"You freed me, now your gonna extort me, that's usually how these things go." The gnome said accussenly.

"You don't owe us anything, we're happy to help." Wyll said. "We have bigger concerns then shaking down innocent strangers for coin with a goblin horde so close by."

"Nothing?! Really, well I must be on my way again."

"Wait it's dangerous out here, what are you out here for?" Ruby asked. "And we never got your name sir."

"Ah... well, my name is Barcus Wroot. I'm hear looking for a friend of mine. I visited him in Baldurs Gate a few days ago and I found this." He held up a bloody amulet. "I have reason to suspect he might be in the underdark so I'm searching for a way down into the caves. Now With that, I must be off, If we are too meet again, well we will have met again." He said turning away. "Oh and you can have my pack, if you can find it, it's half the reason I was caught."

Once Barcus was out of sight, Wyll spoke up, We should head back to the grove, We'll search the buildings tomorrow.

Chapter 10: Death at Camp

Ruby sat by the camp fire peeling an orange when Astarion came to sit by her. "You know your quite the oddity Red." Astarion said. "You are childish, yet deadly, feminine yet you have to be stronger then most flaming fist soldiers."

"Never call me Red." Ruby looked at the elf."

"Oh but of course Ruby. Just know that I have grown quite fond of our little group, so if this Halsin can cure our ailment I do hope you do stick around for some more travels."

"I thought you didn't trust us?" Ruby asked.

"Do you? You just met all of us. We're just strangers with the common goal of survival. Something you do quite well." Astarion said. "Watching you fight, well I wonder what sorts of demons plague your world to create such stong warrior blood lines... Well you should get some sleep." He left for his tent when a commotion at the edge of camp alerted everyone.

Wyll and Durge drew their weapons pointing at a purple teifling in bright colorful clothes. "Alfira?" Thalia as Gale rushed over with Shadowheart.

"Wait! Wait! I'm here to join you!" She said stepping back from the sharp point of walls rapier.

"Alfira, why? What about your sister?" Thalia asked.

"Lakrissa can take care of herself. And it was Ruby who inspired me. I can really make a difference, I don't want to always be writing and singing others tales, to be part of a growing legend like the blade." The teifling bard smiled.

Durge set his looted spear down. "Well... it's not like we have a limit of part members..." He said.

"Oh, who are you I didn't see you in the refugee camp?" Alfira asked.

"My name is Durge..." He said before heading over to his bed roll by the fire.

"Alfira we'd love to have you" Gale stepped forward putting a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you set up and caught up on our goal."

Thalia sat across from Ruby her tail swishing back and forth in the soil. "I do hope things aren't as...not bad, but I do hope their's less goblins." Thalia said.

"Smelly little runts, not much of a challenge... not much blood." Durge said.

"I'd rather face something mindless soon, used to the Grim of my world. It's easy to just deal with it when the monsters don't scream in... well human voices..." Ruby said. "Even when I fought the white fang, thanks to their Aura... I didn't just kill them, knock them out sure."

"Well given your chosen path in life, you would have had to kill eventually..." Durge said sitting up.

"I guess yeah..." Ruby said. "That woman I killed, she... was the first person I killed."

"Yes, I remember you taking your first life... first human life since you don't appear to equate goblins as quite the same." Durge said.

"No, I suppose I don't..." Ruby said in response. "I mean..."

"There's no need to justify your feelings Rose, Goblinoids, while sentient aren't well known to be gracious and kind, half orcs are know to be gentler if raised by their non orc parents... but more often... orcs, hobgoblins, goblins, orges and bugbears, they can be crule vindictive creatures. There are exceptions, like with the society of brilliance. But again their the exception." Thalia said.

"Ruby... while I... can't recall my past clearly... I know the smell of death... of blood... I don't know why I killed... only that I had to. You shouldn't let it bothers you so much... death is a warriors path... let the blood of your foes sharpen the blade you use to protect what you care about." Durge said.

