Don't we all just love HATEshipping? A long lasting relationship doesn't always start with happiness and first glances of "HE'S HAWT" and such. Sometimes its covered in bruises and has to force its way into your life whether they know they're doing it or not. At least, this is what happens in Caderyn and Valen's case LOL
DISCLAIMER: Once again, I do not own NWN. If I did, the endings would have been way more badass.
Chapter 3
The Unfortunate Battle
Sleep never comes easy.
Not when on your mind is the number of people you've killed, the smell of blood tarnishing your lips and your throat is cracking from screaming too much. Your armor is falling off your figure and every inch of you is bleeding and broken as you down another bottle of green liquid to get you to that final point- to get you past this last dungeon. Then it'll be over, you promise yourself, then it'll be over and you can rest your head against the cold, stone floor and your companion can carry you the rest of the way.
Yes, lie to yourself a bit and think you're going to get a break. You're going to get a rest but the minute you reach the door way, your body gives out and you collapse.
"I waited for you wake up Caderyn," the woman's voice was condescending and booming over him, "I'd hate to see that the hope of Neverwinter be extinguished so suddenly in his sleep."
Caderyn doesn't say anything, he looks at her dark armor in distaste and false hope. Stop lying, Aribeth, he thinks desperately, I'm here now- you don't have to pretend. Now we can work together and, and-
He doesn't finish his request as the sound of her blade leaving its sheath echoed throughout the room and it was at that moment Caderyn realized the world was cruel.
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Jolting up from his bed, the silver haired man lowered his gaze to his open shirt. The scar on his shoulder already plain from when her sword had pierced straight through him- missing his heart thanks to his fast movements. How many times did he almost die in those dungeons and those cults in her name only to have her blade be the only one which came closest to his death.
The irony was laughable.
Flopping back onto the comfortable cushions, he heard Deekin murmur from his own bed about his 'Old Master'. Caderyn cringed at the thought, still hoping the Kobold would forget about that disgusting monster- he felt his pride take a hit at his companion's words. He was never one to show is exact feelings but the moment he saw the cowering Kobold in the snowy mountains- he was just sure what he was supposed to think after hurting himself laughing. Saving the Kobold from his master was the least he could do- yet he was being repaid with the creature's murmurs of the old dragon.
He should have just killed the son of a bitch.
"Ah well, no time for self pity, Cada," he muttered to himself, jumping off the bed to sit at the edge, "It doesn't really bring anything except regrets."
He sat there for a moment, debating the idea of bathing before or after trying his hand at combat. He didn't shower when he had walked into his room, instead he clipped off his armor and collapsed onto the bed while whispered a heal spell at the same time. It didn't go over too well as he finished it and he felt a harsh jolt on his back from the spell working. It felt fantastic afterwards but it very well hurt just a bit too much at the time.
"I'm sure after would be a better choice," he muttered, sniffing himself and cringing, "Or maybe now…"
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"Captain….," a young man's voice brought Valen from his concentration.
The red haired tiefling was busy wiping the sweat from his brow after he had abandoned his green armor for nothing but his bare back. He had gone all out today, a rare occasion, thanks to the built up rage he suddenly felt exerting. Painfully enough, he had to repress himself slowly from tearing everyone apart and kept his focus on the wooden dummies until there was literally none left. He made a note to himself to get them replaced immediately with a curt apology.
"Yes, what can I do for you?" Valen replied, civilly with a glance of acknowledgement.
"Well, the soldiers and I were talking and-," Valen sighed as he knew the beginning was already bad enough, "we didn't want it to sound disrespectful but we really can't help but wonder…."
The soldier paused before looking to the side for support from the small group who had stopped their duties to lean in carefully. Valen twitched at the open gossip hens as he caught his glare and immediately jumped and went back to working on their separate projects. The soldier tensed before lowering his head.
"We all were just curious of the woman you were with!" he finally finished, stepping backwards slowly.
Valen stared at them incredulously. Were they trying to figure out his love life? Further more, Valen wasn't even associating with a woman other than the Seer or Nathyrra today- in fact he entire person was being forcefully accompanied by- Oh.
The tiefling sighed before putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He had acknowledged that Caderyn was indeed a very striking person- but he didn't imagine he was beautiful in a sense that people would mistake him for a woman. Sure, Valen did at first but the sound of Cadeyrn's voice and the Adam's apple on his neck proved otherwise.
"Was- was it a private thing, Captain? I'm sorry if I disrespect-," the soldier began to stutter nervously at Valen's frustrated response.
"No, no," the tiefling soldier muttered shaking his head, "Its nothing, I assure you. That woman is- actually-,"
Valen paused. He realized he had been doing it a lot today. He had to be careful with the wording of his next sentence because it could be easily taken in many, many ways- ways he didn't want to be spread about the entire encampment.
He smirked.
"Her name is Caderyn De Verc-," he licked his lips trying again, "Vercing-etorix."
The soldier paused before smiling; a blush came onto his face.
"T-That's- for such a beautiful woman- is interesting," he soldier managed, "She looks very tame, matches you perfectly."
