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"Halsin, can you track us if we move ahead to make camp?" Wyll asked, ignoring the Gnoll blood dripping down his leg and the severed arm at his foot. |
"Ok, Lae’zel, keep that sword out and look fierce, Gale keep a spell ready or a scroll handy." Wyll’s natural leadership and experience on the frontiers was a boon in the moment. "Gnolls are cowards at heart; should there be another scouting party about, they won’t bother us if we put on a show of strength. We’ll make ... |
"I should go too," Shadowheart argued. "She’ll need healing." |
"I can move faster alone," Halsin explained. "And I can heal. We will see you in camp." |
With that, the hulking druid's body began to glow, bones cracking and fur sprouting. In moments, a massive gray direwolf stood where Halsin had before. In wild shape, the druid could easily catch up to Astarion and track the gnolls. The wolf gave a gentle wuff to Scratch, before turning around and trotting north, fol... |
Shadowheart, her face ghostly pale, watched Halsin go long after he had vanished from sight. Wyll had to take her arm, gently leading her back to the road. Scratch followed them, ears drooping. |
The world was bouncing. It smelled foul, of rotting meat and layers of sweat and filth caking never-washed bodies. She wasn’t sure which way was up. Something near her laughed. She vomited. |
The world wasn’t bouncing this time, though it smelled just as foul. This time, it came with the stale smell of her own vomit. Her head throbbed too hard to even think of magic. Not for the first time, she wished Sorcerer’s could heal. Even the tiniest cure wounds spell would be a true miracle right now. She cracked he... |
Tav knew better than to open her eyes, this time. She tried to move her hand instead. Both hands moved. She flexed her wrists slightly, realizing they were bound together, most likely by a strip of leather. It would be hard, if not impossible, to cast like this. Tav tried to move her feet slightly with the same result.... |
She breathed deeply, focusing on her body. What did she feel? What was broken, what just hurt? A bodily inventory revealed: some form of head injury, probably a concussion, the right side of her head and face felt sticky with half dried blood. Something wrong with her right collarbone. Maybe a twisted left ankle. The r... |
Inventory taken, it was time to figure out where she was. She seemed to be laying on the ground. The feel of dirt under her cheek gave that away. The smokey scent of an outdoor camp gave her hope. It would be easier to escape if they were outdoors, if they were on the move. Who were they? Her head swam. |
What sort of a camp was she in? The sounds were so strange. There were animal sounds, barks, yips and growls. Maybe the growls were speech, maybe. She had to figure it all out if she was to escape. She didn’t think any of the others were with her; there were no sounds of other captured bodies near her, no comforting s... |
She had to escape. If the creche wasn’t a successful cure, they’d need her in the underdark. Even if it was a success, she’d probably have to take Astarion down there anyway, to get him back to Baldur’s Gate, so they could force feed Cazador gallons of garlic-infused holy water. |
Gods her head hurt. |
Eilistraee? Help your child. |
Fever seared her mind. Her broken bones shifted, burning and reforming within her. |
"I came just in time," A smokey feminine voice spoke in her ear. "You are transforming." |
Tavs eyes flew open to behold a red-eyed drow woman before her, clad in the golden plate mail of a paladin. Tav snapped her own eyes to the ground, scrambling backwards in fear of her life from a Lolth-sworn paladin. |
"Remember my voice," He spoke in a smooth low tone. "You know it, I have saved you before." |
Tav looked up, meeting the gaze of the handsome gray-eyed drow before her. Glowing white hair in a short militaristic cut, standing tall, taller than Halsin, and resplendent in golden plate. He seemed to glow slightly in the soft purple light of... wherever they were. |
"And I’m here to save you again." He gave a disarming smile. "Don’t worry." |
He reminded her of home, of the Seldarine Drow of Norrs d'Linath, the Eilistraeen temple of the Moonwood where she had found refuge after abandoning Menzoberranzan for the surface. Had there been a Lolth-sworn woman? Her head hurt. |
"You will not become a mind flayer. Not while I’m around." He promised. "I’ll protect you." |
A gauntleted hand offered her assistance. She took it, leaning heavily on the man's strong arm. |
