Chapter 1 - A Ray of Hope
I dream of that elven woman again.
I can't remember her face anymore, only her back. Her long raven hair swaying in the wind as she walks away from me and into the moonlit ocean. Her silhouette is consumed by the crashing waves - disappearing from our lives forever.
Her soothing voice hums a haunting melody as if to prove her indifference, and to mock my pain.
I start to run towards her, sinking myself into the sea. I want to grab her hand, her hair, any limb I can hold on to - and force her to stay with us. But no matter how fast I run she always seems to be just out of my reach.
I jolt awake to my father's hacking cough piercing through the paper-thin walls of this shed we call our home. I immediately jump out of bed - quickly filling up a mug with water from the barrel.
"Are you alright Father?" I rush to his room to be at his side, assessing the state of his condition. He's in a cold sweat again and struggling to breathe. The dark tips of his rotting toes can be seen poking out from under the bed sheet.
It never gets easier… seeing him suffer in numbing pain.
He sips the water between his coughs - until his body is finally at peace.
"Thank you, my dear. I am fine," he whispers hoarsely, weakly holding my hand in reassurance. His thumb rubs back and forth across my knuckles until he steadily falls back asleep. As if all his energy had been spent.
I kneel there for a moment, softly stroking his graying chestnut hair.
My father suffers from a severe case of Flesh Rot. A cancer-like disease that slowly decomposes one's body from the inside out… until their death. Normally, this is a condition that could be cured through the use of medicinal potions, but no matter what we try nothing seems to work.
It's as if it were a curse.
I sigh and rub the back of my neck, assuring myself that everything is okay - for now. There is still time.
Looking outside the window, I notice that it's still dark out. The sun should be rising fairly soon. There's no way I'll be able to fall back asleep, so I might as well prepare today's meal early.
I made sure to leave more water by his side, and quietly make my way back to my room to get ready for the new day. After washing my face and tying my hair back into the usual bun, I lace up my weathered boots and grab my bow.
As I walk out the door, the dilapidated mansion of the noble Dlusker family looms over me and our tiny shed. The once proud white building is now faded and in a sorry state of disrepair—a reflection of what has become of the ruined Dlusker patriar.
I see no lights on in the windows, so it seems that my wretched grandfather and uncle have not risen yet. Reciting my daily curses for them in my head, I walk over to the estate's gated entrance.
"Lady Aquina, you're up earlier than usual," the guard at the gate yawns.
"Good morning Falnar. I see you have the privilege of morning watch," I reply to my friend in amusement. Looking him up and down, I notice that he's wearing his shirt backwards and has yet to notice. His curly brown hair is a mess, as he tries to rub the sleep from his dark eyes.
The young Tiefling has never been an early riser.
"Are you going out to the forest again?" he huffs, noticing my bow in hand.
"Yes, actually, I was hoping to hunt a goblin or two for breakfast. Want to join?" I ask jokingly. "My aim will never be as good as yours, you know."
"You flatter me, my lady," he says with a small smile. "As much as I'd love to aid in your quest, I'd rather Lord Norold not fire me - and with no severance pay too." He shudders at the thought.
I chuckle at his antics, but we both know my grandfather wouldn't hesitate to find some way to save money. He's desperate enough to resort to an array of immoral methods.
"What a shame. Maybe next time," I say in mock disappointment.
As I turn to leave, Falnar suddenly grabs my shoulder. I stare back at him in surprise. He looks as if he wants to tell me something, but he hesitates and lets me go.
"Please…um - be careful when you're by yourself. There's been reports of kidnappings all across the land." He lowers his voice to a solemn whisper. "The rumor is that the Illithid are the cause."
For a second, I forget to breathe.
The thought of being taken captive by a Mind Flayer and being transformed forever… forced to become a tentacle, brain-eating monster - creeps into my imagination.
I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
"I'm not afraid," I shrug with false bravado. "Even if I were to be taken away, I will find some way to come crawling back. I promise."
