The Summit Road Campaign Thread

Vishal speaks aloud as he says, “Yup. That’s her. Her spirit is speaking to me. Can attest that the boy is not a tool of the quori. Your teammate might think we’re an illusion but I’m going to try and open up my spirit for her so she can see that I’m real.” 

Taran takes his hand off the hilt of his weapon. "I-I-I'm sorry f-for doubting y-you,"  Taran says to the young boy as he begins going through his gear, "I-I th-think w-w-we w-will d-d-do ev-everything w-we c-can to get you an-and the other ch-children out s-s-safely."

He turns to look at his companions, "I-I th-think w-w-we can g-get the dr-drop on the g-guards and kn-knock them out. I-I c-can strike th-the first and use th-this," he holds up a flash pellet, "t-to bl-blind the second wh-while th-the others a-attack. M-Most of u-us c-can head f-for the ex-exit. U-Use r-ropes and c-climb the w-walls. W-We c-c-can j-join u-up af-after gr-grabbing Arthem. I-Is th-that a-acceptable?"

Liira crosses her arms. "Two problems. One, I'm pretty sure Roiin is of the opinion that we're all hallucinations, and he doesn't have a nice, convenient quori spirit to explain. Two, we are discussing this Helac thing."

Taran shrinks down, "I-I-I c-c-can't c-convince him, I d-d-don't kn-know how..." he gnaws on his bottom lip, "A-And... I-I c-can't leave him h-here t-to f-f-face th-that f-future.I-I'm s-sorry, b-but I c-can''t..."

Liira's face is grim. "Taran, we can't save everyone. He could be possessed at any time. He's going to have a good life here, and he won't want to leave in the first place. But adding this Ilaan and Arthem is going to strain this escape plan enough. Adding Sulatesh's nephew is going to make this impossible, and put us at serious risk of being just straight up killed on the way back-the minute Sulatesh figures out he's gone, his quori is going to possess Helac. Everyone will be happier if we leave him here, maybe with a couple doubts about whether Adarans really are monsters."

"A-A g-g-good l-life?" Taran asks quietly, not meeting Liira's gaze, "O-One wh-where he w-will b-be tr-trapped in his o-own b-body, un-unable to th-think his o-own th-thoughts, just p-puppeted b-by a m-monster? S-Sulatesh is p-possessed wh-while t-torturing pr-prisoners, the Qu-Quori will k-keep d-doing that. F-Forcing th-that innocent ch-child to h-hurt p-people, t-to l-like it, un-until e-even without it h-he'll w-want to k-keep h-hurting th-them...e-even wh-when h-he kn-knows it is wr-wrong..."

Taran clenched his fist around the flash pellet. "Wh-Why d-d-doesn't he g-g-get a ch-chance? I-I'll tr-travel s-separately, o-once w-we are out, I-I'll t-take th-the r-risks...b-but k-killing h-him w-would m-make the r-risk worse, it-it would h-hurt A-Adar, k-kidnapping him, g-giving h-him a ch-chance at fr-freedom... it's th-the right th-thing to do..."

Liira stares Taran down, her voice very quiet, and deadly serious. "Taran. He will believe it's an honor. He will not want to leave. Already, he's been shaped from birth to do this. You think Sulatesh is only ever controlled by his quori when he's torturing people? You think the Chosen fight against their possession? They don't. They welcome it. He will welcome it. He already would. We didn't take his chance away from him, but that doesn't mean he has one. The quori took it from him before he was even born, and that is terrible and monstrous and a horrific tragedy, but we cannot save him. We cannot save everyone. Our mission is to break out our two guides, and get to safety across the border. If we take him with and he gets possessed on the way out, we all die. If we take him with, you separate, and he gets possessed then, you die and we're down a guide. If we kill him here, pursuit is amped up so much that we all get caught and die or are recaptured. So we're not taking him with. We're not killing him in his room. We're going to leave him here, where he will be happy for the rest of his life."

Likashtai slips out of her cell, her eyes grave. "And we are going to remember that he is why we fight. Because one day, the cycle will turn, and Dal Quor will become a place of light, and there will be no more quori to do this. One day, little boys like Helac won't know what it's like to lose their free will to otherworldly spirits. But today, we must put Adar first. We will mourn this little boy, but we cannot save him. I'm sorry."

"O-Of c-course th-they don't fight." Taran whispers, fighting back tears, "Th-they don't kn-know they should. They d-don't kn-know it is a l-lie. Th-they d-do wh-what they are t-told, f-follow th-the path they know, e-even into d-darkness, un-until they c-can't f-find the way b-back...Until e-e-even being sh-shown the l-light isn't en-enough to save them."

Taran hunches his shoulders, like a great gale is blowing past him, "Y-You w-would c-come t-to s-save s-someone as w-worthless and bl-bloodstained as me. Why am I-I m-more im-important than him? Why w-would w-we r-risk l-losing an en-entire team of g-guides to s-save s-some of us wh-who have ch-chosen to accept blood and death, b-but not t-to save a ch-child from sl-slavery? I-Is th-the m-mission r-r-really m-more im-important than wh-what is right?"

Caelius frowns, having watched Taran and Liira argue. He taps his foot to indicate he wants to say something,

Taran stares at Caelius for a long moment, tears silently streaming down his face. His knees hit the stone with a thud and he bows his head. Slowly, a trembling hand rises up to his chest, fingers twisted into a single sign.

Caelius sits down cross legged next to Taran and looks to Helac’s door and then at the rest of the group. To Liira he signs, 

Liira half-kneels next to Taran. "Caelius is right. I'm sorry Taran, but we have to do what's best for Adar. Even if it hurts."

Very slowly he nods, keeping his head bowed. When he speaks his voice is flat, "Tell me when we move. I will clear the path."

Tiem snorts. "All due respect and such, Taran, but like Khyber you will. In this state, you're far more likely to do something you regret later. Now, can someone please help Liira or Likashtai talk Roiin into believing we're real, and then explain exactly what the escape plan is?"

He nods, sinking deeper into himself. He should have known...

Taran feels a massive hand on his shoulder and he turns around to be confronted with Druhdaar's emerald-green stare. The giant's eyes are resting softly on the young hunter and he says in a surprisingly gentle tone:

" I am sorry about the kid... It'll be okay. You'll be okay, too. "

He gives a short nod and points at the corridor and the other cells. " You feel up for it ? Come on: we better finish this. "

For Druhdaar:

He rises bonelessly at the Druid's command, "What shall I do? I do not know how to convince the prisoner."

The druid frowns, then starts shaking Taran's shoulder and snapping his fingers in front of the young man's eyes, trying to make him switch out of this forlorn daze.

" Hey lad, don't you go woozy on us now. I'm here. Look at me. HE-ERE !!! Focus, c'mon ! "

"I am focused on the mission." He responds in the same tone, "But I cannot help at this time."

Vishal moves over to Roiin and kneeling down to be by  him he opens his mind telepathically to tell him and show him his eyes,

“I’m here to tell you we’re not an illusion. We’re here to get you out. I’m telling you all this so you know I’m a kalashtar. My spirit is Vakri. I’m from Malashar. My family owns the leather shop there. Dalavash and Vanari. I can answer any question you have to prove that we’re real. Just quickly ask them before we get caught and this rescue mission is a bust.”