Chapter Text
Magnus hadn't felt this at home since his years in Raven's Roost.
Lup and Taako had decided not to go back to their show, something which Magnus could understand, and instead opted to try and take up adventuring. Taako had his own reasons, to be sure, but Lup had confided in Magnus her true motivations.
“I need to figure out how to get myself under control and ... Cooking for an audience? That won't do it, Mags.”
Instead, Lup grew in her power and Taako worked tirelessly to study all of the aspects of transmutation that he could as the trio took up odd jobs around Faerun.
It had been twelve years since the elves had met. Twelve years since their first show in Raven's Roost.
And Magnus felt at home once more.
It was the night of their “friendiversary”, as Magnus called it, when they saw the Craig's List ad for adventurers. The last adventure they would need to take.
Magnus immediately signed the trio up when he noticed a fourth line.
“Well, we could probably recruit someone,” Lup started. “I mean, I'm more of a damage wizard anyway, and we don't have a healer.”
“Yeah, I’m still not sure how to work transmutation into medicine,” Taako started, flicking his ears to say “Sorry.”
Magnus looked out into the tavern. There had to be someone who could heal. Someone who was just as aimless as they were.
His answer came with a loud voice in the back of the tavern.
“Have you heard the good news about Pan?”
~
Barry wanted to go to the tavern to meet the adventurers who would be joining them, but the buzzing in his brain and the weight in his chest had required him to try and self medicate alone. He sat in the room that Gundren had rented for him and turned over the coin in his hand as he drank from his wineskin.
The coin made a soft click as Barry turned it over in his hands and his voice came out of the coin once more.
“You need to make sure that this vault is not where the … where this weapon was hidden. If it was, then Gundren cannot touch it. No one can use it, under any circumstances.”
Barry sighed.
He had hoped that he would have left another clue as to the weight in his chest, but no, it was more of the mission. The stupid, stupid mission.
He knew the voice had said that it was important to make sure that this weapon, whatever it was, didn’t fall into the wrong hands, but that still didn’t answer why his heart was hurting - Why his mind was filled with static when he tried to think about anything before …
The door swung open and Gundren Rockseeker barged into the room. He was in a much more jovial mood than Barry had last seen him in and he held a piece of paper in his hands.
“We have a full party, Bluejeans!” He chuckled. “We’ve got two damage wizards, a cleric, and a fighter! And you’ll never guess who one of them is!”
Barry took the paper from Gundren and stared at it.
Scrawled on the paper, underneath the ad, were four names. Four names that were setting something off in his mind and making his head ache.
“My cousin is one of them!” Gundren laughed. “Merle Fucking Highchurch! I haven’t seen him since his wedding!”
“Huh …” Barry started.
“Also got us a pair of former celebrity chefs! Remember that Sizzle it Up show everyone was talking about a while back?”
Barry looked up at Gundren blankly.
“Geez, were you living in a cave or something? Anyway, I guess they left the chef scene and are adventurers now! So, maybe when they get the supply wagon to us, we can have them cook for us or something,” he joked.
Barry stared at the names.
His heart hurt the more he stared at them. It was like he knew these names, knew them so intimately, but he didn’t know where.
His eyes kept returning to one name in particular. Just three little letters, but those three little letters seemed to ease some of the weight in his heart while also utterly crushing him all at once.
L U P
He wondered, for a moment, if this meant he was closer to solving the Barry Puzzle. He knew it was too good to be true, of course, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder.
“So, rest up because we're leaving before dawn. The cave system is full of gerblins and they'll be dying to get a hold of my father's treasure.”
Barry nodded and studied the route they would be taking once again. Something itched in the back of his brain. The route was painfully familiar and those names still swirled in his brain.
He put aside the thoughts for now.
He would be meeting their adventuring companions when they arrived.
~
Lup watched as Taako went over the map and instructions. Something about the map seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why.
“So, it looks like we're going to be meeting with Gundren and some … Barry Bluejeans guy … that can't be his real name,” Taako started.
“Holy shit!” Magnus laughed as he finished loading the cart. “I know that guy!”
Taako flicked his ear in annoyance.
“From where?”
“Right before I saw you guys in the woods, before we started adventuring, I ran into him in a bar in Phandalin. He said he was looking for two Sun Elves!”
Lup's hand reflexively went to her heart. Her ears flicked in confusion.
