The Life We Once Had

by Geekygirl24

Summary:

His eyes shot open, just as the pod opened and he fell forwards, landing heavily on his front. On his back, he could still feel his warhammer, making him sigh in relief when he realized that he hadn’t been completely stripped of his gear. His hand moved to the locket that was underneath his armour, giving it a gentle squeeze, before pushing himself to his feet and moving forwards.

 

It was then that he spotted the masked figure standing by the pool that held the mindflayer tadpoles.

Notes:

This has been a tadpole of my own since i started playing this game XD Suffer with me!

Chapter 1: The Ship

Astarion was in his son’s room, making his bed for the night. He neatly placed the covers over the small bed, flattening any creases as he moved his hand across the soft furs. He grabbed a couple of the stuffed animals from the floor, placing them next to the pillow, sighing wearily as he straightened up.

 

He had a case against the Gur’s to deal with tomorrow, and he was not looking forward to it in the slightest.

 

“Bedtime!” He called out to the house, hearing a little pair of footsteps running down the hall as the toddler giggled as he ran. He nearly tripped over his own tail in his enthusiasm.

 

“Papa’s chasing me!” He squealed, stumbling a little before Astarion managed to scoop him up into his arms, looking up to see Tav play-stomping into the room, snarling dramatically before meeting Astarion’s eyes and straightening up, flashing the high elf a coy smile.

 

“Looks like the long arms of the law caught you instead kid.” He teased, the comment making Astarion groan, rolling his eyes when Tav moved closer and tickled at their son’s side, making his laugh rebound off the walls.

 

“Okay, okay.” He chuckled, “Enough.” He leant up, pressing a kiss to Tav’s cheek, “I’ll see you in a bit after I’ve got this little one settled down.”

 

“I will get the bed ready.” Tav returned the kiss to Astarion’s own cheek, kissing Etienne on the forehead, wishing him a soft goodnight, before leaving. Astarion turned, tucking the 3-year-old in. Etienne grabbed a little dyed blue bear that had one arm sewn on wrong, but had loved at first sight, closing his eyes and practically burying himself under the covers.

 

Astarion was close to leaving the room when he heard his son speaking up.

 

“Emya?” Etienne asked in a low whisper.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Can I have a bedtime story pwease?”

 

Astarion knew that a lot of people found his son’s mismatched eyes to be off-putting, but when they stared up at him in such a way, he himself found it hard to say no. He looked outside, seeing that the sun was really only just below the horizon, sighing deeply as he looked back at his son.

 

“Well… I suppose you have a bit of time before you should be asleep.” He made a show of thinking about the request, “Why not then?”

 

Etienne clapped his hands together, beaming at him.

 

Looking at the shelf that kept all of the bedtime stories that Tav had collected over the course of his little adventures before meeting Astarion, he ran his fingers of the spines, looking for one that Etienne would find both interesting and that would send him to sleep. He would have kept looking if Etienne hadn’t spoken up at that moment.

 

“I don’t wan’ any of t’ose books. I wan’ to know about vampires!”

 

“Vampires?” Astarion looked around at his son in surprise, “Where did you hear about vampires?”

 

“They were talkin’ about ‘em at the park.”

 

‘They’, would probably be the older children that played there, making Astarion sigh as he turned back to his son. “Vampires…aren’t exactly a nice bedtime story.”

 

“Oh.” Etienne looked very disappointed, but Astarion wasn’t going to back down on this.

 

Vampires were not suitable for a toddler bedtime story, and that was that.

 

“What was that I heard about vampires?” A voice came from the doorway, as Etienne perked up hopefully. With his father being a paladin, maybe he had some good stories about vampires for him?

 

“Don’t fall for it.” Astarion warned his husband, who held up his hands in mock surrender.

 

“Not even a teeny, little story about how to kill them?” The tiefling smirked as Astarion rolled his eyes.

 

“Stab them in the heart, push them into running water or sunlight…. Not that I expect our three-year-old to start going up against vampires, right darling.” That was said with a warning look at the pair of them, seeing Tav move to sit on the edge of the bed, running his hands through Etienne’s hair, purple fingers contrasting with the white curls.

 

“Of course, of course.” Tav chuckled, “Don’t listen to those older kids, okay kiddo? Vampires are not a fun little story, okay?”

 

Etienne pouted but nodded anyway, clutching at his little blue teddy, the expression making Astarion chuckle, despite the way his heart pounded in his chest at the subject matter.

 

He’d heard the rumours of vampires in Baldur’s Gate as much as everyone else.

 

He hoped they weren’t true, but as a magistrate, he needed to be aware of this threat.

 

Just in case.

 

He took the seat on the opposite side of the bed, gently stroking a finger down Etienne’s nose, taking in the little horns that were just starting to peak over the top of the top of the white curls.

 

“You have nothing to worry about.” He whispered, tucking Etienne back in and giving him another kiss on the forehead, “Now, enough talk about vampires. How about something a little nicer.”

 

“…An adventure story?”

 

“That we can do.”

 

**

 

Tav felt himself coming too slightly, resisting as best he could, not wanting to leave the memory just yet. Two hundred years has passed, and whilst he should have died a long time ago, he couldn’t bring himself to forget the past.

 

Blearily, he looked around, seeing that he was in a pod of some sort.

 

A pod.

 

The mindflayer.

 

The worm creature held up to his eye.

 

The dragons, the attack…the crash.

 

His eyes shot open, just as the pod opened and he fell forwards, landing heavily on his front. On his back, he could still feel his warhammer, making him sigh in relief when he realized that he hadn’t been completely stripped of his gear. His hand moved to the locket that was underneath his armour, giving it a gentle squeeze, before pushing himself to his feet and moving forwards.

 

It was then that he spotted the masked figure standing by the pool that held the mindflayer tadpoles.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

The figure jumped, spinning around. Shadowed eyes that Tav couldn’t see properly widened as they took a step back. Quickly, Tav held up his hands, “I mean you no harm… I was a prisoner, the same as you. We probably would have both still be trapped if it hadn’t been for that attack.” He moved closer to the pool, seeing those wriggling parasites.

 

Wriggling parasites that were probably doing the same behind his and this strangers’ eyes.

 

“That looks very fragile.” He stated, “One touch and it’ll probably- “

 

The stranger turned and kicked at the pool, the mini explosion forcing them to take several steps back.

 

“- Break.”

 

The other person was breathing heavily, as Tav felt a pang of sympathy for them.

 

“Right. Well, at least those aren’t a threat anymore.” He chuckled, “Come on, we should get out of here.”

 

The figure was already starting to walk off towards what seemed to be the exit.

 

“I am Taveros, by the way.”

 

Nothing.

 

“Nice to meet you No Name.”

 

‘You are so bitchy sometimes darling.’ His beloved’s voice echoed in his head, making him pause, shake his head and then continue on, looting a few corpses along the way.

 

They passed through a doorway, seeing a dead goblin to their right, along with a tablet of some kind. When Tav reached out to touch it, he winced at the sudden influx of goblin-based information pouring into his mind.

 

“Huh.” He turned, seeing that the other person was already moving away. In the new light, he saw that they appeared to be another tiefling, horns poking through specially made holes in the hood, a pierced tail swishing lazily behind them.

 

And then there was another voice.

 

This one sounded nothing like his beloved.

 

‘We ArE hErE!’

Chapter 2: Lae'zel

“Intellect Destroyer. I’ve read about these.”

 

Those were the first words that Tav had heard the other man say, the pitch and tone of it suggesting that he was a lot younger. Not difficult when you were over 200 years old, but still…

 

He stared at the squirming brain that was still speaking to them.

 

‘FrEe Us!’

 

“Hmm, I suppose I never tried to think too much about where they came from.” He reached out to destroy it, only for the younger man to hold him back, leaning in a little closer, “What are you doing?”

 

“There’s a swelling on it.”

 

“…Have you ever come across an Intellect Destroyer before, other than reading about them in some book?” Tav frowned, “I’ve heard the stories, They’re not something that you treat like an injured bird in the hopes that it’ll be loyal to you. We need to destroy it.”

 

“I’m sure I can make it more subservient though.” The younger man examined the creature, before a pale claw stabbed into the writhing flesh. They then yelped as the creature squirmed out of their grasp and fell to the floor, tentacles and legs growing freely.

 

It hissed at them, before running for it.

 

Tav sighed, “Hopefully that won’t come back to bite us.”

 

The mask hid whatever expression the other person had, as they headed back to the elevator and went on their way. Heading out to a walkway on the outside of the ship, the pair flinched back in unison at the sight of a dragon flying past them, the ship quivering from side to side violently.

 

Seconds later, the githraki that Tav saw earlier from his pod was landing in front of them, sword already drawn.

 

“Abominations! This is your end!”

 

Tav locked eyes with her. His head throbbed and his skin tingled. Visions rushed past; a dragon’s wing, a silver sword….and flashes of their faces.

 

The githraki and the younger man seemed to go through the same experience, both of them clutching at their heads, before the woman straightened up with a low groan of pain. “What- what is this?!” She then straightened up, looking a little more friendly (although not by much), spitting out a thankful word in her language, before continuing in common, “You are no thralls! Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together, we might all survive.”

 

“Maybe.” The stranger muttered, “I hope you have a plan for getting off this.”

 

“And what made you think we’d be thralls.”

 

Tav was ignored, as the githraki gestured at the next area, and the imps that were currently feasting on someone who was less lucky than them.

 

“We need to get to the helm to get control of the ship. We’ll deal with the imps along the way! We’ll worry about a cure for our affliction when we are back on the Material Plane.”

 

They turned to the imps, all drawing their weapons.

 

Tav sighed.

 

He was getting too old for this.

 

…..200 years Earlier…

 

“I’m getting too old for this.” Tav sighed, wiping down his sword, looking down at the bodies of the Gur who had attacked him and his family. The local guard were pulling the bodies away to line them up for identification, all casting wary looks at the tiefling paladin.

 

Tav ignored them, looking around to see if there were any signs of Astarion hanging about nearby.

 

His background as a bit of rogue, before becoming a magistrate should have helped him keep to the shadows, and now that the danger had passed, he would step forwards. A sly smirk on his face, a little twinkle in those haunting eyes and Etienne curled up in his arms, probably finding the entire thing hilarious.

 

Nothing.

 

Nothing but silence.

 

In fact, the world almost seemed mute as he headed in the direction that he saw Astarion running in, their son in his arms. The further he walked, with no signs of his beloved jumping out to try and catch him unawares, the worst he felt. His footsteps were heavy, slow, sluggish, as the sides of his vision started to blur.

 

He smelt the blood long before he saw it.

 

He rounded the corner and fell to his knees.

 

Not one inch of his love was clean. There was…so much blood.

 

He opened his mouth to scream, only for nothing to come out, falling to his knees beside the body. The loudest sound he could muster, was a whispered gasp, his hands hovering over the body.

 

“Heal.” He whispered desperately, “Please heal him.”

 

Nothing.

 

The silence remained.

 

He reached for his husband’s hand, bringing it up to his mouth, pressing a shaking kiss to the knuckles, nearly gagging at the smell and taste of blood that followed the action. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

 

Is this what a broken heart felt like? Did it feel like he was being stabbed, because that’s what it felt like to him.

 

His eyes burned as he forgot to blink, unwilling to take his eyes off Astarion for even a moment, as a single tear rolled down his cheeks.

 

And then he remembered.

 

Etienne.

 

“Etienne?” He called out softly, trying to keep his voice steady, “…You can come out kiddo. E-Everyone’s gone.”

 

Silence.

 

“Etienne?”

 

When there was still nothing, he looked down at his husband’s body. In the past, when coming across robbed and murdered travelling parties, how often had he seen a mother or a father curled up over and around their child, hoping to protect them from what was happening. Sometimes the child was alive…sometimes not.

 

Gently, he lifted Astarion into his arms, trying not to wince at how cold he already was, despite the warm blood covering him.

 

Could he have prevented this if he managed to deal with the Gur quicker?

 

He tried not to think about it too much.

 

Looking down, he frowned when there was nothing but bare ground.

 

His son was gone.

 

**Present Day**

 

“Here.”

 

The young man frowned as Tav handed a crossbow he’d looted from one of the imp bodies.

 

“You know how to use one of these, yes?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Good. You need something else for ranged attacks.”

 

The younger man straightened up, and Tav didn’t need to see his face to know that he was about to protest, holding up a hand quickly.

 

“I saw you cast those Entangled Vines onto a flying imp.”

 

Silence

 

“It was a rooky mistake, one born from panic.” He tapped at the crossbow, “At least panicked shots with this still tend to hit.”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

“No worries.” Tav chuckled, “And if it makes you feel any better, I don’t think our new gith friend saw it.”

 

“Are you two done talking?!” Said gith then snapped, “We have to get to the helm.”

 

“Alright, alright, we’re coming.”

Notes:

Yes... the entangled vines thing was something I did on my druid playthrough and I cursed at myself for a good five minutes

Chapter 3: The Fight To The Helm

Freeing the cleric, Shadowheart, was the right thing to do.

 

Not making a pointed comment about destroying Intellect Destroyers when they came across some hostile ones to the younger man was the right thing to do, especially as he was sure that those Entangled Vines could probably cause some actual problems when cast on the right person.

 

However, as they made their way to the helm, hearing Shadowheart and Lae’zel bickering, he wondered if sometimes doing the right thing was a little over-rated sometimes.

 

He would give anything for this to all be a dream.

 

To be back at his home...a home that he hadn’t sold or left since the incident, but also the home that he had grown to hate all the same.

 

Seeing Astarion’s chair gathering dust at his desk.

 

Nobody else was allowed to sit on that chair, and thankfully, the lack of visitors that he had, made that decision easier.

 

It made it easier to pretend that he was coping with the loss of his family.

 

“Should we stop them?” The young man asked, as the two women continued to bicker.

 

“They’ll be fine.” he sighed, “Sometimes you just need to let people get it out of their system.”

 

They walked through the next set of unusual doors, only to freeze when they came upon a horrific scene.

 

Cambion vs Mindflayers.

 

Tav watched as a Mindflayer grabbed one cambion, biting through the hard skull and sucking out the brain inside, throwing it to one side, only to be ripped apart by imps. In the centre of the room, what seemed to be a General Cambion was fighting another Mindflayer.

 

“Thralls!” The Mindflayer’s voice echoed through their minds, “Connect the nerves of the transponder. We must escape! Now!”

 

Tav…did not like the thought of taking this thing’s orders.

 

“Do it!” Lae’zel hissed, “We will worry about the ghaik afterwards!”

 

And so, they rushed forwards into another battle, and honestly Tav was thankful that the Mindflayer and the Cambion were too focused on each other to worry about them as they stumbled closer and closer to the helm, battling off the imps and other creatures in their way.

 

He was only a short distance away when the first dragon flew past, hearing the gith curse behind him.

 

“Hurry! Before they strike!”

 

He heard a cry, as the Cambion General was defeated, turning to see them fall just as he reached the transponder, other cambions rushing to defend their master.

 

He grabbed the writhing tendrils, managing to connect them both together, only to see movement out of the corner of his eyes, looking to see the young man racing back towards the fight.

 

“Hey! What are you- “

 

A dragon poked its’ head into the ship, blowing a stream of fire into the area, just as the ship jolted forwards. Tav fell to the back of the ship, grunting when his back impacted heavily with the walls of the ship, cursing when he was propelled forward, only just managing to grab a hold of the helm, catching the young man when he went screaming past him.

 

“AH! My tail!”

 

“See if you can grab my wrist!”

 

As the younger man tried to contort himself to do that, Tav reached up to try and grab the tendrils again, needing to get them out of this weird…in between stage that they seem to be in. He managed to grab them, closing his eyes as his stomach lurched. Once the ship appeared back in the material plane, he lost his grip on the tendrils, flying towards a hole, only to impact with yet another wall.

 

His back couldn’t take much more of this.

 

“Ah!”

 

He grunted as the young man landed on top of him, wrapping one arm around him, to keep him where he was as he looked over to his right, seeing the cold, orange eyes of a mindflayer staring right back at him. So distracted as he was, he didn’t notice the rock heading for his head.

 

He barely registered the wind rushing past his face.

 

Everything was going black.

 

Vaguely, he did hear someone else scream though.

 

**

“He’s going to do it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Tav walked towards the living room, “You said that last time and he completely gave up.”

 

“Look at him.” Astarion gestured from the doorway, icy blue eyes focused on the baby inside, “Stable, concentrating… he’s going to do it today.”

 

Tav joined him to watch, seeing Etienne standing in the middle of the room, using the table to keep himself steady. He was wobbling a little bit, but he did seem to be more stable today. Tav felt his heart jolt a little in anticipation.

 

He was going to take his first steps.

 

After a moment, Astarion moved down to his knees, crouching down a metre or so away. When Etienne noticed him, Astarion held one hand out, gently beckoning him over. Etienne beamed at him, looking around, as though trying to see if there was something else that he could hold onto to make his way over to the high elf.

 

“Sit next to me.” Astarion turned, smirking at his lover, “Let’s see who he tries to go to.”

 

“You, obviously.” The tiefling chuckled, settling a couple of feet away, “You’re his favourite.”

 

“Hmmm, care to make a bet about it?”

 

“A fool’s bet, no way!”

 

“Loser has to deal with all the potty-training stuff for a week…accidents included.”

 

“…You’re on.”

 

Astarion watched as Tav spread his arms wide open, face lighting up as Etienne waved at him cutely.

 

“Come here baby boy.” Tav cooed, his tail peeking over the top of his shoulder, making it wave as well.

 

“I want a hug little crown.” Astarion clapped his hands together to get Etienne’s attention, “Etienne!”

 

Etienne clearly didn’t understand what was going on, just that his parents wanted to play some kind of game with him, eyes darting back and forth between them as they each called out to him. He let go of the table and shuffled one leg forward, trying to get closer, shaking a little without the table for support. He kept his balance though, taking another step towards them, heading for the small gap between them.

 

He was clearly unsure as to who to go to.

 

“He’s doing it!” Astarion whispered in excitement, “Come on, keep going!”

 

The bet didn’t matter anymore.

 

“That’s it.” Tav coaxed his son, “Just a little more.”

 

Etienne made another step, and then another, and before they knew it, he was about halfway there. But then he stopped…to his left, was Tav, arms wide open and a lap to fall into for a cuddle and to his right was Astarion, giving him an encouraging smile and ready to scoop him up and shower him with kisses. Both side looked equally fun, and he wanted to be with both of them at once, but it seemed like he could only choose one.

 

Who though?

 

He fell forwards, face twisting in disgruntlement for a moment before he was crawling the rest of the way.

 

“Bet’s still on.” Astarion smirked over at Tav, holding out a hand for Etienne to grab.

 

“I knew you’d say that.” Tav mimicked the movement.

 

Etienne stopped crawling when he was in front of their hands, sitting back and staring at them, eyes flicking between the both of them. He crawled a little closer, beaming as he extended both of his hands at once, trying to grab the pair that were waiting for him, falling forwards as the two adults rushed to catch him.

 

There was a split second, where it seemed like he was going to burst into tears, only to giggle, looking at them with that same soft smile as before.

 

“Alright.” Astarion chuckled, letting Etienne crawl onto his lap, “I think we can call this a draw.”

 

Tav didn’t mind that in the slightest.

 

**

 

“Sir? Sir?”

 

Tav slowly came too, blinking up at the sky, wincing at the brightness of it all. He pushed himself up onto the elbows, seeing the wreckage just in front of him, feeling the sand under his fingers. Beside him, the young man was getting to his feet, looking away from him, holding himself a little uneasily, leaning heavily to his right.

 

Watching him for a moment, Tav looked all around. He didn’t feel hurt at all, and aside from what was probably a twisted or sprained ankle on the younger man, he wasn’t injured either.

 

“Where are we?”

 

“I-I don’t know.” The young man sighed, “Near the grove I think, but the crash has thrown everything off course. If I can find a landmark or a settlement, then maybe I can- “

 

“- Why did you go back? During the fight I mean.” He frowned, “You know just how stupid that was, right?”

 

At Tav’s tone, the young man turned to him, body language uncertain. “…For the sword.”

 

“Sword?”

 

He pointed to Tav’s right, prompting him to look over, seeing a flaming sword nearby. “Is that…the Cambion’s sword?”

 

“Hm…it wasn’t like he was using it, but you can, right?”

 

Tav slowly picked the sword off the ground, giving it a couple of experimental swings before turning back to the young man. “Thank you…don’t go running off like that again, because I nearly had a heart attack, but…thank you. I don’t suppose I can know your name now?”

 

“…Pollux.”

Chapter 4: Astarion

Tav knew that Shadowheart was keeping secrets. It was obvious really, but when faced with more Intellect Destroyers, it was the kind of thing that didn’t bear worrying about.

 

“Hello?! I need help over here!”

 

“What was that?” Shadowheart asked, looking at the other two.

 

Tav knew that he had frozen in place at the voice. It had been so long since he’d heard it outside of his own mind…oh yes, over the first fifty, possibly one hundred, years there were many times that he believed he’d heard it.

 

When he went for a drink in a bar, often going above and beyond what he could handle, sure that he’d heard his husband in the corner of the dark shadows. When he heard that voice, he knew it was time to leave.

 

When the grief got so all consuming that he was sure that he would be crushed by it.

 

When he felt the need to talk to someone after running into yet another dead-end with the Gur.

 

In the middle of the night as he walked down the streets of Baldur’s Gate, hearing it down dark alleys.

 

He’d never told anyone this, not wanting to deal with their pity or their well-meaning words of advice that made him bristle. He knew that he was not the first to lose the person he loved, but with Astarion being a High Elf, he never thought it was something he would have to go through.

 

He thought they would have years together.

 

Decades.

 

But he didn’t.

 

It had been so long since he’d heard that voice. His feet brought him closer, heart seizing in his chest when he saw the well-embroidered clothes, and the white curls that framed the pointed ears of a high elf.

 

This was all some sort of cruel tadpole trick, he just knew it.

 

“Hurry!” The figure barely glanced behind him, “I’ve got one of those brain things cornered!” He pointed at something in the short distance, “There, in the grass. You can kill it can’t you? Like you did the others?”

 

…That was Astarion.

 

He didn’t know how… but that was his husband.

 

“Easily.” He whispered, voice hoarse and unrecognisable as he moved closer, peering into the bushes only to see a boar run for its’ life.

 

Ah.

 

He knew this song and dance.

 

Seeing the flash of metal out of the corner of his eye, he spun around catching a delicate wrist in his own, their eyes meeting.

 

Red eyes.

 

Not that icy pale blue that he’d fallen in love with all those years ago; eyes that used to twinkle mysteriously….eyes that were now scanning over his face in shock.

 

“Not possible.” The elf whispered, before pure fury flashed across his face as he wrenched himself free, “You-you- HOW DARE YOU! Don’t think you can trick me this way, he-he’s dead! They’re dead!”

 

Tav felt his heart both break and heal in his chest, an odd sensation that made him feel like he was unable to breathe. “So were you.” He whispered, “Except, I saw your body.”

 

His husband stared at him, knife still in his hands, looking between them all. Behind him, Tav was sure that he could hear Pollux muttering something frantic under his breath, but didn’t focus on it, keeping his eyes on Astarion.

 

“This. Is. A. Dream!” Astarion snapped, a dangerous smirk flashing across his face, “Or…a clever hallucination. If I stab you through the head, would it still- “

 

“- The first thing I noticed was your hair.”

 

Astarion stopped.

 

“You used to take such pride in it…white was so rare for high elves, even those with your heritage.” Tav chuckled, “I still remember how annoyed you’d get if I even tried to touch it when I came home.”

 

“Because your hands were always covered in sweat and sword oil.” The response seemed to take his beloved off guard, as though he didn’t expect to remember something as small as that.

 

“You love reading.” Tav continued, “You were so happy when Etienne loved stories as much as you…could never resist telling him another one when he looked at you with big eyes.”

 

Astarion was silent.

 

Tav knew he should be awkward about this, considering there were two strangers watching this reunion, but he needed Astarion to hear this.

 

At least, if this really was some kind of hallucination, then he would have gotten it off his chest.

 

“He always wanted an extra story.” Astarion whispered, eyes focused on something in the far distance, “He was… a surprise.”

 

Tav chuckled, “Yeah…not exactly planned. I never regretted it though.”

 

“Neither did I…I think.” Astarion took a seat on a nearby rock, “What the bloody hell is going on?”

 

Tav wasn’t sure. How was Astarion even alive, despite having found his body? He couldn’t bear to see the body after it was cleaned up…was it possible that it wasn’t even him?

 

But then…where had he been for two hundred years?

 

Was Etienne with him?

 

Astarion looked to his left a little and that was when Tav saw two little scars on the side of his neck.

 

Two little pinprick scars…with the blood red eyes.

 

Fuck.

 

……

 

Tav wasn’t entirely sure that this wasn’t a dream. Astarion had been dismayed to hear that the mind-flayer tadpoles would eventually turn them into those monsters, a broken laugh breaking free from his lips at the mere thought.

 

It made Tav want to pull him into his arms… but there was a niggling little voice at the back of his mind that warned him against that. Just for the moment, whilst all this was uncertainty had the capacity to blow up in their faces.

 

So, they simply walked, looting where they could, investigating where they could….grabbing Pollux by the horn when it looked like he was going to get closer to the dying Mindflayer that was still left in the ship, pulling him back as Pollux let out a noise of protest.

 

“They eat brains. Don’t get too close.” Tav stomped on the thing’s head, sending bloody ichor up all over his boots. To his left, he heard Astarion stifle laughter, turning to him as his husband waved him off.

 

“Apologies…I just remember you stopping or carrying Etienne by the back of his shirt whenever he just…rushed into things.”

 

“I wasn’t rushing into it.” Pollux grumbled, “It was drawing me closer.”

 

Astarion waved a hand in dismissal as Tav sighed.

 

“Let’s keep going.”

 

….

 

“We’re travelling with a wizard who got stuck in his own portal.” Astarion hissed, as they listened to Gale babbling on about something or nothing, “Not exactly the best of introductions.”

 

“You know what wizards are like.” Tav chuckled, “There were always a dozen or so apprentices hanging around in Baldur’s Gate, acting like they were a gift and we were lucky to meet them.”

 

Astarion muttered something unflattering under his breath, as they approached the wreckage of what seemed to be a temple. Tav was just as unimpressed with said wizard, who had completely blanked Pollux, despite the druid being the one to stabilise the portal for him.

 

Pollux who was currently dragging on behind them.

 

“We might be able to rest here.” Tav called back to him, seeing the younger man ducking his head down, “Abandoned temples might seem creepy, but they are great for finding some shelter.”

 

Silence.

 

“Any reason why you’re treating him like a youngling?” Astarion hummed, as Tav hoped his cheeks weren’t darkening.

 

“He is young compared to us... today has been weird. I feel like my brains’ been scrambled.”

 

“...I still think I'm dreaming.”

 

Tav turned to him, only to watch him speed up a little bit, feet nimbly moving over the uneven surface, leaving Tav behind.

 

What a weird day this was.

Chapter 5: Nearing The Grove

Groups of thieves.

 

Sarcophagi with traps attached to them.

 

A book with a list of gods in it.

 

Reanimated skeletal warriors.

 

And an odd living skeleton who seemed to be their ally…for now.

 

Tav examined the necklace he’d found in the chest where the skeleton was being kept, noticing the skull on it…an ability to talk to the dead without the use of scrolls or spell slots.

 

“This might be the last time we see each other, and you’re still staring at that thing.”

 

He looked up, seeing Astarion standing in front of him, forcing himself to smile gently at him. This was his husband…a husband who didn’t seem to remember a lot about their life if his confused expressions and slow comments were anything to go off.

 

A husband who still believed that when he settled down for the night, all this would fade away.

 

“Apologies.” He chuckled, slipping the necklace back under his tabard, “Did you want to speak about something?”

 

He watched as Astarion took a seat next to him from where they resting for a short while, a little winded from the fighting. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling at having his husband next to him like this…it took all of his self-control not to touch him. He didn’t know what his love had been through.

 

It had been 200 years.

 

He wanted nothing more than to run his hands through that white (slightly blood-stained) hair, press chaste kisses on that pale face…pull him closer. There was something in those red eyes that haunted him though.

 

Opening his mouth to speak, he frowned when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from nearby, turning to see Gale struggled against some vines as Pollux stormed away, fists clenched, purple tail lashing back and forth.

 

“What’s that all about?” Tav sighed, pushing himself to his feet and heading over to Gale, just as the wizard managed to untangle himself.

 

“Honestly.” Gale frowned, “I don’t think I deserved that?”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“What makes you think that it was me?”

 

Tav just stared at him, until Gale sighed, “I asked if he knew any real magical users, and he took offence to me suggesting that Druids aren’t real magic users, which of course- “

 

“- They are.” Astarion hummed, “I saw him hitting more of his targets that you did during that fight.” The remark was pointed, and Tav tried not to smirk.

 

“The light in here is abysmal, of course without the blessing of dark-vision- “

 

“Why didn’t you light one of the braziers on fire?”

 

“You- “

 

Tav turned away from the bickering pair, looking over at Pollux who was examining the skeletal bodies. Clearly, he didn’t want to be disturbed.

 

“Ten more minutes.” He called out, “Then we get moving again.”

 

Where to though, he had no idea.

 

He headed over to Pollux, gently poking him in the shoulder. “You okay?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“…Do you have much experience with wizards?”

 

“Unfortunately I am…intimately aware of what they can be like.”

 

There was a smirk hidden in that voice, and the implications were abundantly clear, making Tav chuckle. “Well done you then for walking away. I won’t ask if you’ve had to use that entangling spell on your own…wizard friend.”

 

“Only when he asks.”

 

Well, Tav deserved that.

 

“Seven minutes, then we’re leaving…maybe don’t walk near Gale.”

 

“Done.”

 

………

 

“You think it’s dangerous?”

 

“Zorru was right! Yellow as a toad and twice as ugly.”

 

Tav had a horrible feeling he knew who they were talking about. As they approached, he saw the gith in the cage, his suspicions were confirmed. As horrible as it sounded, he wasn’t overly looking forward to seeing her again.

 

“The thing’s dangerous! Leave it for the goblins to kill.”

 

Goblins.

 

They had found corpses nearby, but to hear that there were more? It was odd.

 

“And if it escapes?! How will you- “ The male tiefling paused when he saw Tav, eyes widening just a little. Understandable….Tav knew he was on the larger side of tiefling builds, and with the clearly powerful sword strapped to his back, he was intimidating, all without meaning to be.

 

And then he saw that they were looking to the right of him.

 

“Pollux!” The male tiefling sounded relieved, “Thank the Gods!”

 

Tav ignored the gith’s orders to release her, eyes focused on the meeting.

 

“What’s wrong?” Pollux asked, “Apart from the fact that there are apparently gith and goblins hanging around.” He showed no signs of recognising the gith, for which Tav was grateful for.

 

“It’s all going down at the Grove.” The male tiefling gestured vaguely to the right of him, “We’ve got reports of goblins heading towards us, lead by the stupid humans that Halsin went with to- “

 

“- Halsin?”

 

“He went with them on some sort of mission. I don’t know if he’s back.”

 

Tav watched as Pollux’s fists clenched up, clearing his throat as he made up some lie about how they would deal with the gith and meet them back at the grove.

 

The pair rushed off, as Tav turned to the cage.

 

“Let me out.” The gith sneered down at them.

 

“…Say Please.”

 

Astarion barely stifled his laughter as the gith’s outrage was obvious.

 

They shot out the bottom of the cage, watching as she landed neatly on her feet, heading over to them with a confident swagger. “I see the tadpole hasn’t yet scrambled your senses. Auspicious. But the longer we wait, the more it consumes. My people posses the cure for this infection. I must find a creche; you will join me.”

 

“Careful.” Shadowheart warned, “She obviously sees your kindness as weakness. Don’t let her take advantage.”

 

Tav hummed, “A thank you wouldn’t go amiss you know.”

 

The response wasn’t a positive one.

 

As her and Shadowheart immediately set about bickering, Tav turned to Pollux, who was staring off to his left. “This Halsin… your- “

 

“- Guardian.” Pollux interrupted, “Head Druid of the Emerald Grove. Renowned healer.”

 

“…Renowned enough to take care of our tadpole problem.”

 

“I don’t know. But I-I think he’s the best person to ask.” Pollux sighed, “And…it’s been a long time since I’ve been home.”

 

“To the Grove it is.”

 

…..

 

“Well, she’s delightful.” Astarion muttered, listening to the bickering continuing on behind them, “In a, ‘I’ll slit your throat as you sleep’ kind of way.”

 

Thankfully, Lae’zel had been more than happy to go to the Grove, wanting to speak to the Zorru that the other tieflings mentioned, needing him to tell her where he’d seen the other gith.

 

There weren’t far from the Grove apparently, so it was no surprise when they heard the commotion long before laying eyes on it.

 

“OPEN THE BLOODY GATE!”

 

“Nobody gets in! Zevlor’s orders!”

 

“THAT PACK OF GOBLINS WILL BE ON US AT ANY SECOND!”

 

When a red-skinned tiefling, older, carrying the obvious burden of leadership on his shoulders arrived on top of the gates. “What’s going on?”

 

“We’ve got a pack of goblins on our tails! Open the gates Zevlor, now!”

 

They were human fighters from the looks of them which, as much as Tav hated to admit it, put him on edge slightly.

 

“You’ve led goblins here?! Where is Halsin?!”

 

“Please! THERE’S NO TIME!”

 

Tav heard Pollux mutter a curse under his breath, but he wasn’t sure if that was because of the news that Halsin was apparently missing, or dead…or because the goblins had just arrived.

 

“By the Nine Hells…Open the Gate!”

 

The first arrow from the goblins hit true and the fight was on.

Chapter 6: Zevlor And The Grove

When Zevlor first spotted the giant spider moving around outside the gates, he thought the worst.

 

 

He thought that the Goblins had brought it with them, to feed their children to it and its brood.

 

 

When the spider turned on the goblins, he had never felt such relief.

 

 

Pollux.

 

 

He thought he’d never see the young man again.

 

 

Pollux had expressed his desires to go to Baldur’s Gate almost three months ago, and he had tried to dissuade him, even as Halsin nodded in understanding.

 

 

“It’s…for personal reasons.” Pollux had whispered, “Closure…you know?”

 

 

Nothing Zevlor said would change his mind. Nothing about the goblins that were slowly growing more organised…gnolls….bandits.

 

 

“I’m not a child!”

 

 

And that had been the last thing Pollux had said before storming away.

 

 

He was gone the next morning, and Zevlor had felt sick to his stomach because of it.

 

 

“It’s not because of you.” Halsin gently reassured him, “Baldur’s Gate… I believe that is where he was from originally. And I believe…that is where his parents are buried.”

 

 

“Ah.”

 

 

He’d felt awful.

 

 

He’d tried to apologise, but as he said, Pollux was gone by the following morning.

 

 

But now, seeing him shift back out of his spider form, dead goblins and worgs around him, Zevlor had never felt so relieved. With Halsin gone, he needed all the support he could take.

 

 

….

 

 

“Well, this does look like a lovely spot.” Astarion hummed, “The sense of pending doom aside.”

 

 

“Ssh.” Tav gestured at Pollux, who was practically running through the opening gates. He knew that the younger man had gotten a nasty hit to the eye whilst he was in spider form (and hadn’t that been unnerving), which would probably have led to a black eye from the force of it.

 

 

Not that he could tell with that mask on.

 

 

They entered the Emerald Grove with the fighters, seeing the tiefling, Zevlor, heading towards them, only for the first human fighter to intercede getting up in the older tiefling’s face.

 

 

Well… he looked older.

 

 

Obviously he wasn’t.

 

 

Hackles were raised.

 

 

“There are children here, you fool!” Zevlor snapped.

 

 

“We was running for our lives!”

 

 

“And you led them straight to us! And you let them take Halsin as well?! Unbelievable!”

 

 

Tav could see that this was going to get heated, as Pollux strode up to the pair.

 

 

“You know…” The younger man spoke up, catching both of their attention, “… I’m sure one of the first things you taught me Zevlor, is never to argue with a human. A pointless activity as they have far too much experience start fights amongst each other.”

 

 

“Ouch.” Gale muttered under his breath.

 

 

“Shut your mouth horns! We might all have been lying dead next to those goblins thanks to HIS stalling!”

 

 

Pollux tensed, as did Zevlor.

 

 

“My duty is to this camp and these people, as it always has been.” Zevlor hissed, the human smirking in response.

 

 

“God forbid you risk your tails…but then again, I don’t know why I’m surprised. You lay on your back for the Head Druid to make sure these foul-bloods were safe from what I heard.”

 

 

“Fuck.” Tav sighed, heading over as quickly as he could, one hand on Pollux’s shoulder, feeling the tension there, “More violence isn’t going to bring back those you lost. Stop and think. Ignore him. He is lashing out from a place of hurt.”

 

 

Was there any truth in those words?

 

 

“You’re right, there’s too much at sta- “ Zevlor turned to him and froze, eyes widening. They then flickered to the rest of the group, lingering on Astarion for a second longer than the others. There was a moment of awkwardness for a moment, before he cleared his throat and continued, “There’s too much at stake.”

 

 

“You lot just want to cover your precious hides!” The human sneered.

 

 

“Enough! Squabbling is pointless! The goblins have found us.” Zevlor straightened up, “I don’t care what you think about mine and Halsin’s relationship, but I vowed to protect my people and this Grove when he couldn’t. I have bigger things to worry about than you.”

 

 

“…There, we agree.”

 

 

As the human stormed off, Zevlor turned to Pollux, reaching out and pulling him into a hug. “We were worried.” He whispered, voice barely audible to Tav, who took a step back in respect, “We assumed you’d be back in a month, not… it’s been three months!”

