Well… Technically, I am supposed to cycle my work with my other stories, and this chapter should be released in a month's time, but who cares? Am I right? I made those rules, so I have the right to break them! Anyway, here I am with another lovely chapter for all of you folks to enjoy, and I'm surprised by the amount of attention this story is getting! I mean, wow.

This was quite unexpected. The good kind of unexpected, I must add. Since clearly you guys liked it this much, I feel obliged to give you all another chapter to feast upon! Now, then, comments like I always do with all my stories first!

Doctor Doofenshmirtz: Yeah! It has been there for a while, and it's blooming now with Astarion because, of course, everyone wants the sexy vampire man. And your wish is my command!

Zekken182: Hey! It's been a while since I last saw ya. I address our MC as Arthur because that's who he is. He is not Artoria, if you are wondering, but her male counterpart from Prototype!

Hatred and Love: Yeah. To be fair, the 'Re-Zero Why Me' story is partly the reason for this story's creation, as it serves as an inspiration to me. I loved it despite the awful grammar, which I tolerate to an extent. It's a shame the author hasn't updated it in quite a while now. And I highly encourage you to play Baldur's Gate 3 first because it is so good, in my opinion, and as I stated earlier, my fic will delve into the story, and there will be spoilers in it!

In addition, our dear MC will not have Excalibur at the start. He will earn it as the story progresses and through his deeds. No cheating by having such a legendary sword at the start! And he looks more like his prototype counterpart with the hood from his Grand Order version.

Doortolight47: Yup. As I stated in the comment above, no Excalibur. And time will tell if he earns his sword.

And for the rest of you who wish for me to continue and love my content, stick by, for there's more to come in the future! And with that done, let us begin!

As with all my other stories, I do not own any of the content from the Fate series, nor do I own anything from Baldur's Gate. They all belonged to their respective owners, except for my OCs present.


Act 1: Chapter 2

Search for a Cure and a New Allies

"Wake up, my King, your journey in this new world is just beginning. I wonder how ready you are for the trials ahead. I'll watch your progress, for I am sure this will be entertaining."

I blinked. I blinked again. Yet I still found myself staring into the sunny blue sky that lums over me. The breeze of the sea washed over me like a tide of cold, as did the sounds of waves gently crashing in my ear, telling me enough that I was near a water source. I felt myself letting out a mixed sigh of relief and disbelief that everything I just went through was all real and not a side effect of drinking too much.

Once I got back up to my feet, I was rewarded with the sight of a beach devastated by the remains of the Nautiloid. Ash seemed to rain down from its burning remains while bits of biomatter were all over the place. "What happened here? I remember almost falling out of the ship and something hitting me in the face and…" Then, at that moment, I felt the worm in my skull squirm, which brought me back to reality and reminded me of my current situation.

"Fuck. Right, I need to find someone to help me get that thing out of my head." I then found myself staring at my gauntlets before my eyes moved to the rest of my body to see my armour covered in dirt, filth, blood and grim. All that made me look like I went through literal hell, which I clearly did. I rushed over the edge of the sea, which was crystal clear except for the bits of Nautiloid in it, and within it, I saw my reflection.

Green eyes stared back into me, and I could see how much differently I looked compared to my original self. I don't understand. If this is all real, then how did I physically change? What caused me to have blond hair and green eyes? I need answers as to that, but I have better things to worry about.

Grimacing at how I felt at the moment and the revelation that it was all not just a dream. I glanced around to see the long sword I was carrying stuck firmly in the ground blade-first. But another question struck me. How did I end up here? More accurately, how did I survive the fall? I'm sure I was quite high up in the sky when I was on the Nautiloid.

So, how did I survive it? And how long was I out for anyway?

"I have got other things to worry about. Like finding a cure for that worm stuck in my skull." And so I made my way and pulled the longsword off the ground before sheathing it. Quickly taking a minute to brush as much grim, blood, and dirt off my armour, pull my hood up as well as ensure I still had everything on me, I made my way across the ruined beach and stumbled across a mangled corpse of what I could guess belonged to a fisherman.

Another wave of disgust flowed through me, as did pity from how they were likely doing their own thing before the ship suddenly crashed on top of them. Even then, I couldn't afford to stay here. There could be survivors here. Both potentially hostile or not hostile to me. To both my relief and worry because I owe it to her for watching my back, I saw a familiar face lying on the sand not too far away, not moving!

