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weaveandwood · 4 months ago

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The Bard and The Blade Chapter 2: A Small Continent

Wyll/Named Tav | Slow Burn | Read on AO3 | Entire Work

Summary:

Rosalind has a poor showing in battle and the mission is a complete failure. Will Wyll change his mind about accompanying the party now?

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out before taking a large gulp of her wine, which he instantly topped up. “For what?” He laughed. “For having a bad day? It happens to everyone. I have had a number of days end just like this, returning to camp with my metaphorical tail tucked between my legs, my only solace at the bottom of a glass of wine. Now…I can honestly say I haven’t died in the middle of a fight,” he smiled as he teased her, hoping it would help lift her spirits. He wasn’t ready to admit to her that the sight of her lying lifeless on the ground sent a cold dread through him, even though they had only known each other a little more than a day at that point.

AN: This chapter was born out of the fact that I am playing on Balanced mode (and am Not Good at the game, even though I enjoy it immensely) and a glitch in my Investigate Kagha quest. I'm hoping to update this fic every 2 weeks, alternating with Weave & Woods. Also big thank you to @druizard for the banner!

Dying the second day of their adventure wasn’t part of Rosalind’s plan, but as she woke up gasping for air with her three party companions standing around her, it was clear that was exactly what happened. She groaned as she sat up, her now pounding head in her hands as her elbows were balanced on her knees.

“What happened?” She asked the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with Gale, Astarion, or especially Wyll out of sheer embarrassment.

“Wood Woads,” said Gale. “Nasty buggers, they got us all pretty good.”

“Speak for yourself, wizard. I am perfectly fine, thank you very much,” said Astarion, a hint of amusement in his voice. Rosalind glanced up. Gale and Wyll looked way more beat up than Astarion. She assumed he used his sneaking abilities to get around the majority of the fight. She had been friends with plenty of rogues growing up in the Lower City, she knew how they operated.

“As I was about to say,” Gale said as he leveled a look at Astarion who was no longer paying attention, having moved on to look around the small island for chests that may have loot in them. “Luckily, we had taken down most of the mud mephits and the other Wood Woad before you went down. Wyll here got the final blast in right after you…well right after you died.”

She looked at Wyll, who was staring off into the distance, not making eye contact with her. While she had to admit he looked extremely handsome as the sun shone on his face, this had clearly not been a good first impression on her part. He was probably rethinking their deal right at this moment and was plotting how to leave their camp and capture Karlach on his own, leaving her in the dust. She thought about resurrecting the Wood Woad to take her out again or crawling into a large tree trunk and never coming out. Maybe she could get Gale to cast an invisibility spell on her so she could slink off for good. All three sounded like good and valid options at this point.

“Weren’t we supposed to find some sort of clue here about Kagha?” Astarion yelled from behind the large tree trunk. The whole reason they came to this area was to see what shady deal Kagha was getting into based on the letter they found in her quarters and hopefully try to talk her out of performing the ritual that would seal the Emerald Grove and set the tiefling refugees out on a road far too dangerous for anyone who wasn’t trained to fight. “There’s nothing here!”

Rosalind took Gale’s now outstretched hand and he smiled at her as he helped her up from the ground. What a good, kind man. She was glad she pulled him out of that rock. She walked stiffly to Astarion, groaning and rubbing her back as she did. “What do you mean, there’s nothing here? There has to be!” She was desperate for something to go right today.

“Darling, I’ve looked in every chest, under each rock, and in every nook in this tree. There’s nothing. Either someone else got to it first, or we were duped and there never was anything here.”

She sighed. This was not her day at all. “Alright, let’s head back, I guess.”

As they walked the path through the swamp back to the grove, she found herself falling in step with Gale while Wyll and Astarion led the way. Gale was easy to talk to - partially because he loved to talk, and partially because wizards had always been so interesting to her. The way they practiced magic was so studied, so precise. Sometimes watching a wizard cast felt cold, calculated, formulaic - less about artistry, more about precision. Gale was on a different level - the way he moved his hands was faster than any wizard she had ever seen, and the spells he chose had a certain flair to them, either in the type of spell he chose or when he chose to cast them, which resulted in the most dramatic effect. An artist can always spot another artist, and Rosalind felt a kindred spirit in Gale.