Wanting to change the topic, I ask "But why tell me this? Are you worried about me?"
"Why shouldn't I be?" he sputters, his cheeks starting to turn red.
"Mhm... By the way Falnar," I softly whisper, making direct eye contact. I slowly lean into him, my chest a needle's distance away from his.
"Yes - my lady?" He replies, holding his breath. Giving me his full attention. I go on my tiptoes to whisper into his ear.
"Your shirt's on backwards." I tease, playfully shoving him back.
His face flushes with embarrassment as I turn away with a mischievous smile.
How cute.
I took off before he could think of something else to say.
I arrived at my usual gathering spot in the forest, where all my traps were set. The area is dense with trees, and there is plenty of shade from the rising sun. Thankfully I've managed to snare a couple of squirrels, so we'll be eating meat tonight.
Squirrel soup or fried squirrel? Yummy.
As I go to check on my last trap, I notice a bit of blood leading into the bushes. Thinking that this can be injured prey, I ready my bow and cautiously approach.
In a clearing among the grass, I see a fat boar. It appears to have been recently deceased. I don't detect anything else in the area, so I go on to investigate.
But I pause for a moment. Although this is a fortunate find, something about this boar strikes me as odd.
Who, or what would leave their prize out in the open like this? Also, besides the small amount of blood near the bushes, there are no traces at all near the corpse. Upon closer inspection, it appears the boar had been drained - its body is completely void of blood.
No creature I know of can kill a beast so cleanly.
The hair on the back of my neck rises, and I faintly feel as if someone is watching me. Waiting. Stalking.
I reach for an arrow, ready to shoot anything that makes a move.
"I know you're there… whoever you are. Come out slowly and I promise not to shoot," I shout, trying to sound intimidating. My heart starts to race. I become conscious of the sound of rushing blood in my ears. All I can think about is Falnar's warning when I left the gate.
Seconds pass by.
A mere moment seems to stretch on for an eternity.
Suddenly I sense a fast-moving presence to my right, heading in my direction. I shoot without hesitation.
The shrieks of an unassuming rabbit fill the forest.
I exhale a sigh of relief, massaging the back of my neck in comfort. I no longer feel the stalking presence, but I swear I saw a trace of white flash by me.
A ghost?
Yeah, right.
My imagination is getting the better of me. Damn that Falnar, how dare he put scary thoughts into my head.
Either way, that's enough hunting for today. I have enough meat to last us for at least a week, and I can sell the pelts at the market. Plus, I'm not keen on finding out what mystery creature is responsible for killing the boar.
Hopefully, it doesn't mind me taking its prize though, finders keepers, after all.
I try my best to stumble my way back into the Lower City of Baldur's Gate - the heavy boar securely strapped onto my back, with the rest of the game shoved into a sack.
Luckily, I wasn't stopped at the bridge by the Fist's guards or the Steel Watch to prove my citizenship.
Perhaps they recognize me.
Aquina Dlusker, the rumored half-elf bastard of the disgraced and destitute Dlusker patriar. A noble lady who is shameless enough to do servant's work.
It's old news throughout Baldur's Gate that the once wealthy Dlusker family is now coinless. My grandfather, Lord Norold, is the one to be thanked for that. He got greedy and supported a corrupt Duke a number of years ago. They had elaborate plans to completely take over the city.
Eventually, their crimes were brought to light by a group of nosy adventurers. The Duke ran off, and so the Dluskers were left to bear the punishment.
Norold was somehow fortunate enough to escape with his neck and title, but at a tremendous price. He was sentenced to surrender the majority of his fortune and all of his properties in the Upper City. A slap on the wrist, in my opinion.
The Dlusker family is now shunned by the other patriar, existing as nobles only in name, and are forced to live among commoners in the Lower City. What little amount of money was left is now hoarded by my grandfather and uncle.
Despite this history, I do not care for the people's stares or whispers of gossip as I walk by. My noble heritage means little to me.