"Shadowheart!" I called out before scrambling until I was next to her, and seeing her not responding to my calls made my blood freeze only for a second before I rested a finger against her neck and picked up her heartbeat. "Oh, thank God." I muttered before noticing that she looked relatively unharmed, minus the grim and dirt.

How is this possible? Did something protect us before we hit the ground? That and she still had that d20 dice thingy in her hand, and for a moment, I wanted to reach out to that thing to get closer, but I erased that thought to focus on the main issue.

Where the fuck are we?

"Oi! Shadowheart! Wake up!" I said before patting her shoulder rough enough that it stirred her up from her unconscious state. As expected to have someone patting her shoulder a bit roughly, she let out a groan and stirred awake before she spoke with disbelief as to her current situation.

"Ngh… Arthur? You're alive? I'm alive. How is this possible?" She asked as we rose to our feet. But I honestly have no idea.

"I am as clueless as you are Shadowheart. Last I remember was something hitting my face hard and I blacked out." I said before I unconsciously rubbed my cheek. "What about you?"

I watched as Shadowheart's face scrunched up a bit as if trying to remember the details. "I remember the ship. I remember seeing you fall out. Then I fall out, then… nothing." So she hasn't got a clue about what happened. Strange… I found myself leaning on my own arm with a hand under my chin as I thought it through.

What happened to our gith ally? If Shadowheart's here, then where did she go off to?

"I only remember connecting those tendrils anyhow. Glad you're still alive after that crash. I had hoped that there were other survivors beside us. Besides, do you have an idea where we are?" Because I don't!

But to my dismay, Shadowheart's answer did not ease my comfort. "No…" She said before taking a glance around and looking back at me. "I don't recognise this place. But anything's an improvement on where we came from. But we have bigger things to worry about. We need supplies, shelter and most importantly, a healer."

"No arguments from there. Both of us still have those worms in our heads." I agree as she reaches over and retrieves her mace and shield. "Now then, did you see the gith ally that was with us earlier?" I then changed the topic, though I should have seen this coming because Shadowheart immediately scoffs.

"It will be wise to reconsider her as an ally. From the looks of it, she ran off without us." Seriously, I should ask her what her beef is with them. Then again, my interaction with that gith woman was tense since violence seemed to be natural to her kind.

"Fair enough," I said while glancing around to see more corpses all over the place. "If we are to survive, I believe it is best we go together. Who knows what we will encounter in this place."

"I agree. We'll have more chances if we stick together. Besides," Shadowheart grinned at me. "I can't think of better company." I admit, her complement caught me off guard, and that made me let out a single chuckle in response.

"Heh. I'm honoured you think of me as such." I could only offer her a smile. "But I believe we have wasted enough time. We should go." And I was about to make the first move, but Shadowheart appears to have one last thing to say.

"Hold for a moment." She quickly called out with her hand resting on my shoulder as I paused. "I want to thank you for freeing me. It would've been all too easy for you to run past my pod, but you didn't. I won't forget that."

"I'm aware. It would have been easy for me to do that. But it would be cruel of me to leave you behind, and we needed all the help we could get to survive off that ship. Besides…" I felt my voice fade out when I remembered that other woman that I was forced to leave behind. "There was another woman on board. We couldn't free her because there was no way to get her out, and behind her pod was a button with a sigil that, when translated, says 'perfect'."

"'Perfect'?" Shadowheart's head tilts to the side while I can only gulp with a shiver up my spine.

"As utterly insane as it sounds, I believe those Mindflayers found a way to speed up the transformation process with a click of a button. If that's the case, I think we got lucky. Though I could only hope she got a quick death when the ship crashed." My eyes found themselves staring out into the sea. How many people died when the ship crashed? Hundreds? Thousands?

"No… Right now, your survival matters more…"

"Arthur, you did your best, and I'm sure you know that not everyone can be saved." Hearing Shadowheart's comment made me give a silent nod as I looked back.

"Of course. But we wasted enough time. We should go now." And so Shadowheart and I began to leave the ruined beach after she made the effort to loot the corpses of all valuables. I was, of course, horrified that she was doing this, but she quickly justified that we needed all we could get to survive and find a cure.

And she's right, as much as I don't want to admit it.

With reluctance on my part, Shadowheart and I quickly looted the corpses in the vicinity, and we found some gold among the bodies before we left. It was also during this moment she and I had another conversation about what we would do once we got those worms out of our heads. Turns out she's heading for Baldur's Gate because someone over there is waiting for her. However, she was noticeably vague with it, which I quickly noticed but chose not to comment on.