“You know,” he said softly as he slowed down, putting more distance between the two groups, “I think Wyll was angrier when you went down than he was during the goblin fight yesterday. An instant after you fell, the Wood Woad who caused your demise was nothing but ash. He was also the one to revive you. Astarion and I didn’t even have time to attempt to dig our scrolls of revivify out of our packs before he was already chanting the verbal components at your side.” He smiled, a knowing tone in his voice. “Interesting, don’t you think?”

Rosalind stopped in her tracks, her mind racing. Wyll revived her? Instantly, she was giddy as she pictured him pushing everyone away to rescue the downed, fair maiden. She giggled internally at the thought and caught herself starting to blush. On the other, more practical hand, it made complete sense. He’s a hero - of course he’d rush to her rescue out of a sense of duty. Part of the job. Just another day. She knew that. And the anger Gale described? Well, that was definitely because she was a failure and put them all in danger. Any thoughts she had of him potentially fancying her disappeared as quickly as they came, replaced by deep embarrassment again at being unable to hold her own on the battlefield that day. Living in a large tree trunk for the rest of her days now seemed like the most appealing option again.

Maybe a family of raccoons would take her and her tadpole in.

******

The mood at camp that evening was subdued. Wyll noticed everyone seemed to take their cues from Rosalind, effectively the party leader at this point, and Rosalind was not in the best of moods. She sat away from the rest of the group, using her fork to stab at the remnants of whatever vegetables remained in her bowl of stew Gale had prepared and muttering to herself.

He recognized that mood.

He grabbed two cups and a bottle of wine and walked over, sitting next to her on the ground. He saw her freeze for a second before looking up at him. She had the biggest blue eyes with flecks of gold. He hadn’t taken the time to appreciate them fully the other day, but he was sure he’d notice their beauty all the time now. He filled one cup and handed it to her before filling his own.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out before taking a large gulp of her wine, which he instantly topped up.

“For what?” He laughed. “For having a bad day? It happens to everyone. I have had a number of days end just like this, returning to camp with my metaphorical tail tucked between my legs, my only solace at the bottom of a glass of wine. Now…I can honestly say I haven’t died in the middle of a fight,” he smiled as he teased her, hoping it would help lift her spirits. He wasn’t ready to admit to her that the sight of her lying lifeless on the ground sent a cold dread through him, even though they had only known each other a little more than a day at that point.

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Don’t remind me. I have a scroll I can give you to replace the one you wasted on me.”

He placed a hand on her arm, the contact making her look at him. “It wasn’t a waste, Rosalind. It would never be a waste to revive a valued member of a party.”

She sighed. “I’m not sure exactly how valued I am. I am sure everyone here thinks I’m awful and would leave me on the side of the road in a heartbeat. Well, maybe not Gale. I’m just…new to this. Fighting, traveling, roughing it. All of it. I’ve only been outside of Baldur’s Gate just a few times, and one of those times led to me being kidnapped by mindflayers. Once this is over I don’t think I’ll be venturing outside the city again for a good long while,” she said and laughed nervously, finishing her wine.

Wyll took a drink, observing the rest of the party. Lae’zel kept to herself mostly, sharpening her blades each night. He had heard her admonish Rosalind for dying, ordering her to train with her during any free time from now on. Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart sat together, laughing quietly at something. Gale looked over at them a couple of times as Wyll watched. He thought he saw a smile, a nod directed at Rosalind. Wonder what that is about? He turned to look at her and caught her staring at him, her chin resting on her hands. She quickly tried to look away, but he noticed the blush rising up her neck. He smiled to himself.

“Refill?” he asked, holding up the bottle of wine, now half gone.

“Please,” she replied, holding out her cup.

“So you’re from Baldur’s Gate?” He asked, wanting to confirm that his suspicions on her identity were correct.