 

 

“I had something else to do in Baldur’s Gate.”  Pollux muttered, sounding more than a little guilty and sheepish, “A lot more things…what happened?”

 

 

“Things have gone…a little downhill.” Zevlor sighed, “Halsin was attacked by a drow a little over a month ago, leading him to suspect that there was…something off about all this new Absolute business that seems to be sweeping across the realm.” He took a deep breath, letting it out in a weary exhale, “Between worrying about you, worrying about the goblins rallying the way that they are, our dragonborn ‘guest’ who seems to have no memory of who he is or who he was, Halsin being taken captive, Kagha starting up the Rite of Thorns- “

 

 

“- What?!”

 

 

Tav was a little taken aback by the sheer volume, other tieflings turning to face them in curiosity.

 

 

“I-I don’t even know where to start with all that.” Pollux paused, “Yes I do, Kagha’s doing what?!”

 

 

“She and the other druids are forcing all of us out.”

 

 

“Our two communities are joined, she can’t do that!” Pollux started to pace back and forth, Tav only managing to catch the briefest glimpse of his uncovered face.

 

 

Pale.

 

 

Not purple as he would have expected from the tail and horns.

 

 

“This is a democracy! The druids have a say and the tieflings have a vote, and then a neutral party must be chosen in case of a tie!” Pollux threw his hands up in the air, “Halsin deliberately set it up this way to be fair!”

 

 

“Halsin isn’t here.” Zevlor gently reminded him, even as the words seemed to cause him pain, “And with her being the next in charge- “

 

 

“- You’re next in charge! You’re the one he went through the hand-fasting ceremony with!”

 

 

Zevlor was silent for a moment, before shaking his head, “This attack- “

 

 

“- Had nothing to do with the tieflings. The goblins have been wanting the Grove for years, long before you came here.” Pollux groaned, “She’s just using it as an excuse to be a racist b- “

 

 

“-POLLUX!”

 

 

“- Witch! Racist witch!”

 

 

At the change in tone, they all looked further up the path, seeing a small tiefling child racing towards them…well, half-tiefling, judging by the especially pointed ears and the mottled skin.

 

 

It almost looked like vitiligo.

 

 

Pollux bent down, catching the child in his arms and raising him up into the air. “Did your horns get bigger?!” He asked in mock shock as the child nodded eagerly.

 

 

“They did! They did!” The child wriggled furiously, until they were on Pollux’s shoulders, clinging onto his horns, “Did ya bring me anything from Baldur’s Gate?”

 

 

“You little mercenary!”

 

 

“Spoilt.” Zevlor muttered, albeit, fondly, as he reached out and lifted the child into his own arms, “I thought I told you- “

 

 

“- Everyone was saying that Pollux is back though! And he’s going to help us!”

 

 

“Yes I am.” Pollux stated, voice cold, “Yes. I. Am.”

Chapter 7: Rolan and Dammon Filler Chapter

Notes:

Bit of filler chapter this one

Rolan heard about Pollux’s return through others, hearing several of the orphan children yelling about it as they raced through the camp. Distracted from the argument that he was having with Lia and Cal, he looked over to the blacksmiths, seeing Dammon peeking his head out, their eyes catching, the same expression of relief clearly evident there.

 

It had been three months.

 

Was it wrong to think that something terrible had happened?

 

Was it terrible to wonder what would happen to the three of them, when one was gone?

 

***Ten Years Ago**

 

Rolan was having a surprisingly relaxing day. Lia and Cal were in the training arena that one of the older tieflings had set up, giving him the chance to catch up with his studies, aka…they were leaving him alone.

 

He didn’t mind being ‘forcibly’ adopted into the little family that they’d set up for each other, but sometimes, he just needed to be left alone.

 

“Rolan!”

 

He sighed, looking up, only to frown when he saw that Cal was running towards him with Lia following on behind.

 

She just looked annoyed.

 

“What’s the matter?” He put his book to one side.

 

“That boy.” He pointed towards the other end of the area, where a hooded young man was nibbling on an apple, “Who is he? Because he’s clearly a tiefling, but I don’t recognise him, and he’s dressed like a druid!”

 

Rolan focused on the other man, not so sure that he was a proper tiefling. “I overheard some of the others talking about how the Head Druid had adopted a tiefling half-breed.” he stated, “It’s probably him.”

 

“...What’s his name?”

 

“I don’t know.” Rolan rolled his eyes, “Just leave him alone.”

 

“…I don’t think he wants to be alone though.”

 

Rolan looked at the other young man. He knew that they were only half tiefling, but they kept themselves all wrapped up, he wasn’t sure what the other half was.

 

Drow maybe, that would give him a reason to hide.

 

Goblin?

 

He sneered. They didn’t look interested in training with the others, but it didn’t seem like anyone was here watching him or forcing him to take part either.

 

And now Cal was heading back over to him.

 

He was too nice for his own good.

 

Slamming his book shut, he tucked it under his arm and moved closer to try and listen in.

 

“Do you want to spar?”

 

“… Do you know any magic?”

 

Cal shook his head, “Rolan does, but nothing all that impressive. He says he can do a Thunderwave, but between you and me, I doubt it.”

 

“Ah.” The young man pulled a mask over his face, “Well... I probably need to keep up on my sword skills. My Ma- Sure...we can spar.”

 

Rolan watched as they started to spar, Lia joining in shortly afterwards, delighting in annoying Cal, just a little, only to be annoyed herself when vines kept her trapped where she was.

 

…….

 

From that day on, the small group were practically inseparable. The druid was odd, and in the beginning, Rolan didn’t understand what Cal and Lia saw in him.

 

Any mention of his past, and he clammed up so quickly, that Rolan was occasionally fooled into thinking that he had conjured an actual shield.

 

“They died.” was all they would say, before he was rushing back to the safety of the shadows, where he spent a large majority of his time, shadowed eyes watching the comings and goings of the grove with far too much interest.

 

He’d once asked the Head Druid about it, the large Wood Elf chuckling sadly.

 

“I don’t know who his parents are. I found him on a supply cart…all I know, is that no parent would simply leave their child like that.”

 

The young man and the Head Druid were as close as father and son though, everyone could see that.

 

**

 

A few months passed before he realised that his interest in the young man, Pollux (as he learnt his name was) might be something more than just a general curiosity. He managed to find an area of complete silence to study, but it was getting hotter and hotter in the summer heat and concentrating was getting harder.

 

He didn’t notice Pollux until the druid was taking a seat a short distance away, opening up a book, not breaking the peace between them as he settled in to read as well.

 

They stayed that way for over an hour, before Pollux got up, giving Rolan a small smile and a farewell wave, which Rolan softly returned.

 

Later on that week, as he went to go and get something to drink, he found himself bumping into Pollux and Dammon, who were walking close together, spilling said drink all over all three of them.

 

He cast a quick Presdigitation, apologising profusely as Pollux waved the apology off, a soft smile on his face, that only emphasised the scar that bisected the right side of his lips. “That’s alright.” He stated, “Accidents happen.”

 

“Yeah.” Rolan hoped he didn’t sound like his stomach was slowly creeping up his throat, making him feel sick.

 

What was this feeling?

 

“I can make you some tea if you want?” Pollux asked, “Dammon and I were going to have some, but you’re more than welcome to join us?”

 

Dammon.

 

Of course.

 

Who wouldn’t want to spend time with the blacksmith, with those non-infernal eyes and that soft, easy-going smile?

 

“Rolan?”

 

“I- “

 

“- You wouldn’t be intruding.” Pollux stated, as though reading Rolan’s mind, “We have plenty of herbs to choose from. Even ones that are meant to help with concentration for studying if you wish?”

 

“…Thank you.” Rolan nodded, “I…would like that.”

 

…

 

Dammon was actually a lot more interesting than Rolan ever thought, the older tiefling contributing to each conversation that they had. Clearly this was not the first tea meeting that he was having with Pollux, neatly dodging each gesture that Pollux made as he talked.

 

Rolan was grateful that he was sitting opposite him really.

 

Pollux had been there since the tieflings came to the Grove, clearly not one of them. His exact heritage was unknown, but the ears seemed to suggest High Elf at some point.

 

The white hair though…not Halsin’s biological kid, not likely.

 

Rolan wanted to know more.

 

Pollux said nothing about his past though.

 

“By the way…” Pollux smirked, leaning over the table, “…Have either of you seen the way Halsin and Zevlor have been looking at each other?”

 

“Don’t start.” Dammon sighed, “Imagining Zevlor like that… it’ll be like imagining your Dad doing it. Don’t you have the same icks imagining Halsin like that?”

 

“Halsin’s not my Dad.”

 

And just like that, the conversation came to an end.

 

…

 

Rolan found himself growing more intrigued with Pollux.

 

Sure, crushes were crushes and he’d had them before, but somehow, this one felt different.

 

Perhaps it was the inclusion of Dammon in these feelings?

 

It was one thing to be initially attracted to someone, and another to actually like them as a person….he liked both Pollux and Dammon and a small part of him, hoped that they liked him as well.

 

The tea meetings happened twice every week and over time, Rolan found that he was counting down the minutes until they could all meet again.

 

A couple of months passed and their friendship persisted.

 

Rolan found himself confused over what to do though.

 

He still had a crush on the pair of them, and there were times when he was sure that they liked him back…but he couldn’t be sure, and he didn’t want to ruin everything if it turned out he was wrong.

 

It was rare, but it had been known to happen.

 

And he would be ruining one of the best things that had happened to him when he moved to this grove.

 

The more he got to know them though, the more he yearned for more.

 

He could wait for the crush to die out (unlikely), but if he did, he wouldn’t know what could have been…was he making a mistake? Should he just confess and hope that it just made thing awkward for a little bit, and not destroy everything.

 

Halsin was said to be rather…free with his love, right? Even if him and Zevlor were very attached nowadays.

 

Was Pollux the same?

 

So, he met them at their usual meeting place, like he’d done so many times before, avoiding his siblings’ curious questions. It was quiet when he got there, and he couldn’t see anyone else around, approaching the pair nervously. He cleared his throat when he approached them, holding up a hand when they opened their mouths to greet him. “I-I need to talk to you both about something.”

 

Silence.

 

“I... want to make a confession. I really like the both of you, and I was hoping that we might all three go out on a... date of some kind.” he wondered if they could see the flush on his cheeks, “Please...but if you don’t want to, then we can forget about all this and- “

 

“- I thought we already were all courting?” Dammon frowned, turning to Pollux, who was looking taken aback. “Weren’t we?”

 

“I... yes, I wanted to court you both.” Pollux confessed, “But I... hadn’t actually gotten around to asking either of you yet.” he winced, “Clearly I’m better at this than I thought...and not at the same time.” he cleared his throat, “I would love to go on a date with the pair of you, if you- “

 

He was cut off when Dammon pressed their lips together, the weaponsmith pulling away to look over at Rolan, raising one eyebrow in a silent question.

 

Rolan hoped he didn’t look too eager, rocking back on his heels, not bothering to hide his excitement, trying to restrain himself from just jumping forwards and pressing their lips together. When Dammon smirked, he couldn’t hold back anymore, leaning forwards for a kiss.

 

They parted and Rolan then turned to Pollux, who did the same.

 

He never dreamt he would ever have this.

 

***Present Day***

 

Pulled away from the memory, Rolan cleared his throat and muttered an excuse to Lia and Cal, making a vague gesture over at Dammon.

 

“We know you’re happy to hear that he’s back, you don’t need to act all cool.” Lia rolled her eyes, “Maybe he can help us with the druid problem. He’d want us to stay and fight.”

 

Rolan couldn’t deny that that was the case, but chose to ignore them though, heading over to Dammon, who beamed at him.

 

“You’ve heard then?”

 

“Hm.” He folded his arms over his chest, “I thought he’d stay there and wait for us.”

 

“…He couldn’t be sure that we’d end up there as well.”

 

“Well, he clearly didn’t go for just a quick visit. He was gone for three months!”

 

Dammon eyed him for a moment, before sighing and coming closer, reaching out and pulling Rolan closer, “Let’s go and find him. You know that he’ll have a good explanation for being away for so long.”

 

“We’ll have to try and catch up with him.” Rolan rolled his eyes, “You know what he’s like. Something goes wrong and he just HAS to help.”

 

And there were a lot of people in this Grove to help.

Chapter 8: Tieflings

Tav felt like he was seeing the true Pollux. Not some youngling who had only just stepped out of the Grove, making silly mistakes and bickering with wizards.

 

 

No.

 

 

This was a leader.

 

 

Despite having a child on his shoulders, Pollux moved through the Grove with purpose, and it wasn’t hard to notice that they were attracting a bit of a crowd.

 

 

“Refugees.” Pollux scoffed, trading some daggers for some health potions, “They’ve been here for ten years. I remember you crying at the hand-fasting ceremony just as much as everyone else. You’ve profited from them being here, and now you’re talking about kicking them out?”

 

 

“The dangers- “

 

 

“- Will always exist in this world.” Pollux scoffed, “That’s what most of you lot don’t see.”

 

 

He turned, not giving the halfling another chance to speak up.

 

 

“Ten years.” Tav commented, “When the fall of Elturel first happened.”

 

 

“The war was going on long before that…There are few soldiers and fighters here. These were the ones who managed to escape.” Pollux gestured at the children that were training with little wooden swords, “Most of the adults here were…teenagers when they arrived. The parents of most of these children died as soon as they knew that they were safe.”

 

 

A common phenomenon.

 

 

Parents protecting their children until the very end, only leaving once they were sure that they would live.

 

 

“Some were adopted into other families…most weren’t.” Pollux was silent for a time, before moving closer, bracing himself when the children spotted him, all running over with shrieks of sheer glee.

 

 

Tav fought not to look over at Astarion after that conversation.

 

 

He didn’t know what led up to him finding Astarion in that alleyway.

 

 

Did Astarion manage to get Etienne into some sort of carriage before the Gur found him…or was Etienne taken as he had suspected for years and years.

 

 

Sighing, he headed over to speak to the human who had helped them at the gates. The famed ‘Blade of Frontiers.’

 

 

As the man spoke however, his eyes couldn’t help but flicker over to Pollux every so often, seeing him speaking to the children, helping an older tiefling with his form, laughing with the sword teacher.

 

 

This was his home, and it seemed like he would defend it to the bitter end.

 

 

He almost felt sorry for this…Kagha.

 

 

….

 

 

He remembered holding his son tight to his chest, forcing his feet to move as quickly as possible, wishing that he had some sort of invisibility charm, a scroll of Misty Step, anything!

 

 

Anything to get away.

 

 

Then the pain hit.

 

 

His son’s scream haunted him some nights, drowning out even his own screams from his Master’s tortures.

 

 

He remembered feeling the blade being pulled out of him, as he was shoved to the ground, curling around his son as the Gurs attacked.

 

 

They weren’t getting him.

 

 

After that, it was all a bit of a blur.

 

 

Astarion wished he could tell Tav what happened to their little boy…but he just couldn’t.

 

 

He couldn’t.

 

 

As Lae’zel questioned Zorru about the creche, Pollux scolding her when she went too far, he made a quip about wanting to see some bloodshed, banishing the memories to the back of his mind.

 

 

…..

 

 

“Apparently she started the Rite a few hours ago, which means that we have at least a little over a day before it’s complete.”

 

 

They were heading towards where the chanting was happening.

 

 

“Isn’t there a way to stop it?” Tav asked, watching as Pollux bent down, whispering to a squirrel which then took off into the trees.

 

 

“Not without stealing the Idol of Silvanus….and as it’s at the centre of the ritual, it’s practically impossible.” There was a beat of silence, before Pollux scoffed, “It’s banned in most druidic circles, including this one. Anyone would say that it does more harm than good…isolation breeds violence…few circles survive it.”

 

 

“What does it do exactly?” Shadowheart asked.

 

 

“It ‘protects’ and seals away a specific area. No-one can leave, no-one can enter.”

 

 

They passed an older lady, who waved at them.

 

 

“Suspected hag.” Pollux muttered, “Some of the people I don’t like that Halsin lets in, but she makes good healing potions and hasn’t attempted to kidnap a child yet, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”

 

 

“…Are you sure she’s a hag?”

 

 

“Reasonably.”

 

 

In fact, everyone seemed to wave at them.

 

 

“You’ve probably seen most of these people grow up from being babies.” Tav remarked, as Pollux nodded.

 

 

“I’ve seen babies turn into children, teens turn into adults. Relationships come together, relationships fall apart.”

 

 

“Speaking of relationships- “

 

 

“- If you’re going to ask about Asharak and Guex…” He gestured back at the training area, probably referring to the teacher and the one struggling with landing a hit on the dummy, “…no I’m not sure what brought them together, but they do say that opposites attract.”

 

 

Tav wasn’t actually, but he sensed that Pollux knew this and didn’t want to actually discuss what was going on.

 

 

They stopped near a tiefling child, who was selling trinkets.

 

 

“Can one of you get Mol please.” Pollux asked, the children straightening up, “And sticky fingers had best stay out of our bags.”

 

 

“You wound me!” The red-skinned boy pouted, “We would never- “

 

 

“- Just go and get her.”

 

 

The boy shrugged. “She’s waiting for Mirkon to come back from robbing the harpies nest, and then there’s everything with Arabella- “

 

 

“- Did you check to make sure it was an abandoned harpies nest?”

 

 

“Ummm- “

 

 

“- and what’s happened with Arabella?!”

 

 

“She tried to steal the idol.”

 

 

“From under the very noses of the druids.” Astarion hummed, “How very bold of her.”

 

 

Pollux looked like he was seconds away from having a nervous breakdown, eyes flickering to the crowd that were gathering near the entrance to the Sacred Pool. Now that they were listening, it was clear that a fight was seconds away from breaking out.

 

 

“LET GO OF MY DAUGHTER!”

 

 

“SHE’S A THEIF!”

 

 

A bear roared and Tav watched as Pollux straightened up, fists clenching as he stormed down the stone steps.

 

 

“Oh.” Astarion chuckled, “This is going to be good.”

 

 

They quickly followed on behind, watching as several tieflings noticed him, parting to one side, all looking as amused as Astarion. They watched as Pollux plucked the child from his shoulders, silently gesturing for him to stay where he was, before making his way to the front of the crowd.

 

 

“ENOUGH!”

 

 

……

 

 

It was a cool day, the sun peeking through the trees and a soft breeze rustling the leaves.

 

 

Certainly not the worst day to be kicked out of the Grove, but as Rolan and Dammon walked around, trying to find out where their lover had gotten to, they saw that most had stopped packing.

 

 

“Hey!” Guex waved them over, “I’m assuming you both heard then? Pollux has returned, aha!” He swung his sword, as they both leant back.

 

 

For someone who shared his bed with a fighter, he was abysmal at it.

 

 

“He’ll put an end to all this nasty rite business!”

 

 

“He was going to the Sacred Pool then?” Dammon asked softly.

 

 

“That’s what I last heard.”

 

 

Together, they both headed in that direction, reaching the top of the steps before they heard.

 

 

“ENOUGH!”

Chapter 9: Pollux vs Kagha

The wind had started out gentle today.

 

 

After the bellow though, Jeorna could feel it starting to pick up a little, feeling herself straightening up as a familiar figure stormed towards her.

 

 

She didn’t need to see their face to know who it was.

 

 

“Shit.” She heard her companion mutter, “Didn’t Kagha say he’d moved to Baldur’s Gate permanently?”

 

 

“Clearly she was wrong.” She held up a hand as Pollux reached the bottom of the steps, “Stop! Get back!”

 

 

“…You dare tell me to get back? I, who have been in this grove before you were a twinkle in your grandparents’ eyes?!”

 

 

She could practically feel the smugness radiating off of the tieflings as they all watched. There was another crowd behind Pollux, consisting of humans, elves, a gith… and another bloody tiefling.

 

 

This one was huge though.

 

 

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Pollux pushed past her, squaring up against Maggran as the bear tried to stop him.

 

 

“I have faced down bigger and scarier threats than you.” He whispered, looking Maggran in the eyes, the bear cowering a little under the force of the gaze. When it shrank back fully, Pollux pulled back, gesturing for the others to follow past the three druids and into the area of the Sacred Pool.

 

 

The rite still seemed to be happening, as Pollux stared at the idol for a moment, before glancing at a path that led to what seemed to be a sandy area.

 

 

“Wyll.” He spoke up, as Wyll moved closer, “You know how to deal with harpies, right?”

 

 

“...I’d need a Scroll of Silence to prevent them from trying to lure me but yes?”

 

 

“I can help with that.” Shadowheart spoke up.

 

 

“Good...follow that path. There should be a tiefling boy, Mirkon that needs help.”

 

 

“...He might already be- “

 

 

“- Then bring back enough for us to bury!” Pollux snapped, “I need to get to Kagha before that fickle deadly viper and her decide to punish Arabella permanently.”

 

 

A deadly viper?!

 

 

One drop of that venom could easily kill a child.

 

 

They all sped up, as Wyll and Shadowheart went to deal with the other threat.

 

 

Clicking his fingers, the stone door opening up, Pollux stormed down some more steps, all of them hearing the pleading of a child.

 

 

“I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry!”

 

 

“Kagha, stop this!” Another druid was pleading with a female elf, “She’s just a child!”

 

 

“She’s a parasite! A thief! A poison upon this grove!”

 

 

“What does that say about you?”

 

 

Kagha and the other druid spun around to face them, the other druid’s face lighting up at the sight of them.

 

 

“Pollux!”

 

 

The viper was primed, ready to strike as the young tiefling girl trembled violently under its’ watchful eye. Around him, Tav just knew that the others were just as tense, even Lae’zel, despite her belief that the child should be punished for the crime of theft.

 

 

Perhaps, he should offer his Paladin duties and be a judge in this case.

 

 

Of course, he would let the child go free, but Kagha didn’t know that.

 

 

“To reject and hurt the helpless is to turn against Silvanus himself.” Pollux stated, “One of the first teachings I believe.”

 

 

“Coming straight from the devil’s forked tongue.”

 

 

“I can prove my tongue isn’t forked…can you prove the same?” Pollux looked over at the snake, whose fangs were now on full display, “Reign it in Kagha. As far as I know, Halsin isn’t dead yet, and using a forbidden Rite will be enough to cast you back down to the lowest of the druid ranks. Should a child die today, I will make sure that no druid circle will ever take you in again…not even the shadows.”

 

 

There!

 

 

Was that a flinch at those words?

 

 

Whatever the expression was, it disappeared soon enough, to be replaced by a sneer.

 

 

“You’ve forgotten the rest of Silvanus’s teachings. ‘The parasite must be removed for new seed to grow.’” She gestured at Arabella, “They are parasites…you are a parasite. I warned Halsin about letting you in, and then again when this army of devils showed up!”

 

 

“And again when he went through the hand-fasting ceremony with Zevlor.” Pollux sighed, “I think we all remember you drinking a bit too much of the good wine that night.”

 

 

“Enough! Rath, lock up the devil until the Rite is complete. Don’t move too much girl…Teela is restless.”

 

 

Tav’s fingers clenched.

 

 

“Kagha!” Rath protested, “We took back the idol, surely- “

 

 

“- Do it!”

 

 

“Teela.” Pollux addressed the viper, “She’s just a hatchling.”

 

 

The viper hissed something in response, before moving past Arabella and towards Kagha, who looked over at Pollux.

 

 

“Arabella…go back to your mother and father. I’ll speak to you later.”

 

 

Somehow, Tav was sure that the girl looked more worried at that than the fact that she’d just been threatened by a deadly viper. He watched as she raced off, before turning his attention back to the druids.

 

 

Kagha had moved away not seeming to care that she’d been mere moments away killing a child, as Pollux spoke with Rath quietly.

 

 

“That woman is a viper.” Gale whispered, “More so than the snake I think.”

 

 

“You are more right than you think.”

 

 

Gale jumped, seeing Pollux appearing beside them.

 

 

“Unfortunately, there are a fair few druids that share her opinion on the tieflings.” The younger man sighed, “She started this before we knew that Halsin was missing, indicating that she had prior knowledge of his capture. Her seizing power was almost instantaneous as well.”

 

 

“When you said this whole… thing was a democracy.” Astarion waved a wand, “How would that work without the Head Druid, and indeed you, I assume as the neutral party?”

 

 

“Well, Rath is usually the neutral party if I’m not here…but he has trouble with conflict sometimes, hence the hostile takeover.” Pollux sighed, looking over at Kagha, “Nettie’s his apprentice, so she may have a way to heal us and tell us where we can find Halsin to bring him home….Kagha’s up to something though, and if the Rite is completed- “

 

 

“- Perhaps.” Astarion cut in, “A little bit of snooping is in order?”

 

 

“…The servant quarters are through there. If there’s anything to be found, it’s there.” Pollux’s eyes were still on Kagha’s back, Teela on her shoulders, “Strange.”

 

 

“What’s strange?”

 

 

“…Teela loves rats. It’s odd to see so many alive around her.”

 

 

…..

 

 

Kagha ignored the group all speaking to each other, before they headed off to speak to Nettie.

 

 

She kept her eyes on the mural in front of her, thinking back to two centuries ago when the half-breed was first brought into the Grove.

 

 

Hearing the other druids saying that they’d seen Halsin rushing towards the hot springs, a bloodied child in his arms. Entering that area, hearing Halsin’s soothing tone, smelling the soothing scent of lavender as he wiped the blood from the child’s hands, face…tail and little horns that poked above hair that was stained pink and red.

 

 

“Kagha…”

 

 

She shouldn’t have been surprised that he knew she was there.

 

 

“…Please can you go and fetch some clean clothes?”

 

 

“Are we under attack?” She remembered asking, terrified that this child was a victim of some sort of goblin raid.

 

 

“No. The clothes please?” He then focused back on the child, “Now… if you want to get clean with your clothes on, that’s fine. Do you need help washing your hair?”

 

 

The half-breed glared at him, hitting him with his tail as Halsin laughed, cutting off any scolding Kagha was about to have.

 

 

“I shall take that as a no little cub.”

 

 

To Kagha, he was the beginning of an end.

 

 

But she could cleanse this Grove.

 

 

She had to.

Chapter 10: Meeting Rolan And Dammon

The exhaustion from the events of the day finally caught up to him as they walked back to the sacred pool.

 

 

He’d managed to stop Nettie from just killing them, even if he had to swear to take wyvern poison should the symptoms start up.

 

 

Having Em- Astarion hand him a letter revealing Kagha in communication with someone outside of the Grove was the straw that came close to breaking the horse’s back.

 

 

He wanted to wash, curl up with his lovers and forget that any of this was even happening. His heart was aching as though he had a gaping, bleeding wound and whilst someone might have bandaged it up, they were also punching the spot repeatedly. The more he thought about what was happening, the more difficulty he had in getting air in and out of his lungs.

 

 

Not that he would show that.

 

 

Mirkon was safe though, so at least that was a weight off his chest.

 

 

“What should we do now?” Wyll asked as they all met up by the Sacred Pool, “Save Halsin before the ritual is complete?”

 

 

“There must be hundreds of goblins involved, it’ll take hours!”

 

“Hours that we don’t have.” Pollux knew that wasn’t what his- Astarion meant, but he chose to take it that way, “No, our best chance, is finding out exactly what Kagha was getting up to and using that knowledge to force her out of power and stop the ritual. With the ritual stopped, we’ll then have the chance to save Halsin and the Grove.”

 

 

“And excellent suggestion.” Gale nodded, “The healer Nettie did mention something about a certain guest of the Grove that I thought might be interesting to look into as well.”

 

 

Ah yes… Halsin and Nettie had been attacked by a drow, who had been transporting a dragonborn as prisoner. A white dragonborn that didn’t remember anything about himself before he found himself in the cage.

 

 

Unfortunately, due to some of the stuff he was saying, Halsin decided that he’d be safest kept away from the others, until they could figure out a cure of some sort for this memory loss….and the apparent bloodlust that came with it.

 

 

“Is it just a case of drows being drows, or is it to do with the tadpoles?” Gale continued, as Pollux pondered the question.

 

 

“We’re not going to know unless we see him.” Tav turned to Pollux, “Are the cells near?”

 

 

“Fairly.”

 

 

They moved to leave the sacred pool, seeing that the crowd of tieflings had mostly dispersed. Arabella was being heavily scolded by her mother, looking mortified at this as they made their way over. Her parents were thankful though, giving Pollux a little pendant that they’d found on their journey when they first escaped.

 

 

Pollux then turned to Mirkon, who was nervously waiting nearby, another child tiefling nearby…this one with a missing eye.

 

 

“Don’t look at me like that Mol.” Pollux snapped, “He could have died because you didn’t bother to check and make sure that that nest was empty!”

 

 

“It- “

 

 

“- It’s a rule I made when I agreed to let you set up this little…business. Lives over gold…got it?!”

 

 

Mol huffed, but nodded, even if she didn’t particularly want to.

 

 

“I don’t want this to happen again.”

 

 

“It won’t.” She smirked at him, “We’re going to Baldur’s Gate. Tons of suckers there.”

 

 

Pollux wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but sighed, giving her some gold and sending her on her way. He had no claim to the orphans, therefore, he couldn’t exactly tell them what to do.

 

 

He then turned and straightened up.

 

 

They were here.

 

 

…

 

 

The change was astounding.

 

 

Tav had been moments from asking why Pollux was so involved with these children, when the younger man suddenly straightened up, bounding over to a couple of other tieflings.

 

 

One was dressed much like Gale was, arms folded over his chest, a scowl on his face. A Mephistopheles tiefling, if Tav had to hazard a guess. The one beside him though, Tav remembered seeing in what classed as a smithy in a druid’s grove.

 

 

Paler than the one next to him, and with non-infernal eyes, he seemed to be from the Asmodeus line.

 

 

“Rolan! Dammon!” Pollux was clearly thrilled to see them, and with a jolt, Tav realised that the wizard was probably the one he was referring to earlier….and the smith?

 

 

Were they all involved?

 

 

When Pollux pulled them one by one into a kiss, the question was answered, as Gale and Wyll made almost identical soft noises at the sight. Lae’zel and Shadowheart sounded less impressed, and then annoyed by the fact that they seemed to agree on something.

 

 

A soft look flashed across the wizard’s face for a moment, before he straightened up, and the scowl returned.

 

 

“Don’t think that you can just…saunter back here like that.” He snapped, “Three months? Really?”

 

 

“I had a good reason for that.”

 

 

“Oh? Pray tell.”

 

 

“I- “ Pollux paused, “- In private?”

 

 

It was then that the pair spotted the others behind Pollux, and Tav couldn’t help but notice the similar reactions that they had to the group. Much like Zevlor had, there was a widening of eyes, followed by glances between them all, but lingering on him and Astarion especially.

 

 

Why?

 

 

What was going on?

 

 

“Sure.” The smith’s voice sounded a little shaking, reaching up and running his hands through light hair, “Sure, we can talk about this privately.”

 

 

“Good...I need to go and speak to Zevlor anyway.” Pulling his mask back up, Pollux turned to the others, “Can you check out the dragonborn prisoner, see if he’s got any information for us?”

 

 

“Of course.” Tav nodded, “Perhaps Zevlor may be able to help stall the ritual as well whilst we search the evidence against Kagha?”

 

 

“Possibly.”

 

 

Pollux pointed them towards the cells, before heading towards a large stone door, where Tav assumed Zevlor to be. He was followed by the two older tieflings and the child from before, sneaking on behind.

 

 

“Curious.” Astarion murmured, “We seem to be getting a lot of strange looks from these tieflings.”

 

 

“Hmm.”

 

 

“...Why do you think that is?”

 

 

“The paladin stands heads above the rest of them.” Lae’zel stated, “And everyone knows high elves don’t venture far from their gilded palaces.”

 

 

“I was never one for palaces my dear.” Astarion looked up at Tav, “I can’t help but think it’s something we’re not seeing yet.”

 

 

Tav had been thinking the exact same thing.

 

 

Chapter 11: Pollux's Past

Under a black sky, late into the night, a boy sat huddled in the corner of the streets, squeezed in between some crates and boxes as he quivered and shook.

 

 

His Emya’s blood was still over his hands.

 

 

Hands which he kept clasped over his mouth, not wanting to breathe too loudly in case HE found him again.

 

 

What happened – what he LET happen – played in his head over and over again, heart pounding in his chest. His body refused to move, widened eyes staring blankly at his knees.

 

 

He wanted to cry…scream….

 

 

He wanted someone to find him. To pick him up, take him home, give him a warm bath and tuck him into bed. He wanted his Emya’s kind hugs, he wanted Papa to tell him that everything was alright.

 

 

But there was nothing.

 

 

His shaking hands clutched at his face, stopping the sobs from breaking free.

 

 

He couldn’t be found.

 

 

He didn’t want to be found.

 

 

Tears dripped from his eyes.

 

 

Eventually, he felt the exhaustion take over, resting against one of the boxes as he slowly slipped off into sleep.

 

 

….

 

 

“…anything to trade?”

 

 

The voices broke him out of his sleep, as he huddled back, seeing that the sun was now shining high in the sky. Peeking out a little, he frowned when he saw that he was in the middle of nowhere, trees on either side of him.

 

 

“Some wares.” Another voice grunted, “Want to see?”

 

 

“Please.”

 

 

They moved closer, as Etienne tried to make himself as small as possible.

 

 

It was no good.

 

 

Boxes were moved to one side, as he quickly covered his face with his arms, shielding himself as best he could.

 

 

“Shit!” One voice exclaimed, “I swear, I don’t- “

 

 

“- I know.” A beat of silence, “Are you hurt little one?”

 

 

Maybe if he ignored them, they would go away.

 

 

“…You’re covered in blood little one. I just want to make sure that you are well.”

 

 

A gentle hand landed on his arm, making him yelp, his tail snapping forwards and hitting the man as hard as it could. He was dismayed when it seemed to have no effect.

 

 

“I know.” The man whispered, “You’re scared, I know.”

 

 

Slowly, Etienne looked up.

 

 

..

 

 

Halsin wasn’t expecting this when he stepped out of the Grove to trade today. The trader was still cursing under his breath, as the child looked up at them.

 

 

Barely five from the looks of him. Mismatched eyes were swollen from tears. Dried blood was starting to flake from his hands, face and hair…and there was a deep cut bisecting through the right side of his lip.

 

 

And he was terrified.

 

 

Halsin knew that he was on the larger side for most elves, but the intense shaking of this child went beyond a normal fear.

 

 

“You need a healer.” He whispered, “Will you let me pick you up?”

 

 

Those eyes widened further, before the tail lashed out again, struggling and pushing himself further into the corner that he’d found himself in. Hot tears trailed down his cheeks, creating blurred paths of blood in the dried flakes on his face.

 

 

“Perhaps, something to eat first.”

 

 

The trader muttered something about needing to move on, only for Halsin to shoot him a sharp look.

 

 

This would be like enticing a cat to come closer and accept a saucer of milk.

 

 

The child frowned at him, only to yelp when it reopened the cut on his lip.

 

 

“Please little one.” Halsin pleaded, “I just want to help.”

 

 

They shook their head wildly, tears almost flinging off their face with the force of it.

 

 

“Not even a quick little healing spell?”

 

 

The child stared at him, fingers dabbing at the cut as he squeaked in pain…and then shuffled a little closer. Still out of arms reach, but close enough that Halsin could at least close up the wounds. He muttered a quick healing spell, sighing in relief when the wound closed up enough to stop the bleeding.

 

 

“You could do with getting clean as well.” Halsin gently whispered, “There’s a druid grove not far from here. If I take you there, we can get you all cleaned up and then we can find out what happened and where your parents- “

 

 

The tears started up all over again and Halsin couldn’t hold it back any longer.

 

 

As the heartbroken sobbing echoed throughout the area, he lifted the child into his arms; said a quick apology to the trader, before rushing back to the Grove.

 

 

***Present Day***

 

 

Pollux heard the stone doors close behind him, removing the hood and mask, running his hands through white hair. He didn’t say a word to Halsin during the first few days of his arrival at the grove, communicating with facial expressions and tail lashes.

 

 

Halsin hadn’t given up on him once.

 

 

“So…” Dammon cleared his throat, “… are we going to talk about the worg in the room?”

 

 

“What? The fact that if you mashed that huge purple tiefling and the white-haired elf together, you could get…” Rolan’s voice trailed off, silently gesturing at Pollux, who had yet to lift his head up from his hands.

 

 

“Pollux.” Zevlor sighed, moving to sit in front of the young man, “I thought…I thought your parents were dead?”

 

 

“…So did i.” Pollux laughed a little wetly, looking up at Zevlor, mismatched eyes glimmering with tears, “This has been- I’ve been on the verge of a nervous breakdown for about 8 hours now.”

 

 

“Ah- “

 

 

“- I suspected that my Emya might be alive, I’m not going to lie.” Pollux whispered, “But…he was alive as a worst case scenario.”

 

 

“I-I don’t think I follow.”

 

 

Pollux waved a hand in dismissal, “I’m keeping an eye on the situation, but- “ He looked Zevlor right in the eyes, “- Papa’s not meant to be alive. Tieflings shouldn’t live for over two hundred years unless- unless there’s something else at play.”

 

 

“He’s a paladin, right?” Dammon asked, “Would that- “

 

 

“- No.” Zevlor shook his head, “Very few paladins are offered the chance for immortality, and that is only after a great show of devotion.” There was a tinge of sadness in his tone, “But…how- “

 

 

“- I don’t know.”

 

 

“Why didn’t he- “

 

 

“- ever come and find me?” Pollux shrugged, “I don’t know. He- he still seems to be mourning over what happened, but…how hard could it have been for him to find me here? And Halsin was looking for them, so why couldn’t he find him as well?”

 

 

Zevlor had no answers for him.

