Ch45 - Upgrades people, upgrades

For example, I pulled out my unpainted Chucky automaton and placed it in the 'Unending bag of stuff' and now I can produce it like a MK1. Maybe later I can kidnap a few of the steel watchers, some of them are quite good to have.

-

Finishing my thoughts, the rest of the group came back in with bags of shopping dangling beside them. However it was Halsin that carried the most, Jaheira carrying just a single small one.

They told us of how they met the harpers, where only 1 of them was a real person, the rest were doppelgängers. Though they did bring the corpses for me, I used one per person to give everyone shifting clothes. I ended up with 3 left, only 97 more for a bag of doppelgängers. The night begun to set and Jaheira was resting by the window, looking down onto the town, she heard my footsteps coming towards her, but she didn't look.

"It's just so different to how it was. I was stuck in that damned forest for far longer than I should've, and now it's an artificer's dream." She took a drag of the hookah and breathed out. "I'm not too sure I even belong here anymore, my kids are doing a fine job, despite not listening to my warning."

"Trust me on this, I get it. You ever noticed that I get quiet when everyone talks about their hometowns? Because mine isn't on the map, any map for that matter. To put it simply, I'm sealed away from it, through no fault of my own I might add. This entire place is foreign to me, magic is foreign to me. And yet I've fit in, you will too, it's what people do best - adapt." I sit down opposite her and look down at the streets.

"I see, thank you for telling me that, it's helped. Now go back to your forging or whatever you do, leave an old lady to her thoughts." She waved me off, hookah in hand.

I smile at her and as I'm walking off I say, "You're not even the second oldest person in the room, give it another century before that kind of talk. We both know I'll be there to listen."

I walk back to my forging room like she said, this time instead of crafting anything great, I just used [Grow more eyes] to get an 'unending bag of eyes'. Though I technically have unlimited access to all of my forms' eyes, if I get an eye off of each species then I can use the additional effect to get unlimited through the sacrifice of one. I even did the same to the mushrooms I can grow on my back.

[Unending bag of eyes - Vampire, Hag, Ghost, Zombie, Ghoul, Aberrant.]

[Unending bag of mushrooms - Any medium or smaller.]

A very interesting loophole I found in the mushrooms is that sprouting and adult myconids are both technically mushrooms. The next 2 hours were extremely messy for me, but even more worthwhile.

[Unending bag of corpses - Sprouts, Myconids, Doppelgängers, Succubi.]

An even more perfect addition to the bag inception I was creating.

(Gale POV)

Was that maniacal laughter I could hear? Broken from my beauty sleep due to someone else's magical breakthroughs will always be the best way to wake up. I groggily open my eyes, using my new clothes to form me some slippers.

I walk away from my bed to see Charles in the other room peeling unconscious myconids off of his back and placing them in a ritual circle. On second thought, I'm going back to bed. I cast 'silence' over my bed so that I wouldn't hear anything from the work of a mad man, even though I had to push aside some curiosity towards what he was doing.

****

(Charles POV)

There wasn't much else to do throughout the rest of the night, so made weighted, heated blankets for everyone. Each one I made sure to embroider their names into, I even adjusted the blanket weight to be roughly 10% of their weight themselves.

I folded them up and placed them next to everyone's beds in the early hours. This time, everyone actually woke up on time and I made steamed fish and rice for breakfast. Cooking falls under crafting as well, so by now my breakfasts were literally divine.

"Charles what were those quilts by our beds?" Shadowheart asked. Taking a spoonful of rice to her mouth.

"Ah, well I'd like to say that I'm good at all areas of crafting, and since winter is coming soon I made everyone their own blankets." I passed out coffee to everyone, and placed the milk bottle with a bowl of sugar in the centre table.

"Oh, well thank you. I suppose we'll have to try them out then." Durge was the only one already wearing his, wrapped up around him as he takes small bites of his breakfast. "Thank you" He muttered.

Finishing up the breakfast, today was the day Enver Gortash dies. It would be a resounding victory as well, the steel watch will crumble and I will give Karlach the opportunity she deserves. Speaking of which, she's been completely silent, aside a small thank you for the food. She was the one to lead us to the Basilisk gates though.

"When we get in there, we must save councillor Florrick. Of course after clearing out the building first." Wyll spoke. "And don't worry about hitting the fake Ulder Ravenguard, we all found evidence of a prison in the Iron Throne. There were records indicating his presence there."

We acknowledged Wyll's words, stepping forwards into Gortash's throne room. "Back so soon, don't tell me you want to accept the deal now? Here I thought you were the same Durge as I knew before, the same one I knew very intimately." His eyes looked Durge up and down, no hesitation behind his words or actions.