“Oh! I guess we didn’t really get a chance to talk much. Eventful day yesterday, what with the kidnapping, the crash, and the battle with the goblins. I think I fell asleep 10 minutes after setting up my tent. Anyway…” She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m from Baldur’s Gate, born and raised, in a manner of speaking. You’ve already figured out that I’m a bard. Hmmm, what else? I mainly perform in coffee shops and taverns in the Lower City, sometimes the Upper City - but those are few and far between. I’ve been asked to perform at private events and bigger venues but I turn them down every time. One must keep their reputation intact, you know.” She rotated her cup in her hands as she spoke. “Do…do you ever stop in Baldur’s Gate on any Blade of Frontiers missions?” She asked.

He shook his head. “I was raised there, but left seven years ago. I was seventeen with an eye for adventure and haven’t been back since. I did enjoy seeing bards perform in the Lower City Plaza when I was a teenager though.”

“I used to perform at that plaza! My first paying gig was there. I was so nervous!” She smiled, her face lighting up as she reminisced. “It was such a big place, and it was the weekend so of course it was busy with people not even pretending to pay attention to me. I remember it so vividly! I wanted it to feel intimate so I cast dancing lights but instead of the cool blue they normally are when I cast, I changed them to be warm yellow, like candlelight. I thought I was so creative,” she laughed. “I think maybe twenty people listened to me that night, but I’ll never forget it.”

Wyll couldn’t believe it. It was her - The Sunlark. What a small continent it was.

“I wonder if our paths ever crossed before this. It’s such a huge city, it feels unlikely. But I got that gig when I was seventeen, and if I’m doing the math correctly, that would have been when you were sixteen, so there’s a chance,” she said, looking at him again and catching him smiling at her. “What are you smiling about?” She asked, taking a sip.

“I remember you. I saw that performance.” He finished his wine, the bottle now empty.

He heard her choke on her wine and had to hold back his own laughter. “You did? And you remember it after all these years? It was either really good or really bad to be that memorable,” she laughed nervously. “Hopefully good, though,” she added.

The fire cast a diffused warm glow onto her, reminding him of that night. “Good enough for a sixteen year old boy to skip drinking with his friends at the Elfsong. And good enough to remember a pretty bard’s beautiful singing after seven years,” he said softly as he looked over and saw her shy smile, the faint blush returning to her cheeks. His gaze traveled over her face, taking in the faded bird tattoos, the scar above her eyebrow, her freckles, the scar cutting through her full lips. They looked soft. He saw her beautiful blue eyes do the same, pausing when they got to his lips. He realized suddenly that he had been leaning toward her, their bodies closer now than they were when he sat next to her. All it would take was him leaning in just a little more…

No, there wasn’t time for that. He cleared his throat and stood up quickly.

“It’s getting late, I should get to my tent. Tomorrow we hunt down Karlach and we’ll need all of our strength to capture that infernal devil. Goodnight, Rosalind, thank you for the conversation.” He bowed to her before turning and walking across camp.

******

Rosalind smiled to herself as she finished the last of her wine. He had seen her perform. He remembered her. He called her pretty . Gone was the embarrassment of the day. Gone was the desire to run away. Gone were the feelings of doubt and insecurity - at least for now. She was positive she’d make more mistakes, most likely tomorrow. But none of that mattered because the Blade of Frontiers complimented her singing voice. She would float on the cloud she was now on as long as possible.

Not quite ready to end the day, she went across the campsite to sit between Gale and Astarion, laughing at jokes they were telling at each other’s expense. Her favorites were the ones about Shadowheart’s permanent scowl - even Shadowheart managed to crack a smile at a couple of them. As the wine flowed between the four of them, however, the attention turned to her.

“So, Rosalind,” Astarion crooned. “You and Wyll looked rather…cozy over there.”

Oh, no.

She felt her cheeks get hot, sure they were turning bright red. “We were just talking,” she said, taking a long drink.

“Please, the two of you looked like you were two seconds away from -”

“Now, Astarion,” Gale interrupted. “Rosalind and Wyll are young. Surely you remember what it was like to be so young after the heat of a battle? I could hardly blame them for their…closeness.” Rosalind choked on her wine again. Somehow it sounded even worse coming from Gale.

“No, no. He was just cheering me up! It was a hard day, what with dying and the mission being a complete failure. That’s all. We both grew up in Baldur’s Gate, so we were reminiscing.” Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart all exchanged a look that implied they didn’t believe her for a second.

