Author's Note: This is the last revised chapter from what I had before, and I'm glad to finally be done with that, also it ended up being late due in part to me being ill last week, apologies. Also, while I plan on adding a Gith to Common translation list at the end of chapters whenever new terms are introduced throughout the story, there isn't a full dictionary for the Gith language so this won't be consistent. Just a head's up.
Also, does anyone else miss the cutscene from early access where you first find the main campsite in act one? I do.
As always, Baldur's Gate III is © to Larian Studios, the setting for the Forgotten Realms campaign is © to Ed Greenwood and Dungeons & Dragons et al are © to Wizards of the Coast. However, Ashaka, other characters and certain plot points are of my own creation. If you don't recognize something from the game proper, than it's probably mine.
Special thanks goes out to my beta reader, CatSnievans, you're the best!
Summary: After being spirited away from her home in Kara-Tur, a githzerai monk finds herself lost upon the Sword Coast of Faerûn. In order to find a cure for the illithid larva within her mind, she must learn to trust those who share her plight. Eventual Lae'zel/PC romance. F/F.
Warnings: Headcanon, violence, language, OCs, spoilers for the game.
Chapter IV:
The Pale Elf and the Riverside Campsite
As the trio walked back down the hill, Ashaka was silently berating herself on openly agreeing to willingly walk into a githyanki crèche - a veritable death sentence for her solely on principle of her being a githzerai.
Remember that you are of the Sha'sal Khou, her logical mind interjected, a situation like this is what you've been training for ever since your initiation into the Order of Twilight's Blossom seven years ago. In knowing this, do what you can to aid Lae'zel while you find a way to infiltrate the crèche without endangering yourself or her. While Lae'zel's beliefs do not align with your own, that doesn't rule out the possibility of there being at least one githyanki in this area who does share your way of thinking.
But... to infiltrate a sodding crèche wasn't exactly what she would've planned as a self-appointed mission - especially not on her own. Nor did she ever pause to think that one or more non-gith would become involved, which was a realization that struck her when she cast a glance over at Shadowheart. The half-elf was currently walking at Ashaka's left while a third sounding of footfalls told her that Lae'zel was hanging back a few paces to the monk's right.
Ashaka pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind when the trio paused to leap over a narrow patch of embers when they came to a smaller section of the crashed nautiloid, and Ashaka's eyes widened considerably when she caught sight of the heavily wounded helmsman laying in the middle of what was apparently the remains of the ship's helm.
"How is it even still alive?" Shadowheart asked, her voice holding a nervousness that Ashaka didn't blame her for. "We saw that devil strike it down!"
"Ghaik are tougher than one would assume," Lae'zel informed, her tone grim, "it needs to be slain or else it will find some way to recover its strength."
Side by side, all three women approached the mortally wounded aberration and Ashaka set her jaw when the creature set its sights on her in particular. She inhaled sharply through her nose when she felt the illithid's mind brush against her own, its attempt to subjugate her through psionic means causing the githzerai to feel a surge of disgust mixed with anger as she attempted to psychically fight it off.
Then, just as suddenly, she felt the ghaik's attempted hold on her mind weaken as it turned its attention elsewhere. The monk took another deep breath, her fists clenching at her sides as she broke free, her eyes narrowing in nothing but hatred as the dying aberration met her icy gray gaze once more.
"Ghaik," she spat, "death is too kind a fate."
Still, it needed to be done, or the trouble would begin again. Baring her teeth, Ashaka seized the opportunity to strike, aiming a well-placed low kick at the mind flayer's neck. She repeated the strike twice more even when she saw the creature shudder and grow still, the lurid light in its eyes dimming before fading altogether.
"Leave the head," Lae'zel added, "it was too easy a kill. No honor in such."
Ashaka met her gaze for a moment before giving a single nod of agreement, silence falling over the trio as the monk took a few long moments to scan the area. When she saw no sign of Sha'kar's body, Ashaka gave vent to a quiet sigh before the trio left the ravaged helm.
"Gith take mind flayer heads as trophies?" Shadowheart asked, though Ashaka was unsure if the cleric was genuinely curious or if she were merely trying to break the silence. A bit of both, perhaps.
"It's a rite of passage for githyanki looking to be accepted into our society properly as adults," Lae'zel informed, for once not sounding too hostile while addressing Shadowheart. "As for her kind, if they follow the same practice, I would not know - nor do I care to."
"It... depends," Ashaka informed softly, trying to keep herself calm and mask the reluctance in her voice the best she could as she forced herself to break one of her people's cardinal rules: sharing information about her kin with non-githzerai. "When githzerai reach maturity, we learn what rite we are to undertake to become accepted as adults within our society through a Vison Quest... of which is granted to us by Zerthimon through a single or series of visions when he feels we are ready. It can be as simple as slaying a ghaik or a chaos beast, or it... or it can be something more complex, like solving a riddle."
The monk felt herself bristle when she heard Lae'zel give a derisive snort.
"Ah, yes, earning your place as an adult in society by solving a mere riddle." The githyanki clicked her tongue, a smirk forming on her lips. "How fitting for cowards who spend their lives cloistered away within their fortress-citadels."