 

 

“Whatever. I have time to figure it out.” Pollux leant back against the wall, looking up at the stone ceiling, “Kagha might be working with someone outside of the Grove, who wants this Rite to go ahead. We’ll nip to the meeting place and get the proof needed to blackmail her into stepping down.”

 

 

“I should have seen that there was something else at play here.” Zevlor groaned, “This all came on so suddenly.”

 

 

“Hmm.”

 

 

For a moment, there was a beat of silence, before Zevlor cleared his throat. “You three have a lot to talk about…Pollux.”

 

 

“Yes?”

 

 

“If you find out anything more, please let me know.”

 

 

“…I will.” Pollux then frowned as both Rolan and Dammon pulled him back towards the stone door, looking between them both, before looking over at Zevlor, who looked amused at the scene.

 

 

“Umm…what are you doing?”

 

 

“We have something important to talk to you about.” Dammon chuckled, “If you’d been home any earlier, then we could have told you sooner.”

 

 

“I have a good reason for- “Pollux froze when Rolan grabbed his hand, placing it on his midsection. His eyes widened, staring down at where his hand was.

 

 

How did he not see it before?

 

 

How did he not know before he left?

 

 

“You…you’re- “

 

 

“- With child.” Rolan snapped, face flushed as Pollux looked up at him, “Yes.”

 

 

“…Really?”

 

 

“Obviously!”

 

 

Pollux was silent for a moment, before whooping in glee, springing up, wrapping his arms around Rolan and spinning him around, as the wizard protested.

 

 

“I’ll be sick! Just watch me!”

 

 

“I don’t care!”

 

“You will!”

 

 

Dammon, on the sidelines, chuckled fondly, looking over at Zevlor, who was watching the entire proceedings, his own son on his lap, and equally fond smile on his lips, despite the weariness in his eyes.

 

 

Halsin being gone was starting to get to him, but this small bit of joy was enough to banish the cloud, just for a little bit.

 

 

It would be nice to have a baby around again.

 

 

They just had to make sure that they survived this.

Chapter 12: Sanguinex

He remembered a cultured voice in the back of his mind…greeting him warmly after a long day.

 

‘Come back alive to me. Although, I wouldn’t mind if you were a little bloodied up.’

 

Who was the voice?

 

Who was he?

 

Staring down at his hands, he barely paid attention to the tiefling killing a goblin nearby, or the strangers that walked into the room, not until one of them cleared their throats. Slowly, he looked up, seeing an…odd group.

 

A gith’yanki

 

A tiefling.

 

An elf

 

A half-elf.

 

And a couple of humans….one of which was talking to him, hands moving all over the place. He couldn’t help but follow them, wondering what they would taste like.

 

If he ripped one off, how pretty would those screams sound?

 

And yet, there was something else there.

 

But what?

 

“- your name?”

 

He blinked back into consciousness, focusing on the tiefling, who raised one eyebrow at him. Opening his mouth to answer, he then flinched when a spearing pain shot through his head.

 

Connection.

 

A life of hunting down vagrant cut-throats.

 

The white-haired elf and a domestic life.

 

A child.

 

And then it was all gone in a flash.

 

“What…what was that?” He asked breathlessly, as they all turned to look at each other.

 

“You’ve got a mind-flayer tadpole in your brain.” The tiefling explained gently, “Same as us. Don’t you remember being on the ship or- “

 

“- What ship?”

 

There was a moment of silence, before the expressive human stepped forwards, “This is very distressing. If the Mind-Flayers have been infecting people for this long, without transforming then, their plan must be set out like a game of lanceboard. Infect key pieces on the board and then- “ He clicked his fingers, “-complete domination.”

 

“We’re looking for a cure.” The tiefling then said to him, “I know that the druid Halsin wanted you to stay in here, that YOU wanted to stay in here, because you…said some things, but we could do with all the help we can get.”

 

“My thoughts are plagued with blood, and I have no memory of the person I used to be.” He frowned, “I-I shouldn’t- “

 

“- Nothing we can’t handle. Besides, it might be best to keep an eye on you…just in case it’s related to our current situation.” He glanced at the door, “Astarion…” he addressed the elf, “… can you pick the lock? We’ll keep a look out.”

 

The dark-skinned human looked like he was going to argue about this, but decided to turn away instead, finding the body of the goblin to be suddenly fascinating as the elf set about picking at the lock.

 

Seconds later, he was free.

 

“I’m Tav by the way.” The tiefling introduced, “Astarion, Wyll, Shadowheart, Lae’zel and Gale.”

 

Gale.

 

Intriguing.

 

…..

 

“Leave it alone!”

 

“Sorry, sorry!” Pollux held up his hand in mock surrender, pulling his mask back over his face, “I’m excited, I can’t help it!”

 

“Well...behave yourself!”

 

Chuckling as Rolan swatted at their lover, Dammon tried to change the subject. “So, you’re going to find out why who Kagha’s been talking to, and then you’re going to get Halsin back...from a goblin camp?”

 

“Easy, right?”

 

“And then we’re all going to Baldur’s Gate, right?” Rolan snipped, “I don’t need to remind you that I have an apprenticeship with the great wizard, Lorroakan, starting soon.”

 

“I know, I know.”

 

Pollux hoped he didn’t sound too unsure about all this.

 

In the time that he’d spent in the city, he hadn’t heard brilliant things about Lorroakan, but Rolan had been looking for a proper teacher for years and it seemed wrong to dissuade him now.

 

Personally, he thought Rolan was plenty powerful. With a bit more studying, he would be fine... but Rolan didn’t just want to be fine.

 

He wanted to be the best.

 

“I have...things to do.” Pollux winced as the tadpole squirmed behind his eyes, “But, I'll meet you there, happily.” He then reached into a pouch, pulling out two keys, “Here.”

 

Dammon was the first to take the key, looking down at it in awe. “Is this what I think it is?”

 

“I hope so?” Pollux rubbed the back of his head, “It’s a big home...plenty of space for all us and more. And it has a building attached that you could probably use as a forge and smithy?”

 

Rolan didn’t look overly impressed, “Lorroakan has promised his apprentices and families a place to live.”

 

“Then Dammon can still have it to set up a business.”

 

Humming, Rolan nodded, before looking over Pollux’s shoulder and frowning. “Did you ask them to free the dragonborn?”

 

Pollux spun around and groaned.

 

“As if we don’t have enough people.”

 

…….

 

They made camp a short distance away from the Grove, all of them setting up various tents and building campfires. The first day of being infected had passed and Tav honestly wasn’t sure how he felt about all this.

 

“You look deep in thought my friend.”

 

Tav turned, seeing Gale take the seat next to him. “Yes… I suppose I am a little.” He looked over at Astarion, who was lying on the ground, staring up at the starry sky, “It’s been a very long, very confusing day.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

He then looked over at the wizard, who was flexing his fingers, looking just as uncertain as Tav felt.

 

“What’s on your mind?”

 

“I- we’ve been through a lot together already- “

 

Oh God, please no.

 

“- And ever since you were kind enough to free me from that stone, I’ve seen you demonstrate remarkable guile and courage.” Gale looked around, “Everyone has really, some more than others if I have to be honest…in short I’ve grown to trust you.”

 

“…Thank you?”

 

“The reason I’m bringing this up, is because I am finally confident enough to confide in you, something that I’ve never told anyone, save my cat and…one other.” He took a deep breath, “You see, I have this condition. Very different from the other condition that we have, but no less deadly, I assure you.”

 

“What kind of condition?”

 

“The specifics are personal, but it’s a malady that I have come to live with.” Gale looked up at the sky, “Though, through some great effort. Effectively, it comes down to obtaining powerful magical objects and absorbing the Weave within them.”

 

“…And what happens when that doesn’t happen?”

 

“I’ll spare you the gory details, but it begins with simple biological deterioration, muscles spasms, disorientation and a slight ringing in the ears…and if left for too long…catastrophe.”

 

“Right.” Tav cleared his throat.

 

“It’s been days since I last consumed an artifact, before we were all abducted actually, so it’s only a matter of time before the craving returns.” He turned to look at Tav, “That’s why I’m turning to you. I need you to help me find some magic items to consume, it is vital! Dare I say, critical!”

 

“Where can we find them?”

 

“We’ve already done that, in fact, you have some in your packs.”

 

Tav hoped he wasn’t talking about the gloves of power…because he’d already given those to Astarion.

 

“You know for yourself how hard won such an item was, and it will be no easier when even more are required to assuage my hunger. There might be danger involved, or great cost.”

 

“I’ll do my best.” Tav promised, looking away from the wizard.

 

“Doubt worry, I doubt we’ll have to look far!” Gale continued, “Faerun overflows with magic-infused treasure.” He then cleared his throat, “Perhaps we should talk about other things though… such as the new arrival to the group.”

 

Sanguinex.

 

Pollux had been less then impressed when he heard the name, groaning something about letting someone with the literal blood meaning to their name, join the group.

 

“Or…perhaps you and Astarion? Is it true that you’re married?”

 

“We are.”

 

“…But you haven’t seen each other in…two hundred years?”

 

Tav chuckled at the look on Gale’s face, “Let’s just say my long-lived life is nothing to concern yourself with.” He looked back over at Astarion, “We met when we were young…fell in love shortly afterwards. His parents didn’t approve, not wanting him to ‘dilute the bloodline’.”

 

“Ah, you fought to gain their acceptance then and true love won the day?”

 

Tav scoffed, “Hardly. They disowned him and cursed me to be an oath-breaker someday. It hasn’t happened yet of course, and thankfully we made enough money to make sure we didn’t end up on the streets.”

 

“Ah…apologies.”

 

“Not your fault.” Tav shrugged, “It was a long time ago after all.” He looked over at Pollux, who seemed to be telling a tiefling bard to go back to the grove, or he would tell a ‘Lakrissa’?”

 

Probably safer not to ask.

 

“You had a child…didn’t you?” Gale then asked softly.

 

“We did. But- but I’m not ready to talk about him just yet.”

 

“Of course.” Getting to his feet, Gale gave him a gentle smile, “Enjoy your night.”

 

Tav nodded back at him, before getting to his feet and heading over to Astarion.

 

“It’s quite the sight.” His husband hummed, before looking slyly at him, “The stars I mean…I could take or leave your chin.”

 

“Ha ha.” Tav chuckled, “You seem a bit more relaxed now…coming to terms with the fact that this isn’t a dream?”

 

Humming, Astarion looked back at the sky. “You can see the stars in Baldur’s Gate of course…” He acted like Tav hadn’t even asked the question, “…But not with such clarity. It got me thinking…about what tomorrow might bring, if in fact there is a tomorrow.”

 

Slowly, Tav went to sit next to him, looking up at the stars.

 

How often had Astarion and Etienne sat on their little windowsill seat, the older elf pointing out the different constellations to the toddler, carefully helping tiny fingers trace them out?

 

“There’s going to be a tomorrow.” He whispered, “And I’ll be here.”

 

“Hmm…that sounds nice.”

 

Sensing that Astarion was no longer a part of the conversation, eyes distant, Tav decided to give him some space.

 

Perhaps, a long rest would be just what was needed to make him see that they were together again.

 

And Tav was not going to let him go.

Chapter 13: Camp Filler Chapter

Pollux watched everyone settling down for the night, eyes lingering on his parents. Alfira, thankfully, had seen the wisdom in going back to the Grove, which meant that he had less to worry about.

 

He wasn’t sure what to make of this group.

 

Gale was settling down to read, occasionally looking over at Tav. Probably as a result of the conversation they’d had earlier…definitely hiding something.

 

Lae’zel…was Lae’zel.

 

Shadowheart was hiding something, if that weird pain in her hand was anything to go off.

 

Wylll was also hiding something, but it was probably something to do with the devil he was hunting.

 

He didn’t trust the dragonborn, with a name that meant blood.

 

And his Emya was a vampire.

 

Sighing, Pollux settled down to half-mediate, knowing that he needed to keep watch tonight.

 

Just in case.

 

……

 

Astarion waved goodbye to Tav as he set off to do his usual rounds around the city, seeing if there was anybody in need of help or a little Paladin justice.

 

Etienne was about six months old, whining shrilly when he saw that his beloved tail-buddy was leaving, struggling a little in Astarion’s arms.

 

“I know.” He chuckled, voice low and soothing, “How about a nap? Would that make you feel better?”

 

Etienne let out a shrill noise, which Astarion took to mean ‘no.’

 

Softly, he started to hum, swaying back and forth as an old elven lullaby came to mind, one that he remembered his own Emya singing to him once upon a time.

 

“If I had words…to make a day for you…”

 

….

 

“…I’d sing you a morning…golden and new.”

 

Astarion woke with a start, seeing that it was already morning, the last notes of the lullaby dying off.

 

But he couldn’t be sure that it was in his dreams.

 

He emerged from the tent, looking around and seeing that it was only Pollux awake.

 

“Did you hear that?”

 

“…Hear what?”

 

He paused for a moment, before shaking his head weakly, “I-I don’t- forget it.” And then he paused again.

 

He was here.

 

This wasn’t a dream.

 

Tav!

 

….

 

Tav had tried to sleep.

 

Then again, he had been ‘trying’ to sleep for the past two hundred years, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. Without a warm body in his arms, sleep had been...elusive.

And when he did sleep, it was usually disturbed by a nightmare.

 

The previous night had been no different, but he had gotten enough to prepare him for the day, slowly emerging from his tent, only to hear a cry of his name, as a familiar figure came to a stop in front of him.

 

Astarion looked like he was in shock, and very quickly, Tav figured out what was going on.

 

“Hey.” He chuckled, “Realised that this isn’t a dream?”

 

He was expecting Astarion to run into his arms...for him to press their lips together like they always did after hours being away from each other, let alone two hundred years.

 

But Astarion didn’t move.

 

“Star?”

 

“I- “ The stunned look vanished, to be replaced with the confidence that had quite a few criminals wishing that they were facing literally any other magistrate.

 

A dangerous look, despite the smile.

 

“- Darling, I can’t believe that I actually have to thank those...creatures for something.” he joked, looking like he was going to reach out for a moment, for shrinking back, “We have plenty to catch up on, I'm sure...perhaps we should get moving though? We wouldn’t want to risk that ritual being completed before find this oh-so-important evidence, hmm?”

 

And then he was gone, leaving Tav standing in front of his tent in confusion. He then looked over at the other tiefling, who was carefully trying not to make it look like he’d been eavesdropping.

 

“That was…odd, right?” He asked, as the younger man sighed.

 

“Honestly…I have no idea anymore.”

 

That was fair.

 

…..

 

Haarlep had some time to himself finally, so he was less impressed when Raphael strode into the room, that shit-eating, smug grin on his face.

 

“Oh, please…just come in.” He teased, “I suppose you know where the imp is?”

 

“Who knows.” Raphael clapped his hands together, “A wonderful opportunity has just risen up for us. A chance for us to both get the revenge we desire.”

 

Honestly, Haarlep had no real desire for revenge.

 

Yes, he hadn’t exactly chosen this job, but he couldn’t say that he was upset by it.

 

He sipped at his wine, vaguely listening to Raphael as he went off on his spiel, hearing a commotion from further in the house as one of the servants snapped out a warning, clearly trying not to sound too threatening.

 

Sounding threatening was not the best way to survive in this House.

 

“The imp is causing trouble.” He interrupted, seeing Raphael pause for a moment, before he waved the concerns away. Haarlep shrugged.

 

If anything was broken, the cambion could deal with it then.

 

“You’re so sure that you can push these mortals into making a deal with you.” He then sighed, “How?”

 

“Oh, help them out here and there and then- “ Raphael clicked his fingers, “- I’ve got them right where I want them.” Within a few steps, he was in his more human form, brushing out the silks as though that would get rid of the stench of Avernus, “How do I look?”

 

“Delectable…as always.” Haarlep arched his back a little, wings fluttering out behind him, “I don’t suppose I could persuade you to- “

 

But Raphael was already gone.

 

Sighing, Haarlep turned towards the doorway, where familiar, fiery pink eyes watched him curiously.

 

“I think… a little bit of trickery is needed here, hm?”

 

…

 

The morning had started off pretty average.

 

Pollux had discovered the goblins had found their way into some tunnels that might have given them complete access to the Grove, had it not been for the statue traps that barred the way.

 

The druid they had saved would prevent anyone else from accessing it though.

 

“I think there’s a Harper stash nearby.” Pollux sighed, after they reset the traps, “Just up those rocks. They might have some health potions that we can pinch before we carry on.”

 

Gale was the only one who didn’t look overly happy at that but was promptly ignored as they all made their way up.

 

They reached the top.

 

CRACK.

 

“My, my…what manner of place is this?”

Chapter 14: Raphael

“My, my…what manner of place is this? A path to redemption or a road to damnation?”

 

The man behind them was…pretty ordinary looking. Dressed like a nobleman you’d expect to find in Baldur’s Gate, one of those rich men who acted like every nice thing they did was ‘charity’ and they should be praised for that.

 

And yet…there was something else.

 

“Hard to say, because your journey is just beginning. What would suit the occasion? The words to a lullaby, perhaps?” The man smirked, “The mouse smiled brightly! It had outfoxed the cat…and then down came the claw and that, love, was that.”

 

Tav vaguely knew the lullaby.

 

Cormyrian if he was-

 

“- Correct.” The man smirked at him, “They do know how to write them, don’t they?” He bowed a little towards them, revealing shades of grey going through dark locks, “Well met, I am Raphael…very much at your service.”

 

“Are we talking to the mouse or the cat?”

 

Raphael chuckled, “Neither… the fox rather, hiding in a word; a silent observer – about to break the silence.”

 

Fairly honest.

 

“Of course, what I have to say merits some privacy, as well as some more…let’s call it refinement.” Raphael sighed, “This quaint little scene is decidedly too middle-of nowhere for my tastes….come.”

 

There was a flash of light, before they found themselves in the middle of a rather extravagant room, decorated in shades of red and gold, a table sitting in the middle of the room that was covered in food.

 

“There…middle-of-somewhere.”

 

“Nice décor.” Tav sighed, making the man chuckle, “I don’t suppose you can be a bit more specific than somewhere?”

 

“The House of Hope! Where the tired come to rest and the famished come to feed…lavishly. Go on, partake, enjoy your lunch…after all, it just might be your last one.”

 

“Are all these theatrics leading us somewhere?” Pollux muttered, gaze focused at something near the table as Tav pretended like he hadn’t heard him.

 

“And why do you say that?” he asked.

 

“Call it a ninth sense.”

 

There came the warmth of flames billowing up from the floor, surrounding the man. Once they cleared, he looked very different. Horns…wings…flaming eyes.

 

Devil.

 

Or…Cambion at the very least.

 

Definitely purer of blood than a mere tiefling.

 

“What’s better than a devil you don’t know.” Raphael purred, “A devil you do. Am I friend? Potentially. An adversary? Conceivably. But a saviour? That’s for certain.”

 

“What makes you think we need saving?” Pollux asked, now crouched down in front of the table, a soft smile on his face.

 

“Come now, why play hard to get when you’re in deep over your tadpoled head. One skull, two tenants and no- is there something wrong with my table?”

 

“With the table? No.”

 

“Then wha- “

 

A red figure darted out from under the table, grabbing handfuls of the food as it cackled. It then turned, moving as though it were going to throw the food at them.

 

Not an imp, like Tav first suspected.

 

But…not a little devil either.

 

Not with glowing pink eyes like that.

 

A warning blast of fire at the child’s feet had him scurrying out of the room with another pearl of laughter, prompting Tav to turn to Raphael. He looked a little less composed now, as Tav fought to hide his smirk.

 

He knew that feeling.

 

Children had that effect on you.

 

“Might I suggest some parenting tips?” Gale piped up, only to grunt when Wyll nudged him harshly in the side, “Apologies.”

 

Raphael straightened up, clearly expecting the incident not to be brought up again, “I can fix all your problems just like that.” He clicked his fingers again, smirking at them all.

 

“Do you think we’re mad?” Tav raised an eyebrow, “Making deals with devils?”

 

Behind him, he heard Astarion muttering something about it being an option, but ignored it, seeing the way Raphael looked over at Wyll, that sly smirk still on his face.

 

“What is madness but a denial of reality.” Raphael shrugged, “Still, I have a feeling that you’ll change your minds before it is too late. Before it is changed for you. Try to find a cure, shop around…beg, borrow and steal, exhaust every possibility until none remain. And when hope had been whittled down to the very marrow of despair…that’s when you’ll come knocking on my door.” He chuckled, “Hope…such a tease.”

 

“And if we do want to take this deal?” Pollux spoke up, “How do we find you?”

 

“Oh, I’ll be around…watching you squirm like a tadpole through a juicy brain. All those pretty symptoms – sundering skin,dissolving guts – they haven’t manifested yet, have they? One might say that you’re a paragon of luck… I’ll be there when that luck runs out.”

 

There was a flash of light and then they were back on that cliff edge.

 

Nobody spoke.

 

Nobody seemed to know what to say.

 

….

 

After finding out that the cult, the Absolute and True Souls were all linked to their tadpole, Pollux persuading an Owl-Bear mother to not kill them and then removing a spearhead from the back of its neck, finding out that Ethel was truly a hag (if the disappearing act was anything to go off), they decided to take a short rest.

 

It wasn’t a surprise when the conversation turned to Raphael.

 

“The devil is playing with us.” Astarion snapped, after Gale argued with Wyll, saying that maybe they shouldn’t dismiss the offer off-hand, that the devil wanted something from them in return for getting rid of the tadpole, “He reminds me of…someone I used to know.” He looked away from them, “Someone that used to like to play with people the exact same way.”

 

Tav wanted to know more.

 

He needed to know more.

 

The words got caught in his throat though, and by the time he thought that he might be able to get them out again, the subject had changed to the small being that had ran from the room.

 

A child.

 

His hand moved to the pouch he kept at his side, barely hearing the discussions about how a devil ended up with a child. Was it his? A weird creature that just looked like a child? Something else entirely? Gently, he pulled a little piece of paper out.

 

The drawing was a simple little thing.

 

A traditional toddler drawing, where you had to mentally hope that they told you want it was, instead of making you guess. Still, it reminded Tav of brighter days, and there wasn’t a day that went by where he didn’t look at that picture.

 

He had his husband back, but not his son.

 

He traced his fingers over the pink and purple figure that he supposed had been his sons’ attempts at drawing them.

 

“Um…Tav?”

 

He looked up, seeing Pollux moving closer, a cup of tea in his hands.

 

“You looked like you might need it.” He whispered, “You’ve been…staring at that picture for a while.”

 

It was then that Tav realised that the conversation seemed to have long finished, with everyone looked like they were ready to venture further into the sunlit wetlands.

 

Tav took the cup of tea thankfully, but not before carefully folded the picture back up and slipping it back into his pouch. “Thank you.” He sighed, taking an appreciative snip of the tea, “I hope there’s something a little stronger in this?”

 

“I wish.” Pollux groaned, “We have some wine, but trust me when I say, that doesn’t taste good in tea.”

 

“Learnt the hard way?”

 

“Yep.”

 

Tav turned his attention back to the drawing in his hands, seeing Pollux take a seat next to him, “I think my son was about two when he drew this…all this talk of children had me feeling a little…melancholy I suppose.”

 

Examining the drawing carefully, Pollux chuckled. “Your family?”

 

“Well done. I admit, I don’t think I managed to get it the first time.”

 

“Hoped he would tell you?”

 

Tav forgot that Pollux probably went through this with the child who had been climbing on him at the Grove. “Exactly.”

 

There was another weak chuckle, before Pollux shook his hooded head, “Something I’m going to have to get prepared for I suppose.”

 

The words took a while to sink in, but when they did, Tav straightened up, “You- you? Or- “

 

“- The wizard, Rolan.” Pollux laughed, “I’ve just found out. It’s taking a while to sink in.” He was silent for a moment, before shaking his head, “Now that I think about it, I have no idea how to deal with children who might have magical abilities.”

 

“…You could ask Gale?”

 

“Ask Gale what?”

 

And up he popped, as Tav fought not to chuckle. He didn’t need to see Pollux’s face to know that he was probably rolling his eyes.

 

The urge only got stronger when Gale regaled them about the time he summoned a tressym and Pollux made a sound, not unlike a dying tressym.

Chapter 15: Shadow Druids

Gale had been a young man, partway through his studies when he heard the saying, ‘live your life to the fullest, because you only get one of them.’ At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, so consumed by having the attention of a Goddess on him, but now, as they trudged through mud and sludge, feeling like they’d never be clean again, Pollux clutching onto a note that highlighted Kagha’s betrayal…he couldn’t help but wonder if it was possibly to live a life TOO interesting.

 

“I wanted to ask…before we get back to the Grove.”

 

Gale jumped a little, looking over to see the dragonborn, Sanguinex, standing beside him, that dark eye fixated on him.

 

“Why does your condition need magic?”

 

Gale froze for a moment, before stopping in his tracks, the dragonborns’ face twisting in confusion at the pause. “Were you- were you eavesdropping?”

 

“You- “ Sanguinex frowned, “- You had the conversation right in front of me?”

 

…That’s right. They had.

 

The dragonborn was so quiet, despite his size, that it was easy to forget that he was there sometimes. The fact that he hadn’t mentioned it before, that nobody else was aware of it, and that he’d made sure that they were far enough from everyone was a telling sign.

 

“Think of it like…tribute.” Gale sighed, “Like a lessor being or kingdom would pay towards a more powerful neighbour to avoid invasion. The tribute keeps the peace…no tribute, then there could be war…catastrophic effects for everyone, and I mean everyone. The battlefield would extend way beyond the borders of my body alone.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

If Gale was expecting anything else to be said, it was cut off when Sanguinex suddenly paused, eyes spotting something along the path. He watched as the dragonborn moved forwards, pulling a boar out of the bushes.

 

A very dead boar.

 

Everyone else stopped as well.

 

Would now be a good time to ask about washing the mud off th-

 

“- Strange.” Shadowheart frowned, “It looks perfectly healthy, but it’s definitely dead.”

 

Tav moved forwards, bending down to examine it a little closer, fingers brushing the wiry hair to one side, revealing two little pinprick holes.

 

Gale fought not to look over at Astarion.

 

He’d spotted the elf returning to camp late last night, wiping blood away from the corner of his mouth, which connected a few dots for him and actually made him feel a little foolish at not seeing it before.

 

It would kill Tav though.

 

A paladin now married to a member of the undead congregation?

 

It just wasn’t plausible.

 

….

 

Tav couldn’t find out.

 

Astarion was not ashamed to admit that he was panicking just a little bit. Would Tav still see him as beautiful, wonderful and all the other adjectives he used with him, if he knew the truth?

 

He tried not to curl in on himself, watching as Wyll knelt by Tav, examining the same wounds with a frown.

 

“Vampire.” Wyll stated, “It’s been completely drained of blood. Probably only a few hours ago, judging from the freshness.”

 

“It’s just a dead pig though.” Astarion protested aloofly, “Surely we should be more concerned over dead bodies with these marks…if we start worrying about dead carrion all the time, we’ll never get our tadpole problem fixed.”

 

“That’s a good point!” Gale pointed out, almost a little too eagerly, “Maybe the vampire…isn’t targeting humanoids? Just animals? We can’t punish them for wanting to stay fed!”

 

“I don’t like it.” Wyll shook his head, “They probably didn’t attack us because we camped too near to the grove last night. In the future, someone needs to be on guard.”

 

Astarion jumped on the opportunity, playing up his clueless magistrate persona as best he could, “They’re that ferocious?” He injected a tinge of concern into his voice, “Then…you’re right. I’ll keep watch tonight, so we don’t have to worry about nocturnal visitors.”

 

That should give him some chance to work things out.

 

…

 

Shadowheart wondered if the high elf really thought he was fooling anyone.

 

She looked over at Pollux, who had his head in his hands, almost looking exasperated by the words coming from Astarion’s mouth. She then looked at Tav, who rolled his eyes fondly as he pushed himself to his feet.

 

“Thank you for volunteering.” The tiefling chuckled, “Come on. Let’s not worry about vampires right now and get back to the Grove to stop this ritual.”

 

Love.

 

It was a funny thing.

 

She hissed as the wound on her palm shot pain up and down her arm, shooting Lae’zel a glare when the gith sneered at her, before they continued on their way.

 

…

 

‘Huh’ Astarion thought to himself, ‘That was easy.’

 

….

 

Pollux barely paid anyone any attention as they re-entered the Grove. Rolan and Dammon both saw right through him, going to coral the rest of the tieflings, who looked like they might follow, hushing Guex when he loudly asked what was going on.

 

The druids parted like the oceans in old God stories, none of them looking him in the eyes.

 

He entered the Inner Chambers, heading straight for Kagha, who straightened up at the sight of him.

 

“What?” She hissed, “Come to call me more of a monster?”

 

“…I know this has all been to hand the Grove over to the Shadow Druids.” Pollux stated bluntly, “I know the truth Kagha.”

 

“What?!”

 

The rats around their feet froze, before there were three flashes of light, and in their place stood three halfling druids, all marked with dark tattoos.

 

“That damned nose of yours has gone poking in our business then?” The leader sneered at Pollux, “Too much like your old man.”

 

“Mistress Olodan, I can explain!” Kagha blurted out, only for Olodan to gently hush her.

 

“No need. It couldn’t be helped.”

 

“Kagha!” Rath finally managed to snap out of his shock, “What is the meaning of this?!”

 

“You think yourself quite the spy, hm?” Olodan sneered at Pollux, “Go on, why don’t you tell him?”

 

Pollux held up the slightly stained letter, holding it towards Rath. “This will explain everything. Kagha has thrown her lot in with the Shadow Druids, and this was all to hand the Grove over to them.”

 

“Shadow druids…Kagha have you lost your mind?!”

 

“You and Halsin welcome untouchables to your midst.” Olodan stated, gesturing at Pollux, “Half breeds, infernals and all sorts. Your defile the Grove for the sake of harmony!”

 

“Olodan speaks the truth!” Kagha sounded to be almost pleading with her fellow druids, “Who among you disagrees! Who would see this grove in ruins?!”

 

For a moment, there was silence, before Rath stepped forwards, arms folded over his chest. “This Grove has never been healthier.” He stated, “The only rot here…is you.”

 

“So, the choice has been made.” Olodan shook her head, “Kagha, burn away the tainted. Start with the half-breed… we all know you’ve always wanted to.”

 

“As you say Olodan.”

 

“A fight it is then.” Lae’zel hissed, one hand already moving to her sword, “Good.”

 

“Shadows don’t save you.” Pollux stared right at Kagha, “They do nothing but corrupt those who are not made for them. You know this.”

 

“No, you-you don’t know what you’re saying! In shadows, we are purified!”

 

“Are we fighting or not?” Astarion hissed, as Pollux made a sign behind his back, urging him to stop.

 

“You know the ways of these druids…the grove will only decay and rot in their hands, you KNOW this!”

 

Kagha hesitated for moment. “When-when the darkest hours fell, it was us that brought light.” It was like she was thinking back to her times as a novice, reading the scripture for the first time, “Silvanus demands that we illuminate the shadows, not hide in them.” She shook her head, “How-how could I have been so blind?!”

 

“Careful Kagha!” Olodan warned her, “The shadows don’t forgive!”

 

“I belong to the shadows no longer! You have no power over me!”

 

“You would question my power? Mother Earth, hear me, grant me your wrath!”

 

“Now we’re fighting.” Tav sighed.

Chapter 16: Faith-Warden

Notes:

EDIT: Sanguinex is now a dragonborn barbarian, instead of a drow, but not much else has changed

He first started to feel it when he threw a Thunderwave Chromatic Orb at a large bear that was currently attempting to maul Astarion’s face off.

 

That tightening in his chest that made his eyes widen in pain, grunting through his next cantrip as he hurled a fireball at another shadow druid that Wyll was fighting.

 

Pollux and Kagha had Olodan pretty much pinned down, so it was up to him to keep up his work from the sidelines.

 

His vision started to blur a little, forcing him to stop for a moment whilst it cleared. It wouldn’t do to accidentally hit one of his teammates, leaning heavily against the nearest table. Thankfully, the fight was over not long afterwards.

 

With everyone concerned with Kagha, he took the chance to grab at his chest, hoping to push down the pain long enough for them to get back to camp.

 

….

 

Tav winced, downing a health potion as the claw marks on his side healed up. It wasn’t a hard fight, with even Shadow Druids not having the best of combat skills against trained fighters.

 

“How many times have you called me a monster over the years?” He heard Kagha whisper, clearly addressing a silent Pollux, “So many times, that I’ve lost count…and yet, here I am, proving you right.”

 

“She’s only just figuring this out?” Astarion muttered.

 

“You endangered a child.” Pollux’s voice showed no emotion, firm enough to drown out the little whispers behind him, “You’ve betrayed the Circle’s trust. The Rite will be stopped, and you will stand trial for what you’ve done. Zevlor and his people will remain here for as long as they want and THAT is THAT.”

 

“You’ll have no argument from me.”

 

Pollux nodded sharply, before turning to leave, only for Kagha’s voice to stop him in his tracks.

 

“Wait!” She sighed, “I-I have something to give you. Something to help you contend with these goblins.” She held up her hands, palms up as a staff materialised in them. “Faith-Warden.” She whispered, “Halsin he-he wanted you to have this a long time ago, but I always fought against the decision.”

 

“I- “

 

“- It is an honoured position. Once that I didn’t feel like you deserved...to me, you were nothing but an outsider, but after today...” She paused, taking in a deep, shuddering breath, “...perhaps I was the outsider.”

 

Slowly, Pollux reached out for the staff, taking it into his hands as a golden, glowing light filled the room briefly.

 

For a moment, there was silence, before Pollux was turning to Rath. “You’re in charge until I return with Halsin.” He stated, “Zevlor will help you as it should have been from the beginning and... well, I'm sure we can find someone neutral.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Pollux nodded sharply at them all, before turning to leave, the Faith-Warden staff clutched tightly in one hand.

 

“Is the wizard alright?” He then heard Astarion pipe up, as Wyll suddenly dashed forwards to catch said wizard.

 

“Gale!”

 

…..

 

“Apologies.” Gale winced as the dragonborn helped him into a nearby room, “You’ll have to speak slowly. I’m finding it quite difficult to concentrate with my condition gnawing away at my insides like a teething displacer kitten.”

 

“Condition?” Astarion frowned, “What condition?”

 

Wyll, who had been the one to stop Gale from completely embarrassing himself, watched on curiously. In fact, they all were, with the exception of Tav and Sanguinex, who both just looked concerned.

 

He’d…forgotten that they were even here.

 

This isn’t how he wanted this to go.

 

“Here.”

 

Gale turned, eyes widening when he saw Pollux holding out a ring of some kind, the Weave humming lightly over it.

 

“It’s just a Ring of Flinging, but it should help.”

 

Gale stared at the young man for a moment or two, mouth gaping open a little, before he reached out and took it, turning away as he pressed the ring into the glowing orb on his chest, the air and the Weave feeling tight around them for a moment, before the pain disappeared and he felt like he could finally breathe again.

 

“That-that hit the spot.” He panted, forcing himself to smile up at them all, before turning away, seeing the looks on their face, “How did you- “

 

“- You and Tav are not as quiet as you think you are.” Pollux stated, “Nor do the pair of you particularly pay attention to your surroundings.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

“What is it?” Sanguinex’s voice rumbled, echoing around the room, “What is the story behind this… condition?”

 

“Ah, well grateful as I am, the course of our camaraderie is much better served by not taking that particular detour just yet.” He took a deep breath, seeing that Tav was explaining the situation to the others who had not been privy to the first conversation, “Sincerely though, I understand I ask a lot from you with few answers in return…but in time, all will be told.”

 

Or they could continue the way that they had been.

 

After all, it wasn’t like they were going to be in this situation for long, right?

 

…..

 

Zevlor had learnt a lot over the last ten years since settling into the Grove.

 

A lot of it revolved around parenthood.

 

As Pollux made his way into his ‘office’, he caught eyes with the larger tiefling, Tav, seeing the concerned look there at the slight stumble that Pollux had along the way.

 

Where were you?

 

Where have you been for all these years?

 

“We’ll wait out here.” Tav stated, taking a step back, “Buy some supplies for the journey ahead, you know?”

 

“…Thank you.” The door shut behind him as Pollux sighed wearily.

 

“I-I don’t know if I can keep doing this?” He confessed, “Travelling with them like we’re just strangers that have been forced together but- but I can’t tell them. Not until I know the truth.” He looked over at Zevlor, “I need to know how Papa never found me.”

 

“He was probably just looking in all the wrong places.” Zevlor sighed, “One thing that Halsin taught me over the years, is that a good parent is very rarely perfect, because no one is. Maybe…he had a theory about where you were and followed that without even thinking of any other possibility.”

 

“Maybe.” Pollux was silent for a moment, before giving Zevlor a small smile, “Did Halsin give you any other parenting tips?”

 

“…Always utilize your support network.” Zevlor chuckled, “You have friends…and family who can help you.”

 

“You think I should tell them.”

 

“I think that the longer you wait, the more this will hurt when it does happen.” Zevlor sighed, “Another rule…was patience. Understand the others’ feelings. Your Papa hurt you, living this long and not finding you. Perhaps, making him wait isn’t the worst things in the world, and if it means that you can find out the truth about what actually happened.”

 

“…I think that’s the slightly vindictive side of you speaking there.”

 

Zevlor shrugged, clearing his throat, thankful that he had managed to make Pollux smile.

 

He remembered Halsin telling him that that was one of his goals for each and every single day.

 

‘Make Pollux smile at least once.’

 

Sad really, when you thought about it.

 

‘It’s okay if Pollux is mad at you…so long as you don’t let him stay that way for long.’

 

“Speaking of vindictiveness.” He broke the silence, “What happened with Kagha?”