And Baldur's Gate… I know that name from that tablet from the Nautiloid. The largest metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast was founded by a great hero, Balduran. It was a crowded city of commerce and opportunity, and the most prosperous and influential merchant city on the western coast of Faerûn. Heading there will be my best bet, I hope there's someone who could help me get home over there.

As for me, and due to the fact I introduced myself with Arthur's full name, Shadowheart expressed her curiosity as to which kingdom I was technically part of, even more so when she mentioned that she had never heard of the Pendragons before. Thankfully, I managed to divert her attention elsewhere.

I've dug myself a hole, haven't I?


Eventually, we stumbled across an old- no, a building that is probably centuries old from the looks of it. Even more so was the glowing purple glyphs on the rocks nearby. Though for what purpose, I do not know. Even more so when Shadowheart could sense arcane energy emitting from it.

"How curious…" I found myself humming before my eyes peered towards the ancient lock, and when I got close I could see the extent of the rust on it. "Could it be that this portal leads within this building?" I wondered before Shadowheart was beside me with her hand under her chin.

"This ruin must hold importance. There's only one way to find out." She mumbled before reaching over and trying to pry the door open. And when it didn't budge, and to my sudden shock, she suddenly grabbed her mace and smashed it on the lock! And not just once! But numerous times!

Sure, it looked quite comical to see a half-elf using a mace to try to force the door open. But we're not getting anywhere, and eventually, Shadowheart got tired of bashing the lock and groaned. "Damn. If only I had Thieves' tool set with me. We could have this door open." She sighed while I nodded and glanced at the lock.

It didn't even look like it even gained a scratch! How tough is that lock?!

"Well, I'm sure there are other paths out of this place. Or into this ruined building." I said before I turned around to see that the only other way off this beach was through the crashed Nautiloid. "But we should keep our eyes open. Perhaps one of those tentacled freaks is still alive." I got a nod from Shadowheart, and we left the ruined building behind while she mumbled about how tough that lock was.

I'm sure there's another way besides that entrance.

Anyway, as we made our way through the crashed ruins of the Nautiloid, we ended up stumbling across three Intellect Devourers that were clearly hostile and began scuttling towards us like cockroaches and screeching. How do they screech like that? I do not know. "Watch out, Arthur! You've seen how Intellect Devourers work. One strike from them can be lethal!" I heard my companion call out from behind while I drew my blade and got into my stance. Yeah, I've seen how dangerous they can be through Us.

"Understood. But I'll be fine with you watching my back." I said before moving in to engage the close one. And with a yell, I slashed one of the devourers into two when it leapt for my face before I heard Shadowheart calling out from behind me. "Ignis!" A firebolt came from behind me and grazed one of the oncoming devourers before I picked up another screech. When I turned towards the source, I saw something purple flying so fast at me that I couldn't react in time, and I felt agony in my head the next second!

"Agh! My head!" I cried out while clutching my head in pain.

"Arthur!" I heard Shadowheart calling out to me! Gods! That feels like my head's about to explode! Everything was blurry, and I was barely able to see a blurry blob going for me. Barely able to reorientate myself, I brought my sword up and stabbed it clean through. Another pain screech rang out before Shadowheart sprinted past me and slammed her mace down on the last Devourer, killing it.

It was then I felt something flowing out of my nose, and when I brushed my finger over it. I see blood! My blood! Was that psychic damage? If telepathy is a thing in this world, it only makes sense that they have psionics as well. After all, it appears that only those Illithids possess psionics if I recall the details correctly from the information I got on them.

Hearing footsteps I brought my head up to see Shadowheart walking towards me with a concerned look on my face. "Didn't expect those Intellect Devourers to do psychic damage. It felt like my head was about to explode." I said while sheathing my sword and rubbing my temple.

"I see. Let me help you." That was all she said before I noticed her palms glowing teal, before I heard a chant. "Te curo." Shadowheart then brought her hands towards me, and with a flash of blue, I felt the pain in my skull fading away, and so did my nose bleed.

"Healing magic. Nice…" Hmm… from what I remember from those memory tablets from the Mindflayers, most healing magic tends to come from clerics. People are dedicated to worshipping and enacting their deities' will to the world, for better or worse. They channel the power of their faith to cast Spells. And now that I think about it, Shadowheart's armour is both practical and ceremonial at the same time…

Wait. How do I know all that?

Blinking a bit while rubbing my nose, I smile, thankfully. "Thank you. I feel much better now. There should be something here we can take before heading off." I said as Shadowheart agreed, and we quickly looted the area and corpses for anything of value. And we did. Shadowheart found a unique potion bottle that had a golden cap with wings and some sort of teal liquid inside it. As it turns out, it was a potion of speed that, if drunk or poured on, would give anyone an increased reaction and energy.

