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its-jaytothemee · 7 months ago

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Until I Met You - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Whizbangs

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 5,236

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

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Summary: Our heroes continue searching Grymforge, hoping to find the enslaved gnomes and the drow Nere. An unexpected complication keeps them from exploring the rest of the ruins. Part 16 of the slow burn fic. Tav and Halsin POVs.

Tags: Slow burn, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, eventual love confessions, eventual smut, angst, implied past rape/non-con and abuse, graphic description of injuries, brief suicidal thoughts.

A/N: Enjoy a more combat-heavy chapter! Only a few more left until the Act 1 story is completed :) I'll hopefully have another chapter ready to go by the weekend. Thanks for continuing to read, and I hope you're still enjoying the story <3

The next room they entered burned as hot as some unholy combination between Avernus and Phlegethos. Pungent aromas of sulfur and ash wafted over them as lava flowed freely on one side of the chamber.

“Soldier.” Karlach nudged Tav with the bottom of her sword. “Another scrying eye.”

The unsettling purple orb floated around the room, whispering screeches rolling off of it. Suddenly, it spun around to face them. The eerie slit in the middle narrowed into a pointed oval, like it was attempting to stare into their souls.

Gods I hope this one wasn’t connected to the goblin camp.

Angry yells mixed with pained cries pulled her attention past the scrying eye. A group of gnomes was chipping away at a large pile of rock. This had to be the cave-in they were warned about.

“Heat up some rocks. Let’s see how the little pricks do when we strap fire to their legs.” The duergar overseeing the digging gnomes spat the words out before turning to face Tav and her companions.

“Move, hoon. I don’t have time for drugnin’ outsiders.”

“Charming.” Gale pursed his lips and glared at the duergar. Upon closer inspection, Tav noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes. Rather inconvenient considering the temperature in the chamber. Her eyes flitted to Karlach’s boots, thinking that this must be the slaver Thulla stole them from.

“You better make time for a True Soul.” Tav commanded, Astarion gave an approving snort at her tone.

The parasite squirmed with anticipation in her mind, but fell still a moment later, disappointed. The duergar was not hosting a mind flayer tadpole.

“A True Soul, eh? Useless lookout could’ve told me. I’m Sergeant Thrinn.” She rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the rockslide before them. “Glad you’re here to take responsibility though. Tunnel’s collapsed with True Soul Nere stuck inside. It’s filled with poisoned geysers. We don’t get him out soon, it’s both our heads.”

“Clearing that rubble will be no easy feat. Any ideas?” Tav didn’t want to give anything away, she had a couple of satchels of smokepowder that they had picked up on their travels. Looking around the chamber, she counted at least eight duergar. If they could get them out of the way, they could deal with Nere much easier.

“Not a one – unless you count tacking aboleth fangs to my whipping cane.”

The other duergar overseers were shouting threats and obscenities at the gnomes.

“Keep crying for your sister, and I’ll personally rip off her head when you dig her out!”

“You fail to get that True Soul out and I’ll have you licking your own blood off my whipping cane!”

Tav heard the crack of a whip, followed by a pained cry from one of the gnomes. Shadowheart let out a shocked gasp at the sound. She heard Karlach snarl beside her as well as huffs from both Gale and Wyll.

“Ngh, it hurts.” Shadowheart hissed behind her.

Eight duergar against the seven of them? She liked those odds.

Tav’s face twisted into a half smile, half snarl.

“Karlach, love?” She never took her eyes off the duergar in front of her.

“Yeah, soldier?” The flames raging around Karlach’s shoulders rose with each syllable. Tav’s lips twitched up further into a smirk.

“Whizbangs.”

Karlach’s foot collided with Sergeant Thrinn’s chest not a moment later, sending her careening into the nearby lava. A fitting move considering she now wore the boots stolen off the duergar. She screamed in agony as the lava melted flesh from bone.

Seven to seven.

The other duergar stood gaping at them for a moment, stunned by the surprise attack from these “True Souls.” Tav and the others wasted no time taking advantage of their shock.

“Karlach!” Tav yelled as she drew her bow. “The scrying eye!”

“On it, soldier!” Karlach grabbed the orb and flung it into the lava next to the duergar. The orb quickly disintegrated, taking away their ability to call reinforcements. Once the scrying eye was taken care of, she turned around to take a swipe at the other duergar overseer. The other duergar at the end of the room still stood in place, shocked by the sudden treachery.