Valen wanted to scoff. Interesting? More like mind blowing. Valen had already become entirely turned off by anyone with such a name far less the person who owned it. He could already imagine the smug expression on Cadeyrn's façade as he laughed in the face of those soldiers who tried to talk to him as if he were a woman. He probably got it a lot so Valen had no reason to feel guilty. He stared at the soldier as if he had grown a second head at the words 'she looks very tame' and his mouth literally twitched when he dared to say that Valen and Cadeyrn looked nicely together.
Valen now began to wonder if the Seer would forgive him for one murder.
"Who's a woman, Valen?" a voice broke the crowd.
Valen sighed before putting a hand on his head and slipping on his shirt before turning to see Cadeyrn standing right before him with a heavy glare on his face. Valen's expression immediately dropped from any friendly expression he held with his soldiers to one of exact dislike at the man who had his weapon already at hand. The two-sided mace seemed menacing as it already dripping with acid. It must have been some sort of spell the cleric knew which gave his short stature quite a menacing demeanor.
"Obviously, you are," he looked down at him, "Mad'am."
"Oya, oya," Caderyn chuckled with his eyes closed as he shook his head, "Then it would be quite embarrassing to lose to a woman wouldn't it."
Valen glared, as a small breeze fluttered through causing the smell of an actual clean cleric to float through. Valen admitted than he seemed much better once rested and clean- but he was no less of an ass and was rather proud of it.
"When you say, lose," Valen licked his lips as he put on his armor once more, "What do you mean?"
The man smirked before laughing to himself; he pulled the large mace off his shoulder before holding it before him.
"I mean, in a battle," Caderyn tilted his hear kindly, "Unless, you're not up to it."
Valen paused, he studied the situation. The armor around Caderyn's figure seemed protective enough and the way he handled the weapon in his hand showed more than just an empty bluff. He stretched his fingers and knuckles before feeling the fires of competition burning- he was excited at the proposition. His face, on the other hand, still stoic and cold against Caderyn's smiling countenance.
"Do you," he stepped to the side, picking up his weapon, "Truly wish to battle with me?"
Caderyn didn't respond, his bag dropped off his back to the side and his stance was enough of an answer to the tiefling who began to swing is frail slightly in a playing motion. The soldiers watched on nervously at the tension between the two as Caderyn was the first to act. Automatically, Valen began to understand his speed and his movements and quickly avoided the damaged from the large mace being shoved in the direction of his face.
He grabbed the weapon as Caderyn was about to return it back to his side, and the cleric acted up quickly and sent a kick into the tiefling's stomach. He grunted in response and stumbled backwards at the blow as Caderyn began to flip the weapon and jump towards with. Avoiding it again, he winced as Caderyn used his momentum to quickly send a kick upwards into his face. Valen stifled a cry at the blow before gripping his nose. He winced as he felt a wet liquid against it and pulling his hand away he saw the red liquid staining thickly in his hands.
He wasn't sure if that was all it took, or perhaps it was the smug look on the cleric's face as he puck the mace on the ground to go hand to hand instead.
But something inside him roared and he already felt the urge. All he saw the sight of his blood and it kicked in immediately: Kill or Die.
Valen's speed picked up as he rushed forward, Caderyn's eyes widen quickly to try and avoid the strike but Valen used the time to bring up his knee to strick at the cleric's abdomen. Cadeyn cried out at the strike loudly before clutching his side. Valen had literally put all his strength into it, and on the frail body of the man it was like someone had stabbed a blade straight through.
He gasped before Valen's fist made contact with his chin and sent him backwards onto the ground. Turning on his stomach while biting down on a groan of pain, he felt the tiefling roughly jerk at his armor. Pulling away, he heard a loud sound of the metal apart and being tossed aside. Suddenly, Caderyn could feel the draftiness of the Underdark before he was pulled upwards and he tugged out of Valen's grip.
The soldiers, frighteningly, could already tell what had happened. Valen wasn't going to stop until Caderyn's body had no more life. He wasn't going to hold back and the cleric had lost any protection he had. Caderyn tumbled away before beginning to mutter a spell of holding on the tiefling. He had reached the final syllabul before he felt the spikes of the frail slam into his stomach. Crying out at they parted, he landed on his knees.
"Urgh!" he managed through the coughs while holding onto his bloodied shirt, "Stop! Stop! I'm done!"
Caderyn slammed into the ground, his fingers gripped onto the dirt. Blood was slightly streaking down his lip at the side as he held it close. He felt the bruising of his abdomen sink into his body as he flinched and groaned. He looked up to see the tiefling already looming above him, something already set off in his eyes.
"I'm not finished with you…" Valen muttered slowly, "Get up, we're still fighting."
Caderyn gasped before staggering away from the tiefling.
"Y..You're a monster… at first I thought it was just the usual angst but.. you… you have some issues, Fuck!" Caderyn cried out, putting his other hand to his chest and healing himself slowly.
The bruising began to disappear; Caderyn's displaced armor thrown to the side in a large heap of scrap on the other side shone against the magic's light. It was plainly obvious of Caderyn's male figure to the entire encampment. The other soldiers scuffled at the side, all wanting to jump into the battle but they were struck with far too much far at the sight of their battle enraged captain. His fingers began to tremble with the urge of the cleric on his knees, blood already in sight. This was the man who had lived through all the abuse, the Blood Wars and the captivity- this was the man who was bred into this world to do nothing but kill.
