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bhaalble · 11 months ago

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While I'm on my script doctor shit: I want to talk about Karlach.

Karlach's not dealing with the same level of narrative neglect/hasty rewrite fingerprints that Wyll is. As a standalone entity, her arc works. I Am Not Immune To Weeping at the Post-Gortash Fight Scene etc etc. But it does feel oddly discordant with the other companion quests. Karlach doesn't really experience any moral evolution or make meaningful decisions. When we meet her she's a kindhearted friendly hero, and she will be that regardless of whether she dies in Faerun or goes back to Avernus. She's incredibly likeable while she does that, and I also don't want to come across like I think her writing is shallow. But in a game where all the companion quests follow a pretty intentional pattern regarding the cycle of abuse, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me that the resolution of the Gortash plot doesn't really impact her character arc one way or the other.

As always I feel compelled to point out that this isn't me going "actually she's secretly a bad person and the game won't admit it". This is more me attempting to mine some more in-depth conflict, using the existing arc as a template. With that in mind, these are the changes I would make:

-Make the use of Soul Coins MUCH MORE of a character point. With how much attention is drawn to acquiring these things for the first time and a special dialogue choice for whether or not you'll have her use them, it feels very much like a dropped thread that it doesn't really go anywhere storywise. Leveraged correctly I think this could've been the chance to show a crack in Karlach's persona. She's your big loveable attack dog who's been having the worst decade, yeah. But she's also a survivor, who's not only been deployed into an endless conflict but who also hasn't had a single person she can trust other than herself. I think you could make more of a thing about how the conditions she lived in in Avernus forced her to make her peace with occasionally stepping on other people, even some innocents, so she could live to fight another day. There's shades of this in some of her conversations with the tiefling refugees already, she mentions to Dammon that she felt like she couldn't really do anything for Elturel. Push into that guilt, and with it, that denial. Have ten years spent with devils maybe just maybe given her a slightly more removed view of the value of a life that isn't her own?

-Whether the player feeds her Soul Coins or not I think it should be specified by Dammon that her routine use of them during her time in Avernus has sped up her engine breakdown by putting it into almost permanent overdrive. Its a damnation of Zariel (who probably knew what the coins were doing, but didn't care) and a startling moment for Karlach, that there are consequences for being cavalier with the souls of others. High Approval Karlach either asks to stop taking them (if the player has been giving them) or thanks the player for encouraging her to hold off. Low Approval Karlach will ask to keep taking them on the grounds of "in for a penny in for a pound", arguing that they can't afford to lose the advantages the player has seen it gives them (if they have been giving them) or becoming frustrated that the player is judging her and what she's had to do to survive (if they haven't).

-Make the reveal that the Steel Watch run off infernal iron MUCH MORE emotional for Karlach, as she realizes she was an experimental run for Gortash to do this. Double down on this when the player discovers that they have corpses inside them (also, put this reveal before the Steel Watch foundry quest can be completed). Its both horrifying on a gut level to find out the stupid evil reason for all her suffering...but also she can't help but feel culpable for LIVING. If she hadn't been strong enough to survive it the experiment might've ended there. Its not true but it is one of the worst thoughts you can have when you've just found out you're going to die anyways.

-I would make the relationship between Karlach and Gortash much more mutual and much more (initially) positive relationship. Have him be genuinely glad to see her, genuinely impressed that she survived the hells. Its what he always liked about her, her grit, her ability to face down impossible odds and come out the victor. Compliments that would've made her happy back in the day and now feel like a punch to the gut. Its all build-up, though, to the Choice which will define Karlach's route.

-By virtue of his experiments Gortash has gotten very good at working with Infernal Iron. And he believes he can fix Karlach's heart, in exchange for her basically taking up a more elevated version of her old job. He could use a bodyguard powered by hellfire and with a strong understanding of devils. Its also, just good optics for his man of the people image to have his right hand be some outer city kid elevated to greatness. He makes a lot of promises in that moment: she won't die. She'll get a chance to have a LIFE back, but now a life with all the power and security she could ask for. More than that, they could change things in this city. Give its residents better lives, improve things for all the little Karlachs out there. And after that...who knows? The Hells might be ripe for some conquest back. Gods know they've both got old scores to settle

-She takes time to think about it, and talk with the player. In addition to all the other hang-ups she might have this is where the Steel Watch comes up again, with her feeling like she's poisoned by that knowledge. A player trying to persuade her into taking the deal can point out, in the end its not so different from soul coins. Why draw the line now. If this Persuasion check is passed she can note that at least they could afford to be choosier with their victims, putting the worst baddies to use for the protection of everyone. That wouldn't be so bad....would it?

-You meet Gortash for a final time. If persuaded by the player to not take the deal (or if left to choose for herself with High Approval) Karlach will kill him where he stands. His soul rises in the form of Bane's Chosen and you have a proper boss fight. If persuaded to take it (or left to her own devices on Low Approval) Karlach will take the deal. This will mean losing Karlach from the party (with the exception of the House of Hope mission where she will appear Jaheira style) as she will be busy protecting Gortash. The player gains custom armor from Gortash and an assembly of Steel Watchers they can summon in the Final Battle.

-If she doesn't take the deal her endings play out pretty similarly to how they do in canon, either dying or returning to Avernus. This time, however, its with a new lease on life (or death). She's gotten to choose to be better than the things that dropped her here. She's still scared, still angry. But she's also proven something to herself. That Zariel and Gortash and them were wrong about her, and that she is much more than the mindless weapon they wanted to turn her into.

-If she takes the deal it unlocks a new ending for Gortash. Rather than come to the Elder Brain himself he will instead give you his Netherstone as a show of good faith, trusting you to take the chance to subdue the Elder Brain for your mutual rule.

-If the Player subdues the Elder Brain you and Gortash move it back underground, pretending to have defeated it and using the fear created by the mind flayer outbreak to rule the populace. Karlach in the Epilogue talks to you about how the two of you are making massive moves in the city. She seems to be trying very hard to convince herself at least most of the changes are positive....from a certain point of view.

-If the Player destroys the Elder Brain, Gortash skips town and takes Karlach with him rather than face his disgrace. In the Epilogue Karlach says he's starting to rebuild in another city state, "not tellin you where, though. Don't really think I want to have to fight you if you decide to come smash this one too....even though I'd definitely win." She seems extremely worn down in this ending and trying to cover it up. Gortash lost a LOT of favor with Bane having his plans blow up in his face like that and its made him. Snippy. Still, "its a living. And it probably wouldn't even be that if it weren't for him." The player can hint that it may be time for her to start moving on to a better environment, and she says only if she can find someone to do a more permanent fix for Ol' Rusty. Gortash still has to do check-ups almost monthly to keep her stable.

-She still keeps in touch with Dammon, though....who knows. He might have some new thoughts after seeing all the blueprints Gortash has drawn up....

#sorry that this is six miles long but i have so many thoughts #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #karlach #enver gortash #script doctor tag #baldurs gate critical #long post

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chaoticunicornsworld · 1 year ago

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Menacing attack

The first nightly encounter can hit differently if your tav has a bad history.

Warning: Mentioning abuse

Part two:.

part three: https://www.tumblr.com/chaoticunicornsworld/733899299561275392/kauthgras-potion?source=share

The evening quieted at last. Everyone went back to their tents. Finally you have time to think through the events that happened to you. You had a few rough days before, but this one was far worse than any of them. You are terrified. You don’t even know how you got involved in this group, with all the heroes in it. You are nothing but a farmer’s daughter. You spent most of your time in the woods hiding from your stepfather. You know everything about the woods, the animals, and you handle the bow better than anyone in the village, but you are nothing compared to these people. A great wizard who is so smart he knows everything, and he is so kind to share his knowledge, the Blade of frontiers, you only heard his name as a gossip in the village. An elven magistrate from the city of Baldur’s gate, who looks at you like you were a bug under his boot, the quiet beautiful cleric, with real healing power, not like you with your herbs. A real gith warrior, with such confidence you never had. And the best fighter of the archdevil Zariel. And she is a tiefling, like your lover was. He was your first love, at that time, when you believed you could be free from your father. The old man drove him away, threatening his life. You never saw him after.

And here you are. You ran away when you finished the old man, after years of suffering from his abuse, and you ended here with a tadpole behind your eye. You didn’t even have time to think about what you have done, and you become the leader of this group full of heroes. And every time you make a decision, they judge you. The wizard is kind, he tries to reassure you, but the others? You saw several times the magistrate rolling his eyes and whispering something to the cleric or the gith. They think they know better, but at the end of the day they picked you to lead them. Why? You toss and turn on your bedroll in self doubt until you dive in troubled slumber. You sleep like a rabbit since 12 when your stepfather first came to you at night. You woke up the moment you sensed somebody's presence. It was the mean magistrate leaned over to you. Adrenaline ran through your veins, and you acted quickly. You turned him on his back, and pinned him down with your knee on his stomach and your dagger on his throat. It was the instinctive result of years of abuse. He was shocked, and you noticed a hint of admiration in his eyes. “One move and I'll kill you!” Said you and pushed your knee further in his stomach. He moaned painfully, but didn’t move. “Please, you misunderstood me..” Tried he talk his way out. “I know exactly what you tried to do, and if you think I’m too kind to kill you, because I was kind to the tieflings, you are wrong. You wouldn't be my first.” Your eyes darkened as you spat out the words. You saw fear shining in his eyes for a quick moment then he rearranged his face in a charming smile. “Darling, if I want to sleep with you, I can make you beg for it, I don't need to come at night and take advantage on you.” Now it’s your turn to be shocked. What an arrogant prick he is, to think you will beg for him. Nonsense! “Did you want to kill me then? If you don’t want me to be your leader, you don’t have to kill me, I don’t want to be a leader at all!” “Oh dear, you are so naive and stupid” He said in a plaintive voice, and turned his head away from you. He didn’ even feared you, even if your dagger was on his throat.

But at that moment in the firelight you saw his neck, and the two scars on it. It all came together. Your stomach clenched. “Show your teeth” Commanded you as you pushed your knees harder in his stomach. He reluctantly lifted up his upper lip and exposed his fangs. He didn’t smile anymore.”You… you wanted to feed on me?” Asked you incredulously and slightly amused. “A great magistrate who looked at me like I was an annoying bug, crawling to me at night to feed on me! Ha!” You laughed and he looked at you confused. You didn’t withdraw your dagger from his throat, but you also didn't stab him to death. “Now that you know what I am, can we talk about this like two civilized person?” He suggested in an annoyed voice. “Civilized? There is nothing civilized sneaking up on someone at night to feed on them.” “I apologize, I didn't know how to tell someone what I am, you know I am somehow allergic to stakes and pitchforks.” The situation was so absurd and his reaction was somehow funny, you couldn’t help yourself but smiled.

You got up from him, let him sit up, and you sat by him at a sufficient distance with a long sigh. “Alright, civilized then. You are a vampire. And you came to me to drain me, why? Why don’t you go to the forest and hunt some animals?” “It’s different. I can sustain myself on animals, that’s true, but it’s not enough. I’m weak. And we can’t afford it. Not if we have to fight. The blood of thinking creatures can give me real power, I didn’t want to harm you, I just needed a little real blood. And I couldn’t ask for it. No one trusts a vampire.” “I trusted you” Said you silently. “I wanted your recognition, but you hate everything I do.” “It’s not about hate, you're just too soft and naive, and all of this heroism thing, it just doesn't fit for me.” He replied. “Do you think you can trust me more? I really need your blood. Not much, just a taste I swear. It would be just a moment, it wouldn’t even painful. What do you think?” You turned red. You are not as naive as he thinks. You recognize the manipulation, because your stepfather was manipulative as hell. But you want him on your side, and you can be manipulative as well if you have to. And pretending you fall for his words and let him feed on you can grant you his sympathy. However you had mixed feelings about it. There he is, an elven beauty craving for your blood, and it is somehow sexual. And sex never was your choice before, except the few soft touches from your tiefling lover. “Can you do it somehow, not in an intimate way?” You asked. He was surprised, He expected you to ask it rather intimate. “Of course, I can try. No one asked this way before.” admitted he. “You know, someone poisoned intimacy for me before.” You explained. “Oh, darling, I know exactly what you mean.” Said he with a hint of sadness in his voice. “May I..” He stretched his arms towards you, waiting for you to put your hand in his. “You may.” Sighed you and let him take your hand.

He lifted your wrist up to his lips, took a last reassuring look at you and started to feed. You winced, almost ripped your hand from his, but he held it strong. “Please, please, enough” you cried, and he stopped. He looked so different, so alive. He smiled and let your hand free. He tried to hide his satisfaction from you but his entire being looked radiant and happy. You were disgusted with yourself. You were used as you were before multiple times, and you let him use you. “Please go” You said as you bowed your head to your palm. You couldn’t even look at him anymore. “Thank you!” he said honestly, and you knew he meant it. These two words were a balm on your aching soul, but they can’t ease the pain you felt. “Please, just go” You repeated as you tried to hold back your tears.”We are talking about this later”. You heard his receding soft steps and the empty night wrapped you.

#astarion #astarion ancunin #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion bg3 #astarion x reader #astarion x tav

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tabitha42 · 5 months ago

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The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 21

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

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Gale had never been a morning person, and he was especially not a morning person when nursing the world’s worst hangover.

By the time he finally emerged from his tent the camp was a buzz of activity. The tieflings were helping clear up after the party and Wyll was cooking breakfast at the campfire.

“Ah, there you are,” Wyll greeted him, taking some cooked meat and putting it on a plate. “Thought you’d never wake up.”

Gale blearily walked over and sat next to him, rubbing his eyes. Gradually his mind started to piece itself back together as he ate.

“Where are the others?” he asked, finally realising he couldn’t see any of their other companions around.

“The ladies decided to go bathe in the spring just down river, which I thought might be a good idea for us, too. Might even help wake you up.”

Gale nodded slowly.

“And Astarion?”

“I have no idea. Off doing… Astarion things.”

Astarion still hadn’t returned from his Astarion things by the time they’d finished breakfast, so they headed to the spring without him. They bought a towel each, a fresh change of clothes as well as a handful of dirty clothes to wash while they were there. They found a spot far from where they knew the girls likely were and got undressed.

Wyll had been absolutely right - the water certainly did wake him up.

“Gods, nothing like a shock of cold water to really stimulate one’s senses,” Gale commented with a wince as he stepped into the brisk water. Wyll was already waist deep, much more used to this sort of living than Gale was.

“Feeling a bit better?” he asked with a chuckle as Gale waded in to join him.

“Better is… not the word I’d use,” he admitted. “I swear this was warmer last time I bathed.” “It’s that morning air. Crisp and fresh.”

“Mmm…” Gale murmured, unable to have quite the same enthusiasm for it that Wyll did. Still, he decided to try to focus on the one positive of all this. “You seem to be in better spirits than yesterday.”

“Ah, yes. Well. I’ll admit, for most of the party, I felt rather… out of place. As much as Karlach was right and the tieflings did accept me, I still didn’t feel myself. When she went to dance I took the opportunity to excuse myself. But I should have known Karlach wouldn’t leave it at that. She came and found me. When I refused to return to the party, she refused to leave me. We spent a long time just talking. About all sorts - our adventures, our childhoods, our hopes for the future. Then we heard Alfira playing her new song. It was distant and muffled, but we could hear it. She knew I love to dance, so she offered to dance with me. Not a full dance, of course, but as much as we could without touching. I’ll admit - it worked. By the end of it I finally found myself smiling. And I daresay, had I been able to touch her, the night might have ended up in more than just a dance.”

Gale chuckled softly, glad to see Wyll starting to feel like himself again. He could relate.

“Amazing what having the right person around can do for you, isn’t it?” he mused, taking some soap out of his bag and starting to wash himself.

“It truly is. I used to curse the name Karlach, now I could sing it from the rooftops. The only thing I curse now is Zariel and what she did to her. That damnable infernal engine… I am honestly amazed at how she keeps so positive all the time. But she is sure Dammon will be able to cure her. And, well, she has made it quite clear what she wants when that time finally comes.”

Gale chuckled, amused by the smirk on Wyll’s lips.

“I won’t ask for details,” he joked.

“Heh, if I’m honest, I’m not sure I’m ready for all she’s got planned. But still… I wish we could do something. A hug, a stolen kiss under the stars… but it will make it all the sweeter when our time finally comes.”

Gale had to admit, that was a nice way to think about it. He hoped they would all find the cures they needed, and all have their time finally come.

“Anyway, enough about me,” Wyll decided after a moment. “What about you? Did Saff finally convince you to dance?”

“Ah… yes, she did. To the same song as you, in fact,” he said, a smile playing on his lips from the memories of the night. “Oh? And how’d it go?” he asked with an excited smirk. He clearly was expecting more than what actually happened between them.

“Well… we were dancing, and it was lovely, and then… I was a lot more drunk than I thought I was, and fell over.”

Wyll burst out laughing.

“Oh gods, Gale. Don’t tell me you let that be the end of it, though? I’m sure she didn’t hold it against you.”

“You’re right, she didn’t. But…” he trailed off and looked away slightly. Wyll looked at him, at first in curiosity, then in concern when he saw the pained look on Gale’s face.

“Gale? Are you alright?” he asked, growing worried for his friend. Gale had been hesitant to tell anyone just yet… but he knew he could trust Wyll with this.

“I… haven’t told her this yet. But the truth is… you and I are in much the same boat.” Wyll frowned, deeply confused.

“What do you mean?” he asked, trying to figure it out. Gale sighed deeply.

“This,” he said, tapping the circle on his chest. “It isn’t just magic it reacts to. It reacts to me. To… my emotions.”

Gradually Wyll’s eyes started to widen in realisation.

“I hadn’t been sure about it at first,” Gale continued. “But I’m sure of it now. Whenever the two of us are close… it flares up. Everyone thought I fell last night because of alcohol. It wasn’t. It was this.”

There was a moment of quiet as Wyll looked at him sadly, realising how much his condition truly affects him.

“Well well, look at you two. Cockblocked by the universe.”

The two of them nearly jumped out of their skins as Astarion seemed to appear out of nowhere next to them.

“A truly tragic tale,” he continued casually.

“Where did you come from??” Gale gasped, equal parts surprised and annoyed.

“Oh, I had been getting some food earlier. After how busy last night was I didn’t get a chance to get a proper meal. Then when I got back I heard you two had come down here, so I thought I’d join you.”

Gale and Wyll glanced at each other, then back at Astarion, who was now looking at them with a smirk on his lips.

“I had a wonderful night by the way, if anyone’s interested.”

“Did you?” Wyll asked, curious now. “Who with?”

“Oh…” Astarion started, looking at them playfully. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Further downstream, the girls were enjoying a much warmer bath, courtesy of Karlach.

“Ahh, this is the life!” Karlach declared happily, stretching her arms and leaning back against a rock. While the others were busy washing or cleaning their clothes, she was relaxing as if on a spa day.