 

As Pollux told him the story of the Shadow Druids, how Kagha had turned against them and stepped down, letting Rath, him and probably Findal take charge.

 

Getting the Faith-Warden staff.

 

So many new responsibilities had been piled onto the young man’s shoulder and whilst another one of Halsin’s rules was that regret was normal, and you had to forgive yourself because no one is perfect…it was hard not to feel ashamed that he couldn’t have prevented all of this from happening.

 

“I’m going to save Halsin.” Pollux whispered, “I promise.”

 

“I know.” Zevlor moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I never had any doubts.

 

…..

 

“I’ve heard of people being hungry for power, but you darling, take it a little too literally for my liking.”

 

Gale wanted to ignore the vampire, to snap out that as a vampire, Astarion really had no room to talk, but he bit the inside of his cheek and stayed quiet.

 

There was no point in arguing with him.

 

He wished Tav hadn’t wandered off to buy them supplies.

 

“I’m sure you’d know all about it.” Shadowheart quipped from the sidelines, prompting Astarion to turn to her with a delicately raised eyebrow.

 

“Are you trying to insinuate something darling?”

 

Shadowheart opened her mouth to answer, only for the stone door to open and Zevlor and Pollux exit, Zevlor raising at eyebrow at what he saw.

 

“Everything okay here?”

 

“Everything’s fine.” Gale sighed, “Completely fine.”

Chapter 17: Barcus Wroot

‘It’s a heart wrapped in silk.’

 

‘Hmmm, just the thing for my little, bloodthirsty assassin.’

 

‘…I would treasure your heart more.’

 

‘That might be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.’

 

“- going?”

 

Startled out of his thoughts, Sanguinex looked over at Lae’zel, who was sneering at him. They were trying to figure out where the goblin camp was, which meant trying to find any activities of goblins nearby.

 

Apparently, he’d been lost in thought and nearly gone the opposite way before the gith got his attention again.

 

“Keep up.” She snapped, before turning back to the others, not sparing him a second glance.

 

Wyll looked over at them, eyes narrowed a little in concern before continuing on their way. “There’s a village up ahead.” He reported, “I remember seeing it on the way to the Wetlands, and judging from the smell and the tracks, it had been over-run by goblins. There’s probably only one or two remaining, easily taken care of.”

 

….

 

One or two.

 

Pollux was tempted to throw something at the warlock, resisting the urge to rub at his sore ass, having lost his balance when one of the goblins threw a grease spell at them. Thankfully, they’d been taken out before they’d managed to set it on fire, but that didn’t help him with the loss of his dignity.

 

“Why is he talking to those ogres?” he heard Lae’zel hiss, looking up at her as she glared in the direction of an abandoned home, “What is the point?”

 

She was ignoring the slash on her forehead, from where she hadn’t fully managed to dodge an arrow, glaring at another abandoned home, where his Papa was indeed, talking to three ogres…. well, one very loquacious one.

 

“They might be good allies?” Pollux ventured, looking over at some chalk drawings in the middle of the path.

 

He remembered playing this game with several druid children once upon time, many of them now long dead. Playing on beautiful days where the afternoon sun shone through the colourful foliage of the large oak trees that lined the Grove.

 

“Tsk.” Lae’zel didn’t argue against the matter though, staring at the group, watching as Tav nodded shortly, accepting something from one of the ogres, before making his way back over to them.

 

“Alright?” He sent Pollux a teasing grin, before clearing his throat, “Sorry…so we might have just got some help against the goblins.” He held up a horn, “I’m not sure how reliable they’ll be, but- “He paused, hearing something at the opposite end of the village.

 

“HELP! LET ME DOWN! HELP!”

 

Looks like some goblins didn’t hear the earlier fight.

 

Pity.

 

…...

 

Barcus had lived in Baldur’s Gate all his life. He grew up in the small gnome homes there, that lay on the outskirts of the city. He was a part of that community and when he was betrothed and then married to his beloved Wulbren, he didn’t think that anything would destroy the peace that they made.

 

And then Wulbren stormed out and never returned.

 

The courting gift he’d given the other gnome was found in the hands of a ruffian.

 

That was when he decided that HE was going to be the saviour.

 

The hero.

 

Finding himself tied to a windmill, steadily growing sicker and sicker was not part of the plan in the slightest.

 

In hindsight...perhaps he should be grateful that they hadn’t realised that he was a carrier, having heard all the horror stories before.

 

Vaguely, he spotted a large group heading towards them…and hoped that they’d be kinder.

 

……

 

Gale watched the goblins all rush past them, casting nervous glances back at the group as they did so. He supposed that being a largely built tiefling like Tav, with the dragonborn Sanguinex behind him had a certain effect.

 

If he had all his powers, he might have the same effect on people.

 

…Or perhaps not.

 

“GET ME DOWN!” The deep gnome screamed from where he was still spinning.

 

“The brakes will be inside.” Astarion sighed, heading in that direction, as Wyll and Pollux followed him. Automatically, Gale found himself doing the same, Tav remaining outside to see if anything could be done there. Inside the windmill, were two levers.

 

Brake.

 

Release Brake.

 

“Well.” Pollux frowned, “That’s not helpful in the slightest.”

 

Outside, the gnome was still shouting for help.

 

“I don’t like the look of that Release Brake one.” Wyll ended up making the decision for them, pulling at the ‘Brake’ lever, before they all headed back out.

 

Thankfully, it seemed like the right choice had been made, the windmill slowly coming to a stop as Tav rushed to free the poor deep gnome.

 

“Uggh…. magga cammara.” The gnome cursed, wobbling from side to side, “Those p-p-pustulent thugs!” When he finally straightened up, he glared up at Tav, “Well? Get on with it then!”

 

“Ummm…” Tav frowned, “…Get on with what exactly?”

 

“Perhaps the windmill has made him…a little confused?” Gale whispered, as the gnome glared at them.

 

“No! You saved me and now I assume you want to extort me! That’s how this works, yes?”

 

“You don’t owe us anything.” Tav sighed.

 

“…. Nothing?”

 

“Actually…” Astarion paused when Tav shot him a look, rolling his eyes, “…How did you even get caught?”

 

“Oh…my own fault really. I should have dropped my pack and outran the bastards when I first saw them.” He shook his head, “You can keep my pack if you find it, its weight was the only reason I was caught. I think I’ll travel lightly from now on.”

 

“You seem to be a little far from home.” Tav commented as the gnome rolled his eyes.

 

“Ignorance is alive and well it seems. Deep gnomes aren’t limited to the Underdark you know, I lived in Baldur’s Gate for years!”

 

“I meant you’re a little far from Baldur’s Gate.” Tav raised an eyebrow at him, “No offence to the gnomes of the Underdark, but those clothes are clearly from the city.”

 

“Ah.” The gnome flushed a deeper shade of purple, “Apologies… I shouldn’t have assumed. I’m in search of my…friend. I fear he’s in trouble.” He pulled an ornately carved necklace from his pocket.

 

An obvious courting gift, if Tav had to guess.

 

It had blood on it now.

 

“I gave this to him years ago, and I found it on the neck of a thug in the Lower city! Speckled with blood and…he was gone. I thought it was odd that he hadn’t come back after a day, but to be captured. It’s happening all over the city, I know Beldron and Lunkbug were taken, and Skickpit and the others, but- “

 

“- But you never thought it would happen to him.” Tav finished softly, curious as to why deep gnomes were going missing.

 

“Exactly…but I have hope. I believe he’s in the Underdark. All I need to do, is follow the trail there.” He straightened, “I always help my friends. My name is Barcus Wroot by the way, and now, I must bid you farewell. If we should meet again…then we would have met again.” Barcus cleared his throat nervously, before moving on his way.

 

“That was…interesting.” Astarion hummed, “Anyway…he mentioned a pack?”

 

“Let’s set up camp first.” Tav sighed, “We can see if there’s anything interesting in the morning.” He looked over at Astarion, who was looking a little battered and bruised, “Heal up a little.”

 

“Sounds like a plan darling.” Astarion smirked, “Sounds like a plan.”

Chapter 18: The Vampire

“No, no, no, not into the- “ Astarion sighed as Etienne jumped into the largest puddle that he could find, giggling when water sprayed everywhere, “- You’ll make yourself sick. Then there’ll be no playing in the rain.”

 

Etienne giggled again, but this time the sound seemed to echo all around them, the cobbled streets of the Lower City, turning into haunted looking woods, with branches that seemed to reach out for them.

 

It was foreboding and he had his son in his arms seconds later.

 

“Hello?” He called out. “Is anyone there?!”

 

“First…”

 

He flinched at the voice, spinning around, tightening his hold on Etienne.

 

“…Thou shalt not drink the blood of thinking creatures.”

 

“I-I-I- “ Astarion clung tighter, “- I-I was just coming back to you.”

 

The lie was weak.

 

“Second. Thou shalt obey me in all things.”

 

“Absolutely, but I was kidnapped by-by mind-flayers!”

 

Etienne whimpered in fear, feeling thinner than he had before.

 

“Third... thou shalt not leave my side unless directed.”

 

The fear in his gut twisted, but he forced himself to keep smiling (as he so often did), hushing Etienne softly as a figure appeared in the distance.

 

“Fourth...thou shalt know that thou art MINE!”

 

Red eyes glowed and the little figure in his arms seemed to crumble, prompting him to look down, a gasp breaking free when all that remained, was a tiny skeleton in his arms.

 

“Etienne! Etienne!”

 

Clawed hands grabbed his cheeks, digging in cruelly, forcing him to look directly red eyes.

 

“MINE!”

 

….

 

Astarion shot up with a sharp gasp, getting to his feet and spinning around, searching for any signs of Cazador.

 

He needed to know that his Master wasn’t here.

 

He needed to be sure.

 

Silence.

 

Tav was fast asleep on his bedroll, one hand reached out towards where Astarion had been sleeping. Reaching out, but not touching.

 

He had every right to...they were married after all.

 

But he didn’t.

 

Astarion looked away from him, eyes focused on the woods beyond the village. He needed to feed, but with the bruises and aches all over his body, he knew that catching any prey was going to be harder than it needed to be.

 

‘Thou shalt not drink the blood of thinking creatures.’

 

He eyed Tav thoughtfully.

 

He could walk in sunlight, cross rushing rivers...he wasn’t sure about entering homes without permission but it stood to reason that that would probably be fine.

 

What about breaking his Master’s rules?

 

Could he do that without worrying about the man ever finding out?

 

Slowly, hesitantly, he moved closer to Tav.

 

….

 

Pollux watched from his tent as his Dad moved closer to his Papa. He’d watched the vampire break from his trance from what was clearly a nightmare, red eyes flickering around, missing Pollux’s gaze from the tent.

 

And then those eyes flickered to his Papa.

 

Oh Silvanus, please no.

 

…..

 

Tav wasn’t sure if it was the lingering threat of the tadpole in his head, the upcoming battle with the goblins, everything else going on around them, honed battle instincts, but he wasn’t sleeping.

 

Which is why he felt the presence above him.

 

He opened his eyes and saw a familiar face very close to his, two pairs of eyes widening in alarm.

 

“Shit.” His beloved curse, quickly backing away as Tav pushed himself up, “W-wait! It’s not what you think! I-I just needed…well, blood.”

 

“…I suppose the boars probably are giving this camp a wide berth now.”

 

It was meant to be said in a teasing way, but when Astarion looked even more panicked at the words, Tav realised that this seemed to have backfired.

 

“You- you knew?”

 

“Star…” He tried to reach out for him, only for Astarion to step back, “… You have been at the forefront of my mind from the day I met you, and I remember what colour your eyes used to be. And they weren’t red.”

 

“I- “

 

“- And then there are the- “ Tav gestured at the side of his neck, where the two puncture scars were, seeing Astarion reach up and touching his own neck. “…I held your body, but there was so much blood…I-I guess I missed all the signs that this would happen.”

 

Astarion was silent for a moment, turning away from Tav a little. “I-I usually drink from animals.” He whispered, “Boars, deer, kobold, that kind of thing… but after the fight, I-I wasn’t sure if I could manage even that.”

 

“…Why didn’t you tell me about all this earlier?”

 

“You’re a paladin! Oath of Devotion! At best, I expected you to banish me…at worst, a stake to the heart.”

 

“Never.” Tav whispered, “I’ve just gotten you back, I-I can’t- “

 

“- And if you become an Oath Breaker?”

 

“Then so be it.”

 

Astarion tensed, as though expecting lightning to come crackling down from the sky. When nothing happened, he relaxed a little as Tav continued to speak.

 

“I trust you Star…I’ve always trusted you.”

 

“…Enough to let me…” His voice trailed off, waving his hand a little, looking a little taken aback when Tav nodded.

 

“I’m not sure if it’ll be any good for you…holy oath and all that, but as long as you promise to only drink what you need to hunt?”

 

Astarion was already nodding eagerly by the end of the sentence, slowly moving closer as Tav remained where he was.

 

“How do you want to do this?”

 

“…You may be more comfortable lying down.”

 

Nodding, Tav went to do just that, watching Astarion get into position over him, before there was a sharp pain in the side of his neck, followed by a numbing sort of cold.

 

He gasped sharply, not sure how he felt about the odd sensation of having his blood sucked from him. It wasn’t…bad. Just different. When he started to feel a little light-headed, he gently pushed at Astarion’s shoulders. “Okay, I think that’s enough.”

 

There was a pause, before Astarion disconnected from him, wiping at his mouth, leaning back. His pupils were blown wide and there was a slight, overwhelmed shudder in his voice when he said, “That was…amazing.”

 

“Hm.”

 

Astarion seemed to notice the tone, looking a little guilty before he moved to kneel in front of Tav, taking his hands into his own, “This is a gift.” He whispered, “I won’t forget it.”

 

And so, Tav watched him leave…proud…happy…ready to hunt.

 

Gorgeous in a deadly way.

 

“Tyr help me.” He sighed, lying back and throwing an arm over his eyes, “What is wrong with me?”

 

…

 

Pollux saw that coming a mile away.

 

And frankly, it was more than he ever wanted to know.

 

….

 

“Good morning darling.” Astarion slinked up to Tav the following morning, “How are you feeling?”

 

“A little achy, but nothing that I can’t handle.” Tav rubbed the side of his neck, “How do you feel?”

 

“…Powerful. Happier than I’ve been in a very long time.” Astarion smirked, “Wait until you see what these teeth can do in battle.”

 

“I’m looking forward to it.” Tav chuckled, finding that he actually was…even if a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him just how different this version of his husband was to the moon elf he married.

 

He would get used to it.

 

He had to.

 

There was a beat of silence, before Astarion spoke up again, “I’m glad you’re being…well, you about this.” He chuckled, “That- I should have know that that would happen. I don’t know why I expected pitchforks and torches.” His eyes then widened, prompting Tav to turn, seeing the rest of the camp moving closer.

 

“Although, it seems like there’s still time.”

Chapter 19: Blighted Village

All in all, it went well.

 

Gale quipped about his blood not tasting good, as Sanguinex watched curiously behind him, an odd look in those dark eyes. Shadowheart muttered something about putting a bell on him, as Wyll gripped the handle of his scimitar, looking a little alarmed by the news. Lae’zel seemed accepting, unless Astarion tried to feed on her and Pollux...well, Pollux didn’t seem surprised in the slightest.

 

“I would have thought I went against the natural order of things?” Astarion questioned the druid, one eyebrow raised, “Undead and all that.”

 

“...I don’t go after vampire spawn.” Pollux’s voice was quiet, “Now a Lord? That goes against nature.”

 

“Oh? How so?”

 

“A Lord who makes spawn, has accepted their nature...” Everyone was quiet, watching as Pollux’s fists clenched just a little, “... they have chosen to subject more to their curse and for that, they are lost.”

 

Silence.

 

“You will find no arguments from me there.” Wyll cleared his throat, “Just...keep your fangs to yourself Astarion.” he then looked over at Tav and the marks on his neck, blushing a little, “Well, unless someone asks.”

 

“I trust him.” Tav reassured them, as Astarion nodded.

 

“See, we’re all friends again.”

 

“Let’s have a look around.” Pollux turned away from them all, taking several steadying breaths, “There’s an apothecary and a blacksmiths nearby. They probably have some spare supplies.”

 

“Agreed. Everyone pack up!”

 

….

 

The apothecary did have several herbs and other such supplies that they needed...along with coffins that contained animated skeletal warriors and a magical mirror that led to a secret laboratory that contained a clearly cursed book.

 

“Nobody’s getting it until we know exactly what it is.” Pollux ended up taking the book from Tav, just as Gale and Astarion started to bicker about it, “And whether or not opening it will kill us.”

 

The blacksmiths had a similar issue. Blueprints and plans for weapons that required Sussar bark, a plant found only in the Underdark, along with a passage that seemed to lead into web-infested tunnels.

 

“I don’t like this.” Shadowheart whispered, stepping forwards, only for her foot to get caught in the webbing, setting off reverberations.

 

Then came the clicking.

 

“And we’re about to like it even less.”

 

….

 

“I had that under control.” Pollux snapped as they made their way back up the well, “Completely and totally under control!”

 

“You were taking too long.” Astarion rolled his eyes, “How was I meant to know that you were going to take your time over destroying a few eggs.”

 

“There were more than a few eggs, and you know it!”

 

“I have several firebombs, that would have solved the issue immediately.”

 

“And definitely gotten her attention! At least my idea had a chance of- “

 

“- Alright, alright.” Wyll was the first to intervene, holding his hands up and stepping in between the pair of them, “We’ve killed a Spider Matriarch, saved more goblin kids from being eaten from the looks of the corpses down there- “He ignored the mutterings of some of the others, “- why don’t we move on. We still have ground to cover yet.”

 

“Why don’t we speak with the hag?”

 

They all turned to look at Astarion, who shrugged. “She did say that she might have a way to deal with this little…problem of ours.” He wriggled his fingers near his head, “It can’t hurt to check.”

 

“We must go to the Mountain Pass to find my people!” Lae’Zel snapped, “That is our priority!”

 

“Well, the hag is closer.”

 

“Are we completely forgetting about the goblin camp and Halsin?” Pollux piped up, “Isn’t THAT the priority?”

 

Tuning them out, Tav turned his attention to the amethyst that he’d found in the caverns…it would probably fit into the hole in that book they’d found.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

He looked up, seeing Gale take a seat next to him.

 

“Mm, just thinking.”

 

There was an awkward silence, before Tav sighed. “I wonder if I should intervene before this gets out of control.”

 

“Probably.” Gale chuckled, “Oh, to be the adult of the group.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Tav got to his feet, placing the jewel in a little pouch, vowing to look at it later, before clapping his hands together. “We can go and see the hag, even if it’s just to get a better idea about the tadpoles. We can go to the mountain pass and nobody has forgotten about the devil Karlach and the goblin camp.” He gestured at Gale, “Gale will set up some waypoints for us, so we can keep coming back here if we need to, and have this as a starting point…deal?”

 

There were a few mumbled mutters of agreement, making Tav sigh in relief.

 

“Alright…let’s have a short rest. Get the spider ick out of our clothes and calm down a little…maybe drink some antidotes for whoever got poisoned down there.”

 

He didn’t dare look over at Lae’zel, not wanting to possibly trigger her into thinking that he thought her as weak.

 

That was not something he wanted to go through right now.

 

…

 

“What do you think about him being a vampire spawn?”

 

The question from the dragonborn came out of nowhere, as Gale looked over at him, looking away from Astarion who was approaching a barn curiously.

 

“I think…we all have our burdens to bear.” He rubbed at his chest, seeing Sanguinex nod thoughtfully.

 

“Yes. I understand.”

 

Silence fell over them, and that seemed to be that.

 

……

 

After thoroughly embarrassing a poor bugbear who had decided to…have a bit of fun with a female orge, it was decided that they would go back towards the hag first and see what she had to offer them.

 

“There were a lot of children at that Grove.” Tav overheard Lae’zel speaking to Pollux, “Running around wild. Is there no discipline? No order?”

 

"Of course there is. How do you think they set up a thieves guild?"

 

"They all respect you. You are the crechemaster."

 

"I...suppose." Pollux hummed thoughtfully, “Most of them didn’t have parents to turn to…a lot of the other tieflings either had children of their own or were technically too young to consider it, so yeah…I guess they turned to me.”

 

“Crechemasters are respected.” Lae’zel stated, “Though I have known some that are too soft to properly induct children into their creches.”

 

“I…don’t know how to respond to that.”

 

“I think you would be a ‘soft’ one.”

 

“Probably. I used to sing an old lullaby to some of the younger ones when they had nightmares, or when there were storms. If that makes me soft, then so be it.”

 

Tav didn’t hear the reply as they approached the putrid bog-land, wondering where that horrible smell was coming from.

Chapter 20: Gandrel

“Forgive the aroma friend. Powdered iron-vine...an old hunter's trick. A monster will think twice before trying to make a snack out of me.”

 

Gur.

 

Tav resisted the urge to tense up completely, not wanting this man to see the hostile nature underneath.

 

He made a vow.

 

No hurting innocents.

 

It was a vow he reaffirmed three days after his beloved died and his child went missing. The Gur were responsible for both, he was sure of that, and so, he had knelt at the statue of Tyr, promising that he would set out on this campaign, but not kill unless they were truly guilty.

 

Tyr had listened.

 

And so, he had gone from one Gur tribe to another, searching for any signs that Etienne had been there. A half-elf/half-tiefling child was a unique being…what if he’d been sold on somewhere.

 

What if they were using him as some sort of revenge?

 

What if they’d killed him already? Looted his tiny body…. In which case, he’d be looking for a tiny gur child, playing with a bear that had an arm sewn on the wrong way.

 

He met decent Gur, who tried to point him in the right direction, and bad ones who fell to his blade, his vow upheld in the eyes of Tyr.

 

“A monster hunter?”

 

Coming out of his memories, he looked over at Astarion who looked just as tense (Tav wasn’t surprised in the slightest), hiding it behind a carefree smile.

 

“Odd, I though all Gur were murderous, cutthroat thieves.”

 

Astarion was tense, but when Tav looked behind him, he could see that Pollux looked just as wary. The others were all confused about why Astarion and Tav didn’t look happy to be there, but Pollux looked like as soon as this Gur made a wrong move, he would attack.

 

“Yes…” He eventually said, “… I’ve heard something similar.”

 

“Oh of course.” The Gur sighed, “And I’m sure you’ve heard all about how we’re a mythical and very dangerous group of people, never settling in one place for too long. We steal your chickens, curse your crops, seduce your daughters- “

 

“- Kill your husbands.” Tav interrupted tersely, stunning the Gur into silence for a moment.

 

“I- I know there are groups like that. Alas, I’m just a simple wanderer.” Wisely, the man didn’t hold out a hand, “My name is Gandrel. A simple, wanderer and monster hunter…not a witch doctor or a cut-throat.”

 

Silence.

 

“You seem to believe the stories that you’ve heard…I’ve heard tales of large purple tieflings as well, that I’m sure are untrue.” Gandrel stated, “Never judge a book by its cover and all that.”

 

An awkward silence fell over the group before Wyll cleared his throat and spoke up, “I assume you’re here to kill the hag then?”

 

“Or something more terrifying?” Astarion’s voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, “Dragons? Cyclops? Kobolds?”

 

“Nothing quite so dramatic.” Gandrel stated, “I’m hunting for a vampire spawn.”

 

Almost immediately, everyone froze, and Tav didn’t need to look over at Astarion to know that he was shrinking back a little.

 

“His name is Astarion, but I fear he’s gone to ground. I was hoping that the hag of these lands could help me flush him out…if could afford her blood price of course.”

 

Tav dared to look over at his husband, who gave him a worried look back…it was almost like he was expecting Tav to just hand him over to this man.

 

“I assume…” Astarion’s voice was oddly steady, “…that you mean to kill this spawn?”

 

“Actually, my orders are to bring him back to Baldur’s Gate, where my people wait for me.”

 

“Well, best of luck to you!” Gale piped up nervously behind them, “Mind you, it’s just a spawn, right? Should be easy, I hear they’re nowhere near as dangerous as a Vampire Lord.”

 

“I don’t know, I think a spawn could still rip your throat out, should he feel like it.” Astarion snapped back, as Tav wanted to despair.

 

‘He’s trying to help, in his own little way!’ He wanted to scream, but now was not the time.

 

“Your friend is right!” Gandrel was oblivious, “A vampire spawn is still very dangerous! In fact, they’re only weak when compared to the powers held by their masters. You should set up some guards tonight.”

 

“Hm.” Tav nodded, “Yes, I’m sure they can just sneak up on you in the middle of the night.”

 

‘Really?’ He tried not to flinch when he heard Astarion’s voice in his mind, ‘Are you really going there darling?’

 

“Well, if you’re insisting that this threat is so real, then we will definitely do that!” Gale piped up again, voice a little panicked, which Tav hoped the Gur would simply take as the wizard being scared at the prospect of a vampire spawn walking around, more than anything else.

 

“Oh, the threat is real.” Astarion stated slowly, red eyes meeting flaming blue as he looked up at Tav, “We should do something about it.”

 

Behind them, Gale made a noise of confusion as Pollux leant in closer.

 

“We can’t let him leave.” He whispered to the wizard, “If he ever gets a physical description of him, then he might try and follow us.”

 

“But- “

 

Pollux was right.

 

“Alright Astarion.” Tav sighed, “Go on.”

 

Maybe…there was just a hint of revenge in there, but as he wasn’t the one to strike the first blow, his oath was still intact.

 

“Excellent.” Astarion pulled a dagger from his belt, as Gandrel took a step back in alarm, eyes darting to the sun that was still shining high above them.

 

“Astarion? No! It can’t be!” He pulled a crossbrow from his back, firing an ensnaring arrow at Astarion, stopping him in his tracks as the others leapt into action.

 

As Gale’s Magic Missile finally finished him off, Sanguinex went to rip the vines that were keeping Astarion pinned apart, pulling the elf to his feet. He opened his mouth to say something, only for Astarion to pull away, shaking a little and running his hands threw his hand.

 

“Let’s take a break.” Tav sighed, “Just a little one.”

 

There were a few mumbles of agreement, an awkward silence falling over the group.

 

Tav went to loot the body, examining the crossbow thoughtfully, only to pause when he felt Astarion moving up beside him.

 

“Tales of large purple tieflings?”

 

Tav sighed, “It’s a long story.”

 

“We have time.”

 

“…They killed you. I-I thought they were the ones who killed you, and because I couldn’t find Etienne, I assume they’d taken him. So yes, warning stories of a large purple tiefling stalking and hunting down Gur tribes has probably made the rounds.” He shrugged, “I only ever dealt with those who’d committed evil or cruel deeds.”

 

“…Because of what happened.”

 

“Because of what happened.”

 

Astarion was silent for a moment, before looking away. “Thank you.” He whispered, tensing when Shadowheart made her way over.

 

“So, now we have monster hunters to worry about.” She stated, voice a little harsher than what Tav would have liked, as Astarion smirked.

 

“Well, not anymore, which is all that matters really.”

 

“Why were they hunting you specifically?” Wyll then asked, “I’ve been a monster hunter, it’s rare for us to know their names and from the sounds of it, if it was just a capture mission, it was something personal to them.”

 

“I don’t know.” The answer came quickly…a little too quickly, “I don’t know why they just wanted to capture me…. although…it may be that my master wants me back.”

 

“…Master?” Tav whispered, “Who?”

 

“Cazador Szarr.”

 

Tav felt a little sick. He knew that name, everyone in Baldur’s Gate knew that name. An eccentric elven lord who was known as a bit of a recluse, never seen during the day.

 

Never seen during the day.

 

Why didn’t he see it before.

 

“He was at that gathering.” He whispered, “That one that happened a week before- “ He froze when Astarion visibly tensed.

 

An awkward silence fell over them, before Pollux cleared his throat.

 

“Are we sure that Cazador is the one behind this?”

 

“It has to be him!” Astarion snapped, “Only he would know to send the Gur after me, he was there when they practically killed me after all.”

 

“He was there?”

 

At the desperate whisper, Astarion turned back to his husband, red eyes widening when he saw the look on his face.

 

If Cazador had been there as well...had Tav been travelling down the wrong path in order to find their son?

 

There was a voice in the back of Astarion’s mind that confirmed that following the Gur had been pointless...but he wasn’t sure why.

 

“This is a message.” He couldn’t bear to look at his husband any longer, “This is Cazador’s way of proving his power over me. Even out in the middle of nowhere, he still has ways of getting to me…and he wants me back.”

 

“Why not just kill you?” Shadowheart frowned, “Surely that would be easier?”

 

“Oh, he probably just wants to make an example of me.” The tone was flippant, but it was clear that that mask was now back in place, “Show what happens to naughty runaways. Or, maybe he thinks that death is just too good for me.”

 

“You’re safe with me.” Tav reached out to take Astarion’s hand, only to flinch back when his husband took a step back and glared at him.

 

“Safe? Do you know the power a Vampire Lord possesses?” He snapped, “He can change shape; turn into mist, call wolves to do his bidding, shrug off blows like they’re nothing. There’s only one being that’s every managed to get close to killing him, and they’re probably dead at his hands!” He was starting to shake a little, “He could walk into our camp tonight and kill you with his bare hands…and you’d be lucky if death was the worst thing that happened to you.”

 

“What do you suggest we do then?”

 

Astarion opened his mouth to reply, before pausing, looking down at the ground. “I-I don’t know. If we kill his lackey’s, he’ll just send more. We’ll just have to be vigilant, keep our wits about us…and kill any monster hunters on sight.” He then turned to Wyll, “Present company excluded of course.”

 

“Thank you….I think.”

Chapter 21: Aunt Ethel; Part 1

They all decided to take a short break after meeting the Gur.

 

Tav needed it, tempted to pull some wine from his packs and down a bottle, just to stop that niggling voice in the back of his mind that told him that he’d been on the wrong path for years, decades…over a century and his son might have suffered for it.

 

“Tav?”

 

He looked up, seeing Pollux standing there.

 

“We’re going to head to the hag’s now?”

 

“Right…of course.”

 

“…Are you alright?”

 

“Not particularly.”

 

Pollux was silent for a few moments, before clearing his throat, “So…you thought your son had been taken by the Gur.”

 

“It was the only theory I had. If I’d known about Szarr and vampires, I would have- “ He cut himself off, feeling the frustration bubbling up inside of him, not wanting to lash out at the younger tiefling.

 

It wasn’t his fault after all.

 

“- It wasn’t your fault.”

 

Tav gave the other a sharp look, as Pollux held his hands up.

 

“No mind-reading necessary… I just figured that that was what you were probably thinking.”

 

Chuckling, Tav had to give him that one. “I was thinking that.” He admitted, “I just- it’s all gone to shit in a matter of days and everything I thought I knew has been flipped upside down and all around.”

 

“Yeah…I understand what you mean.”

 

And Tav heard in his tone, that yes, he seemed to be telling the truth.

 

But there was also something else that wasn’t being said.

 

…..

 

The hag did have Mayrina, making her disappear when the adventurers focused on her a little too much.

 

“I don’t like this.” Wyll muttered, “That girl was clearly in trouble? Why are we even negotiating with- “

 

“- I can still hear you, dearie!” Ethel sneered at him, “Besides, I rather think you’re used to making deals? Hmm?”

 

It wasn’t a secret that Wyll was a warlock, but from the way he tensed, it was clear that there was more to the matter.

 

“I can deal with your wrigglers…but I don’t work for free dearie.”

 

Tav had to admit, that he didn’t like this either. Before he could open his mouth to state that they weren’t making any deals with her, Sanguinex was stepping forwards, the white dragonborn folding his arms over his chest.

 

“What’s the price?” He asked.

 

“One of your pretty little peepers.” She smirked at him, not at all put off by his demeaner, “I’ll pluck it from your head, kiss it for luck, and then back in it goes. Won’t take but a moment…that is my price. Nothing more, nothing less.”

 

“Why do you want an eye?” Astarion sounded vaguely disgusted by the very idea.

 

“That’s my business petal, but it’s nothing nefarious, I promise.”

 

“Deal.” Sanguinex’s voice rumbled around the room, as they all turned to him in shock.

 

“Glorius…now, Aunt needs her proper nails for this.”

 

And then there she was…the Hag in her true form.

 

Lae’zel hissed at the sight, one hand moving to her sword, only for Gale to quickly grab it (he quickly removed it again when the gith shot him a vicious look). Even Astarion looked a little disturbed by the sight in front of him.

 

“Much better.” The Hag rolled her shoulders, “That meat suit can be so restraining!”

 

From there, they watched as Sanguinex offered up his right, red eye for the plucking, grunting in pain when one of those sharp talons stabbed into said eye, plucked the eye out, before it was shoved back in.

 

“There…that wasn’t so bad now, was it.” Ethel smirked, as Sanguinex looked up at the ceiling, fists clenched, breathing heavily. It was almost as though he was used to the pain and how to deal with it.

 

Tav found himself moving a little closer to make sure that the eye was still there. Would Shadowheart need to heal it? Could it get infected?

 

When Sanguinex finally straightened up, Tav was a little relieved to see that nothing much seemed to have changed with it, not even the colour by the looks of it.

 

“Now hold still.” Ethel sneered, “Unless you want tentacles for a mouth.”

 

She held a taloned hand up to the side of Sanguinex’s head, focusing intently on him…and then Sanguinex doubled over in pain, both hands moving up to his head to try and relieve some of that pain.

 

And then the hag screamed.

 

“Gods damned wretched- “She glared at him, “You little shits! You didn’t tell me it was goddamned Netherese! I’m not touching that!”

 

“Netherese?” Wyll whispered, looking over at Gale, who looked pale at the mention of the word.

 

“Filthy shadow magic! Bring nothing but chains and misery! How could I have missed that stink?! Like blood and piss congealing on my tongue!” She leant in closer, “Someone’s tampered with your parasite…probably why you haven’t turned yet.”

 

“Tampered with?” Astarion frowned, “What do you mean?”

 

“Christ, I've always said that high elves were noting but brainless fancies!” The hag sneered, as Astarion glared at her, “That tadpole has been touched by more than mindflayers! You’re all dead souls walking...I can’t help you.”

 

“What about his eye?”

 

“What about it? I held up my side of the bargain. It’s not my fault that wriggler’s been tampered with shadow magic!” She sneered at them all, “I want nothing to do with you, or that scum in your brain! Now GET OUT!”

 

“So, you’re not powerful enough?” Wyll commented, as everyone turned to him slowly, wondering just what he was doing.

 

“I’d KILL you for that...but why deny your wrigglers the pleasure?” She cackled and disappeared, leaving the cottage hauntingly silent.

 

“Look around.” Wyll ordered, “There must be some hint as to where she’s taken Mayrina.”

 

Mayrina...with her dead brother literally gutted out in the wetlands.

 

Closing the large wooden doors, Tav hoped that the Redknaps outside continued to just wander around without trying to get involved. They picked up potions, herbs and all manner of scrolls and gold.

 

“Technically we’re stealing from her.” He sighed, “Someone just remind me that she’s a hag and I still slightly hold the moral high ground?”

 

“You hold the moral high ground love.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Hey, there’s something up with this fireplace!”

 

……

 

Sanguinex was straight up, not having fun in the slightest.

 

Finding themselves in a room full of past hag victims, most of them dead, some petrified, and one elf who was cowering in the corner, eyes wide, screaming out they were all mindflayers.

 

The door, was apparently another victim, too scared to let anyone through, not again.

 

“Come now.” Astarion frowned, “If we kill the hag, you’ll be free. We can make it as brutal as possible, if that’ll make you feel better?”

 

Sanguinex rubbed at his eye as the door showed them the vision of the hag simply walking through the door, hating how itchy it felt.

 

“Do you want to sit this one out?”

 

He looked over at Astarion, who was staring at said eye, almost curiously.

 

“No.” He snapped, “I’m fine.”

 

“You had your eye pulled out of your head.” The druid was there in an instant, standing beside the vampire, “Excuse us for being concerned.”

 

“…I’m fine. Let’s go.”

 

How pretty the pair would look, pierced on his claws, gasping out in pain as he slowly pulled them apart.

 

“Come on.” The warlock’s voice cut through the dark voice in the back of his mind, “She’s through here.”

Chapter 22: Aunt Ethel; Part 2

A room full of victims…dead…alive…petrified…alive and unable to see anything but the future. The horrific future as the elf screamed ‘mindflayers!’ at them.

 

And a man, now turned into a door.

 

“Let me try and sweet talk him into letting us through.” Astarion sighed, when it became clear that that was where the hag had gone, “Everyone has something they want above everything else after all.”

 

And what the door wanted, was the hag dead.

 

“I think we can manage that darling.” Astarion purred, as the image of the hag simply walking through the door became clear in all their minds.

 

Illusionary magic.

 

Of course.

 

“It’s like we’re playing hide and seek.” Pollux sighed, “Mind you, it always used to descend into fights when I was a child.”

 

“Fights?”

 

“Hmmm, whoever was the seeker would fight the person they found. If they won, they went to hide and the defeated person was it.” Pollux chuckled, “They stopped playing when they realised that Lihau was too good at it.”

 

“…Lihau?”

 

“The little tiefling boy who came running up to me? Zevlor and Halsin’s son?”

 

“I don’t think you ever told us his name?”

 

Pollux opened his mouth, before pausing. “Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t.” He shrugged, ”Anyway, he’s good at finding people, so nobody really plays hide and seek anymore.”

 

They stepped through the door and continued on their way.

 

…

 

People controlled by hideous looking masks, some of them managing to get past the control in order to try and stop themselves from attacking.

 

“Non-lethal attacks!” Tav ordered, “And try not to remove the masks, it might be- “ He was cut off as Sanguinex ripped the mask off of one of them, the woman letting out a sharp cry of pain, before collapsing to the ground.