“Big deal. Probably isn't us,” Taako started. “Apparently we don't look right for Sun Elves,” he scoffed.
“Taako …” Lup started. “That guy … that guy we ran into after … after Glamour Springs. Maybe it's him?”
Taako sighed heavily.
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, his name was Barry …” she started.
“Yeah, and that's a common fucking name!”
Magnus raised his hand.
“Uh, he was actually looking for Sun Elves like you. Not like … the wrong looking ones.”
That got Lup and Taako frantically arguing in elvish, both verbal and non-verbal. Magnus had been witness to one of these squabbles before and so he simply continued with packing the cart as Merle stared at the elves, dumbfounded.
“Taako, this is going to be so fucking awkward now! We should have actually led him back!” Lup hissed, her ears flicking downward.
“We were on the run! And maybe he didn't hear anything about pardoning us? And why should we have trusted some random stranger in the woods?” Taako trilled back, his ears flicking forward
“We trusted Magnus!”
“That's different! He's Magnus! We don't know Barry from Fantasy Adam!”
“We could have though! Gods, this is going to be embarrassing!”
“Why do you care though? It's not that important! He probably doesn't even remember! He's probably not a cool human like Magnus!”
“What if he does though?”
“Hey, can you two stop fighting like a pair of Tabaxi and help load up?” Merle finally groaned. “I only caught, like, half of that, but whatever beef you have with that Billy Bluejeans guy can wait. I want to get paid!”
Taako and Lup narrowed their eyes at each other and flicked their ears back and forth, continuing the argument as they helped finish loading the wagon.
~
Barry had to keep his eyes on the road. He needed to be ready to fight at a moment's notice, but Gundren just kept talking.
“You'll like Merle. He’s a Pannite but not like … too crazy about it. Just don’t leave him alone too long with plants. And this Magnus fella looked pretty tough so I think they’ll have no problem meeting back up with us.”
Barry grunted in agreement. The woods were too quiet. Something was wrong.
“The elves though. They were strange looking. I mean, I heard about their show back in the day but I never really believed what folks were saying, that they were unique. But these guys have huge fuckin' ears and I’ve never seen Sun Elves that deep of a bronze or that … Well, not Sun Elf-like.”
Barry froze and stopped his horse, turning to look at Gundren. Sun Elves that didn’t look like Sun Elves. He thought back to his coin and wondered if one of them was the elven woman who he had spoken about. Who he was supposed to find and stay with, no matter what.
“What?” Barry asked, his heart hammering in his chest.
It was just enough time for the first arrow to pierce through his horse’s leg.
“Shit!” He hissed as the horse collapsed. He should have been paying better attention. Should have just ignored Gundren and stayed alert.
As the Gerblins descended on them, Barry started to wonder if anything would have changed this outcome.
~
Istus had changed her tapestry a lot over the last twelve years. She had changed it when Lup dodged out of the way of Cyrus Rockseeker's knife. She had changed it when Lup and Taako met in the inn and when they toured Raven's Roost.
Much to the Raven Queen’s eventual chagrin, she knew the tapestry was going to change again. Lup seemed to change the tapestry with everything she did. From just surviving her first journey into Wave Echo Cave, everything had changed.
And now, as the quartet of adventurers came down the road and happened upon the dead horses, Istus felt it.
The Raven Queen’s emissary would have to wait a little longer before his next attempt on his largest bounty hunt ever.
Things were about to get interesting.
~
The Lup that Magnus had come to know over the past three years had been as aloof as Taako, not wanting to form too many attachments outside of their trio. Sure, she would have a glimmer of grief if she came across someone who had been injured or killed, but it would be gone as quickly as it came.
It was why it was so strange when Lup leapt out of the wagon as soon as Magnus reported the dead horses. The first gerblin didn't even get a shot off before Lup whirled out her umbrella and cast a scorching ray at him, setting him ablaze.
"Shit. Lulu!" Taako cried out, clambering over Magnus to join her.
Lup ignored Taako as she cast another scorching ray at the Gerblin that was coming up alongside the immolated one.
Magnus scrambled out of the wagon and ran towards the elves, axe drawn.
"Taako! Lup!" Magnus cried out as he skidded up to them. A Gerblin drew a sword and Magnus swung his axe, cleaving the Gerblin in two.
