#gilmore fought thordak

[mayapapaya33]

Allura Vysoren and Gilmore better be level 20 by now so help me Matt Mercer. After he allowed the M9 and Essek to just skip straight to lvl 20 after only 7 years in which some of them had been RETIRED FROM ADVENTURING for the admittedly very fun one shot for C3. Allura and Gilmore have been helping save the world on and off for well over 30 years. They BETTER be level 20 or I will simply pass away from the sheer disrespect. They have EARNED level 20. Also Kima as well because she's definitely not letting Allura go into battle alone if she can help it.

This might have already been revealed somewhere lol. If it has, good. If not, come on Mercer, Allura and Gilmore have fought way more battles than the M9 by now! They must help save a city/ a continent at least once a year and all of Exandria at least once a decade (and that's my conservative estimate!) Especially Allura, adopting chucklefuck adventurers left and right, taking them under her wing. She's totally getting dragged into adventures off screen too lol. That and her eternal mom friend duties of apparently having to go rescue Yussa from his nonsense every so often, you just know that's dangerous and exhausting lmfao. Level 20!

[occidentalavian]

2, 4, and 6 for the CR Ask Meme!

2: Favorite unhinged shopkeeper.

He's a bit more straitlaced than most unhinged shopkeepers, but I'd say Abjurist Noja. What makes him unhinged is that he agreed to fight Umbrasyl with Vox Machina despite apparently being only a level 6 wizard!

4: Minor character you are (correctly) obsessed with.

Drake Thunderbrand! Allura's best friend and the only other surviving member of their party that fought Thordak besides Kima. He's got that really cool Travel via Spark spell, and is apparently good at alchemy, his potions of fire resistance were instrumental in Vox Machina's fight with Thordak. He also fought alongside the Daxio Outriders during the Siege of Emon!

6: NPC you would most like to see as the subject of a Tales of Exandria series.

I really want one about Gilmore! I'd love to see what caused the falling out he had with his parents and what brought him to Emon to set up his shop.

[vaxyl]

Shaun Gilmore was so good.

We didn't deserve him.

Beautiful, smart, funny, kind.

Powerful and courageous.

I mean, the man fought motherfucking Thordak all on his own??? And survived???

And for what? Because he thought Vox Machina would?

On top of that, he saved the Queen and the royal children!

Kept them safe under his shop!

That and what he did for Whitestone, helping with the defences and the orb.

And then in Vasselheim, staying to cheer the kids up? Even when grieving?

I love that man more than anyone else, honestly.

Hope he's happy and living the life in his lil shop in Emon.

Possibly with a husband, maybe even kids of his own.

Bless that Glorious Bastard.

Happy Pride to him. 🏳️‍🌈💕😔

[crithaus]

Gilmore fought a fucking DRAGON cuz he was worried VM did as they often do and walked their asses directly into a fight, Gilmore was willing and able to 1v1 a CHROMATIC DRAGON for his BABIES, He's like "Thordak square tf up bitch where the fuck are my babes." When will your fave EVER

[justalittlebluetiefling]

I just remembered that Pumat is with them in Rexxentrum and had a new level of panic. It’s just the panic I always feel when they have an NPC with them, like when Jarrett and Gilmore fought Thordak with Vox Machina or Allura and Kima helping fight Raishan.

[tiamat-zx]

A Light to Follow in the Darkness (My contribution to the 100th episode celebration of Critical Role)

Synopsis: Keyleth and Vax’ildan find comfort amidst the chaos of the fall of Emon. Set during Episode 42, “Dangerous Dealings”.

Notes: I decided to take the portion of Episode 42 from “Birds of a Feather” and decided to expand on it. This was, of course, inspired by a very popular piece by Wendy Sullivan Green, aka @WendyDoodles on Twitter. “Because she is the sunlight”, indeed.

This is also my contribution for the 100th episode celebration of Critical Role.

This is a first draft, so there is still time to make changes to this before Thursday, assuming that changes need to be made. Please let me know what you think of it.

