As Us and I make our way through the ship, we turn a corner and find ourselves in a part of the ship that is completely exposed to the air. All walls have been burned and torn away, and beyond them, all around us is a desolate mountainous wasteland. And above us, a battle wages on. A dragon flies by, dodging a barrage of purple, magical ballistics. The ship itself is flying through the air like a battered beast, it's massive tentacles waving before us like broken banners. I'm caught by surprise, but I don't have time to stop and gawk at the battle. I have to get off this thing.
Turbulent wind whips my small ponytail about my neck as I press on, determined to find my way to the helm, just as Us instructed. Though I don't know what awaits for me there, I have no choice but to trust Us. It's that or die.
I don't make it very far before I sense a sudden, hostile presence nearby. Something much different than the cold illithid from earlier, not foreboding or ominous. But hostile nonetheless. Full of fury. The presence is behind me. I hardly realize it in time, and I whip around just in time to see a streak of movement. Someone vaulting from somewhere overhead, flipping through the air, and landing on the ground just in front of me, sword drawn.
I am more surprised than anything to see a strange looking woman. She is about my height, but more slender. Her eyes are unnatural, reptilian. And her skin green. From what I can recall, she must be a githyanki woman; a member of a humanoid species that hail from the Astral Plane. I'd only ever heard of these people, but from what little I can recall about my memories, I don't think I've ever seen one. Until now.
I assume this woman is one of the survivors, like me, who managed to get out of the pods during the attack. But, with sword drawn, she doesn't seem so friendly.
"Abomination," the githyanki woman hisses. "This is your end!"
But as she prepares to run me through with her sword, something stops us. My head suddenly throbs, and my skin tingles. Visions rush past: a dragon's wing, a silver sword - and a flash of my own face seen through the strange woman's eyes.
"My head!" the woman says, her voice muddled with confusion, apparently experiencing it right along with me. It was like we'd just read each other's minds. Like we'd psychically connected. "What is this... ngh." She sees something in her mind too. Perhaps, she sees what I've seen, because she instantly drops her guard, sheathing her sword, realizing that I am not a threat. "Tsk'va. You are no thrall," she says. "Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together we might survive."
"Who are you?" I ask.
"Who am I? Your only chance of survival."
"You'll help me now," I persist, "But just a few seconds ago you were ready to ram that sword straight through me. What made you think I was a thrall?"
"We carry Mind Flayer parasites," she replies bitterly. "Unless we escape - unless we are cleansed - our bodies and minds will be tainted and twisted. Within days we will be ghaik. Mind Flayers."
"What do you suggest we do?"
"First, we exterminate the imps," she says, motioning over her shoulder to three tiny, winged, demonic looking creatures feeding off some nearby bodies. "Then we find the helm and take control of the ship. As for that thing-" she adds, her pointed gaze now fixing on the little brain creature waiting next to me, Us. "It will remain tame as long as it believes we are thralls. It may be of use in the fight to come."
The githyanki woman turns to face the horrid little creatures, drawing her sword again, and instinctively, I reach back for a weapon I didn't realize was there. I grip the handle of my war hammer in one hand, and my wooden shield in the other.
As the creatures notice our presence and gear up to fight us, the githyanki woman's voice splits through the air, a battle cry. "Htak'a!"
Even without my memory, I find that I fight with unexpected ease. My war hammer smashes the imps skulls, crushes their bones. The blood that leaks from their battered bodies bloom like glittering bouquets. Something twisted writhes with glee in body. I've... I've definitely done this before.
Meanwhile, the githyanki woman cuts and slices her way through imps with ease, while Us does surprising damage with its unnerving claws. It only takes a few minutes before the imps are defeated, and we can continue on our way.
"You prove surprisingly adequate in battle," the githyanki woman remarks as we sheath our weapons. "Now- to the helm! The ship won't be able to take another dragon attack. We need to get out before it's too late!"
We continue on our way, weaving in and out of wreckage and debris, stepping over the dead bodies that litter the ruined craft. The next room we enter is full of strange looking panels and apparatuses.
"Ghaik machinery," the githyanki woman grumbles. "I can make no sense of it."
