Insurance

Author Note: This is a fanfiction of a Dungeon's and Dragons game that is run by MechaGM on sundays, streamed live on his twitchtv channel. It has been a long time since I've written anything but for some reason this scene stuck inside my head. This takes place after the lastest session (17 at the time this was written). Don't mind the title, I suck at them. I know that my grammar is still atrocious but hopefully the story itself is alright. Hope you like it.

"Donald hold that there a sec." Darek handed his familiar the small tool that he'd been using before grabbing another one off the table and set to work on the interior of his crossbow. The aim had been terribly off in his last encounter with the spiders and he wanted to be sure that the mechanism was functioning properly for their impending meeting with Jadeis.

The party was currently staying in the local inn at Winterhaven, biting their time until the mad man responded to Canna's invitation. Darek had no love for the idea of speaking with Jadeis but his sister seemed dead set on the plan and he knew better then to try to change her mind when she was like that. Besides, Zelas and Dahlia would be with her for back-up. Dahlia could read people like a book and Zelas would do anything to protect Canna so the thought reassured him.

"Darek-"

"Ahh!" The artificer dropped his tool at Dahlia's voice, losing his concentration. He probably should have been doing this in his room instead of in the tavern but he wanted to keep an eye on everyone. "Geez don't sneak up on me like that."

"I apologize, that wasn't my intention." Dahlia kept a small one sided smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Darek looked up at her awkwardly from his seat. "What are you doing?"

"Oh just fixing the alignment on my crossbow," he fiddled with the weapon in front of him unconsciously, "it wasn't working right last time. I can't let that happen again." Dahlia noted the guilty look he attempted to cover up but kept quiet for his sake.

"You seem very skilled at that I must admit." Darek swelled with pride just the way Dahlia knew he would, the little glimmer in his eye reappearing as it always did when he talked about his work.

"I had great teachers." The red head proceeded to explain the process of recalibrating his crossbow to great lengths as Dahlia took a seat beside him, listening contently despite not fully grasping the details. Nearing the apex of his discussion Darek caught himself, embarrassed. The battlemind laughed lightly in response. "So ummm…Dahlia did you, you know actually need something? I doubt you wanted to listen to me ramble…"

"Actually…I was hoping I could ask you a favour." Darek perked up immediately. "I was wondering if you could enchant something for me." The artificer's grin widened ten fold.

"Sure! What did you have in mind?" Dahlia hesitated for a brief moment before setting her gauntlets on the table along with a sack of gold.

"I'm not sure what you could do with these but I trust your judgement. I would be happy to pay for the components-" Darek waved the blond off as he began to inspect the gauntlets with a keen eye.

"Don't worry about that. Let me take care of it." Excited for a project that didn't involve one of their teammates being terrorized by one arcane thing or another, the boy latched onto the prospect of doing what he loved for the girl he liked. "I'll need to go into town though to pick up some things." He may have been imagining things but Darek could have sworn that Dahlia seemed relieved as he said that. "Did you want to come with?"

"I…have not been feeling well lately. I would rather stay here if that is okay with you."

"Yeah, of course. Are you ok, did you need me to take a look at you?" He stood up to examine her more closely. Dahlia shook her head, aware that Darek was connecting her statement to her dark passenger.

"It's nothing serious, just need to rest I believe. We have been through a lot the past few days." He held her gaze for a moment longer then necessary, searching her eyes, before sighing.

"If you say so. I'll be back in a half hour." The arcane prodigy gathered his supplies from the table and handed Dahlia back her sack of gold despite her protests. "I told you, this one is on me. Feel better." He contemplated giving her a kiss on the cheek, but the shear prospect of going through with it gave him pause. Darek spotted his sister at another table with Zelas and Serriah; she'd never let him live it down. Instead he squeezed her hand lightly before setting off out the door.

