Chapter 31: Shady Dealings
Daniel Jackson woke up on the flat, hard bunk with stiff muscles from the melee combat practice the day before. "Come on, Daniel, it will be good for your health," Jack had promised. Several bruises and a recurring pain in his neck said otherwise. "It's just a little workout with Khelgar, Casavir, and the group. Just take thirty minutes away from all those books. Carter's doing it too. It's an order." Getting constantly thrashed by the dwarf and the tall, brooding knight for thirty minutes wasn't a "little" workout. What was the point of learning to hit someone with a big stick when he already had training on using a machine gun, alien weapons, and fireballs? "Neeshka will be there. She'll teach you how to use daggers."
So, he'd gone.
Neeshka. He'd never met anyone else like her. It wasn't the horns and tail, though those were certainly a first. She had a girlish charm, like she had never grown up from playing princess, except she wasn't a princess you'd save from a dragon. She'd be a princess who would make an arrangement with the dragon to get some ransom money from her relatives, then sneak out of the dragon's lair with half of its hoard while some poor knight was getting barbecued. It wasn't malicious; she was just an opportunist.
But she had another side to her as well. She was deeply loyal to her friends and had just the right combination of playfulness and sarcastic wit. When someone showed her kindness, she responded with such enthusiasm that you could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. She gave her all for anyone who treated her right. Daniel could see how protective she was of Tamil, with an eye to dangers lurking in the shadows (whenever she wasn't lurking there herself). And she had taken to SG-1 as well. Especially to him.
She was a completely different person when someone crossed her, though. Seeing how she stared daggers at her former partner, Leldon, after he had been arrested by the Watch, it still sent shivers down Daniel's spine thinking of it. Neeshka was not someone to betray. That went doubly now after witnessing her skill when she was playfully teaching him how to knife fight. She was all teasing and flirtatious laughter, but her hands moved like lightning, faster than his eyes could follow and as unpredictable as her personality.
Daniel got up and went to take a nice hot bath. The Sunken Flagon was no five star resort hotel, but it had clean bedding, hot water for bathing in the mornings, and some fine cooking. Not quite as nice as home, but with the convenience of magic, it sure beat camping out in tents, as often happened during previous Stargate exploration expeditions.
If it hadn't been for their recent trip back to the SGC, Daniel would probably have felt that living on Earth was almost a distant dream by now as different as life was. As he dried himself off with a towel and then walked back to his room, Daniel Jackson pondered over the many changes in his life. He had seen many things some people couldn't even imagine and was still experiencing amazing things in this fantastic world he had come to.
Not too long ago, he had been just an obscure archaeologist thought to have crackpot theories about aliens and the ancient Egyptians. His life had changed dramatically when he found out he was right, was recruited for the Stargate program, helped defeat the Egyptian god/alien Ra, and ended up living thousands of light years from Earth on the planet Abydos. Then another alien, Apophis, had come to Abydos, destroying that new life, and once again Daniel Jackson's life was torn upside down. He became a member of SG-1, traveling from world to world searching for his lost wife, Sha're, and then searching for knowledge and the means to defeat the gou'ald aliens responsible for her death. For years he traveled from world to world through the Stargate with the team known as SG-1, now his dearest friends.
Then on one standard mission, the magical forces of Toril somehow became intertwined with one of their wormholes in a freak accident, and SG-1 became stranded on this world. Daniel had adapted, learning about the people, their culture, and their languages, even learning the ways of magic. He was part of a new, larger group of companion adventurers in the city of Neverwinter. Now, here he was, a wizard from Earth with a scientific background, standing in with a towel wrapped around him, with a part demon girl lying in his bed.
Neeshka!
"Um, Neeshka, hi… I'm sort of in the middle of changing now… so…" Daniel awkwardly began.
"Wow, you look a lot more muscular than I would have thought," Neeshka said, bouncing up from his bed while looking him over. "And you're hairy in places I didn't expect, too."