Neither can I. But this room is different from the others so far. It is untouched by battle. There are no fires. No ruin. And off to the side is another mind flayer pod... only this time it isn't empty or filled with a dead body. As we approach, I can see that there is someone alive inside, banging on the door, trying to escape.
"Let me out!" she screams. "You, Get me out of this damn thing!"
"We have no time for stragglers," the githyanki woman spits.
"We can't just leave her in there," I reply, my eyes prying along the edges of the pod, looking for a latch that might open the lid. But the construction is too alien. Nothing looks familiar. Nothing makes sense.
"This ship is crashing," the githyanki woman says in exasperation. "Do you intend to die for a stranger."
"I can't leave her," I echo firmly. "I'll go look around - there must be some way to get this thing open."
"Try that contraption just next to the pod," the trapped woman says, pointing to a panel on the right. "There must be some way to get this thing open. Hurry! Please!"
I approach the panel. The console appears dormant. I look for a switch or release. The mechanisms are completely unrecognizable at first, but then I spy an empty socket.
"Whatever fits in that socket must power this thing," I shout at the woman in the pod. "I just have to find that. I'll be right back!"
The githyanki woman reluctantly follows me into an adjacent room, and Us scuttles along behind. Another room, with another pod. A dazed woman is inside the pod. But she doesn't seem to notice us.
"Tsk'va. How any hosts have these ghaik infected?" the githyanki woman curses.
"Look, there's a panel ahead," I say. "Maybe it'll free her too."
I hear the githyanki woman grumble through gritted teeth, but she doesn't object. A rush up toward the panel, which is already powered up. And as I place my hand on the console, I hear something: A presence connected to the pod, commanding the person inside to... change.
I flip around just in time to see the dazed woman, screaming as her body contorts. Bones snap, skin pulls and rips, appendages grow from her face, and before my very eyes, the woman is transformed into a mind flayer.
"Kaincha!" The githyanki woman exclaims. "Changed at the pull of a lever? How? If we are not purified, this may be our fate."
"Then we have to get out of here before it's our turn," I agree. "Let's go."
As I search the room, it doesn't take me long to find a dead thrall with an eldritch rune clasped in her hand. I quickly pry it away. "This might unlock the console in the last room!"
Quickly, I run back to the dormant console, and insert the rune into the empty socket. The console hums to life. But what is its purpose? Will it free the captive, or transform her like that other unfortunate. Well... there is only one way to find out.
I place my hand on the console, and suddenly I feel a hideous squirming in my head. The parasite. Then, the intensity and discomfort fades, and another sensation washes over me. Connection. Authority.
With my mind, I will the pod to open. I feel the bio-mechanical brain of the console process my command... and yield to it. A shiver runs across my mind... I feel sated.
The door to the pod flies open, and the woman, who appears to be a half-elf, tumbles out onto the ground, sitting weakly, her legs probably still suffering the effects of being held down by magic the same way mine had felt.
"At last..." she breathes in relief. "I thought I was done for."
Slowly, she clamors to her feet to face me. She's pretty. Not surprising for a half-elf. Her long, black hair is pulled up into an ornate pony-tail that falls to her waist. And she stares at me, green eyes wide-open.
"I thought that thing was going to be my coffin. Thank you-"
Her words are cut off suddenly as my mind lurches into her thoughts. I feel her gratitude, but aslo guardedness. And above all, a will to survive.
"Augh, my head..." the half-elf woman groans.
"Did you feel that just now?" I say. "We were in each other's heads."
"I did..." the woman replied apprehensively. "It must have been because of those parasites they put in us... We need to deal with that, but first we've got to get off this thing... let's join up."
"All right then," I agree. "Let's get going. I'm Tav."
"Shadowheart," the woman replies. Then turns as if she'd just remembered something she'd forgotten. "One moment..." She reaches back into the pod she'd been inside of and grabs something metal that glows and glints in the dim lighting. The she stashes it quickly - too quickly for me to see it in any more detail.
"What's that?" I ask curiously.
"It's nothing," Shadowheart replies defensively. "Trust me."
"Enough of this chatter," the githyanki finally speaks, her arms folded across her chest. "We need to get to the helm - now."
"She's right," Shadowheart says. "Lead on."
So we do, continuing forward.