 

“- Fatal?” Astarion finished, dodging as he was swung at, “Note taken.”

 

Knocking one out, Pollux took the time to examine the masks a little closer, frowning at the design. Hopefully, once they killed the hag, they could come back and take them off safely.

 

Once the last one was dealt with, they jumped through a nearby waterfall, freezing at the sight of the noxious fumes ahead of them.

 

“Does someone have any heavy rocks?” Astarion held out his hand, “Because if I know noxious gas, there’s usually a fragile vent involved, and don’t go near those flowers!”

 

Tav froze, from where he’d been trying to find a way around the gas.

 

“Because….I think those are bombs. Just what I would do if I wanted to make sure nobody would come down here.” Astarion gestured at the gas, “One wrong step and all this explodes and goes up in flames.”

 

Tav slowly backed away, just as Sanguinex pointed into the gas.

 

“The vent is there.”

 

“Thank you.” Astarion picked up a heavy rock and flung it at the vent, watching as the gas disappeared, before moving to disarm the flower bombs. Slowly, they moved deeper into the lair, slowly following on behind Astarion, growing tenser and tenser the closer that they got.

 

Wyll especially, looked tense.

 

“You’ve faced hags before, right?” Pollux asked him, “Surely this is a normal, everyday event for you?”

 

“I find that hags can be…tricky to deal with.”

 

“They die though.” Sanguinex grunted, fists clenched, an almost feral glint in his remaining, untouched eye, “Like everything else…they die. Screaming…bloodied…pleading for mercy.”

 

Silence.

 

“Right.” Gale cleared his throat, “Well, it was a strange confidence booster, but gratifying to hear none-the-less. Have you killed hags before? Is that something that you remember from your past?”

 

“Please don’t ask him for details.” Pollux muttered, “I have a feeling none of us will like the specifics.”

 

Sanguinex though, remained silent just as they reached the bottom of the winding, twisted branches.

 

“There! In the cage!”

 

…..

 

“I’ll rip your spine out your arsehole.”

 

Fundamentally tricky…easier to just pierce the back and grab it that way. Usually, the victim was still living, screaming and writhing in pain.

 

“I’ll use your blood to spice my stew.”

 

Blood did make stew taste nice.

 

“I’ll keep you alive until I’ve sucked the marrow from your bones!”

 

Tricky, but worth the effort.

 

“And then I’ll bring you back and do it all over again!”

 

Sanguinex had no idea what was wrong with him, shaking his head as the girl called out for them to leave. Why were these thoughts coming more frequently now?

 

What was happening to him?

 

….

 

“Deep down, you like being leashed, don’t ya?!”

 

The claws slashed into Astarion’s back as he cried out in pain, falling to his knees, clutching at his head.

 

“I-I don’t.” He whispered, “I-I don’t!”

 

…

 

“A pity! That tadpole actually made you interesting!”

 

Gale narrowly dodged a Ray of Sickness spell, firing off magic missiles to try and find the right hag, seeing that a couple of them were restrained by a Hold Person spell.

 

Pollux

 

Wyll.

 

Mayrina’s cage had been saved from the flames as Wyll had managed to throw some water on the cage before it burnt up completely.

 

And…now there were two Mayrinas.

 

As if this couldn’t get any more complicated.

 

“That one!” He called out, pointing at the one that he was sure was smirking behind her hands, even as she ‘cowered’ in fear. “Aim for that one!”

 

Tav was the first to leap forwards, Greatsword slashing down on one of the Mayrina’s, who screamed in pain, transforming back into the Hag.

 

“Clever clogs!” She spat out, malicious eyes focused on Tav, “The failure Paladin. A failure as a husband and a failure as a FATHER!”

 

Tav’s grip of the sword weakened a little, before he was propelled towards the edge of the cavern, narrowly managing to regain his balance.

 

“I-I didn’t know.” He whispered, clutching at his head, “Please! I-I didn’t know!”

 

‘Failure.’

 

He clutched at his head and fell to his knees.

 

…..

 

That Mayrina girl was utterly useless.

 

“MOVE!” Astarion screamed at her, as Lae’zel charged forwards with a bellowing cry, not caring that at least three of her fingers were broken, gripping at her sword nonetheless, “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”

 

She just about managed it, but probably only because the sight of a charging gith was scarier than everything else going on around her.

 

“Can we finish this yet?!”

 

…..

 

“They left you! Abandoned you!”

 

Pollux bit his lower lip, trying not to let the words get to him.

 

He knew the truth now.

 

He moved a little closer, thankful for Lae’zel’s distracting the hag as he took a deep breath and stepped out.

 

“Ad Ventum!”

 

With a deafening scream, the hag was blown into the cavern, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence.

 

“Well done.” Wyll clapped his hands weakly, before grimacing and popping his thumb back into place, “Now, can we please- “

 

“- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

 

“…Saved you?”

 

As Mayrina glared at them, Tav sighed wearily.

 

Of course.

 

There was always a catch.

Chapter 23: Gale & Astarion

The joyful sound of the people who were wearing the masks (and survived the initial fight), and the recovered elf and petrified dwarf were not quite enough to make Tav feel better.

 

They’d raided the hag’s lair, finding a few useful items, plus some potions that seemed…questionable at best.

 

Mayrina was heading towards Baldur’s Gate with her undead husband and that seemed to be that.

 

Not one of his wisest decisions, even if Astarion pointed out that that was just the sort of thing a hag would do. Exhausted, they travelled back to the Blighted Village and decided to rest for the night.

 

“We should be heading to this Mountain Pass.” Lae’zel glared at him, sharpening her sword, “My people- “

 

“We are, I promise.” Tav sighed, “Tomorrow.”

 

“Good. Once we are cleansed then we can separate.”

 

“…You must like one of us?”

 

“I don’t think any of you has what it takes to beat me in battle.”

 

That…well, Tav wasn’t willing to argue that point. Holding up his hands, he turned and walked back to his own tent, catching sight of Shadowheart along the way.

 

Shadowheart…who was staring at Lae’zel, an unknown expression on her face.

 

Interesting.

 

…..

 

Astarion gritted his teeth, glaring over at the dragonborn bard that had just randomly wandered into the camp, having an excited, one-sided conversation with another dragonborn. Some bard who they’d stumbled across as they left the Blighted Village and headed towards the Mountain Pass, setting up camp in the words.

 

Dragonborn singing left a lot to be desired.

 

Judging by the slightly blank look in Sanguinex’s eyes, he wasn’t as enticed either.

 

Turning his attention away, he headed over to Gale, who was focused on the purple image of a woman in his hands.

 

“Pretty.” He drawled, watching as the vision disappeared and Gale spun around to face him.

 

“Astarion!” He placed a hand over his heart, “You- sorry. I was miles away.”

 

“Mmm, practicing were you?”

 

“Yes, just-just a simple incantation.” Gale cleared his throat.

 

Astarion examined him for a moment, before shaking his head, “No…it was more than that.” His voice was softer than Gale had heard from the vampire before, as an awkward silence hung between the pair.

 

“That…that was Mystra.” He stated, “I can’t quite describe it, the need I sometimes feel to see her, to draw the filaments of fantasy into existence. No sculpture or painting could ever do her justice, only the fabric that she herself is and embodies. Show is the Weave…to me, she is creation.” He looked up at the sky, “She gave me…more than I could ever imagine. More than I ever thought I would ever want. Magic was my life for the longest time, still is, and yet, she gave me more.”

 

Astarion found himself a little curious at this but sensed that Gale didn’t want to talk about this. Instead, he cleared his throat, “Gale…about what you said with the Gur. How you tried to help- “

 

“- Music, poetry and physical beauty all rolled into one and given expression through the senses.”

 

Somehow, Astarion got the idea that Gale wasn’t listening to him, as the wizard turned to him, looking a little flushed.

 

“Have you ever had anything that makes you feel like that?”

 

Not for over two hundred years.

 

The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. “I can think of a few things.” He smirked, falling into that seductive persona that he knew worked oh-so-well, changing his body language ever so slightly and hoping that Gale changed the subject just out of embarrassment.

 

“You know a few cantrips though, I’ve seen them.” Gale didn’t seem to notice at all.

 

It was…refreshing and hurtful at the same time.

 

“One or two race benefits.” He shrugged, “Magic was never that useful for law studies.”

 

“Fair point…perhaps I can show you then?”

 

Astarion…wasn’t sure what to think about all this. He looked over towards Sanguinex, who was still consumed in conversation with the bard. Pollux was on his own, mask still on, despite them being safe in camp.

 

He had yet to see the younger man’s face fully. Just the flash of a blue eye and a glimpse of a scar.

 

It was like they didn’t trust him.

 

Tav was with Wyll, probably discussing what they were doing tomorrow.

 

“Astarion?”

 

He turned back to Gale, who was looking a little concerned.

 

“Hm?”

 

“I can show you? But only if you want?”

 

“…How would you show me?” Astarion smirked, “Be warned, there’s a reason I just do the cantrips.”

 

“I can help you reach into the Weave, together?”

 

Astarion was intrigued, nodding and gesturing for Gale to lead the way. Most would feel at least a little bit of terror at being alone with a vampire, but Gale actually seemed eager for this chance. He led Astarion to a small clearing nearby, moving to stand in front of him, before making a series of hand motions, lighting up the area a brilliant, sparkling purple that made Astarion jump a little.

 

“Now you.”

 

Astarion glanced at him. It was just like that little hand signal from the tiefling kids at the Grove…just mimic it and see what happens next. So, he did just that, moving his hands exactly as Gale had, that bright flash of purple appearing once again.

 

A warm feeling rushed over him, one that he hadn’t experienced in nearly two hundred years.

 

“Excellent…now repeat after me. Ah-Thran Mystra-Ryl Kantrach-Ao.”

 

Slowly, Astarion repeated it, smelling something sweet in the air. If it weren’t for the fact that everything tasted like vinegar to him, he would probably taste the rose water as well as smell it.

 

“Wonderful!” Gale clapped his hands together, “Now, I want you to picture the concept of harmony, no matter what that entails.”

 

Harmony.

 

Oh, how long it had been.

 

His past was mostly lost to him, but he was sure that he could pull some sort of memory out, right? Closing his eyes, Astarion thought to himself desperately.

 

Harmony.

 

Nights spent with his husband, as Etienne either slept in their arms or played on the rug in front of the fire. All snuggled up together, feeling warm and content.

 

When he next opened his eyes, purple light was swirling all around them…along with the feeling that they were being watched.

 

There was something there…like the anticipation of a kiss. The peace of being wrapped up in a warm cloak.

 

Astarion tensed up just a little. He was safe, but he still felt like he was being…pushed here, even as Gale looked around in glee.

 

“You did it! You’re channelling the Weave.” He turned to Astarion, taking a step back when he saw that Astarion didn’t look entirely happy, “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

 

“…Different.” Astarion cleared his throat, “Not bad…but a little…odd.”

 

“Fair enough.” Gale nodded, “It can be a little overwhelming.”

 

The Weave was connecting them.

 

Astarion wasn’t sure how he felt about how…intimate this moment felt.

 

He was married, his husband was literally a few metres away and here he was with Gale, doing this?!

 

He didn’t move away though, coming to accept that feeling of safety more and more, looking around and watching the purple lights dancing around them. He couldn’t help but remember fancy parties that contained similar lights, dancing to the rhythm with unknown partners, that then turned to Tav dancing with him and then a little Etienne in his arms.

 

“Lovely.” Gale whispered, face softening, a wave of grief washing over his face for a moment, “I can’t even the last time I even- “ He cut himself off, looking away as the Weave evaporated, leaving the night cold and lonesome once again.

 

Astarion found that he missed it.

 

“There it goes.” Gale whispered, “How easily things slip away from us, no matter how hard they were in the obtaining.” He looked over at Astarion, “Good night Astarion, I-I enjoyed this.”

 

And then he was gone, leaving Astarion alone in the clearing.

 

….

 

Sanguinex watched Gale entering his tent, the vampire returning to the camp moments later. His fists curled tightly.

 

Hurt.

 

Maim.

 

Kill.

Chapter 24: The Risen Road

Summary:

Bit of a filler chapter

“So…that’s not good.” Astarion drawled, as they all stared at the bloody sigil on the ground, “I don’t suppose anyone knows where that bard went?”

 

They all looked around, seeing nothing.

 

“Bhaal.” Wyll stated, “I’ve seen this symbol associated with cults of Bhaal before.” His voice was barely above a whisper, as many of them tensed up at the thought.

 

It had been nearly a century since the last Bhaal attack on Baldur’s Gate, and despite the fact that many of them weren’t alive, many of them had heard the horrific stories that came from the rampage, or had lived through the aftermath.

 

Shadowheart was looking over at Astarion though, eyes narrowed in thought.

 

He caught the gaze and rolled his eyes.

 

“I drink blood. I don’t brutally kill people and leave a calling card behind like this.” He snapped at her, “Besides, I was with Tav all night.”

 

She looked over at Tav, who nodded, the tieflings’ eyes still on the sigil on the floor. For a moment, the rest of them were silent, eyes cast about in suspicion, before Tav straightened up. “We need to try and find the body.” He stated, “That’ll give us more insight as to what’s going on.”

 

“I assume we’re looking for the bard?”

 

“Do you see anyone else missing?”

 

Astarion frowned at the tone, but nodded and turned away from the camp, looking all around. “Well, whoever it was, was strong enough to carry them out…otherwise there would be a blood trail.”

 

“That rules out several of us.” Pollux stated, “Including Astarion…probably Wyll, Gale and myself.”

 

“Tsk!” Lae’zel sneered at them all, “Weak.”

 

“And at the moment, proud of it.” Wyll sighed, “And if Astarion claims that he was with Tav all night- “

 

“- Which I was- “

 

“- Then…” Wyll’s voice trailed off, glancing over at the other three remaining. Both Lae’zel and Shadowheart bristled at the silent accusation, both opening their mouths to speak before Pollux cut them off.

 

“We don’t have time for this.” He snapped, “We’ll look for the bard, but then we need to investigate the Risen Road, remember?”

 

“And if Bhaal is involved? What then?”

 

“That’s something we can deal with when we come to it. His cultists die just the same as everyone else.”

 

“The spawn don’t.”

 

Nothing but silence greeted Tav’s soft statement.

 

Sanguinex was the first to move to pack up.

 

…..

 

They didn’t find the bard, which was a concerning fact in of itself.

 

Pollux didn’t like how many complications seemed to be associated with this mission, but the emergence of a possible Bhaalspawn or cultist was definitely making him think twice about it all.

 

He heard the rumours of a possible cult in Baldur’s Gate, but in a city that large, with all its surrounding, smaller provinces, rumours were no surprise.

 

“You look deep in thought.”

 

Pollux jumped a little, spinning to see Gale walking beside him, the wizard holding up two hands.

 

“Apologies. I should have realised that we’re all a little on edge.”

 

They all moved to jump over a bridge that was crumbling, hearing movement a little further on.

 

“This is all just…a lot.” He muttered, readjusting Faithwarden across his back, “Is it bad that I’m really hoping that this miraculous gith cure is actually real?”

 

“Do you think that it is?”

 

Pollux was silent for a moment before shrugging. “Would it be so bad to consider that it might be?”

 

Before Gale could answer, Tav held up a hand, all of them stopping in their tracks.

 

Up ahead, some hyena were whimpering.

 

….

 

Gnolls....leading to a missing shipment that belonged to the Zhent organisation, something that made Tav tense a little.

 

He wasn’t fond of Gur and he definitely wasn’t fond of Zhent’s.

 

As the Gnoll Priest left, persuaded by Tav to leave the men alone and feed on the other gnolls, Tav felt a little sick to his stomach. His oath wasn’t broken, he knew this, as technically the Gnoll had attacked them first, but he still felt like he had lost something deep, deep down.

 

“You used the tadpole.” Astarion stated, “To convince that gnoll to turn on its’ own.” He hummed lightly, glancing over at the savagery, “So, not only can we use it to communicate with others with the tadpoles, we can use it to control them?”

 

“I don’t like this.” Gale muttered, “I don’t like how...easy that seemed to be.”

 

“But with that kind of power at our fingertips, we could do anything!”

 

“That power always comes with a price.” Wyll frowned, looking over at Tav, “How do you feel?”

 

Tav just shook his head, not wanting to talk about it, “The Zhent mentioned something about Waakeen’s Rest and a hideout there. We should check it out as we go to the Mountain Pass.”

 

Lae’zel was satisfied with that, even though the use of the tadpole had set her on edge.

 

They rested for a little bit before moving on, knowing that the fight with the gnolls had taken them by surprise.

 

Shadowheart was avoiding all eye contact with everyone, having stumbled off some high rocks, landing heavily on her ass due to a misstep. Silently, she healed Wyll’s broken wrist, after a gnoll had slammed it up against the wrists, wanting to stop the Eldritch Blasts that the warlock fired off at them. Gale was limping a little, but he had waved the healer off, citing that it was nothing more like a stubbed toe. Pollux had a slash on his upper arm, which he was taking care of himself.

 

So, rest was needed.

 

….

 

Wyll…Ravengard.

 

“I’m sorry.” Wyll sighed, as they watched Councillor Florrick leave with the other Flaming Fists, “I know I should have told you, but the situation was…. complicated.”

 

“I didn’t even realise that Duke Ravengard had a son.” Astarion hummed, “I assume that’s related to the complicated nature of it all?”

 

Wyll nodded, clearing his throat nervously.

 

Gale was the first to take pity on him, reaching over and placing a hand on his shoulder. “We all have our little secrets, this journey has already shown that. All in all, this isn’t the worst?”

 

There was an awkward pause as they all remembered the bloody sigil in the centre of the camp.

 

“Yeah.” Tav sighed, “Let’s keep going.”

Chapter 25: Paladins Of Tyr

Voss woke up most nights, automatically searching for the person on the other side of the bed…a person who hadn’t been there in years, decades!

 

He didn’t sleep much after that happened, diving back into his endless search for his beloved prince.

 

When he found out the artefact was missing, a surge of hope swept through him, knowing that this must be it. It had been stolen, and the ship that the thief had been on crashed, but it was out there now, and if it was out there, then it could be found.

 

Orpheus could be freed.

 

Flying towards where he’d last left the scouting group, he sighed deeply, falling back into the mindset of the impenetrable Knight of Vlaakith.

 

Nobody could touch him.

 

He was the perfect gith Knight.

 

“Rider! I must speak with you!”

 

He turned, not knowing that when he looked back at this moment, he would recognise it as the beginning of the end.

 

…..

 

Voss was hiding something.

 

Pollux wasn’t sure what, but when he said that he was going to report back to the Queen, he was lying. But why would he lie about something like that?

 

“It’s a good thing our dragonborn isn’t red.” He heard Astarion chuckle beside him, “Otherwise, I think Lae’zel would have ridden him a long time ago, from the way she’s gushing.”

 

“I don’t even want to think about that.”

 

“Spoilsport.”

 

Pollux chuckled, glancing back at Sanguinex, who had been oddly silent all day.

 

He hadn’t liked the look in the dragonborn’s eyes when they watched the gnolls being born, seconds before the creatures had attacked. He hadn’t liked that the dragonborn hadn’t said a word about the missing bard, despite being one of the ones who could have easily moved the body.

 

He had just been silent, and Pollux didn’t like it.

 

They continued to head down the path, still listening to Lae’zel talking about this Knight Voss, who was apparently admired by all, respected by all and was the ideal that most gith aimed towards.

 

“Looks like there’s been another attack up ahead.” Wyll frowned, pointing at more bodies that were scattered around. The more bodies they walked past though, the more burnt they started to look.

 

“Either this was friendly fire from those Zhents…” Astarion paused by the burnt corpse of a human, “…or the gnolls have learnt to use fire.”

 

“No.”

 

Everyone turned to Wyll, whose fists were tightly clenched, staring down at the bodies.

 

“I recognise this.” He whispered, “This is Karlach.”

 

“Of course it is.” Astarion muttered, “Like we don’t have enough to deal with.”

 

Wyll said nothing in response, continuing on down the path, heading for a building just up ahead, that had bodies all around it. To Pollux, it looked like it was an old tollhouse.

 

If nothing else, there might be some supplies at the very least.

 

“I don’t suppose we can just let the Blade of Frontiers deal with this issue by himself.” Astarion sighed, “I really don’t know if I have the energy to deal with a devil.”

 

“If she gets past me, she will raze not only Baldur's Gate to the ground, but every city in Faerun." Wyll snapped, "I would have thought that you might be selfless enough to stop that spawn."

 

"HEY!"

 

Wyll's jaw snapped shut as Tav moved forwards, looking up at the larger tiefling as Tav moved closer, looking a little alarmed by the tone. However, before Tav could say anything, Pollux darted forwards, placing a hand on his arm.

 

“He’s not worth it.” He muttered.

 

“And it’s not like he’s lying.” Astarion agreed, “Although…don’t do it again dear, hmm?” He looked right into Wyll’s eyes, waiting for the warlock to nod, before backing away with a smirk, “Wonderful!”

 

For a moment, there was an awkward silence, before Lae’zel tsked in annoyance.

 

“Are we going or not! I grow bored of this chattering.”

 

“As much as I hate to admit it.” Shadowheart sighed, “I agree. Astarion doesn’t want to be called spawn, Wyll is determined to kill a devil. Can we move on?”

 

“You’ll be holding hands and skipping through fields of flowers together in no time.” Astarion sniped, “Invite me to the wedding?”

 

“Fuck off.”

 

“And we’re moving on.” Pollux sighed, turning away from them, “Come on, otherwise we’ve just wasted another day fucking around, rather than going to help Halsin.” The last few words were snapped out as he headed towards the building.

 

“Touchy.” Astarion muttered, smirking when Wyll followed on after the druid.

 

“Shut up.”

 

.....

 

“They...were not paladins of Tyr.” Tav stated, as he closed the door behind him, leaving them in the room with a dead, “Maybe they were once upon a time, but now? No.”

 

“How can you tell?” Gale frowned, “They seemed earnest in bringing this Karlach to justice?”

 

“Call it a sixth sense.” Tav looked around, “Paladins know oath breakers when they see them.”

 

“I don’t remember you thinking so harshly about them.” Astarion frowned, brow creased, as though even the act of remembering was hard, “Do you...remember when Etienne was a baby? And that paladin we met on the streets- “

 

“- he was looking for work, I remember.” Tav nodded, turning to the others, who looked a little confused, “Oath Breakers have to...make tribute to the Gods in order to be even given half the chance to retake their oath. It’s that, or a grand deed that they can’t ignore, an act of pure good. A paladin who felt like they had no choice but to break their oath will always try their hardest to regain their god’s favour, and they certainly don’t go around claiming to be paladins still.”

 

“Surely killing Karlach is the best way to regain a God’s favour?!” Wyll protested.

 

“They won’t be though will they? They’ve sent US after them.”

 

Wyll had no reply to that, as Tav turned to the corpse, the necklace from Wither’s tomb in his hands.

 

“Cum Mortuus in Lingua Mortua.”

 

....

 

Not Paladins of Tyr then.

 

Sanguinex eyed the bloodied corpse for a moment more, before following the others outside.

 

Instead, they had made a deal with Zariel with seemed to be making the warlock question everything that he ever knew.

 

Oath Breakers.

 

Going against the God and the oath that they had sworn to.

 

Why did his head ache at the thought?

 

“Why are you staring at it like that?”

 

He turned, seeing the half-elf cleric staring at him, her face impassive, but a note of unease behind those eyes.

 

“Like you want to eat it or something?”

 

He said nothing, moving past her and out into the sun.

 

Eat it.

 

What an odd concept.

Chapter 26: Karlach

The heat as they approached the figure crouched on the other side of the river, threatened to overwhelm them. The log leading over their was narrow and there wasn’t enough space for all of them, so Wyll, Astarion, Pollux and Tav were the only ones to cross.

 

Before anyone could say anything, Wyll was striding forwards.

 

“One horn. The Stink of Avernus…Advocatus diaboli!”

 

The ‘devil’ straightened up, looking at them, before a beaming grin spread across her face, an expression that looked very out of place on the so called Scourge of Avernus, the feared devil that could apparently bring an end to the whole of the Sword Coast and indeed, Faerun.

 

“Well I’ll be gods-damned! The Blade of Frontiers! I thought I’d shaken you for good…that’ll teach me to underestimate you, huh?”

 

She was huge.

 

As tall as Tav, easily, albeit a little rougher looking.

 

“This is the devil we’ve been chasing?” Astarion raised an eyebrow, “Between this one and Raphael, I’m beginning to think the tales of devils were just that. Tales. No substance in the slightest.”

 

On the other side of the bank, Tav vaguely heard Shadowheart muttering something about how Karlach could pick her up and carry her to safety, should the need arise, only to be hissed at by Lae’zel.

 

“That I am.” Karlach smirked, “And what an honour it is to be chased by the Blade of Frontiers, but- “

 

Their minds connected as a wave of images flashed between them.

 

Flames.

 

Fighting.

 

Fury.

 

Karlach desperately looking for a way out, eyes wide in terror as she was on the frontlines of the Blood Wars.

 

And she wanted out.

 

“What was that?!” Karlach gasped, stepping back as Wyll drew his rapier.

 

“Proof that you’re a devil! A gladiator in the archdevil, Zariel’s army!”

 

That’s…not what Tav saw.

 

“I can explain! But it’s a whole situation, you just need to hear me out!”

 

Another set of images flashed through their minds. They could feel her rage, her desperation as she sliced through Zariel’s servants and warriors.

 

She was a victim of the Blood Wars…not an agent.

 

“She’s trying to trick us! Don’t believe her lies!” Wyll sounded almost desperate himself.

 

“You saw the truth.” Karlach whispered, “I never wanted to serve Zariel. I was enlisted in her army against my will! Forced to fight, so fight I did! When I saw an opportunity to escape, I took it…and now I’m home…well, as close to home as I’ve been in years.”

 

“You served her! That’s enough to damn you!”

 

“Wyll, darling…” Astarion hummed, “…I don’t know if you saw the same thing that I saw, but I think you’ve missed the mark by quite a bit here.”

 

Dread was evident on Wyll’s face.

 

“You don’t know what you’re saying! You’re asking me to trust a devil!”

 

“Oak Father preserve us, you are so stubborn!” Pollux snapped, “She’s not a devil, the same as Tav or me and you know it!”

 

“Listen to sense!” Karlach held up her hands, “I don’t want this to end badly for either of us!”

 

“She could snap your human spine like a toothpick.” Lae’zel called out, sounding more than a little intrigued at the thought. Tav didn’t need to look behind him to know that she probably had a vicious smirk on her face.

 

“I could but- “ The tiefling waved her hands, “- you know monsters, right? Better than anyone? Look into my eyes…can’t you see I’m not a monster, I’m not like that.”

 

Finally, Wyll relented with a muttered curse, slipping his sword back into its’ holster, “You’re no devil…I-I’ve been deceived.”

 

As Karlach tried to lighten the mood with a quip about taking his head, and Wyll shakily returned the banter, Tav headed back to the others, knowing that they would follow on behind.

 

“So, you all know I’m Karlach, and you are…”

 

One by one, they all introduced themselves, as Karlach beamed at them.

 

“Well, I might not be the devil that the Blade has told you all about, but I can put my reputation to work.” She leant forwards a little, “How would you feel about helping me kill some evil bastards?”

 

“Those false Tyr paladins?” Tav asked, no small amount of hope in his face, as Astarion let out a bark of laughter.

 

“I forgot how much you hated false paladins.”

 

“It’s just morally wrong.” Tav muttered, clearing his throat.

 

“Well, Zariel was the one to send them…apparently, she wants her personal attack dog back. The thing is, I’m not going back.”

 

“So, we send those paladins back to Zariel.” Pollux shrugged, “That way, Lae’zel gets her fight, Wyll gets to fight, Tav gets to fight fake paladins and you get your revenge. Everyone wins.”

 

“Agreed.” Astarion hummed, “Gnolls are fine, but there’s no…excitement there. You know? I enjoy a fight, but it’s no fun when there’s no thought there.”

 

Tav chuckled, “Let’s go.”

 

…

 

The paladins tried to lie at first, and during the fight it became clear that Zariel had given them powers.

 

“Damn it!” Wyll hissed, firing off an Eldritch Blast to try and knock the archer off of her platform, or at least, away from them, shaking out his left hand from the force of it, “Any plans?”

 

“Working on it!” Astarion fired off an electrical arrow, smirking when the archer finally fell, twitching in place before falling still, seeing Gale using magic missile on the dwarf and finishing her off, “Tav?!”

 

Tav didn’t seem to hear him, obviously angered by the sword that the false paladin was using.

 

A false paladin of Tyr, using a sword of Tyr?

 

Unthinkable.

 

“Darling!”

 

At Astarion’s cry, Tav dodged an oncoming attack, feeling the tip of the blade scrape through his right eyebrow, as he swung upwards, slicing through the human and sending him crashing to the ground.

 

Once it was all over and done with, he leant back and ran his hands through his hair.

 

“Lord Tyr, forgive me.” He muttered, before fetching the sword, holding it up to the light, vaguely hearing Karlach speaking behind him.

 

And then everything got very hot.

 

…

 

“Wow.” Astarion muttered, “That looks…wonderfully therapeutic.”

 

Tav was looking forward to reaching Baldur’s Gate…to confronting Szarr and seeing Astarion in this weird case of euphoria as he realised that he was free.

 

Shadowheart jumped to one side as Karlach came charging past her, narrowly avoiding getting burnt. To the other side, Wyll was watching her in amazement, unable to take his eyes off of the burning tiefling, even as Tav moved closer.

 

“Who gave you the mission to hunt Karlach down?” He asked softly, watching as Pollux dodged the charging tiefling.

 

“…I can’t say.”

 

“Wyll- “

 

Shadowheart had started to bicker with Lae’zel over something. A debate about thieving and murder by the sounds of it. Pollux moved closer to them, saying something that made them both turn and spit at him in unison.

 

“- Wyll, you understand that we need to know? We were dragged along on what turned out to be a…pantomime. A show.”

 

Astarion cheered out encouragement to Karlach

 

“I know.” Wyll sighed, “And if I know my…source, you’ll all find out tonight.”

 

That sounded ominous.

Chapter 27: The Vision

Mizora came.

 

The pain filled Wyll’s entire body, making him feel like he was burning out from the inside.

 

When it was over and done with, he had a pair of horn to contend with, infernal eyes and a knowledge that no one in this party would trust him again.

 

Heartless.

 

That was what Mizora called Karlach…heartless.

 

Physically, it was true, but character wise…no, not in the slightest.

 

A billion thought were racing through Wyll’s mind as he separated from the rest of the group, anxiety overtaking him, much as it had so many times before…well, before his life changed.

 

He just wanted a way for all this to stop, to just…stop.

 

For good.

 

He didn’t want to wake up the next morning and realise that he was still a devil. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked up at the sky.

 

Still, he felt no regret for sparing Karlach.

 

It was the right thing to do, all in all…even if it had left him as a monster.

 

“Wyll!”

 

He looked over at his right, seeing Karlach standing there, an uncertain smile on her face.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to bother you or anything…” She shifted from side to side, “…I think Astarion’s a bit jealous about how good you still look with your horns.”

 

“I- “

 

“- Or he’s just attracted to people with horns.” Karlach continued, “Him and Tav are married, isn’t that just the sweetest thing ever?”

 

“…I want to be alone.”

 

“I know, but I don’t think that’s the truth.” She moved a little closer, so that Wyll could feel the heat coming off of her body, “I think the Blade of Frontiers has been alone for far too long.”

 

“…I don’t suppose you could help with the horns? I have no idea how to handle them.”

 

She smiled softly at him.

 

“That I can help with.”

 

….

 

They set off for camp the next morning, with Pollux taking the lead, striding on ahead of everyone else, muttering something about finally getting around to this, something that was probably a little fair in hindsight.

 

The trip to the hag had led nowhere and whilst the Rising Roads had given them Karlach, news for finding a creche and a possible Absolutist plot to control Duke Ravengard, it hadn't given them much else apart from that.

 

If they found that this Halsin was already dead, then there went their final lead to curing this infection.

 

And possible, Pollux as well.

 

.....

 

“It would have been quicker to kill them all.” Sanguinex grumbled as they passed past the guards.

 

“Be thankful I managed to avoid the shit option.” Pollux muttered, "I didn't want to bring the entire camp around us straight away."

 

Sanguinex continued to look unimpressed as Pollux found that he was actually missing Rolan's attitude over everyone else here.

 

Just think of saving Halsin...going back to Rolan and Dammon in time for their family to be born...a future that may possibly involve the rest of his family, if they didn't hate him for lying to them for so long.

 

How could they not hate him though?

 

Shaking his head, he walked up a dirt path, seeing that it led up, hopefully giving them a better viewpoint of the camp. Or at least, the outside of it.

 

The pain that shot through his head brought him too his knees, as he heard the others going through the same thing, teeth gritting and barely concealed screams.

 

“Hear my voice! Obey my command!”

 

Pollux hated just how much he wanted to obey. He hated just how irresistible it was. His vision clouded, leaving him in a dark, featureless shadowscape. There was simply…nothingness in every direction.

 

Nothing.

 

And then, there were three figures in front of him. An armoured male elf he vaguely recognised, who exuded power and command. A handsome younger man with an easy smile, nothing but cunning behind it though…and a pale young woman, with even paler eyes.

 

“These are my Chosen. They speak for me. Aid their search for the weapon and you will be worthy to stand beside them. In my presence.”

 

The visions faded away and the voice faltered as a strange energy swelled up around them.

 

It was the artefact; Pollux just knew it. He saw it floating in front of them.

 

My power grew. My forces gather. The reckoning draws near…

 

The artefact flew back towards them, hitting Tav in the chest as he clutched at it.

 

“It’s shielding us.” Wyll muttered, staring at the artefact, “How?”

 

Around them, everyone else was picking themselves up.

 

“That voice…those visions.” Astarion whispered, “What happened?!”

 

Everyone looked over at Shadowheart, who seemed to be just as confused as all of them. Especially when the artefact remained frustratingly silent. Tav tried to hand it back to Shadowheart, only for it to come flying back to him with a heavy THUNK against his armoured chest.

 

“Odd.”

 

“Yes.” Shadowheart nodded at Wyll’s statement, “It’s- I don’t know what exactly it is, but it’s important. Best keep it close.”

 

“…I know them.”

 

Slowly, they all turned to looked at Sanguinex, who was staring off into the distance.

 

“I know them.”

 

“Like…in a good way or a bad way?” Pollux frowned, “Because- “

 

“- Both.”

 

“Shit.”

 

For a moment, it was clear that none of them knew what to do or say. Lae’zel was staring at Shadowheart suspiciously, but that was about the only interaction that there was, before Tav carefully placed the artefact in a belt pouch. “Come on. We have a druid to rescue.”

 

…

 

Nothing could compare to how he felt right now…how he’d been feeling for the past ten days. He was lying on his side, his fur the only thing keeping him warm, sorrow rushing through him.

 

He wasn’t going to let them see how he grieved.

 

No, there was no proof that his little tiefling had been here, but there were so many tieflings that these goblins talked about eating, that there was every chance that Pollux was one of them.

 

He would miss the sound of the youngling’s giggle whenever he was being mischievous, how he would hide in the tightest of places during their games of hide-and-seek…how his tail flicked from side to side when he was happy.

 

It hurt.

 

It was unbearably painful to think about.

 

Grief and sorrow threatened to swallow him whole, whisking away at him until he was nothing but a hollow shell.

 

He continued to lie there.

 

Hopefully, the goblin children and their rocks would be back soon.

 

Physical pain was easier to deal with.

Chapter 28: Goblin Camp; Part 1

Wyll was happy to help the little owl-bear cub, knowing that Volo had just been taken away (honestly, the bard/wizard…whatever he was, got into all sorts of trouble). Pollux had gone over to where the goblins were drinking from and seemed to be drinking with them…for some reason.

 

Sanguinex was eating with some goblins, some very suspicious looking meat that Wyll didn’t want to think too much about. The reputation of goblins wasn’t a positive one in the slightest, and he was sure that he’d heard them mentioning dwarf meat.

 

The dragonborn seemed to be enjoying it, disturbingly so.

 

The owlbear scampered away to freedom as Shadowheart made her way over, “Tav wants to go in now.”

 

They followed her over to the rest of the group, where Astarion was gleefully whispering something in Pollux’s ear, something about him pretending to drink.

 

“Just wait and see.” Pollux was clearly smirking under his mask, “I think you’ll like the result.”

 

Wyll wasn’t sure that he liked the answer but decided not to worry too much about it. After all, it was probably the goblins who were going to suffer.

 

....

 

Priestess Gutt was dead.

 

Astarion had charmed her into leading them away from the main chamber of the Temple, pretending that they were special ‘True Souls’, flattering her as the elderly goblin fell for it hook, line and sinker.

 

They locked the door behind them, and she was dead before she could even cry out.

 

“That door through there might be something to look into later.” Wyll pointed at said door, “Remember, those adventurers were looking for something in this Temple.”

 

“They were weaker than they led me to believe initially.” Lae’zel cleaned off her blade, “It has been disturbingly simple to enter this stronghold. Are goblins always this...stupid?”

 

“Yes.” Pollux sighed, “But these ones are more well-organised than usual, just like Zevlor suggested. The guard mentioned three leaders, the Priestess, who we’ve dealt with…the hobgoblin and the drow. Leaders that we’ll have to take care of if we want to make sure that the goblins will all fall apart and leave the roads free for anyone wanting to travel to Baldur’s Gate.”