"Hey, um-"
"At least we live longer by natural means," Ashaka shot back, annoyance heavy within her tone, "know that we don't have to live in a plane where time doesn't exist in order to do so, because we don't throw our lives away by constantly raiding other civilizations without provocation."
"Girls-"
"Speaking of raiding," Lae'zel countered, her smirk growing, "your largest citadel happened to fall quite easily. Though, I can't recall the name, mm, shrak-something-or-other. Whatever you called it, that was our greatest victory against your kind in recent history."
"Seriously-"
"Shra'kt'lor. With how you speak of the event, know that I highly doubt you were even alive to personally witness your people's so-called 'greatest victory'," Ashaka retorted, doing what she could to keep Lae'zel's comment from digging under her skin. "While Tu'narath may still be standing, know that if your 'beloved queen' manages to achieve her goal of attaining godhood, she'll destroy it along with most of the populace in order to do so."
"Tsk'va!" the fighter snarled, her smug expression quickly switching to one of rage as she glowered at the monk, "if we weren't under a truce, I'd cleave you in two for daring to spout such heresy!"
"For fuck's sake..."
"Then, know that it would be within your best interest to watch your tongue," the githzerai warned, her tone icily calm, "lest you again find your words turned against you tenfold."
Both gith jumped in surprise when Shadowheart suddenly gave a loud whistle, and the half-elf's demeanor remained composed as she lowered her fingers from her lips even when Lae'zel voiced an angry growl.
"As I was trying to say but was unable to get a word in edgewise due to your little row: do either of you hear somebody calling for help?"
Ashaka narrowed her eyes slightly as she fell silent, listening, before she turned to Shadowheart and nodded in confirmation.
"I do, just around that bend, there."
She saw Shadowheart return the nod before both the cleric and monk took off down the path, neither caring if Lae'zel were to follow or not when the githyanki gave vent to an annoyed sigh. The calls grew louder as they rounded the aforementioned bend in the path before a humanoid figure came into view.
He appeared to be an elf, though Ashaka was unsure given her previous mistake in regards to Shadowheart. Either way, the man sported a thick crop of curly white hair that stood out from the set of mostly blue-black leather armor he was clad in, though the top third of this armor was a rich shade of purple and decorated in a series of intricate designs that were a light shade of gold in color. What could be seen of the man's undershirt revealed it to be a dark shade of red with white trimming at the collar and more of this trimming could be seen at the cuffs of his sleeves.
Completing the ensemble were a pair of layered breeches, with the inner layer being a shade of light brown that matched the belt he wore around his waist, while the outer layer of his breeches were the same shade of blue-black as his tunic and boots. A dagger rested at his hip and he wore a shortbow and quiver strapped across his back, showing that he was well armed in spite of his current predicament.
Strange, what would someone dressed in such ridiculous clothing be doing alone out here in the forest? Ashaka thought to herself until a spark at the edge of her vision caught her attention, and the young woman turned her head to see another broken restraining pod half-leaning against a tree a few feet away from where the person was standing. Another survivor, then.
He turned, ruby red eyes widening for a fleeting second before he waved the trio over.
"Hurry, I've got one of those brain-things cornered," he stated, frantically pointing towards the nearby bushes. "You can kill it, can't you? Like you killed the other ones?"
That last question sent of shiver of uncertainty lancing down Ashaka's spine, and the githzerai narrowed her eyes.
"Kill it yourself," the monk snapped, her patience all but gone by this point from her brief spat with Lae'zel. "You look capable enough."
With that, Ashaka turned to head back the way she and her companions had come from, both Lae'zel and Shadowheart having already turned to head back down the path and leaving the githzerai to bring up the rear.
"A pity," the man muttered darkly, "I was hoping for a kind soul. Well, not to worry..."
Ashaka gasped when she felt herself being grabbed from behind, a startled cry leaving her when she felt herself being pulled to the ground. She bared her teeth when the pale elf's face came into view and she grabbed his arm, keeping him from holding the dagger to her throat as she felt herself hit the ground on her back.
A weak grip. He has no idea what he's doing, she realized, her eyes narrowing, and the monk was able to slip out of his grasp before he could fully register what had happened, a cry mixed between surprise and anger leaving him. She heard both the ring of steel and the shifting of dirt from behind her, telling her that Lae'zel and Shadowheart had drawn their weapons, though both women were remaining on standby as Ashaka jack-knifed back to her feet, wasting no time in drawing her war fan and snapping the weapon open with a flick of her wrist.
The githzerai braced herself in a bow stance, where she kept her right leg bent while her left leg was kept straight. She held her left arm crossed against her front, with her left hand held open-palmed at her right hip. Her war fan was held poised by her head in a vertical position that would allow her to strike quickly with the weapon if the elf were to make the first move.
She saw the man quickly roll back to his feet, his dagger held in front of him as he pointed at her with his free hand.
"I saw you on the ship," he accused, "strutting about while I was trapped in that pod! What did you and those tentacled freaks do to me?!"
"You may have, but know that I have no recollection of seeing you," the young woman ground out, trying and failing to keep her own anger from lacing her tone, "they took us as well, so know that we have nothing to do with what was done to you."
"I'm not an idiot! I saw- argh!"
