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The battlefield atop the Netherbrain was chaotic, to say the least.
Anywhere the Emperor turned showed a flash of movement or the spark of arcane energy, the shapes of enemy and ally alike blurring together. He focused his mind, turning as he sent a blast towards the illithid arcanist that approached from behind. He assumed that’s what the figure was, at least.
The Emperor was growing tired- a fact he found himself ashamed of. It didn't have time for such inhibitions, not with the Netherbrain’s defeat right in its grasp. And yet, it found that it was struggling. No matter, of course. It would recover, just like it had always done.
The next blast he conjured sent a sharp sensation through his head, something that had become more and more frequent. Taking a moment to gather itself, the illithid rested a hand against its brain, feeling the familiar aching pulse. The Emperor knew well that he was overusing his capabilities, but rest could wait until the brain was defeated.
It had made its way over to the middle of the crown, levitating itself around the thrashing form of the dominated dragon as it spit and roared. He was close. All he needed to do was navigate his way to the edge of the brain and subdue it with the stones.
It was simple, achievable.
The Emperor focused his psionic powers one more time.
It was difficult to tell anything had changed at first. The blast had gone out easily enough. It wasn’t long before the ache in his head started to shift.
A sharp pain hit his mind, forcing him to stop in his tracks as he pressed his palm against the spot. The sensation was strange- like its brain was being shocked from the inside. The Emperor groaned, inhaling shakily as the pain began to throb.
Involuntarily, its mind focused, throbbing once again as a blast forced itself out of its head. The moment it did, all of his thoughts seemed to blend together- his brain preoccupied as it began to act on its own. The Emperor barely noticed his own actions as his psionic abilities activated again.
And again.
And again, until the sensation of multiple powers shooting off in succession began to make its head spin. It felt sick, pained- and just for a moment, afraid.
It was only when The Emperor started to feel arms grasping at him, pulling him away from whatever blurred colors surrounded him, did his mind start to clear. The Illithid felt itself be pushed, forced to sit still against the cool metal of the crown as the bursts of power began to still.
With nothing but the pain of his head to pay attention to, The Emperor sat in silence. The creature- one of its allies, it assumed- spoke to it in angry words it couldn’t understand. Yet, at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care. So, for the first time in what felt like ages, it let itself relax, and waited for the world to come back into focus.
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It didn’t take long for the moment of peace to end.
The Emperor, free from its daze, kept his hands pressed over his eyes as he took strained breaths. The burning sensation was still present, though lighter now that its effects had passed. Even so, he kept his body tense, as if moving would encourage more pain to shoot through him.
Tav sat on their knees in front of him, muttering some sort of curse as they steadied their own breathing. The Emperor’s little outburst had nearly knocked them off the brain, nearly hitting itself in the process. They didn’t want to imagine what could’ve happened if they hadn’t grabbed him in time.
Dabbing one of his wounds with the last of their healing potion, they let themself sigh in relief. Tav quickly glanced to the right, reassuring themself that that the two weren’t in any immediate danger. Seeing that it was safe, they shifted their focus back to The Emperor.
“Do you mind telling me what in the world that was about?” Tav huffed, watching the Illithid in front of them as it panted, “You were one wrong move away from blasting one of us off the crown- or yourself!”
The Emperor parted its fingers, the glowing violet of its eyes beaming through as he glared at them. “Don’t be foolish,“ He hissed, wincing as his brain ached, “I had no power over myself...”
Tav stayed silent for a moment, eyeing the way he clutched at his head. They can’t be surprised, they suppose. Whatever it had done to itself couldn’t have been healthy, let alone painless. “Whatever the case…” Tav muttered, reaching out and turning the illithid’s head to the side for examination, “Your psionic abilities are likely out of commission.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened, slapping their hand away as it curled further into itself. He inhaled deeply, attempting to control his breathing, “We do not have time for this! I will do what I must to guarantee my freedom… There will be no chance of survival if we do not fight.”
“At this rate, you’ll get yourself killed before then. You must rest yourself.” Tav scoffed in response, ignoring the way the Illithid’s face darkened at them.
“I am the only one stopping you from becoming enslaved to the netherbrain-” It snarled, “The only one who can use the stones, the only one who can save us all. There is not a second to waste on rest.”
They could only groan, feeling their frustration rise. Biting back a snappy reply, they let their gaze shift back to The Emperor's face. He did not look well, they noted. Weary and weakened, its skin dried from the sun. The ache from his outburst didn’t even seem to be the half of it. He was furious, and yet, the look in his eyes betrayed his exhaustion.
And fear. Just a hint.
Nearly buried under his glare, exposed by the way he held himself as if trying to hide from their gaze. As The Emperor had said before, they could not survive if they didn’t fight. To have given itself such a disadvantage… Well, they can only imagine how it would feel.
The Emperor, in all its power and former glory, almost seemed humiliated by itself now. By its lack of apathy- feeling drained and useless at a time where it couldn't afford it. It was anxious, maybe even scared, if they dared to say it.
So instead, Tav swallowed back their anger.
And rest their hand against his arm, just to calm him.
“I am not trying to hinder you,” They said, dusting debris off his armor, “Nor sabotage you, or ruin our chances of success.”
Slowly, Tav took their hand from The Emperor’s arm, raising it back towards its head. They let it stay there, silently asking for permission.
“All I want is to keep us alive and well- that includes you, too.”
The Illithid stared back in silence, whatever fury it had left fading into something lesser. Begrudgingly, it let one of its guarding hands fall from its face, trilling as Tav laid their palm against him. With a hushed command, they cast cure wounds upon him. It seems to ease the ache in his head, if just a little.
“Now then,” They cleared their throat, unsheathing their blade, “I suppose we have work to do. Can you get yourself to the tip of the crown without psionic powers?
The Emperor scoffed mentally, shakily pulling itself up from the ground, “With difficulty. But… it is not impossible.”
“Then there is hope still, yes?”
The Illithid rolled its eyes- a new gesture they hadn’t seen from it before. Tav let themself smile, keeping their blade ready as they watched him run.
They would keep their word.