Taako quickly cast a ray of frost on the two flaming gerblins, freezing them solid. Lup stood still, her chest heaving and her ears twitching.
"Shit, Lup. When did you learn to cast a scorching ray that-" Taako started only to be silenced by Lup's ears flattening, telling him “ There's one more.”
"Sorry I'm late I - what the fuck?!" The Gerblin that emerged from the woods cried out. "You killed Kevin! He just had a kid!"
Seemingly out of nowhere, an axe whirled through the air making contact with the Gerblin's skull.
Lup and Taako whirled around to see Merle, out of the wagon and running to retrieve his axe.
This snapped Lup out of her initial rage as she looked around. Her ears twitched as she began to run into the bushes.
"Shit, shit, shit," Lup murmured under her breath. "Fuck, I knew we shouldn't have left him in the woods that day, Koko!"
Taako ran into the bushes, as if he too were in as much of a panic as Lup was.
Merle leaned over to Magnus and whispered, "Did she know him?"
Magnus shrugged and then made his way over to Lup.
"Lup, we should probably calm down. Maybe regroup and see if-"
"Guys! I found drag marks!" Taako called out frantically. "I bet those Gerblins took Barry and Gundren this way!"
Lup seemed to relax a moment as she ran to Taako.
"If we follow the trail, we can go help them," Taako comforted.
Taako wasn't even sure why he suddenly was worried for Barry Bluejeans. Maybe because he wanted to get paid? Maybe because of the look on Lup's face? He would cross that bridge when they found him.
In the meantime, he would do whatever he could to make sure Lup was happy.
~
To say he was disoriented was putting it lightly for Barry. As he opened his eyes and looked at the three men who were crouched in front of him, his mind buzzed. The faces were familiar and foreign to him at the same time. He instantly recognized the elf to be a Sun Elf (and was the first one he had seen that looked right since waking up in the vat of green liquid), while the human and the dwarf were otherwise unremarkable.
“Oh thank Pan, he’s not dead,” the elf breathed. “How are you doing there, Barry?”
Barry shook his head to try and clear more of the fogginess.
“I … I think I’m ok. I’m Barry Bluejeans-”
“We gathered that, bud,” the human man in front of him smiled. That must be Magnus, the fighter.
“Sorry, still foggy-”
“Ok, I found some more potions!” a voice, not too different from the elf’s voice called out from behind him. The voice made Barry’s heart ache and brought up distant memories of the halls of … University, maybe?
He pulled himself up to a more upright sitting position and froze when he saw her.
It was impossible for this to be the same elf he had fantasized about. Sure he hadn’t seen any other Sun Elves that looked right to him, save for the elven man that he had seen upon waking up, but he would know her wherever he saw her.
What was she doing here?
“I-it’s you,” Barry whispered, looking at the female elf.
Her eyes widened.
“I told you … should have helped him!” she hissed to the other elf in elvish before kneeling in front of Barry. “How are you feeling? Sorry we uh … left you in the woods a couple years back. We were kind of in a panic, but I’m sure you already know about that.”
Barry stared at her, confused. He didn’t remember ever seeing her in the woods and it hadn’t been that long ago that he had seen her in the halls of the University (which, he really should figure out how to get back to at some point).
“Wait, what?” Barry asked. “I don’t remember …”
The other human in front of him smiled and patted his shoulder.
“It’s cool man,” Magnus started. “Remember back in the tavern in Phandalin when we were talking about the sun elves you were looking for? These are them!”
Barry’s mind was swimming. He didn’t remember being left in the woods by the pretty sun elf and he definitely didn’t remember this man.
“Hey! Knock it off! He literally just woke up!” The dwarf grumbled - probably Gundren's cousin, Merle. “He’s probably got a concussion and he’s no use to us in finding my cousin if he can’t remember anything!”
Barry shook his head to clear his mind. So many connections were being made and broken at the same time. He knew these four but then he didn't. Magnus claimed they had met before but Barry didn't remember him, unless this was the roommate he had only seen for a day before this whole thing started. He must have not been paying attention. Too much alcohol, not enough actual socializing.
And then there were the elves. He knew that he knew the woman. He had seen her in the hallways at the … at the University. He had never talked to her because she was breathtakingly beautiful and he was in his late 40s - one foot in the grave in her eyes - and definitely not worth her attention. As far as he knew, she didn't know he existed. Why would an elf even care about someone who looked like Fantasy Tom Arnold?