An arrow came whizzing past her shoulder, the feathered end grazed her armor. Her eyes followed its trajectory to find a duergar up on a walkway.

“I need to get up there!” Tav pointed to the balcony where the lone archer was trying to pick them off.

“Tav!” Gale ran up to her side and slapped her on the shoulder. Suddenly, a power was coursing through her legs. She felt like she could leap over the towers of Wyrm’s Crossing. “Jump!”

An excited smile took over her face as she crouched before pushing her body off the ground. She soared through the air to land behind the archer above them.

“Hey there!” She yelled before shooting a thunder arrow at their chest, sending them soaring over the edge. The body landed with a nauseating crack.

Six to seven.

From up above, she would be able to easily help pick off the remaining duergar. Her arrows whistled through the air to find the slats in their armor. One found the husky duergar in the middle of her companions, ensnaring them in a large vine. With him restrained, Lae’zel was able to strike him down with ease.

Five to seven.

The other overseer that was with Sergeant Thrinn muttered an incantation and turned his gaze to Tav. She felt a pull on her mind, the familiar feel of someone trying to gain entry, but not using the tadpole.

Another mind master.

She closed off her mind, blocking his spell.

“Got another charmer!” Tav called on the tadpole to tell her companions as she fired an arrow in his direction, it bounced off the pauldron of his armor before clattering to the floor.

Karlach let out a growling scream as she began to rage. She picked up the mind master duergar and heaved him to the edge of the lava where Gale was recovering from being shot by one of the other archers. He spun around and unleashed a wave of booming energy, hurling the duergar into the lava alongside his ally.

Four to seven.

The remaining duergar rushed at them in a desperate attempt to overwhelm them, but they had the advantage now in both numbers and skill. The duergar made the mistake of grouping up together, making them easy targets.

Tav launched another arrow, one that shattered on impact into a mess of thorns to hit all four of the advancing enemies. Astarion followed up with a series of quick attacks, dropping one of them to the ground.

Three to seven.

Wyll called forth a swirling tornado of magical daggers right in front of them, giving them no time to react as they ran straight through the spell. The churning blades ripped through the duergars’ flesh, felling two more.

One to seven.

The last duergar emerged from Wyll’s attack ragged and barely standing, where Shadowheart was waiting. With one final wallop with her mace, their last enemy collapsed, their blood seeping into the crevices of the chamber floor.

They took a moment to look around, making sure they hadn’t missed any enemies. All Tav saw was a group of terrified gnomes, all huddled in a corner and clutching their mining tools. She clambered down the ladder to rejoin her friends and address the gnomes.

“It’s okay, you’re free now.” Tav’s breathing was heavy. “You need to get out of here.”

“Not without the others trapped in the tunnel.” A white-haired gnome stepped up to tell her.

“But what are we going to do about the drow?” The gnome with a leather hat and a nervous voice asked.

“Leave Nere to us.” Tav turned her attention to the collapsed tunnel.

“I know you.” One of the gnomes in the back walked up to greet her. “The mascot of my misfortunes.” The bald gnome stared up at her with his hands on his hips.

“…Barcus, right?” She recalled meeting him when they saved him from a group of goblins that had tied him to a windmill.

“The very same.” The other gnomes seemed to relax a little during their interaction. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, there are gnomes trapped behind these rocks and we need to free them.”

Tav pulled the pouch of smokepowder from her backpack and held it up in one hand with a smile.

“Good thing you let me take that pack of yours, huh?”

“Oh, yes that should work just fine. Very decent of you.” She set the small pouch close to the pile of collapsed rock. Even contained in the drawstring bag, its ashy, smoky scent filled her nostrils.

“Alright, everyone back.” Tav shooed them away from the tunnel entrance. “Gale? Care to do the honors?”

“It would be my pleasure.” He smiled as the fiery magic danced around his fingertips. “Ignis!”

The thin bolt of fire sailed through the air to ignite the smokepowder, causing a massive explosion and obliterating the rocky obstruction. Not a moment later, they heard coughing and the gut-churning smell of poison wafting out of the tunnel to mingle with the hot, hazy air.

“Beldron!” The gnome with the hat ran out from behind her to greet one of their liberated friends.

The three gnomes that were trapped behind the rubble scrambled out from the poisonous cloud, coughing and stumbling over their own feet. A drow came stomping out behind them, also choking and gagging on the acrid air flowing around him.

Nere.

The three slaves that had emerged cowered at the edge of the lava, nervous eyes darting between her group of adventurers and Nere.

