Renato stared at the pod as its pulsing gradually stopped and asked:
"Klauthsura, what exactly is this 'healing device'?"
"You mean this person?" The sorceress reached into the chamber, took something out, and handed it to Renato. "A humanoid. To be precise, a half-elf cleric."
Renato looked down.
It was a holy symbol. Its design, rendered in gold and red, represented the sun and journeys.
Light played across its metal surface. Despite its confinement in this prison of flesh, the sacred emblem still gave off a faint glow.
It was the holy symbol of Lathander, the Morninglord.
Renato found it hard to believe that this writhing lump of flesh had once been a person-and that they were still alive, even capable of casting spells.
They had once been a cleric who served the Morninglord. Now they had been transformed into this, reduced to a healing "device" for mind flayers.
"So this so-called 'healing device' is really a living person?" Renato hastily dropped the emblem as though it burned him. "And a cleric of Lathander, at that?!"
The golden-eyed dragonborn woman tilted her head, seemingly puzzled by Renato's shock.
"Is there a problem with that?" Klauthsura sounded confused. "Did you want to receive treatment from the 'healing device'? I'm afraid you can't. I already tried. The Elder Brain updated the biometric identifiers. I don't have authorization, so I can't operate these devices."
"If you want to learn the principles and process behind their manufacture, I can find an opportunity to look it up for you once we reach the Library..."
"No, no, no." Renato couldn't help interrupting her. "That's enough, Klauthsura."
He swung his sword and severed the remaining nerve bundles.
The blood vessels on the surfaces of the remaining chambers pulsed violently a few times, then slackened and fell utterly