Enjoy!

It was nighttime in Greyskull Keep, what survivors that remained from the attack on Emon resting as best they could before they would eventually be sent to Whitestone. It wouldn’t be easy due to the cruel reality that was placed upon them, with a gargantuan red dragon claiming the city as its domain. And what’s worse, there were three other dragons out there, no doubt laying claim to so many other cities and destroying so many lives.

The mere thought of being powerless and unable to face them shook Vax’ildan to the core as he was preparing for bed, pacing back and forth in his room. Everything had gotten extremely complicated ever since the party returned from Whitestone. Not only did they manage to have their names cleared of wrongdoing, but also they had to hunt down a traitor to the council. And even after that, after raiding Krieg’s old home, he found himself doubting his place amongst the group, especially after he and Grog had such a huge argument.

And then Uriel announced his resignation from the position of Sovereign, during which the dragons attacked. Three ancient wyrms—one black, one white, one green—led by a fourth, a gargantuan red. As if that weren’t enough, after surviving the assault of the white dragon yesterday, Allura revealed what he had feared: the red dragon, Thordak, was the one who killed his and Vexahlia’s mother years ago.

The party went into the city to look for survivors and managed to do so by finding Uriel’s family, Sherri, and Gilmore, the latter of whom was on death’s door. Vax especially felt such deep guilt over seeing his dear friend in such a state, especially after their previous conversation in the speakeasy after dealing with Daxio where he told the glorious shopkeeper that he was in love with Keyleth while not mentioning her name. He nearly died protecting Uriel’s family. Vax wished that he was there by his side to the very end, to make up for breaking his heart.

No, Vax told himself, you would’ve died as well. If you died, what would have happened to Vex and the others?

Vax sighed heavily. He felt useless about everything that was happening around him. And then there was the issue of the Clasp now being their enemies. As far as he was concerned, even with the temptation of having information provided to them, the Clasp could kindly fuck off. After he was forced to join to protect his sister, and after their previous dealings with them, an alliance was not worth it. He knew how they operated; there was no guarantee that they would be completely true to their word. And even if they were, there was still the very real possibility of betrayal as soon as the terms were settled.

A part of him at the time felt relieved when Keyleth shared her concerns about the proposed alliance. That support only further reminded him of how much in love he was with her. However, he reminded himself to give her space and let her choose for herself. After the blunder he had made in Whitestone of kissing her while delirious, he made sure to be much more mindful of her boundaries. He was also thankful of the new mark she had left on his back where the Clasp tattoo once was. He looked behind him at his reflection and saw it there: a gnarled handprint just below the shoulder. Gnarled yet still beautiful, much like the person who gave it to him.

Sighing, he decided to step out of his room and go check on the refugees before turning in. He especially wanted to check in with Pike about how Gilmore was doing. So he headed downstairs to where they were all gathered. Within a minute of two he could make out the familiar white locks of Pike Trickfoot, out of her armor and conversing with Shaun Gilmore as he lay on a makeshift cot, his robes still damaged from when he had fought Thordak.

“Pike?”

Pike looked towards where Vax was standing, then she turned to Gilmore who nodded at her. She then nodded back as she walked over to where Vax waited for her.

“Hey, Vax. What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Vax shrugged. “I could say the same thing about you, Pickle. Uh, how’s Gilmore?”

Pike looked back to where Gilmore lay on the cot, the shopkeeper now resting peacefully and asleep.

“He’s doing much better now. He still needs a few days or so before he’s feeling like his old self.”

“I see,” Vax replied. He then let out a deep sigh and said, “I should probably leave him in your care going forward. I... don’t think he’d want me around.”

“Why?” she asked. “The two of you are pretty close.”

“Well,” Vax said to her, “when we last spoke after fighting Daxio... I told him something. Namely, that the two of us can’t exactly ‘do the dance’ anymore.”

Pike hesitated and then she nodded in understanding. “Go on.”

“The thing is... I’ve fallen in love with someone else, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him who. I... I just...”