Ashaka tensed when the man cried out in pain, the dagger falling from his grasp as his hands shot up to press against both sides of his head. Knowing what was coming, the githzerai relaxed her stance slightly and lowered her war fan to her side, though her grip was lost on it when she felt the now familiar accompaniment of pain within her own head before a single, though vivid, memory flashed within her mind:
She was skulking through the dark alleyway of a bustling city, the nearby sounds of merchants hawking wares and of citizens conversing drifting to her ears. Then, the sudden cacophony of panicked screams assaulted her senses before she glanced upward to see... light. An intense feeling of fear washed over her, then, as the image faded and Ashaka blinked slowly in order to recollect herself before she shook her head.
The elf's memory had awakened a few unpleasant memories of her own as Ashaka recalled the streets and alleyways of the Floating City before, with a grimace, she pushed the thoughts back to the darkest recesses of her mind - where they, as far as she was concerned, belonged.
"What was that?" the man asked, confusion fully replacing the anger that had laced his tone, "there were these images in my head that belong to... you. What's going on?"
"A telepathic connection of sorts," Ashaka surmised, "because of these larvae, we witnessed a few of each other's memories, but I do not know more than that."
Nor am I certain if such a connection is... normal... when it comes to these parasites.
"The... larva," he muttered, keeping his movements slow as he reclaimed his dagger, "of course, that explains things... somehow. And to think that I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards, heh. Apologies."
Ashaka followed suit to reclaim her war fan before both put their respective weapons away, the sounds coming from behind her telling her that Shadowheart and Lae'zel had both done the same, though Ashaka could sense the githyanki's disappointment at the lost opportunity for bloodshed.
Know that you would've lost your arm at best and your life at worst had you attempted, the githzerai thought, keeping it unvoiced as the man continued speaking, his demeanor holding far less hostility than it had a mere moment ago.
"Know that I'm glad to see that we're all caught up now," Ashaka replied instead, doing what she could to keep her voice calm as she relaxed her stance, though the monk still chose to remain wary just incase he was bluffing.
"Indeed we are. Please, allow me to introduce myself: my name is Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me."
"My name is not important," Ashaka replied, "and I was in Kara-Tur when I was abducted."
"Kara-Tur, you say? That's quite far from here, you realize."
Kaincha... Shadowheart was right in her assumption...
"... I see," the monk replied softly, keeping her thought silent as a feeling of hopelessness washed over her, though she managed to quash it for the moment. "So, this area is...?"
"Why, we're on the Sword Coast of Faerûn," Astarion informed, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as he moved to set his hands on his hips. "Since you wish to withhold your name, the least you could do is tell me more about these worms."
"Very well. Know that they will turn us into mind flayers, ghaik in my native tongue, if we do not find a way to safely remove them."
"Turn us into..." the man trailed off, and Ashaka found herself arching a confused brow at him when he suddenly threw his head back in a fit of laughter.
"I fail to see how this would be amusing," Lae'zel growled, and all three women turned to give each other an uncertain glance.
"Some people find a different way to cope, I suppose," Shadowheart added with a shrug. "That, or he's gone mad."
"Of course it will turn me into a monster," Astarion said finally once his bout of laughter had died down, and he raised a hand to wipe at his eyes as he sniffled lightly, "what else did I expect?"
"Know that I could give you the more gristly details, if you're curious."
"I'll pass, thank you," he replied as he waved a hand, "although it hasn't happened yet, if we can find an expert on these things, there might still be time to learn to control them."
"Know that it would be safer to have them removed."
"Which is why we are journeying to find a crèche," Lae'zel interjected and Ashaka couldn't help but share a glance with Shadowheart before the two women rolled their eyes at the githyanki's impatience. "You may come along, but only if you can prove yourself to be useful."
"You know," Astarion replied after taking a moment to mull it over, "I was going to go this alone, but maybe staying with the herd isn't such a bad idea. As for usefulness, my dear, I can scout ahead if need be, as I do happen to know my way around these parts. Furthermore, you ladies all seem like useful people to know. Very well, I accept."
I just hope we don't end up regretting this, Ashaka thought to herself as she watched Astarion give a rather unneeded flourish of a bow that made her fight back the urge to sigh.
"Since it's grown late, I propose we find a place to camp for the night," Astarion continued, after he'd cleared his throat, before he pointed towards where the sun now hung low in the sky above the nearby treeline, "it will be dark soon and while vision is no issue for me, I'd still rather not be caught out in the wilderness with no place to bed down for the time being."
Lae'zel opened her mouth to protest, only for Ashaka to catch her gaze before the githzerai shook her head and pointed to one of her eyes before she used the same hand to gesture towards the sun. Gith lacked natural darkvision and, without an available light source, combat in a dark area such as the forest meant certain death. The githyanki narrowed her eyes, however, after a long moment of consideration, the fighter gave a single nod in reluctant agreement.
"Very well," the monk replied as she turned her attention back to the rogue, "lead the way."
"How are you at hunting, Astarion?" Shadowheart asked, hurrying to catch up to the elf as the quartet began to move off.
The sun was beginning to set when the little group came across a large clearing near where the river split, one course resulting in a dead end against the rockface and marked near the split by a sandbank. The sound of running water drew Ashaka's attention, her icy gray gaze falling upon where the river ran parallel to the farthest edge of the clearing and she relaxed considerably when she caught sight of a small waterfall.