Neeshka sprightly crossed the room over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder for an instant before moving past him to the door. Daniel let out a small sigh when he heard the door close. He turned around to get his clothes and then he noticed that Neeshka was still in the room.
"Uh, Neeshka, I'm not dressed yet…"
"Yeah, I know," she said with a grin. "Don't worry, everyone else is out. Jack and Samantha are out with Tamil talking to 'Lord Nasher', and Teal'c is over at the temple to Tyr doing priestly things I guess." Neeshka rolled her eyes when she mentioned Lord Nasher and shrugged her shoulders when mentioning priestly things. "I stayed behind to keep you company, so, you know, it's just you… and me."
Before he knew it, the tiefling was up against him, her arms wrapped around his back. Daniel instantly felt a rush of heat through his body which only intensified when he looked directly at the playful rogue. Her short, dark red hair was cut straight back behind her head. Daniel had long been used to the sight of her twin horns which curled back above her forehead and the red of her eyes looked playful, not sinister.
Daniel was even used to her tail. But now it had wrapped itself around his leg. This he was not used to. Nor was he ready for when she kissed him on the mouth, holding him in place with delicate hands which gently squeezed the tops of his shoulder muscles.
When the kiss ended, Daniel was in a daze. She was about to lean in for another kiss when he grabbed her shoulders, and held her back from him. He didn't push her away, but gently held her in check.
"Neeshka… look, you… I…" he struggled for the words. "Neeshka, I have a wife." Daniel saw a shocked look on Neeshka's face and continued on quickly. "She… died just a few years ago. It was really hard for me. Since then, I'm not sure I can…"
Neeshka relaxed her hold on Daniel, looking up at his earnest, apologetic face. Daniel saw a look of sadness and hurt appear in her expression. Immediately, he felt a twang of regret.
"Look, Neeshka, it's not that I don't like you. I do. I do have feelings for you," he paused, wanting to make sure of himself. "Those kind of feelings…"
Daniel watched Neeshka's expression carefully. The pain he had seen just a moment ago had vanished, and a small, half-shy smile appeared back on her face. Then just as abruptly, the smile was gone and a dark, suspicious look was on her face. She dropped her hands away from Daniel.
"I get it," Neeshka said. "It's that Shandra girl, isn't it? She's been after you, hasn't she? I knew it!"
Daniel stared at Neeshka in total shock, not expecting this in the slightest.
"Or is it Elanee?" she said, staring directly at him accusingly. "Is it that whore druid elf? She's the one who's been going behind my back?" There was a dangerous glint to her eye, the kind he had only seen when she was in the middle of heated battle.
Daniel took a step forward and grabbed her hands, clasping them together. "No, it's nothing like that. Really," he said with a sincerity that she couldn't help but trust. "Neeshka, I'm not interested in anyone else. And I am…" paused again, wanting to be careful not to overstate things, "…I am interested in you."
They stood there like that for a moment, and then Daniel wrapped the tiefling in another hug. After a few long seconds, Daniel looked up at the ceiling and muttered, "Who am I kidding?" Then he put his lips to Neeshka's and kissed her long and deeply. He felt her body against his, felt her heart beating rapidly. His own was pounding.
The kiss ended after a couple intense minutes, and then Neeshka looked at Daniel with the most joyful and excited expression on her face. He could feel his heart melting then and there as he saw her happiness. It felt right.
"Daniel!" Neeshka called his name cheerfully. "I'm sooo, excited!" Then she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Do you know what I feel like doing right now?"
The archaeologist-turned-wizard looked at her, his breath coming quickly, a flush on his face. "What?" he asked, but he had a good idea he already knew the answer.
"I want to rob the Collector's house! That would be the only way to make today even better!"
Or maybe he didn't. "Um… what?"
Neeshka was already turning to head out the door.
"Wait, hold on… Neeshka!"