But here she was and she apparently did know he existed but she had seen him somewhere he had never been.
Maybe she was thinking of someone else.
He didn't realize that he had been staring at her this whole time, and that she had in turn been staring at him.
“As much as I hate to cut this reunion short,” Merle started, “We should really get out of here before that charm spell wears off.”
Lup rushed to aid Barry but was beaten to it by Magnus who slung Barry's arm over his shoulder and hoisted him up.
The adventurers rushed out of the cave and made their way to the hidden cart, just in time to hear the angry growls of a Bugbear.
Barry couldn't focus on much, his head still swimming as he tried to listen to the conversation around him. This was worse than any hangover he'd had. He felt like he knew them (and apparently he had met all but the dwarf), but every time he tried to think of where, his mind went staticky.
He wanted nothing more than to go and sleep this feeling off in a tavern and he'd had every intention of telling his traveling companions.
One look at Lup, however, and the words he'd heard his own voice telling him previously repeated in his mind.
He had found a Sun Elf and the weight had been a little lighter when he found her.
He assumed that this was the one his coin had talked about.
Old Barry would have ignored this thought. Old Barry would have assumed that he had just been drunk the night before, that Last Night Barry was pulling a prank on Today Barry.
The way she stared at him, nervously twisting the rings on her finger, the way the weight lifted, the fact that she apparently knew him - it was enough to stay.
"So, we can leave you at the inn," Taako started, snapping Barry out of his thoughts, "but we should probably go for that cave if we want any chance of running into Gundren alive."
"Huh?" Barry started. "Oh, uh … I mean normally I would stay behind because, you know, dying would look pretty fucking bad for my career as a bodyguard but -"
He looked at Lup. The message from his coin kept repeating in his mind. She had to be the elf that was going to lead him to the source of the weight in his chest. To the source of the holes in the Barry Bluejeans story.
Maybe she is the source of the weight ...
"I uh … I think I should stay with you guys," Barry concluded. "There are too many casters and not enough fighters which is kinda my job."
Magnus tilted his head. Yes, Barry was a wall of a man but he wasn't exactly what he would consider a fighter. He honestly looked more like a nerd - if that could be considered a class.
He decided to keep that to himself.
The wagon stopped in front of an apothecary where Taako purchased a healing draught for Barry who chugged it as quickly as he could. The quintet then headed into a tavern to regroup while Barry pulled out his map.
Istus' tapestry was not too far off, with the vial containing Gundren's blood having been broken and Merle supplying his own, but where there once had been only three adventurers, and then four, there were now five that headed out to Wave Echo Cave.
~
Taako watched Lup and Barry closely as the party traveled deeper into Wave Echo Cave. For a fighter, Barry was pretty terrible, but he seemed to have a knack for at least inspiring Lup. Perhaps the Bluejeans Man was actually a bard but was desperate for work.
Something kept itching in the back of his brain. Seeing how he looked at Lup, he wished that things had been different. He wished that it had been Barry that they had run into at Raven's Roost and not Sazed. The man totally looked like what he had realized was Lup's type and if Sazed has never happened -
No time to beat yourself up about that now , Taako thought. Focus on this mission.
He could see a change in Lup that he hadn't seen for years. The way she and Barry discussed things, as Lup tried to catch him up to speed - it felt as if they had always known each other. And even more, Lup was starting to seem like the old Lup. The pre-Sazed Lup.
"So uh … what's with those rings?" Barry asked, snapping Taako out of his thoughts. "I uh … I haven't seen Tanzanite around very much and uh …"
Taako and Barry both realized the sudden shift in Lup's demeanor as her hand went to her heart.
"Shit …" Barry whispered. "I-Im sorry! I didn't -"
"No. It's ok," Lup breathed. "I uh … well, I'm amazed you didn't know about it actually since Taako and I were celebrities but I had a boyfriend who, uh, came down with a case of death."
"Shit, Lup, I'm so sorry," Barry started before Magnus cut him off from the front of the group.
"She saved a whole town from that asshole," Magnus started. "I can't believe I never noticed he -"
Lup looked to Magnus who quickly shut his mouth.