"We haven’t much time, so listen closely," He murmured, bending down to speak quietly in silent acknowledgement of the pain in her head. He helped her faltering steps through broken columns and overgrown plant life to the edge of... wherever they were. A sky in perpetual starry twilight swirled purple before her, chunk... |
"There is great potential within you," The man was saying, "It comes from that parasite. Your instinct is to resist the power it gives, but you must accept it, nurture it." |
His words clashed in her mind, making perfectly reasonable sense while seeming like utter insanity all at once. |
"I will keep it from consuming you. But for the sake of both of us, you must learn to wield it." |
Gray eyes glowed and the Paladin made a gesture into the sky. The floating rocks moved aside to reveal a massive skull, crowned and decrepit, hanging in the air. Magic formed jagged shapes of many colors, in and around the skull. |
What was she looking at? |
"A fight for the fate of Faerûn," The paladin explained. Had he read her mind? "A fight we are losing. For now. You can change that, but only if you embrace your potential." |
Flashes of magic collided and exploded in the air. |
"I have to go," The Drow admitted with a frustrated sigh. He helped Tav back to the ground, knowing she could not stand on her own. "The enemy is closing in. I will be back." |
Blinding light. |
Shrieks of pain, both near-human and pure-animal drag her, unwilling, back to consciousness. Tav does her best, through the fog of her mind, to listen intently and catalog what she can. Every bit of knowledge could be useful. Heavy, wet splattering thumps, like someone destroying a melon with a heavy forge hammer. A de... |
The scent of bergamot and brandy hits her nose. |
"Tav, you better be ok." Astarion’s gentle whisper. The feel of a dagger cutting through her bonds and a cool hand on her head. |
Tav forces her eyes open. Pain and blurred light. Someone who might be Astarion in front of her. The roaring won’t stop, why won’t it stop? |
"Astarion?" Everything swims. Her head, the light. She closes her eyes again. She’s dreaming this, perhaps. Dreaming of a rescue. A sweet dream. |
"Drink this, love." Dream Astarion whispers. "It’ll help fix you up a bit before you can see a proper healer" |
Love. Dream Astarion calls her love. She likes that, it feels like comfort and safety. Perhaps a future or at least plans for one. Real Astarion has called her love before too, but only during sex and that doesn’t count. A cork pops from a bottle. Glass held to her lips. The taste of Rogue’s Morsel clears her head ... |
A yipping laugh answers her. |
"Don’t move, darling." Dream Astarion says. Then he’s gone. The wet splattering is back. So much closer. Squelch, grunt, thump. |
The world spins again. Something is holding her. Pressing her right side into something cool and solid. It feels safe even as the tight grip grinds the shattered pieces of her collarbone into each other. She rests her head and lets the pain wash over her. |
It had taken Astarion all of thirty minutes to catch up to the Gnoll carrying his- Tav. Regrettably, in those thirty minutes, the creature had been joined by ten more of its hyena-faced fellows, every second one carrying a dead boar, a hacked-off human leg or some other hunk of game. Clearly, they had all been sent out... |
Even at peak vampiric strength as he was, he knew an eleven-on-one fight would probably kill him and Tav both. He followed, hoping to be able to rescue her once the stinking creatures made camp. It took another two hours of following the yipping beasts until they disappeared around a boulder into a hidden canyon and en... |
He applied fresh poison to his shortsword and dagger, re-sheathed them and tried to force himself to wait for darkness with something approaching patience. |
A quiet wuff behind him. |
His poisoned shortsword was out of its sheath in an instant, as he spun around into a defensive crouch. An absolutely massive gray wolf stood before him. The wolf had old scars slashed across its face just like... |
"Halsin. Unless you have some druidic teleportation ritual to get her right this fucking instant, piss off and leave me alone." Astarion snarled at the Wildshape Druid. |
A crackling of bones and magic brought the druid back to his overly large elven form. Astarion did not sheath his sword. Stabbing someone would make him feel better and Halsin just looked so stabbable. |
Halsin held up his hands, as he had done the night before with Tav. "I circled the camp before finding you. I want to share what I have found and how I think I can help." His voice was calm. He was unbothered and couldn’t possibly understand what Astarion had lost, what they had all lost. Tav was gone. |
"I don’t need help, where was your fucking help when they took her?" His voice cracked, he told himself it was with rage. He swallowed hard, holding back emotions he refused to name. |