She looked up at the sky, squinting at the moon, now high overhead. Does that even mean anything for nighttime? She thought, suddenly wishing she had taken the time to learn just a little about life in the wilds and not focus her entire childhood on just surviving in the city. “Well! Look at the time! We should probably wrap this up - big day tomorrow, capturing a devil and all! I’m just…I’m just going to go to my tent now.” She turned on her heel and raised her hand to give an awkward wave. “Good night! See you in the morning!” She heard the sound of muffled laughter as she entered her tent.

She took two deep breaths, thinking again about her conversation with Wyll. She smiled as she climbed into her bedroll, grabbing her small notebook she kept for jotting down notes, potential lyrics. She wrote “fire, wine, soft lips, almost kiss” on a page and closed it, holding it to her chest.

“Sorry family of raccoons, I think my tadpole and I are going to be sticking around here,” she laughed to herself.

#wyll ravengard #wyllmance #wyll x tav #the bard and the blade #the bard and the blade fic #rosalind sunlark #bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 fanfiction #my writing #bladesong

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thetakenpokemon · 2 years ago

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Progria Arc Summarization (Part 2)

The moment after Bladesong’s encounter with the Triskelion Spiral - and specifically Dr. Horus, the story would change its focus back to several days prior. This moment in particular would be back after Torrent first encountered Bladesong and the inevitable discussion that would follow.

It would be revealed that the other cyborgs didn’t know much about Bladesong and her existence, and that Dr. Horus never went into detail about her. This would revolve entirely around them - as well as the mercenaries - inquiring about all the details of her existence.

Dr. Horus would be answering them to the best of his ability, describing how she was the first of the cyborg project and how she was eventually abducted when she was to be transported to the second facility where the rest of the cyborgs were inevitably created. Dr. Horus also eventually admits that he had a sneaking suspicion that information on Bladesong’s transport was leaked to outside forces - specifically the Guardians of Twilight, but he gave the go ahead anyways since he knew that they would most likely take good care of her were they to successfully rescue her.

He also goes into detail of the ‘selection process’ when it comes to choosing candidates. He talks of the Pokemon ‘insiders’ in Evolutia, how they would give Fetch Teams a rundown on various potential targets before luring said target Pokemon near the borders. Usually these targets have no close familial relationships, either being orphaned or going no-contact with parents or siblings. He reveals that Bladesong - or Amelia, her real name - was the prior, having no family at all due to an unfortunate accident that Dr. Horus elected to not go into detail.

He told them that he chose her because she had the strongest will, since his main goal was to secretly go against the HWDP after all. Although he initially planned to have Bladesong transported and then properly trained to help him fight the organization, he decided to ‘let her go’ since she was not given a choice to become a cyborg - unlike the other four. To ask her to help the very same people who abducted her would be cruel, and thus gave her the opportunity to be free after he saw it - regardless of how much resources and time he has invested in her conversion.

After this conversation, it would focus back on when Bladesong first saw Dr. Horus in person. Her reaction would be tense and aggressive, since she associates the doctor to a lot of pain and fear - understandably so.

Although the rest of the mercenaries - and cyborgs for that matter - grow tense and prepare to subdue her, Dr. Horus merely tells them to stand down. He says that her frustrations and behavior is only understandable for what he has done to her, and then he says to her that he is willing to answer any questions she would have about them and what has happened in the past.

This sort of response ends up both confusing Bladesong and making her increasingly more frustrated, Although she did have countless questions, she also greatly despises Dr. Horus for being the person in charge of her forceful conversion.

Eventually Dr. Horus tells the cyborgs to escort her to one of the spare rooms so that she may regather her thoughts, however many of the Triskelion Spiral - especially the mercenaries - object to this due to her being a security risk. After many heated arguments Torrent eventually volunteers to stay with her to keep an eye on her, after which any concerns the others had were immediately settled.

Bladesong did not like the idea of having someone keeping an eye on her, however despite her frustrations even she knew that to leave her be would be a stupid idea. She soon gets escorted to a barren and empty room - in which she makes a comment on how ‘hospitable’ they are.