“You really enjoy bathing in rivers that much?” Shadowheart asked. She couldn’t say she shared the same love for it.

“Yes! Never got the chance in the Hells. The rivers there were all boiling and stank of sulphur. But this… cool, clean water… I’d forgotten how good it felt!”

Saff smiled to herself. It was so nice to see Karlach enjoying herself so much. Shadowheart shrugged slightly and went back to what she was doing, til she spoke again shortly later.

“So, did you find Wyll last night after you went off looking for him?”

“Yes! He didn’t want to come back to the party, but we still had a good time together,” she said with a big smile, reminiscing. Shadowheart narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Karlach.

“Had anyone else said that I would assume you’d slept together, but with you I know that can’t be the case…”

“Ugh, don’t remind me! I can’t wait til I can get this thing fixed. Then I have so many plans.”

Now Shadowheart’s interest was really piqued.

“Oh? Do we get to hear them?” she asked curiously, but Karlach only laughed.

“No, those are for Wyll’s ears only. I’ll only tell you the first one - I want to share a dance with him.”

Shadowheart looked marginally disappointed, while Saff looked more interested now.

“That’s so romantic,” she said softly, finding it sweet that that was one of the first things Karlach wanted to do.

“Well, I hope he’s a better dancer than a certain other male companion of ours,” Shadowheart teased. Karlach lifted her head now and looked curiously at Saff, who looked slightly annoyed at Shadowheart.

“Gale’s a perfectly good dancer!” she said defensively.

“He fell over.”

“He... was drunk,” she tried to argue in Gale’s defence, though didn’t do very well. Karlach started laughing, and finally even Lae’zel, who had previously been ignoring the conversation, joined in.

“He fell over??” she asked, looking a bit disgusted. “Ch’k, any man who fell over while trying to court me would quickly learn of his failure.”

“He wasn’t-... it wasn’t like that…” Saff stuttered, though all three of them gave her a disbelieving look.

“Wasn’t it?” Shadowheart challenged. Saff didn’t answer, and just looked down to focus on the clothes she was washing. “You know, I’m surprised it’s taken you two this long. You’re both clearly interested in each other. So act on it.”

Saff sighed, realising there was no point trying to pretend there wasn’t anything between them anymore.

“We are acting on it,” she insisted, trying to hide the slight blush on her cheeks. Shadowheart raised an eyebrow at her.

“Half a dance is acting on it?” She said, a criticism more than a question. “Yes! It’s only been a few days!” Saff said defensively. “Plenty of time,” Lae’zel declared. Saff was beginning to feel a bit ganged up on.

“Well, I want to take things slow, ok?” she said, hoping that would be explanation enough.

“Why?” Lae’zel asked. Saff might have got annoyed, but it didn’t sound like a tease like it would have done from Shadowheart - it was a genuine question.

“Well… sometimes if you take things too fast, that can ruin the relationship. I don’t want that.”

“Why would it ruin the relationship?” she pressed. Her genuinely questioning tone reminded the others just how alien she really was to their world.

“Because… you might end up in a relationship with someone you don’t really know yet. And they could turn out to not be the person you thought they were.”

“Not the person you thought they were? Like someone in disguise?”

“No- no…” Saff said quickly, to the amusement of Shadowheart and Karlach. “I don’t mean literally, I mean, you might have this idea of them in your mind, of what they’re like. But then the more you get to know them, you realise they’re not like that at all, and that you’ve not actually fallen for them, but you’ve fallen for this idea you had of them that isn’t actually real.”

Lae’zel nodded slowly, beginning to understand.

“Do you fear this is the case with Gale?”

“Well, no… but I want to be sure,” she explained. It looked like Lae’zel was finally getting it, until she spoke again.

“I still don’t see why this has to delay sex.”

Saff despaired and buried her head in her hands. The other two laughed and Karlach finally sat up to give her input.

“Some people don’t like having sex with someone unless they love them,” she said simply. Lae’zel looked almost disgusted by the suggestion.

“How ridiculous. You would miss out on so much of one of life’s greatest pleasures.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I agree with Lae’zel,” Shadowheart said, to Lae’zel’s surprise. “Short-term amusements are much better.”

“Well, you guys can stick with your short-term amusements, I know what I want,” Saff said firmly.

“Good for you, Saff,” Karlach said proudly. “You take as much time as you need, and don’t let these two tell you otherwise,” she said, gesturing to Lae’zel and Shadowheart.

Lae’zel rolled her eyes.

“How can you be sure you’re not wasting your time? You do not even know if he’s interested if you don’t make your desires clear,” she questioned.

“Well… that’s all part of taking your time about it, to be sure you know they feel the same way. But I’m sure he’s interested. There’s been lots of times when we’ve been really close, way closer than just friends would.”

“And those times have never led to anything?”

“No. Usually either we get interrupted, or… he changes the subject or something, cause like I said, we’re taking it slow.”

Lae’zel gave her a look.

“How do you know he’s not changing the subject because he’s not interested?” she challenged.

“Wha- I… I’m sure that’s not the case,” Saff said, though sounding rather more uncertain than before. It never took much to sow the seed of doubt in her mind.

“You should strike while the iron is hot,” Lae’zel insisted. “Make sure he knows your desires, before he loses interest!”

“I don’t think he’s going to lose interest,” Karlach started, “but I guess there’s no harm in making sure he knows how you feel.”

“Karlach’s right. Plus, a small gesture to keep him on his toes can always be fun,” Shadowheart agreed.

“You think? Like… what?” Saff asked, a bit unsure what she could do.

“Pin him down and ravish him until he is so overcome by arousal he cannot refuse you your desires!” Lae’zel declared.

The others went silent, looking at her in shock.

“...I was going to suggest a picnic,” Karlach said after a long moment. “But… I suppose that works, too.”

“I’ll bear the picnic idea in mind,” Saff decided.

#gale #bg3 gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale x tav

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that-basic-simp · 1 year ago

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Get Away From Her

Karlach X Fem! Reader CW: Language WC: 2.5k+

Snuggling into the crook of Karlach's neck, I took in her aroma, which was oddly comforting with it being a mix of blood and ash. I think it was just the fact that I was laying in her arms, her warmth radiating off of her and keeping me warm in the cold nights. She was already a warm Tiefling, but with her engine, it made her extra warm. While it was hard to touch her when we first met at the Sword Coast, but after getting her the much needed upgrades, she was finally able to touch me. And we spent that very night together and relishing in the fact she was able to hold and touch me.

But this feeling of freedom was bound to wear off as I got this creeping feeling of something coming for us. Maybe it was coming for Karlach, but whatever was coming, either for me or for her, we were going to protect one another. I know Karlach can hold her own against anything, but when it comes to me, she will absolutely lose her shit and will rage like a burning forest fire to ensure I am safe and in her arms. I love that about her, but it was going to be her down fall.

Feeling her stir, she rolled onto her back, taking me with her. I laid on her stomach and admired everything about her. From her cut and singed hair, to her broken and intact horn, followed by the amounts of scars she had from her fighting in Avernus and the scars from the engine. My finger traced the little exhausts that had to be implanted in her shoulder. Going down her shoulder, I went over the scarring that was there. I stared down at the engine as it was flashing red and orange, like a burning fire in the night. Brushing the pads of my fingers over it, the heat it was emitting was a bit overwhelming, as it was still burning hotter than normal. If only there was something I could do to ensure that her engine doesn't blow. If only Zariel didn't do this to her.

Remembering what Zariel did to me, I let out a sigh and placed my head on Karlach's chest, moving with the rise and fall of it. My legs intertwined with hers and my tail wrapped around the end of hers. Whenever we were doing something together, fighting, sitting, eating and talking with one another, our tails would always find one another's and intertwine together.

Pushing myself up, I got up and stretched. Karlach's face contorted as her arms were waving in the air. I chuckled as it reminded me of a child searching for their mother. Kneeling down, I pressed a kiss to her forehead before running my hand through her hair.

"Y-Y/N," she mumbled.

"I'll be right back, Karlach."

"Be careful."

I stood up and walked towards a river that was nearby. As I was wandering, I took in a deep breath, still not used to breathing in good quality air and not just ash and burning bodies. While I was in Avernus with Karlach, I was a slave to Zariel. Being her other prized Tiefling was never good for me and it enraged Karlach even more when we got to know one another, along with the others we met along our journey. Crouching down, I ran my hand in the water and felt how cool it was, how it conformed to my hand and parted through the gaps of my fingers. I loved how water was able to transform, such as a solid, mist, and liquid. And how it was able to shape things, such as the ground and erode rocks and dirt. This place was beautiful and I didn't want to leave.

As I stood up, I heard something click behind me. Slowly turning my head over my shoulder, a devil came out and shot me in the shoulder blade with an arrow. Grabbing my sword from its sheath, I charged towards the devil, but another one came out and threw rope around my ankles. Falling onto the ground, more devils came out and started to tie my hands behind my back.

"KARLACH!" I yelled, but rope was put around my mouth. I just hope it was enough to wake her up.

Hearing numerous footsteps coming towards me, I found Karlach was with Wyll and Shadowheart, some friends we made along the way.

"Y/N!" she yelled, rushing towards me.

A portal opened up and I was thrown through it, the devils following. Before Karlach could reach us, it closed.

My frustrated grunts and the sound of wood crashing onto the ground echoed throughout the small woods we were in. Tears were streaming down my face as I swung my axe through various trunks of trees, causing them to fall down as they were getting narrower. I let out a scream before turning, hurtling my axe towards an unknown target, but it landed right into a tree.

"FUCK!" I growled, my hands forming into fists as I could feel my engine starting to get increasingly hotter.

"Karlach," Shadowheart said.

"Don't you fucking say anything!" I snarled.

"Karlach," Wyll began.

"Nothing from you either, Wyll!"

"We're going to get her back," he said softly.

"How can we get her back?!" I growled. "She's gone! She's gone! They fucking took her back to Avernus! Back to Zariel! They took my love away from me!"

I let out an exhale as more tears slid down my face, staining my red skin, "They took her away from me."

It enraged me more. I clenched my jaw together to where I thought my fangs were going to go right through the skin of my lips.

"She has to pay for what she has done!" I snarled, fire errupting around me. "She can't get away with it! I am going to be the one to fucking kill her!"

I stomped to where my axe landed and removed it from the tree. I knew how to get back and I was going to get her back.

"Karlach, we're going to go with you," Shadowheart said.

"I am going alone. I know Avernus and anything and everything will kill you on sight," I said, swinging my axe to place it on my shoulder. "Besides, you have a life here. Maybe when I'm in Avernus, I can get this thing checked out," I knocked on my chest, a metal sound emmitting from it.

"You're going to come back to us, right, Karlach?" Wyll asked.

"I am certainly going to try," I said as I opened the portal back to Avernus.

Taking in a deep breath, I already heard the devils and imps screeching and crying. I stepped through the portal and it closed on the other side. Facing the palace in the distance, I sighed, feeling my engine was starting to calm down and become what it was before I left Avernus.

"Alright fuckers," I held my axe tightly and headed towards Zariel's palace. "You better have not laid a finger on her."

Blinking my eyes open, my ankles and wrists were still bound together and the rope was around my mouth as well. My weapons were removed and were propped up against the wall in front of me. Wriggling around on the ground, I tried to get myself up to on my knees. But as I was trying to do that, I heard footsteps coming towards me. I stopped whatever I was doing and waited, since I knew Zariel would most likely be the one coming towards me. I was right.

"Y/N," she hissed.

I growled, even though it was muffled.

"Those devils made short work of you. Heard you didn't put up much of a fight."

I growled again, trying to defend myself and my honor.

"Now then, since you're back here with me, you're going to get back to working for me. Do you know how hard it was for the other slaves to cooperate? At least you don't put up a fight when you're taking orders from me. You know better."

I sighed and just laid still on the ground, knowing I won't be able to move freely now that Zariel was in front of me.

"Let's get you back to your cell and I will come get you when I need you."

Zariel disappeared and some ofher other slaves came over to where I was. Grabbing at my bindings, they dragged me to where I was going to be. Once I was placed back in the all too familiar cell, they removed my bindings and removed the rope from my mouth. Coughing and gagging, the slaves walked out of the cell and closed the door, locking it up. Sitting up, I moved to where my back was pressed up against the wall. I pulled my legs up and tucked them into my chest, my head resting on my knees as my tail wrapped around my legs. Tears slid down my face as I closed my eyes, wanting nothing more than to feel Karlach's warm engine whirring underneath me. The feeling of her warm, yet calloused hands rubbing up and down my back, her soft breathing lulling me to sleep. It made me cry even harder now.

"Y/N?"

Picking my head up, I found the last person I'd least expect to be here.

"K-Karlach?"

"I'm going to get you out," she said and was about to raise her axe, but an invisible force pushed her away and she landed on the ground.

"Karlach!"

"It's so good to finally see you, my champion," Zariel's voice echoed down the hallway as she made her way towards us.

Karlach immediately got up and bared her fangs at Zariel, stepping towards the cell.

"You better have not laid a hand on her!"

"Why would I do that?" Zariel asked as she opened the door and stepped towards me.

Appearing before her was a whip I remember all too well. The scars on my back and arms served as a painful reminder of it. I cowered as Zariel grew closer to me. Karlach ran into the cell and grabbed one of Zariel's wings, pulling her away from me.

"Get away from her!" Karlach yelled, steam coming from the little exhaust openings in her skin.

"Now, now, Karlach. Remember who you're dealing with," Zariel turned and smacked the whip across her cheek.

"Karlach!"

She stumbled backwards, some blood dripping onto the floor. Picking her head up, Karlach snarled at Zariel.

"I never wanted to come back here for as long as I lived. I would rather let the engine inside of me combust before I came back!"

"Why are you here?"

"To get Y/N back. To return her to a place she belongs."

"What about you, Karlach?" Zariel asked, tilting her head upwards. "Don't you want to go with her?"

"I desperately want to go back with her, but first, I wanted to know what you were going to do to her."

"A slave must be punished for leaving their master without permission. She was the most loyal slave I had so losing her took a toll on the work here. Now that I have her, I will punish her before putting her back to work."

"Is that all then?" Karlach asked.

"Yes."

"Fine. Take me in her place. Set her go and not only will I fight for you, but I will work for you."

"Karlach," I said, getting up, but Zariel put her wing in front of me.

"Go on," Zariel said.

"If you grant Y/N her freedom, and you actually let her keep her freedom, I will return to Avernus. No devils will harm her. No devils will bring her back here to make sure she works for the rest of her life. Is that understood, Zariel?"

"That is understood, but I want something out of this deal, too."

"As long as it doesn't involve her."

"What I want is simple: you. I want you to continue to be my champion. I want you to be more than just my champion, too. A hard worker that comes whenever I beckon you. You are to stay beside me no matter what, Karlach. Is that understood?"

I found Karlach's eyes. She was in pain for coming back here, but she wanted to ensure I was safe and I would get back safely. I could tell she wanted to go through with this, but I didn't want her to.

"Karlach," I began.

"I'll do it," she said.

"No!"

"Splendid. You have five minutes," Zariel said and walked out of the cell.

As soon as she was out of sight, I rushed towards Karlach, back into her arms. Those strong, warm, comforting arms I'd never feel ever again.

"Karlach," I whimpered into her chest as I held her close.

"I'm going to be alright, Y/N. I'll find a way back to you."

"Please, Karlach. Don't do this."

"Hey," she pulled away and found my eyes. She placed her hands against my cheeks and brushed the tears away. "I want you to be safe."

"What about you, Karlach?"

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded her head, "While I'm here, I might as well figure out how to fix my engine so if and when I get out of here again, I can live a long life with you."

I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her in for a hug.

"No matter how long I have to wait, I will wait for you."

She smiled and kissed the side of my head, "I'll do whatever it takes to get back to you."

Zariel came back into the cell and pulled Karlach away from me.

"No!" I yelled, trying to grab onto her.

"Time to go, Y/N," Zariel said, a portal opening up behind me.

"Karlach!"

"It's going to be alright, Y/N," she flashed a sad smile to me.

Tears slipped from my eyes and dripped onto the ground as I was being pushed towards the portal.

"Take care of Clive for me," she said, some tears forming in her eyes. "Taters."

More tears slipped from my eyes, "T-Taters."

Even if I wasn't part of her family to know the origin of it, she told me about it and it became a thing between us now. Since no one else knew and only we knew, it was our secret way of telling each other that we loved one another. Finally being pushed through, I fell onto my back and watched as her face was the last thing I was shown before the portal closed. Getting up, I found myself to be in the same woods I was captured. Wyll and Shadowheart were there as well. As soon as I stood up, they came over to me, making sure I was ok.

"W-Where's Karlach?" Wyll asked.

I sniffled, wiping my eyes as I walked over to where we were sleeping earlier. Her bags were exactly where they were and Clive was sitting beside them. Bending down, I picked up the litle bear and clung onto it, holding it close to my chest.

"S-She stayed with Zariel in exchange for my freedom," I breathed out, trying not to cry again.

"She didn't," Shadowheart said.

"She did."

"What now?" Wyll asked.

I reached down and grabbed her bags along with mine, still holding Clive close to my chest.

"We move forward," I said, walking past them with my head down.

Tears slipped from my eyes as we adventured across the Sword Coast. Every night we would set up camp, I would look into Clive's button eyes and think back to Karlach. Tonight was no different. I stared into his button eyes and I held him close to my chest. Staring straight up into the stars, tears filled my eyes and slid down my face, hitting the ground.

"I miss you, Karlach. I love you."

#karlach x reader #karlach #baldur's gate 3

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wellthebardsdead · 5 months ago

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Lucy: *walking along side commander Zhalk as he proudly lines up some of his best men, the cambion visibly confused as his arch duchess stops and asks each of them their names and makes small talk before moving on* Yes. These men will do nicely. Listen up! When you reach the shadow cursed lands, and you will know when you reach them, trust me. Keep your moon lanterns high, guard the tieflings with your life and thus is very important. If you encounter a group called the harpers. Do not kill them! Ask them to guide you to Last light inn. Allow Zevlor or even the children to vouch for your entry if a woman named Jaheira is suspicious. And if you encounter a group of cultists belonging to the absolute. Kill on sight. No mercy. You’ll know them when you see them. But-… if a drider, is amongst them. Capture him unharmed. I need to talk with him. Alright?

The cambions: *nod* Yes your grace!

Lucy: hm, Sczark. Repeat my orders back.

Sczark: *a cambion at the end of the line, smaller than the others but still capable, quickly stands to attention* Moon Lanterns high, protect refugees, spare harpers, get to last light, kill cultists, capture drider.

Lucy: very good. Right, I’m satisfied.

Sczark: *giddly nudges the soldier next to him* she remembered my name!

Lucy: *looks to Zhalk* the cult cam hypnotise targets if they’re not careful. Make sure they’re all prepared.