“Yeah ... “ Lup started. “But he’s gone now so you know …”
“I’m sorry,” Barry whispered.
He knew it was ridiculous to feel this way, but his heart grew heavy and he felt lost. For a moment, his mind buzzed trying to make sense of everything. The coin had told him he was looking for something to ease the weight in his chest. That he was looking for a sun elf. And when he was with Lup, that weight felt lifted but as soon as she mentioned this relationship, when she answered him and told him who gave her the rings - and that it wasn't him, his heart felt heavier than ever.
Then he realized it.
This elf - yes she was probably part of the Barry puzzle, but she couldn’t have been the solution. Even though she was beautiful and seemed to lift that weight, it couldn’t be her. Why would it be her? She was radiant, beautiful, wonderful …
He was Fantasy Tom Arnold and couldn't even protect a dwarf from gerblins.
Whoever he was missing couldn't possibly be her. Maybe he was looking for Fantasy Roseanne Barr.
Maybe the coin was wrong. Maybe he was pranking himself. Maybe it was the ramblings of a drunken Barry, too deep into the bottle the night before.
But why did he trust this earlier version of himself? Why did he feel that weight, as if it was crushing him? Why had that weight been lifted, even for a moment, when he saw her ?
He followed behind in silence as they headed deeper into the cave. He let his mind fill with static as they continued through the cave. He couldn’t even hear what was being said anymore. All he could hear was static.
“-rry? Barry! Watch out!” He heard a voice cut through the static. Barry shook his head and looked up to see a large piece of machinery charge up to him. He fumbled for his weapon but choked back a gasp as something knocked the wind out of him. His eyes refocused as he looked up to see Lup on top of him. She looked over to the side before looking down at Barry, locking eyes with him. Her cheeks darkened as her eyes snapped open wide.
“Uh …” Barry started
“Shit! Sorry Barold,” Lup stammered. “But also, you might want to snap out of whatever you were thinking about because we’re kinda under attack.”
“Oh- shit- Sorry Lup,” Barry stammered as Lup scrambled to her feet before helping Barry up.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Merle growled from across the room. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re fighting a robot!”
“Oh, sorry Merle!” Lup called back, charging back into the fight. Barry watched as she pulled out her wand and uttered a spell, cutting a scorching ray through the machine.
She was beautiful.
He wished so badly that it wasn’t true. That somehow she was the missing piece of the puzzle.
But he knew deep down that there was no way she could be.
~
Brian couldn’t hear anything except the voice that called to him from deep inside the cave. He knew, of course, that Killian was saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear it. He didn’t care.
“Come claim me. With me, you can finally get to your sister. You can tear apart the world and find her."
It had been so long. So many years of searching. Of hoping that the Bureau of Balance could help him find his sister.
Of lies. Of course they couldn't help. They just wanted the power for themselves.
With the Phoenix Fire gauntlet, he would be unstoppable.
What would Brad think? What will happen when he finds out what I did?
"You've waited so long, Brian. You've come so close. Don't give up on me now …"
It was like someone was taking control of every action, every thought as the gauntlet called from so agonizingly far away. Every so often, Brian's conscious mind cut through the thrall but the more it called, the deeper he fell.
One final thought broke through.
What would Ren think?
Who?
The thrall fully took hold taking control of Brian's every thought and desire.
He looked over to the hallway and saw him.
The man who inspired his sister to leave. The man who once stole his heart away in one night in the Underdark.
A man who instantly recognized him as they locked eyes.
Brian grinned.
"Hallo, welcome to my cave," he trilled.
~
Istus wove her tapestry as the fight continued. The orc, Killian, was freed, as was Gundren Rockseeker, and Brian was hopelessly enthralled by the allure of the gauntlet. Taako had to blast Brian with a Magic Missile. This time, Taako was more hesitant to fight him, another difference from her original tapestry. When Brian was finally killed, she could see the flicker of regret as Taako lowered his wand.
She sighed and continued her work. Where there was a skeleton in a red robe holding an umbrella in her original tapestry, there was now a hole. A set of scorch marks and a dagger that had missed its mark was all that remained from her original plan.
But this would be much more interesting. The creator was about to reunite with her creation.
~
Lup found herself staring at the scorch marks on the floor in front of the vault. Something had happened here. She couldn't focus too hard because a headache was starting to form. She looked down and saw a knife on the ground. The tip was crusted with a black substance.