The bank nearby will be a perfect place for meditation, she thought to herself before she swept her gaze over the rest of the area.
Much of the ground at and around the middle of the clearing was bare and devoid of plantlife, showing that it was well-used by previous occupants. A log sat near the very center, braced against two large boulders, and this odd placement made the young woman believe that this area of the clearing in particular was probably the prime location for a fire pit.
"It appears this clearing has been used as a campsite many times before," Lae'zel observed, pausing near the middle of the clearing before she placed her hands firmly on her hips and slowly looked around.
"It should suffice," Shadowheart agreed, her brow furrowing a little in thought, "though given how far it is off the beaten path, I can't help but wonder how more than a few people knew of its location."
"Word of mouth, probably," Astarion surmised as he pointed for emphasis, "and it seems the last few tenants packed up and left without some of their belongings."
Near the center of the clearing were three crates, the first two rather large in size while the third medium-sized crate was stacked on top of the second large crate. All three were closed and Ashaka narrowed her eyes in her rising suspicion that something about this place felt off.
"Either they were daft and forgot or something scared them off before they could gather everything," Lae'zel added before shrugging and moving towards the largest crate. "Either way, it's ours now."
"Personally, I don't like this," Ashaka stated, only to be met by three sets of eyes: one honey topaz, one ruby and the other blue-green all giving her a shared look that told her she was being foolish, "this just feels too convenient to not have been done intentionally. We should remain on guard just in case."
"While there's nothing wrong with being wary, I feel you're being a little too paranoid, Ashaka," Shadowheart admonished, "if it'll help ease your mind, once we're settled in, I can take first watch."
"Very well."
Out of all three of them, the cleric seems to be the most level-headed, Ashaka observed quietly, deciding against joining the others in poking about in the crates. She heard Lae'zel mutter something under her breath as, with a grunt, the fighter lifted the smaller crate off of the second large one before setting it down on the ground. Though I shouldn't go about making assumptions about people I hardly know.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden coughing fit from Lae'zel, and Ashaka looked over in time to see the githyanki waving her hands in front of her face as a cloud of dust began to settle from where she'd pushed the lid off of one of the large crates.
"What's in there?" Astarion inquired as he came trotting up with an arm full of what appeared to be firewood, but upon closer inspection in spite of the fading daylight, Ashaka noticed that what the rogue was carrying were actually torch holders.
"A few torches and bedrolls," the githwarrior answered as she began pulling some of the aforementioned contents out before she turned to address Ashaka, "you, make yourself useful and set these up around the clearing. I'm certain you don't want to stumble around in the dark."
"Indeed, I do not and I'm certain you don't wish to, either," the monk replied, annoyed that she was practically outnumbered. The clearing having provisions that they needed just lying around in wait for use was too convenient for her comfort, however, as Shadowheart had stated, Ashaka was probably just being paranoid; since the scenario Lae'zel had presented was equally just as likely.
It'll give me a chance to look around, Ashaka thought to herself as she approached her companions and moved to take the torch holders that Astarion was holding, though not without returning the nod of thanks the elf gave her.
"I may as well do a little hunting," Astarion declared before he turned and headed for the edge of the woods. "I didn't see much in the way of sustenance in any of those crates."
"I'll join you after I look for some dry kindling for a fire," Shadowheart called after the pale elf before she turned her attention to both gith, "do either of you happen to have anything we can use to set it alight once I return?"
"I have that tinder box we found back at the dock," Ashaka stated, "I'll let you borrow it once I'm finished setting up the torches."
"Perfect," the cleric praised, a small smile creasing her lips before it once again disappeared as she turned to follow Astarion. When she neared where the rogue had disappeared into the nearby forest, however, Shadowheart paused and turned back to face both gith with her hands on her hips.
"Do try to refrain from killing eachother before Astarion and I return. As of right now, I'm unable to raise the dead, so I'd hate to have to bury either of you so soon after just meeting. Even you, Lae'zel," the cleric admonished before she turned and disappeared into the woods.
"No promises," the githyanki growled as she unceremoniously dumped the torches into Ashaka's arms before she moved to wipe the dust off her hands and onto the githzerai's vestments.
"If you're still adamant on trying to get a rise out of me," Ashaka said coolly before she moved back towards the center of the clearing, "know that your efforts are wasted."
"I needed a rag, and what you're wearing works well enough," the githyanki replied, and Ashaka rolled her eyes skyward for a few seconds in a silent response to the answer.
Rags indeed. At least I'm not clanking around in the middle of the forest with nighttime fast approaching, the shorter gith thought as she took a breath in order to calm herself before she concentrated on grasping one of the torch holders with her mind, the metal pole sliding out from the pile she held in her arms. Maintaining the psychic hold, Ashaka turned the holder to where the sharp end was poised pointing towards the ground before she lowered it into the soft earth to a point where it was in no danger of tipping over.
It took a good ten or so minutes for the monk to get the torches set up around the clearing and lit, Shadowheart returning not long after with an ample amount of dry kindling. Between the two of them, they were able to get a campfire going before the half-elf once again disappeared back into the woods to join Astarion in hunting.