Zhalk: You needn’t worry my lady. You have my word… *looks to the refugees* this is… a perplexing situation for me, you understand… You are, the polar opposite of Zariel.

Lucy: well I’ll take it as a compliment.

*several days later*

Lucy: *arrives to last light seeing everyone made it alive and safe, her cambions all flying over to greet her and the group, and all immediately drawing their weapons on jaheira as she tangled her in vines* STOP! HALT! YEILD! STAND DOWN! DROP WEAPONS! WHATEVER ELSE JUST DO IT!

Zhalk: *snarls looking equally confused and enraged at jaheira before lowering his sword along with his men*

Lucy: *sighs with relief* you sensed the tadpole right? You have one, in a jar?

Jaheira: indeed I do?… *holds it out watching it squirm*

Lucy: watch… *snaps her fingers blocking the connection*

Jaheira: how did, how did you do that?… it stopped reacting?

Lucy: I can block out the signal for now. Put it to sleep sort of… but I need it if I’m going to get into moonrise. The elderbrain these things are spawning from is there-

???: What in the hells do you think you’re doing?!

???: oh gods let them go right now!

???: they’re the ones who saved us!!

Lucy: *looks up and smiles as tears well in her eyes seeing everybody alive and coming to save them* It’s okay, I’m alright.

Zevlor: she’s the one who saved us and the emerald grove! Her cambions are the ones who brought us here!

Mol: yeah! She saved two of my friends! One from a harpy! And one from a mad druid! Didn’t leave a goblin standing neither! She didn’t make a fuss about thieving either! I pretty much trust her with my life!

Lia: You let her go right now or I’ll take you all on myself!

Rolan: that’s a terrible idea lia but- we are alive because of her… so let her go.

Cal: can everyone please just calm down-

Alfira: Calm down?! This lunatics about to kill our only hope of making it out of here alive!

Lucy: Nobody is killing anybody… not yet at least. There’s a traitor in your numbers and I know who. And I can prove it. With that very tadpole.

Jaheira: … *releases her* Let’s head inside, you’ve earned yourself the benefit of the doubt.

Lucy: *sighs with relief and nods* thank you. Let me check in with everyone and make sure they’re alright and I’ll meet you inside.

Jaheira: very well. *walks off*

Lucy: *watches them go before spotting a very worse for wear cambion amongst the numbers* Sczark? Oh sweetie pie what happened?!

Sczark: *somehow a brighter shade of red than he already is* y-you still remember me your grace?!

Lucy: of course I do what kind of boss would I be if I didn’t remember your names at Lea- oh right- *pulls out the bag of soul coins she’s accumulated, each randomly appearing for every enemy she’s killed and hands a couple to each of the cambions* here your payment- I don’t know the value is that enough?

Zhalk: *staring wide eyed at them in his palm* y-yes your majesty-

#Lucy Tav #Lucy oc #archdevil Tav #arch devil Lucy #devil Tav #devil oc #jaheira bg3

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shera-dnd · 1 year ago

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Once again trying to talk about Themes™ and probably just saying the obvious again BUT

Baldur's Gate 3 is a game about freedom of choice, both mechanically and thematically

Not in the "Your choices matter! (not really)" way most game market themselves on

But in a "The fact you can choose matters" way that is much spicier.

Like that's literally the core driving point of the plot. You shouldn't be able to choose, you shouldn't be free, but you are and now it's up to you to fight to maintain that freedom, and decide for yourself what to do with it

(funnily enough this is also why this game doesn't hit my trigger, because all the mind control is completely opt in)

And every single companion reinforces that in one way or another.

Gale freeing himself from his past and choosing who he wants to be now, without Mystra.

Astarion killing Cazador and stopping generations of abuse in their vampiric line

Karlach escaping Zariel and choosing to make the most of the life she still has

Wyll breaking his contract with Mizora so he can choose for himself what he fights for

Lae'zel and Shadowheart both unlearning years of indoctrination at the hands of their messed up cults

And if you're playing Dark Urge you get to reinforce this again with your conflict about trying to determine for yourself who you want to be, when every fiber of your being demands that you be a monster

It's not even just the main characters. Like how often do you get sent on quests to free people who have been imprisoned or enslaved.

Volo, Halsin, the deep gnomes, the tieflings, Aylin, Volo again, Minsc, Orpheus, even Hope itself

Hell, one of the main bad guys is the chosen champion of the God of Tyranny and is using a magical mind control mcguffin to control a giant magical mind control GIGA BRAIN!

I guess that's why it feels so obvious. Every last bit of this game is used to forward this theme of freedom vs control, but it's this consistent reinforcement that makes it so good for me

And then of course this all comes to a grand conclusion towards the ending. My own feelings about the ending's execution and the parts I felt were a bit... lackluster, can wait for a different day

But thematically speaking they managed to end with a real bang, and it's all thanks to the narration

Because whatever decision you make, that woman sells it. No matter what you want your ending to be, she will fucking deliver it in just as triumphant a way as any other

BG3 doesn't want you to leave the game thinking "did I make the right choice?" it wants you to feel like whatever you choose WAS the right choice for you

I literally had my character turn into a squid and them kill themself and she still managed to make that a glorious moment to finalize my story on.

"After so many deaths in the name of your father, this one is just for you"

(god so many lines from the durge playthrough have my brain in a vice grip)

And speaking of daddy dearest, the only endings that come across as being bad, are the ones where you surrender your freedom.

When you surrender to the Absolute, when you do as Bhaal commands you, when you give the crown to Raphael

The entire game is one giant conflict between your freedom to self determine vs more powerful beings and their drive to take absolute control

And so the only way for your story to end "badly" is if you surrender to those powers and give up

...so yeah... that's all I got

Baldur's Gate 3 is a good game

Could use some work here and there, and my nitpicks could make their own needlessly long post, but it's still really good

Go play it

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #bg3 spoilers

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blackjackkent · 8 months ago

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A drabble dedicated to @rhysintherain because this has been living rent-free in my head since I posted yesterday about Rakha and Lae'zel going to shake down Zorru:

------

Karlach settles into camp quickly. She has spent a lot of time on the move as part of Zariel's army, and part of being a soldier is being able to make herself comfortable in any random bit of space big enough for a kip. Hells - having her own tent and space around it is practically palatial compared to the bunkroom full of cambions that was her primary resting place in Avernus.

Almost the first thing she does as soon as she's got her tent set up is sprawl out on the ground and stretch her arms and legs out as far as they'll go in all directions and let the sun beat down on her. It's not really home, not quite yet, but it's close. This is the happiest she's been in a long time.

She's halfway to dozing off for a comfortable nap when she realizes Rakha has wandered back and is just...standing there, staring at her.

Karlach opens one eye and peers up at the half-orc curiously. "Can I help you?"

She's already learning that her new friend is kind of a strange one, even without what she's been told about the other woman's memory loss and intrusive murder thoughts. Rakha doesn't always seem to know how to talk, and certainly not what normal conversation sounds like; she just says things, blunt and clipped, without concern for niceties. And she blinks just slightly too little, which makes her steady gaze a smidgen unnerving.

"I have a question," she says.

"Oh?" Karlach sits up slowly into a cross-legged position, jerks her head to indicate Rakha should sit down. "Well, let's hear it, then."

Rakha does not sit - does not, in fact, move at all. "Your race. Is it tiefling or teeth-ling?" she asks, with the same level of gravity she might have brought to ripping Karlach's head off.

Karlach blinks rapidly. "Sorry, what?"

"You are like those in the grove. The refugees," Rakha says. It's not a question, merely a collection of facts gathered for appraisal. "Gale called you tieflings, after we killed two rescuing Lae'zel. Lae'zel, however, pronounced it teeth-lings." She squints at Karlach intently. "I require your clarification."

"Oh." It's not really fair to laugh - and really, Karlach's amusement isn't at Rakha's lack of knowledge. It's the incredible seriousness of the demand, as if this question lies on par with all the unanswered ones about the worms in their heads. "Well, I can understand the confusion," she says, keeping her expression serious with an extreme effort of will.

"Yes." Rakha folds her arms. "Lae'zel would not mislead me, I think," she adds pensively after a slight pause. "She guided me from the nautiloid. She speaks with knowledge and without pretense."

"And Gale doesn't?" Karlach grins crookedly.

Rakha's expression twists with something like confusion. "I do not understand Gale," she admits slowly. "He knows much I wish to learn. But I feel foolish when he speaks."

"Too many words," Karlach agrees commiseratingly.

"Yes."

Well, it's almost an act of kindness, then, if that's how she feels about it, Karlach thinks to herself. A morale boost for her friendship with Lae'zel. It'd be doing her a favor.

But really, it's just the fact that it's the first time she's had the opportunity to do something funny in almost a decade, and she's not emotionally strong enough to resist that temptation.

"Well, I can tell you for certain, it's definitely teeth-ling," she says, serious as a funeral. "Lae'zel was right on top of it."

Rakha nods gravely. "Ah. Excellent." A pause. "Thank you."

She turns and walks away. Karlach crawls at once into her tent, curls into her bedroll, stuffs the pillow in her mouth, and howls with laughter.

-----

"This is your doing, isn't it?" Gale asks her several days later.

"No idea what you're talking about," Karlach says around a mouthful of the camp's latest attempt at "stew". It's a particularly unimpressive attempt tonight; the vast majority is carrots, and the rest is a very uninspiring cut of meat that is uncomfortably grey. And yet, somehow, it's still better than anything Zariel ever fed her.

"Rakha called Zevlor a teeth-ling to his face this afternoon."

Karlach lets out strangled giggle. "Oh, my gods. Seriously?" She drops her spoon back into her bowl with a clatter and gives him her full attention. "Tell me everything. What did his face look like?"

"Even my prodigious powers of description fail me on the subject. I think we may count ourselves lucky that he was too perplexed to be offended," Gale says dryly. "But most significantly to the point, any attempts to correct her afterwards have come to naught. She claimed that you were responsible for this particular crime against pronunciation and considered the matter irrevocably closed."

"Hmph," Karlach says cheerfully. "It was Lae'zel who came up with it. I just confirmed it."

He rolls his eyes. "You're enjoying this linguistic catastrophe, aren't you?"

"Listen, Gale - she's not hurting anyone, and the last time I had a little stupid harmless fun was 1481. Give me a break."

#bjk plays bg3 durge #rakha the dark urge #rhysintherain #bg3 drabble #bg3 fic #dark urge #karlach #bg3 camp life #durge

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unreadpoppy · 10 months ago

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Halsin's Bugged Ending

Halsin x Tav (Gwen)

Summary: After the Netherbrain, Halsin and Gwen created their own community, a shelter for anyone who needed. During the reunion, however, Halsin drinks a bit much and momenterily forgets the last six months.

Read on AO3

A/N: Based on the game bugging for me in the epilogue.

Six months had passed since the defeat of the Nether Brain.

Six months since the tadpole was extinguished and Gwen’s mind was quiet again.

Six months since she and Halsin, along with many other refugees, left the city and created their own community, hidden from the rest of the world and open to any who seek shelter.

Now, the couple found themselves back at the camp where their adventures began, alongside the others. Withers had organized the party, gathering everyone, including Scratch and the Owlbear Cub.

After getting misty eyed from reading the letters from old acquaintances, Gwen decided to go speak with everyone else. From the corner of her eye, she saw Halsin and Astarion drinking, but she knew the druid well enough to not worry about it.

“How have things been?” Wyll asked. He and Karlach had spent the last quarter of a year in the Hells, fighting Zariel’s armies and were now closer to solving the tiefling’s engine problem.

Gwen told him about the commune she and Halsin had created, about the children, Thaniel and Oliver. “I even convinced my mother to go live with us.” Gwen laughed. “She was mad about me disappearing for so long, but she quite likes it there.’’

“And are you happy? I remember how you used to say you wanted to keep adventuring.”

She sighed. “If you spent the first eighteen years of your life in the middle of the woods, with only your mother as company, of course you’d want to explore what the world had to give.” She said. “But that was seven years ago, and after all we’ve been through, I’m glad to have some peace and quiet.”

Gwen paused, thinking of everything that had happened. “I’ve found that I quite missed this sense of normalcy.” She smiled. “Besides, waking up in your lover’s embrace everyday does make things a whole lot better.”

Wyll chuckled. “Talking about him, where is Halsin?”

“He was talking with Astarion, I believe.”

On cue, the vampire walked up towards them, a playful look on his face. “Dear Gwen, may I have a moment with you?”

She looked back to Wyll. “Go on, I’ll see you later.” She nodded and turned her attention towards the elf.

“What did you do?”

“My, why do you assume I did anything?” Astarion said.

Gwen raised a brow. “You’re making the same face the children make when they’ve done something they shouldn’t.” She put her hands on her hips. “Spit it out.”

“You’re no fun.” Astarion pouted. “Fine. I may have gotten the big guy drunk.”

“What?” Gwen’s eyebrow went up. In their time together, she had never seen Halsin drunk. She even began to question if he had the ability to do so. “How did you do that?”

“We were commenting on how good the wine was, and I managed to convince him, Shadowheart and Minthara to do a little drinking competition.” He explained, smirking. “Either the wine is too good or Halsin’s much more of a lighter drinker then I assumed, but he was the first to get shit faced.” Astarion laughed. “It was quite amusing, actually.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one, he was talking about how he was oh so happy to see you again after so long. How these six months have been so lonely without you. He asked us if you had been seeing someone and when we said yes, he almost burst into tears.”

Gwen sighed. “And where is he now?”

“I think Shadowheart had left him near the water. Good luck with him.” Astarion said and left, the little shit.

After walking a bit, she found the druid sat on the ground, his legs crossed while looking out into the river, a bottle of wine in his hands.

She approached him silently, and put a hand on his shoulder while taking the wine. “I think that’s enough drinking for you, love.”

He turned around, eyes widened. “Gwendolyn Gray…it’s been so long.”

“Okay, you’re way more drunk than I thought if you’re going to be using my full name.” She whispered. Gwen sat down next to him and took his hands. He hadn’t heard what she said.

The druid looked at her, eyes full of sadness. “Is it true what they said? That you have found someone?” She bit her lip to contain a laugh. “I won’t judge you for it. You are not tied to me after all.”

She nodded. “Yes, I have settled down with a certain someone.”

Halsin sniffled. “That’s…that’s good.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “He’s a great guy, you know. Big heart, gentle but a fierce protector of nature. Also extremely handsome.”

“I see…” He looked down. “Well, you and your partner are always welcome in my community. I would…love to see you there, one day.”

That broke Gwen and she let out a laugh, confusing the elf. “I don’t understand what’s so funny.”

“Darling, I’m talking about you!”

“What?”

She leaned closer to him. “I think you might have drank too much.” The sorcerer pressed a kiss to his forehead and stood up, offering her hand. “Come.”

He did as he was told, brows furrowed, following Gwen. Halsin saw her speaking with Jaheira. The other druid laughed and then cast something on him.

In an instant, he felt his mind clear.

“Halsin, in the past six months, where have I been?” His lover asked.

“You came with me, with the other refugees. We have our little community, away from prying eyes.” Gwen sighed. His brow furrowed. “Why the question?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Nothing, nothing, I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

Confusion was written on his face. He put a hand on her shoulder. “My heart, are you well?”

Gwen smiled, putting a hand on his cheek. “Everything's perfect, my love.” She kissed him on the lips. “I’ll explain later. For now, let’s enjoy the rest of this party.”

#halsin bg3 #halsin baldur's gate 3 #halsin x tav #halsin x gwen #oc: Gwen #epilogue spoilers #epilogue party #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #wyll #this is my coping mechanism

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chaoticbardlady99 · 10 months ago

Text

She’s Not Acid Nor Alkaline (Astarion x F! OC) MDNI 18 +

Author note- here’s my horny Pirate OC x Astarion fic that I’ve had sitting in my google drive for the last month. If you like it- let me know what you think :) also I have not written 3rd person in a hot minute so if the writing is half asses- please know I’m getting my groove 😂 (I was also very 🍠 the entire time I wrote this LMFAO)

Synopsis: Astarion and the rest of his companions have found a way to bring Karlach back from the dead, but it’s going to require an entire crew and a beautiful Sea Captain to get there.

Photo belongs to @cheekylittlepupp on Tumblr

CW: Violence, death, smut- filthy smut, dom/sub, oral (m! Receiving), PIV

Part One- Pirate Captain Wales

Astarion trudges through the streets of Athkatla, Amn while closely following his companions- Wyll and Tav taking the front and center. The latter drawing attention to the group with his bright white scales and piercing red eyes.

Astarion had loved Tav once. He couldn’t say he was in love at any point, but Tav’s kindness and warmth towards him had changed Astarion’s soul for the better.

The group had remained in Baldur’s Gate and continued to play an integral part in each other’s lives. Tav, Gale, Wyll, and Astarion somehow ended up becoming roommates while Shadowheart and Lae’zel had their own place. Astarion was secretly grateful that all of them wanted to live near each other. Astarion wasn’t quite ready to be on his own in the world yet and he enjoys having company now. He prefers it over loneliness.

Astarion’s favorite companion, Karlach, heartbreakingly passed shortly after the Netherbrain was defeated. Her passing left a massive hole in the group and in Astarion’s heart. She was easily the closest thing he’s had to a “best friend” in his entire life.

Tav had been searching endlessly for a Ring of the Sunwalker and a way to get Karlach back. Tav had fallen head over heels for Karlach and she had loved him equally as much in return. Astarion had cried with Tav on more than one occasion talking about the Tiefling.

Tav had helped Astarion in finding a Ring of the Sunwalker- succeeding only a year after defeating the Netherbrain. Astarion wasn’t sure what that meant for their traveling relationship, but Tav was bewildered when Astarion asked if he could continue traveling with Tav to help find Karlach.

“Astarion,” Tav says seriously, “you are always welcome wherever I am- don’t be silly. Or do- that might make Karlach come back just to smother you in hugs.”

Astarion scowls with fake disdain, “what a terrible thought.”

When they came back to Baldur’s Gate- they began staying with Wyll and Gale while trying to find a solution to resurrect Karlach or at least convince Wither’s to do one last favor.

Mizora eventually ended up portaling into their living room (it was not a welcome intrusion) and informed Wyll that- in exchange for a contract being completed- Mizora would give Wyll the exact location Karlach is imprisoned and a map.

Tav had gone to lunge at the woman- demanding to know what in the hells Mizora was talking about and to tell him where his beloved was now.

Wyll took the contract to save Karlach- whatever it had been is not known to anyone, but they found out that Karlach’s body had been transported to the third layer of the Hells- Minauros. She is wasting away there because Zariel had wished it while putting the infernal engine in her body.

According to Mizora, Karlach’s body was intact enough to maybe perform a resurrection. The key word was ‘maybe’, which didn’t sit right with Astarion, but Tav had been there for him when he needed him. Astarion had been there for him too when he faced his father, but this felt far more important and equal to Tav helping him kill Cazador. Not to mention, Tav convinced him not to corrupt himself in the end.