Torrent responds - in a rather amused tone - about how they were not expecting visitors, so they didn’t have the proper time to ‘prepare a room for guests’. After sitting in silence for a while, Bladesong begins asking Torrent various questions about him and the other cyborgs - as well as what their main goal is.

Torrent does answer her questions - although the more sensitive ones he merely says ‘Dr. Horus will be the one to answer that one’. He does explain the circumstances of himself and his brother before he became a cyborg, specifically how an accidental fire ended up killing his family and leaving both he and his brother with severe lasting injuries.

He tells Bladesong that the both of them owe Dr. Horus everything for what have been done to them, since they were not only given a second chance but also a purpose. The two of them were essentially left to rot in the world since their injuries made it impossible to hold any job, and the various governments of Evolutia could only do so much. The greatest of medicine was only accessible to Progria - something Evolutia could not get except through black markets, and there’s a limit to things like Heal Pulse can do.

After being given Torrent’s perspective on his current stance on Dr. Horus, Bladesong becomes conflicted in her own emotions. Although said doctor did forcefully convert her, he did help others in need and is actively fighting the HWDP from what the Gallade has explained to her. After dealing with this conflicting storm inside her, she eventually asks Torrent to speak to the doctor directly.

After asking the doctor through his intercom, Torrent leads Bladesong to Samuel’s quarters/office. At said office is Inferno - the Gardevoir brother of Torrent, and the two would be keeping an eye on Bladesong throughout the entire conversation.

Dr. Horus would patiently wait for Bladesong to compose herself and sort out her thoughts, and when she speaks the first question she asks is why he did the things he did if he’s ultimately going to turn against the HWDP.

He would tell her that as much as he regrets all of the things he has done, he needed to commit all of these atrocities so that he’d earn the trust of the officials of HWDP. Every decision he made was not made lightly, nor was he not emotionless. He understood that he has heart - and killed - many people and Pokemon, but he needed to move his way to the top so that he’d be able to find some sort of way to get them to grant him access to their resources. Everything he has done was to make them approve the CAP, which then allowed him to create a fighting chance.

The moment he were to do any sort of digging through their files would’ve caused a great amount of suspicion, so he was forced to comply with their methods and requests in order to draw no unnecessary attention. However now that he is considered dead among the officials of the HWDP and he possesses the most knowledge on the workings of the organization, he can strike them at their heart and retrieve all the evidence he will need to take them down.

He continues to answer her questions with utmost honesty, holding no information back. He tells her of how the HWDP has ‘removed’ - or specifically killed - people who grew sympathetic to the Pokemon that were being experimented on, how the HWDP has been taking all of these Pokemon specifically to be used as weapons of war against Evolutia. He explains how deep the corruption of the HWDP is and how their clutches has dug into many powerful companies of Progria - as well as several branches of the government itself.

In the end Samuel admits that after they are successful in revealing all of the atrocities the HWDP has done to the public, Samuel fully intends to turn himself in. Even though he did the things he did to make sure that he can effectively take the organization down in its entirety, he is no exception to the terrible crimes he has committed. If the HWDP is to be punished, he is to share this punishment as well.

This new perspective on the man makes Bladesong rethink her stance on the situation, however her thoughts were broken when Dr. Horus asks her a question this time.

He asks her ‘Although I have already taken so much from you already, I still must ask something you, Amelia. Will you help me in taking down the HWDP in its entirety?’

This is the first time that he has addressed her, since the entire conversation was him avoiding calling her by any name. This makes her realize that after she was saved by the GoT, she ultimately decided to go by the name of Bladesong when they asked her for her name.

This causes her to realize that even though she was forcefully abducted and converted, she technically was given a second chance by Dr. Horus. Previously she was doing nothing but wandering the world, doing odd jobs and trying to make the best of her overall shitty situation. After she was rescued by the GoT they gave her a direction - a direction she eventually ignored to do her own thing that is, but a direction nevertheless.

After much thinking she then answers him to call her ‘Bladesong’, since the name Amelia is tied to someone she’s not anymore. She accepts Dr. Horus’ offer to join him, however she also makes a request for her to contact the members of the GoT that are currently in New Falkhom City so that they may assist them.