The half-elf waited patiently until she was sure he'd left before turning on her heel towards the rest of her party. Thankfully Canna and Zelas weren't drinking and Serriah was her usual quiet self, sipping on her water skin as she listened attentively to her surroundings, ever alert. Dahlia knew that the wood elf had taken it upon her to watch for signs of Kavra'hal, protective of the group in her own way. It was a comforting thought, especially with Canna and Zelas's focus centered on Jadeis and Xellia. The pair in fact was currently in the midst of discussing what they would talk to the primordial cultist about.

"-he wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for that." Canna sighed at her companion's suggestion, stressed for the upcoming confrontation. The drow, his feet propped up on the table, shrugged at the dismissal. Zelas rarely ever seemed phased by Canna's retorts. Dahlia suspected it was why the two worked so well together. "Oh Dahlia, thought you were going out with my brother."

"I need to speak with you all actually, in private preferably." She caught the surprised expressions on their faces, well except Serriah but she never let herself show that kind of emotion.

"Uhhh yeah sure, let's go to our room." Canna eyed their defender carefully; she had always been hard to read. Now was no exception. The group followed Dahlia up the stairs to their lodgings, debating on what the battlemind wanted to discuss.

Zelas was the last person through the door, instinctively locking it behind him and then taking a seat beside Canna on one of the beds. The archer chose the chair off to the corner, giving her full view of the room. Dahlia merely stood in the center, a solemn look now present on her face.

"For a long time now, there has been a glaring problem brewing that no one wants to talk about. I don't blame any of you nor am I guilt free of this either. However I cannot let Darek shoulder this burden alone anymore after…it is getting more frequent that I lose myself to that monster." The party members visibly stiffened. Canna recovered first.

"Can he hear us?"

"I…don't know. Sometimes he's very vocal and responsive but that only seems to occur in combat. He feels more distant now but there is so much I do not understand about this…condition. I hate to say it but it scares me."

"Has Darek found anything out?" Zelas piped in. The blond sighed.

"If he has, he has not told me anything. I believe he wants to figure more out before he does. That's not the point though; I trust Darek to try his hardest in that regard and will tell me when he's ready." Canna held her tongue about her contact with the Winter Queen; she still suspected the Dracolich was listening in. Instead another thought occurred to her.

"Why isn't Darek here too then?" The pair stared at each other for a long moment but Dahlia was the first to look away.

"He is already under immense pressure; between my condition, your full blade and the return of Raulhausen. Not to mention the assassins and Jadeis. He does not need what I am about to say to be hanging over his head too." The group looked at her questioningly.

"What are you getting at?" Dahlia grimaced; she knew that Canna was going to be the hardest one to convince. The violent vixen was notorious for steamrolling her opinions over others to get her way. She was getting better lately, Dahlia suspected Zelas had a hand in it, but once Canna resolved herself to something there was no changing her mind. It was something she usually admired. Dahlia had had Darek with her last time Canna had attacked her choice of returning to Westgate but this time she was on her own.

"I've been fortunate so far. He has only been a problem once the fighting has ended and I have managed to wrestle control back quickly. However, each time it gets a little harder and…I feel like I lose a little piece of myself every time. What happens if next time I cannot stop him, what if he's unleashed in combat?" Uncomfortable expressions consumed the group, the implications hard to deny. "We can no longer ignore the possibility."

"So what are you saying then Dahlia? We aren't mages, what good are we going to do here?"

"I'm not talking about coming up with solutions to rid myself of him that is beyond us. It's a dangerous situation and it's hard not to expect casualties, but if there are any…I would like to limit it to one."

"I know of exactly one way to remove him from her body…you will not like the answer." Sten's words echoed hollowly in Canna's head. The red head let out a low growl, finally grasping why her brother was not present for this discussion.

"I hope you aren't seriously suggesting what I think you are?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Zelas interjected, sensing his girlfriend's building anger.

"She wants us to kill her if Vaarsaath takes over her." The thief tensed up and looked over in Dahlia's direction for a denial but only found the battlemind standing very still, looking to the floor.