There was one good way to get to Minauros and that was through Stygia and the only hidden portal was past Flamsterd’s Sunken Tower. Not only was the Tower all the way across the Sea of Swords and then some, but it’s under the fucking water in a bubble of air and Flamsterd was not known for letting just anyone pass through his waters. He protects the gate relentlessly- not allowing anyone in or out unless they can navigate his underwater attacks and his Sea Dragons.

Wyll had talked to his father and the Duke gave him a name and a location. He knew someone who could get them there, navigate them safely through the waters, sail them through Stygia, and back.

That’s what led them to the city of Althkalta- in search of the Pirate Captain Wales and his ship- The Chimera. When Gale scoffed- asking what a Pirate could specifically do for them. Wyll simply stated that the captain is Valkur’s Aasmir- a Chaotic Good minor Seagod who was also a ferocious seafarer. Duke Ravenguard said Captain Wales was the best of the best- destroying whole fleets of WarShips over the last 58 years when Baldur’s Gate was in need of help getting their trading ships from harbor to harbor. He always asked for payment, but he always finished the job and was reliable. Gale kept his reservations to himself (and Astarion- since they actually agreed on something for once) since Wyll was hell bent on this Pirate Captain being the answer.

Astarion didn’t understand why they didn’t just go through Avernus- bringing this point up a few times as well as Shadowheart. Wyll and Tav shook their heads- the two of them being very familiar with the Hells and it’s domains. This would be the safest way without alerting Zariel that they are saving Karlach- they don’t need the Archdevil swooping in at the last minute and putting a new engine in Karlach’s chest before they can even begin to find a way to resurrect her. Astarion couldn’t argue with that logic and if this Captain was as good as they say- well at least Astarion will see more of Faerun.

Althkalta wasn’t the worst city Astarion has seen. Menzoberranzan has been his least favorite so far- constantly watching his back for angry spider people was not his favorite pastime. Astarion is eager to get the introduction to the Captain over with though. He’s fucking tired and is ready to just read a damn book.

It takes forever, but Wyll finally finds the entrance to the Speakeasy. They get to The Chimera’s hang out by making several twisting turns down random alleys and stumble upon a man screaming at an incredibly stunning half- elf woman.

Astarion feels it hit his heart like a bus- he swears his heart almost beats again.

Oh Gods Dammit.

Astarion always thought that thiramin nonsense was total bullshit. Astarion doesn’t even believe in love at first sight.

Now he isn’t quite sure what he believes as he looks upon this woman. Astarion thinks he might pass out from how elated his body feels when she meets his eyes and her painted red bow-shaped lips part with a small gasp.

Her piercing azure gaze leaves his and he barely catches the groan of frustration that threatens to leave his lips.

She’s petite- maybe only standing at about 5’2. Her pointed ears are pierced with bard rings. Her wavy hair falls down to just between her shoulder blades and it’s a sun kissed golden brown. Her skin is equally as blessed with the warmth of the sun and freckles are smattered all over her face- even some on her stomach and trailing below her midriff. Astarion wants to see where those freckles lead so badly it makes him feel feral.

The woman is lean with beautiful breasts that are barely concealed under a white, flimsy cropped fabric fashioned into a shirt that wraps in the front. Her nipples are hard against the fabric and Astarion doesn’t think it’s from the warm air. The scent of her arousal hits his nose as his eyes trail down her legs and ass- the skin tight black leather pants leaving nothing to the imagination. She blushes at Astarion’s attention and turns away quickly- regaining her smug composure.

“Selune help me,” Shadowheart says lustfully, “I want to be the one in her bed by the end of tonight.”

He has to remind himself that Shadowheart is his friend and no, he will not kill her.

Astarion wants to drag this woman off and ravage her- consume her- until no one else thought they could have any claim over her. He swallows thickly- what in the hells is happening to him?

“You can’t just fucking kick me out!” the Orc hisses with a knife drawn.

The woman rolls her eyes- earning a huff of approval from Lae’zel.

“I think I just did,” her voice like milk and honey, “it’s my crew- I’m the Captain.”

She drinks the rum in her left hand while the right is holding a weapon he hasn’t seen before towards the ground.

Wait, she’s?

“We have a contract, cunt-,” the man sneers, “ I get six months worth of pay.”

She laughs so hard she snorts. Astarion is going to die all over again. How much more fucking adorable and sexy can she get?

“You do realize you are talking to a Pirate, don’t you?” She holds the gun up lazily pointing it away from her body but higher up towards her face.

Astarion reasons with himself- he’s just excited to see a different face in a beautiful body in an entirely different town. Astarion just needs to fuck somebody and he’ll figure that out later. He is sure that’s what’s happening.

“I don’t have to pay you or deal with your bullshit if I don’t want to,” she takes another long sip from the bottle, “ and frankly, I’m really getting sick of you suggesting that I should be a ‘good little half- breed’ and bend over for you.”

Astarion feels his skin light on fire and he has to resist the urge to pull out his weapons. Astarion can feel Tav’s gaze looking at him with amusement and a stupid giddiness Astarion could shank the man for.

“Well,” the orc smiles and steps forward with one of his hands going towards her breasts, “you are so tantalizingly del-“

The man’s head disappears and the weapon in her hand is smoking. She shoves it into a holster on her belt and turns towards the group.

A tiefling man- a vampire spawn to Astarion’s surprise- comes running out and he is also pretty to look at because Shadowheart is immediately enamored with him. Astarion is glad that she is now much more interested in him than whoever this woman is.

The tiefling groans, “Calypso- really?”

“Oh please, Lucy,” she goads, “what else would you have me do? He was barely tolerable and was too busy fucking his own hand to even do anything competent.”

“Yes, but for the love of Hells could you please stop killing our terminated employees in the middle of the street?”

Astarion wants to burst into laughter- this has happened multiple times?

“Lucy, go piss on someone else’s parade,” she says before turning back to the group with one hand perched on her hip, the other waves in the air dramatically “we have company! Dammit Lucifer!”

She takes another long sip from the rum, “I must apologize for my first mate’s unruly manners- he’s not known for being a very good host.”

Lucifer looks at her with a glare and waves his hands- casting the corpse into another realm. She smiles at him cheekily and he rolls his eyes.

Astarion feels a pit of jealousy invade his stomach. The man is tall with slate colored skin and piercing demonic red eyes. He has long black hair that is windswept and horns that resembled Karlach’s if she had both pairs. He’s muscular- he looks like he can pick her up and throw her against a wall. The way he looks at her tells Astarion he has definitely wanted to or has in the past. The way Lucifer scans over her body is like a man who has drank from the fountain of youth and wants more.

Not that he doesn’t come with an assortment of baggage and lovers, but he does hope it’s not a serious relationship between the two of them.

“You’re Captain Wales?” Wyll says in disbelief, “my father neglected to mention that you are a woman.”

Calypso raises an eyebrow at Wyll.

“And why couldn’t Captain Wales be a woman?”

Wyll’s eyes go wide and he is fumbling over his words. Calypso’s melodic laugh floods the air and she smiles brightly at all of them.

“I’m just fucking with you,” she says, “but- obviously- I need to know who your daddy is before I just let you into my Speakeasy. Not many people know where this is.”

She reloads the device in her hand and points it steadily at Wyll.

“So tell me- are you a friend or a foe?”

“Hopefully a friend,” Wyll says with a nervous laugh, “my father is Duke Ravenguard of Baldur’s Gate.”

Something seems to click for Calypso and she puts away her weapon.

“Oh you are most definitely a friend,” she smiles brightly, “come on in- pardon the disaster inside. Big guy didn’t make a whole lot of friends while he was here and my crew enjoys fighting.”

The minute the door opens the cheering erupts in an ear shattering pulse of sound. The energy in the air is full of life and adrenaline. Astarion is swept up in the sound of people cheering their crewmates on and placing bets against them. His need for some chaos has been sated. Baldur’s Gate was getting rather peaceful before this journey.

The crewmates stop abruptly as Calypso walks into the giant bar and they all cheer in succession- chanting some obscene thing about the Orc being gone. It was so out of sync that Astarion had no idea what any of them were saying.

“Oh shut your whore mouths you whiny babies,” the whole crew laughs and some whoop and cheer- her tone is playful and bashful, “get back to your stupid fight. I bet 50 gold on Toothless Tosh.”

In a flash- the energy picks all the way back up in the room and is even more chaotic than before as they push the man he assumes is, “Erwin” (from the cheers) into the ring. He’s a massive tiefling and his opponent is an Orc, the man named ‘Toothless Tosh’.

The fight is explosive- the tiefling gets a few good hits in and the orc just takes it before grabbing the tiefling’s face with one hand and slamming him on his back- effectively knocking the man out. The crowd screams in chaos- some people are pissed they lost and others are goading about winning.

One man begins to punch another out of anger and it gets ugly. Astarion expects the rest to join in but they don’t. They all look at each other with a “well they know better” look.

Calypso finishes her Rum bottle and flips it in her hand so that she’s holding the neck of the bottle.. She walks over and slams the glass over the first guy’s head as he goes to stand up and attack the other man again.

A damning silence fills the room. Astarion is admittedly very turned on by the display of power.

“My friends,” she says, her broken bottle in hand as she steps on the back of the crewmate she killed, “you know the rules- if you guys can’t handle gambling and want to beat each other to death- do it outside. I don’t need your filthy blood all over my tavern.”

She turns to the second guy and points her broken bottle in his direction- the man’s eyes light up in fear.

“Clean up the body and consider this your only warning.”

Astarion watches her saunter off and he’s absolutely mesmerized by the swing of her hips. He’s going to explode.

The group follows her with Lucifer behind them- the tiefling keeps giving Astarion suspicious glances and it makes Astarion want to just kill him so it will stop. He has a feeling Calypso wouldn’t care for that much though.

They pile into a room in the back- a massive map on the wall and a massive desk in the middle of the room. There’s even a globe. There are plush chairs and no windows- the room is lit by candlelight.

Her long eyelashes cast shadows on her face and she looks even more ethereal than she did before. She leans against the desk and leans back on her palms. Tav gives Astarion a look as if to say ‘after you’ forcing Astarion to be the one closest to her.

Forcing was hardly the term- she could stab him through and he’d probably thank her.

Not actually, but the sentiment is there nonetheless.

After everyone is settled into the cabin, Calypso smiles at all of them.

“So,” she smiles slyly, her gaze lingering on Astarion, “how may I help all of you?”

****************************************

Calypso relishes in Wyll’s uneasiness and his obvious struggling to not look at her basically bare chest as he explains the situation.

Men are so predictable- wildly, easily, predictable.

Except for the man with the beautiful white curls atop his head with the ruby red eyes. He is unlike any man she has ever been given the privilege to be near. He looks like art.

“Sounds like an interesting adventure you lot have planned,” she says slowly, “what is it you are specifically looking for in Minauros?”

This is the question the group has been sidestepping the entire time- Tav looks like he’s on the verge of tears.

“You won’t want to go,” Tav says flatly, “there wouldn’t be anything of worth in it for you.”

“Try me.”

The man she’s been waiting to speak all evening finally says something.

“Are we really going to sit here and pretend like we all don’t have some item of worth we can’t compensate with?” He scoffs and looks at the Dragonborn, “do you want Karlach back or not?”

His voice is even more beautiful to listen to than she could have ever imagined. Calypso felt like she had been struck by lightning the minute she saw him.

Calypso’s father used to tell her about elves and their beliefs surrounding soulmates. The die hard romantic inside of her had always dreamed of finding hers- hoping he, she, or they were out there in the world looking for her.

She met Lucifer about a year or two after she had been saved from her mother by a young flaming first now known as Duke Ravenguard. Calypso owes him her immortal life and she will continue to gladly fight for him- and she now supposes his son- to repay that debt a thousand times over. If her son needs help, she’s happy to provide it, but she doesn’t want to let a group of individuals onto her ship if they won’t trust her. Calypso knows from experience that it never goes well.

The white scaled Dragonborn bows his head in defeat before looking at Calypso- her heart breaks for him. His gaze alone is enough for Calypso to agree to such an arduous journey.

“Karlach- my partner- she…” he trails off before taking a deep breath, “she died after we defeated the Netherbrain. The infernal engine in her heart caused her to implode- or so we thought. Mizora told us that she’s rotting away in Minauros and that we could still possibly save her.”

“Why do you need a ship to enter the hells,” Calypso says while keeping her eyes trained on the Dragonborn. She doesn’t want to give anyone the chance to interject.

“We don’t want to alert Zariel that we are saving Karlach,” Tav says bitterly, “we don’t want her resurrection to end with her being imprisoned again.”

There is a pregnant pause in the air as the group looks at Calypso with weary eyes. She doesn’t understand why all of them are acting like she is so evil. Okay maybe she did kill two people within 30 minutes of meeting them, but both of those crew members had been contracted and were on thin ice before this group of misfits arrived at her door.

“I appreciate the information,” she says with a smirk, “I was already going to help you anyway, but good to know we can all trust each other.

“Really?” Wyll says to her with surprise, “no payment?”

“Eventually we will discuss payment,” she says slowly, “but I want to make sure I get you to where you are going safely first. Ravenguard may trust me and like me just fine, but I have no desire to get his son killed with all of his gold sitting heavily in my pocket.”

“You don’t think this is going to be an easy trip?” Wyll says.

She shakes her head and goes to say something, but Lucifer interrupts her.

“I can’t believe you are even considering doing this,” he hisses at her, “Umberlee cultists and the Cult of Water are traveling along this same route.”

“Lucy,” she says in a warning tone.

“No!” He says indignantly, “how do you know his son is as good a man as he is? What if your fucking battle prowess and stupidly good luck doesn’t actually work and then we’re all fucking doomed!?”

She gives the man a warning glare.

“I am a grown woman, Lucifer,” she snarls, “I have been captaining my ship for a little over 58 years now. I know the risks and I know that myself and my crew can handle them.”

Lucifer glowers at her and as he goes to speak- Calypso interrupts him.

“There is no argument to be had- if you or any of the other crew mates don’t want to go then that is entirely okay as it always has been,” she says matter-of-factly, “but Duke Ravenguard has sent his only fucking son here for help which means it’s important. I will not take that lightly nor turn them away to be at the mercy of another Pirate or snobby government Naval Officer.”

Lucifer storms out of the room- slamming the door behind him and knocking a picture or two off the wall. Calypso rolls her eyes at his antics- he’s been nothing but an absolute shit ever since she told him she didn’t want to have sex with him anymore two weeks ago. She was tired of pretending to enjoy herself with him.

They had been screwing each other on the side for the last 60 years- her saving him not all that long ago from a lesser Master Vampire who had struggled to establish himself.

At first their affections for each other were full of want and desire, but as time has gone on, Calypso realized she wants- no needs- more than someone who can provide her meaningless mediocre sex and half-assed returned affection. She didn’t even like the guy that much.

Calypso had been wondering if she had made a mistake cutting the man off- her fingers weren’t cutting it and she missed loving someone.

Then the Pale Elf walked up to her door and now she knows what it feels like to feel alive- to feel true, pure passion, lust, and affection. She feels ridiculous for it- she barely knows him and she would give her entire life to him.

Calypso wants to crawl into his bones and let him take everything from her. She would take the man right now if given the chance, but for once, the idea of anyone watching her be intimate with someone is not that tantalizing of an idea.

Calypso wants him all to herself and she must find a way to make that happen. Maybe not tonight, but she’ll find a way eventually.

Calypso asks the stunning bar maid to show her guests to their rooms and answer any questions she has. She then whispered in her ear that she’ll reward her greatly if she lets her know what the Pale Elf was up to that evening.

The barmaid came back not even 10 minutes later with information. Calypso had the woman crying out for more as Calypso ravaged her with her mouth- a reward for her quickness.

His name is Astarion and he immediately asked where the nearest flop house or brothel was. The bartender said that he told her that he needed to get someone out of his head and someone else underneath him. The bartender declined his advance because she was far too excited for Calypso to lavish her. She told Calypso that he looked like he was on the verge of exploding the minute he walked out of her office.

Excellent.

Calypso shouldn’t exploit her bartenders for information like this, but Calypso has a Gods given talent when it comes to pleasuring people and she isn’t about to let that go to waste.

Calypso doesn’t pay a lot of attention to the woman outside of going through the usual motions. Her mind is on Astarion.

Would he respond to her this way if her mouth was around his cock? Would he lavish her in affection and knock her down a peg- taking control of the situation- like Calypso has always wanted.

Calypso even lets her mind wander to him staying the night, waking up in his arms, and even just getting to know him. She wants to memorize his face and how he enjoys being pleasured- loved.

She finishes the woman and once the bartender redresses- Calypso smacks her ass, tells her she was “so good for her”, leaves a love bite on her neck for one last reminder of her time in Calypso’s bed, and sends her back to tend the bar.

Calypso can’t deny that she’s a little hurt he went to go fuck someone at a brothel. Not that she didn’t just basically do the same thing, but there wouldn’t have been any need for any of it on both sides if he had just waited a couple more seconds before living her room after the meeting.

Calypso hops into the bath she had drawn earlier and forgot about- using a simple cantrip to warm the frigid water again.

She scrubs her face first and then swishes her mouth out with a swig of rum- swallowing it with a shudder. At least the woman's taste is gone.

Calypso takes her time afterwards- she soaks her hair with coconut oil and then uses soap to scrub it out. She soaks her hair again, scrubs, repeats- until her hair is ¾ of the way clean of the coconut oil. She grabs the jar of honey, orange, and olive oil- putting the tiniest amount into her hair.

Calypso enjoys her few restful moments where she can just feel like a person again. No one special- just her and her vain ways.

Correction- self care. Calypso loves her self care.

Running a whole crew of assholes was incredibly difficult. They were all the best kind of assholes, but the contracted workers have continued to be a nightmare. Calypso hopes that these so-called, “heroes” will be different. She already knows Ravenguard’s kid is going to be a total goody two shoes.

Calypso finishes cleaning herself off- using the destroy water spell to make the bath water disappear. She dries herself off, rubs grape oil into her skin and puts on another thin, white flimsy shirt with an equally provocative pair of panties.

She admires herself in the mirror. She adores herself and reminds herself every day how fucking incredible she is- inside and out.

Calypso is intelligent, mischevious, and daring. Some would even go as far as to say captivating. Her hourglass figure looks like a fucking God blessed it.

Oh wait- ONE DID!

Calypso huffs in frustration and lays out on her bed- her hands finding themselves going underneath the thin fabric of her underclothes and begin touching herself.

She’s embarrassed by how quickly she was consumed with thoughts of Astarion- how desperate she is to know what it’s like to be touched by him. However, she quickly loses whatever rhythm she was getting with herself when she remembers where he currently is and it certainly wasn’t on top of her.

Calypso groans in frustration and rolls over- putting her head in her pillow and screaming. This is not the way she would like to be screaming in her pillow tonight, but it is what it is.

