bloodsoakedurge

[bloodsoakedurge]

Real quick update: I'm hoping to be around some time in the next few days to work on stuff, but I am strongly considering a brief semi-hiatus because I have been incredibly busy with school. On top of that, I am starting to apply for jobs, so that is also taking up some of my time as well unfortunately.

But, I will be back around here soon. Not entirely sure when that may be, but I think it will be soon!

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Ok, ok, I swear I’m not dead or anything! I’ve been incredibly busy with school, so I haven’t really been around here the last few days and all. But, I hope to get to some more writing later today or this week and get some of those replies and asks out.

Apologies for the silence on my end, but I have been around!

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Happy Halloween y’all!

I wasn’t really able to do much today in terms of writing thanks to the combination of my classes until 12 PM and then I ended up driving two hours to go see a movie with friends tonight, which starts in a bit.

This is all to say I likely won’t do anything else tonight and I apologize for that. My activity has seemed to be all over the place, but I’m hoping to attempt some writing this weekend, we will see.

I hope y’all have a great rest of the night regardless, I’ll see y’all a bit tomorrow I hope.

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WE'RE SO BACK RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Good morning y’all! It appears my WiFi is actually cooperating today, so I’ll hopefully be able to do a few replies later this afternoon after my classes. I hope y’all have a fantastic Halloween and I’ll see y’all a bit later!

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Our wifi never really came back today like the power did, so I think I'm just going to call it a night for me. I'll try and work on some replies tomorrow, but I'm going to a movie tomorrow evening and likely will be gone for a good portion of the day. That said, I'll see about trying to do some things here and there.

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Another quick update: they restored power to our complex a bit ago, yay! WiFi is still spotty at the moment but I’ll see about trying to do some writing in a bit if the connection improves. I’ll see y’all then hopefully!

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Still no power here at my apartment, so writing and everything is still on hold for the time being. I have no idea how long it’ll take for it to come back online, but the utility company said it could take a few hours at the worst. So I’ll see if I can even do anything here today or not.

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Good morning y’all! Like I said last night, I hoped my internet would be better today to get to more writing, but ironically enough, I just woke up to the power in my apartment having gone out.

So, uh. Yeah. That’s great.

I’ll be on at some point though, I hope.

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I basically have no WiFi currently at my apartment, meaning I don’t think I can do much the rest of the night around here. With that, I’m also tired from my early classes today, so I’m just going to chill the rest of the night before I go to bed. Hopefully, the WiFi is better tomorrow so I can do a bit more writing, but I’ll see if anything has improved by the time I get on.

Y’all have a great rest of the night though, I’ll see y’all tomorrow!

[bloodsoakedurge]

✏️?

Iɴᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ Qᴜᴏᴛᴇs Gᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀ // @bloodsoakedurge

Balasar: Katya, why does your bucket list have ‘Die’ on it? Katya: So I can die feeling at least a little bit accomplished.

-

*Balasar comes home absolutely drunk, undresses, and stands in Katya’s bedroom.* Katya: Babe, are you.. coming to bed? Balasar: No thank you, I’m sure you’re lovely but I have a girlfriend. Balasar: *Lies on the ground and falls asleep* Katya: ...

-

Balasar: No, this is not a mess. You know what I consider a mess? Katya: Your life? Balasar: I- well yes, but-

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if you’re ever losing an argument hit’em with the “you want me.”

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I’ve been having some thoughts about Balasar and his younger years before he was taken by Bhaal cultists and right after he was taken. I personally like to think Balasar would fight them for as long as he could, just to try and get free, but… I think he’d eventually get broken down thanks to Bhaal and the Urge already being in his head prior to joining the cult.

I do think he probably would have killed a cultist or two in defense of himself around the time he first arrived at the temple.

All of this to say I’m considering fleshing out Balasar’s backstory from his younger years more-

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Balasar had no idea if Thorm had actually been able to see the memories he had shared with Z'rell in any capacity. He imagined that it maybe was possible, considering the fact the general seemed to be the head person of the army that he had found, but it was unclear to the Dragonborn for the time being whether or not that was true. He watched both Thorm and Z'rell, waiting for any sort of confirmation on the matter before he saw the brief hand being held up to signal for Balasar to wait.