Tav could hear Karlach’s ragged, heavy breathing beside her as she came down from her rage. Shadowheart’s familiar magic swirled around them as she muttered the healing spell under her breath, preparing them for another battle.

“Finally.” Nere hissed once he was able to catch his breath and turned his ire toward the group of trembling gnomes.

“Worthless slaves. Your incompetence has been my ruin.”

Tav took a step forward, ready to start yet another fight.

There’s no reasoning with men like this.

“Nere. Does not. Fail.” He spun around before he threw his hands out in front of him and sent a wave of thunder at one of the slaves. The other gnomes cried out in surprise.

Knocking her into the lava.

“Stop!” Tav screamed as she ran up to him. “No more innocents will die today.”

“You care for the weak? Tell me, True Soul,” he spat the words back at her, “was it you who slayed Nere’s servants? Or is there another sane explanation?”

A familiar squirm in her mind let Astarion commune with her without Nere hearing.

“Play. Along. Tav. He may know how to get us into Moonrise. You’re the one who is desperate to find a way to pass through the shadows. Don’t throw away your chance playing hero to a few slaves.” His judgmental hiss caused her to grit her teeth.

“I can’t.” She whispered the words out loud.

Karlach let out another battle cry, ready to rage once more. The flames rising out of her skin were stronger than Tav had ever seen them. Had she slipped a soul coin in when they weren’t looking?

“Mother. Fucking. WHIZBANGS!” Karlach didn’t wait for the others to join, she made a huge, arcing swipe at the drow. He backed up and avoided the worst of her attack, but she still left a deep gash on his arm.

“So be it.” Nere snarled. He started an incantation as he turned his attention to Astarion.

Lae’zel took a swing at the drow, catching the same arm Karlach had injured previously. Nere cried out in pain, but still finished the incantation.

Astarion grunted behind them as he gripped the sides of his head. A moment later, he stood up straight, his red eyes hollow and unfeeling.

Gale and Wyll started hurling spells at Nere, Eldritch Blasts and Fireballs soared through the air. Yet Nere kept his concentration fixed on their pale friend.

Meanwhile, Astarion lunged at Lae’zel while she still had her back to him.

Gods he’s fast.

Tav heard the squelching sound of his fangs biting into her neck, eliciting an angry growl from her. Lae’zel cracked Astarion over the top of his head with the pommel of her sword. She could hear the smack of the metal against his skull even from across the chamber.

“Lae’zel!” Tav screamed. “Why did you do that?!”

“He bit me!” She yelled back as Astarion staggered back from her in a daze. “I told him what would happen should I find his fangs anywhere near my throat, istik!”

“He’s charmed! Try not to kill him before we can disrupt the spell, will you?” Tav took another shot at Nere whose focus was fixed on Astarion. The arrow sunk into his shoulder, breaking his concentration, and pushing him back a few steps…right into Karlach.

She brought her sword up over her head and drove it down hard, stabbing it into the spot where Nere’s neck met his shoulder. He let out a few more gurgling gasps before collapsing to the floor. Karlach took her sword back with a grunt, the flames around her had grown even taller. Astarion stumbled a bit as he regained control of his mind.

“She hit me!” Astarion shrieked as he rubbed the small knot forming on the back of his head. “Fucking murder hungry gith…didn’t even taste good.” He started muttering under his breath.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’ll take care of it.” Tav smiled fondly as Astarion pouted at Lae’zel. No longer under Nere’s charm, he was back to his snippy self. She cast a quick healing spell to ease the headache, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder when she was done.

“That’ll have to do for now, I’m all out.” Her fingers tingled as she tried to cast another spell but produced no magic.

She was going to inspect Nere’s body when she heard a cry behind her, followed by a loud thud on the floor. When she turned around, Karlach had collapsed and was now writhing in pain.

“Karlach!” Tav yelled and ran over to where she was laying. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Unhh…” Karlach groaned and thrashed as she grasped at her chest, her nails starting to scratch the skin raw. “Too much…”

“What’s happening?” Gale’s voice was ripe with panic.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” Tav hovered protectively over her friend as she tried to find a way to help. The gnome slaves had moved off into a corner, trying to decide whether they were safe.

“…Heat…” Karlach’s tears fell from her eyes to mix with the sweat pooling beneath her face and neck.

Tav looked around frantically, trying to find a way to help move her. Being so close to the lava must have put her engine in overdrive. But how could they help get her out? Another screaming sob from Karlach startled her out of her thoughts.