“Is it Keyleth?” Pike asked him bluntly, which stopped Vax in his tracks.

“How did you know?”

Pike shrugged. “Well, you weren’t exactly being subtle around her based on what Vex told me. I hear you kissed her out of the blue.”

Vax groaned. “Damn you, Vex’ahlia... Always trying to make me uncomfortable.”

Pike let out a soft giggle at his expense. “Isn’t that what sisters are supposed to do?”

Vax said nothing as he had no way of refuting that point.

“Does Keyleth know yet?”

Vax nodded. “She does. But... I’m not even sure if she feels the same way. I did tell her that I’d wait for her to choose. And I don’t intend to force myself on her. It just wouldn’t be right.”

Pike nodded and paused for a moment, thinking about something. If nothing else, Pike was an amazing woman in her own right for someone so small in stature. Vax always found himself in awe of her kindness and her power. It was those facets of herself that started to inspire Vax into following in her footsteps. And, gods willing, one day he would do just that.

“Well, I’m not sure what to say about that,” Pike admitted. “But I do know that we’re dealing with so much on our plates at this very moment. Have you figured out what our next move is?”

“We’re thinking of going to Vasselheim, to recruit the Slayer’s Take into assisting us. Unlike the Clasp, we can trust them.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Pike agreed. “Maybe you could convince the Platinum Sanctuary for aid as well. I’m sure Lady Kima may be chomping at the bit for some action, too.”

Vax smiled at that. It’d been a while since they met the halfling paladin of Bahamut. If nothing else, her strength would indeed be a valuable asset. Besides, he knew that she should be informed of what happened to Allura after they parted ways in Emon, considering how close they were.

“Anyway,” Vax said to Pike, “I probably should try to get some sleep. Do take care of Gilmore for me, okay? And... please don’t mention what I said. I’m not sure how he’d take hearing it from someone else.”

“I understand,” Pike replied. “However, you have to promise me that you’ll smooth things over with him eventually.”

“I promise, Pike.”

Pike nodded at Vax’s answer. “Okay then. Please do try to get some sleep, Vax. Good night.”

“Good night.”

As Pike walked back into the room to check on more of the refugees, Vax started to make his way back upstairs feeling weary and exhausted. Tomorrow, they would send everyone else to Whitestone and then they could plan their next move. The Conclave had to be stopped, but they knew they couldn’t do the job by themselves. They needed allies. And Vasselheim seemed to be the perfect place to find some.

As Vax found himself in the hallway that contained the doors to their rooms, a part of him still felt anxious. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get to sleep that easily. He was still so very scared of what may still lay ahead for Vox Machina. So thus, he decided to seek someone out and he made a choice as he approached the door to his room... and passed by it altogether, making his way to another door. If anything, she’d be able to help him cope with what was happening.

At least, that was his hope.

Keyleth placed her circlet on the table as she leaned against the wall of her room clad in her nightgown, still shaken from the events of yesterday when the dragons attacked and just a few hours before. She could still recall the sheer amount of terror in the eyes of the people, and even in the eyes of her companions, when the Conclave descended. So many people had died, and now those who were left had a choice to either serve Thordak and live or resist and die. There were still many within the city that wanted to live to see another day, even if it was under the watchful eye of a great red wyrm. Therefore they pilfered every home they could find of riches and valuables, all for pleasing the Cinder King.

Sleep would not come easy for her, or for anyone inside the keep. It was rather tragic that less than three weeks ago, they had liberated Whitestone from the Briarwoods. The people cheered for their new heroes, something that Keyleth silently hated about herself. She never considered herself a hero due to the atrocities she had done both as an individual and as a part of Vox Machina. Many times in the past, she felt as if nothing she said truly mattered as long as the ends justified the means. It was that way of thinking that she couldn’t even begin to understand nor embrace.