And despite a large part of him wanting to go after the two, he did as he was instructed... if he could avoid any further confrontation with the general and his second in command at the moment, especially after finding out Thorm would not be taken down easily, he would do what he could to avoid it. It was against his instincts, against every part of him that was screaming to chop off his head and stomp it into the floor, to ensure he was dead before anything else happened. And even then... Balasar imagined that wouldn't be enough to put the general down either.

What that required was beyond Balasar, but that was not the point of this discussion. He was there to find out more about his past, to fill in gaps that had been present for so long without a single bit of information having been thrown his way. This was truly the closest he had gotten in a long while to get answers...

As he waited for the two to finish their discussion, he couldn't help but feel a pit forming in his stomach. Something about the entire situation still felt off to Balasar and he couldn't help but wonder if Thorm had some other ideas in mind for the Dragonborn while he was here. As he watched Z'rell leave, leaving just the two of them, the silence that spread across the room was unbearable, but the Dragonborn dare not speak before anything came from Thorm's mouth. And when words did start coming from him, he didn't know if they were ones he had wanted to hear...

❝I only remember bits and pieces of information that my brain wanted to remember, it seems,❞ he remarked softly with a shrug of his arms, ❝It's clear you remember more about my own past than even I do... you know about that person, Orin, who she is...❞

But before he could question the general about Orin any further, Thorm had already moved on to his next thought. About Gortash and some sort of plan that had apparently taken place while Balasar was around. Some plan that had apparently been carried out and how he himself had apparently been a part of it. But not just any part... a crucial part, having played a role that seemed vital to the entire operation that Thorm was still running.

It was very clear to Balasar that there was more to his past than he had thought. Much more than he would have ever remembered in his current state. And, in a way... that worried the Dragonborn.

❝I... can not say I remember anything about a plan, nor do I remember anything about someone named Gortash. But... if I had to imagine, he would have to be in a situation that is similar to both you and this Orin person,❞ he commented before he had a brief memory cross his mind. Recognition crossed Balasar's face as he remembered the smallest bit of info about Gortash that he had learned in his travels.

Something about him being a ruler of Baldur's Gate...

❝I... do remember hearing about him during my travels. About him becoming a ruler over Baldur's Gate or something similar. Something that I imagine is incredibly useful for.. what you may be doing here.❞

And finally... the last question that Thorm asked him. About why he was here, beyond just finding out about his past. Balasar felt part of him run cold at the question because frankly, he didn't know if he wanted to answer that. The talk with Jaheria stood out in his mind, to find a way to defeat Thorm and to get rid of the Shadow Curse on the land... something that he didn't want to bring up, in any capacity. But would Thorm be able to see through any lie he spoke?

There was only one way to find out.

❝I had heard some rumors about an army gathering here regarding the Absolute. While I didn't know much about them, I was told to come here to try and find a way to get some help with the parasite that was lodged in my head. The parasite that you do not appear to have,❞ he spoke with confidence, despite the fact that it was partially a lie, ❝Is there a way to remove it from me? As much as it has been useful, I would... rather not turn into a Mindflayer, if I can help it.❞

Ketheric remained quiet as Z'rell tried to bear the memories shown to her by Balasar's tadpole -- his mind. His eyes trained on the white Dragonborn, not his disciple, as the two connected. He had no tadpole himself, of course, so he could only wonder ( for now ) just what the half-orc was seeing inside.

When they finally broke apart, he couldn't help but notice that his second in command looked just a bit shaken.

Fascinating.

He held up a hand towards Balasar, signaling him to wait as he tilted his head towards Z'rell, who quickly and quietly filled him in. The only indication Balasar would receive as to the General's feelings was a brief twitch of a pointed ear - blink, and he would've missed it.

She was quickly dismissed afterwards, leaving only the General and the Dragonborn in the room - Ketheric giving the other a still unreadable look.

"You remember Orin, then?" He started plainly, "Your heritage?"

Ketheric's head tilted to the side as he looked over his former colleague, "Do you remember the plan I wonder... the role you played. How lesser we are for your absence. Your sister acting in your stead alongside Gortash and I."