However, once the effect wears off, the user will feel lethargic and will be consumed with exhaustion, which the user will need to watch out for. Another thing that was found among the bodies was… something. I don't even know what this is. It looks like a hand-sized ball that has hundreds of small suction cups on it, even more so how it seems alive as it constantly expands and shrinks rhythmically as if it is breathing.

Even Shadowheart wasn't sure what it does, but the fact I found it on the hip of a dead Mindflayer means that this is probably a type of grenade. Despite the fact that its effects are still unknown once thrown, we made the choice to take it with us since we'll need everything to survive and hopefully find a healer. And so, once we're done taking anything of value, Shadowheart and I left and resumed exploiting what remained of the Nautiloid. To our surprise, we spotted a Mindflayer survivor!

But appears to be heavily wounded and stuck underneath some rubble. "Mindflayer! That thing's bound to be dangerous, even when injured. Best to be careful." Shadowheart warned me while I nodded. With that, we slowly approached that monster with our weapons drawn.

"To think you abducted me and planned to turn me into you…" I felt my rage flooding through my body. This… Thing took me away from my home! My family! My friends! "You took me from my home. From my people. Such sins deserve death." I growled before raising my sword into the air, but…

I felt compassion.

Compassion? For this thing?

Why am I suddenly feeling pity for this thing? That I should feel shame for hurting it and flay myself for my sins against it? No… This thing and its kind took everything from me and tried to turn me into a monster! To think it will try to twist my mind! Trying to make me succumb to its will! Wants me to bow to it. Treasure it.

Serve it…

"Arthur?" I felt Shadowheart's hand on my shoulder while my whole body was shivering in the midst of my mental state. "What's happening?" I will not serve it. I will not succumb to its temptations. My will is my own.

Not yours to command.

"Die like the soulless monsters you are." I hissed out before plunging my longsword deep into its skull while it made a last cry to stop me. To drive it in, how much I hate how it tried to manipulate my mind, I twist the sword in its brain before yanking it out. And as a last fuck you to it, I kicked it right in the skull before turning to see Shadowheart giving me a look, and before she could say anything, I stopped her. "Bloody Mindflayer tried to manipulate my thoughts into helping it."

"Right. The kicking is unnecessary." She deadpanned.

"Perhaps. Let's move on."


We left and continued to search the place, and to our surprise, not too far from us was someone else! Even more so when he spotted us and called out at our location. Another thing of notice was that there was a broken pod not too far away from him. Could he be infected by the Mindflayers like us? "Hey! I need some help!" He yelled at us while waving his hands.

"Should we check him out?" I ask Shadowheart while sticking my thumb at the man with white hair. How particular… He does sound rather young, but white hair? I've never seen anyone with white hair unless they have albinism or are old.

"I'll leave the decision up to you. But I advise caution. Something's not right about him." Yeah. I get the same feeling from that guy.

"Okay. Watch my back." I said before Shadowheart nodded as we approached this mysterious man. And by the time we got there, I got a pretty good look at him, and the man was wearing very fine clothing dyed purple and velvet with gold designs all over it. Overall, I got a noble-like feeling from his looks alone. And those ears… Those are the ears of an elf. High elf, I suppose? His hair is rather groomed, and it gives him a pretty look.

For a man.

Even more so were his eyes, which were blood red. Is he an albino? Or… Vampire? But that doesn't make any sense if he is one.

Seeing us approaching him, the man quickly called us urgently. "Hurry, I got one of those brain things cornered." He says before turning around and pointing somewhere… Something's off… "There, in the grass. You can kill it, can't you? Like you killed the others." Was he watching us the whole time? Taking a glance at Shadowheart, she shook her head. And I did the same. There are too many red flags coming from him.

"I must apologise, but I have full faith in your capabilities that you alone can take on an Intellect Devourer by yourself. Alas, we must make our departure. We have more pressing matters to attend to." And with that, Shadowheart and I turned and left quickly, though I did hear that man muttering something.

"I was so hoping for a kind soul. Well, not to worry."

"What did he mean by- What the?!" My thoughts blank out when a dagger suddenly appears over my neck before yanking me so that I am in front of him with my arms locked against his! "How did I not hear him coming?! How did he manage to sneak up on Shadowheart and me without making a sound?"