Ashaka had decided on making her bed within the ruins of what had once been a tower that were located just beyond the waterfall that had drawn her attention when their little group had first found the clearing and, after shaking the dust from the bedroll she'd retrieved from the crate, she moved to unshoulder her satchel before she untied her scarf from around her waist and placed it within the container. Afterwards, the githzerai removed her vestments, bracers and leg guards, leaving her clad within her hooded undershirt and breeches.
Glancing about, the monk reached into the right inner pocket of her vestments and pulled out a small scroll, which she slipped into the right pocket of her breeches before she folded her vestments and set everything atop her bedroll. That done, she made her way back to the campfire and sat down cross-legged before she glanced about for Lae'zel.
Upon seeing the githyanki currently fussing with her own bedroll, Ashaka turned her attention to pulling the little scroll out of her pocket. With a soft sigh, the githzerai settled down and unrolled the scroll, of which was written in her people's dialect of tir'su, before she began to read.
"So, githzerai do write backwards," Lae'zel's voice sounded from directly behind her, causing Ashaka to jump before she scrambled to hide the scroll underneath her shirt.
"No, no, do continue," the githwarrior added as she went to sit down near the fire across from where Ashaka was currently sitting, "I have no interest in your little scrawlings."
"Know that I don't trust that statement of yours for a second," the githzerai retorted, keeping her attention locked on Lae'zel as the monk moved to slowly re-roll the scroll before she once again stowed it inside her breeches pocket whilst making a mental note to hide it when she finally retired for the night.
An amused snort came from Lae'zel before the two women fell into an awkward silence even as the githyanki began fiddling with what appeared to be a slender tree branch, a couple strips of leather that had been tied together and one of her metallic hair beads before it took a moment for Ashaka to realize that the fighter was putting together a rather crude fishing pole.
"What?" Lae'zel snapped irritably when she caught Ashaka watching her with a raised brow. "Since you're doing nothing, I'm going to make at least some effort to procure supper. Oh, and don't expect me to share, either."
"Know that I don't," came the terse response as Ashaka heaved a mental sigh at Lae'zel's cantankerous attitude, "just be glad I had enough foresight to set up a torch near the river bank. In other words: you're welcome."
"Chk! Your attempts to garner a word of thanks from me will forever remain futile, zerai," the githwarrior growled before she turned and stalked off towards the torchlit area of the river bank.
"Know that I did get you to say it, just not directly," Ashaka murmured to herself with a self-satisfied smirk before she rose to her feet, stretched and moved over to the waterfall, where she took a seat upon one of the large boulders there and closed her eyes. The light, cool spray of water droplets felt wonderful in contrast to the heat that she had yet to grow accustomed to and Ashaka was grateful for the reprieve from the discomfort, no matter how brief.
On having lived most of her life within a plane where nothing made sense and, following that, living the past seven years of her life in a mountainous country that had only a short growing season of four to six tendays amidst the near perpetual snow, spring and by extension, summer were seasons she had yet to experience for herself until now.
I guess living in a society where even the temperature was psionically controlled left me rather... spoiled... in that regard, the githzerai shamefully thought to herself, I'll do what I can to keep this inconvenience from hindering myself until I grow more used to these conditions.
"I am calm," she murmured to herself in Gith, repeating the words as a mantra as she focused on slowing her breathing. Hopefully she'd be able to get at least some meditation in before Astarion and Shadowheart returned to camp.
Astarion paused to wipe the blood from his lips before hiding the rabbit corpse underneath a nearby bush. Muttering to himself in Elvish, he stooped down to retrieve the corpses of two more rabbits he'd managed to slay, of which he planned to take back to camp for his rather odd choice of current company.
Hopefully the ladies like rabbit, or else they're shit out of luck, he thought to himself before he turned... and stopped in his tracks.
A rather large boulder sat between two thin trees, but where the strange placement was one thing, what truly drew the elf's attention was the large, faintly glowing rune that had been etched into the boulder's surface.
I'm guessing that isn't normal, the rogue thought to himself as he edged closer, his brow furrowing in a mix of wariness and confusion. It was then that the rune flashed to life, forcing the high elf to shield his eyes as he backpedaled a few steps. Thankfully, said flash didn't last for more than a few seconds, and Astarion lowered his arm from in front of his face as he raised back to his full height, ruby eyes narrowed in wariness.
The rune was now giving off a soft violet glow, and it appeared to turn before warping into a magical tunnel of sorts, from which part of someone's arm emerged, the appendage waving frantically about.
"A hand?" came a voice from inside the magical tunnel, the resonance giving the voice a slight echo. "Yes? No?"
Astarion stared for a moment, before a light smirk wormed its way onto his features. Staying silent, the rogue reached out and firmly slapped the other's palm, and he had to purse his lips to keep from snerking at the other's reaction.
"Ow! I meant a helping hand."
Be glad I didn't just give you half-hearted applause, Astarion thought as he rolled his eyes skyward, a grimace appearing on his features for a second. The last thing I need to deal with right now is a smartass mage who doesn't know what he's doing.
"Oh, Astarion, have you had any- what is going on?!" Shadowheart cried, eyes wide as she approached, only for Astarion to give a light shrug.
"Oh, just an idiot stuck in a rock and a hard place rather than between."
