The sound of voices up ahead drew Eirina and her companions over a ridge to see a goblin trap that had been sprung. Inside the crude cage was one very pissed off looking Lae'zel.
Her eyes bore into Eirina's as Eirina tried to focus on what was being said by the two tieflings standing before her. These were the first two living creatures she had encountered
besides her companions. And the last thing she was expecting was to see tieflings in this place.
As Eirina approached the two of them, she could heart them discussing just leaving Lae'zel for the goblins. A violent pounding crashed into Eirina's mind before she could say
anything. Lae'zel's white hot stare spoke volumes even though her lips didn't move.
"Get rid of them," Lae'zel sent an image of gutting one of the tieflings using the broken horn of another one. The degree of rage and violence had Eirina setting back on her heels
slightly.
"Don't worry - I'll get them out of here," Eirina thought back to her before turning to the tieflings.
"She's quite dangerous," Eirina spoke the truth, Lae'zel was still sending images of gutting these two tieflings to her, "Get out of here, I'll deal with her."
Lae'zel continued to speak to her over the connection, touting the promise of a cure, but Eirina had doubts that even most githyanki clerics wouldn't be able to deal with this any
more than she could. The druids might have access to the healing they needed and then they could all rest easier.
The tieflings looked at the four of them standing on the edge of the gully, looking down at them.
"You're able to deal with her?" The male looked up at Eirina, "We need to go check out that blast. There could be survivors." Eirina could sense her companions tensing at the mention
of surviving the crash.
"There are a few of us, but not many," Eirina gestured to her companions, "I'm in dire need of healing. Where is this camp?" She tendered her tone to sound as neutral as possible, to
keep the desperation out of her voice.
"North west. Ask for Nettie," the male start to move when the female spoke up.
"Watch for goblin traps," she gave a wry smile and pointed up at Lae'zel's cage, "they're all over the place." The two nodded at the group before taking off at a jog down the hill away
from the direction of the camp.
"Enough gawking - get me down," Lae'zel bit out as Astarion let out a laugh. Eirina looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"These tadpoles have their uses," Astarion looked at Eirina and flashed an image of Lae'zel's foot falling through the weak bottom of that trap and being stuck further. Eirina bit the
inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. The ability to communicate telepathically had it's advantages, but it had some drawbacks to it. Like giving Astarion the ability to project his
fantasies on an unwilling party.
"Thoughts to yourself Astarion," Eirina chided in a playful tone before turning back to Lae'zel, "Say 'please'."
All three members of her party choked on their laughter from the sweet tone Eirina issued her request in. She was her mother's daughter and could simper and smirk with the best of
them, this was her sweetest tone used to ask for whatever she wanted in society and to be given it without hesitation. Up until this point, she had been polite, kind, and
straightforward with everyone. This side of her was new to all of them.
"Never!" Lae'zel's pert nose went even higher than her ears. Eirina ignored the giggles coming from Astarion and Gale as she readied her crossbow to shoot out the bottom of the
cage. As Lae'zel fell, she bent her knees, cushioning the fall with practiced ease. As she stood, Eirina saw that she was short and slender, the armor being deceptive enough to give
Lae'zel the illusion of being bigger than she actually was.
"The tadpole hasn't yet scramble all your senses," Lae'zel's tone was the same as when they were on the ship, aggressive and to the point, "Auspicious. But the longer we wait, the
more it consumes," Lae'zel looked over all the members of the party, standing tall, "My people possess the cure for this infection. I must find a creche; you will join me."
"Only if you say 'please'," Shadowheart's tone was harder than Eirina's had been, indicating that she would not be taking orders from the gith. Eirina looked between the two women,
noting that neither was going to trust the other, maybe ever.
"And what, exactly is a creche?" Gale asked this question, the curiosity clear in his voice.
"It is many things," Lae'zel grew a sliver softer, "A hatchery, a training grounds, a shelter. Githyanki protocol is clear: when infected with a ghaik tadpole, we must report to a ghustil
for purification."
Eirina held up a hand, stopping the question as it was about to leave Gale's lips, "one second Gale," she looked hard at Lae'zel, "A simple 'thank you' wouldn't go amiss," her voice
brokered no middle ground. Lae'zel was used to leading, but trust was hard to build and Eirina had a modicum of trust between the others, they were following her lead. If Lae'zel
wanted the role of leader, she would have to earn it from them with her actions, not demand it as she seemed to be doing.
"You may as well suggest a wyvern bow to worms, "Lae'zel scowled, her words dripping with acid, "The cure I offer will suffice as thanks.