I gritted my teeth at the sight of the dagger's blade, now an inch away from my neck, while struggling to keep it away from stabbing me. The guy's grip is strong! "Huh? Arthur!" Shadowheart calls out before drawing her weapon but chooses not to act since I was this guy's hostage at the moment. But that man remained undeterred by that happening before whispering into my ears from behind.

"Shh…. Now now. Not a sound. Not if you want to keep that darling neck of yours." He says before I could tell that he was looking at my companion now. "And you, keep your distance. No need for this to get messy. I doubt you would want any scars over such a pretty face he has."

"Did he just call me pretty?!" I found myself at a loss for a second before Shadowheart answered him.

"I need him alive, stow that blade, or I'll show you just how messy things can get." A glare grew on her face, though the man remained undeterred with me as a hostage as he chuckled.

"Ah hah! Promises, promises. But I have other business, I'm afraid." Then I felt his grip on me loosening slightly before bringing his attention to me. "Now, I saw you on the ship, didn't I? Nod." He commanded me. To think this was one of the survivors of the Nautiloid crash, but why didn't I see him at all? Did we go past him? Was he in one of the pods, but I just never noticed him?

Speaking of which, I don't think I can break out of his grip fast enough, nor can Shadowheart do anything to stop him from slitting my throat open. Even more apparent was my calmness in the situation, which simply raised more questions about what happened to me. I should be freaking out or panicking.

Yet I am not.

Thinking through what could be only seconds, I came to the conclusion that the only option right now is to be cooperative with him, and I bet he must be terrified about what happened. Taking a gulp, I nodded my head, and that earned a pleased look from him.

"Splendid." I could see a glimpse of a smile on his lips. "And now you're going to tell me what exactly you and those tentacled freaks did to me." Shadowheart was giving me the 'Are you sure you know what you're doing?' look, but I only gave her an assuring thumbs up before speaking.

"We are not with them, but victims of them. The Mindflayers took us as prisoners like you and infected us with their parasite worms." I explained while I glanced around. Looking for the opportunity to break out of his grip. But to my surprise and horror, he didn't believe me!

"Don't lie to me! I- Agh!" He cried out while I winced in pain as well, and I took the opportunity to push him away from me. But that didn't stop the pain in my head as the worm wriggled and throbbed again. The link's happening again! And I saw his memories. But they confused me. I saw the streets of a medieval city at night through his eyes. I saw as he blended with the darkness and watched as tens of people walked the streets.

Minding their own business.

Huh? What was he doing at that time?

But the memory of it all faded as quickly as it came, just as it did for the Githyanki woman my mind connected with before, and I found myself back to reality. "What was that? What's going on?" He asked, rubbing his head as I did the same before gripping my longsword but not pulling it out.

"It's those Mindflayer parasites. They connect your mind with his." Shadowheart said as I found myself beside her.

"What she said." I nod my head. "Those worms connected my mind with yours. I was not lying when I said we're like you."

And for a moment, I swore we were going to fight but thank god that wasn't the case. The man brought down his dagger as he finally realised that we were victims of those Mindflayers like him. "You're not lying. You're not one of them. Just the same as me…" He mutters before becoming cheerful yet strangely condescending. "And to think I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards. Apologies."

Excuse me…

WHAT?!

So you were planning on gutting me, huh?

Then again, I can't fault his caution. If what that gith woman is saying is true, some people are thralls to Mindflayers aboard that ship, and some could have survived the crash. But I wished he had tried a more… diplomatic option first instead of threatening to gut me first. I felt disgust in my gut while Shadowheart had her eyes narrowed down on the man as if she was trying to get a read on him.

"I suppose we would have done the same if we encountered any thralls." She mutters, and I can't help but agree. We need to take caution should we meet other strangers in the future. I will not let myself be taken in as a hostage again. "What about you?" I heard Shadowheart asking as I turned to see her looking at me.

"Yeah…" I mutter before looking at the man expecting an answer from me. "I accept your apologies. We probably would have done the same to other strangers we never met before. Finding ourselves in an unknown place bears the need for caution. Anyone could be a potential threat."

"But I got my eyes on you. I can tell something's off about you, but I just can't tell what."

Hearing my response, a smile came to his face. "Ah, a kindred spirit. And an understandable one at that." A beat went by before he introduced himself. "My name's Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me."

"Shadowheart."

"And I am Arthur. A pleasure to meet you Astarion." I introduce myself while doing a quick formal bow. But that earned a curious look from the man called Astarion. I could only watch as his eyes seemed to go from my face down to my boots before returning to my eyes.