That night was cool and calm, Ruby lay in her tent trying to sleep trying to sleep when a scream awoke the camp. Astarion stumbled back from Alfira's tent with blood on his neck and chin The teifling in pink slumber clothes holding her neck. "Wait it's not what it looks like!"

"VAMPIRE!" She shouted, her loud voice fully waking the camp.

Astarion scrambled to his feet when a white form tackled him back to the dirt. Durge and Astarion rolled towards the fire. Gorgeous clenched his fist and punched Astarion in the face pinning him down as they settled next to the fire. Astarion spat out blood and a tooth as grunted in pain. Druge grabbed the end of a branch in the fire ripping it free send red hot coals on the dirt as he drove the burning stake down. Astarion crossed his arms blocking it from hitting.

"For the love of... HELP THIS LIZARD HAS LOST HIS MIND! LET ME EXPLAIN!" Astarion pleaded.

Ruby just got out of her tent as Thalia was attending Alfira when the the bard shouted. "You bloodsucking rat!"

Astarion flinched in pain allowing Durge to bat his arms over his head and drive the burning stake into his heart. Astarion screamed in pain. Druge ripped the bloody stake out and slammed back down breaking through again. With a wet cracking he ripped it out again a drove it down a third time into Astarions neck. Them his mouth. A spray of gore and blood coating vampire and dragonborn. Durge let out a roar to the night sky before looking around. blood coating his chest and arms. Looking down at the body he looked back up as Wyll and Gale approached. "I... can..."

Wyll grabbed his hand pulling him to his feet. "No need to explain, you slew a vampire that had hid in our very midst. Your a Hero." Wyll patted him on the back.

"A hero..." Durge looked down as the mangled body... then around to the gathering companions.

Ruby took a deep breath... "He could have attacked any one of us... he said those things to manipulate you." Thalia said putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. We're safer now. But clearly we need to be more cautious about who joins us."

"He ate, slept and laughed with us..." Ruby said staring at the corpse as Shadowheart splashed a bucket of water over Durge to wash him off.

"Come.." Thalia interlaced her fingers with Ruby's to pull her away from the gory sight.The druid girl pulled the shell-shocked Ruby well away from the light of the fire towards large plie of boulders.

"What are we...?" Ruby asked as Thalia shushed her.

"Come on..." She said climbing up the rock formation with ease. It took some time for Ruby to follow but at the top Ruby found her waiting at a hidden pond surrounded by moss on all banks, the water was crystal clear. "Look, this pool should be stagnant, rancid and polluted but the crystal at the bottom is connected to the elemental plane of water." Thail pointed to the bottom of the deep pool where a large glowing blue gem sat.

"Why show me this?" Ruby asked.

This pool is home to thirty unique species of fish, plants, algae and microorganisms that can only be found in this pool." She pointed to a small three inch fish with bright blue scales that swam around the crystal. "Ruby... I see how... uncomfortable with killing sentient life you are... and well, nature is sentient, I can hear the voices of the animals and plants of this world. I hear the fungus drone in the spore filled minds... the squirrels chatter about their trees and stashes of nuts, boars of their need for a mate this time of year... yet I do do not refrain from killing animals to eat... because death is natural... and unfortunately sometimes we are forced to take lives of other sentient creatures."

Ruby sat next to her. "It's not the killing... it's well... my aura... I never noticed it before but... every person back home had a soul I could sense... like a hum in the background you never notice till it's gone... I... can't sense anyone's soul here... I can't hear their hum... To me it feels like... Grim... untill they die... thanks to rlthe tadpole that's when I can feel it... that last few seconds of pain... from Astarion..."

"Would being able to sense another aura help you?" Thalia asked getting closer. "How... dose one activate aura?"

"Um... it's a bit intimate... but..." Ruby stood up placing a hand on Thalia's shoulder. "I've never activated another's aura before... but... if your okay with it I could try with you."

"I would like that... Ruby..."