"Wait!" Merle said before Lup could bend down to pick it up. "Let me do a nature check! That looks like it's tipped in Silverpoint!"
Lup froze. Good thing Merle was so good with plants.
Lup turned as Gundren opened the vault door. The party held their collective breath waiting for a marvelous prize to await them.
All that greeted them, however, was a circle of black glass with an outstretched hand and a gauntlet in the center.
Lup stared at it. She knew that gauntlet. She knew this place. But she had never been here before. Not that she could remember at least.
She found her mind frantically trying to make connections. She couldn't focus. She had been doing something twelve years ago before she had met Taako. And Gundren's father had disappeared here twelve years ago. And the gauntlet looked so painfully familiar as her ḩ̴̕è̶̢a̵̜̽d̶̮̅ ̸̼̎p̴͓̅o̸̬͊u̸̬͑n̷͙̅d̶͇͆é̸̙d̷͙̋ ̵̱̀a̵̼n̴̪̂d̸͂ͅ ̶̻̎s̸̯̃t̷̹̓a̶̬͘t̵͕̃i̶̡͛c̷͙͑ ̴̰͊f̶͓̕i̷̘̊l̸̤̊l̶̜̎ę̸͒ḑ̷͂ ̷̤̽h̴͉͆e̶̫̾r̸̡̒ ̷͕͑m̸̜̄i̸̬̐ǹ̷̤d̸̫͆.̶̡̀ S̷̩̪͓͇̠̻̖͌̀̄̈̈́̐̚̚͜h̸͇̫̣̺̤̏̋͜ę̷̥͉̼͕̹̂͊ ̷̨̪͙̩̏͗̐̽ŵ̷̡̼͔͎͓͑͘ą̴͍̮̫̗̞̋̀͝s̷̙̈́̎̾͗ ̷̜̮̘͕͔͒ơ̷̻͓̽͆̿̈͑̓ń̶̨̡̨̤̯͙̫͍ ̵͔̈́͆̄͛t̸̲̤̜͔̣̬̔͜h̸̜̗͎͚͕̮̽͆̈́̓ê̴̛͓̙̞̇͑̑͂̈́͘ ̷̡̹͍͌e̶̢̙̻̳̱͉̍̋̒̾̾͆̚͜͠d̸̡̻͕͊͂́̚͠͠g̷̰̞͇̘̉͐͊̕͜e̵̡̮̹̗̼͌̇̃̈̊̈́̿͝ ̷̦̋̐ö̶͎̥̙́̔̽̎̃͌f̴̛̬̣̩̫̳̙͔͍̍̉ r̴̨̪̹͇͓̃̈́̅̇̑͐͛͊̊̀͐͂̕͠͠e̸̡͚̙̳͈͎̖̳̠̬̖͉̪̍͜ͅm̵̭̘̪̫̦̤͖͚̳̺̪͚̝͉͑̌̐̔̓̇̌́͂̓̀͌̾͘͠e̸̢̖̖̺͈̓͐̾̀͗̓̇̕͝ͅm̴͚̘̠͔̫͖͕͔̪͍̫͓̿̓̍̋̿̉b̵̨̡̗͓͈͈̞͖̭͓̬̭͊͜ę̵̢̗̙̥̱̫̬̯̃̉̕r̷͉͎̭̳̭̞̖̠̮͉̎̍̓́͋̀͛͠i̴̢̜͈͕͎̗̤̱̖̫̤͈̐̋͐̍̔̉n̴̲̯͓̝͖͔͎͓̫̝̝̠̺̏̓̔̇̉̉̚g̴͎͚̝̺̫̥̯͉̰̣͎͉͎͉͊̈́̀̾͋̒͛͆̑̀͘͠ͅ ̴̡̨̙̘̘͈̲͈̣̳̈́̇͘͜w̸̨̱͚̹̭͇͙̩̌̊h̵̢̤̲̲͕̰̜̰̹̍͘͜͠͝ỹ̶̙̟̦͈̭̞̙̹̳̮̈́͋̌̔͒͂͊̂̚͜ͅ -
Lup woke up in the cart, cradled in Barry's arms as Taako splashed water from his canteen on her.
"Wha- what was that thing?" Lup asked.
"Something crinkle tinkly according to Killian," Taako started. But Gundren has it and was headed back to Phandalin."