"How curious. Rare to see a noble here, one in full armour and looking so young." I have to admit. I was taken aback by how he somehow discerned that I was technically a noble due to my looks alone. "And yet, you don't look like any of them I've known. You're not from around here, are you?" He mutters curiously while Shadowheart glances at me but chooses to say nothing.

"You are correct. But we have bigger things to worry about." I changed the topic, and Astarion must have noticed my attempt to move past that topic because I swore I saw his face twitch slightly. But he dropped it for now.

"Of course. So, do you know anything about these worms?" He then asks next, expecting an answer while Shadowheart and I grimaced at our eventual fate should we not find a healer fast.

"Yes. These worms will eventually turn us into Mindflayers should we not find a cure fast. In fact, that's what Shadowheart and I are trying to do at the moment. Or at least that's what we were doing before we stumbled across you." I explain while my companion silently nods her head. And as for Astarion, he's not taking the news well.

"Turn us into - ha. Hahaha!" Astarion laughed a brief moment before calming down with a grim look. "Of course, it'll turn me into a monster. What else did I expect? Although it hasn't happened yet. If we can find an expert, someone that can control these things, there might still be time."

Control them? What's his game at the moment? I gave a subtle frown before my companion expressed her thoughts. "You wish to control these worms? Why? They are more trouble than worth." Shadowheart asked. Good point. It's much better to free ourselves of these parasites than control them.

"Well… that's a reason for another time, dear." The elf smirked before his red eyes met me. "So what about you? I'm sure the ability to control these worms in our heads does sound tantalising, does it?" Why are you giving me that look?

"I prefer not messing with things I have no interest or desire to dabble with. But I cannot deny that finding someone who could control these worms would be helpful in their removal." Which is true. If we can find either a healer or someone who could control and delay our transformation, that would be good.

"Glad to see that." He gave a smile again. You know, now that I think about it, the fact he managed to sneak up on Shadowheart and me without alerting either of us is quite impressive alone. And I was cautious of him. In addition, if we were to invite him into our group, we'd have a higher chance of survival. And it will serve as a good way to keep an eye on him.

My gut had been telling me something was off about him, and then I spotted something that caught my eye. He has bite marks on his neck that remind me too much of a vampire bite! But he can't be a vampire from fantasy fiction, they burn in the sun, and he's perfectly fine in the open.

I really need to keep an eye on him. He's an anomaly.

Coughing into my hand to garner the elf's attention, I spoke. "Astarion, I wish to invite you to join our group. We stand a better chance of finding a cure for our infection. And in addition, this will increase our safety against any threats. After all, it is harder to take us all out should there be more of us." I said, earning a look from my half-elf companion.

"Are you sure? Astarion is an interesting person to invite in, and while I have no opposition to him joining us. But let's hope that any future acquaintance that joins us won't hold a blade to your throat by the way of introduction."

"Hey. I apologised already, didn't I?" Astarion protested in an unexpectedly pouty tone while Shadowheart gave him a cheeky look. I get her concerns. I wouldn't call having a dagger to my throat a welcoming introduction, but we need all the help we can secure.

"I understand the caution. As I had said earlier, we stand a better chance of surviving long enough to find a healer for our infection." I explain before looking at the elf. "So, what about you Astarion? Are you going to take up on our offer and join us?"

We watched as he blinked for a bit before saying something. "How unexpected. But you know, I was ready to go this alone, but maybe sticking with the herd isn't such a bad idea. And you seem like a useful person to know. You're a noble after all…" A devious smile grew on Astarion's face.

"All right, I accept. Lead on." He said while bowing towards me. Hopefully, he proves his worth and won't be a pain in my neck.

Ah, who am I kidding?


And so, with our new companion, we went off to find a healer and leave the crashed Nauthoid behind since there was nothing else to find there. And it was during that time. We've spent some time getting to know our newest member. Turns out he's a noble from Baldur's Gate. Probably how he could recognise me in a way, though my suspicions of him made me believe that he was hiding more than the obvious, but I chose not to comment on it.

And through our path, we encountered several Goblin corpses. Their bodies were bloodied and covered in lacerations as if they were in a fight with someone. Who, however, I do not know, but their bodies might have something of value. And that sentiment was shared by my allies.

"Dead goblins over there. Worth checking out for supplies, maybe." Shadowheart points out before Astarion adds in his thoughts.

"Assuming those little wrenches have anything worth taking."