Ruby glowed red with her Aura. Closing her eyes she placed a hand over Thalias heart and began to explain aura.

"To use aura first you must understand it... It is... well you, your very soul worn like a suit of armor, to be your truest self... others could explain it better... its all that is good and that that is bad about you... it takes dedication and will power to utilize it, and once you gain control you'll learn your semblance. Mine if Petal Dash... Weiss was glyphs, Blake could make copies of herself... it's unique to the individual..." She finished.

"I understand." Thalia said touching her forehead to Ruby's.

Ruby let out a deep breath. Her eyes open dilating for a second as her aura coated her body, closing her eyes she began to chant.

"For it is inpassing that we achive immortality, through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by your side protect thee..." Ruby let go to look at Thalia, a bright green aura coating her body.

"Wow... I feel..." Thalia looked at her hands as it faded... "I never knew... one could feel so... alive..." Thalia looked at Ruby and suddenly hugged her... "It's so...warm..."

Ruby hugged her back. A smile crossing the young huntress' lips. The two sat down at the edge of the pool.

"Thank you..." Ruby said looking at the reflected stars in the pool.

"You're welcome Ruby..." Thalia said before she looked up at the moon. "We should go back... the others will start to worry."

The two made their way back to camp. Wyll Gale and Durge were trying to cover up a long bloody trail into the woods with dirt and sand. "Ah your back. We got rid of Astarions body. It's kinda sad actually... I'm gonna miss his snark." Shadowheart remarked.

"Need I remind you he tried to drink one of us like a vintage red, In charm, pale red eyes, the smooth talk. I should have seen it, but one thing I don't understand is how did he withstand the sunlight, and Withers won't bring him back. Saying he's free from the Dark Urge, though I suppose he is finally free from the curse that is vampirism." Wyll said walking over.

Alfira sat by the fire a silver chalace in hand as she looked over. "Never thought my adventure would start out getting bitten by a vampire." She said getting up. "But I'm not going to let that stop me. Not After what Durge did to save me and the rest of us."

Durge looked over his shoulder then went back to cleaning the blood trail.

"Well tomorrow new horrors await." Gale said clapping his hands. "Were not gonna let one mishap spoil all our fun. Afterall with my magic I located a source of infernal power."

"Karlach." Wyll said.

"Precisely. We find her tomorrow and The Blade's hunt is complete." Gale smiled.

Hey chapter 10 is complete. let me know what you think in the reviews. and do try to check the reviews because I will and do respond quite frequently in them.

Ruby Rose stats, class, and racial abilities

Class Fighter lv 4

Subclass Champion

Great weapon fighting style (rerolls one's and twos on damage)

Hp: 36 (3 d12 plus 0)

Strength: 18 (base 17)

Dexterity: 16 (base 15)

Constitution:10

Wisdom: 8

Intelligence:12

Charisma: 10

Race Human Variant (Remnant)

Feats:

Ability score improvement: plus 1 str plus 1 Dex

Savage Attacker : Reroll damage once take highest

Base Speed: 40 ft Total speed: 50 ft

Aura: 10 temp hit points per level (40 Thp) (resets on long rest)

Semblance: Petal Dash; Dash action is now a bonus action

Improved Critical: reduces critical requirements by 1 (19-20)

Action Surge: Gain an extra action

Gear:

Crescent Rose: 2 to damage and rolls to hit, 2 d 12 slashing plus strength. 2 d 8 Piercing plus Dex when firing.

All but Ruby Rose have disadvantage with this weapon.

Elemental bullets: 2d4 elemental damage added to ranged attacks.

Two-handed, heavy, extra reach

Cleave lacerate trip enemies, peircing shot

1 Half plate armor: Ac 18 (16 plus 2 dex) Medium armor. Reduces piercing damage by 1.

Haste Helm: Plus 10 ft to movement first three turns of combat (Effectively just 10 ft because I'm not drawing out combat for more then 3 rounds except for major bosses) plus one dex save