"He succumbed to the thrall and if we don't stop him, he's going to destroy that entire town," Killian growled.
"I uh … I'm glad I came with you guys," Barry started. "I know this will be bad for my bodyguard career, but … Fuck that guy." Barry looked to Merle who looked absolutely stricken. "No offense."
"No … you're right. This just isn't like him," Merle sighed.
"You're right," Killian sighed. "He isn't himself anymore. The gauntlet he grabbed … it's in control now."
"I know that thing. I don't know how but I've seen that thing," Lup murmured.
Killian stared at Lup.
"What?" The orc asked. "What do you mean that you know that thing?"
"I … This will sound crazy," Lup started, "but I actually don't remember a hell of a lot from before about twelve years ago … like, I remember being young and a travelling vagabond and then suddenly I'm in the woods like … real near where that gauntlet was and … I don't remember why or where but when I saw it I …"
"Your mind couldn't handle it," Killian finished.
"I guess …" Lup started. "I don't even know what that was but it feels … it feels real bad."
Barry felt drawn to put his hand on Lup's back, and before he could stop himself, he was rubbing circles into her back to calm her.
Taako quirked an eyebrow at Barry and Lup. He had expected Lup to swat Barry away, to get uncomfortable, to get angry … but she didn't.
Instead, she calmed and leaned into his hand.
The rest of the ride to Phandalin was mostly silent, the tension in the wagon building the closer they got.
They saw the flames rising up from the center of the town and Magnus commanded the horses to run faster. Whatever it was that Gundren was about to do, they had to stop it.
~
The Raven Queen sipped her tea and watched as Istus continued to weave. Several thousand souls were meant to join her, but one in particular had the Raven Queen's attention. Istus continued as Merle attempted to calm Gundren while Barry started to approach to take the gauntlet.
On another tapestry, an orc child would have launched a crossbow bolt, leading to Gundren taking his rage out on Barry and making him all that much easier to possibly claim.
On yet another, there would be a moment where Gundren would see Barry on his own, again killing him instantly.
On this one, however, one extra set of eyes was there. One variable who should have been trapped long ago, helpless to stop anything.
Istus watched as Lup pulled Barry out of the way of Gundren's fiery blows. The threads on the tapestry unravelled and then weaved back together furiously as Lup pulled Barry along with the rest of the fated survivors into a well to ride out the blast from the gauntlet.
"Sorry, Love," Istus began. "Looks like it's not happening this time."
The Raven Queen sighed.
"No, it's quite alright. I suppose Kravitz will have to wait. He's really been more upset about this set of bounties than I feel he should be. Tell me, should I start planning for …"
"You know I can't tell you how my tapestries will end, Love," Istus chuckled.
"It was worth a shot," the Raven Queen laughed as she sipped her tea.
~
The end of the world produced a deeply unsettling feeling for Lup as she stepped out onto the black glass that was once Phandalin. She had been somewhere like this before. Had seen something like this happen.
But she also hadn't. This had never happened before.
Her head raced as she looked around.
"They're … it's all gone," Lup whispered, shaken to her core.
Magnus climbed out of the well next, followed by Taako and Merle. Barry and Killian were last, Killian stopping and staring straight ahead at the remains of the dwarf who had unleashed the power of the gauntlet.
"Shit," she whispered.
Taako walked up to the gauntlet and Lup tore after him.
"Koko, don't," she hissed.
"This thing … this thing wiped out a whole town," Taako started in disbelief.
"Yeah …" Lup whispered.
Taako's ears twitched in confusion. For a moment, everything was still and then Taako grabbed the gauntlet and shoved it in his pack.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Taako yelled as he crammed it deeper into the bag.
"You … you didn't put it on," Killian started.
"Hell no!" Taako started. "First off it clashes with my whole outfit-"
"You're coming to my base," Killian started. "All of you. The Director will be very, very interested."
The adventurers looked up as Killian pressed on her bracer. An orb began to descend from the sky.
A sense of familiarity at the smooth glass and chrome of the orb went through the party. There was something about this …
Traveling to the moon made it even stronger.
"So …" Magnus started. "Anyone expect to be going to the moon today?"
Barry looked up as they neared their destination.
"That's no moon," he started, earning a snicker from Taako and Lup.
