Chapter Text
It’s foreign. Sand, that is. It’s gritty, it’s coarse, but at least it isn’t the magma that lines Avernus. Karlach sees her newly-found freedom before she registers it – a sea, a beach, a wrecked nautiloid ship. It’s so bright .
She scrambles to her feet – trembling, she looks herself over. She’s shaking, she realises. But how can she not? She’s free . Free from Zariel, from Gortash – though the stirrings of her infernal engine remind her that the shackles have only been loosened.
Whatever , she thinks, I’m never going back. A scowl flits over her face before she reminds herself where she is. Some…. beach? No matter. There’s so much to do now that she’s free.
There’s a firm, disgusting wriggling in her head that seems to taunt her and her thoughts. The damned parasite. Gods, she should look for a cure. She knows the stories. Ceremorphosis, agonising and painful. Probably hurt more than her heart did when it got ripped out and replaced by the now-buzzing infernal engine. She did
not
want to relive that.
Karlach winces, nabbing a poor fisherman’s backpack that lies nearby (and also the note on him, who knows if that might be useful..) and packing whatever she has on her and what she could find. Her greataxe is still on her, albeit in a bit of a gnarly state, but it's better than nothing. An awfully convenient alchemy pouch (but who used that anyway), as well as a few health potions. Great.
A soft groan draws her from her thoughts, and she scurries over excitedly. She’d need as many friends- allies- companions? Whatever! She had been lonely for too long.
When she registers the sight before her, though, she may have tripped over a rock. May. But she, or they – they are beautiful. Raven-dark hair, a silver circlet over her fringe, the chainmail that seemed to be embroidered with symbols – they all couldn’t compare to their face, though.
Karlach freezes, stunned by the person before her. What is she supposed to do?! Think, Karlach! What did your mom say? Karlach frantically racks her head for ideas on how to approach them. I don’t know! Be a gentlewoman, or something? I should probably wake ‘em up, right? That’s like, a normal thing to do? Is this normal??
Before she can react, however, their eyes flutter open. Karlach panics in a flurry of motions and hand signals before simply leaning over and waving.
“Hey soldier!!”
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Shadowheart feels like her head was being split open by a worm. She remembers being rescued by a drow.. druid? (Counterintuitive, if you asked her, but who was she to judge?) There is also a githyanki, but she wasn’t looking forward to seeing her all that much.
Opening her eyes gave her truly a sight to see – a seemingly blushing one-horned tiefling, grinning dorkily down at her and waving awkwardly. It is… fairly endearing, for a stranger. But Shadowheart should know better. She does know better.
“Um.. hello.”
Shadowheart looks the tiefling up and down. They tower over her, and her face suddenly feels warm, for some reason. They’re gorgeous. And muscular. And tall. And strong.
I like them, she thinks, they look like they could throw me over their shoulder and carry me to safety. She sighs dreamily for a split second before regaining her composure. She shakes the thought out of her head, embarrassed – should the need arise, of course. Only then.
The tiefling seems to smile even wider at her response, and Shadowheart can only pray to Shar that her not-so-repressed self was not noticed. They spoke, a cheerful tone complementing their deep voice.
“I woke up a few minutes earlier. I’m Karlach!”
“I’m Shadowheart.”
She tucks the artefact into her pouch, before getting up. She notices the glint in Karlach’s eye, and prepares herself to lie –
“Say, you crashed down here with me, right? Any chance you also have an.. unwelcome visitor in the noggin?” They tapped the side of their head.
Blinking in surprise, Shadowheart stutters, “Oh. Yes. Oh, yes I do-” She groans, now fully remembering the events that had transpired earlier. “You do as well, I presume.” A tinge of hopefulness was laced in her words, and she berated herself inwardly for it.
A sheepish shrug told her all she needed. “Alright. Let’s go, then.”
“Wait, uh- me? Me too?” Karlach points to herself then to Shadowheart, back and forth in confusion.
“Yes, you too. Come.” Shadowheart sighs wearily and began to trek.
----------------------------------------------------
Tav was alone. His githyanki.. friend? no longer with him, the cleric he rescued also missing – there was no one but himself and the two entities in his brain.
When he came to, it was by an unfortunate splash by the water in the creek. Shaking his head furiously, he dried himself off. Something moved in the bushes – his head whipped quickly. He blinked and there was a bloodied squirrel in his hands.
Horrified, he let out an ‘eep!’ and dropped it. He was a druid. Intertwined with Nature. Loving the habitat and all that lived in it. What the hell?
Tav freaked, shuddering. Gods. Washing the blood off his hands in the river, he took a deep breath and looked up. There was smoke coming out of a building on the other side.
People. He grunted in disapproval, not liking interaction all that much, but decided to go for it anyway. It was his best bet to survive the night, at least. As he crossed the makeshift bridge he made, Tav noticed a bunny. He reigned his urges in and made his way up the hill. He would not betray the Oakfather again today.
“Who’s there? Please - keep your distance. You’re welcome to shelter here, but we’ve grave injuries to attend to..”
He enters, and the voice stops as the group of knights look at him. They take in his obsidian drow skin, and their eyes narrow. “Lolth servant. What do you want?”
A man speaks up. He seems to be the leader. Tav furrows his brows, but notices a lilt in his tone. “I need shelter.” He states simply.
The man smirks but masks it quickly. “We are the Paladins of Tyr, Lord of Justice. He sent us after an infernal being, straight out of the Nine Hells, hiding in the form of a one-horned tiefling. Help us hunt her down, and you can stay here for shelter. Should be no problem for a
drow
.”
Suspicious, but desperate – Tav nods, despite every instinct in him begging him not to.
“Fine. Show me to my room.”