One thing I love about fic writing is when I’m dissatisfied with Artemis redemption arc coming out of him being tortured by hellish beings and not other growth he’s made or other non torture arcs. I can make it up myself lol to satisfy myself.
Is it just as tropey? maybe, but it fitted in for what I wanted to try and with the joke that jarlaxle would clone him. Since I feel as he wants to die so much when he finally dies he finds reason to live and find happiness for himself again and for his mother. He takes another better path in life with the desire to build good memories to share with those he deep down cares for.
Segment (soz for bad grammar all)
~Years later. When Artemis Entreri is dying of old age.~
Artemis lay in his bed not hearing much or seeing much anymore. Most of his energy felt like it was seeping into the ground. A figure would appear saying something kind and would gently wet his lips with moisture. Washing his body and changing his clothes. He would stare at this person until words in his head reminded him this was Drizzt. Caring for him even after everything he put him through when they first met. He lost track of time and didn’t know when he was awake or asleep anymore. More figures would visit and touch his hand to say kind words before they drifted away. Until he felt his own soul drift away from his body. A connection severed and he suddenly felt lighter and like his younger self again. The pains of his body are gone. His thoughts sped up with his floating spirit. His elderly body left behind as Drizzt closed its eyes and said his parting words to Artemis.
He didn’t remember how he got there but he felt himself floating through the stars. A portal sparkled next to him and he heard the voice of an old friend calling to him to come back. That will be Jarlaxle he thought to himself. Around him memories of the time he spent with the mercenary leader appeared. Liches, dragons, frozen wastelands, piracy. Running the mercenary band together no matter the cost. Artemis drifts away from the voice. More memories floating around him. Assassination, thievery, the looks or terror on the faces of his victims. A life of fighting and survival. Some good memories but too many he’d rather forget. Like the face of Sharon who gave him a taste of what was waiting for him in the afterlife. Should he float back to that voice and the portal? No. It’s time to face Sharon again. Time to take responsibility for his actions. No matter the rescues and heroism he performed he still felt the weight on his soul on those he killed who didn’t deserve it. He should pay the price he thought deep within himself.
Yet nothing changed to brimstone. Sharon didn’t appear. No vengeful dead looking to torture him. Instead he felt a loving presence fill the stars around him with warm memories he had forgotten. A voice singing nursery rhymes and comforting him when he scraped his knee. A soft hand holding his as they walked through the streets of his old home. A gentle voice telling him herotic tales of the brave knights of Cormyr rescuing princesses from hungry dragons. His spirit paused its journey. This was his mother’s happiest memories calling out to him from the other side. His mother was waiting for him. He felt her invitation to share the memories of his life with her. The life she missed out on. He looked back at his own memories. Death and pain. The emptiness he felt for so long. Nothing he wanted to share with his poor mother who died too young. Not a life she would be proud of he thought to himself. His spirit recoiled back, sending his apologies to his mother. He’d be back one day and would make her proud. She let him know she’d be waiting for her beloved son. He moved back to the portal following Jarlaxle's voice.
“Why isn’t he waking up yet?” said Jarlaxle inches away from the clone of Artemis he had secretly paid Gromph to make after Mistys death.
“Touch it and it’ll dissolve into a puddle of goo.” Said Gromph, pulling his brother away from many expensive years of hard work and maintenance. “If he wants to enter the vessel he must do it with his own free will.”
Jarlaxle pulled his collar out of his brother’s grasp and shuffled closer again to Artemis. Whispering many promises and wishes into the clone's ear in the hope he could persuade Artemis to return to him.
Gromph sighed, his brother always had a weakness for humans. One he never understood or would fall weak to himself. He paused and reassured himself that the clone vessel he had prepared for Catti-Brie was made out of practicality. She was too important to die again. She would understand this when the time was right to tell her of its existence.
“Is he cold?” said Jarlaxle, looking at the naked clone. “A small blanket perhaps?”
“No” said Gromph. He leaned into the assassin's other ear and whispered “you better make your mind up soon before I kill him and send him your way. I have other work to do than watch over you two.” He noticed a twitch in the hand of the clone. Perfect he thought. He wasn’t sure what to do with Jarlaxle if Artemis hadn’t decided to return other than teleporting him far away. Or turning him into a very sad frog for a few days.