Neeshka had told him about the Collector before. The most home of the most famous collector of art pieces in Neverwinter. It was said he had an impenetrable safe and high security. No thief had ever successfully gotten in and stolen the treasure. More than one had died in the attempt. Pulling off this job would seal the reputation of any thief in the city. Or seal them in a tomb.
"Wait, Neeshka!" Daniel called out desperately. He exhaled when she did so. "I've got a better idea."
.
Neeshka crept soundlessly through the hallways of the Collector's mansion. Mercenary guards patrolled the hallways, alert and attentive for the slightest sound. But Neeshka made no sound. Nor did she show a hint of her passing. When she moved, it was against the walls blending invisibly into the shadows and hidden behind decorations.
She had been good before meeting Tamil and Khelgar, already having a reputation in Neverwinter for getting jobs done quietly, as opposed to the typical cutpurses and muggers that were far more prevalent. Since then, she had only gotten better. Out with Tamil she had honed her skills hiding in dungeon shadows and then on the streets of Neverwinter planting tracking devices for the City Watch in secret hideouts when a thief would lead them to a new hidey-hole.
Now, even in the relatively well-lit lamplight of the Collector's mansion, she could find a shadow and mold herself to it, then melt away to the next spot when eyes were elsewhere. With a final little chuckle, she snuck out the door to the entry lobby where expected guests were greeted, then out the front door to the outside. With a smirk, Neeshka walked around the corner of the Collector's house.
The Collector stood there with a pair of guards.
"So, you managed to break into my home," the man said with a frown. "But in the end, you failed. Return my belongings, now."
"Don't be so hasty," Daniel Jackson's voice said softly. As he spoke, he appeared directly behind the guards. "You agreed that Neeshka could keep any gold found in the vault as part of our fee."
"Yes, if she successfully broke into it. Robbing the chests of my hired guards is not the same thing," the Collector answered smugly. "You will not be getting the gold for your fee, and you will hand over what is mine immediately."
"Alright," Neeshka said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Whatever you say."
The tiefling pulled out several small items and laid them in a pile. These were the belongings of the guards. Every item was accounted for.
"And the other bag, Neeshka," Daniel chided.
Neeshka grinned and opened her magic bag, revealing several items far too large to fit within, except for the enchantment on the container. The Collector gasped as Neeshka pulled out a set of unique elven ceremonial armor. The armor was sturdy, but its greatest worth was in the ornate markings marking the item that only an art aficionado would recognize. The nobleman immediately realized that Neeshka obviously had gone into his vault. There was no way to have faked the piece. At Daniel's insistence, Neeshka reluctantly emptied out the remainder of the items. The archaeologist had clear his through loudly twice before she finally returned the star sapphire which she could easily have sold without even needing to use a fence.
"Well, if you choose not to pay our fee, then of course you forfeit the analysis and we only keep the gold found in the vault," Daniel Jackson said as if it didn't matter to him at all. Then he continued as if he were making the comment off-handedly, "As our valuable client, milord, we would never think of revealing the weaknesses of your security to outside parties. The results of our security consultation will remain confidential and available to you if you are to change your mind." The use of the honorific "milord" sounded forced from Daniel, but the rest came out perfectly at ease.
Neeshka puzzled over Daniel's nonchalance. The Collector had backed out of their agreement. He should be furious. He should be threatening him, making him worry that someone else would be breaking in. That was certainly how she felt and she was about to voice her discontent when…
"Hold on, hold on!" the Collector forestalled, a calculating look in his eye.
Daniel smiled. He had dealt with gou'ald and other incredibly intelligent, deceptive aliens for over five years before coming to Neverwinter. False alien gods and aristocrats had a lot in common he had learned. He knew how the minds of such people worked, and how such people believed the minds of others worked as well. The Collector would assume that Daniel and Neeshka planned to sell that information as soon as possible, the vault would be robbed by another group, and Daniel would publicize that the Collector had failed to use their services and attract more business.