And then, shortly after the Conclave attacked, they sought out the Clasp. And Percy — godsdamned Percival — wanted to strike an accord with them, asking for the aid of their vast intelligence network and for them to aid the citizens of Emon. And in exchange, they wanted entry into Vasselheim among other things. And while Percy and Scanlan were eager to make the deal, the rest of them voiced their disapproval. To Keyleth, it was not worth the cost. That, and Vasselheim itself already had trustworthy allies. And when Vax more or less stated that he wanted nothing to do with the Clasp, that was it. They became enemies.

She was so upset at Percy, especially since he was quick to pin the blame on her for the deal being refused. He had gone on and on about how she supposedly thought she was better than them. But she knew better. She knew that the deal was not worth the risk. And besides, there was no guarantee that the Clasp would truly honor their end of the bargain. After all, they could have just as easily killed them or presented them as offerings to Thordak just to save their own hides.

You always were my total opposite, Percy. I love you still, but I swear to Sarenrae, your attempts at being clever are going to get either you killed or all of us killed. It’s only a matter of time.

Keyleth sighed heavily. As far as she was concerned, she knew that an alliance with the Clasp would be horrible going forward. She tended to consider possible scenarios and how they would transpire in the future, many of which were very bad. This was one of them.

As she sat down at her desk, glancing at her alchemy book and resisting the urge to pore through it, her thoughts wandered to her companions. They were all at the end of their rope, even Grog. This was nothing like what they had faced before regarding the Underdark and the Briarwoods. This was on the level of a world-ending disaster. And everyone was feeling the strain, especially after having fought over the githyanki skull. To think that they were so closely knit, only to nearly be torn apart at the seams due to the temptation of the power that the entity within claimed to have. She silently thanked whomever would be listening that Allura was there to stop them from making another potential mistake.

“Hmph. I never thought I’d be thanking the gods for anything...“ Keyleth muttered to herself.

As she stood up and walked to her bed, she heard a soft knock on her door. Wondering who it was this late at night, she approached the door. For all she knew, it was Laina or Erwen coming to let her know about the remaining refugees and the needs they would require. She also considered that it could be someone completely different, such as one of their guards.

Keyleth opened the door slowly and cautiously, not sure as to who was out there... and her eyes widened a little upon seeing a familiar individual leaning against the wall, wearing little more than a common cloth black shirt and simple trousers. His shoulders were slumped, his brow was furrowed, and his eyes slowly looking up once he’d heard the door creak open.

Vax.

“Hi,” was all Keyleth could say as he stood there, unsure as to whatever else she could say.

“Hi,” Vax responded, and not without a quiver to his voice.

A small part of her was actually hoping that he would show up. For as long as she could remember, she often thought of the half-elf rogue in her dreams, long before he had confessed to her during the raid of Castle Whitestone. Since the confession a few weeks back, she had been utterly confused and more than a little afraid to talk to him about anything. The sudden dragon attack certainly didn’t help matters either, as she grew increasingly scared of Vax’s unusual behavior whenever Thordak was brought up, as out of all of them, Vax and Vex had been the most shaken by Thordak’s existence.

It was almost as if they considered this entire situation very personal.

Keyleth was about to speak again when Vax quickly asked her, “I don’t want to be alone tonight. Do you?”

The way he had said it sounded desperate and full of need. It was as if he was reading her mind. After all, she had said when they last had a meaningful conversation alone that she often thought of him as she fell asleep. She truly and deeply cared about him despite having told him that she was afraid.

“I haven’t been wanting to be alone most nights,” Keyleth admitted as she stepped away from the door.

Vax then let himself in as she closed the door. As she did so, Vax walked further into the room and simply stood there, his back to her.

“Vax... how are you?”

Still not turning to face her, he replied, “I feel like shit. In fact, that’s what everything we’ve been through lately feels like.”

Keyleth nodded to herself. “Yeah, I know. But... I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re still around.”

Vax finally turned around, and when he did, Keyleth could see tears falling down his face.

“Vax?”

The rogue’s head drooped low as he said, “I’m glad you are as well, Kiki. However, I didn’t come here to force your hand. I still mean what I said back at the Sun Tree.”

