After seeing Shadowheart, Chardalyn went back to her tent to put on her armor. They had wasted a few hours already, trying to find her while she was in her tent sleeping. Shadowheart quickly healed her, taking the vampire revelation well. She wasn't thrilled, but they had bigger problems to contend with. It also helped that Astarion didn't attack anyone while they were sleeping.
Shadowheart's magic did the trick, though. Chardalyn didn't feel like she had been hit by a charging minotaur, as if she hadn't been fed on at all. As she snapped the last of her gauntlets, she stepped out of her tent again. Gale, Laezel, and Shadowheart had already left, leaving Wyll and Astarion idly chatting near the forest edge.
"All set to head out?" Char asked as she walked up to them.
"Ready when you are. The other three already left to check out the village again now that the spider is dead," Wyll answered. "We're taking the scenic view, right?"
"Right. We're going to see if we can come across any goblin tracks through the forest. Hopefully, one of us will come across their camp. The sooner we find the archdruid, the better off we'll be," the drow reminded. Wyll nodded while Astarion seemed more interested in his fingernails than her instructions. "Personally, I think we'll have a better chance. I don't know how often goblins use the roads."
Char led them into the woods, finding the area where the goblins first appeared by the Emerald Grove. If she could pick up their tracks from there, they would have a promising idea where they came from. Carefully, she scoured the ground and fauna as Wyll helped her track. Astarion stuck close to her as she asked, covering her while she was preoccupied. While she had been healed, he had made a promise.
Eventually, Char was able to make out the remnants of the goblin tracks from the Emerald Grove attack. They led down the river toward a broken bridge. She hummed as she lost the tracks on the partial cobblestone road, pacing the area as Wyll caught up to them.
"The tracks seem to end here, but I can see fresher tracks on the other side of the bridge," Char sighed, staring at the ground. Astarion walked along the cliff edge, peering down the fifteen-foot drop. The water babbled down the mountain as he glanced to where Char had mentioned. There were deeper tracks in the dirt path as she mentioned. Wyll also turned his attention across the river.
"Those don't look like goblin tracks," the warlock commented, trying to get a clearer picture. Char walked to the edge of the halved bridge before stepping back. She took a running start and jumped to the other side of the bridge. She stumbled once she landed on the other side, nearly toppling over.
"Be more careful," Astarion hissed. Char cast a glare at him before she walked toward the footprints. She knelt near them to look at the tracks, but she couldn't quite recognize them. Wyll was correct. They were not goblin tracks.
"I was hoping for some goblin trails, but I don't see anything," Char called over as Wyll leapt after her. "These tracks are big, though. Do you know what they are?"
"Gnolls by the look of it," Wyll remarked, crossing his arms. "I would say a whole pack came through here."
"That's not great," Char groaned. She had never encountered gnolls, but she knew enough from tavern tales. The creatures were born from hyenas by using dark magic. They were known to hunt in packs and decimate traveling caravans.
"I'm wondering if we should wait until we have Laezel and Shadowheart with us. If there were one or two gnolls, we could handle ourselves. A whole pack could make a meal out of the three of us," Wyll warned as Astarion paced the edge of the bridge. Char nodded as she looked down the road. She could see more tracks and dark patches in the dirt.
"We should get moving then," Char answered, turning back towards the bridge.
There was an echo of a sharp yelp, something animalistic as it sounded through the trees. A shout sounded afterward, like a battle cry. Char stopped, looking down the road again. Someone had caught something by surprise by the sound of it.
"Oh no you don't, we have a mission of our own. We need to find that arch druid," Astarion reminded, shouting from the broken bridge.
"Wyll, how do you think we would do with the person down there against the gnolls?" Char asked, ignoring the vampire. Wyll listened to the fighting for a moment.
"I think we would do better than who ever is fighting them alone," Wyll pointed out. Char nodded, exhaling. She turned back to the bridge. Astarion threw up his arms in exasperation.