 

“And you think Halsin is somewhere in all this?” Gale asked gently, “Because… well, I didn’t want to mention this before, but the goblins are eating a lot of odd meats, and I don’t think it’s boar or- “

 

“- Until I know otherwise, he’s alive.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

There was an awkward silence, before Pollux sighed, “Let’s have a look around whilst we’re still believed to be True Souls…and before anyone finds her.”

 

Tav decided not to mention the voice in his head telling him to collect the tadpole from her brain, taking advantage of their distraction to grab it as it tried to escape.

 

….

 

Rescuing Volo was relatively easy, even if a fair few of them were unhappy with the decision to send him back to their camp.

 

In the next room over however, there was Abdirak; A cleric of Loviatar.

 

“I feel like I should be making note of all the…fun people we run into on this little journey.” Astarion hummed, watching Tav and the cleric talk, his eyes darting over to the small boy in the corner, who was preparing some basic medical supplies.

 

“I find the families we’re meeting more interesting.” Pollux sighed, “Barcus, this cleric- “

 

“Barcus?”

 

“The deep gnome from the village.”

 

“…Was he- “

 

“- Yep.”

 

As Tav moved to stand by the wall, all conversation was forgotten, with Astarion and Shadowheart expressing their interest at the proceedings. Lae’zel also seemed interested, but more in Shadowheart’s reaction, which was very interesting.

 

As Abdirak started to lash Tav, Pollux turned his attentions away from that, seeing Gale, Wyll and Karlach doing the same, albeit all for probably, very different reasons.

 

“Should a kid be watching this?”

 

“The clerics of Loviatar are very strict on when their young are permitted to try and enter service to their God, should they wish it.” Gale cleared his throat, “It’s actually a fascinating religion, as you would normally associate them with Gods like Shar or Bane, right? Actually, they teach that pain is healthy and can actually make you stronger in the long run.”

 

“Harder!” They all heard Lae’zel snap, “I used to hit harder in my youth.”

 

Abdirak swiftly dismissed her.

 

His intention was to hurt, not maim.

 

“See.” Pollux still refused to look, hearing Astarion calling out encouragement, “He is in control, and is therefore teaching his son how to be in control.”

 

When it was all over, Tav did look a little better, and Abdirak was proudly pointing him to his son, who looked on with interest.

 

Apparently, when it came to pain, the goblins had no imagination.

 

“And you brought your son here?” Wyll cleared his throat, “Why?”

 

“Sometimes, it helps to showcase the bad along with the good.” Abdirak sighed, “But I see your point. Perhaps it is best that we move on soon.” He gave them a knowing look, before turning his attention to the room next door, “They have a prisoner next door that has yet to speak…perhaps, you might be of assistance there?”

 

“…Maybe we will.”

 

…

 

As one of the adventurers managed to escape, looking a little bloodied, definitely weary, but better than he had been on the rack.

 

As far as the man knew, Halsin was still alive and had been taken to the Worg pens, which is where they were heading now.

 

“Did you actually speak to those spiders to persuade them to join our fight?” Shadowheart whispered to Pollux as they headed towards the pens, “Are you half drow?”

 

“No and not all drows support Lolth.” Pollux sighed, “Don’t assume that because it will lead to some nasty confrontations in the future.”

 

“But you did persuade the spiders to fight for us?”

 

“Just in case it all goes a little wrong.”

 

They entered the Worg pens, where a couple of children were throwing rocks at something in a cell, a guard giving them tips on how to aim and the best rocks to pick.

 

“There’s a bear in that cell.” Astarion whispered, “A very, very large bear.”

 

Pollux didn’t seem to hear them, heading over and leaning on the wall almost nonchalantly, “I’d pick sharper rocks than that.” He commented, “Those rocks will never get past all that fur.”

 

The children excitedly went about picking sharper rocks, plucking them from the ground as Pollux peered into the cell, locking eyes with the bear…and waved.

 

When he stepped away from the door, the others all followed suit.

 

“So, what’s the plan- “

 

The bear charged at the rusted cell doors and all hell broke loose.

Chapter 29: Halsin

Pollux was a fidgeter.

 

It was one of the things that Halsin loved about him, watching tiny hands playing with fingers or his tail, running his fingers through white hair or messing with the tunic that he was wearing.

 

Now, as the goblins fell dead, those fingers now fiddling with a dark mask, Halsin felt a surge of relief.

 

He was worried that he’d been too hopeful when the masked being waved at him, but now that he had his proof, he shifted back into his human, stepping forwards and pulling him into the tightest hug possible.

 

“I was so sure that I’d lost you.” He whispered into the younger man ear, lifting him up off the ground and spinning him around, as Pollux protested.

 

“Please! We have company!”

 

Halsin paused, placing Pollux back on the ground (though not letting go of him just yet), turning his attentions to the small group before him…and then his heart stopped.

 

Was that…it couldn’t be.

 

**Flashback**

 

Etienne was fidgeting again, had been since classes had finished, staring down at a blank scroll.

 

“Little one?” Halsin frowned, “Is everything okay?”

 

“…Kagha said I have to draw my family tree.”

 

Slowly, whilst mentally cursing the other druid (she knew that orphans made up a large parts of their ranks), Halsin went to sit next to him, seeing the roughly drawn-out tree, with Etienne’s name at the bottom and then the two branches leading up to Mother and Father.

 

“Do you…remember their names?”

 

Etienne nodded slowly, slowly writing Tav in the Father bit and Star in the Mother bit.

 

“Tav and Star.”

 

“Mm.” Etienne started to draw a little beside the names.

 

Tav was purple and Star had white hair and very pointy ears with very blue eyes.

 

“Tav…was a tiefling?”

 

“Mm, Helm made him a fighter.”

 

A paladin?

 

“And Mama sent bad people to jail.”

 

Something to do with the law? They sounded like the perfect couple.

 

“And…Tav and Star is what they called each other?”

 

Etienne nodded again, “I was Little Crown.” His face fell, as he placed the quill to one side, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

 

Halsin nodded, making sure the ink on the scroll was dry, before rolling it and placing it on a nearby bookshelf, deciding that he would have a word with Kagha about this.

 

**End Flashback***

 

That scroll remained there and was probably still there to this day if Halsin had to actually think about it. However, he could still remember those doodles like they were right in front of him.

 

He looked down at Pollux, who was giving him a warning look, before the younger man was pushing him away, grimacing at the gunk and goblin gore that was now on his robes.

 

“Pardon the viscera.” Halsin chuckled, watching as the wizard of the group, waved his hand to clean the robes, Pollux turning and nodding at him in thanks, “One should cherish all of nature’s bounty…but goblin guts are quite far down the list.”

 

“Meet the Archdruid Halsin.” Pollux chuckled, “The only one who can make being covered in goblin guts sound even vaguely positive.”

 

“He- “

 

“- Yes, he’s big for an elf.” Pollux sighed, “He’s a big teddy bear…literally as you saw sometimes.”

 

“You knew it was him?” A large dragonborn asked, “It could have been any bear.”

 

“Most bears wouldn’t have held back as much as he did.”

 

“I was biding my time.”

 

“You knew you were outnumbered.”

 

“That too.” Halsin forced himself to smile, “I knew that someone would find out a way to help.”

 

Pollux eyed him, clearly seeing the lie as the horned being that was neither tiefling nor a true devil cleared his throat and stepped forwards.

 

“Archdruid Halsin- “

 

“- Just Halsin, please. It seems unbecoming to demand honorifics from someone who saved my hide. Sneaking into a goblin infested camp like this- “

 

Wait.

 

They didn’t seem to have sneaked their way inside?

 

Why were the goblins letting them roam so freely?

 

He turned, looking Pollux in the eyes…and feeling his heart sink to his stomach at what he saw there.

 

“No.” He muttered, shaking his head, “It can’t be.”

 

“I- “

 

“- All of you?”

 

“Yes.” Pollux sighed, “I was on my way home when they infected me. I don’t know about everyone else here, how they were taken, but we’re all infected.”

 

“And yet, you don’t…act like you’re infected. You’re more than aware of what has happened to you, you don’t bow to the Absolute like these True Souls. How is this possible?”

 

“We have a useful little artefact.” Pollux gestured towards Shadowheart, who looked less than impressed at Pollux revealing this, “It seems to be…shielding us in a way.”

 

“Hm.” Halsin thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head, “Still. It does not seem wise to place all our faith in this…you’re looking for a cure then? Nettie probably told you that I’ve been studying this…True Soul phenomenon for a bit now. Someone is using very powerful magic to modify these tadpoles, using them to exert control over the infected…magic that I can’t undo.”

 

“Wonderful.” Astarion muttered, “We’ve wandered into a goblin den for nothing.”

 

“I can still help a little.” Halsin, thankfully didn’t seem to be offended in the slightest, “When I came here, I was looking for a way to remove the tadpoles, which obviously I didn’t find. However, I did find the next best thing…where they’re coming from. Where the enchantments are placed on them, and where you will most likely find your cure.”

 

“I don’t know a lot about Mind Flayers.” Wyll stated, ignoring how Lae’zel rolled her eyes, “But this magic isn’t…normal for them? It’s not mind flayer magic?”

 

“No, this is different. Altered. The magic used is beyond me… it’s either not of this world or so ancient as to be lost to even nature’s memory.”

 

“So, what do you know?”

 

Halsin turned to Astarion, examining him for a moment, before chuckling. “I overheard that the cultists are sending all of their captives to Moonrise Towers.”

 

“Including Duke Ravengard?” Wyll asked.

 

“Yes…I believe so. Innocents go in, True Souls come out. Given that all of these True Souls are infected, it has to be the source of this magic. Find out how the tadpoles are being manipulated, and then you’ll find out how to cure yourselves.”

 

“Will you come with us?”

 

“I wish I could little one.” Halsin gave Pollux an apologetic look, “But there is still a lot to do here. Blood that I have yet to spill. You know that these goblins plan to attack the Grove and that I will not allow. Not whilst my beloved and child and all those innocents are still there.” He took a deep breath, “However…if I had your help, I would be more than happy to come. But the natural order must be protected and the Grove kept safe.”

 

“We’ve protected the Grove a lot already.” Astarion rolled his eyes, “They’ve got more to worry about than goblins.”

 

“…What do you mean?”

 

“It’s fine.” Wyll sent Astarion a glare, before giving a ‘say something’ look to Tav, “We dealt with it.”

 

“Shadow druids.” Tav sighed, “Your second-in-command? She allied herself with them and was performing some sort of rite to cast the tieflings out and take the Grove for the shadow druids.”

 

“What?!”

 

“The Rite of Thorns.” Pollux sighed, “We stopped it, made her see the error of her ways, killed the shadow druids and then Kagha suddenly decided to give me this.” He gestured to the weapon on his back, which Halsin only just recognised as Faith-Warden.

 

“Zevlor- “

 

“- is outnumbered.” Pollux sighed, “Yes, he has the tieflings and quite a few druids to support him, but the vast majority there would see them gone and you know it. Kagha just took advantage of the fact that NEITHER of us were there." He couldn't help the annoyance creeping into his tone.

 

If Halsin had just...waited, then Kagha would never have dared stand against him.

 

Would Halsin even have noticed if she-

 

- No, it did no good to think like that.

 

This was partly his fault as well.

 

The silence feeling awkward now, Pollux barely heard Wyll clearing his throat.

 

“We can deal with the other two leaders.” The warlock stated, “Without the leaders, these goblins won’t be able to rally the way that they have been doing.”

 

“Although, it’s best if we do this discreetly.” Astarion hummed, “No need to cause a fuss.”

 

Halsin nodded, “May Silvanus guide your hand. Focus on the leaders, that’s all it will take to restore the balance here.”

 

He pulled Pollux into another hug, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

 

“We need to talk.”

 

“…I know.”

Chapter 30: Minthara

Pollux threw another crumpled piece of parchment onto the floor.

 

Another letter than he couldn’t finish, another missed opportunity to try and find out what happened to his Papa…obviously the man hadn’t cared enough to find him whilst he was alive, but it would be nice to try and find a grave or something?

 

Was it next to Emya’s?

 

He couldn’t imagine that it wasn’t.

 

He looked over at the amateur drawing that he’d done of his Papa, taking in the blue eyes and purple skin, one hand moving up to trace the scar on his lip.

 

Over one hundred years now.

 

His hand squeezed the quill, trying to ground himself in reality again.

 

So much could have been different.

 

So much SHOULD have been different.

 

He went to grab another piece of parchment and try another letter. He needed to know the truth, just to get some sort of closure in his life.

 

It wasn’t long before he was crumpling it up and throwing it at the floor, giving up.

 

….

 

“Concentrate!”

 

Pollux jumped, turning to Lae’zel as they headed towards the drow, Minthara’s ‘office’. Dror Ragzlin had been relative easy to deal with, with Astarion clambering to the top rafters and using one of the nifty black hole-esque bombs to suck him right into a cavern that was right by his throne, with everyone descending to chaos around them. From there, it was easy.

 

The drow would probably be a little more of an issue.

 

“I am concentrating.” Pollux sighed, “You don’t need to hiss in my ear.”

 

“You about to walk into the spider pit!”

 

He didn’t point out that it was empty thanks to the spiders helping deal with any goblins that happened to get a little too close.

 

“I didn’t realise you cared so much.”

 

“Istik!”

 

He probably deserved that.

 

As they entered the room, Minthara was speaking to a goblin about a raiding party, which a sign that she was still looking at attacking the Grove.

 

Thankfully, Halsin had hung back for this one.

 

She caught them out of the corner of her eyes and scoffed, “I don’t have time for interruptions from underlings.”

 

It was a miracle she hadn’t heard the fight with Dror Ragzlin.

 

Their thoughts all connected together, where the drow was speaking to a pale-skinned woman who prowled around her.

 

Sanguinex hissed at the vision, but didn’t say anything about it, all of them coming back to reality.

 

That was one of those three figures shown in the vision from before and from the looks of her, she seemed to be a changeling.

 

“True Souls.” Minthara hummed, looking more pleased, “Are you here to join my hunt. Perhaps you might have better look, especially as the previous scouting party hasn’t returned.” She cast a displeased look over at the goblin by the desk, who tried to defend himself in a meaningless stream of words and pleads.

 

“Scouting party?” Shadowheart frowned, “We have other orders. Something to do with a druid…Halsin, I believe he was called?”

 

They all nodded, as though playing along.

 

Having the women take the lead was probably the best they could do in this instant, especially with the matriarchal nature of drow society.

 

“We can still be of help together then!”

 

Lolth was probably not pleased that these tadpoles were turning her own loyal followers away from herself.

 

“The druid makes his home in a sanctuary where his followers worship a false God.”

 

Astarion gripped onto Pollux before he could say anything, giving his arm a warning squeeze.

 

“I intend to find it and destroy it!”

 

It really was a good thing that Halsin was outside, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have been able to handle listening to the idea of his beloved Grove being burnt to the ground.

 

“There is a weapon that the Absolute seeks. I am sure that those wretches have it hidden away there. We will find it, amongst the dead and the ashes.”

 

It was hard to ignore the way her voice practically quivered with excitement at the thought of killing these ‘non-believers’, to the point where Pollux briefly entertained the thought of using some vines to drag her into the nearby caverns below.

 

He did wonder if anyone else could feel the anxiety coming from the artefact though.

 

"My patience wears thin True Souls. The hunt MUST begin!"

 

"Nothing like a hunt to get the blood hot." Lae'zel stated, as Wyll glanced over at her, looking a little alarmed.

 

"I would expect nothing less!" The drow smirked, "Together, we will burn it to the ground. And when we destroy the trappings of this false god, the Absolute will reward us with such POWER!”

 

She didn't even look slightly fazed that a gith was amongst their ranks.

 

“And…the scouting party was killed?” Wyll asked cautiously. He was lucky that his new form hid him from being recognised as the Blade of Frontiers.

 

“Hm, by the ones they hunter more than likely.” The drow sneered, “The acolytes of this false God are stronger than we expected. Such a waste. I would take greater pleasure in killing them myself than having them die in the woods. The occasional mass execution does wonders for discipline.”

 

“Do you have any leads?” Astarion asked, glancing at Pollux, who was shaking a little.

 

“One. We captured a human who knows exactly where it is.”

 

Ah.

 

The freed prisoner.

 

That was possibly a problem.

 

“He’s being resilient, but he’ll talk and then that Grove will burn to the ground.”

 

It should have been no surprised that Astarion was unable to hold onto Pollux any longer, with even Wyll unable to grab the other man in time.

 

…..

 

“We’re not killing her?” Pollux snapped, as Tav moved to leave the room. The goblins were dead, but the drow was simply lying on the ground unconscious, “She’s going to go after the Grove!”

 

“With what army?” Tav sighed, “Look… I don’t like how this Absolute is turning beings, who are almost always loyal to a certain God or Goddess, away from said deities. Shouldn’t we give them a chance to turn their backs on the Absolute?”

 

“She’s evil!”

 

“She’s also out for the count.” Tav reached out, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, “Come on. We’ve saved Halsin, let’s go and get back to the Grove.”

 

He couldn’t properly see the other tieflings’ eyes, but he knew that he was being glared at.

 

He wasn’t sure why that made him feel a little hurt though.

 

…..

 

Leaving was just as easy as entering had been, the goblins outside of the camp all in the final throws of death convulsions as they twitched on the ground.

 

“Wyvern poison.” Pollux smirked when they all turned to look at him, clearly remembering his toast with the goblins from earlier, “Effective.”

 

“…I don’t think that was Nellie’s intention when she gave it to us.”

 

“Nellie gave you poison?!” Halsin frowned, as Pollux waved a hand.

 

“It’s fine. It was more for her peace of mind and if I did start changing then yeah, I would have drank it.” Pollux then gestured around, “This is a much better use for it though.”

 

None of them disagreed.

 

They reached the Blighted Village, and Tav sighed. “Let’s camp here for the night. It’s been a long day.”

Chapter 31: New Arrival To The Camp

Shadowheart was dealing with Halsin’s injuries, helping despite his protests that he could heal himself, giving Pollux some time to breathe before the interrogation started.

 

He didn’t miss how Halsin was glancing at Tav and Astarion, taking in their facial details, clearly comparing them to what he knew Pollux looked like.

 

“Why did you even go with those adventurers?” He asked, leaning against a nearby tree, “Yeah, I know that you wanted to get to the bottom of this cult, but you couldn’t believe that you could trust a bunch of humans?!”

 

“Hey.” Wyll muttered, “Words hurt you know.”

 

“I trusted that they could get me to where I needed to be, which was Moonrise.” Halsin sighed, “Looking back, perhaps that was a little naïve of me. That, and the organisation of the goblins was a little…unexpected.”

 

“Unexpect- “ Pollux cut himself off with a frustrated groan, throwing his hands up into the air and storming away, nearly bumping into Lae’zel, who had taken to sharpening the swords of the camp with a vigour.

 

“Watch it!” She snapped to the retreating back.

 

“He always had a little bit of a temper.” Halsin chuckled, “I used to get some very harsh lash marks from that tail before he learnt how to control it.”

 

“You’ve known him since he was little then?”

 

“Hm, very, very small.” Halsin got to his feet, “I should go and talk to him, before he gets himself too wound up.”

 

It was clear that the half-elf didn’t fully trust his excuses, but she let him go anyway, turning her attentions to Tav, who was trying to argue that the wound on his upper arm was nothing to be worried about.

 

Halsin caught up to Pollux easily, pulling him away from the rest of the camp.

 

He didn’t miss the way Astarion’s eyes followed them, or the way Lae’zel tensed up a little, clearly not trusting them both going off alone together.

 

“They’re high-strung, but mostly trustworthy.” Pollux sighed, “You know, for a cursed warlock, a Shar worshipper, a gith, a vampire and an oddly immortal tieflings.”

 

“Shar?” Halsin then shook his head, deciding that he didn’t want to know, “You know what I want to ask.”

 

“…I don’t know what happened.” Pollux went to sit on a nearby rock, “I-I knew that there was a chance that Dad was a vampire…but I still have no idea how Papa lasted this long. He never came to the Grove because he believed that a Gur tribe had taken me, so at least that’s one mystery solved, but to have them both taken by mind-flayers and infected- “

 

“- How are you doing?”

 

Pollux was stunned into silence for a moment, looking up at Halsin, the look in his eyes reminding the wood elf just how young the other truly was.

 

“I-I don’t know.”

 

For a moment, they were silent, before there was a nervous clearing of his throat to the right of them, prompting them both to look over, seeing Tav standing there. He was far away that Pollux was reasonably sure that the tiefling hadn’t overheard them, but he couldn’t be sure.

 

“Sorry, I just thought I should let you know we have a visitor.”

 

“…Volo?”

 

“The Loviatar cleric, Abdirak and his kid.”

 

….

 

“I know this might seem a bit of an imposition…” Abdirak accepted the tea that was handed to him, “…however, my goddess indicated that staying here might be beneficial to both my son and myself.”

 

“Does she expect us to allow ourselves to be beaten whenever the need arises.” Sanguinex hissed, eyes lighting up a little in curiosity, “Or, are you to teach us how to do the beating?”

 

“Neither.” If Abdirak was bothered by the eagerness, he didn’t show it, “There is a lot of pain in this group. I am here to help you all cope with this.”

 

A quiet moment passed, before Abdirak spoke up again.

 

“In fact, my Goddess suggests that there is more pain to come.”

 

“Great.” Karlach winced, “That’s good to know I suppose? It’s always best to have a warning and everything.”

 

“We will be moving around a lot.” Tav stated, “It’s not going to be overly safe for a child.”

 

“But you do need someone to mind the camp, correct?”

 

That was a good point. It was impractical to pack up as much as they could, hiding the rest of the camp away from the world and then setting it back up again.

 

“Are you able to watch an entire camp by yourself?” Pollux asked, “No offence, but if there’s a gang of thieves or bandits- “

 

“- I have travelled these paths for many years, I can handle myself.”

 

The child was quietly playing with a little sailboat, fiddling with the mast and sails as he listened to the conversation.

 

“Maxim.” Abdirak looked over at his son, “Why don’t you- “

 

“- I know.” Maxim headed over to the back of the camp, still fiddling with the little boat.

 

“He needs something a little more stable.” Abdirak stated, “I know that this life isn’t exactly stable, but it’s better than having to constantly keeping him by my side in a Goblin Camp for fear of him being eaten.”

 

He had a good point there.

 

“So we have to worry about children now?" Lae'zel hissed, looking around as Pollux shook his head.

 

"They won't be coming with us when we need to...investigate leads."

 

Best not to reveal too much.

 

"But it is helpful to have someone behind to watch the camp. Especially if we're going into unknown territory.” Halsin stated, “I will also remain behind, just for a little added support.”

 

“That would be agreeable.” Abdirak nodded his thanks, “Whilst I have been told that this is beneficial to us, my main focus is on Maxim. Something which I am sure many of can relate to?”

 

“Parents come in all shapes and sizes.” Pollux nodded, looking at the others, “You are thinking of your son.”

 

“As many here do.”

 

Pollux had nothing to say to that, barely noticing Wyll moving over to help Abdirak find a space for him and his son.

 

Catching Halsin’s eyes, he ignored the way the older man cast significant looks at both Tav and Astarion, turning away to neaten out his tent a little.

 

‘Tell them.’

 

Not until he knew the entire truth.

 

Then he would. He swore this to himself.

 

….

 

Sanguinex watched as Astarion shouted at the book that Tav had given him, seeing those gorgeous, blood red eyes widen in fear, shaking his head as he told unheard voices to shut up and let him think.

 

Oh, to see those eyes widen in fear as his claws inched ever closer, scratching at the skin underneath until-

 

No.

 

Stop.

 

He shook his head, just about managing to shake himself free from the thoughts as Astarion slammed the book shut, seeing Sanguinex standing there.

 

“Ah…hello.”

 

“Hello. Isn’t that the book that Gale wanted.”

 

“Yes yes, well, we didn’t want him eating this one.” Astarion cleared his throat, “Unfortunately, this is not as helpful as we thought, unless we can find something that will help us read it without losing our minds.”

 

“…Gale might have something.”

 

“Doubt it, unless he’s suddenly gotten into Necromancy. Still, I’ll keep it around, you never know when it’ll come in use.” Astarion placed the book back near his tent, placing other books on top of it as though to try and hide it, “Can I help you with something?”

 

‘I want to make you into a beautiful corpse.’

 

“No.” Sanguinex hissed, “Nothing.”

 

….

 

Shadowheart and Lae’zel seemed to be fighting in a clearing nearby. Why, Tav had no idea, especially as they apparently hadn’t enough fighting in the goblin camp.

 

How much more did they need?

 

Astarion, the last time he looked, was speaking to Sanguinex.

 

Karlach was with Wyll, gesturing excitedly to her horns as Wyll watched her softly.

 

Abdirak was in prayer.

 

Pollux was in his tent, having some tea if the shadow was anything to go off, Halsin in there with him. Probably continuing the tense sounding conversation from earlier.

 

And Gale… Gale didn’t look well.

 

He rushed over as quickly as possible.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Gale jumped a little, wincing. “Apologies, I was merely thinking to myself…do you think Astarion will let me read that book after him? It’s not exactly my favourite field of study, but- “

 

“- If you ask him, I’m sure he’ll be happy to.” Tav chuckled, “Don’t be fooled by his words, Astarion is quite the reader. I was never one for it, so he’ll probably appreciate having someone to talk to about it.”

 

“Yes…I imagine becoming a magistrate required a lot of reading.”

 

“Oh, he hated reading for that. He prefers fiction, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

 

Gale chuckled, only to wince. “Sorry…my condition is bubbling up again.”

 

“I have a pair of boots that I doubt any of us are going to use. Would those do?”

 

Nodding gratefully, Gale watched as he went to fetch them, practically snatching them from his hands and pressing them against the orb in his chest, sighing in relief as the pain faded away.

 

“It’s an experience I don’t think I will ever get used to.” He sighed, only to frown and rub at his chest again, “This doesn’t right though. It doesn’t usually relieve it all the way, but- but more than this.”

 

“Is everything alright?” It was clear that Wyll had spotted the wince as well, all attention turning to them.

 

“I have a necklace you could take.” Pollux called out.

 

Abdirak emerged from his own tent, frowning when he saw Gale, “Such pain is…not the natural sort I sense.”

 

“It’s complica- Ah!” Gale doubled over, held up by Sanguinex who suddenly seemed to appear from out of nowhere, supported him and helping him back to his bedroll.

 

Everything then went black.

Chapter 32: Dream Visitor

The tower, full of darkness moments ago, was suddenly illuminated with the bright, warm light of the rising sun. It was a tower that was filled with clutter, Gale had to admit that, but it was his home.

 

Their home.

 

“I came just in time it seems.”

 

He turned to the sofa, where a familiar figure was seated.

 

“You’re transforming.”

 

“…Mystra?”

 

….

 

“You were outside the pod…I know your voice.”

 

The being in front of him smiled gently, looking up at the shades of purple, blue and pink that swirled all around them. Horns like Tav’s, white hair, eyes a golden shade of amber and skin a shade between red and purple that he couldn’t quite place. They were as large as Halsin, a voice much like Zevlor’s and Pollux didn’t trust it one bit.

 

The last thing he remembered was his head feeling like it was going to explode as he went to go to bed, seeing the others clearly going through similar symptoms as Lae’zel went to grab her sword in desperation.

 

Had she killed them?

 

Was this a weird version of the afterlife?

 

“Yes. I saved you before and I am here to save you again.”

 

….

 

“Save me?”

 

The being who looked like Tav chuckled, inviting Astarion to sit next to them.

 

“Don’t worry.” He even had Tav’s reassuring tone, “You will not become a mind flayer, you will not become a monster, not while I am around. I will protect you.”

 

Tav had always protected him.

 

Deep down, he knew that this wasn’t his husband, but hearing those words and in that voice just made him relax.

 

…

 

“You’re not my husband.”

 

Tav looked right into the icy blue eyes of the high elf standing before him. Had he never met Astarion again, maybe he would have been fooled by this, but he knew manipulation when he saw it, and he wasn’t about to let it win. He pushed himself to his own feet as the being smiled.

 

“You’re independent. Good, that will serve you well in the days to come.”

 

“You’re not my husband. Why should I listen to a single word you say?!”

 

The being continued to smile, as the scene changed.

 

….

 

“We don’t have much time, so you must listen closely.”

 

The Gith Commander in front of her looked like all the warriors that Lae’zel had respected over her schooling years. And yet, she knew that they couldn’t be trusted.

 

She was infected.

 

She had felt like she was going to explode due to the headache in her brain, feeling fuzzy and weak, moving to drive a sword into the chests of her teammates and then herself, before everything went black.

 

“I will not listen to anything you have to say!”

 

“You must.”

 

…

 

“You have great potential inside of you.”

 

How often had Wyll dreamt about hearing those words from his father?

 

In this weird sort of dream world though?

 

“And it’s because of that parasite in front of you. Your instinct is to resist the power it gives, but you must accept it, nurture it.”

 

Wyll shook his head. “I remember the last time I accepted a power that I didn’t understand.” He whispered, one hand moving to stroke at his new horns, “It didn’t go well.”

 

….

 

“I will keep it from consuming you.”

 

Sanguinex eyes the being in front of him, wondering just why this face made his heart ache the way that it did. Dark hair, dark eyes and an almost roguish smile.

 

“But for the sake of both of us, you must learn to wield it.”

 

“I am not one to be controlled.” He hissed.

 

The man’s eyes started to glow.

 

….

 

Karlach watched as large boulders were moved to one side, seeing dark shapes attacking something in the distance.

 

“The fight for the fate of Faerun.” Her mother sighed, “A fight that we are losing…for now. You can change that, but only if you embrace your potential.”

 

“No offense, but my potential has the ability to set things on fire.” She clutched at her chest, feeling that ache there, “I’m not the same anymore.”

 

It hurt to admit.

 

….

 

“I have to go. The enemy is closing in.” The stern look of the Mother Superior eyed her, “I will be back though.”

 

Shadowheart hoped she didn’t see the intense relief on her face.

 

She had to be more like her.

 

Rocks and boulders came flying at them, as everything went white, the Mother Superior flinging out a hand and sending her flying back away from the oncoming projectiles.

 

“Wake. I will be here.”

 

….

 

Gale was the first to wake that morning, getting to his feet and looking around the rest of the camp. That being…it wasn’t Mystra, he knew this, but to think that she was the one who still brought him comfort, even after everything that they’d been through together.

 

“You’re looking like someone who had a little…dream last night.”

 

Jumping a little, he looked over at Astarion, mentally cursing himself for forgetting that the vampire had probably gone out hunting in the early hours of the morning.

 

“I- “

 

“- Did you get a visitor as well?”

 

“I did.” Gale admitted, “They- they looked like Mystra for me.”

 

“…Tav.” Astarion hummed, “You know that it’s fake, but you couldn’t help but listen to them, right? They might have a point about the potential aspect of it all.”

 

“…You think that we should use these tadpole powers?”

 

“We can make others of this ‘cult’, other infected people, do whatever we want! Why shouldn’t we take advantage of that?!”

 

Gale watched as Wyll stirred from his own rest, looking much like he hadn’t gotten much sleep. “I think there are several in this camp who would…disagree with that approach, your husband included.”

 

Waving a hand in dismissal, Astarion rolled his eyes.

 

“They’re all talking about stopping this cult and finding a cure…but surely controlling the cult and the tadpole is more to our benefit?”

 

Gale couldn’t help but agree to a certain point.

 

He didn’t think they could go up against an entire cult without some form of help, even if it had come from an illithid.

 

As Astarion flounced over to Tav, leaning in close to the tiefling who looked a little alarmed at whatever the vampire was saying, and more than a little confused.

 

“Everyone’s looking like they didn’t get much sleep last night.”

 

Gale looked up at Pollux.

 

“With the exception of Abdirak and Halsin of course….what did yours look like?”

 

“Mystra.”

 

“Weird…mine looked like a mixture of everyone I’ve ever trusted.” Pollux shrugged, “It made me distrust them even more.”

 

“You are very suspicious for a druid.”

 

“You’ve met suspicious druids.”

 

“I’ve met racist druids.”

 

Pollux let out a high-pitched giggle that made Gale pause, wondering just where he’d heard that laugh before….only to hear Astarion do the same a short distance away.

 

Oh.

 

OH!

 

“You have a point.” Pollux hadn’t seemed to notice his pause, “Well, I have a reason to be suspicious of guests who visit me in my dreams, trying to take on a shape that I trust, taking on something different with everyone else.”

 

“You have a good point there.”

 

There was a beat of silence before Pollux spoke up again, “Why Mystra for you? I would have thought you wouldn’t trust her as much as you do? Isn’t there anyone else?”

 

“Curious, aren’t you?” Gale eyed him for a moment, “If you must know…she gave me a gift.”

 

“A gift?”

 

“Much like Tav and Astarion were blessed once upon a time.” Gale gave him a significant look.

 

It took a few moments, before Pollux’s eyes widened.

 

“A child?!”

Chapter 33: Return To The Grove

Astarion wasn’t sure where these Moonrise Towers were, but he had a suspicion it was close to Baldur’s Gate…which meant that it was also close to HIM.

 

He needed more guarantees than the knowledge that his husband was just there for him. He needed to be sure that Tav would adore him from now until the end of time.

 

No matter what.

 

And he knew just how to achieve that.

 

Leaving the conversation with Gale behind, he headed over to Tav, who was looking a little weary. When his husband gave him a gentle smile, Astarion knew that if he had a beating heart, it would flutter at the sight.

 

He loved that smile.

 

“I guess that you had an odd dream as well?” He hummed, seeing Tav nod wearily, “Well, it got me thinking…remembering our time together, all those fond memories, and I’m not just talking about that pretty neck of yours.”

 

Tav just stared at him, before clearing his throat.

 

“Any…memories in particular?”

 

That caught Astarion a little off guard.

 

“Well… telling stories to Etienne at the breakfast table.”

 

He wasn’t sure where that memory came from, letting out a laugh when he fully remembered one scene in question.

 

“I remember him chipping a cup once and bursting into tears when he thought that he was going to get into trouble.”

 

“It became your favourite cup.” Tav chuckled, “You loved that thing….it’s still sitting on the shelf.”

 

“Oh.”

 

This conversation wasn’t going the way that he wanted. It was time to get it back on track.

 

He moved a little closer to his husband, frowning at the way Tav tensed up a little.

 

“So…” The tiefling cleared his throat, “…what-what are you suggesting.”

 

“Oh come now, don’t be coy! It’ll be like our first time all over again.”

 

Not that he could remember that moment.

 

“And now, there’s the extra thrill of these fangs.” Astarion smirked, “I know you liked them, didn’t you?”

 

There was a squawk from near Gale’s tent, but he paid it no heed.

 

“A gentleman never tells.”

 

“You don’t have to say anything, because I feel the same way.” He tried again to get closer, “We could try and get an evening for ourselves? Sneak away from the camp, try and get some privacy. I’m sure I can find somewhere quiet, somewhere…intimate where we can indulge in each other.”

 

“…Are you sure?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be sure darling?”

 

Tav looked a little uncertain for a moment, “Well…you- “

 

“- I promise, that the only thing on my mind is deprived, carnal lust.”

 

He didn’t think that it was possible, but Tav looked even more worried at the words.

 

Why would he be worried?

 

It was a thought that haunted him as they all started to pack up.

 

….

 

Lae’zel was talking about going to the gith creche again.

 

Pollux tuned most of it out.

 

Ahead, he could see that his Father’s shoulders were tense, the other tiefling looking over at Astarion every so often.

 

Astarion wasn’t looking back…he didn’t even seem aware of it.

 

Abdirak and Shadowheart were talking quietly, Sanguinex watching them quietly and Karlach was- she was doubling back to him.

 

“Hey.” She beamed at him, “Is it true that you know a smith that might be able to help me with my ticker?” She pounded a fist on her chest, as Pollux chuckled.

 

“I do…intimately in fact. Although he might not be able to do much in the Grove. We don’t exactly have any supplies there.”

 

“Hey, if he has ANY idea how to fix me, I’ll take it!”

 

“Then Dammon will be your man.”

 

They saw the gates of the Grove mere minutes later as a scout eagerly called out that they were back, the gates rising immediately as a little figure came rushing through them.

 

“PAPA!”

 

Halsin moved forwards, catching his son in his arms, spinning him around as Lihau giggled with delight. In the distance, Zevlor was rushing towards them.

 

“Halsin! You- “

 

As the Tiefling was spun into a dip and kissed, Pollux sighed and looked away, catching Astarion’s eyes.

 

“Yes, they’re always like this.” he sighed, taking in that almost wistful look, “You get used to it.”

 

Vaguely, he heard Zevlor hissing at Halsin, something about them being in front of everyone, before Halsin’s expression dropped, and he whispered something back, a weary sigh passing through Zevlor’s lips, before he nodded.

 

Kagha.

 

She had no idea what was coming her way.

 

“Wow.” Karlach whispered, “Look at all the children.”

 

“Don’t get too excited, they’re monsters...and keep an eye on any loose belongings. They have a good system going, and they love newcomers.”

 

Karlach actually looked thrilled by the prospect.

 

“Pollux.”

 

He looked up, seeing Halsin staring at him, Lihau still in his arms and Zevlor by his side.

 

“Follow me.”

 

It was time.

 

......

 

The druids all avoided eye contact as they headed down to the Sacred Pool, and it was clear that Halsin was growing angrier and angrier by this.

 

They had all known what was going on and did nothing to stop it.

 

“This is very interesting.” Abdirak hummed, “It is rare to find such pain and conflict in a Druid’s Grove.”

 

“Been to many of them before?" Wyll frowned.

 

"When passing through, yes. I respect that my Goddess has very little space in nature, but a little space is still space."

 

"This place is amazing." Karlach whispered, waving at Mol and some of the other tielfing children, who were coming to watch, "Look at all the little babies!"