A huff, almost a laugh, were the General capable of such a thing, "Gortash. I wonder if the name means anything to you now. He did not appear in your link with Z'rell."

"What do you hope to gain here, Balasar?" He asked, finally using the Bhaalspawn's name, "Your memories, yes. But there's always something more, isn't there?"

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❝Perhaps then you'll have to convince me more to share in the future,❞ he remarked with a grin, ❝I can't help but leave none left for you unless you actually ask me not to do it... Besides, where would be the fun in leaving some for others when they weren't around?❞

With that said... Balasar did think about allowing a bite just to help her out a bit. How could he at least not grant her something like that? I mean, c'mon... he knew better than anyone that it was more fun to be able to bite someone every now and again!

❝If I do allow you to amend that streak by biting me, would that make you happier? What would I get in return for allowing you to do that, besides the obvious of satisfaction of being bit?❞

“&– - The only issue it causes is that you didn't share-- - now I feel as if my mouth is underdressed. It's only polite to tempt me to break my very shallow 'no biting' streak, you know? You couulllddd amend that though and I will forgive you.”

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No surprise was evident on Balasar's face at her original surprise. He knew that was going to get a shocked expression out of her more than anything else, but he wasn't lying about anything so far. He had been telling the truth the entire time and he wasn't about to stop doing that anytime soon, not at this rate. Sure, maybe it wasn't the best look for him to say things like that, especially when his nature was more so to be on a path that involved a lot of blood, but at the same time...

He just felt that there was more to him than what he had known before. It certainly seemed more and more likely that he had a past life beyond what he could fully remember being a Bhaalspawn and all, but... he doubted he would ever really be able to share many of his true feelings about events. Not around Orin, anyway. Because he swore every time he said something, he could see a bit of mischevious planning in her eyes, like she was waiting for the perfect time to strike him down.

Balasar considered whether it would ever happen, but he wouldn't be surprised if she tried to kill him. He knew she wanted to be Bhaal's chosen, so what better way to do it than to kill Balasr?

At the end of the day though, the thought kept him on his guard when around Orin. Who was to say this entire event wasn't just a plot to get rid of him right then and there?

❝If you think that would be enough for him to toss me aside like some sort of dog, then I have a feeling you would be mistaken,❞ he remarked with a huff and roll of his eyes, ❝I think I have done more than enough in my time for him to overlook a comment like that. He cares far too much about whether or not we actually follow through with the killing, not some slide comment that was said by either of us.❞

He glares at her for a few moments as the dance ends and she begins the slaughter of all the people that were brought to the event tonight. As much as part of him was telling him to leave for once, he knew better than that and decided to stick around. Whether or not he would have regrets about the event later was... likely, more than anything else, but he would rather not deal with any more of Orin telling him that he would no longer be Bhaal's chosen after tonight.

And was the comment enough for Bhaal to toss Balasar aside? Then boy did he have a good reason to enact some vengeance on those around him who had been annoying him for far too long...

❝I think I'll stick around just to spite you,❞ he remarked with a snicker as he continued to stare her down as he walked by her to grab his sword, ❝After all... I can't let you have all the fun around here, can I?❞

"What?!" Automatically, Orin is frustrated and annoyed with him. Is this really Bhaal's chosen? How laughable that he wants to back out of the slaughter but maybe this will work in her favor, Bhaal would favor her if she does not back out of what they came here to do.

She will slaughter every last lamb here without his help if it comes down to this. "Pathetic." She hisses at him through clenched teeth, "And Father favors you? Ha! After tonight, he certainly won't."

She lets go of him, ending their little dance as she takes a step away from him, her hand sliding down to the dagger at her side. "You are a coward, bloodkin. Leave, if you wish, but I will not turn my back on the slaughter."

Not a second sooner after she speaks, the dagger is being thrown and it lodges itself into a unsuspecting dancer's throat. The screams that ensure after is like a melody to her ears.

"What will it be, bloodkin? Join me in this slaughter? Or will you leave like the coward you are?"

[bloodsoakedurge]

Currently at the gym, but I’ll be on after I’m done here. So I’ll see y’all in a little bit!