Chapter 12 - A Human Weakness

Everything was horrible. She woke up the next morning with a migraine that had her head thrumming. The world swam and her stomach felt queasy. Which was odd, since she had barely had anything to drink the previous night. So why did she feel so hungover?

She stumbled out of her tent bleary eyed and surveyed her companions who all seemed to be doing only mildly better. Minus Lae'zel, Wyll, and Astarion, who all seemed perfectly fine. Oh, and Halsin, since he refused to drink alcohol. The Druid came over to hand her a cup of tea. She sniffed it and could smell the herbs that had been steeped in it.

"What is it," she asked him, her voice rough.

"It's to help with your hangover," he explained. "I brewed it this morning, assuming you would need it."

She took a tentative sip. It was bitter, but had been sweetened with a little bit of honey to make it easier to ingest. The hot liquid felt wonderful against her dry throat. She glanced around and saw Karlach and Shadowheart were also working on a mug of the stuff. Karlach caught her eye and grinned at her, raising her cup. "Cheers, soldier. We should do more parties. You were an absolute riot."

"Was I," Del asked, thinking about it for a moment. "I was rather well behaved this time around."

"We obviously failed to get you drunk enough, then," Shadowheart said, already looking better. "We'll try harder next time."

"Next time," she asked. She shook her head. "No thanks. I barely had anything to drink and my head already hurts enough, as is. I can't handle my alcohol as well as I used to, I guess."

"You're just out of practice," Karlach supplied. "If we keep drinking, you'll be an old hand at it in no time."

"I suppose you're right. I haven't been a big drinker since my Fist days."

Karlach raised her eyebrows. "A Fist? I wonder if you ever arrested me back in the day."

Del laughed, and then winced, regretting it immediately. "I think I would remember you, if I did. Besides, you were in Avernus by the time I came to the city."

"It's funny to think so many of us came from Baldur's Gate," Shadowheart mused. "I wonder if we had passed each other by unknowingly at one point or another."

"I doubt we ran in the same circles," Astarion said, walking back from the river where he had been freshening up. His hair was wet and sparkled in the sunlight. "I was always good at faces, and I would have remembered if I saw any of you."

"Many of us have little need to see a magistrate," Wyll told him. "I might have seen Del at some point, though, because of my father."

Del raised her hands and waved them in the negative, not wanting to move her head. "I've never even been in the same building as your father, Wyll. I was too low level. And I only lasted two years before I quit."

"How did you manage to meet Astarion, then," Shadowheart asked, her eyebrows pinched together.

Del and Astarion exchanged a look. "Playing cards. Yeah." Del decided to go with that. "In a seedy place he won't ever admit he went to. That's why he owed me money. Because I beat him. Many times."

Astarion frowned at her, but he couldn't really disagree with her. Their made-up reason for knowing each other had been a throw away, but due to Shadowheart's powers of recall and her constant need to question everything, they had no choice but to continue the charade.

Wyll chuckled. "It's a good thing you're stuck with him for a while, then. Maybe he can earn that money back for you while we journey together."

"Oh, he'll owe me big time, no matter what," Del said, seriously.

She could see Astarion place his hands on his hips from the corner of her eye. She brought her cup to her lips to hide her smile. She took a long sip of her tea. She thought it might actually be working as her headache had eased a bit. She would need to ask Halsin what he used for this concoction later. She shivered, feeling as if cold water had been doused on her, even though she was sitting in the sunlight.

"You all right," Shadowheart asked.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." Del shuddered again. "Someone must be stepping on my grave," she joked.

The conversation continued around her, but she couldn't focus on it. She could almost feel the tadpole writhing around in her skull, as if it too was unsure what was happening to them. She felt her body break out into a sweat. She must be running hot. That's why she felt so cold. Was she sick? She hadn't had a cold in forever. Now would be an awful time for it to happen, though. Feeling queasy, she stood and started to walk away from the group. She made it a few steps before she had to run to the bushes and throw up.

"Whoa," Wyll said, "Maybe you did overdo it last night."

Del wiped her mouth with the back of her hand from her hunched position. "I don't think this is from the alcohol," she said. She stood up and immediately went back down, her head spinning and her vision nearly blacking out. She tried to focus and take deep breaths.

Shadowheart and Halsin were by her side, checking on her. The half-elf rubbed her back, soothingly.

"She is starting to turn," Lae'zel said, unsheathing her sword. "We must end her before it is too late."

"You will do no such thing," Shadowheart hissed. "The rest of us are fine. If she's turning, wouldn't we all be experiencing it?"

"Then what else could it be," the githyanki warrior asked.

Halsin was scanning her with his magic. He turned to everyone when he was done and said, "She's just sick. She'll need to rest. Which means we won't be going anywhere today."