Oh, fuck it. This is gonna hurt.

Tav took a deep breath and grabbed Karlach’s arm to wrap around her neck. Even through her thick gloves, she could feel the heat pouring from her skin.

“No, Tav…you’ll burn.”

“You’re not dying here, Karlach.” She growled back. “You guys get Nere’s head; I’m getting her out of here.” Gale and Wyll nodded their understanding.

She managed to wrap one arm around her shoulders, her skin met the nape of Tav’s neck causing a grunt of pain from her. But she mustered all of her remaining strength to drag Karlach down the stairs and closer to the docks. The heat coming from her arm was unbearable.

How in the hells does she live like this?

Karlach’s arm continued searing the back of Tav’s neck, leaving the smell of burning flesh in their wake. She felt her skin split as she turned her head which sent a sharp pain down her back. The white-hot burn brought tears to her eyes, but she kept a firm hold on Karlach. Sweat dripped from her face and neck, stinging the wound and causing another cry of pain from Tav. The other hand helping to hold up her torso was starting to burn even over her clothing and through Tav’s gloves. Karlach’s other arm came up to grab Tav’s for support. Once again, the blinding heat cut through armor and clothing alike to meet her skin. Hot enough that she could feel blisters starting to form under her gloves and armor. The sensation could only be compared to being boiled in a pot of oil. Surely the Hells themselves couldn’t even be this hot.

“Almost there, Karlach.” Tav grunted as another spike of pain ripped through her neck and up into her head.

She dropped her at the bottom of the stairs where they had arrived earlier. The sudden motion tore Karlach’s arm from her neck, ripping away part of the skin that had seared to her bicep. Tav screamed as she felt blood start to trickle down her back. Dark spots clouded her vision, and she tasted bile at the back of her throat.

Despite getting away from the lava, Karlach was still spasming on the floor beside her. Deep gashes lined her chest from where she had clawed at the infernal engine below. The glow beneath her skin raged against its fleshy prison – beating and pounding against the walls of her ribcage. Blood streamed from the scratches on the surface, the trickles sizzling and popping along her scalding skin. The heat coming from her body was rising with each passing moment along with Karlach’s cries.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tav saw a bucket. She scrambled over to grab it before filling it up with the lake water. She took the entire bucket and dumped it on Karlach, a satisfying hiss of steam rose up from the flaming tiefling. Just to be sure, she filled it again, and dumped another bucket full of water on her. Afterwards, her breathing seemed to slow, and the flames calmed down to their normal level.

“Better?” Tav asked, out of breath.

“Much Better. Thanks, soldier.” Karlach gasped as she pulled herself up to one knee. Tav nodded in response, causing her to wince. She moved her hair to the side to keep it from brushing against the fresh burn.

“Oh shit…oh fuck…oh shit, Tav.” Karlach puffed. “Oh soldier, that’s a bad burn. I’m so sorry…” Tears started streaming down her face again.

“It’s alright, I’m sure Shadowheart can take care of it. I knew the risks, love.” Tav grunted as she tried to lean back.

The position of the burn made it difficult to move her head or shoulders without searing pain ripping through her upper body. Even when she didn’t move, the edge of her armor sat right over the most painful section. When she took off her gloves, she noticed that her hands were blistered as well.

“I…I need to get this armor off. It’s rubbing the burn and making it worse.” Tav sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth.

“Here, let me.” Wyll had joined them at the docks. He untied the straps holding the armor at her shoulders quickly. Lae’zel came to the other side of her to help him lift it off over her head. They made slow, gentle movements, careful not to bump the burn as they removed it.

“Okay, let me take a look.” Tav heard Shadowheart behind her and felt her small hands brush against her back. “This is bad. I can help alleviate some of the pain, but I really think we should have Halsin look at this. Unless you want some nasty scarring.”

“Do what you can for now, we need to get back across the lake anyway.” Tav took a few steadying breaths to help work through the pain.

Involuntary tears streaked her cheeks as Shadowheart slowly gathered her thin tunic and pulled it over her head, once again taking care to not brush it against the burn. Her healing spell took some of the sting out of the wound, but she could still feel the heat radiating from her neck.

“Where are the gnomes?” Tav asked.

“They’re on their way down. They’ll be heading across the lake as well. A couple of them wanted to speak with you before we part ways.” Gale explained.

“Very well.” Tav breathed the words out. “Can you see if they’ll meet with us at our camp?” Gale nodded before dashing back up the stairs.