Calypso decides she doesn’t care what he’s up to- she can still imagine. Rolling back over, Calypso puts her hands back on her pants- rolling and teasing her clit. The moans that leave her mouth are tame and quiet- her other hand finding enjoyment in pleasuring herself by fingering her own cunt.

Calypso is like that for Gods only knows how long- trying to get herself off without thinking of the pale elf’s whereabouts.

The knocking at the door interrupts her solo session and she gets up with a frustrated sigh- pulling her hands out of her barely passable underwear and she opens the door.

*************************************

Astarion thrusts himself into some random woman at a local flop house- desperate to get Calypso out of his head. Her brown eyes are clenched shut while she (he thinks her name is Beth?) is screaming and crying out for him, but he’s barely present for it.

Astarion could care less about the woman underneath him and it just doesn’t feel that good to him at all. He actually feels entirely used up and like he needs to wash off.

Once the woman cums- he allows himself to stop focusing so hard and just allows himself to soften. He lies to the woman and says he had an amazing time before quickly leaving- her voice asking him to come back for a cuddle.

Being with someone else didn’t make his aching for Calypso go away- it just dredged up old gross feelings because he wasn’t honoring what he wants.

No- he will have to go directly to the source and if she is willing, Astarion will allow himself to indulge. After 200 years of utter bullshit, he deserves this much.

His shoes click against the cobblestone streets as he walks back to Valkur’s Den- the home of The Chimera and her gorgeous Captain. Astarion is hardly paying any attention- the dissociation has it’s hooks into his bones and it’s not improving.

He washes himself off using a cloth and a pitcher of water- removing any evidence of the woman at the flop house.

Astarion reasons that he should wait until tomorrow, but his body won’t listen. He needs to see her- the living equivalent to a breath of fresh air. It’s an ungodly time and tonight may be the last restful sleep any of them get, but he doesn’t care.

Astarion will fuck her to sleep every night if that’s what he has to do to make up for one night of total disruption.

The candle light flickers under the door so he assumes she’s awake or has fallen asleep with the light on and he entertains the thought of leaving. He gingerly knocks on the door, then it flings open and there Calypso is.

She’s wearing a pair of underwear that barely hides anything between her legs and the white shirt she wore earlier is now untied, laying delicately against the swells of her breasts- her nipples turning delectably hard upon seeing him. Her arousal once again stirs his own. Calypso’s hair is mussed up and her cheeks are flush. The slick between her legs suggests she was indulging in herself and Astarion has to focus on not just taking her right there in the door way.

“How lucky am I to be greeted by such a beautiful face at this time of night,” she muses, leaning towards Astarion, “and I thought you’d still be pleasuring yourself at a brothel.”

Ah so that’s why the barmaid was asking so many questions.

Astarion grins mischievously, “are you jealous, Darling? Afraid some woman who couldn’t get me off is a far better fuck than you are?”

“Oh please,” she retorts, “I saw how you looked at Lucifer and that Orc. Don’t like the idea of anyone else taking me? Making me moan and writhe under them?”

Calypso smiles wickedly at him as Astarion feels his proverbial hackles rise at what she just said.

He just needs to get her out of his system- that’s all. She can fuck whoever she wants.

As long as it’s only him.

Calypso looks him up and down with an amused smirk. She shifts herself ever so slightly that one of her breasts is almost entirely revealed to him. Her deep azure eyes wander down to his hardening cock before looking at him through hooded eyelids.

“You know, Astarion,” she says, pulling him through the threshold by his pant strings, “if you want to be buried inside of me- all you need to do is ask.”

“Well aren’t you sure of yourself, Darling,” Astarion replies back hotly, trying to keep his cool, “who says I wasn’t here to request that you wear less revealing clothing from now on?”

Calypso walks up to him- trailing her fingers along his arms and slowly letting her eyes meet his.

“It’s a yes, by the way,” she quips, ignoring his statement entirely.

Astarion swallows thickly- desperate to win this little battle they are having. Calypso raises one of her eyebrows at him and smiles cheekily.

“But if that is what you are truly here for- then your wish is my command,” she says politely, turning around on her heels in the direction of her closet.

Astarion doesn’t think about it- he smacks her ass hard. She yelps in surprise and then gasps out in pleasure as his right hand tangles in her hair, pulling her flush to his chest as he closes the door behind them. She moans as he nips at her neck- the sound only intoxicating him further.

The fog is lifting ever so slightly- the longer he touches her and explores her- the more he is brought back to reality.

This is who he actually wants to be connected to- who he wants to explore and pleasure.

Astarion guides her over to look in front of the mirror- the way her pupils are blown wide with lust makes him almost cum right there. Calypso is intoxicating and he needs more.

“Get on your hands and knees,” he growls at her through clenched teeth.

“And if I don’t comply?”

Astarion smacks her ass hard again, relishing in her yelp of pleasure, and flips her around. He undoes his pants with one hand as he makes her watch his cock spring free. The blush between her cheeks, her heart rate, and the strong smell of lust between her legs tells him she’s enjoying herself. Not everyone enjoys being the leader all the time.

Astarion roughly pushes her on her knees in front of his cock- knowing exactly what she’s wanting from him. There’s a certain air of lustful desperation in her presence- she wants him just as bad.

Calypso wants him to take control- she wants to be rough housed with. The thought tickles his brain- the image of the Tiefling man and two other lovers being far too gentle and depending on her to make it fun.

Astarion is going to be a complete 180 for her. He is going to show her why he is 10 x better than the Tiefling man who was practically eye fucking her the entire night.

“Open your mouth,” he commands.

Calypso keeps it closed and looks up at him like it’s a challenge. Astarion grips the front of her hair and top of her scalp- earning an open-mouthed wanton moan from her before shoving his cock in her mouth.

Calypso hums in pleasure while tears prick her eyes as Astarion slides himself down her throat. Gripping her hair, he moves her up and down at variation of speeds. Her look of frustration every time he is about to cum and then slows her down is wonderful.

She may have won the battle earlier, but Astarion is here to win the war.

Astarion watches as she goes to touch herself and he thrusts into her mouth- hard- earning a delicious choked whimper from her.

Astarion pulls her off his cock and makes her look up at him. She stares at him with doe eyes as if to mimic a virgin being fucked into for the first time. He growls impatiently.

“No touching yourself. Be a good for me,” Astarion says thickly before, “and I’ll consider rewarding you- do you think you can do that for me, my sweet thing?”

Calypso pouts and begins to argue- Astarion pushes himself into her mouth again while his hand still has purchase in her hair. She’s a lustful mess with her mouth around his cock- the white shirt barely staying on and her thighs dripping with her nectar. Her drool dribbles down her chin mixed with his precum.

She hums eagerly around him. Her left hand grips the back of his thigh while her right hand fondles his balls and follows her mouth occasionally with languid strokes. Astarion is fucking relentlessly in her mouth- almost overcome entirely with pleasure when she begins to moan as his precum continues to coat her mouth.

The way Calypso touches him makes him feel like he’s died again but actually went to heaven. He pulls out of her mouth before putting her down on all fours in front of the mirror. He is reinvigorated by the way her spit and his essence dribbles down her chin, the way her breasts hang- how her eyes look in the throes of pleasure.

Astarion begins to thrust into her without foreplay- she can take it and she does. Calypso cries out as he fucks into her- she goes to touch her throbbing clit again and Astarion grabs her arms- pulling them behind her back.

Calypso groans in frustration- cussing at him and he punishes her by thrusting into her even harder. She’s thanking him for taking her in between wanting cries.

“Asta- fuck- your- I’m,” Calypso keens loudly as her eyes flutter shut.

Astarion watches her in the mirror as her arousal overcomes her- her chest heaving as she comes down from her high and her head drops as she pants. Calypso’s hair hangs messily around her face as she looks into the mirror. Her face is full of euphoria and bliss as she looks up from underneath the tangled mess he’s created. Astarion is sure she isn’t real- all of this is far too good to be true.

He kisses along her shoulders and up her collarbones- turning her perfect body around and wrapping his arms under her legs.

Astarion eats up the giggles that leave her lips as he picks her up, lays her down on her bed and begins to kiss her deeply- passionately. He lines himself up with Calypso’s soaking cunt and slowly thrusts himself into her. Astarion kisses her neck as she traces his body with her fingers. Astarion feels a surge of emotion cross over him when she immediately moves her fingers away from his scars the minute he tenses.

Astarion kisses her neck softly- hoping his silent worship of her is felt through his actions. Her hands hold him in place and his silver curls are in between her fingers.

“You can feed,” she whispers breathily, “if you like.”

Hells.

Astarion greedily sinks his fangs into her without any warning- his lust for her and his hunger from the lack of food winning over. She tastes like citrus, sunshine, and ocean mist. Astarion is grateful to find someone who tastes better than Tav.

His thrusts become messier, slower, and longer as he feeds. Calypso whimpers and moans underneath him.

“You feel… so fucking incredible,” she coos quietly.

Astarion barely brings himself back to reality in time to release his fangs from her neck. She sighs as he cleans the wound with his tongue and with one finally thrust- he’s moaning as she clenches around him and he fills her to the brim with his seed.

“And you have been very good for me, Darling,” he growls playfully into her ear before placing a kiss behind it.

Her pleased giggles with a ‘my pleasure, Handsome,’ filled his chest with warmth.

Astarion collapses onto his back and pulls her fucked out form against him. Calypso immediately lays her head on his chest and lets out a content hum.

“You know,” she drawls, “I don’t usually let people stay overnight in my room.”

Astarion doesn’t know why it feels like being flayed when she says that. Of course she would want him out of her room- this was just sex. Astarion was just getting her out of his system.

Astarion looks at her with amusement, trying to appear suave and unbothered by the statement.

“No worries, Darling,” he says with a fake smile, “I so did enjoy our little tryst though. Perhaps we can do this another time before this little journey of ours ends.”

He goes to get up and she pushes him back down with a gentle palm on his chest- rolling her eyes playfully.

“Let me finish- I’m usually not lucky enough to be in the presence of such an interesting company,” Calypso teases, but her eyes are soft, “I want you to stay the night.”

Astarion cocks an eyebrow, trying to appear suave and unbothered, but his body hums with pleasure under her touch. He squeezes her ass with both hands as he lifts her onto his lap, and she beams at him.

“Perish the thought- for a pirate you are a terrible liar,” Astarion muses and presses a chaste kiss to her pouty lips, “a sweet thing like yourself doesn’t have the most interesting people across all of Faerun groveling at your feet?”

“Oh I most certainly do,” she states matter-of-factly, “but my opinion of interesting and the world’s opinion of interesting is a different matter entirely.

“Will you stay?”

She pulls back and studies his face. Astarion looks at Calypso and tries not to let his utter infatuation with her show. She looks at him with an innocent, genuine curiosity. This obviously isn’t something she does often and he can hear her heartbeat racing- the hidden worry in her eyes getting more prominent.

“Or no-“

“No!” Astarion protests more abruptly than he means to.

The glee that fills her eyes is almost worth how embarrassed he feels at his eagerness. Who the hell is he?

The slight feelings of grossness and dissociation had attempted to invade his brain like it always does, but her gentle praise and want to please him made him feel… treasured. It helped keep the worst of it at bay- leaving it to be quite literally swept away by the ocean itself.

He also doesn’t know when he threw caution to the wind. Astarion blames it on the alcohol and the enchanting beauty the Sea Rogue possesses. Astarion is certain that his deep attraction to her is just the fact that she is an Aasimir. They are known for being more attractive right? Except he hadn’t been attracted to Dame Aylin so he doesn’t know if that’s a proven theory.

Astarion’s inner dialogue is cut short by the sound of Calypso’s breathing getting heavier and her heart rate slowing. He places a soft kiss behind her ear before letting his trance take him.

#baldurs gate 3 #astarion #astarion x reader #baldurs gate astarion #astarion romance #bg3 spoilers #Karlach x Tav #Astarion x F! OC #oc #my ocs #astarion acunin #astarion x f!tav

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chenanigans-draws · 7 months ago

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Here's the Flockless as each others respective species! Dungeon Meshi was a huge inspiration for this and just my love for my dnd party!

I'll talk about the designs briefly under the cut!

Cherry (Mechanically an Aasimar)

In every form, Cherry is still an Aasimar.

She almost surged due to the Howler, but instead she got a buff, being able to add her Charisma modifier to her attack cantrips.

Frogfolk - Based on the Cape Rain Frog (Breviceps gibbosus). This isn't new info!

Tiefling - She's still small, brown, and has huge eyes. Cherry would always be black and black-coded like all my characters.

Jackalope - Fluffy lil bunny with lil bud antlers.

Kenku - Based on the Canary (Serinus canaria forma domestica).

Yuan-ti - Based on an albino Ball Python (Python regius).

Shelley (Mechanically a Zariel Tiefling)

Shelley's eyes are red and blue, formerly purple, due to a surge caused by the god, the Howler.

Frogfolk - Based on the Amazon Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix).

Tiefling - Formerly a Dhampir, she is now some kinda blessed and kinda cursed Zariel Tiefling.

Jackalope - Kept her elegant look as a Jackalope.

Kenku - Based on the Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius).

Yuan-ti - Based on the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

Luren (Mechanically a Harengon)

Frogfolk - Based on the Cinnamon Frog (Nyctixalus pictus).

Tiefling - I wanted to keep his cheeky nature in this tiefling design.

Jackalope - Same old Jackalope with a lucky white foot.

Kenku - Based on the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao).

Yuan-ti - Since he also has an association with the god, Jack the Dealer, I wanted him to have more snake-like proportions.

Silence (Mechanically a Kenku)

Silence's skin is blue due to surge caused by the god, the Howler.

Frogfolk - Based on the Diablito Poison Frog (Oophaga sylvatica).

Tiefling - Their horns are black and white due to their patrons.

Jackalope - They're just fluffy with a blue nose!

Kenku - Based on an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). This isn't new info!

Yuan-ti - He's a chubby, blue snake!

Cres (Mechanically a Changeling)

Frogfolk - Based on this frog (Hyloscirtus hillis).

Tiefling - Based on one of their forms aka Elia Crescentmoon.

Jackalope - Also based on Elia Crescentmoon if they were a Jackalope.

Kenku - Based on the Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina).

Yuan-ti - It's their base form, what else can I say?

#dnd #dnd oc #aasimar #sorcerer #tiefling #harengon #kenku #yuan ti #chnageling #original art #cherome cherry sedum #digital

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havealotonmymind · 7 months ago

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Girls' Night

Summary: Finally free from Zariel’s rule, Karlach is determined to live the remainder of her life to the fullest. The first thing she wants to do? Hold a girls’ night with her fellow companions.

Rating: Teen and Up

Category: Astarion & Gale & Karlach & Lae'zel & Shadowheart & Tav & Wyll (Baldur's Gate), Karlach & Tav (Baldur's Gate), Karlach & Shadowheart (Baldur's Gate), Karlach & Lae'zel (Baldur's Gate), Minor Astarion/Named!Tav

Additional Tags:

Developing Friendships, Minor Astarion/Tav (Baldur's Gate), Party Banter, Girls' Night, Act 1 (Baldur's Gate 3), Act 1 Astarion Being Act 1 Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Named Tav (Baldur's Gate), Tiefling Tav (Baldur's Gate), Fighter Tav (Baldur's Gate)

Also available on AO3!

I’ll probably say this about every one-shot I write for this series, but this is by far the most self-indulgent thing I’ve written. The whole fic is just unending party banter. The girls need more friendship moments together and I'm willing to provide lol.

Being really, truly free of the Hells was intoxicating. No lingering scent of sulfur on what little she owned? No demons? No Zariel? Gods, even the sight of weeds poking through the grass was enough to make her cry.

And to have a new group of friends to share that all with, too? Man, she had never felt luckier. They were an odd group that argued more than got along, but Karlach wouldn’t trade them for anything. All pretty decent people across the board. Even Astarion had his moments.

After a few days of traveling with them all, Karlach felt she had grown to know her companions pretty well. That called for some kind of celebration. One of the most sacred and cherished traditions in all of Faerûn.

“Hey, soldier, should we have a Girls’ Night?” Karlach asked, unable to contain her excitement mid-adventure. Well, adventure in the loosest sense of the word. Leviathala frowned down at their map trying to navigate while Astarion supplied unhelpfully vague directions over her shoulder. The two had been arguing back and forth for the better part of an hour.

Shadowheart latched onto Karlach’s suggestion with all the vigor of a drowning person clinging to a lifeboat. “Please. Anything to get them to stop talking.”

“Excuse me? I was helping!” Astarion said.

“Saying ‘let’s go over there’ and pointing at a random spot on the map is not helping, Astarion. And by the time I figure out where there even is, you change your mind anyway,” Leviathala snapped.

“You’re an adventurer, aren’t you? Have a little sense of, well, adventure.”

Leviathala’s bright blue eyes—brighter still against the stark black of her sclera—burned holes into him. She looked two seconds away from snapping his neck.

Karlach stepped in between them. “Hey now, come on! Lev, when was the last time you had a girls’ night, eh? A proper girls’ night! Shootin’ the shit, maybe a drink or two.”

“Yes, because there are such excellent taverns nearby,” Astarion scoffed. “Of course, there’s always Waukeen’s Rest! I hear the staff are all fired up to serve new customers.”

Lev coughed to hide a laugh. “Gods above, you’re terrible.”

“Morally yes, but you still laughed.”

“It was incredibly tasteless. Of course I laughed. At you, not with you, mind.”

“Charming as this banter is, the sun is going to set soon and I’d much rather have a full girls’ night instead of half of one,” Shadowheart butt in. “So let’s reconvene at camp, hm?”

Lev stashed her map away. “Fine. Lead on, then.”

Once they made their way back, Gale looked up from the cauldron where he was cooking their dinner. “Ah, you’ve all made it back in one piece, I see. Find any good herbs out there?”

Lev pinched the bridge of her nose. “Of course we forgot to get the one thing we set out for in the first place.”

His smile fell. “Well, at least I have some salt and pepper left.”

“Oh wait, I did grab some leafy things from a barrel. Stole it from the Zhentarim after we wiped ‘em out in their hideout. They smelled nice. Dunno if these are herbs, though,” Karlach said as she handed over a fistful of leafy stalks.

“Basil! Oh, thank Mystra. At least our food will taste halfway decent.” As he plucked and scattered the leaves into the stew, he added, “Might I also hope for some spices to go along with that basil?”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to keep hoping. The spiciest thing we found today was smokepowder,” Lev said as she sat heavily on a log across from him. Karlach planted the smokepowder barrels next to their other supplies for emphasis.

“Ah. Still valuable, of course, but not exactly good for digestion.”

Even without all the usual spices at his disposal, Gale managed to make a fine meal indeed. None of their leftover food went to waste. Even the bones of last night’s boar helped to create a rich stock.

“Gale, you do astound me,” Wyll said. “How you manage to make a feast from scraps is a rare talent indeed.”