She heard Lae'zel curse and walk away from the camp. She rolled her head to the side and winced as she watched the world twirl in her vision. "This is bloody ridiculous. I have a frickin' tadpole in my head and my issue is that I have a different kind of bug? Ugh."

Halsin gently helped her to a standing position. She swayed a little, but managed to remain upright.

"Will she be alright," Astarion asked, his arms folded. He almost sounded concerned.

"She should be perfectly fine as long as she rests," Halsin said. "She probably caught something from the goblins if I had to guess. She is human and they do tend to get sick more easily."

"Isn't that just our luck, then," he griped, stalking away.

"I'd apologize," Del called out, "But it's not like I did it on purpose!"

She looked up at Halsin and grimaced. "I don't suppose I could talk my way out of bed rest, huh?"

Shadowheart answered for him, "No. We can't risk you getting worse. Believe it or not, we need you. Come on, let's get you back into your tent."

"I'll get started on some soup," Gale said, rising from his eat. "I have a special recipe that always does wonders when I catch a cold."

Del went with a sigh. She had to talk them into leaving the flap of her tent open so she could get fresh air. They didn't want the rest of the camp to disturb her. She didn't want to be holed up in a dark tent for the rest of the day. They had her tucked under the covers of her bedroll, but she was still shivering. She did her best to try and get more sleep, but it was difficult. She drifted in and out for she wasn't sure how long.

Eventually, Gale came to her with a piping bowl of broth with a few finely chopped veggies inside of it. She begged Shadowheart into letting her come just outside of her tent to eat it, but she was still wrapped up in a blanket. At least she was sitting in the sun now that it hung directly overhead. The warm soup and the sunlight helped to chase away some of the chill, but she still shuddered uncontrollably. She must look a right mess, considering how much perspiring her body was doing.

As she finished her bowl of soup, Shadowheart came over and nearly forced her back into the tent. Del protested, weakly, "Me staying out here isn't going to make it worse. I'll stay in my bedroll out here, okay?"

Shadowheart grumbled, but took her empty bowl and walked away. She noticed for the first time half the camp was missing. She wondered where everyone had gone off to, but when she tried asking Shadowheart, she was ignored. She laid back into her bedroll dejectedly. She had the blankets pulled up around her neck, and the sun warmed her face, but she still couldn't stop shivering. It was horrible. She tried to close her eyes and sleep, but sleep wouldn't take her. A shadow fell over her face and she looked up at Halsin from where he blocked the light.

As he looked at her questioningly, she grumbled, "I'm too cold. I can't stop shaking."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before stepping away. Del watched him warily as he made for the center of the camp before turning back towards her. With a motion of his arms and hands, he transformed into his bear form and walked back towards her. He stopped at her side and looked at her, huffing.

Del sighed, still shaking. "I don't speak bear," she reminded him. "I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish. I'm tired and just want to sleep."

Halsin, the bear, chuffed at her before he circled her bedroll. He laid down to one side of her, careful not to crush her, before curling around her body. His thick fur tickled her face and hands where they stuck outside of the blanket. She scrunched her face at the sensation. The bear smelled of dirt, sunshine, pine and some animal musk that wasn't altogether too unpleasant. She realized his body was slowly providing more heat and she understood what he was trying to do. After a while, her shakes started to slow. And she was starting to feel warm once again.

"I never thought I would be snuggling with a bear," Del mused. "But thank you, Halsin. This is doing wonders." She yawned and rolled onto her side.

Halsin shuffled closer and laid his head against the back of hers. She could just feel the soft rise and fall of his body as he lay next to her. Between that and the soft exhalations from his large body she found herself lulled into a deep sleep.

"We found more blankets. I don't suppose you would move, though, so I could put them on her?" The familiar sound of Astarion's voice woke her. She could still feel Halsin next to her. She felt more than heard his growl in response to the vampire spawn.

"I'll take that as a no. Just try not to bite my head off, hmm?"

Del felt the weight of another blanket being put on top of her. Astarion carefully arranged it so it covered her entire body. She could just catch the faint whiff of bergamot and rosemary as it settled over the other blanket. The scent was comforting and she had to wonder if he really just found the blanket or if he had just given her one of his.

"Keep your grubby paws off of the blanket. I'm going to want it back and I'd rather it didn't smell of ursine later." That answered that question. Halsin chuffed, the sound similar to a laugh. Astarion didn't respond to it, though. She could feel him walk away from her and Halsin settled down against her once more, like a giant teddy bear. Despite the interruption, she fell back into an easy slumber.