"What good would that do? That could just free him couldn't it?" Dahlia paused at Zelas's question but shook her head.

"I don't think so. Though he shares no love for me, he makes it his top priority to keep me alive. If I die, I think he will die with me. That's why if he becomes more of a problem, it would be easiest to-"

"No." Dahlia snapped her attention to Zelas, surprised he was the first to voice his disproval. "I want no part of this. I…almost killed you once; I won't be responsible for doing it again." The hurt in his words evident, she realized he'd been holding on to this guilt for awhile. She felt oddly touched by the sentiment.

"Zelas, you should know I don't blame you for that."

"It doesn't matter, that's not the point. Darek would never forgive us if we did that either. Hell I wouldn't forgive myself. It's not fair of you to ask that of us."

"I never said it was fair. In fact I know it is incredibly selfish of me to ask. But I feel so helpless, what else can I do?" Canna clenched her fist and rose to her feet to face Dahlia head on.

"I'm sick of this self-sacrificial martyr bullshit! I don't care if you think this is somehow better for the world, the plan sucks." To the half-elf's credit, she didn't back down.

"I am not trying to be a martyr. I am not asking you to strike me down where I stand right now. I just cannot sit back and do nothing as a Dracolich plots to uses me for his personal goals!"

"You're giving up! Don't pretend your being all fucking noble."

"I won't watch my whole team be killed again because of me!" Dahlia breathed heavily as a sharp pain lanced through her chest. She heard a sinister laughter radiate inside her.

Canna was taken a back from her statement and quieted.

It was a small even voice from the corner that broke the tense silence.

"Let her talk." The avenger turned to the till then silent brunette, a little unnerved. Canna crossed her arms and sat back down next to Zelas, who looked as though he were about to put an arm around her but thought better of it. Once she'd worked through the pain, Dahlia mouthed a word of gratitude to Serriah.

"Do not misunderstand me Canna…I have no intention of giving up. I have faith that Darek will figure out how to purge this evil and we won't have to implement any such plan. However battle is unpredictable…" She stopped, struggling with the right words to convince her companions. "Canna you're the leader; you bind us together to fight and carry us to victory against impossible odds. Zelas you strike out against terrifying foes and take them out like they were nothing. Yet you also can charm the most unreasonable of people." She turned to the archer and continued. "Serriah, you are an amazing tracker and without you we would get lost at the simplest of junctions. Your skill with a bow would put any other archer to shame. Darek…" she lingered on the name for a moment, "Darek is a man of many talents, all of which have been proven invaluable time and time again." Canna noted the pride Dahlia spoke with in regards to her brother.

"I have one job. I am not exceptional with a blade or excel at any skill in particular but that's ok. My job is to be the shield, to protect you all from anything we face and I try my damn hardest to fulfill that role." While Canna understood where she was coming from she didn't agree with Dahlia's gauge of her own abilities. "But how can I save anyone if I can't even protect you from myself." The half-elf finished grief stricken. She was secretly glad that Darek couldn't see her like this, realizing she was more like Canna than she initially thought.

"You talk as though you've already done something but so far the Dracolich has just spoken to us." Zelas attempted to alleviate some of her fears.

"You don't hear what I hear, the threats he makes towards you all for when he regains his form. I'm painfully aware you can't save everyone but…" Dahlia glanced guiltily at Canna. "He's focused in on Darek in particular. You may have been right, it was foolish to let my…feelings for him override the fact that we are in enemy territory. He will try to use him to get to me. I should push him away but…I can't." Canna reached for Zelas's hand subconsciously, aware of what a hypocrite she had been. However when she did the red head noticed the thief looked a little wary himself at Dahlia's statements.

"Look Dahlia, I get it. You don't want us to get hurt but that's no reason to let this monster spell death for you. You said yourself that Darek is working on a solution and that kid is nothing if not determined."