 

"Don't say that near Mol. She's thirteen, going on thirty that one." Pollux chuckled, "If you're looking to do a little bit of adopting however- "

 

"- When this ticker gets fixed and this tadpole is squished under my boot, then i'm taking them all, just try and stop me."

 

Pollux's laughter filled the air, catching the attention of several people nearby.

 

The druids looked nervous at the sound.

 

Gale avoided eye contact.

 

He’d been avoiding them since the conversation Pollux had with him.

 

Nonetheless, Tav's heart skipped a beat at the sound.

 

That laughter.

 

...No.

 

Just a coincidence.

 

....

 

Were Halsin a crueler leader, Kagha had no doubt that she would be removed forcibly from the Grove, just as Pollux told her would happen. During the days after the reveal, that was the only solace that she had, even as she was treated like a leper.

 

However, as she looked over to the steps, seeing Halsin storming towards her, Pollux and the others following behind, she couldn’t help but think that she had been wrong in her initial beliefs.

 

“Kagha!” Halsin’s bellow echoed throughout the area, as everyone stopped still, “You took it upon yourself to undertake the Rite of Thorns?! I ought to exile you from this place! Forever!”

 

Her heart stopped in her chest.

 

Halsin visibly took a deep breath, gently shushing his son, who had started to whimper a little in his arms.

 

“However, Pollux informs me that you did have a change in heart, so I will listen to the explanation that you owe me.”

 

“It was an error in judgement Master!” She tried to plead, “It won’t happen again.”

 

“Don’t try that.” Pollux snapped from behind Halsin, “You admitted that you did it for no other reason than your hatred for Zevlor and his people. Yes, it might have been an error to open the Grove to the Shadow Druids, but it stemmed from feelings that you have had for a long, long time.”

 

“An error in most grave, something that I will work on!” Kagha continued to plead, “Give me grace Master Halsin.”

 

“Grace is given by nature, not I. You will stay as a novice anew. You have forgotten the ways of the druids, and Pollux is correct…these feelings are nothing new. You have forgotten the natural order of things, including the introduction of new life into a Grove to help it flourish. It is up to you to prove that you have learnt the lessons once more.”

 

Kagha was clearly not happy, but bowed.

 

“So, as you say, and so it is done.”

 

As she walked off, Wyll frowned, “Is that all? She tried to imprison a child, she could have killed her.”

 

“Once a traitor, always a traitor.” Astarion hummed, nudging Gale in the side, who sighed with a nod.

 

“If nothing else, you’ll have your hands full with her. She has…great spirit, to put it mildly.”

 

Pollux said nothing, seeing Halsin tensing at the words.

 

“She shows great insolence.” The druid growled, “But, the time as a novice will humble. There are many tieflings here who are now higher than her in the hierarchy. Besides, the Grove still needs her.”

 

“Need her?”

 

Halsin chuckled, “You will soon see why.” He turned to them, “I can’t help but feel like I’ve not said this enough but thank you all. The Grove still stands, nature prevails, and I owe you all for the second time over.”

 

“Tsk.” Lae’zel sneered, “What next then? My people have a creche nearby, we- “

 

“- I thought the plan was Moonrise Towers.” Abdirak hummed, not seeming to notice the dirty look the gith was giving him.

 

Pollux sighed and left them all to bicker, going after Kagha, who was looking a little defeated.

 

“Kagha- “

 

“- An army marches across the coast.” She whispered, “You know this, we’ve all heard about the cult…but at least with Halsin back, this Grove might stand a chance.”

 

How to tell her that he was coming with them to Moonrise Towers.

 

You know…that could wait until she had a bit to drink.

 

Much like his own conversation with Gale.

 

Tonight.

Chapter 34: Camp Party Part 1

Tav could still remember the first time he saw Astarion.

 

In a busy tavern, the pair of them eating at separate tables. They locked eyes and Tav was lost.

 

How can one elf be so stunning?

 

….

 

They started bumping into each other more and more.

 

Rarely had he found himself tongue-tied around those he found attractive, but he always lost his words when Astarion came around, and worse, people were starting to notice.

 

He could do without the knowing looks from his fellow paladins.

 

He could do without the teasing.

 

Conversations all faded to the background, and Tav was consumed by the little project he had set himself to.

 

Carving the perfect wooden animal as a starter courting gift. It would probably lead to him getting laughed at, the toy thrown at his head, but if the elf did that, were they really right for him?

 

But what animal?

 

He tossed the mangled horse he was trying to carve into the fire, picking up a new piece and starting again.

 

He worked on this for the better part of the next few days, passing time on his pony and between making camp, supper and sleep, and while he was called for watch. He was careful of every detail, always handling it delicately and wrapping it up when he wasn’t working on it.

 

It was an odd choice, but with a bit of paint, he thought it looked perfect.

 

He turned the bat over in his hands…when to give it?

 

What to say?

 

He turned over every thought and idea in his head, scenario after scenario he tossed away, either too impossible or too embarrassing to follow through. He had never felt more like a coward in his life as he finally made the decision to speak to the elf.

 

From there, it was like they were meant to be together.

 

Which is why he didn’t care when Astarion broke the news to him.

 

**Flashback**

 

“It’s rare that I ever feel like having sex.” Astarion shrugged, “I don’t have any trauma or anything, and the act itself doesn’t gross me out, but if I don’t have to have it, I won’t.”

 

They were in Tav’s home, cuddling and having a relaxing moment together.

 

Tav had trailed kisses down Astarion’s jaw, only for the elf to gently but firmly push him away.

 

“That’s fine.” Tav rushed to reassure him, “I don’t need sex to be with you. I’m- I’m still as crazy in love with you as I’ve been since the moment I saw you, and nothing is going to change that.”

 

**End Flashback**

 

This was all a part of the reason why Tav was so confused about the conversation he had had with his love. When Astarion felt like having sex, he tended to just ….ask.

 

There was none of this flourid language, the seductive gestures and looks. He just...told him and they made a romantic evening out of it.

 

The tiefling party was going strong.

 

Many of them had decided to move onto Baldur's Gate, and Zevlor had volunteered to lead them, after learning that Halsin would be joining them to Moonrise Towers.

 

Tav hoped he would find the peace that he needed by doing this.

 

Moving past the drunk young couple, Rolan's light show illuminating the dark sky, he made his way over to Astarion, who was sipping wine from a bottle.

 

"You know." His love sighed, "I never saw myself as a hero, never thought that I’d be the one they'd toast for saving so many lives. And now that I’m here..." He gulped the drink down, "...I hate it."

 

"No, you don't." Tav chuckled, "You chose law because you wanted to help people.”

 

“Oh.”

 

There was an awkward silence, as Tav cleared his throat. “It wasn’t all bad though. Think about all the goblins that you killed.”

 

“True…that was fun.” Astarion sighed, “Still, I would have like a little more than a pat on the head and some vinegar to drink.”

 

Vinegar?

 

Tav had quite enjoyed the wine, despite it being of cheap quality.

 

He took Astarion’s bottle, sipping at it, only to realise too late that because of Astarion’s vampirism, all food and drink would taste off to him.

 

“All I want is a little more excitement and a lot more fun. Is that so much to ask for?”

 

And here they were.

 

Back to that conversation as Tav wondered how to broach the delicate subject.

 

“And…what kind of fun are you looking for?”

 

“By the Gods, SEX darling! A night of passion, remember?” He moved closer, placing one hand on Tav’s chest, making Tav tense up just a little, “We’ll wait until everyone’s gone to sleep or too drunk to care, sneak off and find ourselves a quiet clearing somewhere, yes?”

 

“I- “

 

“- There’s a secluded place not too far from here that should do nicely…I’ll meet you there.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

“I can’t wait, my love.”

 

…..

 

Sanguinex leant against the tree, arms crossed.

 

To the casual observer, he appeared to be completely unconcerned with what was happening, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. His eyes were focused on the wizard sitting on a nearby rock, a flock of small tiefling children gathered at his feet, hanging onto his every word and the magic from his fingertips.

 

He couldn’t remember reading much as a kid.

 

Not that he couldn’t remember much anyway, but reading was definitely not something he remembered doing.

 

Even now, he didn’t really see the point.

 

But now, hearing these stories from Gale, the way that they rolled off his tongue…it changed them into something different.

 

Something he wanted to keep listening to.

 

Maybe it was the way he told them.

 

Or… maybe it was the way he felt about the wizard, deep inside, that magnified everything he did into something amazing.

 

From the way the children look at him, eyes sparkling, it’s obvious that they’re completely captivated.

 

They are, after all, only children.

 

Sanguinex smiled, not noticing how several tieflings moved away from him.

 

…

 

“Why is he still travelling with you?”

 

Turning his attention away from the light show, Pollux shrugged when he saw Dammon staring at him. “Honestly…I don’t know. We’re all in a similar predicament and this is just…convenient. He’s a good fighter.”

 

“And the fact that he is literally terrifying?”

 

Pollux sighed, heading over to Rolan when his siblings started to tease him. “Alright, alright. Any more magic and the baby might actually make something explode.”

 

“…Can that happen?”

 

“I don’t know, but I do know someone who does.”

 

Pollux moved to head over to Gale, only to pause when Sanguinex moved to head over to Gale instead, the tiefling children all running away at the sight of him.

 

“That’s either really good, or really bad.”

 

Tav then walked past, face twisted into something contemplative and concerned at the same time.

 

“And so is that.”

Chapter 35

Getting drunk on the outskirts of the party had seemed like a good idea at the time, and if his magic went a little…haywire when showing off to the children, well they only seemed to find it funny.

 

Like it was all part of the show.

 

Still, when they ran off, he was a little relieved.

 

And then Sanguinex was in front of him.

 

“Ah, hello there.” He cleared his throat, “I suppose it’s nice that someone has come over to see me. Tav and Astarion are doing there own thing, Shadowheart and Lae’zel seem to be getting ready to leave together. I think Karlach has gone off to find Wyll, and Pollux- “

 

“- Do you want some company tonight?”

 

Gale was silent for a moment, feeling himself shiver when those eyes landed on him, despite the night being pleasantly warm. It took a moment for him to figure out what was being asked of him, flushing a little at the proposition, especially as he had never been with a dragonborn before and the idea was a little…intriguing.

 

“Unfortunately, I will have to decline.” He cleared his throat, tapping on his chest, over where the orb was, “Too much excitement has the potential to be a premature end to this party.”

 

There was a beat of silence as Sanguinex stared at him, before the dragonborn nodded sharply.

 

“I will…just sit with you, if that is okay?”

 

“That-that’s fine.”

 

And Sanguinex did just that, sitting down next to Gale who wasn’t entirely sure what to say to someone he wasn’t overly close to.

 

“Gale?”

 

He looked up, seeing Pollux standing there, an uncertain look on his face.

 

“I was wondering if I could talk to you…about children…and what to expect when someone with magic is expecting?”

 

Gale grimaced, “I do feel like I should point out that, one, I wasn’t the one who was carrying the child…and to be honest, I don’t even know if Mystra carried them. One moment they weren’t there and the next, they were screaming in my arms.”

 

In fact, he could still remember waking up that morning to the sound of Tara panicking and the sound of a baby screaming.

 

He could still remember how it felt to have his child squirming in his arms, pulling away star-dusted blankets to see a tiny face. The child let out a big yawn and opened his eyes, wriggling furiously when they saw Gale there.

 

Barely a few hours old and they seemed to recognise that Gale was their parents…even if the glowing purple eyes were a little off-putting at first.

 

“Gale?”

 

“Sorry, I- I’m not sure what happens during pregnancy for magic users, but be warned of those early years.” He chuckled, “I don’t think I was ever truly forgiven for the rose incident.”

 

“Great.” Pollux sighed, “Well, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

 

“Why don’t you ask- “

 

Pollux was already gone.

 

“You have a child?”

 

He looked over at Sanguinex, who tilted his head to one side in curiosity.

 

“I- yes. Technically. Though, I’m not sure if I truly had any involvement if a Goddess decides to create a child based off the two of us.”

 

“…You love them.”

 

“I do.” Gale whispered, “They are my everything. My everything that I neglected for far too long once Mystra discarded me.”

 

She discarded their child as well.

 

Refused to speak to them, believing that they had had too much involvement with Gale and were therefore corrupted.

 

So, in reality, they had been neglected by both parents over the course of a year.

 

His heart sank to his stomach, making him feel sick.

 

“…I think I have a child.”

 

Gale’s head spun to stare at the dragonborn. “You do?”

 

“…A tiny face. A human’s voice…teaching tiny hands how to hold a dagger. White scales on pale skin.” Sanguinex nodded slowly, “A little boy.”

 

“This is a good sign!” Gale beamed, “Your memories might be coming back!”

 

Sanguinex didn’t seem to think that.

 

The silence twisted back into awkwardness and Gale cleared his throat.

 

“You’ll be back with your family soon.” He whispered, “I promise”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

…..

 

Far away, in a room gilded with gold, a dark-haired human stared out of the window. The whiskey he sipped at, warmed his lips, reminding him of times of the not-so-distant past.

 

Kissing the child of Bhaal had once been one of his favourite things in the world, but it was also dangerous.

 

Perhaps that risk was why he enjoyed it so much.

 

Curled up on the sofa, teasing at the dragonborn, until his paperwork was shoved to one side and he was taught not to tease in such a way.

 

He missed that.

 

Having his son interrupt just wasn’t the same.

 

He downed the rest of his drink and went back to work.

 

…..

 

“He should be resting.” Zevlor sighed, watching as Pollux fluttered from one person to the next, not slowing down in the slightest, “All this has been…a lot for him.”

 

“I assume you’re talking about his parents’?” Halsin hummed, rocking Lihau in one arm, “Yes, he is finding it hard. And yet, he is dealing with it much better than I would be doing. He was permanently scarred by whatever happened that fateful night, both emotionally and physically, and whatever is happening here, will either help or hinder him.”

 

Zevlor sipped at his wine, not sure what to say in response to that. “I know you’re going with him…you’ll make sure it helps, right?”

 

“I will do everything in my power.”

 

….

 

Astarion hummed, watching as the party started to wind down. The tiefling children were all led away to beds, and the drunk tieflings stumbled off.

 

Not long now.

 

His heart pounded in his chest at the thought, deciding to head into the woods early to wait for Tav there. It was then that he heard a familiar tune nearby, curiously following it to Pollux.

 

The young druid was staring up at the skies, his two lovers sleeping by his side.

 

“Wha’s that?” Astarion asked bluntly, knowing that he knew the song, but unable to place where he knew it from.

 

“Hm?” Pollux didn’t register the words for a moment, before flinching, pulling his mask back up and sighing, “Sorry…I didn’t realise that I was bothering you.”

 

“That’s not what I said. I know that song, where did you hear it?”

 

“…It’s a song from the Moon Elves.”

 

It felt like he was being stabbed. In fact, being stabbed might be kinder than to be reminded of a song he should know off by heart, a song he probably sung to his child, but now only had vague memories of.

 

“Astarion?”

 

Astarion turned away and left.

 

The farther away from camp he was, the better.

 

No songs.

 

No memories.

 

Just him and Tav, and the security that would bring.

Chapter 36: Explicit Zevlor/Halsin Chapter

Astarion stared up at the stars in the sky and sighed.

 

An old Moon Elf lullaby.

 

He wished he hadn’t asked, and he hated that he couldn’t get the words out of his mind.

 

Groaning, he buried his face into his hands, took a breath and forced himself to smile. Now was not the time to start worrying about things like...what he had possibly forgotten.

 

Once Tav dealt with Cazador (which this night was going to ensure), he could work on re-learning things like that again.

 

Right?

 

Yes, of course he could.

 

Hearing footsteps coming from the party, he quickly pulled his tunic off, throwing it to one side, and taking another deep breath.

 

Showtime.

 

He could do this.

 

As the footsteps entered the clearing, he slowly emerged from around the tree that he had been sheltering behind. “There you are.” He kept his voice at a low purr, watching as Tav froze in place, straightening up as Astarion stepped into the light.

 

“I’ve been waiting for this moment since the first time I set eyes on you again...waiting for this chance to have you again.”

 

“...What’s going on?”

 

Astarion paused, a little taken aback by the tone.

 

“What on earth are you- “

 

“- I mean, all this... slinking.” Tav gestured at Astarion, who couldn’t help but feel a little offended, “I know that- I know that you’re having a little trouble remembering the past- “

 

“- Yes well, when you’ve been tortured by a sadistic vampiric Lord for over two centuries, you do tend to- “

 

“- You just used to ask if you were in the mood.” Tav cut him off, words gentle, “I remember when you tried to do this when we first got together because you thought that this is what I would like...that I would only stay with you if we slept together.”

 

“I- “

 

“- It took you a long time to realise that I didn’t mind if it never happened.” Tav reached out, taking Astarion’s hands into their own, being kind enough not to mention how hard they were shaking, "And that fact remains the same now. If you don't want this to happen, then it doesn't have to."

 

Astarion could only stare at him, the words failing to get further than his throat. The awkward silence lasted so long, that Tav cleared his throat and tried to step back.

 

"Why don't we go back to camp and- "

 

"- You truly don't mind?"

 

"Never." Tav whispered, "We really ever used to do it...once in a blue moon."

 

"But- but Etienne- "

 

"- Was a bit of an accident. One that we loved. It was just...the right time of the month I suppose."

 

Could it really have been that easy?

 

Could it really just have been...that lucky?

 

Astarion didn’t remember a lot about his past, but he knew that elves struggled to conceive at the best of times, with two usually being the maximum a couple would have, trying for hundreds of years.

 

And for him it was...just one of those things?

 

“Astarion?”

 

“I- can we stay out here?”

 

“Whatever you want?”

 

“...Lying down together?”

 

Tav’s smile as still soft, “As you wish.”

 

....

 

“Ssh, relax for me. I’ve got you.” Halsin gently hushed his lover, rubbing his fingers against the wet front of Zevlor’s undergarments, watching as the fabric practically stuck to his genitals.

 

“I-I know, but fuck!” Zevlor gasped, arching, hands scrambling down the elf’s back as Halsin practically fingered him through the fabric, “We-we have to be- “

 

“I know, It’s alright. I think everyone is out cold. Children included.” Lightly, Halsin kissed at Zevlor’s neck, chuckling when he felt the tiefling’s tail batting at the back of his thighs, as though asking him to get on with it.

 

Zevlor let out a curse when Halsin’s kisses moved to his chest, sending sparks over his body. The elf had barely touched him, and yet, he felt like he was soaking, arousal coursing through his veins.

 

The elf’s own cock was straining underneath his own clothes.

 

Panting, Zevlor watched as Halsin moved down, pushing Zevlor’s legs up and apart before dragging his tongue over his hole, smirking when he heard Zevlor moan.

 

It was possibly one of the most arousing sounds that he’d ever heard.

 

Dipping him tongue inside, he hummed lightly, working his tongue in and out before he moved to Zevlor’s cock, sucking hard at it as Zevlor’s thighs trembled violently. He easily slipped a finger inside, pressing it against his prostate as Zevlor jerked, muffling another moan.

 

“You’re so good.” He praised softly when he pulled away, pushing another finger inside, rubbing his thumb over the prostate as those slick walls clenched around him eagerly.

 

“G-gods!” Zevlor leant up for a kiss, reaching up and tangling his fingers into Halsin’s hair.

 

“Just a couple more fingers and then you’ll be ready.” He whispered, watching as Zevlor nodded, keening and gasping when Halsin’s fingers brushed over his sweet spot, his body reacting beautifully.

 

It wasn’t long before Halsin deemed him ready, pulling his fingers out and wiping them clean.

 

Zevlor was flushed a darker shade of red than usual, where he was sprawled out underneath Halsin, watching as the druid slicked up his erection. He gripped Zevlor’s legs, knowing that his fingers might leave some bruising behind, but he also knew that they were both okay with that. He rubbed his cock against Zevlor for a moment or two, lightly teasing him as Zevlor looked up at him in desperation.

 

He leant over, kissing the tiefling firmly on the lips, smothering the loud moan Zevlor gave as Halsin pushed into him.

 

Zevlor coiled his arms and legs around the larger man, mouth going slack as Halsin plundered his mouth, sheathing his cock fully inside of his lover’s hot, tight hole.

 

“H-Halsin, oh, oh!” Zevlor panted, sounding wrecked and dazed as their kiss broke, and Halsin started to rock in and out.

 

“You always feel so amazing.” Halsin praised as he sucked a light mark into Zevlor’s chest, moving his hips, hearing the lewd sound of their wet skin smacking together echoing around them.

 

“Y-you feel- “ Zevlor whined as he arched up against the druid, his eyes rolling up into his skull as Halsin slammed into him with more force than before. Zevlor writhed and gasped as a familiar pressure built up in his stomach.

 

“I know, just let it go. I want to feel you come on my cock.” Halsin encouraged, able to tell that his lover was close by the way his inner walls were convulsing around him. He reached down, brushing a thumb over Zevlor’s cock and Zevlor’s vision whited out as his orgasm ripped through him.

 

Halsin grunted as he buried his cock as deep as it would go, watching Zevlor come apart, his release spurting out all over his stomach, a silent scream coming from his open mouth, body shaking uncontrollably.

 

It was a beautiful sight.

 

Enough to send Halsin over the edge as he ducked down to kiss the tiefling, coming into Zevlor.

 

He knew that the tiefling wanted to go to Baldur’s Gate, and he would never stop him from helping his people.

 

Hopefully, he would come back to him.

 

Hopefully, they would all return to each other.

Chapter 37: Separation

Tav hummed, feeling the sun on his face as he slowly woke up, automatically reaching out for Astarion…only to find nothing. Frowning, he forced his eyes open, seeing that the grass was flattened a little, telling him that the night hadn’t been a dream.

 

So, where was-

 

He turned, seeing Astarion standing in the sunlight, arms stretched out as though soaking in the rays.

 

He probably was.

 

Tav was mesmerised by how beautiful he was. Nothing else mattered to a view like this, the whole world fading into a haze…and then his eyes lingered on red scars that looked carved into his lovers’ skin. Blue, flaming eyes widened at the sight and some sort of sound must have broken free as Astarion slowly turned, a soft smile on his face.

 

“You- I think you sleep a little heavier than you used to.” The vampire pointed out as Tav chuckled.

 

“To be fair, I think my idea of heavy sleeping is lighter than most people. And we don’t have a child climbing into bed anymore.” He tried not to sound upset when he said those words, “I remember you used to hate getting out of bed though.”

 

“I wanted a chance to appreciate the sun.”

 

“Ah.” Tav cleared his throat, “I understand that.”

 

“Should we get going?”

 

Tav nodded, getting to his feet, only to hesitate for a moment, “Those scars…on your back.”

 

It wasn’t hard to miss how Astarion tensed up immediately.

 

“What about them?”

 

“…They’re written in Infernal.”

 

Astarion spun around, ruby red eyes widening, hands reaching behind him to feel at the edges of the scar, “I-Infernal? Are you sure?”

 

“Well, I admit it’s been years since I’ve actively had to read anything about it, but…yes, that’s infernal.” He moved a little closer, “If you want, I can- “

 

“- No!”

 

Tav froze at the sheer panic in Astarion’s voice, taking a step back and holding up his hands, trying to convey calmness. “Okay.” He whispered, “Okay.”

 

For a moment, they both just stared at each other, before Astarion was turning to grab his tunic, shoving it over his head. “Let’s get back to the camp.” He muttered, leaving no room for discussion.

 

Tav just followed on behind.

 

....

 

“He’s going to be a good father.” Zevlor murmured, watching as Pollux said his goodbyes to a pouting Lihau, “He’s always been so good with Lihau after all.”

 

Halsin just nodded.

 

He wished that he didn’t have to leave Zevlor to the perils of the trip to Baldur’s Gate alone, but going to the Shadowlands was...well, it was a thought that had plagued him for around 100 years now, and he needed to see it through to the end, no matter what that would be.

 

“Hopefully, we’ll both make it to Baldur’s Gate before the birth.” Zevlor continued, oblivious to Halsin’s thoughts, “Though,,,” He glanced at his husband, “...something tells me that we won’t be that lucky?”

 

“...We will do our best. That’s all we can do.”

 

His replacement as Head of the Grove would be arriving soon, and until then, he semi-trusted Rafe to keep the peace. The other adventurers were all packing up their things.

 

There was some tension between Tav and Astarion...and Shadowheart and Lae’zel...and a little bit between Gale and Sanguinex.

 

Wyll and Karlach seemed to be fine, as was Abdirak and his son.

 

Halsin knew that they’d all split up over the course of the night into these couples, but what could have possibly happened to cause all this?

 

“Halsin?”

 

He hummed, looking over at Zevlor, who had a soft frown on his face.

 

“I’m okay.” He leant into to press a kiss to Zevlor’s cheek, “I’ll see you at Baldur’s Gate.”

 

“See you at Baldur’s Gate.”

 

....

 

“I just don’t see why we can’t travel there together.” Rolan huffed, scowling when Dammon took his books from him to load onto the cart, “Surely it would be safer?”

 

“I have something else to do.” Pollux chuckled, “We’ll meet up in Baldur’s Gate. You know the address, right?”

 

“I’ve got it.”

 

Rolan continued to huff, muttering under his breath as he tried to help load the cart, only to be thwarted by his siblings instead.

 

“Where are you going that’s got so much of your focus?” Dammon asked lowly, “Tell me honestly, is it going to be dangerous?”

 

“…It might be.” Pollux leant over, giving him a kiss on the cheek, “I’ll be fine. This will all be over before you know it, and then we can start life again in the city. Rolan as a bigshot apprentice, probably a proper wizard before the year is out. You as a successful blacksmith with his own shop and I’ll be your kept man.”

 

“Ha!”

 

Pollux laughed along with him, reaching out to pull Rolan in close when the wizard attempted to shoulder past him, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he grumbled.

 

“I’ll see you both in Baldur’s Gate.”

 

“You’d better.” Rolan snapped, “Don’t be late.”

 

“I wouldn’t dare.”

 

....

 

“How are you feeling?” Tav asked Astarion softly, as they reappeared in the Goblin camps, making their way to the Priestess’s rooms, where they had found the door that led to someplace unknown.

 

Astarion glanced at him, muttering a barely heard “I’m fine” before clearing his throat, “No need to worry about me darling. I’m perfectly alright.”

 

Did his husband see the sad look that flashed across Tav’s face at the admission?

 

No, probably not.

 

He could still see that his beloved was shaking, just a little, even as they confronted the troll guarding this secret entrance and raided the room.

 

He said nothing though.

 

It was not worth the argument.

 

They reached the entrance to what was clearly the Underdark, all looking at each other, before Wyll cleared his throat.

 

“Shall we?”

 

“Gentlemen first.” Astarion smirked, as Wyll rolled his eyes and started to descent into the darkness, hands gripping onto the precarious ladder.

 

Karlach was second, followed by Pollux, then Tav and the rest followed on afterwords.

 

If any of them heard the other making nervous noises about the shaking, they were polite enough not to say anything.

 

Hopefully through here, they would find some answers.

Chapter 38: Underdark Part 1

“Fascinating.” Abdirak was the first to comment as they arrived in the ruins of some sort of Temple, a single glowing light lighting the path ahead of them, “You know, this would be my first time in such a place.”

 

“Same here.” Wyll muttered, “Rare is the creature that ventures down here. And I can’t think of any creature down here that would then travel to the surface.” He looked over at Astarion, who rolled his eyes.

 

“I’ve spent years lurking in the shadows, yes, but I’ve never had the need to come down here” He looked around, “Hardly luxury accommodations, but there are upsides for a vampire…undersides? You know what I mean.”

 

Gale hummed, moving further into the ruins, peering out at the world beyond the large iron gate, “It’s an almost…menacing kind of beauty, isn’t it?” Something made a noise in the distance, “Still, I would probably be happier seeing it from a distance.”

 

“I’ve heard so many stories about this place.” Pollux whispered, looking around, “Halsin, do you remember when you told me about the shroom people?”

 

“I remember.” Halsin chuckled, “As I recall, you were determined to move down here for a very long time.”

 

“I think Rolan would have thrown an actual fit if I dared suggest it now.”

 

“All the possibly dangerous creatures, complete and total darkness, what’s there not to like.” Astarion chuckled.

 

“It’s cold.” Maxim muttered, shaking out his hands a little, “Is it meant to be this cold?”

 

“I imagine that’s due to the air flow down here.” Pollux answered, “With the large, cavernous spaces that lead to who knows where, we’re probably getting air flow from even the coldest reaches of the land.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“I have extra blankets if you need them.”

 

Maxim nodded, before rushing off to explore, Abdirak giving Pollux a curious look. “You are truly kind to every child that you meet.”

 

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Pollux shrugged, “Children often see more than they should, why shouldn’t I try to make life a little easier and kinder for them.” And with that, they all started to explore, trying to find a way to get out of the temple and into the Underdark beyond.

 

Tav found some armour that seemed to have some runes that indicated radiant abilities, packing it away to try it on later, before looking over at Astarion.

 

Could they live down here once all this was over?

 

It was an idea.

 

Possibly not the best, but if it meant that Astarion was comfortable, then so be it.

 

“We are we even here?” Lae’zel snapped, the sound echoing throughout the temple, “The mountain path was clearly the more superior option, we would have gotten help from my people and then we would have been done with all of this!”

 

“We don’t even know if there is a path to the Shadowlands here that we can get through.” Pollux pointed out, “We may have to take the Mountain path anyway.”

 

“It should have been our first choice!”

 

Pollux through his hands up into the air, moving away, even as Lae’zel followed and continued to push for the Mountain Path.

 

“Lae’zel, I did not climb down that ladder, just to go back up! Leave it alone!”

 

“IS’TIK!”

 

Shadowheart sneered at the argument, looking up at the glowing gem thoughtfully, head tilted to one side.

 

“Are you alright?” Gale asked her softly, seeing her face crease in confusion as she opened her mouth to answer. Before she could however, there was a roar from just outside of the gates, prompting them all to turn in that direction, seeing a Minotaur charging towards the gates.

 

“A welcoming party.” Pollux sighed, “Lovely.”

 

Before they could do anything however, beams of light shot out, hitting the Minotaur, which bellowed in pain, its steps getting slower and slower before it collapsed just by the gate, letting out it's dying breath as they all stood there in silence.

 

"Crispy." Pollux muttered, looking up at the gem, "I think if we want to get out of here, we'll need to destroy that."

 

"Perhaps a simple arrow will do the trick?" Abdirak hummed, barely flinching when Shadowheart grabbed a sizable rock from the ground and launched it at the gem, only for it to miss, nearly hitting Tav on the other side.

 

"Someone else maybe?" He sighed, looking at Astarion, who was already taking aim and firing. One arrow and the gem was destroyed. "Alright, let's get going."

 

They opened up the gates and headed out into the Underdark.

 

...

 

They had a sword now, Tav having prayed to his God to give him the strength, and in the process, probably annoying every single Drow god that there was.

 

There was the creature that burrowed into the earth, bursting out and sending them flying in different directions, Astarion nearly falling over the side of the cavern, saved by Halsin reaching out and grabbing him by the collar just in time.

 

There were the surviving Minotaur who attacked them.

 

The mushrooms that sent you into laughing fits, exploded or released dangerous spores.

 

And then there was the trail of bodies, Duergar, gnomes and several fungi-esque beings

 

“Slavers more than likely.” Halsin examined the body of the duergar, “I imagine if they’re trying to seize power in the Underdark, especially here, they have come up against opposition.” His eyes moved over to the body of the fungi being, “Usually, they are peaceful, unless you try and destroy that which they hold dear.”

 

There was a chiming noise in the back of their minds, prompting them all to look around.

 

“There.” Gale hissed, pointing at a ledge, where several beings were waiting for them.

 

All at once, they were surrounded by a chorus of turbulent music. Through one creature, there was a harmony of an entire collective.

 

‘Sovereign.’ The one at the front seemed to be the one they could hear in their minds, ‘They have come. They are here.’

 

The choir faded, as one commanding melodious voice rose above the rest.

 

‘I Am Sovereign.’

 

Tav wondered if the others were getting the same visions of shadowy, fungal tendrils wrapping around their lifeless bodies, almost like a threat.

 

‘State Your Purpose.’

 

They all looked at each other, before Pollux stepped forwards. “We seek aid.” He stated, “Nothing more than that.”

 

There was a pause, before the same melody spoke up again, cautious but welcoming.

 

‘Descend To Me. Speak To Me In Flesh.’

Chapter 39: Omeluum and Blurg

Pollux wouldn’t call this a disaster so fair.

 

The Myconid colony were perfectly nice. They wanted them to get revenge on a drow who had killed their people.

 

A dwarf owner wanted them to find her ‘idiot’ husband who had wandered off in search of a special plant.

 

A specific myconid wanted them to help him with his revenge.

 

“This is more exciting than I thought it would be.” Sanguinex hummed, watching as Shadowheart fed an antidote to an injured dark gnome, who spoke of her people being enslaved for this mysterious Absolute, “It seems like we are on the right path though.”

 

“Good.” Astarion sneered, “The sooner we get to the end of this, the better.”

 

Abdirak and his son went to go set up the camp for them, as they continued to move through the camp, eventually coming across a hobgoblin with a little shop in a little alcove of the colony.

 

“I hate myself a little for this…” Karlach whispered, “…but I always tense up a little when I see a hobgoblin, it’s not like I’ve ever met…a good one, you know?”

 

“A lot of people say that about tieflings darling.” Astarion hummed, “Although, are we sure- “

 

“- Visitors!” The hobgoblin opened out his arms when he spotted them, appearing very welcoming, a tiny face poked out from underneath the table to reveal a smaller hobgoblin, with large glasses on its’ face, making their eyes look twice as big, “You’re a welcome sight, but let us observe the customs of the locals, shall we?” He focused for a moment, and the next time he spoke, it was in their minds, ‘Blurg. Proud member of the Society of Brilliance, at your service.’ He then winced, “Perhaps not.” He grunted, “Your mind is a lot more complex than that of the fungi.”

 

Tav was a little glad that he had said that. It was always positive to think that his mind was more complex than that of fungi.

 

Society of Brilliance though?

 

“They’re brilliant.” Gale whispered, “Some of the greatest, most curious minds in Faerun, all looking to find ways to improve the world.”

 

“That is very kind of you.” Blurg beamed, showing off alarmingly sharp teeth, “Now, I know you don’t tend to find many hobgoblins who claim to be intelligent, but we do exist. More than you might think.”

 

“Of course.” Halsin’s gentle tone did ease the tension a little, “We have not had...positive experiences so far. Of course, we must remember that many hobgoblins are enslaved by drow.”

 

“Exactly!” Blurg clapped his hands together, “Something which I aim to fix in the future. I’m sure that without the shackles of slavery, my people can rise high above their current reputation.”

 

“Of course.” Astarion was clearly biting back a sneer.

 

“In fact, my colleagues and I are working upon improving the Underdark as a whole. Why should it be such a dire, hostile place?” Blurg then looked at them curiously, “You are...an odd group to come down here.”

 

“That’s putting it mildly.” Karlach groaned, as Tav stepped forwards and explained the story.

 

By the end of it, Blurg’s eyes were wide.

 

“Infected by an illithid tadpole?! But you’re intact, how can this be?!”

 

Astarion opened his mouth, probably to give out another sarcastic, cutting comment, only to bite it back when Wyll kicked him in the leg.

 

“It’s...well, we’re not too sure.” Wyll sighed, “And I imagine if we did know, it would be a long story.”

 

“Well, have no fear. I know someone who might be able to help”. Blurg looked down at the little hobgoblin, who was still eying them all curiously, “Chok, will you go and get Omeluum?”

 

The child nodded and raced off, the group all turning to watch as he disappeared into a cavern.

 

“Yours?” Pollux asked, as Blurg nodded.

 

“Arranged marriage... of course, I’m not what most hobgoblin females look for in a mate, so it was over almost as soon as it started. She practically threw Chok at me when he preferred reading to fighting.” Blurg shrugged, “It is how it is.”

 

Tav tried not to make eye contact with Pollux, knowing that this was just another odd little family dynamic that he would probably make a note of.

 

Soon, the child was racing back, practically jumping back under the table, where Tav could now see a large pile of books that were there to keep him entertained.

 

‘I hope this is important.’ The voice echoed around their minds, making them tense up a little, ‘I have several samples that cannot be without supervision for too long.’

 

“These adventurers have illithid tadpoles in their heads, but there are no signs of transformation.”

 

‘No ceremorphosis?’

 

They turned, all flinching back as a Mind-flayer floating towards them. Tav grabbed Astarion, just in case he was thinking about lunging forwards.

 

‘Impossible...but intriguing.’ The Mind Flayer turned and looked at them all in turn, not seeming to notice the tension, 'Are you looking to have it extracted?'

 

Silence.

 

"His head will make a fine trophy for my queen." Lae'zel stepped forwards, only barely stopping when the Mind-Flayer held up both its' hands.

 

'Please, hold. I understand your rage towards my kin.' It almost seemed to plead with them, even as Blurg seemed to reach out towards a large stick nearby, as though he would leap to his 'friends' defence, 'My species have terrorised the Underdark for countless generations. But I assure you, I stand with the Society of Brilliance, not with the colonies of my people.'

 

They all looked at each other, before Wyll cleared his throat, "The Myconid probably won't want us fighting here." He whispered, "And no offense, we are outnumbered here."

 

"You're not suggesting we work with a ghaik?!"

 

"It's..." Pollux shook his head, "...I don't like it, but I don't think we have much choice.”

 

“Fool.” Lae’zel snapped, “They infest your head and invade your dreams, and you would still parley with them?”

 

‘I ask only that you refrain from violence.’ Omeluum spoke up again, ‘I respect that your opinion of my kind may be…charged. If that settles matters for the time being, would you be interested in a diagnosis? Which of you would open your mind to me, let us see what lurks within.’