Dr. Horus readily accepts these terms - since the GoT have always been a thorn in the HWDP’s side. They will send someone - particularly a mercenary - to contact them, however in the meanwhile they will debrief her on what their next move is.

From the databanks they’ve stolen from MasSec HQ, they’ve managed to find the coordinates - as well as info - on The Cage, their next and final target. They plan to lead an assault on it, to destroy the entire hidden facility. They will do their best to save any Pokemon that could be freed, however they will have no choice but to put the fully brainwashed hybrids out of their misery. The window to strike is getting narrower since the entirety of the HWDP is put on edge, and it will only be a matter of time till they figure out what information has been stolen from MasSec HQ’s servers.

Turning focus to the GoT team still in the city, currently the three of them are in a state of panic due to Bladesong running away. Chimera has been scouring the countryside as quietly as possible but to no avail, Velvett has been reaching out to all of her contacts for anyone who would have seen or heard of Bladesong’s human disguise, and Trojan was using the internet to find any sightings or mention of the cyborg.

As of currently the group hasn’t reported to the GoT of Bladesong’s disappearance and has been holding off, however at this point they’ll have no choice but to do so. After an in-depth discussion before ultimately deciding that they should have Trojan send the message, the group gets an unexpected knock on their front door. When they arrive they find that a package had been delivered, which sparks a great amount of confusion due to the fact that they ordered nothing.

After having Trojan investigate the package for any possible traps or triggers, they eventually open the package - revealing a communication pad. Upon picking it up they are immediately called by Dr. Horus, in which Velvett answers - in her disguise.

She demands to know who the individual in question is, and when the doctor introduces himself Trojan immediately gets within view and exclaims that he is dead. With their cover blown Velvett was about to hang up before the doctor quickly says that Bladesong is with them, and is alive and well.

If him knowing who they were didn’t put them on alert, his mentioning of the cyborg certainly has. However the doctor says that Bladesong personally requested for the group to reach out to them, saying that they ‘hold a common interest in disposing of a common enemy’. He gives them the coordinates of the abandoned city before saying that ‘if you wish to truly destroy the HWDP and all that it stands, then I sincerely request that you meet us at this coordinates as soon as possible. You have one day to arrive and you can no longer use this device to contact us. The decision is yours.’

After which the doctor would hang up, and the group would no longer be able to contact him due to the device possessing no signal.

The three have an in-depth discussion of the risks, talking of if the whole meeting is a trap. Ultimately Chimera points out that even though luring them into an isolated part of Progria would be something the HWDP would have done, they would not have used one of their own officials to do such a thing - especially one who is classified as dead since such information would be too essential to reveal. So against the group’s possible better judgement, they decide to head out to the location immediately.

Going as fast as Velvett’s car can handle, they manage to arrive at the abandoned town with a great amount of time to spare. With the three on edge due to the possibility of being ambushed, they are met with Bladesong waiting in the center of the town - with the four four cyborgs with her.

At this point the mercenary technician - Kat - walks out of the sidelines, saying to them ‘Glad to see you arrived so quickly on short notice. As much as I’d like for all of us to sit down and chat, it’d be best if we do this on the way. Everything will be explained and I’m sure there’s a lot of questions you got for the doc.’

Upon finishing, the mercenary dropship flies into view and lands adjacent to the group. With the bay doors opening, many of the mercenaries inside quickly beckon for them all to get inside. The cyborgs and Bladesong hurry into the ship immediately with the rest of the GoT members begrudgingly following.

Once inside, Bladesong realizes just how tense the air is due to the furious looks from Chimera and Velvett. Unable to do anything but smile sheepishly, she manages to say ‘So...sorry about running away earlier, hope I didn’t make you guys worry too much.’

The resulting yelling from Chimera ends up drowning out any attempt Kat made to try and explain the current circumstances.

(End of Part 2 of the Progria Arc summarization)

#plot #hwdp #bladesong #chimera???#torrentgallade #infernogardevoir #zephyrbisharp #magnitudeconkeldurr #trojanrotogonz #velvettdelphorark #guardiansoftwilight #triskelionspiral

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