As the party started to head off to search other houses, Vex noticed Lae'zel had a strange look in her eyes. While the others went on ahead, Vex walked beside her to see what was wrong. "I've noticed that you have been looking at me strangely lately. Is there something wrong?" She asked Lae'zel. Lae'zel stopped and turned to Vex, looking at her directly in her eyes. Vex noticed that her eyes were softer and less fierce, and she was hesitating. That was not like her at all. Lae'zel never hesitates.
"I have a confession. I was too hasty to judge you. I thought you were, witless, gutless, unimpressively bland." Lae'zel spoke. Vex blinked at her.
"Can I assume a compliment is coming?" She asked. Lae'zel shook her head.
"I don't pay compliments. I only say what is true. You've proven me wrong at every turn. You are efficient. Dominant. Courageous. I swear, you would tear the horns off one dragon for plunging into another. You've gained my respect, and more still my yearning. When I come near, your odor alone is enough to make my neck sweat and my hairs stand on end." Vex's eyes widen a little, shocked.
"Hold on, are you coming on to me?"
"Isn't it obvious? I want to taste you. Perhaps tonight. Perhaps later. But I want it all the same. Do you?" She asked Vex. Vex smiled nervously and backed away.
"I think I might have made a misunderstanding, somewhere? If I did, I'm sorry. I like you Lae'zel, but only as a friend. But thank you for telling me that."
"Your loss then. But you're going to regret it, I can tell, and you will be coming back to me." Lae'zel retorted.
"Yeah, sure. It's always nice talking with you, Lae'zel." Vex smiled. "But I do have one more question, though." Lae'zel nodded.
"Speak."
"You've said that I've earned your respect. So why are you so rude all the time?" Vex questioned.
"If you must know; Vlaakith requires everything of her children. I can't count how many bruises I've inflicted; can't measure how much blood I've drawn in the Undying Queen's name. I know only blood-red and death-black. My mind is silver and my body steel. I am what I must be, say what I must be, to survive every beast I face and every wound I bear." Lae'zel told her. Vex frowned.
"But you're still a person."
"It's all I know. It's how I was raised." Lae'zel replied.
Vex and the others headed into a house that looked like a small shop, selling herbs and potions. They looted all the items when Vex noticed a hatch on the floor behind the counter. She opened it up, leading down to a secret basement. Vex, Astarion, Shadowheart and Lae'zel climbed down the ladder. It was a storage for more herbs and potions. Everyone began to grab some of the items, putting it into their bags. Then Vex noticed a small lever hidden behind some crates and walked over to it and flipped it. There was a low rumble and the bookcase beside her, slowly began to slide open, revealing a secret room.
"Hey, found a secret room!" Vex called out to everyone and they came over. They stepped inside to see that it was a cavern of sorts and continued heading further in. There were several coffins, lying on the ground, untouched. Vex walked over to one of them and reached out to open it. Suddenly, the coffin exploded and a skeleton emerged out of it, surprising everyone.
"It's a trap!" Shadowheart shouted. Vex tried to slice at the skeleton with her sword but it dodged it. The skeleton quickly ran over to a nearby coffin, waking up another skeleton.
"We need to take them out quickly!" Vex shouted. Astarion fired an arrow at one of the skeletons, hitting it. Shadowheart fired a firebolt at the other one, doing a little damage but not enough. Lae'zel quickly dashed over to the second skeleton and swung at it with her sword, destroying it. Vex tried to fire an arrow at the remaining skeleton, quickly finishing it off.
"That was a close one." Vex sighed.
"I know it's tempting, but, let's keep our hands to ourselves." Astarion smirked. "Unless you want to wake up more of the undead, that's fine by me." Vex shot him a glare and noticed a small mirror at the end of the room. She walked over and the others followed behind her, cautiously, approaching the mirror. The mirror was had a glowing, illuminescent appearance and when Vex stepped closer to it, seeing her face in the reflection a shadowy face appeared and spoke.
"Spea-k your name."
"Vex." Vex spoke, telling the mirror her name.
"I do no-t know this name. If you are known to my mas-ter, step forward and de-clare yourself an ally." the mirror said. Vex blinked in confusion.
"How about you open up or I'll smash you to pieces-bad luck be damned." She threatened. The mirror went silent of a moment, a little shocked and scared by Vex's intimidating response, then it finally moved, revealing an alchemist lab.
"A well-guarded library. What were they hiding down here?" Vex murmured aloud. Everyone searched around until they found a key as well as a lever. Vex flipped it and the wall slid open, leading back to the entrance from where they came in. Vex looked at the key in her hand and turned back to see a locked door. Everyone walked over to the door and when Vex stepped in front of it something clicked beneath her feet.
"Careful. There might be a trap." She told them. Vex unlocked the door, pushing it open and slowly walked in to see two gargoyles and a strange looking tome lying on a stone pedestal. Vex noticed the gargoyles eyes were glowing.
"Let me do it. I'm pretty good at disarming traps." Astarion suggested. Vex nodded and Astarion walked over to the statue, examining it for a bit and managed to disable it, causing the other gargoyle to deactivate as well.
"Nice work." Vex said. Astarion smiled.
"I wonder what's so important about this book?" He questioned. Vex walked over to it to see that the book was sitting an a weighted slab. If taken off another trap would go off. "Allow me, my dear."
"I think I got this one." Vex told him. Vex stared at the weighted plate and managed to jam the plate so it wouldn't go off. She took the book off from the pedestal. The book had leather bindings with an eerie face that looked like it was screaming in pain. The book is locked tight, with no visible keyhole-only an oval recess in the cover's mouth. Vex tried to examine the book but the longer she stared, the more those piercing amethyst eyes draw her in.
"A cursed book? How obvious. Whoever opens it deserves the fate that befalls them." Lae'zel spoke.
"Curious. Why don't you take a closer look...I'll observe from way back here." Shadowheart said.
"That book looks terribly heavy. Why don't you let me carry it for you?" Astarion offered, smiling.
"I'll hold on to it for now." Vex told him. "There has to be a way to open it."