She nodded. “I know. And I thank you for that. Still, I’m glad that I don’t have to face the rest of this night by myself. After all, you’re here.”

Vax smiled a little at that. “What do you think? About this whole situation?”

Keyleth could only shake her head. “I don’t know. This is unlike anything we had faced before. We’re dealing with very powerful creatures that can easily kill us should they so please. I mean, you saw what the green one did, right? All those people died when it breathed on them. All I could think about was running away. I couldn’t... We couldn’t save any of them. Even those of the Fire Ashari were...”

She was shaking from seeing all those charred bodies amidst the wrecked village. To think that she was there not a month ago. It was so peaceful despite being close to a caldera. And now... it was gone.

Vax stepped forward and told her while looking into her eyes, “I know.”

Keyleth met his gaze and then, unable to hold back her tears, quickly pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’m scared, Vax. I’m so scared.”

Vax returned the embrace. “Same here. But at least I have Vex’ahlia. I have the others. And... I have you.”

Despite the overwhelming sadness filling her heart, Keyleth still found the capacity to smile at those words. “I feel the same way, Vax.”

Not sure of what else to do next, Keyleth motioned towards her bed. Vax nodded and they both lay atop it, pulling the covers over each other. Vax felt so warm, so full of life. In fact, she felt safe holding him in her arms. And she was sure that he felt the same way.

“This brings back memories,” Vax mentioned

“Of what?” Keyleth asked.

“When we couldn’t afford rooms for everyone back in the day. We used to bunk up and share rooms. Oftentimes, I found myself sharing a room with Vex. But... this feels much different.”

Keyleth smiled a little. “It does. Maybe it’s because of how much we... care about each other.”

She paused for a moment before asking, “Hey, Vax?”

“Yes?”

“Do you mind if I... kissed you?”

The sudden request seemingly left him at a loss for words. Granted, it was a rather bold request coming from her, but after having received her first from Kashaw and then a sudden kiss from him in Whitestone, she wanted to know what it felt like if she were the one to do so to begin with.

“Why?”

“I... I just want to know what it feels like,” she replied.

Vax was thinking things over, and then he gave a slow nod. “From you, Kiki? Certainly.”

She smiled at that. “You’re so silly, Vax. But... you’re also very kind.”

And with that, she braced herself and gently kissed him. It was a slow and steady kiss, but somehow it felt right for her to do this. A part of her knew that she couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with him due to her fear, but in this moment, she felt as if she could put that fear aside.

When she finally broke the kiss, she breathed heavily as did Vax.

“That... That was...” Vax said to her, his words faltering.

“Was that... good for you?” she asked nervously.

Vax smiled at her. “I don’t see how it could’ve been bad.”

Keyleth nodded in response. “Thanks. I was feeling really nervous about it. Anyway, we better get to sleep, don’t you think?”

“We should. Good night, Keyleth.”

She smiled as his eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep. “Good night, Vax’ildan.”

They then both fell into deep slumber, the two of them holding each other tightly in fear of losing the other. A new day would dawn for them tomorrow, one where they were uncertain as to what lay ahead, but for now, despite the chaos and sadness and misery, they found a brief moment of peace together in each others’ arms.

I do know you’re in love with me, Vax’ildan.

And... I love you, too.

[critrolestats]

Quick Answers 44

How many times has…?

Due to the recent release of our word count posts, we’ve had an influx of requests to track more. The posts we’ve made are the result of nearly a year’s worth of tracking; required the effort of over 100 volunteers; and months of work on our part to coordinate volunteers, collect stats, edit, format, check, and post. 

With the sheer volume of content now, we decided that, once we were done tracking previously made requests, we would no longer take requests that require a full-show rewatch. Further, we no longer take requests for tracking a particular phrase or word. We have amazing volunteers, and we want to make sure we can make the best use of their time and energy as possible.

Do you have a list of episodes where characters died?

We’ll use this as a reminder opportunity that we have an entire page of Running Stats where information like this is available!

Is there a list of Kaylie’s appearances?