"Even so, they might have some potions or money in their possession." I hummed before the three of us did a quick skimming of the corpses, and there wasn't much worth taking like what Astarion had said. However, it wasn't for nothing as we did find a healing potion and a pack full of supplies like sleeping bags and other necessities, which I carried most. Shadowheart did take some, but Astarion took the least. It's something about not being used to carrying his own weight or something.

But I like to think he's lazy.

And when we moved on, we stumbled across another strange sight in the form of another glowing purple glyph on the rocks Shadowheart and I saw earlier back on the beach. But this one appeared to be active as it has some kind of vortex coming out of it. Is it some kind of fast travel portal?

Before I could comment on it, Shadowheart spoke first, "Look. It's the same rune we saw earlier, but it appears to be unstable." She points at it while Astarion brings both his index fingers up.

"And we should probably keep away from it."

Despite all that, I found myself walking ever closer to the portal thing with curiosity and was about to reach my hand out to it when, to our sudden surprise, a hand came out of it! "What the?!" I couldn't help but let out a yelp and back away several steps before a voice came out of the portal.

"A hand? Anyone?"

Blinks went around while I stared at the hand now sticking out of the portal. Whoever this person is, he somehow got himself stuck in there and desperately needs help. And taking Shadowheart's observation in detail, she's right. This glyph has malfunctioned and got someone trapped in there.

"You know, I'm not one to voice my thoughts, but I figured it's best we leave him alone in there. Who knows what will happen should we help him." Are you serious, Astarion? I'm not going to leave this poor fella stuck in this portal thing.

"Frankly, I don't care about a great deal. I'll leave the decision up to you, Arthur." Shadowheart said next before I turned to my allies.

"I'm not one to leave someone stuck in there. But just in case the person poses a threat, just be ready." I explained. I received a questioning look from Astarion while Shadowheart simply shrugged. And with that, I reached in, grabbed this arm, and began to pull whoever this guy was out of the portal.

At first, it felt that no progress was happening, so I began to pull harder and felt a sudden shift. It appeared to be working when I heard the voice within the portal again. "That's it! Go on, keep pulling!" And with increased vigour, I pulled ever harder until…

Whatever force holding him within the vortex disappeared, and I felt myself falling onto my back, as did a man who fell out of the portal as it closed. And as he and I got back up onto our feet, I had a good look at him and everything from his attire and looks to scream wizard. He wears purple robes, has a groomed beard and hair alongside a wooden staff on his back.

The man in purple grunts as he gets back onto his feet, and once he does, introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Gale of Waterdeep." The man suddenly took my hand into his and shook it while Shadowheart and Astarion watched him quietly. I should probably introduce myself. I'm so glad I took drama class in middle school and learnt how to improvise on the move.

"And I am Arthur of Camelot. A pleasure to meet you, Gale." I said as I gestured my hands to my companions to my left and right. "These are my companions," I said as they introduced themselves to Gale.

"Shadowheart of Baldur's Gate."

"And I am Astarion."

"A pleasure to meet all of you," Gale adds. "Apologies, I'm usually better at this."

I raise a finger with the intention to ask Gale about what he meant that he is better at this, but Astarion beat me to the punch first in his own words. "Better at magic? You know, for a wizard, getting stuck in a portal is hardly a promising introduction."

"As if yours was any better, Astarion." Shadowheart snarked while I ignored their bantering.

"I must apologise for my companion's comments. But are you alright? Getting stuck in that portal must be quite the experience." I asked Gale as he raised his hands for a moment before countering with a smile.

"He's not exactly wrong. I should be much better at magic. As for how I am doing, slightly shocked, but friend, it's a relief and a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Say, but I know you, don't I? In a manner of speaking. You were on the Nautiloid as well." Wait, where was he then? I didn't see him at all.

"Yeah, I was. But where were you? Shadowheart and I didn't see you at all on the ship."

"That is understandable. I was in one of those pods out of my mind. And I did remember seeing you alongside a Githyanki. Where is she, by the way?" Wait… He was in one of the hundreds of thousands of pods in that room? That makes some sense, I suppose…

"Wait, you didn't tell me you met a Githyanki just now." Astarion butted in while I sigh before answering Gale.

"That I unfortunately do not know. She wasn't around when I woke up. So far, I only found Shadowheart, Astarion and now you." I explained while shaking my head. "I am unsure if she found herself somewhere else, or if she landed nearby but chose to leave Shadowheart and me behind while we were unconscious."

Gale blinked at my reply before adding in. "Really? Well then. Since you confirmed that you were on the Nautiloid, then I can only assume that you, too, were on the receiving end of a rather unwelcome insertion in the ocular region."