“Thank you. But I must ask, what did you eat in your time as the Blade of Frontiers?”

“Oh, mostly cured meats from game I hunted myself. When I have a quarry in my sights, I rarely have the time to sup as I would like.”

“Well, I’m glad my meager fare is to your liking, your grace.” Gale bowed his head and the others smirked over their bowls. Their recent run-in with Counsellor Florrick garnered a lot of teasing about his duke status that poor Wyll had yet to live down.

“Please, out here, I’m just Wyll.”

“For what it’s worth, you’ve more than earned the Blade of Frontiers title. A set of horns isn’t going to change that.” Karlach moved as if to nudge his shoulder, then thought better of it at the last second. “And if anyone gives you any trouble about it, I’ll always stick by you, Wyll.”

His smile was a bright point in the dark. “Thank you, Karlach. That truly means a lot.”

They finished dinner not long after. Karlach took a few deep breaths to make sure she wouldn’t get too excited for the night ahead. The few girls’ nights she’d seen other clusters of friends host in the Gate always seemed like a good time. Of course, those were held in lively taverns or restaurants, but surely their group could make do out here.

“Yeah, well, it’s been fun, but I think it’s time you guys pop off. It’s girls’ night tonight.”

“What happened to ‘I’ll always stick by you, Wyll’?”

“You’ll be nearby. Us girls just need a bit of time to ourselves, though, so go on.” Karlach shooed the men away like one would an unruly pet caught chewing something it wasn’t supposed to.

Gale turned to Wyll as the two trailed off. “What are we gentlemen to do? Have our own boys’ night perhaps?”

“I doubt Astarion would be inclined to join any more group activities than are required of him.”

“Probably for the best.”

Without a common thread to keep them tethered, they simply drifted to their own tents for the night.

“Damn, it’s good to be alive!” Karlach fell against one of the bedrolls she set up by the campfire. It was a lovely night out. All the nights so far had been pretty damn lovely. The faint scent of damp earth, the rustling trees—all of it fresh and healthy and alive.

How had she never noticed how much life there was on the surface before now? Even the wind flowing through her hair felt like a living thing, winding soft fingers through and around the strands like it was trying to weave an intricate braid.

Shadowheart smiled briefly. “So you’ve said. Many times, I might add.”

“And it’s true every time!” Karlach sat right back up again. “When people tell you to stop and smell the flowers every now and then, they aren’t joking.”

Leviathala curled her legs and tail in towards her. “You’re telling me. It’s been so long since I’ve been outside the city. I’d forgotten how big the world truly is.”

“Right? There’s so much up top. I want to see it all!”

“I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for this gith crèche Lae’zel keeps mentioning,” Leviathala said. “So far, no luck.”

“Where is Lae’zel, anyway? I haven’t seen her since we came back.”

The sound of metal steadily clanking closer drew their attention. Lae’zel marched up to them in full plate-armor, helmet and all. “I am ready.”

Karlach raised an eyebrow. “Uh, what’s all that for?”

“Astarion informed me of the long-honored Faerûnian custom of Girls’ Night. I am merely prepared to undertake the trials ahead.” She scanned over the other women in their casual nightwear and frowned. “Why are you all so woefully unprepared?”

It was only when Leviathala failed to hide her laughter did it finally hit her.

Lae'zel lowered her longsword. “So, I assume Astarion has lied to me, then.”

“You can take all that off. Relax! Let your hair down!” Karlach patted the spare bedroll next to her.

Lae’zel scowled but shed her armor and sat all the same. “Chk! I will keep my hair as it is lest it get in my way. Perhaps Leviathala had the right idea in trimming away the excess.”

“Oh, I cut my hair myself.” Lev fluffed out the choppy dark strands with a proud smile.

Shadowheart threw her a pitying look. “It shows.”

At Lev’s frown, Karlach gave an uneasy laugh. “Hey, come on now! I think it looks great. A lot softer than my hair, anyway. Can’t do a thing with it when my hands are constantly on fire.”

Shadowheart made a face. “So it didn’t used to be that…crunchy?”

“I’m gonna ignore you calling it crunchy so my engine doesn’t explode on you.”

“Sorry, brittle. Is that better?”

“It was a lot curlier when I was younger,” Karlach said, ignoring her. “My mum almost drove herself to tears trying to get it together for parties. Didn’t help that I always wanted to go roughhouse instead of sit still. I was a right menace as a kid.”

“Sounds about right. I imagine curly hair looks nice on you, actually,” Shadowheart relented.

“What about you, Shadowheart? I’ve never seen your hair out of that neat braid. I bet you’ve got really gorgeous hair.” Karlach scooted as close as she dared.

Shadowheart flipped the braid back over her shoulder, preening. “Naturally. And as dark as the night, too.”

“Is this all a Girls’ Night entails?” Lae’zel snapped. “Encouraging each other’s vanity?”

“I mean, sometimes, but right now, we’re just talking. Warming up, getting to know each other.” Karlach rolled her shoulders like she was gearing for a fight. “Gotta stretch out the ol’ social skills again if we’re gonna be traveling together, right?”

“This is a waste of my time. I’m leaving.”

Before she could stalk back to her tent, Karlach yelled, “Boooo! Give it a chance, Lae’zel! We haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!”

Lev and Shadowheart exchanged a glance before looking expectantly at Lae’zel. Much as the gith tried to play stoic and untouchable, her desire to know more about this Plane far outshone that stubborn streak of hers.

“Very well. This had better be worth it.” She knelt on the bedroll Karlach had laid out for her, strategically placed furthest away from Shadowheart.

“So, of everyone in our camp…” Karlach held up three fingers. “Who would you snog, marry, or kill?”

Both Lev and Shadowheart groaned while Lae’zel merely blinked.

“Gods, I haven’t played that since I was twelve,” Lev said, barely holding back a chuckle.

“Ah, ah! Answer the question, Lev!”

“Me? Why me first?”

“Because you’re the first one to talk! Why else?” Karlach said.

When Lev waved her away, she only leaned in closer. “Come on, Lev! Just pick three of us! Could even be one of us three.”

“Oh? In that case, I would kill Shadowheart,” Lae’zel said without hesitation.

Shadowheart scowled. “The feeling is mutual, gith. You’re lucky Lev stepped in the last time I tried to kill you or I would have slaughtered you in your sleep.”

Lae’zel immediately drew a dagger. “Try your luck and see where such talk will lead, istik. I will not hesitate to put you in your place this time.”

“Girls, girls, come on! Can you stop antagonizing each other for like two minutes?” Karlach sighed. “I just wanna have a little fun with my new mates. Is it really so much to ask for you two to calm down for a night?”

Lae’zel and Shadowheart glared at one another for a moment longer before settling back in their respective bedrolls.

“I will honor this Girls’ Night by quelling my fury. Do not expect it to last into the morning,” Lae’zel sniffed.

An awkward smile crept along Karlach’s lips. She had to get this girls’ night going properly or it’d all fall apart. “R-Right, so kiss, marry, kill. Who wants to go first?”

Lev took a long sip of water, pointedly avoiding eye contact. Shadowheart and Lae’zel both refused to look at the other, instead glaring off into different points in the distance.

“Fine. I’ll go then!” Karlach grumbled. Better to lead by example and all that. “Snog Astarion. Marry either Wyll or Shadowheart. Probably Wyll. My heart fluttered when he went against Mizora for me. I’ll never forget that. Kill…wait, hold on…”

“No, you started it. Now finish it,” Shadowheart said. “Go on. Tell us which one of us you’d kill given the choice.”

“Aw, that’s not fair! I just met you all like a tenday ago!”

“And yet here you are potentially offering me your arm in marriage.” Shadowheart shook her head. “And you haven’t even taken me out for dinner. I haven’t met your parents yet, either. Surely, we’d want their blessing first.”

Ah man. She really was someone to take home to the folks. If they were still alive, no doubt they’d find Shadowheart just as endearing as Karlach did.

Still, that wasn’t really something you told a tentative friend. She scooted just a little closer to her githyanki companion. “Lae’zel? What about you?”

Lae’zel scowled and she almost backed away. Maybe she thought this all too childish. Giths were pretty vicious from what little she knew about them. What if she thought all this was beneath her or something?

“Snogging is…sex, yes?” she began uneasily.

“Er, no, it’s more just…kissing. Y’know, making out?”

Lev almost spat out her water trying not to laugh. “I’m pretty sure there isn’t a gith equivalent to making out, Karlach.”

Lae’zel frowned. “This ‘making out’ is equivalent to snogging, then? Another word for a kiss?”

Bless her for trying, at least.

“Well, deeper kissing,” Lev offered.

“Sometimes with tongue,” Karlach supplied with a cheeky grin.

This time, Lev did spit out her water.

“Very well. I have made my choice.” Lae’zel’s eyes swept over their camp. “If you forced me under threat of death to snog any of our companions, I would choose you, Karlach. I believe you are best suited for the type of kissing I desire.”

Karlach’s grin only grew. “I’m flattered, thanks!”

“As for marriage, Wyll is the best choice by far. He is the most accustomed to this adventuring lifestyle and has more important political ties to this Baldur’s Gate than any of you. He is a worthy ally to have at my side.”

“Hey now, this isn’t something to take that seriously—”

“As for killing, well, if Shadowheart were no longer an option, then there is always Astarion.”

Karlach laughed. Even in silly games like this, Lae’zel gave it her all. “Wyll’s pretty popular, huh?”

“He was my choice for marry, too,” Lev piped up. “As for kill, I’d also choose Astarion. He wanted to kill me the first time we met, so it seems fair.”

“And who’re you snogging? Is it any of us?” Karlach gasped. “Is it Gale?”

“No, that’s all you’re getting from me.”

“Come on! That’s boring!”

“You never chose who you’d kill! Don’t come after me for not picking someone to kiss!”

“Why? Is the person you’d kiss someone embarrassing?” Shadowheart asked. The tiny glint in her eyes spelled mischief.

“No! I just…” Lev rolled her wrist uselessly. “Well, I’m not generally interested in that sort of thing until I get to know someone a lot more first.”

“But you do have someone in mind. I can sense it. That’s why you’re being so dodgy.” Shadowheart’s eyes roamed over the camp. Gale was preoccupied with organizing spell scrolls into everyone’s packs. Wyll fenced against a wooden dummy. Astarion stood farther off than the rest, engrossed in some book he’d pilfered from an old temple they raided not long ago.

“Being a cleric of Lady Shar has granted me far more wisdom into the darkness in others’ hearts than most,” she said. “In your heart of hearts, I know who lies at the center.”

Lev’s jaw tightened, her shoulders bunched together like she was about to bolt.

“It’s Withers, isn’t it?”

Lev blinked at her owlishly then both she and Karlach burst out laughing. The sound rang clear throughout the forest, a chorus that sent a few nearby birds flying.

“I never knew you were this funny, Shadowheart. You always seem so serious all the time!” Karlach said as she leaned back on her hands.

“I’m hilarious. Once you get to know me, that is.”

“Yes, well, once you get some alcohol into me, I might be more inclined to tell you all the truth,” Lev said. All three women immediately shoved the nearest bottles of wine they could towards her.

“Wow, okay, give me a minute to recover. Gods…”

“So, Shadowheart? Snog, marry, kill?” Karlach asked before she slung back a few gulps of Amnian Dessert Wine. The sweeter stuff wasn’t really to her taste, but being picky never got anyone anywhere good. Better to try all the new things she could while she had the chance.

“Hm, well, you all know I’d kill Lae’zel. Kiss…maybe Lev or Gale. They have very…soft-looking lips.” She gave Lev a quick once-over. “As for marriage, if any of you wish to open your hearts to Lady Shar—”

“Erm, hard pass,” Karlach said.

“Sorry, but no,” Lev replied.

“I serve but one deathless goddess: Vlaakith and Vlaakith alone.”

“Right, so, barring the usual religious factors, I’d probably marry Karlach. You look like you could take care of me properly. More so than any other person I’ve met so far.” Her eyes slid slyly to Lev. “No offense.”

“I wasn’t offended until you said that. But thanks, I guess.”

Karlach felt the engine in her chest burn just a tad hotter. “Fuck yes, I could take care of you! Trust Mama K to handle everything from here on out!”

“Of course. So long as you don’t expect me to call you Mama K. Karlach suits you just fine.” Shadowheart smiled from over her bottle of wine. “Now, who would you kill? Go on.”

“I’ll tell only if Lev says who she wants to kiss.”

“Er, we can’t both go at the same time. Which would you rather hear first?” Lev tilted her head towards Karlach, clearly indicating who she preferred.

“Snog, obviously!” Karlach said.

Shadowheart smirked. “Oh, yes, kiss first, please. This is the far more interesting option.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Lev said and downed the rest of her wine.

“Come on, Lev! Tell us!” Karlach said.

“Do tell. Then we can finally move on from this inane game and onto the best part Karlach has planned,” Lae’zel pointed out.

Karlach tried not to betray the fact that all she had planned next was several rounds of Truth or Dare or Strip Talis until they all passed out for the night. Whatever Lae’zel’s idea of a good time was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Lev sighed and waved them all closer at last. They all leaned in, straining to hear as she cupped both hands around her mouth.

“Astarion.”

Karlach blinked. “What? But you said you wanted to kill him!”

“Kill, snog…same thing at the end of the day.” Lev shrugged. “They both teach you how to empty yourself for someone. Love and hate ride a fine line or…something.”

“Wait, you can’t choose the same person for two different answers. That hardly seems fair,” Shadowheart said.

“Fine. Snog Gale then. Happy?”

“Nah, nah, hold on, soldier. I wanna know why you were so dodgy about answering. You got a crush on him, right?”

“Gods, we really are reverting back to teenagers, aren’t we?” Lev sighed. “Doesn’t really matter, I suppose. I already slept with him.”

Their collective gasps and screams of scandalized delight echoed for miles.

“No fucking way! Lev, you sly minx!” Karlach smacked the ground hard as she laughed. Blackened scorch marks in the shape of her hand torched the soil she touched.

Shadowheart covered her mouth with a hand. “You didn’t! Oh, Lev…”

“To think, you chose some malnourished parasite over me,” Lae’zel sniffed. “I don’t know if your refusal should be my shame or yours.”

“Wait, when? Were you drunk? Is that why?” Karlach asked, engine still pounding away to keep up with her excitement. Who knew quiet Lev had it in her?

“Er…”

“Whoa, you did him sober? On purpose?”

Lev covered her face with her hands. “Karlach, not so loud…”

“I was just teasing before, but damn, you really do like him, don’t you?”

Shadowheart smirked. “I never had any doubt. You two are always pushing one another’s buttons. It’s painful watching you sometimes.”

“It’s not as if I’m slinging horrid lines at him like he does with everyone else.”

“No, but what was it you said earlier? There’s a fine line between love and hate? Underneath all your insults and arguing, I’d wager you might be a little in love with him.”

“How presumptuous of you.” Lev stared off into the distance. “He asked me, by the way. It was a mutual agreement. He was probably just bored. It won’t happen again.”

A breezy sigh from behind them made Karlach sit straighter. They all glanced back to see Astarion hovering just a couple feet away. “Look, as charming as it is to hear you all gossip away within earshot of my tent, it is getting to be rather late.”

“Wait, what could you hear?” Lev asked, sounding a touch panicked.

“Nothing specific. Just noise. So I suggest you keep it down.” The edges of their silence caught his attention. “Why? Are you gossiping about the other two? Because if so, I want to join in.”

“Well, Karlach wanted a Girls’ Night, so I don’t think—”

Karlach felt the edges of her mind being nudged by Shadowheart. She tried to repress a shudder. All this tadpole-sharing business still took some getting used to.

Let him stay. I want to see where this goes, Shadowheart thought, throwing them all a sly smile. We can all make fun of him if he ends up crossing a line.

“No, no, he can stay for a bit,” Karlach said out loud. “Say, Astarion. If you could kiss anyone in camp right now, who would it be?”

He snorted. “Is this what your drunken rabble has been reduced to? Gods, that’s something ten year olds dabble in.”

Shadowheart smirked. “Funny, that’s almost exactly what Lev said.”

“And she’s right. Contrary to what you might think, I don’t kiss and tell.”

“So you have kissed someone at camp then?” she pressed. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Astarion faltered. “I was talking about kissing in general. I wouldn’t kiss any of you if you paid me.”

“Wow, that’s cold. I think quite a few of us are pretty kissable,” Karlach said. “Take Lev, for instance. She’s real cute, isn’t she?”

She tried not to laugh as Lev threw her an absolutely murderous look.

Much to her surprise, Astarion crooned, “Oh, dear Karlach. Does someone have a crush?”

“What? Not me! I was, er, I mean, Lev is cute! But I…or rather, you…”

“Because I’d advise against pursuing it,” he cut in impatiently. “Best take care that damned infernal engine of yours doesn’t explode under the pressure.”

“Hey! I’ve kept it intact for near-on ten years now. I can handle hanging around a cute girl or three.”

Astarion merely scoffed. “Yes, well, better to assuage your excitement now so we can all get our beauty rest. Gods know you need it.”

Lev flushed and stared at the dirt.

Okay, that was enough.

“Put a cork in it, Fancy Boy,” Karlach snapped. “If anything, you need it most. Those frown lines are really unbecoming, darling.”

“What? I don’t have…” He ran quick fingertips between his furrowed eyebrows. “I need to go.”

Astarion swept back to his tent, distraught in the wake of their laughter.

“Yeah, I can see what you like about him. He’s such a catch.” Karlach smiled conspiratorially at Lev. “Honestly, though, I can’t blame you. I’d ride that elf all night if I could.”

“Karlach!”

“He’s arrogant, a liar, and a pretty idiot,” Shadowheart added. “So yes, I’d imagine that’s why most people would fall in love with someone like him.”

Lae’zel made a face. “Beauty in itself is hardly a valuable trait. Especially when it so commonly fades with time.”

“Well, he is a vampire. At least his only redeeming quality will remain preserved.” Shadowheart shrugged. “Can’t say much about the rest of him, though.”

Lev sputtered, “I just like looking at him, is all.”

“Oh no, soldier, that’s how it starts, you know,” Karlach said. “Those longing looks are just the beginning. Next, it’s daydreaming about him and finding more excuses to talk to him—”

“Believe me, holding a conversation with him is the last thing I—”

“And trying desperately to get his attention,” Shadowheart said. “Don’t forget that one.”

“I don’t want his attention!”

“Ah, that’s all part of step one. Denial. You got it bad.” Karlach grinned. It’d been a while since she could grill someone like this without having to worry about being punished for it.

“There’s nothing to have. Besides, you want to snog him, too. Why am I the only one being made fun of?”

“I don’t know. You were the one who slept with him. You tell us.”

Shadowheart grimaced. “Actually, don’t tell us. I really don’t care to know.”

“How dull of you,” Lae’zel said. “I didn’t realize followers of Shar were so prudish considering the many depraved things that can happen in darkness.”