"Very funny. Just my luck to run into someone who thinks they're clever," the voice grumbled, "now, will you help me out or what?"
"Tch, fine," the pale elf sighed before glancing over at the raven-haired half-elf. "Help would be appreciated, darling."
"Don't 'darling' me," Shadowheart warned, blue-green eyes narrowing before she moved to grasp the trapped person by the wrist, Astarion following suit as he held the person's hand in his left and his right hand grabbed the forearm just above where Shadowheart currently had a firm hold. "On three. One..."
"Three!"
Both elf and half-elf pulled, a cacophony of shouts leaving everyone as a humanoid form suddenly came flying out of the runic tunnel, the unexpected slack causing both Astarion and Shadowheart to tumble to the ground in a heap.
"What the Hells happened to two!?" the elf growled angrily, casting a glare over at the newcomer as he untangled himself from the cleric.
"I'll leave that one for you to figure out, ugh," Shadowheart muttered as she pulled herself back to her feet and proceeded to dust herself off.
Both turned to face the newcomer, whom was in the middle of pulling himself back to his feet with a groan before proceeding to dust off his robe.
"Hmm... ah! One moment," the human said, holding up a finger for emphasis before he unshouldered his staff. Warily, Astarion tensed, only to yelp in discomfort and raise an arm to shield his eyes, an accompanying curse telling him that Shadowheart had also been caught off-guard, when the man cast a Light spell upon the weapon before he once again put it away.
"Gah! Warn somebody when you plan on doing that!" the rogue spat, taking a moment to blink before he slowly lowered his arm and shook his head. Wizards... ergh.
Now that there was proper light to give color to his previously grayscale world, Astarion took a moment to study the human, noting the royal purple robes, of which had patches of tan and one patch of red for an odd splash of color. Half of the sleeves were a medium shade of brown, matching the belt he wore round his waist, of which held a belt pouch, more than likely used to carry spell components. This man also sported a goatee, and his slicked back dark brown hair fell to just above his shoulders. Lastly was a currently glowing staff slung across his back, and a single strap slung across his chest brought attention to the large rucksack slung over his right shoulder.
"Heh, sorry, sorry," the magic-user apologized, though Astarion heard the tell-tale hint of laughter in his voice, "unlike the both of you, I'm not blessed with natural darkvision, so this little cantrip is a must to keep me from stumbling blindly about in the dark like an ill-prepared fool."
"Yes, of course," Shadowheart replied after sharing an aside glance with Astarion. "Look, whoever you are, we're in a hurry here."
"Ah, where are my manners?" the human scolded himself as he raised a hand to lightly smack himself on the forehead. "Usually I'm much better at introductions than this. I'm Gale of Waterdeep, pleased to meet you both."
"A pleasure," Astarion replied flatly as he waved his free hand dismissively before briefly holding up the rabbits, "now, Gale, if you'll excuse me, I must get these back to camp. Our companions are expecting supper and we're already late thanks to you."
"Ah! How rude of me to hold you up, then," the wizard continued, taking a moment to readjust his rucksack, and Astarion saw what appeared to be the handle of a soup ladle sticking out of the top. "You know, I may not look it, but I do consider myself a rather competent cook. If allowed, I'd be happy to cook those in a hearty stew. In fact, I have a small supply of vegetables on my person."
"I'm fine with that, personally," Shadowheart replied before giving Astarion a look that made the pale elf sigh inwardly in defeat. "I'm certain the others would prefer that as well."
"Very well," the white-haired rogue complied reluctantly before he began to move off in the direction of the campsite, "let's be off, then."
"Splendid! Er, what are your companions like, if I may ask?" Gale inquired as he jogged after the duo before falling into a casual walk behind them.
"I'll let you see for yourself," Astarion replied, doing what he could to fight down a grimace at the mental image of two very angry gith women glaring at him.
"They're... interesting, to say the least," Shadowheart added, "so long as they haven't killed each other by now, anyway."
"Chk! This is one of the most idiotic things I've had to do just for food," Lae'zel grumbled under her breath as she glared down at the surface of the water, only for her currently sour expression to change to one of excitement when she felt a tug on the line of her makeshift fishing pole.
"Aha!"
Maybe this one will actually be a fish...
Not wasting time, the githwarrior pulled on the line, and she growled when she was greeted by yet another clump of weeds entangled around the hair bead she'd been using as a lure. With a heavy sigh, she untangled the mass of weeds before she tossed it on top of the small pile of aquatic plant life that sat to her right before she threw the line back into the water.
"Ladies, I have returned and I bring sustenance!" Astarion's voice came floating towards her, and Lae'zel rolled her eyes skyward for a second at the unneeded flamboyance of his announcement before she pulled her fishing line out of the water and rose to her feet.
"It took you both long enough," she grumbled as she untied her hair bead from the end of her fishing pole and strung it back in her hair before she glanced about for Ashaka, only to see the githzerai currently seated close to the waterfall on the other side of the clearing with her head bowed in what Lae'zel assumed was meditation.
Heh, of course she's off in her own little world, the fighter thought with a snort of derision as she turned away, githzerai...
Fishing pole in hand, the fighter turned towards the center of camp, and her eyes narrowed when she saw that the pale elf and cleric hadn't returned alone.