Episode 37 (2:11:25) Diamond’s Nest Tavern

Episode 38 (1:06:50) Greyskull Keep

Episode 39 (2:52:30) Emon prison

Episode 50 (2:59:28) Westruun

Episode 51 (0:06:34) Westruun

Episode 56 (3:19:51) Kymal refugee camp

Episode 65 (1:14:00) Via Scanlan’s scrying potion

Why were there lair actions even though Thordak died?

Like regional effects, lair actions take time to wear off once the creature dies, at least in Exandria. Matt specifically said as such in Episode 80 (0:14:37).

What does the bottom of Sam’s mug say in Episode 80?

Sam posted a picture of it on Twitter here. You can also see all of Sam’s past mugs here.

In what instances have we seen Gilmore actually engage in combat?

We saw him use some threatening-looking magic in Episode 41 (2:58:49), but not combat. We saw him implode Hotis’ assassin in Episode 58 (1:48:30), and we saw him do battle with Thordak and Raishan in Episodes 79 and 80.

How much gold does Vox Machina have?

We got this question during Talks Machina right after Laura said that the only person who knows how much gold VM has Vex. So, that answers that.

How much does Vox Machina actually owe Gilmore, Allura, Kima, and anyone else they got stuff from in the conclave arc?

Owe? It’s hard to put a price on what Vox Machina and Gilmore, Allura, Kima, etc. have shared with each other. Gilmore and Allura crafted the illusion barrier for Whitestone while Vox Machina ensured they were safe from the dragons. Gilmore gave VM a locket, which they were able to pass on to his parents. Kima fought by their side against Vorugal, Raishan, and Thordak, and VM gave her the Holy Avenger Longsword to fight the latter two. Like Percy said, don’t put a price on family.

Has it been confirmed that Whisper was awakened?

If the what we saw in Episode 79 wasn’t Whisper awakening, especially considering what we saw of Mythcarver awakening, we will be very surprised.

What happened to Eskil Ryndarien?

Last we saw him in Episode 57 (2:43:49), he was in Whitestone, working on researching the ziggurat.

Do you what episode it was when Percy shouted out "No one has a sense of f***ing honor!?" Or something along the lines of that?

Episode 13 (1:11:09) Some people have no sense of f***ing honor!

[greakfreak22]