"The person we help might be grateful. Sometimes a grateful person offers a coin reward," the drow reasoned. The vampire shook his head.
"I am not going over there so I can help some poor sod who happened to pick a fight with a few gnolls," he growled.
"Fine. You stay here while Wyll and I take care of those gnolls," Char shouted back before making her way down the road. Astarion yelled after her as she practically dragged Wyll down the path. Wyll resisted for a moment, unsure if they should split up like this. Char let him go but kept walking. "If he wants to join us, he can. Otherwise, he knows where the others are and where camp is. He'll be fine."
"I doubt he'll go far," Wyll chuckled.
"I'm sure he'll watch from the tree line if he follows."
"He certainly has taken a liking to you."
"He only likes me when I'm being sweet. You heard how irritated he was. I doubt he's thinking fondly of me right now," Char retorted. Wyll hummed as they rounded the corner.
Char wasn't sure what she was expecting when she heard the battle noise at first. What she didn't expect was to see a lone tiefling hacking at the gnolls that came at her. Char gathered her magic and shot an icicle out of her hand towards on the gnolls, distracting a portion of them off the rampaging woman.
Wyll hesitated before he gathered his own magic, fighting alongside her. Char cast off a few cantrips, slowing the gnolls down as the tiefling and Wyll cut them down. The drow started to back up as some of the gnolls started to close in on her. She bumped into a body, finding one of the creatures had snuck up behind her. As she raised her hand, the gnoll slashed at her, knocking her back on her ass. She felt blood flow down her face as the gnoll charged at her. Char threw up her arms, readying another spell. She was a second too late as the gnoll's claws came down.
Char yelped in pain before the gnoll keeled over. An arrow was sticking out of the gnoll's skull when it fell next to her. She scrambled back to her feet before turning toward the origin of the arrow. Astarion was there among the trees, another arrow knocked and ready to go. He caught her eye, his glare darkening before turning to shoot at the next monster.
She recovered quickly as the battle waned. The tiefling woman swung her axe into the neck into the last gnoll standing, causing it to scream as Char cast her magic missile, piercing the creature through the torso until it fell to the ground, motionless. Astarion walked out from the trees, taking a deep breath. Char held her breath for a moment before approaching him.
"Astarion, I-" she started. He clenched his jaw, ready to start another argument with the drow, before turning to her. His anger melted away, surprised he hadn't noticed the wound or its scent.
"You're bleeding, darling," he murmured, reaching out to examine the wound. She flinched as he brushed it. "I told you this was a bad idea."
"We made it, didn't we?" Char argued, her words having more bite than she intended. Astarion narrowed his eyes, but he didn't move away from his inspection. "I'm sorry."
"I would appreciate if you listened to me once in a while," he sighed, reaching into his pack to grab a cloth. Char tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and started to wipe away the blood. "This is a waste, you know."
"Only you would think of food at a time like this," Char chuckled before she heard yelling behind them. She glanced over to see Wyll with his rapier still drawn, now pointing at the screaming tiefling woman. Char nearly pushed Astarion away from her when she went to intervene. "What the hell is going on here?"
"She's the devil I've been hunting for weeks now!" Wyll shouted. The woman nearly screamed in frustration before turning to Char.
"I swear, I'm not a devil!" she insisted, starting to panic when she saw that Wyll had allies.
Before Char could agree that she wasn't a devil, a familiar shooting pain struck her bran. She doubled over as she saw the hells. She saw the memories of battles and war meetings. This woman had been in the Blood War, but she wasn't a proponent of it. She was a victim of it. The pain and memories faded as Char gasped for breath. The pain of the connection was lessened each time, but it was still jarring all the same.
"See? She's an agent of Zariel!" Wyll explained as Char nearly fell over. Between the connection and her head wound, she was growing faint.
"She's a tiefling, Wyll," Char retorted.