Valen stepped backwards, panting slightly. Another voice within had already been urging him on to just tear about this so called 'savior' before their eyes and let them all see that they didn't need him. They didn't need this silver haired cleric with a halo of silver around his face. They didn't need his assistance. HE didn't need help from anyone, anyone but the Seer. He didn't need- oh god.
Valen's feet began to quake slightly, he already felt ill as he realized the urge was dying. The bruising along Caderyn's face was apparent. The beauty before was painfully scarred along his right eye down to his chin as it bled through- the cleric kept his hand over it and only some blood seeped through. He attempted to heal it but flinched at the obviously broken left arm- Caderyn cried out before falling entirely to his knees from trying to stand.
"You bastard," Caderyn muttered, "Who the fuck told you to take this like some god damn war?"
"Cader-," Valen began to speak before he felt the electrical pulse of hate radiating from the cleric.
"Don't you fucking touch me!" the silver haired male glowered.
Valen winced at the roughness at his voice. Now he understood, Caderyn had the potential to be an absolute villain- he knew exactly what to say. He never said it before in such a way, as Caderyn knew how words could hurt, and he always played around. Unlike him, he realized bitterly, Caderyn knew his limits. He knew when he wanted to hurt and how to do it.
"W…What are you all doing just standing there?" Valen barked at the soldiers roughly, "Go… Go help him!!"
The soldiers immediately jumped at the chance and ran together the soldier who jerked away with them. He could still feel Caderyn's single open eye staring at him with an intense emotion before slowly walking away from the scene. He wasn't sure what he had to do, he wasn't entirely in control of his emotions- when he was in this state there was literally nothing more he could do than walk, walk to the Seer and keep blindly following her shining light.
But how long will it be till her light is entirely engulfed in Valen's dark shadows- he didn't want to be the one to selfishly eat away at it.
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Yet, here he was. Buried in her arms, holding her skirt in balls of his dirty fists and sobbing away at the idea that the images of the dead savior gave him the pleasure he never wanted. A demonic pleasure which he had to fight against everyday was awakened by a single sight, and he felt ill. The Seer sighed, not impatiently but understandingly, while running her hands through his hair.
"Its alright, Valen, be calm in your soul," the Seer whispered through his silent tears, "You cannot allow it to win, not after all your sacrifices."
He wasn't sure, he just wasn't sure anymore.
Lifting himself from the Seer's arms, he took large breaths. It was sick, this obsession, he felt for her blinding light. Perhaps this is what all those years of turned him into, an obsessive insane monster with a blood lust- he felt ill at the thought. Quickly removing evidence of tears of stains, except for the Seer's slightly dirtied dress, he licked his dry lips before bowing respectfully and kissing her fingers.
"I thank you, Mother Seer…," he murmured before someone else caught the Seer's attention.
"Rivvil…," the Seer's muttering made Valen freeze up.
"I have decided who I wish to accompany me on my journey, Seer," Caderyn managed, walking a bit slower than usual.
Deekin, as expected, trailed after her with a bouncing expression as Valen shifted his gaze away.
"Oh, who might that be, dear Rivvil?" the Seer responded, acting no differently than usual.
Standing to greet her guest's request properly, Valen side stepped out of their conversation. Mixed with the feeling of disgust at himself and shame along with the idea that he should have finished Caderyn when he could so that he may have avoided such an embarrassment.
"Nathyrra. I wish for Nathyrra's assistance," the cleric responded curtly and surely.
The Seer narrowed her eyes confusedly; she tilted her head in an elegant manner before frowning towards the man.
"I am surprised at your unwise choice, Rivvil," she began, "After all, Nathyrra's skills are very similar to your own. It would be unwise to travel through the dangers of the Underdark without proper protection of the physical matter."
"If I dare consider it," Caderyn shot a glance at Valen, "I'd worry for my own safety from the protector than the dangers."
The Seer's gaze lowered slightly, she sighed before nodding.
"If it is as you wish, Rivvil," she began slowly, "I hope the Great Mother gives you blessings on your journey. I believe Nathyrra would be waiting for you outside. I do hope you explore Sigil a bit more before you continue outside."
Caderyn smiled and nodded before tugging at his old white shirt.
"It seems I'll be needed some new weapons and armor, after all," he managed softly, "They didn't seem to do me any good."
Valen caught sight of Caderyn's intense gaze. He already felt like drowning against the man's presence of awkwardness, now he felt like suffocating against the stare. Caderyn smirked towards him, as if in victory but bitterness, and turned on his heels and left.
Turned on his heels and walked out.
Much like so many other times, Caderyn was such a puppy.
Acting tough but running with is tails between his legs while trying to bark at the enemy. Valen found it almost adorable yet, he found it sickening. Relief washed over him as he intensely glad he didn't have to put up with that snotty cleric- but, there was also a pang of emptiness that Caderyn made him feel as if he was unworthy of his companionship.
Once more, Valen felt sick.