When she woke again, it was to a thin, skeletal face. It appeared to be studying her. Once she was awake enough to feel shock she was sitting up, reaching for a dagger, but nothing was on her. Night had fallen and a fire was cheerily dancing in the middle of the camp. Halsin was no longer by her side so she literally had nothing to defend herself with. The figure was watching her calmly and as the firelight glinted off the gold metal that surrounded his face, recognition flowed through her. It was Withers. But where had he come from?

The undead man before her still hadn't said a single word to her and she squeaked out a short, "Hello?"

Withers let out a simple, "Hmm," and nothing else, as he continued to study her.

At the sound of her voice, though, her compatriots came into view, walking back from the beach next to the river. They must have been talking over there as to not disturb her sleep. They all looked shocked to see him, too.

"Oh, it's you," Astarion said to the undead man. "I know you said you would see us soon, but didn't think you meant it so literally," he said with a laugh.

"What's going on," Karlach asked, clearly as confused by the skeletal man in their camp as Del was.

"What she said," Shadowheart agreed.

"While we were waiting for you ladies to return," Gale offered, "Astarion decided to raid the temple just outside the grove. We thought we might find some goods or gold, but we found this, erm, gentleman? And I think he means to join us. Though, for what purpose, I haven't the faintest."

"And you didn't think to mention this to us," Shadowheart asked.

"We did get a bit distracted by a party we didn't know was going to happen."

"And we forgot to tell them about the devil we met," Del put in.

"You met a devil," Astarion asked, interest sparking in his eyes.

"Perhaps we should focus on the thing that is front of us," Lae'zel quipped.

The subject of their conversation acknowledged their presence with a nod of his head. His voice was dry and gravelly and he talked slowly. "I am here only to observe. Thou mayst also offer coin for my services if thou ever have the need."

"Services," Astarion asked, his interest piqued. "What services do you provide?"

"Resurrection," was Withers' solemn reply.

"Hm, that could be useful," Gale said. "Adventuring is dangerous work. We could definitely get into more trouble as we progress. I for one don't mind him hanging about."

"I don't think we get a choice, Gale," Del told him.

Withers turned to regard her once more. "Thou art an anomaly," he finally says. "If thou were to fall, I will not be able to resurrect thee. Thy soul belongs to another realm entirely. Curious."

Del had become excited at the prospect of being able to be resurrected, but at his words the breath left her lungs in a gasp. He wouldn't be able to resurrect her? But more importantly, he knew she didn't belong. He could see it somehow.

"What is he talking about," Wyll asked, looking at Del. "Do you know what he means by that?"

Del laughed nervously. "I'm certain I don't."

Withers locked eyes with her and as if reading her mind he began to step away. "I will be here when thou needs me."

"Wait," Astarion called out. "Is that it? I was hoping for less archaic answers this time around."

Withers continued to shuffle away without a word. Astarion pouted. "Guess that's it then." He glared at Del. "You got more words out of him than I was able to."

"More importantly," Karlach said, walking over to where Del still sat. "He just told us he can resurrect everyone but her. Isn't that weird?"

"It most definitely is," Shadowheart agreed. "Do you have anything to say about this," she asked Del, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I really don't understand what he meant," Del told them. "And yeah, it sucks, but what can we do about it?"

"Not let you die, for one," Gale said. "Though, I don't relish the idea of dying, either. Even if I could be brought back."

"I don't plan on using his… services, if we can help it," Del said, firmly. "Having him around doesn't mean I will let anyone die."

"How cute of you to think you have any control over that," Astarion said, looking at his nails. "Dying is a part of life and is just as inevitable. With our friend around we will just make it less permanent. For the rest of us, anyway."

"I'm happy to have a backup, in case things go wrong," Del insisted. "I'm just saying I don't plan on letting it happen."

"It's unfortunate it won't work on you," Shadowheart muttered. "You will just have to be extra careful."

"I always am." And it was the truth. Even if she had almost died a handful of times already.

"We should be asking how our little patient is doing," Halsin finally spoke. "You look better than you did this morning."

Del had been so shocked by Withers she hadn't even thought about how she was feeling. She took stock of her body and found it was doing much better. Her shuddering had stopped completely and her head, while still a little groggy, didn't feel as heavy and she could sit up without feeling dizzy. "I'm feeling much better. I should be good to travel tomorrow."

"Well, we'll see about that tomorrow, then. It could worsen overnight, but so far it appears you are on the mend."

"Death averted once more," Del said, jokingly.

"That does seem to be your area of expertise," Astarion muttered, walking away. "Good thing, too, since our new resident resurrectionist can't help you."

With that, everyone dispersed, mulling about camp doing their own thing. Halsin sat next to her and handed her a plate. A grilled fish sat on it, along with some roasted potatoes. "Eat. You missed dinner while you were asleep."