"Yes, she's right. Wyll, was it? I promise I never wanted to be in the Blood War. I never wanted to work for bloody Zariel!" The tiefling argued, slowly reaching for her axe.
"Wyll, I think it's time we head back to camp," Astarion mentioned as Char swayed where she stood.
"I'm not going anywhere until she's dead," Wyll informed before Char found the last of her strength, walking between them.
"Wyll, for gods' sake, she's not a devil. She a tiefling, and you know it. Besides, she's infected. We need to put aside our differences so we can figure this out together," the drow shouted, trying her best to stand her ground.
"You don't know what you're doing. I will not trust a devil!" Wyll insisted, his voice sounding desperate. Wyll stared at her, unsure of his own words. Char was getting through to him.
"She's not a devil, Wyll. I promise," she reassured.
"Please, listen to reason. I don't have to be your enemy," the tiefling added, her hands leaving her weapon at her side.
Char reached out and grabbed Wyll's shoulder. She hoped he would see it as a tactic to convince him that she was right. Really, she just needed someone to balance on. Wyll stared at Char before lowering his rapier.
"You really aren't a devil," he relented. The tiefling exhaled in relief, all the tenseness gone from her body. Char smiled as she squeezed his shoulder. "I've been deceived."
"I'm glad that's sorted," Astarion rolled his eyes, walking up behind Char.
"I'm Karlach by the way," the tiefling smiled before noticing the blood on the drow. "You don't look too good there, soldier."
"I'll be honest, I've had better days," Char joked, reaching for Astarion behind her. She had intended to grab the rag from him to stop the bleeding, but he walked up to start cleaning her face. She gave him a look, but it was clear that he was ignoring her. "I'm Char, by the way. This is Astarion."
"Pleasure," he greeted dully. Wyll stepped back, a little embarrassed and stressed out. He was more than happy to have the conversation lead away from him.
"Well met," Karlach smiled, ignoring the grumpy elf. "I will admit, it's nice to meet some friendly faces for once."
"Likewise. Did you get hurt at all?" Char wondered as Astarion rolled his eyes again.
"Nothing by a few bumps and bruises. I would recommend you see a cleric though if there's one around here," the tiefling suggested.
"We have one in our party, and I'm sure she's going to be thrilled to patch me up again,"' the drow groaned. "If you're tired of traveling alone, you're welcome to join us. We could always use another person to watch each other's backs."
"I would be delighted to. I would very much like to get this thing out of my head," Karlach sighed, replacing her axe on her back.
"Then it's settled. Welcome aboard to our band of misfits," Char grinned. Astarion hummed in annoyance, but he didn't argue. While he wasn't thrilled about picking up another stray, he had to admit that Karlach was a good addition. She could more than handle herself in a fight.
"Let's get back to camp," Astarion instructed before addressing Karlach directly for the first time. "There should be enough room for you to set up a tent of your own."
"We can introduce you to the rest of the group once they get back from their scouting mission. Hopefully, they had more luck than we did finding the goblins," Char added. Astarion finally stepped away, tucking the rag back into his pack. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn't stopped yet. The wound was too deep for it to be treated out in the woods. "Although I think running into you is mighty lucky."
"Yes, yes, we are very fortunate that you found another stray," Astarion interrupted, looping his arm though Char's, effectively leading her back to the bridge. "I think now is the time we start heading back. Before something else comes along and finishes the job."
"I would like to take a nap," Char admitted, leaning a little too much onto Astarion.
"You are not sleeping until you see Shadowheart. You probably have a damn concussion," he growled. Char glared up at him, almost removing her arm from his. If she were steadier on her feet, she would have left him in the dust.
As the two headed up the road, bickering and arguing, Karlach fell into step with a nervous Wyll. He glanced at her as she chuckled. Wyll turned his head up to look at her, confused by her demeanor. He had tried to kill her and tried to convince his companions that she was the enemy. Luckily, Char had more of a backbone than Wyll had hoped.