“Okay, that’s as far as I dare heal this for now.” Shadowheart stood up and brushed herself off. “We need to get her to Halsin.”

***

Halsin did his best to wait patiently in camp for the others. He took the time to meditate and prepare more potions and elixirs for everyone. Not to mention bond with the small trail of new animal friends he had gained. Today, that included Lunari as Tav had opted to leave her in camp since they were unsure of what dangers the ruins held.

Despite his best efforts, he remained distracted for most of the day. He was anxious to find out if his instincts were right. Hopefully when they returned today, he would know if they had their path to Moonrise Towers.

The familiar shuffle of the group’s footsteps whisked his attention away from the herbs he was grinding. They definitely seemed exhausted. He noticed Karlach was keeping her distance from the others, not walking close by, but keeping a solid four or five paces between her and the nearest person. Her face was stricken with grief, and her chest lined with claw marks caked with dried blood. Tav was leaning on Wyll as they walked, her eyes looked glazed over and her face pale. Half of her armor had been removed so she was currently shirtless. The delicate undergarment she wore was soaked through with blood and sweat. And was that…a gnome with them?

Oak Father preserve me, what happened?

“Welcome back,” Halsin walked up to Tav, “where am I needed?” He offered his arm out to her to give Wyll a break. She winced as she shifted her weight to him, and he caught a glimpse of blackened skin on her neck.

“Tav’s burn is severe enough that I wasn’t comfortable healing it fully.” Shadowheart spoke up, then looked over at Karlach.

“Karlach, those gashes don’t look good.” Halsin could see how her burning skin had already irritated the cuts.

“Me? I…I’m fine. Just take care of Tav, yeah?” Karlach wiped some tears from her face as she turned to walk away.

“Karlach…” Tav reached out toward her and Halsin saw that the palm of her hand was burnt as well, though not nearly as bad as her neck. Additional burns lined her forearms, small white domes dotted along her pink skin. She flinched at the movement. “Please let him take care of you too. It wasn’t your fault, love.”

She stopped and sniffled a few times before she turned back around. Based on the short interaction, Halsin guessed the burns on Tav’s body came from Karlach.

“Please.” Tav pleaded. Karlach nodded and followed them over by the fire where Halsin already had some potions set aside.

“Okay, first let’s get you two cleaned up.” He guided Tav down to the ground so she could sit comfortably. Karlach sat across from them, head hung low.

He grabbed some cloth from his bag and some carafes of water from their supplies.

“I’m sorry, Karlach. You’ll have to do this part yourself.” He felt guilty making her clean the wounds on her own, they looked painful. But seeing the burns her skin inflicted on Tav, he knew it would be safer this way.

“It’s okay. Thanks.” She took the damp cloth from him and slowly cleaned the excess blood from her chest. When had he ever heard Karlach’s voice sound so small? While she worked on her wounds, he turned his attention back to Tav. Lunari had wandered over and curled up next to her.

“Alright Tav, this will sting a bit.” He placed one hand on her shoulder as he pressed another cool cloth to the burn on her neck. The small cry that escaped her lips was like a dagger in his heart. One of her blistered hands shot up to grip his hand on her shoulder, causing another gasp from the pain as she yanked it back down to her lap.

He heard another couple of sniffles from Karlach.

“Here, let me see those hands.” Halsin left the cloth on her neck as he moved around to kneel in front of her. He held them gingerly in both of his, muttering the simple incantation to heal the burns. As he watched the blisters fade, he thought back to that first morning in camp when he did the same. The pull in his chest threatened to come back and overwhelm him, but he couldn’t think about that right now. He needed to focus on their wounds.

He was careful to concentrate on the palms for now, he would worry about the burn on her neck once she could use her hands more comfortably.

“Thanks, that helps.” Tav relaxed a little as he started on her neck again.

Once he removed the cloth, he was able to inspect the mess of blackened skin just below her hairline. As his hands moved across her back and shoulders, he remembered their first time in the Underdark, and how embarrassed she was by her lack of clothing.

“Tav, did you want me to find you a blanket or shirt to cover up with?” He asked.

“No, that’s okay. I’m still burning up from our time at the fortress.” Her drenched skin confirmed that.

“Very well, let me know if you change your mind.” He finished cleaning the wound before going to check on Karlach. The gashes in her chest looked a little better now that the blood had been wiped away. He looked over the wounds, careful not to touch her.

