at her any longer.
I’m glad you finally came to your senses, the dream visitor says, sounding relieved. Now get out of here- everyone here will try to kill you.
Kisame doesn’t need telling twice.
“I think it’s about time we found our way out of here,” he says.
“You’re fuckin’ telling me!” Hidan shouts, throwing his arms out in exasperation. “Man, I just wanted to get the goddamn worm outta my head, I didn’t sign up for getting bounced around different dimensions and having these weird frog people tryin’ to off me!”
“...Maybe we shoulda known this was a bad idea,” Karlach mutters, sheepishly. “This is a bloody mess.”
“No!” Lae’zel snaps. “This must be some sort of mistake- there must be an explanation...”
She looks up at the mosaic tiles of the ceiling, misty-eyed and miserable.
“I don’t understand!”
Her voice cracks as she shouts, echoing off the walls and the bodies of the dead.
“I have followed your protocols!” she howls, shoulders sagging with the weight of her grief. “I have wielded your fury as a dragon! What good is that if you turn your back on me?! What good is this heart of stone, for it to be shattered?!”
She manages not to cry, but only barely. She blinks back tears, chews on the inside of her cheek, and takes a deep, shaking breath before she speaks again.
“...There must be an explanation,” she finally decides. “Yes. I can win her favor again. I must.”
It’s clear she’s talking to herself, rather than anyone else.
“What are you going on about?!” Hidan snaps at her. “The bitch sicced her wild dogs on you! You really think she gives a shit about how hard you kiss her ass?! Has that fuckin’ worm finally ate your brain or what?!”
Lae’zel looks like Hidan has just slapped her across the face; she glares with a mixture of hatred and shock, unable to believe what’s just been said.
“...Chk. I don’t expect you to understand,” she snaps, trying to keep her tone level. “My queen will not abandon her faithful.”
It sounds more like she’s trying to convince herself than Hidan. But that’s something they can deal with later, when they’re away from here.
Kisame certainly knows her pain. He’s dealt with the same thing, in what feels like another life.
When he went from loyal soldier to criminal, mercenary to murderer, cast out on his own by the very same corrupt, greedy bastards he had tried to overthrow.
“This place is gonna be crawling with a lotta angry people out for our heads,” Wyll says, with an exasperated sigh.
“If they get in our way we’re just going to have to kill them,” Kisame answers. “Then we keep moving so we can meet up with the others.”
“Sounds like a plan- let’s fuck off before it gets worse,” Hidan grumbles.
“I don’t really think things can get much worse, soldier,” Karlach mumbles, wisps of smoke rising off her head as her engine calms down once again.
“Sweetheart, I’m not a smart motherfucker, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s that it can always get worse.”
Karlach snorts, daring to half-smile.
“Maybe you’re right. Better not press our luck, then.”
The silence as they flee the remnants of the creche is deafening, nobody wanting to say much of anything as they hurry to put distance between themselves and the fleet of people that have tried to kill them.
All of them are drenched in gore, and all of them are beyond exhausted.
All in all, it could have been a worse expedition. Then again, it could have been a lot better, too.
They had expected this to be their salvation- hell, Lae’zel had seemed so certain about it that Kisame had sort of been counting on it.
Now, he just counts himself lucky that they’ve escaped with their lives.
It’ll be awkward trying to explain things to the others, but they still have the lead of Moonrise Towers to head to.
The thought of wandering straight into the heart of the cult that almost certainly planted these parasitic time bombs inside their heads is a daunting one, but it’s probably their best bet considering the creche was a bust.
Maybe Shadowheart will get to say “I-told-you-so.” Surely she won’t miss a chance to make a sarcastic remark at her.
But that’ll have to be once they finally get away from here and on the road to Moonrise. Their only remaining hope, now.
What a disaster.
Kisame just hopes that Itachi is having better luck in the Underdark than they are up here.