"Like I said, I'm not condemning myself to death. I just want the insurance that if something does happen; you won't hesitate to stop me, no matter what. I'd rather be dead, knowing you're safe then alive knowing I hurt any of you." In that moment, it was hard for the avenger to recall that Dahlia was only nineteen. Her first journey over the wall had obviously aged her a great deal mentally. Canna and Zelas avoided their defender's eyes, knowing they couldn't make any such promise.

"I'll do it."

"Serriah," Canna glared at the archer. Serriah however seemed unfazed by her leader's stares and rose to her feet.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to kill Dahlia. However she is right, it's stupid to not have any contingency plan for the worse case scenario. No one wants to be the one to do it but if no one will then I'll bear the burden of her blood on my hands. I took the beast out once and I'll do it again. Besides out of anyone here, I can handle Darek's reaction the best." A huge knot in Dahlia's stomach loosened all at once, a morbid sense of gratitude taking its place. It was the most the Battlemind had ever heard come out of the tracker's mouth at one time; it cemented Dahlia's respect for the elf.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing to thank me for." Serriah narrowed her eyes, as though to say 'don't make me follow through on this promise'. Dahlia breathed deeply and turned to the rest of her team expectantly but their response was interrupted by three short raps on the door.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Darek's annoyed voice filtered through the wooden door. Dahlia moved to lift the latch and pulled the door open for the arcane prodigy, magic components jumbled together in his arms. He looked around the room, confirming that everyone had in fact been talking about something without him. Not missing a beat, Dahlia placed a hand on Darek's shoulder and smiled contently.

"We were simply discussing what we should do when we meet with Jadeis. I'm sorry; we should have waited for you." The artificer rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. Zelas raised an eyebrow at the ease his blond teammate bluffed the boy, it was unusual for her.

"It's okay… I should get started on this anyways." He gestured to the items he had purchased. Serriah took the moment to side step pass Darek and work her way down the stairs without a word. Canna and Zelas followed suit, the former tossing Dahlia a judging look when Darek wasn't paying attention. "Umm, right guess I'll go to my room."

"May I come join you in a minute? I'd like to watch you work if that's okay. You can try explaining how you enchant items again. Maybe I'll understand this time." She attempted a chuckle, it was a little forced but Darek didn't seem to notice. Or if he did he didn't say anything.

"Yeah, sure, I can try." Grinning, Darek turned down the hall way to his room, rehearsing mock explanations under his breath. Dahlia watched his retreating broad shoulders in admiration, an act she only allowed herself to do when she thought no one was looking. His time over the wall had done wonders to his physique, to the point where he had climbed the mountain with relative ease last week. The half-elf vowed to keep him safe and hoped maybe they might one day be able to coexist without any interference.

That sinister laugh echoed again throughout her body.

"You amuse me girl. Do you truly think this plan will do anything to change their fate?"

Dahlia steeled herself to his words, in reality her thoughts plagued with concerns. "They beat you once, they will do so again. With my help if I have any say at all."

The Dracolich continued to chuckle darkly. "You have no idea the strength I hold girl. I'll enjoy destroying those fools with your blade. You all deserve death for what you did to me. Your comrades won't kill their precious defender. Even if the elf girl says she will, elf bones are brittle." Dahlia curled a fist tightly at her side. "I'll save the boy for last, just long enough for him to watch you annihilate his sister, long enough for him to hate you. Then tear him apart with your own hands. It will be glorious." She fought the urge to scream as the searing pain returned to her chest.

"Dahlia, you okay?" She jumped. Darek had returned after dropping off his supplies, now eyeing her tense form. "I was going to grab some food before starting, did you want something?"

"Ah yes…I'm fine." She paused to regain her composure. "I'm not very hungry…maybe a water?"

"Right…I'll be right back." The red head was about to climb down the stairs when he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Don't push yourself Dahlia, you'll make me worry."

"I'll try." With that Darek descended the stairs, leaving Dahlia alone with her thoughts.