Leviathala choked back a laugh. “She has a point.”

“Huh. That’s the last time I defend you, then,” Shadowheart joked as she downed her cup of wine.

They spent the rest of the night falling into more drunk antics. “Never Have I Ever” devolved into a drinking competition of sorts between Karlach and Lae’zel that teetered on the dangerous as they both downed shot after shot, all while confessing horrible acts they committed in war. It was Shadowheart, of all people, who knocked back the least amount of shots purely due to her memory issues.

Then, as all childish sleepovers are wont to do, came “Truth or Dare”. That was quickly cut short the moment Lae’zel dared Shadowheart to a duel to the death. An all-out brawl was imminent. That was, until Lev stepped up to bat the sword of Lae’zel’s hand. “Enough! All of you stop it and go to bed!”

When they all simply stared at her, she added, “Now! What would your goddesses have to say about you engaging in such petty squabbles?”

Lae’zel scowled but conceded the point. Shadowheart merely sniffed and headed back to her tent to isolate herself from the riffraff. Girls’ night was officially over, but Karlach couldn’t complain. Her party was a riot, and all of them at the very least took the games seriously. Her comrades in the Hells (all of whom barely warranted the name) would often ignore her attempts at camaraderie or friendship. The only times she ever got along with any of them was when they were killing demons or ragging on each other.

Leviathala sat on one of the bedrolls Karlach had set up by the campfire, staring into the flames.

“You’re not heading back to your tent?” Karlach asked, taking a seat on the bedroll next to hers.

Lev offered her a small smile. “And leave you all alone? That’d be a sad way to end girls’ night, don’t you think?”

Karlach chuckled to herself. “I’d hug you if I wasn’t afraid of burning your…everything off.”

“I’m sure you could get a quick one in without doing too much damage. I’m not naturally fire-resistant for nothing, you know,” Lev teased. “Besides, you’ll be able to hug and touch people again soon. Whenever we run into Dammon, I’m sure he’ll have some good news for you.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t that be something? But for now, I don’t wanna think about it,” she sighed. “No good to get my hopes up when we don’t even know if it’s possible yet.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

Karlach tossed another two logs onto the crackling embers of the dying fire.

“Do you need this?” Leviathala asked suddenly, holding out a thin vial of some clear liquid.

“What’s that?”

“Seed oil. For my horns. I bought a lot from that halfling druid in the Grove a while ago. I’ve been lending some of my stash to Wyll and showing him how to apply it, but I don’t think I ever asked you if you wanted some.”

Karlach glanced up at Leviathala’s own light blue horns curling up towards the sky like spiring towers. They were very carefully maintained, the tips dulled to more rounded points.

By contrast, her own were rough and worn. One of them had been broken off in a particularly nasty battle against a cambion that had casually insulted Zariel offhand. The archdevil sent Karlach to deal with it alone. By the time she returned, bruised and battered after slaying it and all its minions, Zariel tossed her right back onto the frontlines without so much as a short rest to heal up. Complaining about it after only earned her a dozen lashings and yet another sleepless night.

Karlach took the seed oil vial carefully in between forefinger and thumb, hoping whatever heat residing in her hands wouldn’t cause the cool glass to burst.

She knew she had lost quite a bit of her old life under Zariel’s service, but this was not something she even realized she missed. Karlach had grown too used to the ache of her horns growing out without anything to ease the pain. Just another misery to tack onto a long list serving under an archdevil.

“Thank you,” she said in a small voice.

“No problem. Let me know if you need any more. I have it all covered.”

“Right.”

It had been a long time since anyone had been so kind to her without expecting anything in return. Karlach found a lump growing in her throat and she blinked. Did being up on the surface really make her this soft already?

“Hey, soldier?” she said just to shake it off.

Lev shifted on her bedroll. “Hm?”

“Thanks for tonight. Really. It means a lot to me that you all tried to make it work.”

“Of course. I just hope next girls’ night won’t end in violence.”

“Next girls’ night?” A spark of hope lit in her chest.

“I don’t know when that would be, though,” Lev continued. “Hopefully Lae’zel and Shadowheart will have calmed down by the time we do get around to it. This was really fun before they got into it. Again.”

Karlach stared down at the vial in her hand, trying her hardest not to tear up. Gods, could she really afford to hope for a future? Was it okay for her to do that again?

A couple tears stubbornly spilled over and she swatted them away impatiently.

She glanced over at where Leviathala laid. “Soldier, you still awake?”

“Hm?” Lev’s eyes almost glowed in the dark. “Yeah, you okay?”

“Fine, just…” Karlach took a deep breath, clutching onto the seed oil vial tight. “Love you.”

The silence that followed ate at her. True, they hardly knew each other well enough to say stuff like that, but surely Leviathala understood where the urgency came from.

“Love you too, soldier,” Leviathala said, something like a smile in her voice. “Good night.”

“Yeah, night.”

Karlach stared up at the canopy of stars above her. A streak of bright light shot across and she closed her eyes, wishing with everything within her that this party of hers would never break apart. A childish, vain hope perhaps. But how long had it been since anyone fought tooth and nail for her? It would’ve been so easy to just let Wyll kill her upon first meeting, but they’d advocated for her—a tiefling they didn’t even know.

She laid on her side, staring at the little seed oil vial like it held all the most precious secrets in the world. Up here, with these people at her side, she could dare to hope. She could dream again, breathe free again.

Karlach took a deep breath and popped the cork.

#Baldur's Gate 3 #BG3 #Karlach #Astarion x Tav #very briefly in the background #Damn It's Good to Be Alive! (Karlach)#Wits and Blades Always Sharp (Shadowheart)#The Wayward Tactician (Leviathala)#Keep a Blade Close (Astarion)#One with the Weave (Gale)#Hero at Heart (Wyll)#I am Fury! I am Death! (Lae'zel)#my fanfiction #The Hero and Me (Promotion)

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ferinehuntress · 7 months ago

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◈　 ⇢ @shimmerbeasts　 ⋯　 umprompted ask ♡ 　　⸻　"You have a lot of nerve, pulling a stunt like this."

Mizora's usually sultry and soothing voice was carrying several sharper edges in her cadenza. Standing in the summoning circle, the Cambion's wings beat up and down and her expression was one of complete malice as she stared down Karlach, who stood only a few infuriating inches out of the summoning circle. Between them lay a pile of dead gnomes, whom Karlach had all beheaded and drained, gathering the blood in a pit. It was this blood, which had forced Mizora up here.

The Cambion's flaming mad expression mellowed out abruptly as if somebody had doused her in water. Her lips pulled into a charismatic smile, however, her yellow and red-tinted eyes did not match that smile. Still, Mizora's voice returned to its charismatic, calmer cadenza, an almost idle chatter as if there was not a canyon of animosity between her and the tiefling in front of her.

"You clearly went through a lot of trouble getting me here, Karlach", Mizora said, "So the least I can do is hear you out. You gotta admire the conviction though. How long did it take, to fill that pit with blood? All night? Or merely half an hour? Can't really tell with you."

Karlach let out a growl, the guttural tone echoing against her throat as her engine flared after the battle against the goblins. "Do not start with me," Karlach immediately reprimanded the Cambion, pointing her finger directly at the winged fiend. She never cared for any cambion, but Mizora, oh, she wasn't worth her time either. So-called under Zariel's protection, Wyll's "keeper" (oh if she could just chop her down right now she would enjoy it). The only good devil was a dead devil. But it was vital, she had led the band into this attack and it was vital to do so but still, it didn't mean that injury or accidents couldn't happen.

Her tail thrashed behind aggravated, the tip of her hook hitting the ground as she narrowed her eyes toward her. She had had enough of devils, enough of these twisted fiendish beings that took advantage of people.

And yet, she smiled. Karlach knew though, behind those eyes there was that disgust. They had never seen eye to eye, the woman had done everything she could to torment her and gods forbid Zariel PROTECTED Karlach. She hated it, she hated feeling like some kind of pet in Zariel's collection and Mizora took offense to it. No, Karlach wanted nothing to do with either one of them. "Oh, I didn't do this for you," Karlach sneered as she waved her hands. "They were already dead before I even had a sliver of a thought to call you, you were never on my mind when I took them out," Karlach waved her hand, as she glanced down toward the object that kept Mizora from lashing out at her. Thank you Wyll, she quietly thought, as she never knew how to summon devils or how to prevent them from attacking on sight. The diamond in the skull was the one thing preventing her from doing anything against her.

"Just shut up and listen already!" Karlach waved her hand. "It's Wyll, the goblins had some kind of poison, I don't know what. You got your fancy schmancy ability to move on the material plane from place to place and we don't have time," Karlach said, as she moved over and placed her foot on top of the skull that kept the cambion bound to the circle.

"I can shatter this so you can go to him, but I am making no deal with you. Either you save him or not, he's your protege after all, its his pact you have to worry about," It tasted bitter on her lips, to even be talking with Mizora about this, but she knew she would not be signing any contract, no deal, no agreement. She was not going to bind herself to anyone. Her fingers tightened around the staff of her axe, the end of it pressed against the ground as she waited for her answer, keeping her foot steady, not that she even half trusted with she might say, but this was her protege, and perhaps it might give a little push for her to do something.

#shimmerbeasts #[ karlach answers ] — this had better be violent ; sexy ; or both .#[ karlach interactions ] — i am free now and i am never going back to that prison .#[ karlach default verse ] — the legends who protected the city from evil .

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whatacaitastrophe · 7 months ago

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Everything Has Changed - Chapter 11

Previous Chapter

Chapter Song Inspiration: "Seven Nation Army" - Stevie Howie

Chapter Warnings: Idiots talking about their feelings.

Spotify Playlist: Here

Author Notes: thank you all so much for reading, reblogging, liking, and commenting on this fic (and the first one)! if you are interested in supporting me in other ways, I have a Ko-Fi link <3

i also have a discord server! it was created to coincide with my twitch channel but you do NOT need to follow/subscribe/watch my twitch streams to come hang out with us <3 we talk a lot about bg3 and share memes and fics.

Chapter 11: Talkin' to Myself at Night

The night of what she’d started referring to as “the incident” in her mind, Fallon didn’t sleep. Her mind was too busy. It was one thing to imagine her boyfriend and ex-boyfriend kissing, or imagine herself as the middle portion of a vampire and sorcerer sandwich, but it was another entirely for those fantasies to become a reality. Add in the fact that “the incident” in question occurred without her consent, and Fallon was left feeling truly unsure of how she felt, or if coming to some sort of arrangement with Astarion and Gale was something she even wanted anymore.

Fallon felt betrayed, and not just by Astarion. Gale swore that he never wanted to hurt Fallon again, and it took him less than a month to break that promise. Not only that, but once upon a time, Gale told Fallon that he was only interested in monogamous relationships. Fallon also knew that if the situation were reversed, and she were the one kissing Astarion without Gale’s consent, that Gale probably would have broken up with her on the spot upon catching them. The hypocrisy was rampant, and the hole in her heart that began to fill after rekindling her friendship with Gale was leaking again because of it. All of the reasons Fallon told herself that she couldn’t open her heart to Gale again (beyond the sexual relationship with Gale and Astarion she’d already fantasized about) were completely validated less than twenty-four hours after she’d even realized it was something she might want.

Then there was Astarion: the man who’d seen how fragile her heart was, glued the pieces Gale broke back together, promised to take care with it, and then promptly dropped it on the ground to shatter at the first opportunity. When she first met Astarion, he’d been all honeyed words of affirmation with a perfectly crafted persona to entice Fallon and the rest of their companions into trusting him as a method of survival. Was that still all she was to the vampire? A means to an end to ensure he survived another day? Had Astarion been playing the long con this whole time, and Fallon fell for it? Deep down, Fallon knew this wasn’t true; that Astarion loved her fiercely and genuinely. However, the logical part of her that knew this was currently being completely overpowered by her insecurities and anxieties, both of which were screaming at her for being stupid enough to trust that Astarion would keep his promise.

It all hurt, and the thing Fallon hated the most was that the person she would normally go to when she was hurting was the source of her pain. She thought about using her sending stone to contact Shadowheart, or Karlach, but Fallon could hear her friends’ voices in her mind already.

Shadowheart would tell her to go home– to go back to Baldur’s Gate and leave the vampire and the sorcerer to suffer the consequences of their actions and reflect on what they lost simply because they forgot to use their brains. “If they’re stupid enough to make that mistake, then they deserve each other, and certainly do not deserve you.”

Karlach, on the other hand, would probably jump straight to murder. Murder wasn’t usually Karlach’s go-to method of solving problems. Unless, of course, someone she cared about got hurt. With how happy-go-lucky Karlach was most of the time, it was easy to forget that the tiefling-turned-illithid once served in Zariel’s army, and that she killed a lot of people on Zariel’s behalf. “Say the word, soldier, and I’ll meet you in Waterdeep, sneak up on them in an alley, and make their deaths look like an accident.”

The solutions her friends would likely offer Fallon were not actually reasonable, or helpful, because they were just different forms of taking the easy way out, of running away from her problems. In the end it wouldn’t solve anything, and the person that was most likely to suffer most would still be Fallon. After all, how she felt about Astarion hadn’t suddenly changed in the wake of everything. How she’d started to feel about Gale again hadn’t gone away. Walking away from the two halves of her heart would do nothing but break her further.

At the end of the day, Fallon wanted to give Gale and Astarion the benefit of the doubt. She wanted to believe that “the incident” had been as unexpected and unplanned as they said it was. She wanted to believe that Astarion and Gale actually cared as deeply for her as they claimed.

Most importantly, she wanted them , and at the end of a sleepless night into a restless morning, that was where Fallon’s mind landed. The men who claimed to love her so deeply would get a chance to prove their love, but she would make them work for it. There would be no glossing over their infidelity and jumping right into a conversation about what being “together” as a threesome would look like. No, she fully intended to make the vampire and the sorcerer squirm, and to sit with the consequences of their actions for a while; to make them see earning her forgiveness was not as simple as saying “Sorry, it was an accident, we love you!”

Fallon slipped out of the inn in Daggerford as soon as she was certain the shops were open, and purchased her own tent, as she had no intention of sharing one with Astarion for the next three days while they made the final leg of their journey to Waterdeep. Fallon knew herself, and having Astarion that close would increase the opportunity for her to have a moment of weakness, to fold too soon.

When she returned to the inn with her new tent slung over her shoulder in a bag, Astarion and Gale were in the tavern, where the latter was eating breakfast. Astarion noticed her enter the tavern first, and he nudged Gale, nodding in Fallon’s direction. Gale looked at Fallon hopefully as she made her way towards the table. Fallon did not sit down as she observed the two men. They both looked tired, and Fallon did not even feel bad about the fact that knowing they slept like shit too brought her a little bit of joy.

“I’ve decided I’ll be sleeping in my own tent for the next couple of days.” She explained, acknowledging the bag over her shoulder. Astarion’s eyes flickered sadly as he realized they were not forgiven yet, and that his actions would cost him more than a single night without Fallon in his arms.

“What you did, what it means…Quite honestly, just looking at the two of you hurts. You don’t get to treat me like that and expect me to carry on like nothing happened, even if the idea of the three of us being an “us” is something I want to talk about. I refuse,” Fallon’s voice was cold, and she could feel her throat threatening to close up as tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Gods dammit, she was not going to cry in the middle of the fucking tavern. She furiously blinked back her tears, averting her gaze from Astarion and Gale since looking at them was just making it worse. “I need more time. When I’m ready to talk, I’ll come to you. Be ready to leave in an hour.” She did not stick around to see them silently nod their heads as they agreed to her terms, or the way that they guiltily looked at each other because they made her cry (again).

Fallon did not speak to Gale or Astarion unless absolutely necessary for the next three days. In fact, a passerby would have assumed that somebody had cast a Silencing spell over their group, with how quiet their journey from Daggerford to Waterdeep was. Fallon’s silent treatment made Gale and Astarion hesitant to even speak to each other in her presence, and while Fallon hadn'tt asked them to do that, if they wanted to deprive themselves of verbal communication until she was ready to speak to them both as some form of self-punishment, she also wasn't going to correct them.

At night, after she retired to her tent for the evening, Fallon often heard them talking to each other in hushed tones as she drifted off to sleep. Each conversation was entirely about her, how terrible they felt for hurting her so badly that she was still ignoring them, and when they thought she would speak to them again.

“I didn’t think it was possible for her to be quiet for this long,” Gale muttered to Astarion on the eve of the third day. “How much longer do you believe this will last?”

“I’m not sure, but if she didn’t deign to speak to us for another fortnight, would you blame her? I consider us lucky that she’s even considering speaking to us again at all,” Astarion countered, sighing heavily, and Fallon smiled softly to herself as she listened. “We’ll reach Waterdeep tomorrow, so maybe she’ll be ready to talk once we get to your tower?”

“I hope so,” Gale said wistfully. “Speaking of which, I got a hold of Tara. Everything should be ready when we arrive.”

“Excellent. Gods, I hope this works. I wouldn’t blame Fallon for ignoring us for another fortnight if she wished, but that doesn’t mean I want her to. I didn’t realize it was possible to miss someone you see every day.”

Though Fallon could have guessed that Astarion missed her (probably Gale, too) by the way they looked at her whenever she’d grant either of them any brief acknowledgement in the last three days, it was still nice to hear the vampire say it out loud. Giving Astarion and Gale the silent treatment had been harder for Fallon than she thought it would be, because every time she acknowledged them, the hopeful look on their faces, the optimistic thought that, perhaps, the worst of her hurt and anger might be over, nearly broke her resolve. Not speaking to them unless absolutely necessary had also made Fallon miss them , too. By the time they rode through the city entrance to Waterdeep, the deepest parts of the hurt Fallon felt because of their actions had passed. The pain wasn’t completely gone, but the idea of talking to Gale and Astarion about it didn’t reduce her to tears anymore. That was Fallon’s internal sign that she was ready for this conversation, and perhaps, to begin down the path to forgiveness.

The City of Splendours was just as beautiful as the name would suggest, and Fallon was actually starting to think that Gale had somehow managed to undersell his hometown. She couldn’t help but watch Gale’s face as he took in the city as they passed through the streets. Fallon couldn’t remember the last time she saw Gale look so happy. In fact, Fallon wasn’t entirely sure she’d ever seen Gale as happy as he was in that moment.

Gale looked back at Fallon, still beaming as they rode beside each other. “If you’ll allow me to take the lead, I will escort us to my tower.” She nodded, pulling back on her horse’s reins slightly so Gale could pass, and even that small acknowledgement made Gale’s smile so much brighter. Of course, finding Gale’s tower wouldn’t have exactly been difficult even if she and Astarion had been on their own. The ornate tower was centrally located, and arguably one of the tallest buildings she could see. To her surprise, there were people waiting to take their horses to a nearby stable when they arrived, and a small bit of sadness filled Fallon as she kissed her own horse’s nose for the final time, at least until they returned. It wasn’t like the horses could go through the portal to Asha with them, and no matter how long they remained in Waterdeep, Fallon had a feeling they’d mostly walk.

