text stringlengths 0 41.4k |
|---|
"I don’t know," he shrugged slightly. "I can only assume it is thanks to the tadpole." |
"You still have to drink blood?" |
"Of course," he smiled a little, indicating that’s where he had been. |
"I haven’t seen you hurt anyone yet. Who did you drink from?" |
"No one. I’ve never once drank from a person." |
"I don’t believe you." |
"Why would I lie?" |
"You’ve been lying this whole time," she replied bitterly, making him grimace resentfully. |
"Because most people are afraid of vampires and I’d rather not meet a stake the second I gain my freedom." |
"I’m a spawn, you see. All the curses of a vampire and none of the benefits. The worm has freed me from the control of my master for the first time in 200 years. See for yourself." |
He opened his mind to her, allowing her a brief glimpse into his compulsion to feast only on rats. The command of his master to use his body to lure victims back for him to feed on. The suffering and pain he endured from even the slightest bit of resistance. It was painful for both of them, but if he had to share the m... |
She dropped the stone mug in her hand, sending it clattering to the ground. She held the side of her neck where she felt the echo of the wound. The one she had so gently kissed last night. He wanted to wipe the tear that streamed down her face, but he used all his willpower to resist her. "I’m so sorry," she swallowed ... |
"I don’t need your pity. I need your help," he hardened his heart against her empathy. "This thing in my head is the only thing keeping me from going back to my master. I need to find a way to control it, while not turning into a mindflayer." |
"Of course," she wiped another tear that blinked down her face. "I’ll do whatever I can to help." |
"What about the others?" He asked, hearing Gale’s morning cacophony of coughs and sneezes echoing from down the hall. |
"They have the right to know, but I will give you the opportunity to tell them yourself." |
"And if they aren’t as, open minded as you?" |
"We’ll figure something out, I promise." |
"Thank you," he took her hand. He would allow himself one kiss from her sweet mouth, just to keep her comforted. But it lasted too long and too deep and he was only able to pull himself away as the sound of Gale’s footsteps grew nearer. |
The wizard found them standing apart, though the awkward tension between them still lingered. They were like two magnetic orbs desperately wobbling to join together, but pulled apart by sheer force. "Is that mugwort I smell?" Gale broke the silence of the dank chapel. "I have to say, I will not miss waking up with a lu... |
"There’s enough for another cup," Tav bent over to hide the slight grin that had formed on her face. She picked up the stone mug she’d dropped and handed it to Gale to rinse out. |
Astarion also turned away to stifle a laugh. He was pleased with Tav’s acceptance, but still had doubts about her motivations. As much confidence as he had in his own charms, she didn’t seem the type to be so easily swayed. He hoped it was just sex that she wanted, he could easily force himself to accommodate her. He j... |
He began to rehearse the speech he would give when the rest of their companions awoke, which proved to be sooner than expected. The women woke with less bluster than Gale, but were already arguing by the time breakfast had concluded. He steeled himself, making sure he was close to Tav before making his announcement. "B... |
"Lies," Lae’zel reached for her sword, the others on guard as well. "Your kind craves only blood and domination." |
"What Astarion says is true," Tav reassured them, backing him up. "He opened his mind to me. He’s content to feed on the wildlife around us, so we need not fear him." There was some further discussion between them, many of which were questions from Gale about various aspects of vampirism and the tadpole’s effects. They... |
Lae’zel led the small column, eager to find the tiefling, Zorru. Shadowheart, and Gale walked ahead of the cart with the atronauch Gale has summoned to pull it. Astarion and Tav brought up the rear, giving them the opportunity to converse in relative private. |
"Would you have told any of us if I hadn’t ask you to?" Tav prodded. |
"Of course," he insisted. "Someone was bound to wonder how I kept this virile figure without eating so much as a morsel of food." She gave him a sideline glance, but smiled. "Speaking of which, when did you know, or at least suspect something?" He needed a little insight into how her mind worked. |
"Almost right away," she surprised him. He couldn’t deny her perceptiveness, but he thought he’d been hiding it. "You don’t frequent the places I do and never meet one. Your eyes aren’t exactly typical of an elf either. The sun and water was what threw me for a moment." |
"When did you meet these other vampires? he questioned, more curious than ever. |
"Several while I was in a Athkatla and a few others throughout my journeys. They seemed to favor devotees of Sune." |
"If they are all as beautiful as you, I can’t imagine why not," he was flattering her to build up to more difficult and private questions. Worse than the rational fear of vampires, Astarion had a particular distaste for those who fetishized vampires and sought them out. He hoped it wasn’t the case with her. |