“Now that these are cleaned up, I think a simple potion will be sufficient.” He grabbed one of the fresh potions he brewed this morning to hand her.

“I’m fine.” Karlach sniffled again as she snatched the potion from him. “Just…just help Tav. Please…”

“She’ll be fine, Karlach.” A poorly timed sharp breath from Tav undercut his assurance. “I’ll get her patched up in no time.” She nodded and stood up to go to her tent.

“Karlach!” Tav called out but then hissed again.

“Easy…” Halsin jumped back over to her. “Try not to move much, Tav. It’ll split the skin further. Don’t worry, this shouldn’t take too long.” She let out a resigned sigh.

He examined the area one more time before starting any spells. Her shoulders and back were streaked with blood and pus from the wound splitting and blisters bursting. He grabbed another cloth to clean her up some more. With every pass, her skin seemed to cool. She stopped sweating profusely and seemed to relax a bit. For a burn this severe, Karlach’s skin must have been in prolonged contact with hers.

“Okay, Tav. Take a deep breath…” Halsin brought his hands closer to the worst of the burns at her neck. He felt her take a long inhale as he started the spell. She pushed the air back out of her mouth with a forceful exhale. For some reason, healing burns always seemed to be a more painful process. The skin beneath his hands started to slowly lighten from a black color to a deep red.

“Good lass, that’s the first one finished. Another deep breath…” He squeezed her shoulder, but her breath caught this time. “Are you alright?”

“Yesyesi’mdefinitelyfine.” The words shot out of her mouth and ran together, he could barely make them out. Once she finished talking though, she was able to get another deep breath in. He noticed the faintest flush flowing across her chest.

They repeated those steps two more times before Tav was able to relax, her breaths no longer a sharp gasp as the wound healed further. The skin was now a light shade of pink, and most of her blisters were gone.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” He asked as the familiar hum of magic flowed from his hands into Tav for another pass.

“There was a lot of lava around the fortress.” Tav started with a sigh. “Coupled with the fighting, the heat must have been too much for her engine…” She trailed off as she looked back at Karlach’s tent.

“And the burns?” He prompted.

“She was in too much pain to move on her own. I had to drag her away.” Tav shuddered. “I really thought she was going to die, Halsin.” She tried to hide a quiet sniffle with a cough.

“Tav, that’s…” He sighed as tears stung his eyes, her boundless loyalty to her friends still caught him off guard. No wonder Karlach felt so guilty. “That was an incredibly brave and selfless decision.”

“It was nothing.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“Yes…yes, I’m sure you would.” He said softly. She had proven time and time again her willingness to put herself in danger to help others. Who else did he know that would burn their skin almost beyond repair to drag a new friend to safety?

They sat in silence for a while as he finished mending the burn. Tav’s breathing was relaxed and her skin unburnt after a couple more spells.

“There we are my friend. How does it feel?” Halsin asked.

“Much better. Thank you.” She reached back to rub her neck.

“Anytime.” He took a seat next to her.

“We definitely found the stronghold you were looking for.” Tav smiled lightly as he whipped around to face her.

“Truly?!” He couldn’t hide his eagerness as he grabbed one of her hands. She squeezed his back in response.

“Yes…it’s a huge Sharran fortress.” She turned to look at him, a pained look on her face. “Grymforge.”

Grymforge…

“You mean it was real?” He asked. “I remember hearing stories, but I never made the connection that it would be the hidden stronghold we sought.”

“Neither did I.”

“Does that mean…” Halsin swallowed hard before continuing. “Does that mean we’ll be leaving for Moonrise tomorrow?”

“Not yet, we still need to explore the ruins a bit. We still don’t know how the cult has managed to pass through the shadows. Plus, the others really want to go look for this adamantine forge.” Her attention was pulled back to Karlach’s tent.

“Go ahead, Tav.” He nodded toward the tent. “You can always catch me up later, I think Karlach needs you right now.” A relieved smile spread over her face.

“Thanks, Halsin.” She stood up and her hand slipped from his as that endearing blush came back over her face. “I guess I should probably put some other clothes on…”

He had almost forgotten she was shirtless. Now he strained himself to keep his eyes from wandering as she walked away from him.

Yesyesi’mdefinitelyfine.

What in the hells was that all about?

#bg3 #bg3 fanfiction #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 halsin #baldur's gate oc #halsin silverbough #halsin x tav #halsin fanfic #bg3 fluff #halsin fluff #I'm so excited to get to the act 2 part of my story y'all don't even know

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