Daniel had no such intentions, but he knew that's what the Collector would think.
"I agree to your consultation fee. Two thousand newly minted Neverwinter gold. Now, if you will…"
"Of course, milord," Daniel said with a smile. He handed a scroll over to the Collector. "This is a preliminary report detailing what we found out from the first two times we infiltrated your manor. We'll give you a final report tomorrow to include what we found after this last assessment." Daniel pulled out a pair of objects from within his robes. "And here are your vault keys and Vania's key to the upstairs rooms."
The Collector's eyes went wide. They had taken his key from him and he hadn't even noticed.
"Neither your guards nor the vault itself need to be replaced, they are both very high quality. We found them beyond the skill of a master thief or even an accomplished wizard to simply pick or magic open," Daniel said embellishing his level of accomplishment, but the nobleman expressed no doubts on the matter. "But security is only as good as your weakest link, and if the keys are obtained as easily as that, you might as well leave your home open."
"I see," the Collector nodded, impressed.
"And I strongly suggest you consider placing your favorite painting in the vault as well. If you want to look at it more often, commission a replica." Neeshka pulled the man's favorite painting, a simple oil landscape of the sea, out of her bag. The man blanched as she handed it to him. Daniel continued, "Our report covers that, as well as storing sensitive information, such as ways to blackmail you into opening the vault."
When Daniel was finished, the nobleman was only too pleased to pay the consultation fee. For him, all that mattered was his priceless collection of valuables. The Collector went so far as to thank the two, even bowing slightly to Neeshka in respect for her abilities. Daniel knew he didn't even need to urge the man to spread word among other nobles. There was no way one such as the Collector could keep such news to himself.
As Daniel and Neeshka were turning to leave, something caught the archaeologist's eye. A half dozen adolescents dressed in long ebon robes stood inside the gates of a private graveyard conspiratorially. A lone little girl was screaming at one of them standing just outside the entrance to the gated sepulchres. One of the teenagers retorted with a threat and turned away, leaving the little girl to fume and shout insults. Then the group of black-clad youths turned and headed towards the largest of three tombs, and went in, walking in two straight lines.
"Oh, great," Daniel muttered.
"What?" Neeshka asked.
Daniel didn't answer immediately. Instead he pulled out the short-range radio SG-1 members carried when separated from the rest of the team. "Come in, Flagon. This is Daniel."
"Carter here. What is it?"
"I saw something a little odd here in Blacklake. Looks a bit like a cult. Unless Toril has Goths. They went into a tomb looking very 'Children of the Corn'. I think it's something Tamil would want to check into."
"I'll radio Tamil and Jack and see what they want to do. You stay put for now. Don't go in there alone," Samantha Carter responded.
"I read you. Oh, Carter, make sure Teal'c knows about this. If it's anything like the place we arrived in Faerûn or that place near Highcliff, it could be trouble. I've got a feeling we may need to heal some hurt kids."
"Let's just hope they don't have Kool-Aid in there," Carter added jokingly.
.
Tamil Farlong led the way into the crypts followed by Shandra Jerro, Neeshka, Elanee, and all four members of SG-1. The druid had been with Jack and Tamil when the radio report of people entering into tombs was received. She had a feeling it was somehow related to the shadows and what was infecting the marshlands of her home. She insisted on coming along.
The druid had inherited Tamil's old sword and armor, as her body size and shape fit it in the right places. They only needed to adjust the padding to Elanee's frailer frame. While the druidess was not especially weak, the bard was definitely much stronger. Still, Tamil's equipment had been much better than what the druidess had been using before.
When the group entered the Bryce tomb, they were greeted by the hostile stares of several of the adolescents. One of the older male teenagers promptly told them to get lost. Tamil stared him down, ordering them out of the tombs under the authority of the City Watch and as a squire of Neverwinter. The youth passive-aggressively refused, and refused to give any information about Lisbet Bryce, the older sister of the little girl whom Daniel and Neeshka had seen earlier.
