Chapter Text
Katrin Sidero paced in front of the alchemical station, gently swirling the tincture she clasped with both hands. This is it… this has to be it! She carefully lifted the vial towards the ceiling to examine it further. If this really was the tried-and-true solution to her project proposal after weeks of research, she could finally begin writing her dissertation; and when, not if, her dissertation was successful, she could finally advance out of working casual jobs for the research department. Her work would be revered, groundbreaking; she’d be recognized as the first wizard in centuries to successfully manipulate the methodology and implications of combining spell and elixir. Katrin had remodeled the mirror image spell rather quickly in comparison to the amount of time she’d spent trying to perfect the elixir formulae. But it all would prove worth it in the end because she would use her resounding achievement to propose a move to the only position she had ever wanted: professor.
The derelict Professor Rondalyn had retired recently, and the job, by all appearances, was still ripe for the picking. Vajra Safahr, the Blackstaff herself, had made an academy-wide announcement stating that she was in no hurry to fill the role, noting that the vacancy would be filled when she happened upon the right person. Katrin was that person, Vajra just wasn’t aware of it yet.
The only thing left to do was to actually try the mixture. Katrin gently propelled the mixture until it was swirling again in preparation. The viscous luminescent shimmer of what would become her prodigy continued its amalgamation in silence, the only noise in the empty laboratory being the echoing click-clack of her heeled boots pacing the stone floor.
********
Gale Dekarios stared at the ceiling whilst lying in bed. While this was an entirely ordinary experience for nearly anyone else, it felt exceptionally surreal to him. Never over the course of the last three months did he ever expect to find himself back here: in his bed, in his tower, in his beloved city of Waterdeep.
After the defeat of the Netherbrain, Gale had no idea what the future would hold for him. The newly renowned heroes had partaken in celebrations and commemorations, of course - spending a few final days together in Baldur’s Gate before splitting up. His companions had lives of their own to return to and Gale could scarcely recall the last time he didn’t feel homesick. But now, lying in his massive four poster bed, he longed to be back in the wilds, seated around a campfire with the lot of them.
He groaned as he shifted onto his side. He knew he wasn’t alone; he truly did. He had his mother. He had Tara. His friends were merely a sending spell away. Besides, he would have no trouble making new friends - given that nearly everyone in the city was interested in associating themselves with one of the heroes responsible for putting an end to the formerly impending Grand Design. A chuckle escaped him at the absurdity of it all. It was going to take some time and adjustment, but he would be just fine. Afterall, he no longer hosted a Netherese bomb in his chest; was no longer a threat to everyone and anything that he came into contact with. He had even found new purpose after being hired on as the newest professor at Blackstaff Academy. But even after quelling his anxieties of once again becoming a solitary being, sleep continued to evade him.
Gale untangled himself from the silken sheets and tossed the purple velvet duvet off as he made his way to his bedroom window. After pushing aside the heavy curtains, he was greeted by a full bright moon dancing off of the harbor. Dawn was still seven or eight hours away. Perhaps a stroll would do him some good.
Gale pulled on a pair of trousers and slid a tunic over his head. He’d already meticulously prepared his lecture hall and new office at Blackstaff over the past few days, but he had yet to reassociate himself with the halls of his former academia. He glanced at himself in the mirror before leaving – his attire came across as casual, but not so casual that on the off chance he was to run into someone, he wouldn’t be completely humiliated. Classes didn’t begin for the term until tomorrow so the dormitories would be empty, and presumably the rest of the school. He somehow doubted that waiting to reacquaint himself with the campus until the middle of his first week would leave a worthy impression on his students, or his new colleagues.
********
As expected, Blackstaff Academy was dormant. It was odd to be back where his affinity for magic had first been sated. Nostalgia pierced his very being as he walked the chilly stone vestibule and reflected on his time spent as a student here; two decades had certainly passed faster than imaginable. But then, the Gale he used to be would’ve found that preferable. For he certainly was not the most popular wizard to grace these halls. The majority of his peers had found him odd, cocky, and consumed with visions of grandeur. Over the course of the last few months, he had come to realize that some of those opinions had held water, but only with the aid of his companions. If not for Tav, he might’ve tried to reconstruct that cursed crown. Gale halted in his steps as he thought of her.
Tav. Bright, strong, alluring, and compassionate Tav. It was hard for Gale to forgive himself for coming on to her; for believing that she’d be interested in him in the first place. It had been all too easy to interpret her friendship and kindhearted nature as something more after Mystra had cast him aside like a slab of rotten meat. But Tav’s heart sang for Wyll and over time Gale had come to accept that. He’d come to terms with the fact that the most amazing woman he’d ever met would only ever be a friend to him.
New beginnings, he murmured into the silence and returned his attentions back to his stroll. Coming through the main entrance of Blackstaff never disappointed. The exterior of the tower gave an exceedingly normal impression but the interior, sculpted by magic, was much larger than what could ever be structurally possible. Every visible floor had exaggerated vaulted ceilings and winding staircases. Its rich history was displayed through impressive murals that sprawled the walls; time periods elegantly painted into one continuous story. Notable artifacts and documents were displayed in nigh-impenetrable cases with ornate placards explaining their significance. Gale briefly stopped by the dining hall and study spaces. The main floor also contained the dormitories for the youngest students, an infirmary, and a handful of lecture halls - but the majority of them were on the second floor, including the one he was to teach from. He conjured a standard issue map of the academy with a flick of his wrist and skimmed through it; he was happy to find that nothing had significantly changed in his time away. The third floor still housed the library, the laboratories, and the apothecary. The fourth floor held the staff offices, staff lounge, and conference rooms. The fifth floor was comprised of student dormitories. Last but certainly not least, on top of the fifth floor, sat an extraordinary observatory, just below the apex of the tower.