Remembering that awful memory of that Mindflayer bringing that worm close to my eye before I passed out made me visibly shiver at the thought. "Yes. I can say that we all have a first-hand experience of how repugnant the experience was." I explained while I saw Shadowheart closing her eyes and nodding while Astarion had a frown on his face.

With a smile still on his face, Gale adds in. "No use sugarcoating it, is there? The insertee we speak of, this parasite, are you aware that after a period of excruciating gestation, it will turn us into Mindflayers?" He asked next while I could only nod my head. I'm aware, thanks to our gith 'friend', that I will eventually turn into a Mindflayer should I not find a cure. But excruciating? Then again, I suppose it only makes sense that the process will be extremely painful with it biologically changing us.

I am not looking forward to it anytime soon.

"It's a process known as ceremorphosis, and let me assure you: it is to be avoided."

"No shit, Sherlock."

I thought to myself with a frown and arms folded as Gale explained this ceremorphosis process as he continued. "You don't happen to be a cleric, by any chance, do you? A doctor? Surgeon? Uncannily adroit with a knitting needle?" Gale continues on.

He really likes to hear himself talk, huh? One more thing, "knitting needle? How's that supposed to get those worms out of our heads anyway?"

Before Gale or I could speak, my companion Shadowheart pointed out. "You seem to know enough about our condition to realise it is beyond most cleries' skills." It was also then that I chose to add in.

"And I honestly doubt these parasites are that easy to rid since they're in our heads at the moment. Probably surgery, but I doubt it will go well."

"Perhaps. But I find myself hoping to be in the presence of a few. You don't happen to be one of them?" Gale then asked while Shadowheart shook her head, as did I, while Astarion remained silent.

"I'm afraid the ability to remove these parasites is beyond me."

"I am… unqualified for such operations… lest I want to kill my patients accidentally with these unskilled hands." I deadpanned.

Interestingly enough, Gale wasn't that bothered by our comments. "As we've established, few enough can. It's not exactly a common affliction. We're most certainly going to need a healer, and soon, too." Gale explains that before I swore, a light bulb appeared on top of his head with the way his eyes lit up. "How about we lend each other a helping hand once more and look for a healer together?" Gale then asked.

So, having a wizard on our team? That's not a bad idea. His magical abilities will be of use should anything try to kill us. That, and he does sound like a nice fella to be around. However, he does seem to talk a lot. "I wonder what the others think of having a wizard on the team?" And taking a look at the resident cleric of the team, she looked in thought before finally speaking.

"Having a wizard in the team will be beneficial to us in the long run. I have no problems with him joining us." She had a soft smile on her face before I turned my head to Astarion, who looked rather dismissive about Gale joining us.

"You know, I am not picky about the whole 'who joins the party' kind of deal, but if you think he could be useful to us, go right ahead. Just know that if he turns out to be more of an inconvenience to us, don't say I didn't warn you." Wow.

Just. Wow. Astarion.

Though that earned Astarion a frown from me, Gale doesn't seem that bothered by it. "I won't fret about that, my skills with the arcane will provide more than enough for whatever that comes ahead."

Eh, the more, the better, I suppose. Turning my attention back to Gale, I addressed him. "Very well then. Since we have no complaints about you, welcome to the team, Gale. We'll survive better with a wizard covering our backs." I said while offering him a handshake, and he enthusiastically took it.

"Most excellent. A parasite shared is a parasite halved. Or something to that effect." What? Though Gale quickly adds in. "Oh! But before you think you're about to embark on a journey with most ill-mannered a man: thank you for pulling me out of that stone."

"It was an act of foresighted kindness, I assure you, for I have a feeling ample opportunities will present themselves for me to return the favour." Gale ended off while I had a smile on my face.

"And I'm sure you'll be able to return the favour soon. Now, let us not waste any further time. Time to move."

"Gladly."


And we are done! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as it was for me writing it, and I don't really have much to say other than that I have intentions to include character deaths in the story. As in one of a couple of the party members kicking the bucket only to be revived later on. Yes. That includes Arthur as well if he's not careful or just plain unlucky.

I know it thanks to incredibly bad rolls or misplays that had a party member thrown off the cliff or absolutely crushed.

Looking at you, Gale… The AI just loves targeting him on tactician difficulty.

But yeah, I have nothing else to say either. If you want to see more of this, do leave a review, and while you're at it, do add this to your follows and favourites so that I will know that you wish to see more of this story!

And with that, I will see you in the next chapter whenever I upload again!

RGQC out!