Then there was a piercing scream that echoed from deep within the crypt.
Tamil cursed softly and led the group through a door into the next chamber. A pair of older teenagers were surrounded by four ghasts, the undead creatures' rotting flesh emitting a nauseating stench. Tamil didn't hesitate, charging towards the nearest of the walking corpses and slashing it with her sword. Teal'c was the next through, charging halfway into the room before stopping to target one of the creatures with his staff weapon. The rest of the group following, weapons at the ready.
It took less than a minute for an easy victory, with not even the slightest of wounds. The lighter weapons carried by the group had less force behind them than Khelgar's axe or Casavir's war hammer, but they still did the job. Had Khelgar and Casavir led the charge, the battle would have been over within six seconds. As it was, it took four times as long. But when the dust settled and the stench cleared, the dead were back on the ground where they belonged.
The two teenagers in the back looked stunned.
"They're… they're rescuing us. What are we going to do now?" a female with her hair cut short and dyed blue bemoaned.
"The Thralls! They're all dead! Do you have any idea how long it took us to RAISE those things?" complained the slightly taller male beside her.
Tamil's mouth hung slightly opened as she realized the import of those words, the words of comfort she had been about to utter dying on her lips. The teenagers were practicing necromancy, raising the undead rather than being threatened by them. That was why they were meeting in a crypt.
"Oh hells," Jack said, shaking his head.
The group looked back to see that the six black-robed teens from the entry room had followed them in, fanning out around the room behind them. The passive-aggressive youths were about to become much less passive. There was a darkness to their eyes.
"My fault, Vera," the spokesman from the previous room apologized. "They came in looking for Lisbet. But it was only the six of us, and I didn't think they'd have a chance against your, uh... friends. The dead ones, I mean."
Tamil smirked. "Any one of us could have handled those creatures without needing any help. The numbers may be even now, but you don't stand a chance against us."
Vera saw some of the others starting to back away. "They can't handle all of us. We'll give their corpses to Arval. He'll bind their souls to serve the King! I'll bet Arval will even let us watch," the boy said in ominous tones that enticed the fearful of the group into standing firm.
The blue haired girl clenched her hands together and raised her eyes towards the ceiling, a dark smile playing over her mouth. "His darkness is Truth! His Shadow will cleanse the world!"
And then all of the dark robed teens began chanting, magical energies swirling about their hands and bodies. Daniel recognized the spells they were casting. Some were offensive, such as Vera's fireball incantation, others were defensive such as a basic shield spell being cast by the blue haired girl. It would take them a few seconds to complete their castings.
Daniel pointed his zat at the one nearest him and fired. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c did the same. Four of the eight cultists screamed in pain and then collapsed to the floor unconscious, their spells incomplete. Tamil and Shandra had no difficulty disrupting the spells of two more with their swords. Only the last two furthest back were able to complete their spell casting.
A fireball burst out from Vera, just before Daniel could train his weapon on the necromancer and zat him. The flames roared out towards Neeshka and Elanee. Neeshka nimbly somersaulted away while the elven druidess escaped most of the flames by bracing herself against the large heavy shield she now carried. Jack and Teal'c zatted the two cultists who were facing Shandra and Tamil. Only the blue haired girl remained standing, her hands moving in the intricate motions that indicated a spell as she chanted.
The chanting stopped. The girl was frozen in place. Her eyes dilated in fear. She was held in place, unable to move.
Daniel nodded to Samantha Carter. "Good work. With her shield spell up, our zats wouldn't have been able to disable her."
Tamil gestured towards the eight immobilized kids. "Strip them of all weapons and jewelry. We don't want them activating a magical amulet or ring and escaping. We don't have time to take them to the Watch right away."