Gale made his way through the entirety of the tower at a leisurely pace. When he came to the fourth floor, he stopped to admire the plaque placed on the wall outside his new office:
Gale Dekarios
Archmage
Former Chosen of Mystra
Savior of Baldur’s Gate
It must’ve been installed after he’d finished moving some of his personal effects in. He ran his finger tentatively across the silver plating and his heart swelled with pride. This was an entirely fortunate route for his life to take after everything he’d been through. Even Tara was enthused, and that was a rare sight to behold. He glanced at one of the grand clocks, he’d been exploring for nigh on two hours now and it was about time to get home and rest before class in the morning.
As Gale descended the stairs, near passing the third floor, he heard the sound of glass shattering – promptly followed by a dull thud. Intrigued, he halted his descent and stopped on the landing; he was met with naught but silence. He hadn’t perceived that anyone was here when he’d walked the third floor earlier. For the sole purpose of appeasing himself, he continued down the main hallway, noting every closed door. When he came to its end, he determined that his sleep addled brain must’ve imagined the noises to begin with and turned to head back for the main staircase - but that was precisely when he noticed one of the remaining laboratory doors stood slightly ajar.
Gale pressed a hand against the door’s surface before calling out a tentative, “hello?” But the only answer was the steady thrum of his pulse in his ears. He pushed the door open and presumably met the source of the commotion. A woman laid unconscious on the laboratory floor; glass shards strewn around her feet.
********
Pain. White-hot searing pain awoke Katrin from a state of unconsciousness with a shriek. Shooting upright, she blinked away the tears clouding her vision and scanned her surroundings wildly. The infirmary. She was in the bloody Blackstaff Academy infirmary. Her stomach sank. What’d happened to the elixir? Surely, she didn’t end up here from merely sampling it. Sadly, waking up in the infirmary had become a slightly regular occurrence, but her other visits had resulted from drinking the entire potion. She’d finally decided to exercise a little more caution this time around. Maybe she’d just passed out… she was feeling outright exhausted lately. Sleep deprivation, that has to be it.
A healer approached her cot and grabbed her hand gently. She wasn’t familiar, perhaps a new hire - or Katrin had managed to not have any ‘accidents’ while she was on staff. She was an older dwarven woman with kind eyes and an oddly shaped mole on her forehead - it almost looked like a sunburst? Or maybe a…
“Miss Sidero? How are ye feeling, my dear?” The dwarf pressed the back of her hand to Katrins forehead – the small hand felt icy cold, a soothing balm to the fires licking through her nervous system. “Oh my, ye’re burning up again!” The woman turned and hurriedly waddled to a cabinet a handful of paces away. She opened the glass paned doors and began sorting through an assortment of salves and potions.
“I’ll be alright,” Katrin grumbled with a semi-clenched jaw. “I really should be getting back to the lab; do you have any idea what happened to the rest of my…”
“Precious experiment?” She waddled back to the cot, shaking her head in condemnation. “I would wager whatever ye didn’t manage tae choke doon hit the floor with you’se.”
Katrin felt her heart sink to the very depths of her stomach. She buried her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. “No…I wouldn’t have drank all of it.” She lifted her head to look the woman in the eyes. “I was – I was being careful!” She loudly refuted. Cringing from her outburst, she lowered her voice. “This cannot be reality. I made so many alterations to the formula! I even...”
“Aye, it is. Now stope yer whindging and drink this.” The dwarf held out a cherry red potion of healing. When Katrin didn’t accept it, the woman gently swished the bottle and raised her eyebrows; Katrin decided that this woman’s eyes were looking less kind by the second.
Katrin sighed and took the bottle, swallowing it down in a single take. “I thank you for your care, but I really must be getting back to work.” She peeled the linen sheets and thin scratchy blanket off of her and began to scoot to the edge of the bed, but a small and incredibly strong hand latched onto her shoulder, pushing her back down in bed.
“Oh, no you’se don’t. D’ye really think that the other healers at this school hevny told me aboot ye? The mad wee wizard that poisons herself with her own experiments? Ye’re staying the night, bare minimum.”
“But…”
“No ifs, an’s, or boots about it.” The woman grabbed the sheets and blanket with both hands, tucking Katrin into the cot tight. “Yer right fortunate that ye were found. Nae many wandering the halls at this hour.”
Katrin responded with a dismissive hum and rolled to her side to avoid conversating with the maddening woman any longer. Hmph... fortunate. With my luck, the Blackstaff herself happened upon my unconscious form and teleported me down here. I’m a complete flop. Everyone in the research department will be rolling when they hear about yet another failure. Katrin couldn’t help but think that death may’ve been preferable to facing her colleagues and department head in the morning.