Jarlaxle stood back biting the rim of his hat as Artemis slowly came to life. Air filled the clone's lungs, a garble of words came out of his new mouth as the hue of his skin came alive. Artemis sat up slowly blinking. Gromph turned to Jarlaxle and nodded “It's safe to touch him now.”
Jarlaxle embraced his old partner, hugging and kissing him, “I thought you left me again.” He wept. “Thank you thank you thank you.” He paused making sure Artemis wasn’t about to turn into a puddle of goo. He didn’t become a glob of goo much to Jarlaxle delight. Money well spent.
Jarlaxle and Artemis embraced with more longing hugs and sweet hungry kisses until Artemis eventually pulled away.
Jarlaxle smiled, “I promise we will have more adventures. More fun. More everything. Life is for living and I need you to be by my side.”
Artemis nodded, “then you will come with me to Cormyr to see what I can find there.”
Jarlaxle stood back. Artemis would never agree to anything without grumbling about it. “Tell me something only Artemis would know?” Said Jarlaxle as he quietly slipped a dagger into his hand.
Artemis scoffed, “the green stud on your left ear is an enchanted item you’d use if you ever had to kill your eldest brother.”
Gromph raised an eyebrow, “I already know of it and you’d be a fool to think that would work on me.”
Jarlaxle looked at his brother to see if he was bluffing and shrugged, taking out the earring and slipping it into his pocket. This was his Artemis and he was ready for an adventure. He grinned, he was right to do this. Why learn to cope with the death of a human when you could bring them back forever.
“We will go together but tell me why?” Asked Jarlaxle.
“Tell me and I promise in this adventure I’ll tell you everything I’m thinking or scheming. No new secrets from this point on. I’ll destroy an enchanted item per lie.”
“Deal” says Artemis without hesitation. He could tell after the years he spent next to Jarlaxle that the drow wasn’t bluffing. This opportunity of true honesty from Jarlaxle wouldn’t come up again.
He breathed in, “I met my mothers spirit on the other side. She wanted me to share my memories of my life but I couldn’t think of one where I wasn’t killing somebody or not angry at the world.” He looked at Jarlaxle's face, “at least no happy loving memories I could share with my mother.” The mercenary gave a sly wink at that last confession. “She used to love those old tales about the heroic knights of Cormyr. So I wish to go there and make some memories that will make my mother proud when we are reunited.”
Jarlaxle looked at Artemis, he never knew the man could become much more beautiful than he already was. He always sensed that there was a sweet spot in there deep down buried under the sarcasm. It took death to free it. He was going to enjoy this new side of Artemis but before he could tell Artemis this the sound of a nose being blown bellowed by the doorway, “you're making an old dwarf cry and suffer, by doing good for your sweet mother.” Instead of a bwhaha Athrogate bawled crying.
“Why are you here?” Said Artemis jumping down from his slab and putting on the clothes Jarlaxle had laid out for him.
Athrogate wiped away his tears with the ends of his beard “Dab’ney and Beniago said I got to be by old Jaxs side if anything happened to Artemis.”
“What on Toril for?” said Jarlaxle. Athrogate was another of his oldest friends but not exactly a good grief counselor if that’s what his lieutenants were thinking.
“They said they couldn’t find a new human like Artemis and I was the best second choice to replace him.” He dangled a purse of coins and gems “bwhahaha!”
“Find a new human? I'm not his pet.” Said Artemis pulling up his trousers glaring.
Jarlaxle laughed. “You should come along with us. It’ll be like the good old days.” Artemis glared at Jarlaxle and the dwarf roared with laughter at the thought of another adventure.
“Let’s get our gear ready. We should teleport part way there and ride in.” Said Artemis fully dressed and eager to leave the cloning chamber. Jarlaxle nodded and glanced nonchalantly at Entreri's ears and breathed a sigh of relief. No pointed ends had formed. Gromph was a master craftsman and it'll be a long time before Artemis realises he’s half-drow now.
Jarlaxle couldn’t live with himself if Artemis came back with a short lifespan. It’ll only repeat the tragedy he had just fixed.
He paused in the doorway. He felt bad for how long Artemis's mother may have to wait but he’d make it up to her. He’d give Artemis many centuries worth of good heroic memories to share with her. Something Artemis could find peace with and something that would make mother Entreri smile. A win for all involved
If you read this far and didn’t give up, it’s a segment from ‘Jarlaxle faces human mortality and clones Artemis’ on ao3
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
baratheonpilled
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
andulkaphoto
areudirty
dededos
izzy806