"What do you know of me? Of my past?"Durge demanded, readying his bow.

"Come now darling, you really don't remember? Even after Orin jogged your memory? I'll put it simply, you were one of us, you were the one to put the whole idea forwards in the first place." He begun walking around him, gesturing grandiosely with his arms.

"Lies! I would never do that!" He poised his arrow at Gortash's head.

"Don't kid yourself, we both know you were Bhaal's chosen. It wasn't until Orin scrambled your brain that you thought differently." He smirked confidently, a politicians smile.

"Enough of this! We don't care about your mind games Gortash, we're here to crush you into a fucking paste!" Karlach screamed, brandishing her axe.

"Very well, I will miss you Durge, but sacrifices have to be made." He clicked his fingers for the steel watch to come and eliminate us. A moment passed, he clicked again, then again. "Where the fuck are they?"

Whilst he was monologuing, I ran around the room and stuffed and kidnapped his steel watchers in my Unending bag of stuff. Then I pulled out 15 nautiloid ink Chucky's with trap disarming kits. They were not there for damage, they were there for trap disarming and perimeter control.

"They're not coming Enver, it's just you. No traps, no steel watch." A Chucky ran up and dropped the mechanisms of the traps into my bag, before running back to guard the door.

He paused, looking closer at his environment, surrounded by enemies and robbed blind of his defenders. Not a single soul in this room was on his side, but he didn't need anyone in this room. "And? Congratulations, you removed my countermeasures. There's just one thing stopping you right now."

Karlach bit onto the lure, "Oh yeah, and what's that?"

He spread his arms wide, and lifted his chin up to look down on us, "Me". A flood of magic channeled into him, he begun to grow to a disgusting height, eyes ablaze in red fury. He cocked a bolt into his crossbow and lined it up to us.

I already tried to use [Anti-magic cone] to try and dismiss whatever buff he is receiving, unfortunately it didn't work, Bane's power is seemingly able to bypass it. Instead I had to duck as a smokepower arrow was heading towards my face. Whilst I evaded that, Karlach leapt into the fray and started wailing on the shield surrounding Gortash, cracking and splintering it. However Gortash was quick to kick her away, lining up an arrow of lightning towards her.

I jump forwards, running alongside Wyll's eldritch blasts and Astarion's arrows. I grab my bag and shoot out a hot stream of Ichor, I can see it bubbling and bleeding into the shield through the cracks. Karlach used the chance to wedge her axe in and rip apart a front portion of the shield, as she ripped it off the entire shield dissipated.

"Everything you've got now!" Durge shouted, firing shot after shot into the arms and hands of Gortash. The maimed hands didn't stop him from raising them up and releasing a powerful blast of light, blinding nearly everyone who saw.

Immune to it, I took the opportunity to recall the ichor and had my bag spew out 'Talon's scripture' I had the bladed ink slice into the back of his kneecaps, dropping him down to his knees in front of Karlach. He cried out in pain and fell to his hands, he looked up and looked at Karlach, "Mercy" I head him say, a hollow voice, lost of the previous grandeur.

Karlach offered him no such reprieve and immediately wedged her axe halfway into his face. A chunk of his tongue rolled out onto the floor and his eyeball popped out and begun rolling away. A gory ending to a cruel calculating man, though one befitting his actions.

Karlach simply stood, quietly and silently over his body. I saw her shoulders start to violently shake, I thought she was crying. Just as I went forwards to comfort her I heard her laughing, a deep hearty laugh, she actually began to cackle, hands on her knees and struggling to breathe. "He's dead! I killed him, and I'm not gonna die after all this!"

We all let her have her moment, if it wasn't for the violent knocks on the door we could've been stood there for hours. One of my Chucky's opened the door, it was a full patrol of fire fist mercenaries. Without moments for them to breathe, they were slaughtered by the group of dolls. One of each race was brought to me to added to the bag.

The rest were incinerated with ichor, burning them quick enough to not leave bones or a smell. With the way clear, we walked down to the Wyrmway prisons breaking any doors along the way. Eventually, a wood elf in dark purple robes could be seen, councillor

Florrick is safe and sane.

"You know, I've heard of a rumour about the Wyrmway." Wyll spoke, breaking the silence. We walk with Florrick now, completely unfazed by the ash and lack of guards.

"And what's that?" I ask back.

"Have you ever head of the legend of Ansur?" He asked. In response, I read my own mind, looking for any indication of Ansur. I found it, in The Emperor's original memories, after he became a mind flayer Ansur saved him from subservience and tried to give him a merciful death. After all, The Emperor wasn't just an adventurer, but Baldur himself.