There were a few magical items on the youths which were all handed to the bard. They also found a key that fit a door leading further into the Bryce crypt. Neeshka, as usual in these situations, led the way. The tiefling was able to discover and disable several lethal devices on the way through the crypt. She also stopped by several ornate looking stone coffins and some treasure chests.
Teal'c gave her dark stare.
"Aw, come on, big guy. It's not like they need any of this!"
At Teal'c's scowl, Tamil gave him a smile. "We do have a duty to investigate this place, Teal'c. Who knows what the cult has hidden here."
Despite the bard's logical excuse, the former Jaffa grumbled. "I do not like being party to such desecration. We have no right to interfere with the burial rites of another people."
"But," Daniel spoke up, pointing off down a corridor, "Do the dead have the right to interfere with our present lack of burial?" The group turned to see a trio of ghasts charging towards the group, oozing a sickly green fog.
SG-1 targeted the closest of the ghasts, the first three strikes disintegrating the creature instantly. The second ghast managed to reach the waiting group, but was promptly cut down by the combined swords of Tamil, Neeshka, and Shandra. The third ghast became a victim of the second barrage of zat fire.
But the undead creatures had already served their purpose. By the time they had all been destroyed, the three shadow cultists in the next chamber had managed to complete their summonings: shadow mastiffs. Neeshka led the way forward, followed by SG-1, their weapons at the ready. They were met by the three creatures of darkness. They were three beasts in the form of massive hounds whose substance was shadow itself.
"Focus on the wizards, defeat them and their creatures should be dispelled!" Daniel shouted, taking aim at the black-robed youth directly ahead and missing.
Jack, however, zapped him without a problem. The cultist crumpled to the ground in a groan of pain and one of the shadow mastiffs vanished back into the blackness from which it had come. Neeshka and SG-1 had almost reached the end of the corridor which opened up into the larger chamber when the remaining shadow hounds loosed a horrendous wail.
Upon hearing the noise, Daniel's eyes went wide. The haunting sound cut through his mind, numbing it like a person plunging into frozen water. Every rational thought fled his mind. He looked towards the source of the sound and saw the beasts of shadow. An unreasonable fear took hold of him, the thought of facing those creatures becoming an unimaginable horror. The archaeologist stumbled backwards, then turned on heel and started to run away. The first beast charged after him.
"Oh no you don't!" Neeshka swore, jumping between the shadow mastiff and the archaeologist/wizard, her weapons leaping into her hands. "You will not hurt my Daniel!" Then her blades began ripping away the shadowy flesh of the creature even as it tried to swipe her away. It howled in pain, but could not get past her to pursue Dr. Jackson.
"Her Daniel?" Dr. Carter wondered aloud.
Across from Neeshka in the corridor, Elanee was affected similarly to Daniel, backpedaling in fear, her eyes wide. Jack swore, put his zat'nik'tel away in favor of the short swords strapped to his back.
"No eating the elf," Jack scolded the big shadowy creature as he worked his own weapons in a blur of motion that Samantha Carter found shocking. Jack's speed and coordination was more like that of a twenty year old than a veteran who was in his fifties. Actually, it was more like an Olympian fencer, but Colonel O'Neill was using both hands with equal accuracy. She couldn't believe his improvement. He had always been a fine soldier, and had once been a skilled black ops specialist, but this was unreal.
Shandra and Tamil charged forward to support Jack and Neeshka against the shadow mastiffs, but there would be no passing them to get to the wizards behind them. They'd have to cut through the summoned creatures first. There was no way for Teal'c or Carter to aim around the corner behind which the two necromantic cultists lurked, either. They could be a problem, especially since the wizards could target the group fighting the shadow mastiffs.