Del hadn't realized how hungry she was until that moment and she dug in, eating with her hands. Within minutes she had inhaled her food. She stared at her empty plate. "Wow, I guess I needed that."

Halsin chuckled, taking the plate from her. "Are you still hungry? I'm sure I can scrounge up some bread and cheese if you'd like.

Del thought about it, but then shook her head. "No, that was plenty. I'm starting to feel a little worn out again, so I might just go back to sleep."

"Do you want to move back into your tent?"

"Honestly, I like it better out here."

"A woman after my own heart," Halsin said with a smile. "I'll leave you be, then. Call out if you need anything else. I'll be around. As will most of your friends, I suppose." He let out a small laugh. "You've collected quite a good group of people around you."

Del couldn't help but smile in response. "Yeah, I guess I have."

They bid each other good night and Del settled back down into her bedroll. She pulled the blankets high, bringing the top-most one to her face, breathing in the faint scent left behind. The gesture was really sweet. She didn't really need it anymore, but she couldn't find it in her to discard it, either. He'd have it back in the morning, anyway. She snuggled down under the covers and sighed, staring at the sky above. Sleep evaded her, though. After about a half hour she shoved herself back into a seated position and looked around the camp. Most everyone else had returned to their tents, minus Astarion and Halsin.

She grabbed her pack from where it sat in front of her tent and pulled it towards her. She rummaged around, looking for one of the books she had picked up while looting. She had found one that told stories from the life of a famous wizard. She wasn't sure if it was factual, at all, but it had seemed entertaining when she was skimming it. She pulled it out, shoving the rest of the pack behind her head to support it as she read, using the light from the campfire.

As the fire dimmed and the night wore on, Del decided she had read enough. Halsin had settled into his own bedroll on the other side of the fire and she was sure she saw Astarion sneak back into his tent, already. If the vampire was resting, she should be, too. Putting the book to one side, she felt a sudden arc of pain ricochet inside of her head and then pressure as if someone was squeezing it. Her stomach clenched and she was scared she was going to throw up her dinner, but she managed not to vomit this time. Was this still the flu? If so, why did it feel so much worse than before?

She rolled onto her side to catch her breath, but the pain persisted. She was starting to see stars behind her eyelids now. She tried to call out for help, but she found she couldn't speak. What was happening to her? The pain intensified and her skin felt like it wasn't fitting anymore. And she was so, so hot. But she couldn't move enough to remove the blankets from her body. Finally, the pain began to be too much and she passed out, surrendering to darkness.

When the darkness gave way to a strange place, with a strange man hovering over her, she nearly laughed. Unfortunately the pain seemed to have followed her into her dreams. The man's hands glowed with a magic she couldn't identify, but as she focused on his face, his hands dropped and he moved away, giving her space.

"I came to you just in time," he told her. "You were about to turn." His face was kind. He looked to be an elf, with tan skin and red hair. So her "Dream Guardian" had finally showed up.

Del was already starting to feel better. Her skin wasn't as tight, and the pain in her head and stomach were both ebbing. Whatever he had done to her was working. With a groan, she rolled to her feet. Her guardian was still kneeling and she looked at him for a few moments before sighing.

That's right, she had to play her part with him, as well. She really wanted to tell him she already knew what he was, but wasn't sure what his reaction would be. Whether she liked it or not, she still needed him. He had just saved her. And he would continue to protect her and her companions as long as they stayed on the same side. For now, anyway.

So she let him explain what he was doing and how she needed to embrace the tadpole's powers. She had no problem using the powers she already had with her tadpole, but she had no intention of consuming more tadpoles to add to it. She didn't tell him that, of course, and was happy to find herself waking back in her own body after he sent her away, stating he needed to return to the "fight."

She sat up and checked her body for signs of ceremorphosis, but she found nothing. The pain she had experienced before meeting her guardian was completely gone. Her head was still groggy, but that was it. It was like it hadn't happened at all. She pulled up a knee and rested her head against it. That had been too close for comfort. Why had the guardian contacted her so late? She eyed the quiet tents around her, wondering if anyone else had started to change, too, but she had been too wrapped up in her own pain to notice if anyone else had maybe cried out. She turned to Halsin's sleeping form and realized if anyone had he probably would have awoken.

Del waited to see if anyone maybe walked out of their tents, shaken and scared by what happened, but no one did. It was perfectly quiet in the campsite. Maybe they were all still asleep.

She forced herself to lie back down. She needed to sleep so that she could wake tomorrow and hopefully have beaten this sickness. They didn't have time to wait for her to feel better. She would need to get them moving either way, but she would prefer it if she wasn't sick anymore. They had so much ground they needed to cover, still. She rolled onto her side and forced herself to close her eyes. Sleep would take her eventually.