"How long have they been together?" Karlach wondered. Wyll laughed, almost scoffing at the notion.
"They met when the nautilus crashed. So, they've known each other a few days," Wyll explained as they fell back away from the other two. "Char is convinced that he doesn't like her. Although, I'm not entirely sure he has good intentions. He's a bit shady."
"Interesting. They argue like an old married couple," she mentioned. "Does he often clean her wounds?"
"Nope, that's a new one. He usually doesn't like getting close to anyone. For him to just walk up to take care of her wound is odd," he admitted before he shrugged. "But it's possible he couldn't handle the blood dripping from her face."
"Squeamish?"
"Not quite. I'll let him explain it to you. It's a little personal for him."
"I'll ask him later, then," Karlach noted. Wyll nodded before he turned to look at her again.
"I'm sorry for attacking you earlier and chasing you through Avernus. My contact told me that you were a danger to the Sword Coast."
"Water under the bridge, mate. I would like to know who send you after my ass, though. You were relentless."
"I can't give you any information right now, but I should be able to soon. I promise I will explain myself as soon as I can."
"I'll hold you to that," Karlach said, playfully grabbing his shoulder. Wyll gave a soft smile, glad that he didn't have to fight the sweet woman.
~C~
Char tried not to lean on Astarion too much. She wasn't sure why he was being so attentive suddenly, and she wasn't sure if she liked the attention either. He had this hot and cold attitude, which left her guessing what he thought of her. Clearly, he enjoyed her blood, so was she a friend or a convenient walking blood bag? She would ask him later when she could think straight again.
He had an iron grip on her up until they reached the broken bridge. She expected him to loosen his grip on her so they could jump across separately. Instead, he stopped a moment to carry her before jumping across. She protested and yelped until they reached the other side, while wrapping her arms around his neck. She held onto him like a life preserver, making him chuckle when they were safe on the other side.
"Afraid I'm going to drop you?" Astarion teased before placing her on her feet again.
"Yes, actually. You are stick thin, I wasn't sure if you could carry me," Char admitted as she tried to breathe again.
"I'll try not to take offense to that," he grumbled, threading his arm through hers again. "But it seems your blood has enhanced some of my abilities. Vampiric strength seems to be a part of that."
"That's good to know. What other things have you noticed?"
"Just that so far, but I am interested to see what else I can do," Astarion admitted, leading her through the forest back to the riverside camp.
"I am sorry that I didn't listen to you. I don't regret what I did, but I shouldn't have dismissed you like that," Char apologized, wanting to be honest with him.
"Thank you, darling," he replied before shaking his head. "I just don't understand your need to save people all the time. You're so helpful and kind to strangers."
"Most of the time, that helpfulness and kindness come back around. We helped out Karlach twice, meaning that she will likely return the favor. Even if she helps in one battle, I think it would have been worth intervening," Char reasoned before she shrugged. "But I can't argue the need to save people. I've lost people before, and I would like to save as many as I can for as long as I can."
"So, you couldn't save them, so you want to save others?" Astarion clarified, a little bite in his words. Char clenched her jaw as she glared up at him.
"I suppose you could put it that way," she grumbled. "I know you don't approve, but I think this is one instance that we're going to have to agree to disagree."
"I don't necessarily disapprove. I just don't think that we can spend so much time saving strangers when our own lives have an unknown expiration date."
"That's a fair perspective," Char nodded as she smiled up at him. "Very practical."
"I think most would call it heartless."
"Oh, I think you'll find I have a much different description of heartless. You haven't heard the stories of drow culture. Now those Lloth Matriarchs. They are truly heartless," Char growled, shaking her head. "But that's a story for another time when I don't feel like my head is full of air."
"Once Shadowheart gets back to camp, we'll have you back in fighting shape," Astarion promised, patting her forearm with his free hand. Char chuckled, shaking her head, as they walked through the trees.