The quiet filling the air as Fallon, Gale, and Astarion entered the landing level of Gale’s tower was a different kind of silence to the one they’d been sitting in for the last several days. Fallon and Astarion were in too much awe to speak, and Gale was just so happy to be home that he looked like he was trying not to cry. “It’s beautiful, Gale.” Fallon said softly as they ascended the stairs to the next level, where Tara was waiting for them in the sitting room.

“Mr. Dekarios! It is so lovely to see you sir, you’re looking much better than you were the last time I saw you– even if you still haven’t shaved that horrid thing on your face. Nice to see you both again, too.” Tara greeted them.

“Hi Tara.” Fallon giggled, not able to help herself. She remembered Gale lamenting about how much the tressym hated his long hair and scruffy face, but Gale liked it, so it stayed. Fallon liked it, too, so she was glad that Gale’s companion hadn’t managed to bully him into getting rid of it.

Gale sighed, but the smile on his face never faded as he shook his head at Tara. “It’s lovely to see you as well, Tara. I’ve missed you,” he squatted down so he could scratch beneath the tressym’s chin. When he stood again, he clapped his hands together. “Is everything in order?”

Tara hopped onto the back of the sofa. “Everything is in order and still on schedule,” she confirmed, and Fallon looked back and forth between Gale and Astarion with a curious look on her face. “Is what in order?” It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Tara was referring to whatever plan Astarion and Gale concocted to get back in her good graces, but there was a schedule?

Astarion removed his facial covering now that they were indoors again, and he gave her a sly look in reply. “You’ll find out soon enough, darling, but I’m afraid you’ll need to remain in the dark just a bit longer.”

Gale’s look matched Astarion’s, and suddenly Fallon found herself regretting putting the two of them in a situation to conspire against her. “Indeed. On that note, I’m afraid we have to kick you out for a bit,” Fallon frowned as Gale continued. “Not to worry, though! Tara has agreed to act as your guide while you explore the city”

Fallon opened her mouth to argue– she’d really been looking forward to just taking a bath and mentally preparing herself for the conversation she intended to have with the vampire and the sorcerer standing before her; but before she could say anything, Astarion cut her off as he reached into his pocket for a small satchel that had the telltale jingle of coin inside, offering it to her. “I realize we’ve not given you much of a reason to trust us recently, but I promise you won’t regret it. Please.” His eyes were soft and pleading, the closest to a puppy-eyed expression Fallon had ever seen Astarion make. Gale was already rubbing off on him.

If they really went this far out of their way to plan something for her, the least she could do is play along. Fallon let out a resigned sigh and nodded. “Lead the way, Tara.” She gestured to the door and relief washed over Gale and Astarion’s faces, the latter looked like he’d kiss Fallon if she let him. The tressym hopped down from the back of the sofa and made her way towards the door. “This way, miss Fallon.” Fallon nodded in goodbye to Astarion and Gale, smiling softly at them, and she followed Tara out.

Once back outside the tower, Tara hopped up onto Fallon’s shoulder, causing the elf to let out a noise of surprise. “Forgive me, miss Fallon, it’s just easier to travel like this– I fear you’d lose me rather quickly otherwise. Our first stop isn’t far.”

“First stop?” Fallon asked warily.

“Oh yes, this is a multiple-stop outing, miss Fallon. Astarion and Mr. Dekarios gave me explicit instructions.”

“Why am I suddenly nervous?” Fallon mused as she weaved through the streets of Waterdeep, Not a single passerby seemed to be surprised to see a tressym sitting on her shoulder, which meant things like this were just…normal here. She followed Tara’s instructions as she took in her surroundings.

Fallon didn’t know why it surprised her so much, but their first stop was a bookshop. She should have known, since this was an outing at least half-planned by Gale Dekarios. The shop was quiet, with only around twenty or so other patrons milling about and browsing books. “Hello, Norbert!” Tara greeted someone as they entered. The halfling sitting on a high top stool behind the counter looked up from his book, and as soon as he saw Fallon and Tara, his face brightened. “Ah, Tara! I was wondering when you’d be by. Let me go grab your order.”

The halfling slid from his stool and disappeared into the back of his shop. “Tara, did Gale send me out with you to run his errands?” She laughed.

“Technically, yes, but also no. We’re not here for an order for Mr. Dekarios.”

Confusion etched across Fallon’s features. “Are we running your errands?”

“Goodness, I thought Mr. Dekarios said you were a bright woman,” the tressym chastised, and Fallon frowned. “He placed an order for you, dear.”

Fallon’s face immediately softened, and her heart swelled in her chest. Of course Gale would use books as a means of re-gaining favor with someone. The halfling returned with a small stack of books in his hands, and Fallon immediately recognized the book on the bottom of the stack just from its spine. She waited patiently for the halfling to set the books on his counter before touching them. “Here you are, all present and accounted for.”

Fallon reached for the books and began scanning the titles– the first three were all romance novels, but the last book in the stack made Fallon gasp. It was a first edition copy of the book about the boy wizard. How had Gale managed to find this? The book was printed almost twenty years ago. Fallon carefully opened it, and a folded piece of parchment slipped out, fluttering to the floor. Tara jumped onto the counter as Fallon bent down to retrieve it, and she realized it was a note, addressed to her. Fallon unfolded the parchment and recognized the neat, precise script with which it was written.

“ Dearest Fallon,

As you know, when we met, one of the first things that drew me to you was our shared love of literature. Once upon a time I recommended three romance novels to you, and promised to procure copies for you after we saved the world. These are a bit delayed on delivery, seeing as we saved the world two years ago at this point, but I do hope you enjoy them all the same. I’d planned on taking you to this shop to purchase copies for you once we arrived in Waterdeep anyway and then, well, you know what happened.

You’ve obviously read the last one in the stack, but you mentioned Astarion has been hogging your copy, so I had Norbert find another for you. Admittedly, I was quite surprised when he told me that he had a first edition copy in his stockroom! What a treasure, indeed, just like its new owner.

I realize that it might seem like I am trying to buy your forgiveness, but I can assure you that is not the case. I would have bought them for you anyway, because you deserve to start doing things you enjoy again, after spending so long sacrificing yourself and your needs for the greater good. Though I do look forward to (hopefully) hearing your thoughts on the romance books once you’ve finished them. They’re quite riveting.

Yours,

Gale”

Fallon’s smile grew wider and wider as she read Gale’s not. The sorcerer might not have been trying to buy her forgiveness, but it was definitely helping. “Thank you, Norbert. These are lovely. I can’t wait to read them.”

The halfling beamed at her. “Enjoy! Gale has excellent taste, so I doubt you’ll be disappointed.”

Tara jumped back onto Fallon’s shoulder. “Tara, do we have time for me to browse for a bit, to see if I find anything else I might like?”

“We do! Mr. Dekarios had a feeling you might want to browse,” Tara confirmed, and Fallon smiled. “He said to tell you to pick out whatever you’d like, and Norbert will put it on his tab.”

Of course Gale had a tab at his local bookshop, Fallon was not even surprised. She spent the next half-hour browsing the shelves and managed to limit herself to two additional books. After all, Gale already bought her four and she didn’t want to seem like she was taking advantage of his kindness (and his desire to get back on her good side). With her books stashed in her bag of holding, Fallon exited the shop and looked around. “Where to next, Tara?”

The next shop they visited was a dress shop, and Fallon did not even need to ask which man instructed Tara to bring her here. Just as Norbert had, the elven woman running the shop recognized Tara, and she immediately greeted them both with a bright smile as she pulled a note out of a drawer on her side of the counter. Once again, the note was addressed to Fallon and was written in a familiar, elegant script.

“Fallon, my love,

I believe I still owe you a new dress after ruining yours at the Winter Solstice. The shop has your measurements, and I told them what colors you prefer, so they hopefully pulled a few things already. I look forward to seeing whichever breathtaking option you choose.

I love you.

xx,

Astarion”

Even the notes they’d each written for her were entirely in character. Gale’s verbosity extended even to paper, while Astarion was right to the point, and each note left Fallon’s heart stuttering in her chest. Sure enough, as Fallon pocketed the note from Astarion, the shopkeeper had walked across the shop to a small rack of dresses separate from everything else. Fallon smiled at the assortment of dark blue, burgundy, and black dresses that hung there. “Tara, I don’t suppose you know if there’s a specific occasion I should be shopping for, or if I’m simply just to choose any dress that suits my fancy?”

“I’ve been instructed to tell you that there are plans this evening for which you might want to have a new dress but, and I quote, 'she could show up wearing rags off the floor of the Elfsong Tavern and she’d still look beautiful, so it doesn’t matter.' ”

Fallon snorted with laughter. Even Tara’s delivery of the instructions sounded like Astarion. “Well alright then.”

There was a stool next to the rack of clothing, and Tara jumped onto it and sat down. “While I am not privy to all of the details, Mr. Dekarios alluded to the…transgressions he and Astarion committed together. As a result, he and Astarion are now both desperate to prove how much they care for you, and are equally as desperate to earn your forgiveness,”

“Well that’s certainly one way of putting it.” Fallon hummed as she began to examine the dresses on the rack before her with intent.

“So, miss Fallon, if I may make one tiny suggestion? One female to another?” There was a mischievous tone in Tara’s voice that piqued Fallon’s curiosity, and she tore her gaze from the dresses to look at the tressym.

“Let’s hear it.” Fallon agreed.

“Make them crawl.”

Chapter List

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #astarion #female tav #bg3 fanfic #gale x tav #astarion x tav #bloodweave #bloodweave x tav #astarion x gale x tav #bg3 fan fic #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fan fiction #bg3 fic

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that-basic-simp · 1 year ago

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Down By The River PT. II

Karlach X Fem! Reader Continuation of Down By The River CW: Mature language, graphic descriptions. WC: 1.9k+

A/N: I apologize for the font change. Tumblr was being a pain in my ass when trying to use the "chat" font. Not to mention it hates when I use that font and try to space things out. So yeah. Thanks for nothing Tumblr. Might just be posting links from now on.

Also thank you @reetriestbr for requesting a Part 2! Sorry if it's shorter than the first one.

Stirring ever so slightly, I blinked my eyes open to find I was resting up against a tree while Karlach's head was resting on my abdomen, her arms wrapped around my waist. I smiled as I ran my hands through her hair, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. Her tail moved back and forth slightly before it curled upwards, the pointed end of her tail almost reaching her back. Blinking her eyes open, I was met with those fire-esque orbs. Leaning up, she placed a quick kiss to my lips.

"Morning, Karlach," I smiled.

"Morning, Y/N."

I leaned back against the tree and she nuzzled her head into my abdomen once more, holding me tightly. I let out a sigh as I continued to run my hand through her hair, feeling how rough it was due to her fire. Not to mention the buzzed part of it. Reaching down, I ran my one hand along her intact horn while the other tapped on the broken one.

"How did you lose your horn?"

"When I was fighting in Avernus," she said, her tail flicking back and forth.

"What was it like? Fighting down there?"

She let out a sigh, hiding her face in my clothing.

"Fucking terrible," she growled.

"I could imagine," I said, my fingers running lightly over the intact horn.

"The worst part about it was fighting for someone who only used me for my strength. I was betrayed by someone who I thought I could trust and what do you know? They sell me off to a bitch who took out my heart."

"You may not have a heart and just an engine now, but that doesn't mean you don't have a heart."

"I think you're a bit confused, Y/N," Karlach chuckled.

"Hear me out, Karlach. You may not physically have a heart, but you have more of a heart than these people who are after you. They want you dead, meaning they're heartless when it comes to other beings of life. While as you, you only want to live while you still can."

Picking her head up, she smiled at me. I leaned down and pecked her lips, feeling the warmth of her internal temperature being raised to where her red flames turned blue. I smiled down at her as she pulled away. I ran my hand across the base of her horn and she let out a soft growl, not quiet like a purr. It certainly wasn't a fierce growl she emitted when talking about Zariel and her time in Avernus. I rubbed the base of her horns and a small whimper came from the base of her throat as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Y-Y/N," she breathed out.

"S-Sorry," I said, pulling my hands away.

Her eyes opened up and she looked into mine, a pleading look appearing.

"P-Please," she said, reaching up to grab my hand.

"Y/N!" I heard someone yell.

Karlach immediately got up and grabbed her axe that was nearby.

"You need to run, Karlach," I said.

"What about you?" she whispered.

"Don't worry about me. Just run."

She pecked my lips real quick before darting off into a different direction as I walked in. Heading to where the voice was calling me, my father was standing there with Wyll and the group of people that were hunting down Karlach.

"There you are, Y/N," my father said.

"H-Hi, dad."

"You remember Wyll, don't you?"

"Y-Yes."

"Pleasure," he smiled. "I'd like to ask you a couple questions."

"O-Of course."

"You seem to be coming in these woods a lot and these are the woods that Tiefling got away in."

"Yes, I do come in here a lot, but it's also the woods behind my house. I tend to come here to clear my head."

"Have you seen any mysterious activity while you come down here?"

"No," I said.

"I see. And when you do come down here, are you this far up the river?"

"Yes. I tend to find myself wandering."

"Thank you, Y/N."

"Head home," my father said.

I nodded and walked past them as they walked further into the woods. What I didn't notice was that they had dogs with them. No. They were going to get her scent. The one sniffed at my pants I was wearing and snarled.

"Hey, down!" one of the men said. "Sorry about that."

"I-It's alright."

I walked back towards the outskirts of the woods, but then I quietly turned around and followed him. One thing my father taught me briefly when we were hunting together, before he found a group to hunt with, was to be quiet on my feet while also being quick. Following the sounds my father and Wyll were making, I heard a dog bark followed by a scream.

"We got her!" Wyll yelled, running.

"Get her! Don't let her get away!" my father ran after Wyll.

I ran after them now, since they were focused on catching Karlach. Running past bushes and dodging low hanging branches, I skidded to a stop as they had her surrounded. There was a large hill that was too steep for her to climb up. And where they were was the area I had saved her. Right by the river. Holding her axe, she bared her fangs at Wyll, my father, and the men who were hunting her down. The dogs were snarling and barking at her, trying to bite her.

"Come on you fuckers!" she yelled. "If you're going to fight me, fight me!"

One of the guys pulled out some rope and spun it around. I acted upon instinct and got out of where I was hiding.

"Karlach!"

"Y/N?" she lowered her guard.

The guy threw the rope towards her and it wrapped around her intact horn. He yanked the rope and she was pulled in that direction, stumbling on her feet as the dogs were getting in the way. She fell onto her knees and swung her axe, getting the dogs to back up. Getting up, another person swung more rope at her, it wrapping around her wrists. The person yanked it in the opposite direction of the first guy, causing the axe to be thrown from her grasp.

"Get the legs now!" my father yelled.

The dogs ran in and started to bite at her legs and even her tail. She let out shouts of pain as she stumbled to the ground, the dogs after her now.

"GET HER!" another guy yelled.

I jumped into the fray and started to beat the dogs off with a large branch. I didn't want to harm them, but hopefully they got the message. They cleared a path as they avoided my hapharzard swings, allowing me to get closer to Karlach.

"Are you ok, Karlach?" I asked, standing above her.

"I've been through worse," she sighed.

"What is the meaning of this, Y/N?" Wyll asked.

"Y/N," my father marched over to me, removing the branch from my hands. "What the hells are you doing?"

"Don't hurt her."

"What? Don't hurt her? Do you even know who she is?"

"Her name is Karlach. Karlach Cliffgate. She has just as much of a right to live, just like all of you standing here."

"She fought in the Blood Wars in Avernus. She is a killer," Wyll said.

"She is not a killer," I said, turning over my shoulder to find her soft eyes looking up at me.

"She is much more than that."

"What are you saying, Y/N?" my father asked.

"Karlach wouldn't hurt a soul unless it was the last thing she had to do. Unless she is forced to hurt another soul. Or unless that soul is heartless and wants to kill her."

"Y/N," my father began.

"Karlach is not the Tiefling you believe her to be. Or had led others to believe her to be. She is just trying to live because who knows how long she has. Her infernal engine, it's the reason she was burning hotter than a furnace. Now she is able to finally touch things without burning them. And you're going to rob her of experiencing that?"

"I was tasked with hunting down and killing Karlach," Wyll began. "I heard reports of her being in this area. That is why I extended the offer to your father, since he is an excellent hunter. Y/N, she must be killed."

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged," someone said, whistling to the dogs.

They all jumped on me and started to attack. I let out yells as their fangs and teeth sunk deep into my skin. I looked up as my father did nothing to help me. I gritted my teeth and fell onto the ground, letting the dogs have easier access to me. I tucked my head close to my chest and covered the back of my head with my hands, trying to protect my neck. I heard a primal growl and some of the guys yelling at one another. The dogs were ripped off of me and thrown towards the men. Karlach stood over me and grabbed her axe from the ground.

"Alright you fuckers!" she yelled. "You take one step closer towards her and you're going to get it!"

Rushing towards her was Wyll, bringing out a sword. Swinging her axe, the blade came into contact with his flesh and tore both of his hands off. They fell onto the ground with a thud and Wyll's scream rang through the once peaceful woods. The men, now seeing Karlach for who she truly was, a warrior, got up and ran off. The dogs followed suit and it was just my father and Wyll. Bending down, she helped me stand up despite the numerous injuries I had sustained. We walked past Wyll and towards my father.

"You don't belong here," my father growled.

"Neither do you," Karlach sneered as we walked towards the house.

As we were getting closer, I was getting weaker and weaker to where Karlach had to carry me back to the house. I took in her warmth as I tucked my face into the crook of her neck. She smiled and nuzzled her cheek against my forehead.

"My hero," she whispered.

"I should be calling you that," I said.

"You were the one who saved me first."

"Then you saved me."

"We saved each other."

I smiled and kissed her jaw before she opened the door to my house. My mother turned and found me bleeding.

"On her bed, dear," my mother said to Karlach.

Karlach walked into my bedroom and set me down. Rushing in, my mother started to tend to my wounds as Karlach slowly backed up towards the door.

"You, don't go anywhere," my mother pointed at her, not even looking in her direction.

"It's ok, Karlach," I said.

"So you're the Tiefling that was giving Y/N's father trouble?" my mother chuckled. "I like it."

"Umm, thank you?" she said.

"There, get your rest, Y/N," my mother kissed my forehead.

Turning she faced Karlach and smiled, "Don't worry. With the two of us here, we won't let her father get close to you. You're safe with us, Karlach."

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head slightly.

My mother walked out of my bedroom and closed the door. Karlach walked over to the small bed and knelt on the ground, taking my bandaged hand in hers.

"I'm not going to go anywhere, Y/N," Karlach said and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "You're stuck with me."

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Karlach," I leaned over and pressed a long kiss against her lips. I could get used to this.

#karlach x reader #karlach #baldur's gate 3

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