"Apparently there's a druid grove nearby," Eirina felt relief that they would be able to stock up and sleep somewhere safe this night, "we can seek sanctuary there and ask after this
healer, Nettie. After that, we will move onto finding this creche." She looked to see everyone was watching her. This was an unsettling feeling from Shadowheart's ghost of a smile,
Lae'zel's angry scowl, Gale's curiosity, and Astarion's predatory look. Then it dawned on Eirina where she had seen these expressions before: growing up, people had looked at her if
they wanted something, be it money, friendship, or something more intimate. Lae'zel's expression gave her the sensation that blood would be more than welcome compared to
anything else, but the other three, she had seen looks like these most of her life. It was as if they had unofficially elected her to lead them, especially since they were all just standing
there staring at her, waiting for her to make the next move.
"Let's go, if there are goblins about I want to be in that grove before night falls," Eirina turned, forcing herself to not look over her shoulder behind her. They all walked in silence for
several minutes, but she could hear them all walking behind her, Shadowheart and Lae'zel having a riveting discussion about escaping that ship.
"I never thought I would be on a ghaik nautiloid," Lae'zel was growling, as if every conversation she had was going to be a battle. The response was muted by Astarion's laughter,
who seemed more than a little amused by this.
"I have never seen one of your kind before Lae'zel," he simpered, "how similar is your anatomy to that of the rest of us?" Eirina didn't need to look behind her to see the expression
Astarion was likely giving the gith. She did turn at the sound of armor shifting and the ruffle of silk. Astarion had obviously been anticipating violence, and side stepped the back hand
that Lae'zel had swung in his direction. This time, Shadowheart and Gale were laughing.
"I'm glad you're all bonding," Eirina said, making sure her tone was light and a smile was on her face, "but night is going to come quick and I don't want to be out when it does." The
others looked somewhat contrite, but the generally feeling that if they didn't find humor in certain things, they weren't going to survive this.
"There's a druid grove up ahead," Shadowheart said, moving alongside Eirina, "We should keep going until we find it. And this Nettie person they mentioned." Eirina nodded and
continued walking, grateful for Shadowheart's presence.
"Ishtiks," Lae'zel grumbled under her breath. The white haired one, Astarion, was obviously what the locals of this place called a flirt. And none of his advances were appreciated. The
grudging respect she had for Eirina was the only reason she didn't slit him from navel to nose. She owed the elf, there was no way she would have made it off the ghaik ship without
her help. And she released her from that damned trap without shedding blood. "Weak." Another grumbled insult. Lae'zel was a warrior, raised from birth. She should be leading them
into that druid grove and demanding answers from this Zorru teethling that the others had mentioned. No, tiefling. Ugh, their language was so hard to understand. It wasn't the
common found in Bral or in Creche K'liir, it would take getting used to.
"So, Lae'zel," the wizard, Gale, jogged to be next to her, "what are the spellcasters of your kind like? Are they studied? I know that you use discs to engrave your histories and
teachings, but are they used as spell books too?" She glared at him, but proceeded to answer his questions. Lae'zel had never been sent on diplomatic missions, having been told
that even among the gith she was coarser than most. She was an exceptional warrior, but the last twenty minutes had caused her to speak more than in the last few months. This
Gale person was irritating with his insatiable need to know everything. But then, wasn't she the same way? Did she not read every slate she could get her hands on as a child? Wasn't
she literate in more languages than any other left from her clutch? She had become a warrior because she sought the right to be kithrak, and to wield a silver sword, but she could
have become a ghustil for her love of knowledge and research. Even as she answered each of the human's questions, she felt a kinship for him. If she hadn't been raised in such a
violent environment, would this have been what she would like to be?
"Tell me, Gale," Lae'zel began carefully, "when did you start your education with the magical arts?" Gale gave her a broad smile.
"Oh, from the time i could read and stole... err... borrowed a spell book from my father," he ducked his head slightly, blushing, "My mother was absolutely scandalized, but since my
first spell was a mage hand that proved to be a little more competent than my father's, they were okay with it. My father taught me for the first few months while they looked for
suitable tutors for my early education," Gale's voice trailed off and he got a far away, thoughtful look in his eye. Apparently asking him personal questions about his past caused him
to become introspective and quieted him a bit. It have Lae'zel a brief respite before Eirina called back to where they were walking.
"Up ahead," she dropped her voice, "I hear something." Lae'zel looked around for Astarion, but he seemed to have disappeared. Eirina and Shadowheart began to move carefully, not
wanting their chainmail to draw too much attention. Eirina gestured for Gale and Lae'zel to move up a small tor of rock, taking higher ground and being out of sight longer than the
two women would be once they rounded the natural obstacle. Lae'zel nodded and stepped in front of Gale, shielding him from any enemy that may lay ahead. They would only
survive if they worked together and she needed them to help her get to the creche nearby. A gentle rap on the back of her armor told her that Gale was on her hip and following her
lead. Smiling broadly, Lae'zel moved forward, looking forward to the possibility of a good fight head.