As one, the Chulakian and the astrophysicist from Earth put their zat'nik'tel away. Then they both began chanting, Teal'c the prayers of Tyr and Carter in the arcane language of magic. Teal'c finished his prayer first, and a distortion in the air flew forward to strike the furthest spot in the chamber ahead that the favored of Tyr could see. At first, it seemed as if nothing had happened, but then when the shadow mastiff nearest that spot opened its mouth to roar and no sound came out, it became clear what Teal'c had done. The chanting from the other side of the room had suddenly gone silent as well.
Carter finished her spell as well, a fiery aura surrounding her as she gathered the magic. She hurled the fireball towards the same spot Teal'c had sent his silencing spell. Fire exploded silently throughout the area, spreading forward to catch the hindquarters of the shadow mastiff battling Shandra and Jack. The creature opened its mouth in a silent roar.
But the effect of the spell combination was far more effective than just nearly killing one of the summoned mastiffs. The two black robed cultists ran out of the area of the silencing spell, aware that they were vulnerable to another fireball and unable to use their magic from that position. The only place for them to run was into plain sight. They stopped and began casting their spells again.
Jack O'Neill and Shandra Jerro stabbed their blades into the mastiff's collar bone and the creature's neck respectively and the beast disappeared back into the shadows with a howl. They turned to join their companions in dispatching the second creature, but they were too late. The creature was already disappearing back into the shadow realm from whence it was summoned. Teal'c and Samantha Carter stood there with their zats out once more, the remaining cultists unconscious on the ground.
Elanee stood with her back against the wall, fear still gripping her heart. She was aware of Jack O'Neill standing in front of her, saying something. On a primal level was aware that he was no threat to her, but beyond that she could not think. This effect lasted for a couple more minutes, until the mind numbing fear subsided. Her first real awareness was the kind eyes of Jack O'Neill looking at her with concern and his repeating the words "it's alright" and "you're fine now."
Unsteadily she nodded, then finally shook off the magical fear.
"Thanks, Jack."
He nodded, put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, than turned back towards the rest of the group. Elanee realized as her full senses returned to her that the human had protected her and seen to her well-being in a way she would not have expected. She came to realize his wry humor and apparent gruffness was a front. She had known that he was thoughtful, and considerate of nature, but she hadn't realized just how kind and caring a man he was. She thought to his touch on her shoulder, and a slight flush came to her cheeks. Then she shook her head and started forward, determined to make up for her recent weakness.
Daniel had recovered as well. Neeshka had rushed back to him as soon as the battle was over to wrap him in an embrace until the fear effects wore off, followed by a very amused Teal'c and Samantha Carter. The pair would be teasing their team mate mercilessly over the next few days. Daniel's cheeks were burning red, but he wasn't sure himself if it was from embarrassment from his friends' humorous stares, or from closeness to the tiefling.
"Before we charge forward any further through this crypt," Tamil Farlong began, "we should fortify ourselves against attack." They had entered the tomb suspecting a minor disturbance with some misguided teenagers possibly as victims, but had encountered a dangerous cult with young, but skilled spell casters. Who knew what they would face next?
The group took a minute to prepare. Elanee used her magic to turn each of the companions' skin hard as tree bark while Teal'c healed those who had been injured and blessed the group. Sam and Daniel cast mage armor on those in the group not using magical armor or bracers and then began casting their own defensive magics that soon had them glowing under multiple magical effects. Tamil hummed a new tune that had the group feeling stronger and more energetic. They were ready.
The next room was filled with six more black robed wizards standing in a semicircle guarding what appeared to be the inner chamber of the crypt. As soon as Tamil, Neeshka, Shandra, and SG-1 entered, one of the six began to wail in fear. She was rebuked by another of the group named Raven.
"Raven?" Jack asked. "Seriously? Can you be any more derivative? How come there's ALWAYS someone named Raven dressed all in black in every evil shadow cult?"
Raven chafed at the comment.
Tamil focused on the girl who had expressed her fear. Savanna wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but the bard's illuminating speech brought the girl to her senses. Getting killed in the middle of a crypt to defend a creepy shadow cult wasn't actually a good way to meet hot guys. She broke away from the others, wanting to escape the insanity.