KimAllura

SPOILERS EPISODE 83 SLIGHT MENTION OF CUTTING. With The revival of Scanlan Shorthalt a success, Allura Vysoren halted speaking. She greeted everyone with a short nod and smile, but wouldn't speak a word. Kima had tried many times to get her to speak, begging her to say the simplest word, but Allura only looked at the halfling with sad eyes. After the dust had settled and relief parties had been sent over Exandria, Allura began to pack her things. Kima was out and assisting with the rebuilding of some of the other important buildings of Whitestone, so this was her time. This was the only free moment to do what needed to be done without being stopped. She placed her two casting robes in her bag of holding with all of her magical items. She wore only one of Kima’s knit undershirts and leggings. She looked at the ring on her finger, one that Kima had given her after Thordak’s first defeat, and slid it off. Kima had found it among the loot and said the sapphire reminded her of Allura, and told her to think of her while she adventured. Allura had never taken the ring off, the ring allowed her to always hold a message spell, which she would frequently use to keep Kima updated on Emon and herself. Allura wasn’t deserving of the companionship of Kima and knew with the ring upon her finger, she would be too tempted to write. She sealed her last wishes and slipped the ring on the rolled piece of paper and bamfed out of the small homestead, to find a new home, one where Kima would be safe from the bumbling arcanist. Kima came back to the small house and opened the door. “Allie, Gilmore made some soup using some of the fancy spice Scanlan had. I know you like a good home cooked stew.” She walked in with the bowl and looked around. “Allie?” She set the bowl down and searched the whole house, when she found the letter. She almost missed the ring sealing it shut. “No Allie. No!” She tore the letter open with shaking hands. It was a goodbye. “You stupid archinist!” She rushed out of the house and to the sun tree as fast as her small legs could take her. “Keyleth! I need you to scry! Find Allie… she ran away. We need to find her now.” Keyleth the bumbling idiot, started yelping and bouncing and cast the scry spell and was thrown back after a moment. “I was blocked. What happened? Kima...Kima talk to me.” She knelt to the halfling. Kima fought the tears that threatened to spill. “She blames herself for the teleportation circle failing. She blames herself for not being able to hit Rishon enough. She… she ran away and I need to find her.” Kima said practically shaking. “We will find her Kima, we will find her.” The search went on for a little over a week, all their friends around the country were looking for Allura with no luck. Eventually the world moved on from the Arcanist, the world besides Kima of Vord. “Allie, my ring of featherfall was dropped in a pool of acid by shit for brains over here. Can you reenchant it?” The young half elven woman begged looking pissed off at her elvan partner. Allie smiled softly and wrote on her notepad the price and the girl handed her the sack of gold. “Thank you Allie, we leave for our next contract in a few days, is that enough time?” Allie nodded to the girl and the duo left the shop. Allura, now called Allie Vy, made a small arcanist shop in Vasselheim, and felt for once she wasn’t burdening anyone. She was known as the mute arcanist, but it kept her at peace. Her hair, dyed a dark auburn, was braided into a single fishtail down her shoulder, and her green robes perfectly primp and ironed. She had assisted in a few contracts Kima had hired the Slayers take for to find her, and her ruse held strong. She heard the bell ring as the door swung open. She turned and smiled to greet the customer when she saw gold armor. The short woman came up to her and wasn't looking at her, but around the shop. “I'm looking for a friend and hoped you could assist me in a tracking spell.” Kuma looked up at her, but turned away quickly. “you look so much like her. I'll pay whatever it takes. Please.” Allura looked at her previous lover sadly. She never gave up. She wrote on her pad a simple yes in as best disguised writing as she could. Kima looked so hopeful. She put down a sack of gold and slipped the sapphire ring off her finger. “use this to track her.” Kima said handing her the ring. Kima never wore jewelry. Allura did the spell and wrote on the paper Westrunn. “no...no...I was just in westrunn. It was a fucking weeks travel for nothing!” She punched a display, shattering it. Allura jumped back. “I'm sorry miss. I Just miss her. I love her.” Kima said. Allura went around the desk and gave her the ring back. Kima grabbed her hand and turned her wrist and saw the marks on her arms. Kima was the only one who knew of her self harm as a student. Allura messed up the cantrip again and her teacher tisked in disappointment. She slapped her fingers with the wooden cane. She cried out in pain. “Again Miss Vysoren. Its a simple presdigitation.” Madam Triscyne said grabbing her braid and roughly pulling it out. “Fix your hair. Allura.” After failing the spell a few more times, Allura was excused from her lesson. She cried in her room as she manually fixed her hair. She took the sewing needle on her nightstand and ran it down her arm crying. “You’re not good enough…” Allura pulled away from Kima and pulled her sleeve down. “Allura… you left me. You left all of Whitestone. You left us all, for such a stupid reason. Allie… I will follow you into the 9 hells if i have to. I’m always getting myself in trouble, i need you to pick me up when I’m down. Allie… please say something.” She hugs her legs and cries into her stomach. “My brave Paladin.” Allura whispered softly. “Allie!” Kima pulled her down and kissed her. “You will always be good enough for me.”

[vicious-rhythm]

I’m stressed, have a stupid perc’ahlia proposal! This is gonna be my coping method this week, writing various proposals, so here’s the first, immediately post ep 80.

They haven’t even managed to rest, having only barely stumbled out of Thordak’s lair and into the smarting sunlight. Keyleth reaches the entrance first, followed swiftly by Vax and Vex, and Grog with Pike still on his shoulders. He’s refused to put her down now that he’s picked her up. Gilmore, slumping heavily between the twins, keeps trying to hide his grimaces behind a smile and is continually failing. Kima is still supporting Scanlan at her side, and though he’s hamming it up as per usual, there is a shuffling quality to Scanlan’s step that makes it impossible to forget his brush with death. Percy is the last to leave the tunnel save for J’mon Sa Ord who has to crouch only slightly to fit comfortably out of the cavern.