"We were all taken by surprise," Halsin explained, refusing to accept blame or place it. "I believe I can help her and it would be foolish of you to throw away any help right now. This isn’t about your anger. It’s about saving her." |
Astarion sheathed his sword with a huff. "Fine. Explain your stupid plan." |
Halsin relaxed slightly, then began explaining, "This number of Gnolls in the area is concerning. I have reached out to some of the local wildlife I know and most have answered. They are on their way." |
Ha. Most. Down one bear, are we? Fucker. |
"It should take no longer than two hours, then three rather large bears will tear that camp apart. It’s a box canyon; the Gnolls have bottled themselves in there. Tav seems to be tied up at the back with no easy way in or out that doesn’t go through the entire camp. My friends and I will create a distraction and take o... |
"And if she’s..." His voice cracked again. He couldn’t finish the question. He would kill them all, then stab Halsin with the drow poison Tav had gifted him while looting the other day. Survival would mean little at that point and going out beside her would be better than ceremorphosis any day. |
"She’s alive." Halsin reassured him. "There are birds watching her until full dark. She is injured, but alive and we will know if anything changes. Get her out, rejoin the road and head west. I will join you and either heal Tav then or take her to camp. Shadowheart is waiting with her own healing spells." |
"Fine." Astarion agreed, "It’s a good plan. Do you have any potions of speed? Tav usually casts Haste on me." |
"I do not," Useless fucking Druid, "But I have a spell that works in similar fashion. Give me a short meditation and I can cast it upon you. |
"Then do that." Astarion returned to not pacing. And not bouncing his foot. Definitely debating stabbing Halsin anyway. Absolutely not worrying; Tav would be fine. She would be. |
The setting sun had painted the sky a vivid ombre of purples and oranges when two small bear-shaped mountains emerged from the forest to make bear sounds at Halsin, each animal easily half again the size of the one Astarion had taken down the night before. The Druid roused himself from his meditation to communicate, so... |
"I need to touch you for the spell," Halsin explained, "May I touch your shoulder?" |
"Get on with it." |
The tingle of magic swept itself over his body. It didn’t feel near as warm as when Tav cast on him. A pale imitation of true magic. It would have to do. |
Halsin assumed his bear form, then the plan was in motion. |
Clouds had rolled in at dusk, obscuring the stars and moon. The night was as lightless as it would ever be. Perfect for an escape. If Astarion found out Halsin had somehow summoned the clouds to aid in Tav’s rescue, he swore he would stab the man in the kidney. To distract himself from his own dark thoughts of jealousy... |
The inky black mottling of the skin above her left boot indicated damage to her foot, ankle, leg or all three. Probably a break. Even if he could bring her to consciousness again, Tav certainly couldn’t walk. Shadowheart could fix that. |
He could hear the grinding of her shattered collarbone as he gripped her tightly in his arms. Every heavy step or lengthened stride causing her to bounce in his arms brought a new sound to his ears and pained his unbeating heart. He was glad she was unconscious and thus, hopefully, shielded from the pain. Shadowheart c... |
It was so dark even his vampirically enhanced darkvision could only see a meter or so ahead. He hoped he was taking Tav in the right direction. They should have come to the road by now and he was worried. What would he do if they were lost? Panic began to close icy fingers around his thoughts, but was banished when his... |
His untrusting nature made him think of Will-o'-Wisps and other monsters that lured in the night. He turned from the light, intending on avoiding it entirely. |
In his arms, Tav murmured a single word. "Dancer." |
Astarion froze. Tav called on Eilistraee often enough to have made her faith obvious to him. Had the Dark Dancer actually responded? |
Tavs body suddenly produced a grinding, crunching sound and jerked in his arms. He nearly dropped her, managing instead to sink to the ground, holding her close. She gave a pained gasp, then her entire body bowed, muscles taunt with agony. |
The glow was closer, in his peripheral vision, the music louder, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from Tav. He wanted to cry at the beauty of the sounds washing over him, he wanted to cry for Tav. What was happening!? His confusion didn’t ebb when Tavs body relaxed with a sigh, though he was thankful her pain had ended. A... |