"You want to die with them, Savanna? Well, fine! You'll be a lot smarter as a ghast anyway!" Raven screamed.
"Protect the girl!" Tamil called out, quickly casting a silencing spell of her own over cultists who stood further away.
She wasn't fast enough. Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c had all fired their zats before a single spell got off. Jack expertly angled his weapon to fire on the last remaining cultist even before Tamil's spell had a chance to take effect. She pursed her lips, watching where she had cast the wasted spell, then shrugged her shoulders.
Savanna was left with her mouth hanging open. She was glad she hadn't decided to side with the losers.
"Take this to the City Watch office near Neverwinter Academy," Tamil ordered the girl, handing her an identification document. "Tell them that there was cult activity here and have them send some men down here to take these idiots away. I'll make sure you and your family get in no trouble."
The girl nodded and ran from the room swearing to never enter a graveyard again. The group tied the unconscious youths up and removed their weapons and magical items. A copy of the key to the inner sanctum was found on Raven.
Tamil led the group into the final room of the Bryce family tomb. It was obviously a place designed to perform funerary rites, large enough to accommodate large crowds gathered for a funeral and imbued with magic to prevent the dead from rising as zombies or other undead creatures. The purpose of the room had obviously been perverted by the cult. In the center of the room was a large bluish white magical circle inscribed with necromantic runes. The body and a freshly slain woman, clearly a human sacrifice, was in the center of the circle. Flanking the magical circle on both sides were a group of cultists, these clearly not simple youths.
The leader of the cult, standing on the opposite of the room looked up from his concentration, realizing the ritual could not be completed with this interruption. His eyes locked onto Tamil's. He stopped the ritual.
"May the King of Shadows forgive you," he said in reverent tones. "Embrace him, and know light for the illusion that it is."
Tamil scoffed. The bard realized exactly what this man was and what he represented. He was a shadow priest. He was clearly a charismatic figure, and had used his way with people to quietly build up a cult among the disaffected youth. He would use lies and deception to hook people into his organization, but the man truly believed in his cause. He was a zealot, the leader that the others had referred to as Arval.
Teal'c was the one to speak up. "Neither light nor shadow are illusion. One is merely the presence or absence of the other. It does not matter if one chooses to do evil when the stars have gone black or under the noon sun, it is still vileness that will be burned away by justice at the end of the day. You will return Lisbet Bryce now."
Arval shook his head. "Lisbet has a part to play here. She will be one of the first to achieve divine union with our King... not the crude undeath which lies in store for you, but a true joining of souls," he said grandly. The girl, Lisbet stood there hanging on his every word. She had obviously been enthralled by him for some time, victim of his honeyed words. Arval continued, "And it is only the first step. I have unearthed truths known long ago, and I have already sent word of my discoveries to my brothers and sisters in Shadow."
"Some truths are better off left buried," Daniel answered. "Wise people and societies choose to forget some knowledge because the risk it carries is too great. And some powers should never be used." Daniel adjusted his glasses as he spoke. "Trust us. We have seen civilizations wiped out by knowledge in the wrong hands and we've seen terrible things that nobody should ever do to another being."
"Daniel Jackson speaks truly," Teal'c confirmed.
Arval did not like where the conversation had gone. Nor did he like the conviction he could hear in the voices of this group before him. He preferred to bandy about metaphors about light and darkness, merge the words shadow and truth into the same meaning. He preyed on the disillusioned and confused. Discussing using knowledge for evil purposes was anathema to his doctrines, and debating with a group with strong faith would be fruitless.
"I seek to save you from your ignorance, nothing more. But like a child, you persist in your fear of the dark. I pity you, truly," Arval said with a sigh. "Ah, well. Death will render you far more compliant. We will speak again, I think, after you have breathed your last."
With that, the cultists attacked.