“Well,” Scanlan says, almost gratingly cheerful. “That was fun.”

If he weren’t visibly still hurt and the rest of them hardly better, they might have a more displeased reaction, but Pike - of all people - starts laughing and the rest follow. It’s not a truly happy sound, borne of sheer relief and hysteria. Kima pulls back to punch him, thinks better of it, and begrudgingly dredges up a healing spell for the gnome.

Around them, but distant, there are still the echoes of a battle being fought, but something seems to have broken. Some innate connection and knowledge must have made Thordak’s supporters aware of his death, because there are no stragglers waiting to pick off the battered Vox Machina. There are still of course pools of lava and the wreckage of Emon’s bastardized landscape, but no immediate threat more pressing than the geography itself. The group, some barely standing, takes in the brief moment of respite and there is an almost palpable sense of bitter gratefulness. Anything more might kill them where they stand.

It is at that thought that Percy’s gaze turns toward Vex, so beautifully, gloriously alive and breathing when for too many seconds, she hadn’t been. It’s the second time he’s watched her die and something in Percy’s mind clicks over. His mouth is open before he even tries to think about it.

“Vex’ahlia.” She’s across the gathered group from him, so that he has to raise his voice slightly to be heard, but she meets his eyes, her own tired and over-bright. “Will you marry me?”

Everything, for a handful of seconds, freezes. Percy almost thinks he’s managed to somehow set off a trap that stops time or something, but then Keyleth blinks as her mouth drops open. For once in their lives, Vox Machina manages not to immediately chime in with unnecessary comments, instead staring hard at either Percy or Vex. As the seconds drag on, more eyes turn to Vex, who remains silent. Even the bulk of J’mon Sa Ord is still, waiting for her response.

“Percy…” Vex sways on her feet, either from shock or her wounds, Percy isn’t sure. He swallows hard when she doesn’t say anything else, mouth open soundlessly.

“It’s bad timing, I know,” he says briskly. “But gods forbid something else tries to kill us in the next five minutes, I’d rather have had the chance to ask than not.”

“You must be very good in bed,” Vax mutters, just barely audible beside his sister, who absently slaps her brother upside the back of the head. Of course Vax knows, and Percy just doesn’t care about being embarrassed. He can’t even bring himself to look away from Vex for the instant it would take to give half a damn about anyone else’s reaction. Hers is the only one that matters. And he’s not letting anything more happen to either of them without getting across exactly how much she means to him and exactly how much he doesn’t want to lose her, to anything, ever.

“I guess that’s a yes on the following through, then,” Keyleth says a bit meekly.

“Yes,” Vex practically stutters out. “Yes, he followed through, obviously and - Yes. Provided we can survive to any sort of...getting married. Yes.”

“Good,” Percy says, resettling Bad News across his shoulders. “Now that that’s settled, shall we take a rest before somebody keels over?”

It would be in poor taste to cross a recent battlefield and attempt to kiss the breath out of Vex when she so recently got it back, so Percy shelves that idea for later. And they will have a later and he won’t take so bloody long about it this time. Only as long as it takes for everyone to stop looking as though death is hovering just at their heels.

By unspoken agreement, they start making their way toward a cluster of less ruined-looking buildings, intent on a short rest to at the very least prepare for the no doubt perilous trek toward their allies. Vax falls in step with Percy, leaving his sister to cast a weak but vital cure wounds spell on Gilmore as they walk.

“You are an odd duck, Freddy,” Vax says, eyeing him carefully. He can punch Percy again for all he cares. Percy is bone tired and somewhat light-headed with relief, probably punch drunk despite the fact he’d taken relatively little damage in this fight.

“Yes, well,” Percy shrugs, glancing between Vex and Vax with a foolish and probably self-satisfied grin on his face. “It does seem to run in the family.”