"From now on," Lae'zel growled as she approached, unceremoniously dropping her fishing pole on the ground before she slowly crossed her arms over her chest as she continued to glare at the trio. "I'll be doing the hunting before nightfall so you don't bring back any more strays."
"I wouldn't fancy myself a 'stray', miss," the man clad in robes replied as he moved to rub the back of his neck, "I merely happened upon your companion here and offered my services as a cook when he informed me that he'd been hunting."
"It's either that, cook it yourself, or raw," Astarion added with a shrug, "er, you can't cook, can you?"
"No."
"Neither can I," the half-elf admitted before glancing about, "unless you prefer your eggs burnt to a crisp."
"As a matter of fact, I do not," Lae'zel replied, arching a brow suspiciously at Shadowheart before her attention moved back to Astarion when the rogue cleared his throat.
"So none of us can, then," he surmised, raising a hand to rub his chin before he glanced about for the githzerai. "Er, where's-"
"Meditating by the waterfall," Lae'zel interrupted as she pointed in the direction she mentioned for emphasis, "she's been there ever since you left to go hunting."
"I'm glad to see that you hadn't killed her, as I'd initially feared," the raven-haired half-elf admitted, "that would've been awkward to explain to our wizard... friend... over there."
"Not this time," the githyanki replied as she returned her attention to Ashaka and, as Lae'zel watched, the githzerai moved to stretch before she rose to her feet and lightly hopped down from the large boulder she'd been resting on. Only when Ashaka began striding towards them did Lae'zel pull her attention over to the human male whom, while humming to himself, was now tossing chunks of rabbit meat and cuts of vegetables into a fair-sized kettle he'd set up over the campfire.
As Ashaka neared her companions, whom were currently gathered near the campfire she'd helped Shadowheart to set up earlier that evening, she noticed that the duo had returned along with a human male clad in robes, whom was busily cooking something in a kettle set over the fire. She also noticed that Lae'zel no longer had her fishing pole, and the fact that the githyanki was empty-handed told Ashaka that Lae'zel's little fishing endeavor had been an unsuccessful one.
"A visitor?" the monk inquired as she came to a stop a few feet to Lae'zel's right, the shorter woman's pale gray gaze focused upon the newcomer.
"It's an... odd... story," Shadowheart replied, glancing over towards the human before turning her blue-green gaze back to Ashaka. "Neither of us have seen him before tonight. Essentially... Astarion and I only invited Gale back here so he could cook the rabbits."
"You invited him, you mean," Astarion corrected as he shot the cleric a dirty look before he turned his attention to the monk, "but, I suppose it's better than eating them raw or undercooked. Erm, can you cook?"
"To be honest? No..." Ashaka trailed off, refusing to make eye contact with the others as she continued, a note of embarrassment in her voice, "the one time I tried cooking, I... filled the upper level of our monastery with smoke... Know that it is quite possible to burn water."
"So, that makes four of us," Shadowheart replied, "good to know we all have at least one thing in common."
"Indeed," Ashaka replied softly as she glanced between her companions before lowering her voice to a whisper:
"That aside, has he mentioned anything about the larvae?"
"No, actually," Astarion whispered back, taking a second to glance back towards the human. "Nor were there any of those mind memories, either."
"I see," she murmured, her tone wary as she cast a glance towards the human, whom she now knew was named Gale, who visibly perked up when he caught her gaze before he rose to his feet and approached.
"Ah, another githyanki!"
G'lyck... Not again, Ashaka thought irritably, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. Do istik here on this side of the Prime truly know nothing of githzerai?
"Hm-hm, it seems he knows which of us is superior to the other," Lae'zel murmured into her ear, the smug tone causing Ashaka to bristle, though the githzerai kept silent, determined to keep Lae'zel from getting a rise out of her.
She saw Shadowheart lean in close to Gale to whisper something in his ear, the cleric keeping her gaze on Ashaka all the while. The wizard blinked, taking a moment to look between Ashaka and Lae'zel a few times before he held his hands up in a placating gesture.
"Ah! You're a githzerai. My mistake, though I must admit it's not easy to tell you two apart at first glance. Makes me wonder how you're able to do so."
"Probably because most istik know so little," Lae'zel ground out and, for once, Ashaka was grateful that the githyanki was so quick to speak up whenever something grated on her nerves.
"While I'm eager to learn more about both of you and your respective cultures," Gale continued, ignoring Lae'zel's quip as he turned his attention to Ashaka, "that'll have to wait. Truth be told, I happened to see you on the nautiloid."
"Never mind the nautiloid," Shadowheart cut in, "how did you end up stuck in that big rock back there?"
"That's what I'd like to know as well," Astarion admitted, a smirk worming its way onto his features as he placed a hand on his hip. "Aren't wizards supposed to, mm, be good at teleporting?"
"Right, about that," the human replied sheepishly as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, "I recall the ship suddenly breaking apart in the sky above, which ended up with me finding myself in freefall. As I was plummeting to certain death, I happened to spy a glimmer near where I calculated my body would make a rather gristly impact. Realizing that said glimmer was magical in nature, I wove a worded incantation and found myself on the other side. Then, you and your raven-haired friend happened upon where I'd been trapped and the rest, as they say, is history. That aside, how 'bout the lot of you? How'd you survive the fall?"