The light and music vanished at the same time. Snuffed out in an instant, as though never there at all. In the distance, a wolf howled. |
Astarions strength was flagging as he followed Halsin’s giant wolf form off the Risen Road and up a narrow deer track. The Druid had offered, once he found them, to carry Tav but Astarion refused. The scent of Tav’s blood all over her body wasn’t helping, either. He shuffled forward, an ache in his fangs and exhaustion... |
Then there were barks and growls and Scratch launching himself out of a crack in a nearby stone wall. Dog and wolf frolicked together like puppies. Lae’zel was taking Tav from his arms, calling out to Shadowheart and rushing into that same crack. Astarion shuffled along behind, as mindless an undead as he would ever be... |
Wyll clapped him on the shoulder. "You look like hell." |
Astarion grunted in response before laying down in the dirt and shutting his eyes. |
Some time later, the rich scent of blood brought him back to consciousness. His eyes snapped open to see a large goblet, filled near to the brim with blood, being held under his nose by a self-conscious monster hunter. |
"You looked hungry," Wyll explained, "So we, uh, took up a collection. As it were." |
In no position to question that change of heart, Astarion bolted upright, seized the goblet from Wyll and downed it in two long gulps. Drinking the blood of thinking creatures from a goblet was better than drinking from animals, but still leagues below the euphoric experience of drinking straight from Tav’s ever-willin... |
"Thank - thank you." Astarion stuttered out to Wyll. |
"Thank you." Wyll replied with a wry grin. "We’re sort of a weird family now, aren’t we? And you brought her back. Least we can do is feed you." |
The oft-forgotten plan was an astonishing success. He was safe and being cared for, being fed, by someone who had sworn to hunt his kind, all because of her. As always, he had used and desecrated and lied. This time, however, it was entirely of his own free will. There was no spawn compulsion to hide behind. No words ... |
A tan-coloured hand appeared in front of his face. Gale, offering assistance to help him stand. Still too tired to think, much less manipulate or insult, Astarion took the hand offered and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. |
"Your tent is this way," Gale explained, before leading Astarion to the back of the cave, a quiet space away from the rest of the tents. His tent looked odd; its usual red walls were mismatched with different reds, it was larger, somehow. As he tried to force logic and observation through his dead brain, Shadowheart em... |
"Astarion, you look better! She’s awake! Go in, go in, you both still need rest." and then he was ushered into his own tent - his and Tavs tent? - by Shar’s most maternal cleric. |
"What the fuck was that?" He asked the inside of his tent, rubbing his tired eyes, certain he had hallucinated. Perhaps he was still shuffling through the woods, carrying Tav. Maybe that silver radiance had been a Will-o-Wisp after all. |
"I’m so sorry." Came Tav’s beloved voice in reply. He cracked an eye open to see she had shuffled her bedroll to the far wall of their now-larger tent, leaving a decent space between where she lay and where his bedroll waited for him. She was clean of the blood and dirt of her capture, hair glowing silver-white in the... |
"You will not." He growled, dropping to his knees and reaching for her bedroll. He gave it a strong pull, dragging it, and her, towards him. She gasped in surprise, but didn’t fight him. "What was it you said; I deserve things?" He asked, stripping his armor off and tossing it in a corner of the tent. "I’ve decided to ... |
She didn’t deserve this. He pushed the thought away. |
"I’m not a thing!" Her laughter warmed his soul. She was back. She was back. She was back and he would keep her as long as she wanted to be kept. The first thing he’d given a damn about since clawing his way out of his own grave. The first person to want him for more than a night of pleasure. Someone he had lied to and... |
"No, but I’m keeping you all the same." |
"I suppose I can live with that." Tav chuckled, turning around to retrieve something from the tent corner behind her. A bucket? |
"Shadowheart helped me clean up. I think she was a little sad that I wasn't injured in all of that mess. She had so many healing spells ready to go, she just wanted to help. She’s sweet." Tav was babbling nervously, "Anyway, I have this bucket of clean water and I found my good soap in your things and... um... would yo... |
It was charming that she could still be nervous around the idea of their being unclothed together. |
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