 

They all looked at each other again, before Tav stepped forwards.

 

“I will.”

 

He relaxed as much as he could, letting the mind-flayer in. The tadpole almost seemed to pulse at the probing. It felt like it had grown ten times in size. Alive…awake…almost smug if he had to put an emotion to it.

 

‘This is most unusual.’ Omeluum stated, ‘The incubation period should be complete, as should your transformation, but the larva is infused with strange magic. It appears to be in some form of stasis.”

 

‘And what happens when the stasis ends?’ Tav wondered, as he cleared his throat, “Can you extract it?”

 

‘No. It appears to be shielded from physical and magical influence. And even without the shield, the extraction would involve severe cranial trauma.’

 

“You have healing magic, right?” Astarion asked Tav, “You and Shadowheart, how severe is severe?”

 

Lae’zel opened her mouth, probably to describe past extractions that had probably been observed by her people, as Pollux stepped forwards, “How severe would it be?”

 

‘Severe. I intend no disrespect, but healing brain tissue is…tricky, even with the higher healing spells. And you would need several reviving scrolls if all of you are similarly afflicted.’

 

Scrolls that they didn’t have.

 

‘But not to worry. Should you transform, I will happily perform a new examination.’

 

“What about the ship that we were on, would that help?” Wyll asked, even as Lae’zel and Shadowheart hissed at him to shut up.

 

‘Ship?’

 

Ignoring the hissing, Wyll described it as best he could, with Shadowheart’s occasional snide comment about the gith’s tactics and Lae’zel snapping back at her occasionally interrupting him.

 

When he was done, Tav would almost say that Omeluum looked...fascinated.

 

‘A nautiloid. Fascinating. I have never foot in one myself.’ It confessed, “’They were our warships during the greatest era of the Illithid Empire. We ruled the entire Astral Plane from their decks. The desgin was lost when the gith rebelled and ended our domination.’

 

Lae’zel hissed something very uncomplimentary here.

 

“Thanks.” Astarion sighed, “Not sure how that helped, knowing that we were on some ancient warship, but whatever.”

 

“It does help.” Pollux stated, “It tells us that the Illithid Empire is looking to rise back up again, and I don’t think they’re sticking with just the Astral Plane. And they are more prepared for what stands against them.” He looked at them all, “They want to take over the entirety of Faerun.”

Chapter 40: Omeluum Part 2

They all split off for a bit.

 

It was a little unnerving to know that they were part of a planned takeover that, at the moment, they had no idea how to stop this.

 

“We should have gone to the creche!”

 

Pollux looked up and sighed, before looking over at Lae’zel, who was glaring at him. She was probably going to each and every one of them, hoping to get enough people to agree to leaving this place and going to the creche.

 

“My Queen will put a stop to this so-called invasion and cure us of these tadpoles!”

 

“Or, they’ll kill us on sight.” Pollux pointed out, “The Underdark is the safest route to the Shadowlands, where we definitely know some answers are.”

 

“And if we die before then? If we’re turned?!”

 

“At the moment Lae’zel, I’m wondering if living to an old age is even worth it.” He sighed, “If the Underdark turns out to be a dead end, then fine, we’ll go to the creche. But for now, we’re sticking down here.”

 

She opened a mouth to protest, only for him to walk past her.

 

“Come on. Maybe Omeluum has some new information it can tell us.”

 

…

 

‘I have an idea.’ Omeluum greeted them, looking over at Blurg when the hobgoblin for his son to grab them a notebook for him to scribble in, looking very excited at the prospect of what might happen.

 

‘There may be a way to bypass that statis. There are many alchemical substances that can influence the mind.’

 

“Isn’t it the statis that hasn’t killed us yet?” Shadowheart frowned, as Gale cleared his throat uncertainly.

 

“Bypass? What kind of alchemy are we talking about here?”

 

‘A tincture distilled from a collection of rare mushrooms. They have subtle psionic influence.’ Omeluum stated, ‘I would require a fresh tongue of madness an tinmask spores. But be warned. In their natural state, both of these mushrooms can be quite dangerous. Tinmasks cause confusion in those that approach them. The tongue is…self-explanatory.’

 

“Some people run off the sides of the paths.” Blurg’s son whispered, “I’ve seen it happen.”

 

‘Indeed. That is why we have strict rules for what to touch and what not to touch.’

 

“So why are we considering eating them?” Sanguinex hissed, as Astarion nodded in agreement.

 

“That’s in their natural form, like it said.” Pollux pointed out, “Where do we find them?”

 

“The Underdark, of course.” Blurg piped up, “Although they are quite rare and their discovery…perilous.” He thought to himself for a moment, “Hm, I imagine Lenore would have them in their possession. She served Mystra as a cleric.”

 

Tav didn’t need to look at Gale to know that he was wincing a little.

 

He couldn’t imagine what clerics of Mystra thought about Gale.

 

“Why would a cleric have dangerous mushrooms like that?” Wyll asked, as Astarion snorted.

 

“Can you honestly look at the cleric that we have and say that you can’t see her with dangerous mushrooms.”

 

Wyll surreptitiously looked over at Shadowheart, before nodding in agreement at Astarion, as Shadowheart tsked at them.

 

“Where does she live?” Tav asked, hoping that it wasn’t too far into the Underdark. This place was dangerous at the best of times, and he knew that they had only scratched the surface about what they could face down here.

 

And he knew what the worst of the worst was.

 

“The southeast, last time I saw her.” Blurg winced, “Although, her tower does have a tendency to move.”

 

“Alright, we’ll try there and come back once we have what you need.”

 

‘May your travels be safe and swift.’ Omeluum stated as they left, feeling those eyes on their backs.

 

“I will remain with the pain cleric and his child.” Halsin stated, “Good luck out there.”

 

“We are definitely going to need more than luck.”

 

.....

 

Duergar were capturing gnomes to use as slaves.

 

Glut, the Myconid who had asked for their help for revenge, asked them to help him kill the circle who had taken them in and turned on them when Tav said that they wouldn’t do that.

 

They’d found the missing dwarf, who had stumbled right into a patch of mushrooms that exploded. Pollux shifted into a bird, to help the dwarf leave the dangerous zone, and then get the plant that he had been sent to get.

 

And then there was the Sussur Tree.

 

Tav stared at the glowing bark, remembering the blacksmiths’ notes about creating this Master Weapon

 

“You look a little drained.” Astarion hummed, “And I know it wasn’t me. Something about this plant bothering you?”

 

“You can’t feel it?” Tav muttered, “The lack of magic?”

 

“Hmm, a little.”

 

“Can we move away from it?” Gale asked, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

 

“Agreed.” Pollux muttered, “How are we meant to store something that drains us of all magic?”

 

“I can carry it!” Karlach volunteered, “It’s not like I have any magic to drain, right?”

 

It was decided that that would be the best course of action, until they were able to find a forge that would help them forge this master weapon. Once the ingredients were grabbed, they quickly moved away from it, which made Gale sigh in relief.

 

“Let’s head back.” Tav sighed, “We might as well tell the Sovereign that the Duergar problem has been sorted for the moment, that Glut tried to betray him, and we need to give the dwarf storeowner this plant. Resting for a bit probably won’t hurt either if we want to try and tackle this cleric tower.”

 

All in agreement, they headed back to the Circle.

 

The Sovereign was pleased that they had gotten revenge for them, giving them access to a sealed off area, where the myconid had found some items that may be of use to them, that they could then have.

 

Apparently, that included the body of a dead drow.

 

Something to worry about in the future.

 

They then gave the Noblestalk back to the store owner, who told them about its memory-restorative properties.

 

Sanguinex could get his memories back…as could Shadowheart.

 

The possibilities were endless, but they were just ‘what could have-beens’, as the owner told them they would be welcome at her store in Baldur’s Gate, giving them some gloves that looked like they would be suited to Sanguinex and his physical fighting skills.

 

“Tomorrow, we can see why the Absolute has sent people down here.” Tav sighed, “The dead drow might know something. For now, let’s try and get some rest.”

 

…..

 

Gale’s chest was starting to ache again. He bit back the grunt of pain that threatened to come out, retreating back to his tent and forcing himself to take deep breaths.

 

He knew that they had an abundance of magical items, but at this moment, he was convinced that none of them would provide the help that he needed.

 

He would need to consume more and more.

 

“Gale?”

 

He looked up, seeing Karlach standing there, a concerned look on her face.

 

“Shit.” She whispered, “You look like you’re going to pass out! I’ll go get someone!”

 

“Karlach wait, I- “

 

She was already gone though.

 

“Great.” He groaned, “Just great.”

 

“She has a right to be concerned.”

 

Gale jumped a little at the voice, twisting to see Astarion standing there. Ah yes, how could he forget the fact that the vampire tended to set up close to him, so they could discuss the various books that they had found along the way.

 

“You look awful, and I was frequently surrounded by the living dead.” Astarion frowned, “You know, if you need more magical items, we have- “

 

“- I’m not sure how much they would help.” Gale confessed, “To be honest, I’m thinking about leaving and heading back to the surface.”

 

“...Why?”

 

“So that when I blow up, I’m not taking you all with me.”

Chapter 41: Underdark Exploration

Astarion didn’t run away screaming at the words, which Gale was a little surprised at, and so the world all came pouring out. He told him of the day that Mystra came to him, barely into double figures and stating that she was impressed with his abilities.

 

Of course he was besotted.

 

What boy wouldn’t be?

 

Their meetings got more and more frequent as he got older and more powerful, and soon her very presence made him shiver. Nobody else could compare to her, and looking back, maybe that had been the point.

 

She told him of her own struggles, like they were equals in that regard.

 

She was his first.

 

She gave him the gift of a child, saying that he was the only one who she had blessed with this honour…of course, it was up to him to raise the child who, being the child of a God, showed abilities far beyond anything that Gale could possibly deal with.

 

But he managed.

 

The child was a gift from Mystra, and for the longest time, he struggled to see them as anything but that.

 

And then he tried to reclaim that lost part of the weave for her, and everything went downhill.

 

He had this curse attached to him, a constant reminder of his own hubris.

 

Mystra abandoned both him and the child.

 

And he...gave up a little.

 

It was hard to describe how the orb made him feel, holding out to take Astarion’s hand and pressing it against the mark, nearly falling to his knees at the pain that swept through him, seeing the panic building in Astarion’s eyes.

 

Could he feel it trying to pull him in?

 

“Without the magical artefacts, it will destabilise, and I will...well, explode to put it politely.” Gale whispered, “With it, I could probably destroy a city the size of Waterdeep, easily. You understand why I think I should leave.”

 

“…So we just make sure you have enough magical items to keep you going.” Astarion shrugged, “How hard can it be?”

 

“I- “

 

“- Tav’s not going to kick you out or anything for this.” Astarion cleared his throat, “He didn’t when he found out that I was a literal monster of the night, why would he for you?”

 

Gale had no idea what to say.

 

Thankfully, he was interrupted when Lae’zel and Shadowheart started to fight and argue, Tav rushing over to try and diffuse the tension.

 

When Gale turned back to thank Astarion for his words, the vampire was already gone.

 

There was a necklace on the ground that bubbled with magic.

 

It should be enough for now.

 

…

 

The following morning, they went to the small enclave to see what there was, that would help them on their journey. There were a few useful items, but it turned out to be the dead body of the drow that proved to be the most interesting.

 

The Adamantine Forge.

 

“Should we be concerned that we keep stumbling on different ways to make new weapons?” Gale asked, rolling his eyes when the rest of the group saw nothing wrong with it.

 

They moved towards where the tower was, coming across Hook Horrors and another drow, where they got more information on this Forge, and the story of betrayal that lay behind it.

 

“I don’t know why we’re so shocked.” Astarion shrugged, “Drow are forever betraying each other. The politics are a little…complicated down here.”

 

“You say that like politics aren’t complicated everywhere.” Wyll pointed out, the pair descending into a good-natured debate on it.

 

Tav rolled his eyes.

 

From there, the rest of the day just seemed to get more complicated.

 

They found the tower, but there was no cleric there. In fact, it seemed like there hadn’t been anyone there for quite some time.

 

The defences were still in place ad they packed a nasty sting when they did manage to get you, but eventually, they managed to get past them and get inside, using some of the petals that they’d found yesterday to disable the magical defences for good, making sure that getting OUT of the tower would be a lot easier than getting in.

 

Gale was not going to admit just how excited he was to roam around a fellow magic user’s tower.

 

He was curious, he couldn’t help it.

 

So, when he came across the area where a dog would probably lie, along with a button on the wall, he couldn’t help but press it.

 

Anyone would really.

 

“That collar we found just buzzed.” Wyll stated, pulling it out of his bag, frowning at it in puzzlement, “Why did we even pick this up?”

 

“Ah Wyll, some of us have more adventurous sex lives.” Astarion neatly plucked it from his hands, ignoring the look he was getting from Tav, as he put it around his neck, “Be a darling and press that button again Gale.”

 

“…I really don’t know if I want to do that.”

 

Shadowheart was quick to do it though, smirking at the noise that came from Astarion’s mouth. “Interesting.” She smirked, as Astarion removed the collar, muttering something about moving on.

 

In the end after getting the ingredients that they needed, and meeting a mechanical being that was WAY too strong to give out hugs in the way that it did, they headed out of the tower and continued to explore the area.

 

“I can hear some sort of chanting coming from down there? Might be worth checking out?”

 

…..

 

“That was NOT worth checking out.” Pollux muttered, pulling seaweed out from underneath the hood of his cloak, “Boohal…we were a few moments from being sacrificed to a parody of a God and I think we should all take a moment to make a vow that maybe, not everything needs to be investigated.”

 

“Agreed.” Wyll muttered, chugging a health potion, after nearly being just the sacrifice that they wanted.

 

“I am never going to get the taste of fish out of my mouth.” Astarion muttered, “And I didn’t even think I COULD taste things anymore.” he looked over at Pollux, “You picked something up back there.”

 

“Mm... a bottle message. It was written by one of the tiefling children...probably only recently.” Pollux’s tone lowered, “I don’t know whether or not to give it back or keep it to myself and let him live with this...hope.”

 

“Hope is a dangerous thing.”

 

“It can also be the thing that keeps someone going.”

 

For a moment, they stared at each other, Astarion growing more frustrated when the shadows of that hood prevented him from properly seeing the others’ eyes. Eventually, he turned away and sighed, “Let’s just get out of here.”

 

Pollux watched him leave and sighed, looking away for a moment as he met Gale’s eyes.

 

‘Tell him.’ The gaze seemed to say, but Pollux ignored it.

Chapter 42: Beholder

The attackers were all around him.

 

He stared down at them for a moment, before slowly moving away.

 

He needed to find Astarion.

 

He needed to make sure that his husband and son were safe.

 

He set off running.

 

He heard his son screaming for help, rounding a corner and seeing more of their attackers surrounding Astarion, pinning him up against the wall as he clutched Etienne to his chest.

 

He grabbed his sword and charged forwards.

 

“...av?”

 

“Tav?!”

 

He shot up, wide away and breathing heavily.

 

Wyll was giving him a concerned look, “Are you okay?”

 

“Yes...just a dream.”

 

“A bad one?”

 

“You could look at it in that way.” Tav got to his feet, “What’s the plan? Try and find that final drow to find out more about this Forge? Or should we get back to the Grove?”

 

“A forge that can apparently make powerful weapons and armour?” Astarion sidled closer, “Don’t you think that that’s important?”

 

“So is trying to find out more about our little guests.” Wyll pointed out, “Even if the help that we’re getting is a little...unorthodox.”

 

“He’s trusted by the Myconids.” Pollux pointed out, “And he is recognised as a member of the Society of Brilliance, which I’ve heard is very hard to get into.” He looked at Tav, “If we find the final drow, hopefully alive, it might be something we can look into at a later date. Like with the Sussar Tree weapon.”

 

“We’ll have to get back to the forge for that.” Tav hummed, “But you’re right. It’s something that we can look into if it happens to fall into our path.”

 

With that decision made, they decided to continue searching the Underdark.

 

Their journey took them back towards the Selunite Temple, heading over rocky paths as the air seemed to get colder and colder around them.

 

“This is a random place to put a statue.” Shadowheart remarked, tapping at the side of the stone face.

 

The statue looked terrified.

 

“Who carves a statue like this?”

 

“It is a statue!” Lae’zel snapped, “We need to move on. The sooner we deal with this childish mystery, the sooner we can get on with what we NEED to do.”

 

They went to move forwards, only for Gale to hiss at them to stop.

 

“Don’t you realise what we’re walking into?” He whispered, “Have none of you read books on this subject?” He looked at Wyll significantly, who looked around a little closer and froze in place.

 

“No...do you really think- “

 

“- Well, if you’d care to let the rest of us in on this little secret, that would be nice.” Astarion rolled his eyes, “So a stonemason has a sick sense of humour? Is that really cause for concern?”

 

Shadowheart seemed like she agreed with that, but knew that there was something wrong.

 

Pollux however, was still looking at the statues, seeing that they were all gathered together oddly.

 

“Pollux, tell me you’re not- “ Astarion’s voice cut out when a huddled mass in the back of the space slowly started to rise, several tentacled limbs with eyeballs attached to the end, staring down at them. In the middle of that face, there was a large eye that was also fixated on them, just above a large mouth full of sharp teeth.

 

“BEHOLDER!” Pollux screamed, quickly firing off a hail of thorns to give them the chance to get to some form of safety.

 

He could hear the creature bellowing at them, feeling like his legs were turning to jelly underneath him as he huddled behind a giant rock.

 

He had only faced a fear like this once before.

 

He needed to snap out of it before anyone else died.

 

...

 

Wyll had heard of beholders, of course, but they were relatively rare despite the stories. As a child, he had always wanted to face one of these, to get the chance to prove himself, but not that he was here...he hated it.

 

He watched as the Beholder brought some of the statues back to life, a vacant look in their eyes as they turned on the group.

 

Pollux was cowering behind a nearby boulder, his tail curled up in between his legs, twitching with the nerves.

 

He couldn’t blame him, but they needed all the help that they could get right now.

 

“Pollux! Come on!”

 

....

 

What was the young man thinking?

 

What was he seeing when he looked around with those frightened eyes?

 

Gale kept their drow attackers at bay as best he could with several well-aimed cantrips, spotting Sanguinex charge at the Beholder, striking it right in the eye, causing it to rear back with a roar.

 

The dragonborn didn’t seem phazed by the fact that they were facing down one of the most terrifying creatures to ever exist in Faerun, but then again, Gale wasn’t sure that there was anything that phazed him.

 

“Do we have a plan?!” He called out, hoping that someone would answer, “We could really do with a plan here!”

 

“Try not to die!” Astarion called back, “That’s the plan!”

 

“Genius!”

 

“Try and knock the drow out!” Wyll gave him a much more sensible answer, “We can question them later. Maybe getting a bit hurt will snap them out of this trance and they can help us with the Beholder!”

 

“You heard Wyll!” Tav sliced at one of the tentacles, “Someone try and snap Pollux out of whatever’s got a hold of him!”

 

Wyll, who had been closest, was already making his way over there, grabbing Pollux by his shoulder and shaking at him.

 

“Hey, you need to snap out of it, we can’t- “

 

“- Daddy wake up.” Pollux whispered, staring at the ground, “Please!”

 

Wyll felt his heart sink to his stomach, even as he heard the others continuing to fight.

 

“Daddy, I’m scared!”

 

“Alright.” He sighed, “Just…stay here.”

 

Hopefully, when they killed the monster, the fear would end.

 

He grabbed his rapier and headed back into the fight.

 

…

 

Blood.

 

So much blood.

 

A sharp pain in his lip.

 

“R-run Etienne! R-r-run!”

 

He wanted to run.

 

But he couldn’t.

 

He was going to die here.

Chapter 43: The Larva's Power

Elves don’t need sleep.

 

Tieflings do.

 

It was a part of himself that Etienne didn’t really like, especially with the nightmares that usually came with sleep.

 

Nightmares that he wasn’t going to bother Halsin with, not wanting to be a burden on the older elf or the Grove itself.

 

When he fell asleep finally one night, he knew that his dreams wouldn’t be happy.

 

There was always so much blood.

 

Blue eyes glazed over in death.

 

Red eyes burning with anger and staring him down.

 

That horrible pain on his face.

 

...

 

With a gasp, he came back to himself, looking around to see that the fighting was still going on.

 

He looked at the Beholder and grabbed his staff.

 

He was not weak.

 

He would never be weak again.

 

“Tremē!”

 

Ice shot down from the roof of the cavern.

 

And that was that.

....

Pollux stood over the body of the Beholder.

 

He hadn’t even seemed to have registered the conversation that they’d had with the drow, staring down at the creature.

 

“Pollux?” Tav whispered, “Is everything okay?”

 

There was a beat of silence, before Pollux nodded and tore his eyes away. “Bad memories. You know, there are a lot of potion ingredients in a Beholder if Gale’s interested.”

 

“...I’ll let him know.”

 

And with that, the conversation seemed to be over.

 

Even Shadowheart looked a little concerned when Pollux stormed past her.

 

“Should we- “

 

“- Leave him be.” Tav sighed, “We have what we need for finding this Forge and we have the ingredients for the potion. Let’s get back to the colony.”

 

...

 

He swore that he would never be weak again.

 

He SWORE!

 

His fists tightened, not looking at any of them as they entered the portal that would take them back to the Myconid, storming right through it and heading to the camp, ignoring Halsin’s concerned look as well.

 

He couldn’t speak to him.

 

He just couldn’t.

 

“Pollux?” Halsin frowned, “Are you- “

 

“-I-I need air.”

 

He disappeared further into the colony, leaving the wood elf behind.

 

....

 

“Shouldn’t we go after him?” Karlach asked, “He looked like he was going to cry.”

 

Astarion shook his head, “Trust me, going after him is the last thing that you want.”

 

“But what if he- “

 

“- Halsin will keep an eye on him.” Wyll gently calmed her, “Come on, let’s go and speak to the Mind Flayer.”

 

...

 

The half elf/half tiefling was fascinating.

 

Abdirak watched as the young man stood as still as a statue, hood uncharacteristically down, his white hair reflecting the eerie glow of the shrooms all around them. If it weren’t for the fact that he had watched him walk over to that ledge, he could almost compare him to a statue.

 

Or perhaps a hunter stalking its prey.

 

So much pain in such a young body.

 

Well, young for an elf.

 

He cleared his throat, catching the other man’s attention.

 

.....

 

The group watched as Omeluum turned his back on them to work on the potion, occasionally asking the young hobgoblin for help, like a parent would do if they were cooking something perhaps.

 

‘Who will be drinking it?’

 

They all looked at each other, before Tav raised his hand and stepped forwards.

 

‘You must drink the entire thing.’ Omeluum stated, ‘I can make no promises to the taste.’

 

Steeling himself, Tav nodded, before drinking it down as quickly as possible. The taste was disgusting beyond description. It went down easily enough though, which was one saving grace.

 

‘Not a drop left. Very good. Now, as the potion starts to influence your mind, you may find yourself acting irrationally. Try and stay focused.’

 

As if on cue, the world started to lose its’ edges, its finer boundaries. Spinning around him, making him feel like some kind of small creature, trapped in a glass jar that was being flung around.

 

He felt like he was drowning.

 

Drowning in mid-air.

 

In his head, he was sure that the tadpole was shrieking in anger, fighting against the effects of the potion even harder than he was. In fact, it felt like it was trying to hollow out his skull.

 

No.

 

He wasn’t about to lose himself to this thing.

 

Several more minutes passed, before Omeluum suddenly let out a cry of pain that echoed throughout their minds, floating back a little, clawed hands moving as though to shield himself.

 

“Omeluum!” Blurg rushed to support him, “Are you alright?”

 

‘That-that larva is nothing like I have ever experienced before. Its’ power is…unsettling.’

 

It was clear that he had been heavily affected by this. In the meantime, Tav was trying to ward off the headache that had started to build, rubbing at his temples, right under his horns.

 

“What does that mean?!” Lae’zel snapped, “Speak clearly!”

 

“Let him recover.”

 

They all turned to see Pollux re-joining them, mask and hood on, looking like nothing had happened.

 

“It’s clear that this isn’t going to be as simple as we first thought.” The half-elf sighed wearily, “Perhaps it was naive of us to assume so.” Pulling out a potion from his bag, he offered it to Tav, before turning his attention to Omeluum, “What did you learn?”

 

“The tadpole feels more powerful than ever.” Tav whispered, turning to the others, “Do any of you feel it? It felt like it was going to kill me.”

 

“You were supposed to make it weaker, not stronger!” Wyll protested as Omeluum held up its hands.

 

‘Such an outcome was not in my calculations. This is more than mere stasis.’

 

“Great, we went through all that out there, and the tadpoles are still in us?” Astarian snapped, “Perfect? What’s next, cutting of our heads?!”

 

‘Nothing so drastic. I may have a solution to this new issue, albeit, a temporary one.’

 

“Omeluum- “ Blurg started to protest, only for Omeluum to hold up a clawed hand.

 

‘I possess a Ring of Mind-Shielding. It prevents Elder Brains’ from sensing my presence. It will not remove the larva, but it will limit its’ influence, both positive and negative. I would offer it as a gift, but in truth, the ring is priceless. Is there anything you could offer in return?’

 

There were so many of them.

 

One ring was not going to do much and honestly, Tav wasn’t sure he liked the idea of leaving Omeluum vulnerable like that.

 

He could hear Shadowheart whisper a question about where they only mentioned this ring now, after the potion.

 

Astarion was muttering about not wanting to part with all their gold for this ONE ring.

 

Karlach was talking about intimidation, if needed…but Tav had another idea.

 

“What about information?” He asked, “I can tell you all about the nautaloid that I was on. Every last detail?”

 

Omeluum’s eyes almost seemed to light up and that was that.

Chapter 44: Going To The Grymforge

They decided to rest before making their way to the forge. Hopefully, the boat that was near the abandoned village would help them reach it.

 

Pollux knew that Halsin wanted to speak to him, avoiding his eyes at all costs, whilst keeping an eye on Max, who was shuffling towards him nervously.

 

“Did-did you always want to be a druid when you grew up?”

 

Chuckling, Pollux shook his head, “I wanted to be a Paladin. The only sneaky Paladin…I wanted to help people.”

 

“You help people as a druid.”

 

“I do, and I have to remember that my dreams of being a paladin ended nearly two hundred years.”

 

Max nodded, looking over to where his Dad had set up camp.

 

“Dreams change.” Pollux assured the child, “And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

…..

 

Tav watched Pollux for a while, unsure as to whether he should go over and talk to him. What happened with the Beholder had clearly shaken the young man, and whilst he knew that taking on a parental role was a little condescending, he couldn’t help but feel concerned.

 

Looking eyes with Halsin, he frowned when the druid just shook his head.

 

Fair enough.

 

He could take a hint.

 

Looking away from Pollux, he saw Astarion looking at a mirror. Curious, knowing that there was no chance that Astarion could see himself, he made his way over, approaching slowly.

 

“See something you like?” Astarion’s voice chuckled.

 

“Always.” Tav examined his own reflection over Astarion’s shoulder for a moment, “Do you miss it? Seeing your own reflection?”

 

“Preening in the looking glass every morning before I want to work, feeling and seeing your arms wrap around me from behind….of course I miss it.”

 

Tav winced at the insensitivity of his own question.

 

Of course Astarion would miss it.

 

He missed those mornings, lifting Ettiene up so that he could look over Astarion’s shoulder, at his own reflection, the toddler giggling when he was then kissed on the cheek.

 

“Of course.” He murmured, not that Astarion seemed to be listening to him.

 

“Do you know, I haven’t seen this face since it grew fangs and my eyes turned red. My face is just a dark shadow of my past…” He snarled, throwing the mirror to the ground, “… another thing that I’ve lost. Another thing that Cazador has taken from me.”

 

The sound of the mirror hitting a rock and shattering seemed to echo throughout the Underdark, the sound reverberating off of the crystals that surrounded them.

 

It caught everyone’s attention for a moment, before they all quickly looked away, sensing that this wasn’t the best time to be nosy about what was going on between the couple.

 

Tav stared at the broken glass before turning his attention back to Astarion, staring at his face and taking in all the details that he could, much like he had when he first found him on the beach. “I know it might not help.” He began slowly, “But…I really like what I see.”

 

“…And what do you see exactly? When you look at me?” Astarion reached out and took his hand, “I-I want to know what the world sees when they look at me.”

 

“Are you calling me your world now?” Tav teased, “You look…amazing.”

 

“Really?” Astarion twirled around playfully, “Anything in particular?”

 

“…I used to compare your eyes to sapphires. Now, they’re more like rubies. Different, but no less precious.”

 

“I- “

 

“- Your smile. Dangerous at times, but it never fails to make my heart flutter.”

 

Astarion looked a little stunned.

 

“The way your hair still curls around your ears the way that it always used to. I know you say that it annoys you, but- “

 

“- Oh, just call me beautiful, and we’ll call it a day.” Astarion rolled his eyes, but Tav could see the pleased smile on his face.

 

“Of course you’re beautiful.” Tav confirmed, “You always have been, and I think you always will be.”

 

There was a beat of silence, before Astarion chuckled. “You know…mirrors might be useless to me now, but being seen through someone else’s eyes? Priceless.”

 

Pleased that he seemed to have averted an oncoming dark mood, Tav took Astarion by the hand, “Your tent or mine?”

 

“Oh, yours darling. I spilt some ‘wine’ in mine the other day and now I just can’t get rid of that stain.”

 

Tav chuckled, following Astarion to the tent, looking forward to a relatively calm night, before the probable chaos.

 

…..

 

Shadowheart tried to kill Lae’zel.

 

Tav felt like he was dealing with a bunch of children sometimes.

 

...

 

None of them had gotten very much sleep as they headed down to the ruins of the village, to the lake where the boat was waiting.

 

“If we just follow this river, we should come upon something significant.” Wyll sighed, “Whether it be the Forge or something else.”

 

“Fingers crossed for the Forge.” Pollux grunted, “I can’t take any more surprises.”

 

There was a general murmur of agreement, as they all climbed onto the boat and set off, swiftly floating through the dark and dingy water. If there was anything living there, they couldn’t see it.

 

Hopefully, they never would.

 

They had been travelling for about ten minutes when the second boat pulled up alongside them, all of them freezing as a Duergar hopped onto the deck.

 

“Shit.” Wyll muttered, getting to his feet as Tav went to meet them.

 

“Where’s Gekh?!” The Duergar snapped, “Who the fuck are you lot?”

 

Tav knew that there were several options open to him. He could use the name of this Absolute to clear the way, he could lie about Gekh and talk about finding the body near the myconids…which would probably lead to that colony being burnt down.

 

He could reach out to the Duergar’s parasite and manipulate him that way, but that wasn’t going to work.

 

Or…he could-

 

“Problem solved- “ He heard Astarion say, mere seconds before the Duergar was pushed off the boat and into the water below.

 

“Astarion!” He groaned, watching at the other Duergar all moved to attack…. unsurprisingly really.

 

“What?”

 

“You know what!”

 

“Argue later!” Pollux snapped, using Call Lightning on a couple of the attackers still on the other boat, “Fight now!”

 

For the next ten minutes, it was a mess of flying arrows and hastily cast spells.

 

Wyll had some thorn imprints in his back from an ensnaring arrow; Pollux was removing another arrow from his thigh; Karlach...had slipped when she jumped over to the other boat and was complaining about having a sore bottom now, but they had won.

 

“Set the boat on fire.” Tav sighed wearily, “An empty boat will just cause suspicion.” He looked over at Astarion, who was whistling cheerfully.

 

Hopefully, getting through the forge would be a little more peaceful.

Chapter 45

Skickpit felt like he had been here for years, even though he knew that that wasn’t the truth.

 

He had to hold out.

 

He had to survive, no matter what happened.

 

Balenor would find him.

 

“Hey Stickshit!”

 

Once more, unto the breach.

 

....

 

“I can’t believe they believed us.” Wyll muttered, heading towards where the drow males were meant to be, “’Oh, he headed back to the Myconid hideaway. Please ignore the smell of burning.’”

 

“You really should be used to it by now.” Pollux muttered.

 

Down some steps, there was a Duergar toturer, surrounded by dead drows. The quiet docks that he was near, was a possible escape route for them if it all went wrong.

 

“I’m going to have a word with those spiders.” Pollux muttered, “I can hear splashing over there, that might be interesting.”

 

…

 

It was not interesting.

 

Pollux might have been able to turn the spiders against their trainer, but at the sight of the Duergar’s throwing the corpses of poor gnomes into the dirty water, even Wyll was contemplating violence above all other options.

 

“Look how many there are.” He whispered, “It’s just…senseless murder. Murder for the sake of murder, we- Astarion, what are you doing?”

 

They all turned to Astarion, who was carefully rifling through the pockets of the corpses. He raised an eyebrow at them.

 

“What? It’s not like they’re going to miss them?”

 

“It’s disrespectful!”

 

“We looted the goblins?”

 

“That was different, and you know it!”

 

“Sounds like it’s a case of one rule for one race and another for the others.”

 

When Wyll looked like he was going to explode, Pollux reached out and pulled him away. “We should report to the Sergeant before someone comes looking for us and decides that we’re acting suspiciously."

 

"We are acting suspiciously.”

 

“We’re trying not to make it too obvious though.”

 

They walked away from the corpses, back up the stone stairs, to where they had been directed to go. In a large room, that was blistering hot, magma and lava making rivers in the stone.

 

Up ahead, it looked like there had been some sort of cave-in. Several dark gnomes were attempting to pry the rock loose, as a Duergar bellowed at them to speed up. Hovering nearby, was a scrying eye, that focused on them intently for a moment, before continuing on it’s path.

 

“GET A MOVE ON!” The Duergar woman screamed, “IF THE TRUE SOUL DIES, I’LL HAVE ALL YOUR HEADS MOUNTED ON STICKS AROUND HERE!”

 

Tav didn’t miss how Pollux’s fists clenched a little.

 

Slavery was something that he knew the druids were deeply against.

 

They were lucky that Halsin was still at the camp.

 

He suspected that they might not have been so lucky as to remain inconspicuous with him around.

 

“Can I help with anything?” He out on what Astarion used to call his ‘listen to me or perish’ voice, watching as the female sergeant turned to him, one eyebrow raised as she looked him up and down.

 

“Another True Soul.” She remarked, “You’ve come at an opportune time.”

 

“Hmm, I can see that.” He didn’t flinch as Pollux moved over to the gnomes who were frantically hacking at the rock, clearly having seen something or someone of interest, “What happened here?”

 

…

 

Pollux couldn’t believe what he was seeing here.

 

The gnomes were speaking in soft whispers to each other, practically unheard over the sound of the bubbling lava nearby..

 

His eyes were focused on one gnome in particular.

 

“…never get through!” A young male gnome whispered, “We need that smoke powder!”

 

“Philomeen’s gone, and if she’s smart, she’ll never come back!”

 

“Tell the Sergeant where she is! Beldron’s trapped in there with that maniac Nere still!”

 

The young gnome was panicked, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

 

“Forget the smoke powder! They’ll kill Phil on the spot; I won’t let you do it!”

 

They both had the same tone.

 

Two loves in danger and their partners both fighting for their survival.

 

“Excuse me.” Pollux whispered, cutting their conversation short, both of them turning to him, fear/anger in their eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m a friend…we’re all friends. Thulla sent us.”

 

“Glittering Gods…” The female gnome whispered, “…She actually survived?”

 

The male gnome sounded equally as shocked, clasping his hands together, “Praise Ironhand! Laridda, our prayers have been answered!” He then turned to Pollux, “Sir, our friends…my husband, are trapped in the cave-in, and I know a way to get them out.”

 

“Bug please! True Soul Nere will, well, you know what he’ll do!”

 

“I promise that we are here to help.” Pollux tried to assure them, “That’s all we want, and I promise that I will get you all out.”

 

“You can’t promise that!” The female gnome shook her head, “Lunkbug- “

 

“- I have to take this chance. I have a family.” Lunkbug whispered, “A few days ago, there was…a scene. Our friend, Philomeen is a sapper, and she set off a blast and made a run for it. There’s a spot that-that we have for hiding. She’ll be there. If you have a map, I can mark it for you?”

 

“I don’t…but I’m good with directions.”

 

“Please find her. She’ll have the rest of the stuff, and that’ll be enough to get this rubble out of the way, and free Beldron and the others!”

 

“Tell me everything.”

 

Lunkbug did so eagerly.

 

Once he was done, Pollux turned to the gnome standing beside him.

 

“Barcus…what are you doing here. This isn’t good for- “ he paused, clearing his throat, “Well, it’s not a good place in general.”

 

Barcus shot him a nasty look, muttering something about not being allowed to take social breaks.

 

“Barcus- “

 

“- I figured that Wulbren and his friends would come here, but I was too late.” Barcus snapped, “He’s already been taken to Moonrise Towers, and I have no way to get to him now.” He looked around, leaning in to whisper, “You won’t find a worse group of gnomes, than these Ironhand Gnomes…Wulbren being the obvious exception.”

 

“Obviously…. we have a plan. Don’t worry.”

 

Barcus scoffed.

 

….

 

Pollux rejoined them as they were leaning, whispering about what he’d found out.

 

“That seems like the logical course of action.” Gale hummed, “If we have any hope of helping the gnomes here and getting to Nere, we will need some very strong explosives and hope that it doesn’t hurt anyone in the process.”

 

Pollux nodded, “My thoughts exactly. I think the duegar here have whole families down here, using them all as slaves. We have to free as many as we can, and we have to find these explosives quickly, because they won’t last for long, trapped in that place.”

 

“We find these explosives then.” Tav nodded firmly, “We have a plan.”