Instead, I take pride in my survival skills. I worked hard to hone them over the years through trial and error. Father was wise enough to teach me the basics before he became bedridden. And it was Falnar who taught me how to use a bow and trap prey. Although I had to incessantly bug him for weeks before he agreed.
As I continue to weave my way through the crowded streets, I think about the lines of people I saw outside the Gate, waiting to enter the city. Recently, it seems to be getting harder every day to pass through the Gate's security due to a recent influx of refugees fleeing their villages.
I wonder what could be the cause?
Although my heart goes out to the troubled people - I promptly dismiss my curiosity.
I have enough problems on my plate, and I'm barely making ends meet to provide for myself and Father. I cannot afford to help anyone. Also, it's not like I can rely on Grandfather and Uncle Nicolas for help.
Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't tried to get rid of us yet.
I find it suspicious they still allow us to stay on the Dlusker estate, given they started treating us like shit stains on their shoes when Father's illness worsened years ago and could no longer work.
Albeit it's not like the family ever cared for me to begin with.
I'm a mixed child born out of wedlock. Apparently, my mother was a poor elf of no noble status and had the audacity to disappear without a trace. My very existence is a permanent stain on their precious noble reputation they so desperately want to rebuild.
How pathetic.
Father could have abandoned me long ago to live an easier life, especially since that woman left us when I was a young child. Instead, he lovingly raised me. Took me under his wing. Although we didn't have much, I was content - happy even. He did his best to educate and nurture me, despite Grandfather's protests.
Lord Norold was so furious at my father, that they banished us from the manor and tried to hide us away in a rotting shed. Now, they refuse to spare even a single coin or effort for Father's treatment.
I would love to use the gold I've saved up over the years to move us away from the Dlusker hell hole, but I can't fathom the pain Father will go through just trying to move his legs. His body is fragile - I feel as if he would just crumble to dust in my arms.
No, I cannot afford to lose him. He's all I have.
Thus, I've been saving all the money I can get my hands on. We need a hefty sum that will be enough to attract a trustworthy healer capable of curing his disease. We've already been to the various doctors and alchemists in the area, but none have been able to successfully treat him - nor could even tell me the cause of his severe condition. Father's own savings emptied on countless potions and balms, just to produce no results.
There have been many nights I've cried myself to sleep out of pure frustration.
But tears will not save my father. Gold will. That's the reality.
After all the failures, I suspected the cause behind his cursed illness may be due to some type of dark magic.
Unfortunately, magical cures are expensive. You need top coin to hire a wizard or cleric here in the city. While working at Elf Song Tavern, I've heard tales of druids who may freely offer their healing services. However, those who specialize in that field are valuable to their people and tend to stay within their tribes - secluded deep in the wild forest.
Well, forget the druids for now.
After running some calculations in my head, a knowing smile makes its way onto my face. Thanks to the lucky boar from this morning, if I sell the animals' pelts for the right price at the market - I may have just enough to hire a cleric from the Temple of Lathander. If needed, I can pick up another shift at the tavern to make up the difference.
A feeling of hope begins to rise within my chest.
Could this be it? Will I finally be able to see my father walk again? We can leave the city and start anew. Far, far away from the Dluskers.
I shake my head, snapping myself out of a daze - before I let my thoughts run wild. You think I'd have learned by now not to get my hopes up so quickly.
First, I need to get home as soon as possible.
I pick up the pace. The load on my back seems to feel lighter than before.
Author's Note:
Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read. This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, so please let me know how you feel about the story. I'd really appreciate it!
I was inspired by my own playthrough of the game... and a certain sassy vampire. I totally have normal feelings for Astarion.
Anyways, I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I've had so much fun writing this. There's a lot of lore to Baldur's Gate that the possibilities seem endless. I'll do my best to update regularly, so feel free to follow along for the ride.
Side Note: The protagonist's name is pronounced similarly to "Akina."