Sure enough, they realized that the second moon that had hung in the sky for as long as any of them could remember was not an actual moon.
It was a base.
"Well, shit," Merle whispered.
~
Lucretia sat at her desk, collecting herself.
Five adventurers had managed to overcome the thrall of the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet? Two humans, two elves, and a dwarf?
She wanted to believe it was them. She wanted to believe so badly but she also knew that even if it was them, she couldn't let them know. She couldn't let them remember, not until after she had reunited the light and made the barrier.
She looked to Davenport who stood next to her with his glazed over smile.
What will all of you think of me when this is done?
She had to figure out the best places to put everyone. Taako, Merle, and Magnus could easily become Reclaimers. They could go out and gather the relics and if the worst happened …
Well, if the worst happened she could try and get the light gathered still and start over on a new world …
If the bond wasn't completely broken.
Lup and Barry, however, couldn't leave. If one of them or, gods forbid, both of them died …
She grabbed her staff.
There was an initiation that needed to be done.
~
Barry was bunked in with Taako, Merle, and Magnus, something that felt familiar, even through everything that was so incredibly unfamiliar about this place.
Which bothered him.
Yes, the Voidfish ichor answered a few questions. What the relic was, what the Bureau of Balance was, the relic wars that had been forgotten …
But absolutely none of it pertained to the Barry puzzle. No memory of a wife lost in the wars, a girlfriend, a partner. Nothing. If he had lost someone there, surely he would have learned of it by drinking the ichor. Even worse, the aching familiarity with these adventurers, with Lup, just created more questions.
He sighed and turned the coin over in his hands.
"If you survived retrieving the … the thing … then uh … don't put it on, don't uh … fuck … if you're hearing this now, this is the farthest you've ever gotten …"
Huh.
"Whatcha got there, Barold?" He heard Taako's voice ask from the bunk above him.
"Oh … uh … I guess I had a wild night before … well, all of this, and left some clues for myself but … none of it matches up and … I dunno, I was hoping for more answers?"
Silence stretched between them.
"Actually … yeah, same," Taako started. "Like … it's bothered me since I met her but why does Lup have my face?"
Barry laughed in spite of himself.
"She doesn't have your face, Taako -"
"She does and it weirds me out because there can only be one elf as pretty as me in the world …" Taako paused. "Almost as pretty as me," he corrected. "And … just … other stuff …"
Barry felt his pulse quicken.
"Uh … what other stuff, Taako?" Barry asked, feeling his cheeks heat up.
"Honestly? Not my place. Just … I think I owe Lup something or … I need to finish … well regardless, I need to fix Lup's life up because I fucked it up royally with that Sazed dude and now-"
"Sazed wasn't your fault, Taako," Magnus' voice cut through. "Like I said, I should have realized how bad he was for Lup too … I saw the change in her and did nothing."
"What … What happened with Sazed?" Barry asked.
Magnus sighed and sat up to look at Barry.
"I can't believe you've never heard this story … It was everywhere for like three years. Sazed joined Taako and Lup's show as a bodyguard after they left Raven's Roost for the first time. He and Lup started to get close and it was after their second time in Raven's Roost that they actually started dating."
"Yeah … and uh … for reasons, Lup wasn't too keen on taking things as quickly as Sazed wanted. Like, I know time is different for humans but like … should love and dedication be enough?" Taako growled.
"Did it ever feel weird to you, Taako? How Sazed and Lup being together kind of looked, well, not quite right?"
"Like a doll that's supposed to look like you but something is off about it and it weirds you out?"
"Yeah. So anyway, Sazed was terrible to her and I never saw the signs so I guess it’s no surprise he tried to poison a whole town," Magnus started.
"That's the thing, Mags. I did. I did see the signs but I couldn't say anything because she seemed to still love him and ...he didn't deserve how much … The asshole kept trying to push his way into our show too and like, he wasn't a bad cook but it was like he was wanting to try and control more of Lup's life. I wish I hadn't told her to go for it. I wish I had listened to her … she said it herself, back during the first trip we made to Bottlenose Cove. He looked familiar but in the wrong way."
Barry looked down at his coin.
"What did Sazed look like? Must've been someone pretty damn attractive for Lup to put up with him."
Taako and Magnus looked at each other.
"Well, Barry," Magnus started. "He kinda looked like you."