"You weren’t ever afraid of them?" He continued. "Or me? Did you ever let them feed on you?" |
She gave him a vexed glanced but answered. "Not that it’s any of your business, but since we’re being so honest today, no I did not. I met them in places I felt safe and took my leave of them as soon as they revealed themselves or their intentions. I’m not some sort of vampire chaser if that’s what you’re thinking." |
"The thought hadn’t crossed my mind," He lied. "I suppose I should feel honored then." |
"I suppose you should," She gently nudged him. "At the risk of inflating your ego anymore, you are incredibly handsome, charming, witty," She trailed off. |
"Oh do go on," He nudged her in turn, letting his hand linger on her back. |
"I think you are pretty wonderful as well. Beautiful, clever, terrible at puns," he teased her. "Given the choice to bite anyone in the world, it would be you." |
"Oh how sweet of you," she replied sarcastically. |
They walked quietly for a little while, until he couldn’t resist asking. |
"It’s not completely off the table is it? Just not with those terribly dreadful vampires you met before?" |
"Are you asking to drink my blood?" She sounded slightly annoyed. |
"I wouldn’t say no if you offered," he smiled sheepishly. He wouldn’t push the matter, but just wanted to get the idea in her head. "We just don’t know what we’re are up against with these mindflayers. I’d be at my strongest if I wasn’t limiting myself to animals." |
"I suppose I’ve never really thought about it," she mused. "Does it hurt?" she regretted the question immediately. She remembered the terrible pain in Astarion’s mind. |
He sensed this and tried to reassure her. "It would be like that," he swallowed hard. "I would be very gentle." |
"I’ll think about it," she said after a long pause. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly, in case the memory still lingered in his mind as well. |
They finally began seeing signs of civilization in the early afternoon, or rather, smelling them. The odor of cooking fires began to drift in with the wind, encouraging them to pick up their pace. A hot meal would be a joy after days ofdried meat and berries. Gale promised the autronauch it would be released from its s... |
As they drew nearer, they began to hear the sounds of shouting and clashing blades, so they temporarily abandoned the cart to investigate the noise. They found a group of humans fighting off a band of goblins in the small dale below them. A handful of tieflings were providing assistance to the humans from the hill abov... |
"Wizard duels," Gale replied. |
"I know how to handle myself," was the only reply Shadowheart offered. |
"So no one?" Lae’zel sighed. |
"No time like the present," Tav replied, as a blood curdling scream filled the air. She cast an aura of protection over them and yelled "Come on." |
They didn’t end up needing much experience in fighting, as the goblins were disorganized and half drunk. It didn’t take long to dispatch the entire group with their added numbers. They returned to retrieve their cart, the autronauch long gone, and were allowed to enter the heavy wooden gate that led into the druid grov... |
They spoke briefly with the tiefling leader, Zevlor, who thanked them for their assistance, but let them know they would likely soon all be forced out. He advised them to speak with the grove’s current healer, Nettie, for more information. "While you waste time with this healer, I will find the location of my kin," Lae... |
"Could you go and keep an eye on her?" Tav asked Astarion. "We don’t need her ripping anyone’s arms off for information. We can see what the healer has to say and meet you back here." |
"Oh, I suppose so," he smiled, a little relieved to have some time away from Tav. She’d held his hand for quite some time while they walked and the unfamiliar affection was too much for him. "I’ll not stop her ripping anyone’s arms off though, that sounds like fun," he joked. |
"And perhaps you can use some of that charm to get us some decent trade," Tav rolled her eyes at his dark humor, leaving the cart with the two of them. |
"Of course, my dear, any special request?" |
"Soap and wine," she replied. |
"Ah, the essentials," he flashed her another smile. |
They took their leave of each other, Tav heading to seek answers from the healer with Gale and Shadowheart in tow. The camp was buzzing with activity, as it seemed this wasn’t the first attack by goblins. They had in fact increased in severity for the past few weeks. They found Nettie, the healer, but she was preoccupi... |
"Can I help?" Tav asked. She had an affinity for animals and knew a few calming spells. |
"If you wish," Nettie nodded and motioned towards the aggravated bird. She’d expected the elf to help hold it steady and nodding approvingly as Tav weaved a calming spell around the bird, who settled down after a sharp chirp. Nettie continued her healing and thanked Tav when she finally finished. The bird was exhausted... |
"What happened to it?" Tav inquired about the terrible injury it had sustained. It didn’t look like an animal mauling or similar attack. |