"I admit that I'm not sure but, know that the truth of the matter is that we all survived," Ashaka replied, keeping her answer to the point. In all honesty, she had no idea how she could explain the psionic presence that had saved her a hair's breadth from meeting her demise on the beach, nor was she going to waste time trying to explain it to somebody she didn't even know.
"Fair enough," Gale replied with a nod, though his tone became grim when he continued speaking, "though I do fear that your survival is very much in jeopardy. I'm certain that, back on that ship, you were also subject to a rather... unwelcome... insertion in the ocular region, were you not?"
"Go on..." the githzerai trailed off, knowing that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.
"As a gith, it's no news to you that these parasites will soon turn us all into mind flayers," the wizard replied, raising a hand to point to his right temple for emphasis. "An outcome I'd rather like to avoid at all costs. You don't happen to be a cleric by any chance, do you? A doctor? Surgeon?"
"...No," Ashaka replied, irritation lacing her voice as she shared an aside glance with Shadowheart before the monk glanced down at herself then back to Gale. Did she honestly look like a member of any clergy or like someone who'd be bothered to work with other people in order to heal more grievous injuries?
"You seem to know enough about our condition to realize that, unfortunately, it's above the skills of most clerics," the half-elf stated, her tone sounding as annoyed as Ashaka felt in that moment.
"Most, no doubt," the wizard replied, "but I'm hoping to be in the presence of the few... You don't happen to be one of them?"
"Can't say that I am," Shadowheart admitted with a soft sigh.
"Well, then, we're most certainly going to need a healer, and soon, too. How about we lend each other a helping hand and look for a healer together? Also, as I told your two friends back there in the woods, I fancy myself to be quite an accomplished cook. Speaking of, I'd best go check on the stew."
With that, Gale moved back to where the food was still cooking before he occupied himself with stirring the ladle around slowly a few times, before once again lifting it out of the kettle.
No reaction, Ashaka thought to herself as she cast a wary glance towards Gale, unable to help but wonder exactly how he was able to suppress his larva's reaction (if he wasn't lying about being infested, anyway) to others whom so happened to be infested, though she had a feeling that he probably wouldn't share such a detail with a group of strangers. I wouldn't if I were in his position, anyway.
"Well, that went nowhere," Lae'zel grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave both Astarion and Shadowheart a dirty look. "Still, his culinary skills will prove useful given how none of us can cook worth a damn. So, at least there's that."
"I'd say knowing someone who can cook is a boon given how, as of right now, we're practically in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on our backs," Shadowheart added in agreement. "with how we all ended up in this predicament, I doubt any of us had the forethought to bring along any trail rations."
"I'd rather eat raw flesh than hard tack," Astarion grumbled, a look of utter disgust contorting his features for a moment.
"So, the wizard stays, then," Ashaka surmised before the githzerai gave a light shrug. "Fine by me."
"Right," Gale pipped up finally, and all three humanoids turned to see the human holding up his soup ladle in one hand and an open mess kit in the other. "Who's hungry?"
Supper had been a mildly silent affair aside from Gale explaining how the runic network he used operated. Ashaka had made a mental note to stop by the boulder where the pale elf and cleric had met the wizard earlier that night, so she, Lae'zel, Shadowheart and Astarion could attune themselves to the rune located there in order to gain access to the network for themselves.
Afterwards, Ashaka retired to her bed before lying down on her back and gazing up at the Sea of Night, focusing on one of the brighter stars before she allowed the questions that had been forming in her mind since her abduction and subsequent infestation to finally run their course:
Had Sensei Murad and everyone else back home given her and Sha'kar up for dead? Or were they still searching for them?
And Lezalin...
A soft sigh left Ashaka as she allowed herself to think about her older sister. It had been nine years since Lezalin had turned her back and walked out on Ashaka and their adoptive father, Rindak, when the older githzerai had rejected the creed of the Sha'sal Khou due to her hatred of githyanki in general.
Pushing the unpleasant memory to the darkest recesses of her mind, Ashaka realized that she missed her sister, she missed Rindak, she missed everyone from Snowblind Monastery and, for the first time in thirteen years, Ashaka found herself missing her and Leza's biological parents.
Now, here she was, doomed to undergo ceremorphosis unless she and the others found a miracle to cure them of their shared affliction and, worse, the only other gith in her current company hated her on the sole principle of their factions' differences.
For the first time in her life, Ashaka felt completely alone and, unless she found a way to cure herself of the larva infesting her mind, she would never be able to see anyone she cared for again.
"I am calm," she whispered to herself, turning onto her left side as she settled down to sleep; and the githzerai softly repeated the words in a mantra as she had done when she'd settled down to meditate earlier that evening, "I am calm."
No. No, you're not.
Secondary Author's Note: The concept of the Vision Quest githzerai undertake to be accepted as adults into their society is taken from 3.5e and adjusted from where they were originally just assigned tasks undertaken for the right to join a monastery, given that most githzerai in 3.5e were commoners. I did this because it's always been rather vague on if githzerai have an equivalent to a rite of passage into adulthood like the githyanki and wanted to give the githzerai something to set them apart from their cousins.