#dustdeepsea fic: somewhere i have never travelled

[dustdeepsea]

Brightstar, Zarys says we are bound for the Gate in a month. I hope to be there by the Summer Solstice. I have brought the latest Book of the Adventures of Gracie Gravehart for you. I pray that you are healthy, that the city is treating you well, and that your work continues to pay fairly. My heart is full of things I want to tell you. I am counting the days until I can kiss you again. Yours, always, Olly

Innumerable, uncountable thanks to @captainsigge for bringing these two to life <3

[my-favourite-zhent]

New Tricks - Chapter 21

Status: Work In Progress

Version: 1.01

Pairing: Rugan x AFAB!OC

Rating: NC-17 (This chapter NC-17)

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Summary:

“Who the hells are you?” The elf turned to size up the duo. “Family from out of Baldur's Gate.” Rugan supplied. “Ah, Zarys' crew. She said you were halfway competent.” “Probably the closest thing to a compliment we’ll draw out of her.” Muttered Rugan.

Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.  Being the Southern Deliveries Manager for the Baldur's Gates Zhentarim is not an easy job. Between mentoring new recruits, juggling vicious coworkers and whip-cracking bosses, bandits are the least of Rugan's troubles. An encounter with a charming stranger on the job serves to only complicate his life all the more.

Notes:

Part three of... ok I said it was split into three but it ended up being four... sorry... As always thanks to my kindly betas: @fistfuloftarenths who wrote the lovely Rugan x Tav fic isn't it a marvel, and can be found on AO3 as fistful_of_tarenths.

@dustdeepsea who wrote an adorable Olly story somewhere I have never travelled , and can be found on A03 as dustdeepsea.

@captainsigge aka @captainsieni author of A Devil's Folly and who can be found on A03 as CaptainSigge.

Table of Contents

Read Here on AO3 with excerpt below the cut~

New Tricks - Chapter Twenty One

By the time they had reached Goulcrest, Rugan's patience was wearing thin. He had known barmaids less clingy than Grim.

What the town passed off as an inn had in reality been little more than a barn-cum-hostel. Entirely too small to accommodate eight people, as such, he had insisted Grim’s crew take it. At least they would be out of his hair and away from Izzy for the night even if it meant Rugan had to spend it on the hard packed earth.

The Zhents had instead set up camp at the town's regular field for passing merchant caravans. It had been in use for so long none of the townsfolk remembered who had chosen that particular location. 

Situated on a hill overlooking the town, the site had fair warning of any unwelcome visitors for a ways off, which suited the Zhents just fine. There was also a ready fire pit rounded by old logs and a small stream at its base. No grass grew on the hilltop owing to the ground’s steady use over the years, but it was as fine a spot as any.

Rugan wasn’t sure the needy Grim would stay away for long, but he allowed himself to steal glances at Iz all the same. Admiring the curve of her rear as she went about hammering the pegs of her tent, the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves, the upturned corners of her mouth when their eyes met. Finding excuses to brush up against her or bump into her with a feigned apology of “sorry, lass”. She sometimes rolled her eyes at that but she laughed more often than not.

Come evenfeast they were sitting side by side around the fire, knees touching while they listened to the boys complain about the journey.

“And what's with that big bastard always staring at us?” Bellar asked. 

“Very observant-like. It's unsettling,” Olly agreed.

“Observant-like? Olly you need to stop picking up vocabulary from Brem,” Sal chided.

At last Amaunator began to dip below the horizon, and Rugan felt confident Grim's crew wouldn't be leaving the relative comfort of the inn for the night.

When he said as much to Iz she took his hand in her own and wordlessly led him back to her tent.

[dustdeepsea]

Berdusk, the Jewel of the Vale, a Harper stronghold—just another city on the caravan route. Wherein: The Gate crew try to teach Olly some life lessons; Nora decides how much danger she truly wants in her life; it's a strange feeling to be young in a world that wants you to grow up as soon as possible.

aka Dust gets way too deep into D&D lore research, and writes a YA romance

I feel like I need to preface that this is very different from most of my other explicit work, so if you're here looking for smut, you will be disappointed. The characters are of age, but young—in their late teens/early 20s. The raciest thing that happens is a kiss. Be forewarned!

p.s. this is Olly, in case you forgot :)

photo credit @captainsigge

somewhere I have never travelled

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3, Forgotten Realms (D&D)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Olly (Baldur's Gate)/Original Female Character

Additional Tags: Zhentarim (Dungeons & Dragons), Mistaken Identity, Young Love, Drunken Kissing

Read on AO3 (3190 words)

[dustdeepsea]

As always, the real gems are in the reblogs

Protect Olly at all costs <3

please see full size for best resolution

Model reference: Josh Dela Cruz

[threerattsinatrenchcoat]

A really sweet fic, highly recommend, especially if you like Olly

1, 19, 25 for the end of year asks!! Congrats on an awesome writing year!! ♥️

Thank you @rowanisawriter <333 what a year it's been!

favorite fic you wrote this year

I starting writing fic in earnest this year, so almost my entire catalogue is from 2024. It's really hard to choose just one!

I'd say the completed fic that's dearest to me is somewhere I have never travelled. It's a BG3 NPC x OC one shot, written for a very small audience, but Nora and Olly will live in my heart forever.

19. any new fics to start next year

I need to exorcise Spite (DA: Veilguard) from my brain first. If that happens, I would love to write Neve/Rook. In my unhinged early Veilguard horniness mania, I told my beta reader @littleplasticrat I was also going to write Rook/Varric (which I guess is just going to be very horny and sad now).

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

Ohhh again there are so many! Everything in my bookmarks list, but I'd like to shoutout @luvwich's Hypercritical series, starting with Jaded. It has fast-paced action, emotional chicken slow burn, scorching hot scenes, and amazing chemistry between the leads, AND you can go in blind, knowing nothing about the fandom (Cyberpunk 2077). I read it all in one sitting, mouth agape, and I'm not sure she knows how much I actually love it, so I'm telling her again!!

I'm answering asks from this list <3