"Goblin arrow, most likely. I sent a few birds after Master Halsin and those that managed to return looked like this." |
Tav had overheard the name mentioned several times as they walked through the camp. "Is he the leader of this Grove?" Tav asked. |
"He was, until he disappeared a few days ago. Went off with the adventurers that just came back. I started sending birds when I heard nothing. Halsin was always prompt about keeping in touch. But, I assume you didn’t come to me just to talk about Master Halsin." |
"No, I’m afraid it’s a rather serious matter in need of healing," Tav replied. |
"Come and sit then. Let me have a look at you," Nettie motioned to a small stone bench. She looked Tav over, not seeing anything apparent. |
"It’s likely not a visible ailment, at least not yet," Tav hesitated to elaborate. "I, we," she motioned at her companions. "We were kidnapped and infected with mindflayer tadpoles." |
"Truly?" the healer sounded shocked, but not necessarily surprised. She looked closer into Tav’s eye, seeing the slight inflammation in the sclera. "Come with me," she finally said. |
Nettie led them to an inner chamber where a dead drow lie on a table. Tav hesitated to enter, but Nettie reassured her. "This one was just like you. He attacked Master Halsin and I while we were out gathering herbs. Commanded a small group of goblins. When he fell, a mindflayer tadpole crawled out of him." She picked u... |
"How long ago was this?" Tav asked. The drow’s body had been magically preserved, but it was clearly not fresh. |
"Nearly a tenday," she replied. "We think we saw several more infected headed to an old temple of Selune. They seem to be congregating there." |
"The ship we were on only crashed a few days ago. Where did these others come from?" Tav wondered. |
"That’s what Master Halsin and I were trying to figure out. When he heard the adventurers were leaving for the temple, he went with, hoping to at least get a closer look. I’m not sure what happened after that." |
"So is there anything you can do to help us?" Tav wondered. "I know we don’t have long." |
"I can only offer you a quick death if it comes to that," Nettie took a bottle of poison off the shelf. "It’s strange though, even after a few days you should be exhibiting symptoms. No skin changes, no strange thoughts?" |
"Not really. The tadpoles connect can with each other. We can see into each other’s minds, identify each other." |
"Now that’s something I’ve never heard of. What does it show you?" |
"Sometimes it isn’t voluntary. In that instance, it seems to show us some sort of commonality between us, an attempt to bond perhaps. If we allow our minds to open ourselves, we seem to be able to control it a bit. |
"Very strange indeed," Nettie mused. "Perhaps there is something else at play here. We heard passing mention of something called the Absolute. Some voice these infected heard and sort of worship. It could have something to do with it all." |
Tav slumped a bit and sighed, finding only more questions and no real answers. "I am sorry I can’t be of more help. Master Halsin was the real expert. With Kagha in charge of the Grove now, I fear what will come after she closes it." |
"What about all these people? " Tav wondered. |
"Kagha thinks they are the cause of everything and is prepared to let them die on the road. If you could bring Halsin back, you might be able to save both yourselves and them as well." |
"You think he’s still alive?" |
"If anyone could survive a pack of goblins and these strange cultists, it would be him." |
"I will speak to my companions, I cannot guarantee anything, we may have to seek a cure elsewhere." |
"I understand. And I hope that if it does feel like you’re changing, you will do the right thing." She handed Tav the bottle of poison. It would be enough to kill an entire army. |
The trio left in low spirits, returning to where they left Astarion and Lae’zel, who were already waiting for them with a cart of new goods. |
"Not good news, I take it?" Astarion read Tav’s expression right away. |
"Do you want the bad news or the even worse news?" Tav sat down on a nearby stump with a heavy sigh. |
"Worst, of course. It will make the rest slightly less unpleasant," Astarion sighed alongside her. |
"The healer that might be able to help us disappeared looking for more infected, who seem to worship something called the Absolute. Loads more of them roaming around, apparently. But our deadly tadpoles might be special by being able to reach into each other’s minds. So we still know next to nothing." |
"As I said, your hope in the healer was misplaced. Zorru gave us the location of the githyanki patrol. They will be our cure," Lae’zel boasted. |
"It should be noted that it was all the way up near the mountain pass," Astarion produced a rough map of the area. "If they are even still there, we would be lucky to make it that far before we turn." |
"What do you all want to do?" Tav asked the group. |
"I think this Halsin still seems like our best chance. We can gather information at the temple and hopefully locate him as well," Shadowheart replied. |
"I agree," Gail added. |
"We will likely die either way, I’m with you whatever you decide, Tav," Astarion answered. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.