Journey to Baldur’s Gate

CH.2 A Beast Among Us

Morning rolls in as Ellynn wakes up and freshens herself, washing her face in a clear pond before changing back into her robes. She packs up her bedroll and wakes everyone to do the same. Astarion is reluctant but packs himself away anyway, while Shadowheart packs away her tent and bedroll. The group soon sets off to continue their journey, fresh for another day. But what a way to start by finding another waypoint on a rocky surface. It looked unstable, a vortex having formed in its center. Ellynn grows curious as she approaches the vortex and reaches her hand in. It sends a massive shock through her arm as she pulls away from it, wincing from the pain as it fades. Suddenly, a hand reaches out from the vortex with a male voice.

“A hand? Anyone??”

Ellynn looked baffled as she looked at the group for their take. No response. She decided to reach in and take the hand, using all her strength she could muster to pull whoever was out there. She pulls out a man in purple robes similar to hers, with shoulder-length brown hair, cleanly groomed facial hair, and a strange circular marking upon his chest with dark branches slithering upward and fading into his face.

He stands back up, stretching out in the air. “Ooof… Hello,” he begins, reaching out for a handshake. “I’m Gale of Waterdeep. Apologies. I’m usually better at this.”

Ellynn shakes his hand as she looks at him. “No need to apologize. Are you alright?”

“A bit shocked, but friend, it’s a relief and a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He looks her over before coming to a realization. “Say, but I know you, don’t I? In a way of speaking. You were on the nautiloid as well!”

She was going to confirm his assumption but got too curious about his predicament. “Never mind the nautiloid. How did you get stuck in that stone???”

“I don’t know what transpired exactly, but the ship broke into pieces, and I suddenly found myself in freefall. As I was plummeting to certain death, I spied a glimmer quite near where I estimated my body to impact with less-than-savory propulsion. Recognizing this glimmer to be magical in nature, I reached out to it with a Weaving of words and found myself on the other side, as it were. How about you? How did you survive the fall?”

Ellynn tried to think back to the moment but could only remember falling unconscious on the way down. “To be honest, I haven’t a clue…”

Gale nodded, accepting her answer. “Fair enough. But even so, I have the unfortunate suspicion your survival is still very much in jeopardy. Back on the ship, you, too, were on the receiving end of a rather unwelcome insertion in the ocular region, were you not?”

Ellynn chuckles somewhat, amused by his manner of speaking. “Couldn’t have phrased it more repellently myself.”

“No use sugarcoating it, is there?”

“No, I suppose there isn’t.”

“The insertee we speak of, this parasite - are you aware that after a period of excruciating gestation, it will turn us into Mind Flayers? It’s a process known as ceremorphosis, and let me assure you: it is to be avoided,” he remarked very firmly. “You don’t happen to be a cleric, by any chance, do you? A doctor? Surgeon? Uncannily adroit with a knitting needle?”

Ellynn goes to answer. “Uh, well-”

Shadowheart interrupts her before she can. “You seem to know enough about our condition to realize it is beyond most clerics’ skills.”

Gale replied to her. “Most, no doubt. But I find myself hoping to be in the presence of a few.” He then turns to Ellynn and asks again. “You don’t happen to be one of them?”

Ellynn sighs a bit. “I possess many gifts, but tadpole extraction is not one of them. I can’t cure our parasites.”

“As we’ve established, few enough can. It’s not exactly a common affliction. We’re most certainly going to need a healer, and soon, too. How about we lend each other a helping hand once more and look for a healer together?”

Ellynn turned back toward her group and had a short debate with them. Astarion was already annoyed with Gale and suggested just leaving him behind. But Shadowheart saw some use for the wizard. Ellynn agreed with both of them, except for the leaving part, and decided as she turned back to Gale, who eagerly awaited her answer. “Sounds like a plan! You’re welcome to join me.”

Gale sighs with relief. “Most excellent! A parasite shared is a parasite halved. Or something to that effect… Oh! But before you think you’re about to embark on a journey with the most ill-mannered man, thank you for pulling me off that stone. It was an act of foresighted kindness, I assure you, for I have the feeling ample opportunities will present themselves for me to return the favor.”

Astarion soon spoke up. “Yes, yes, whatever you say. Shall we go now?”

Gale looks at Astarion, raising a brow a bit. “Yes, of course. Very well, then. Lead on!”

The four set off to continue their adventure, now a group capable of fighting off even the most cutthroat creatures. Feeling confident, Ellynn returns to the crash site, seeing the walking brains skittering around again. This time, she had company. She walks over and initiates a fight with 4 of the brains, each one making their way toward her and the group. The group splits off to take their positions as Ellynn takes out a crossbow and shoots one of the brain creatures while Gale casts a frost ray spell at another, making it prone to slipping on the ice below. Shadowheart casts a shield of faith on herself and gets her sword ready.

“IGNIS!” Astarion exclaimed, throwing a fire bolt at the third brain, making it target him. “Finally.” He grins as he takes out his dagger.

The brains each lunge toward the group. Ellynn dodges and swings her staff down on the creature, hitting it with a visceral noise. But it isn’t dead yet. The second brain on the ice slips, falling onto its… brain? Gale took this opportunity to run over and swing his own staff down on the creature. Shadowheart takes the hit from the fourth one as she then thrusts her blade toward it, but it manages to dodge. The third brain lunges for Astarion, but he leaps to the side and plunges the blade into the creature, giving it critical damage. It quickly scurries back, the dagger stuck in its brain. It manages to claw into his arm as he growls out, quickly grabbing the hilt of his dagger and twisting it in the brain before yanking it out, killing it. He then turned his attention to the brain attacking Ellynn, who was pinned by the creature, holding it back with her staff while trying to avoid what looked like a feeding tendril. She remembers what they are! They’re Intellect Devourers. Creatures who can feed on them and take control on behalf of the Mind Flayers. She needed to avoid the tendril at all costs.

Astarion runs over and grabs a leg, tossing it at a wall before stepping on it. “Disgusting little….” He turns and helps Ellynn back to her feet. “If you need help, you only need to ask~”

Gale exclaimed, “If you’re done flirting with her, perhaps you could assist us next?!” He was dodging the tendrils being thrust toward him as he tried to charge up a firebolt.

Astarion rolls his eyes as he looks at Ellynn, holding out his arms. “Ladies first?”

Ellynn chuckles before running to help Gale, throwing a fire bolt at the Devourer and scorching its body before it lunges for her. Gale throws his own, knocking it from the air and finishing it off. The rest of the group focuses on helping Shadowheart, taking turns on the last one, hitting, stabbing, and using magic until it is limp. Astarion wastes no time looting whatever chests he can find before regrouping and moving away from the crash site.

“I must say, I found that very gratifying~”

Shadowheart chuckles somewhat, cleaning her blade and sheathing it. “No doubt it won’t be the last time we see such creatures.”

“They are called Intellect Devourers,” Gale remarked. “And we should all be ever so flattered that we are considered intelligent.”

“And yet you cannot understand that no one really cares what they are as long as they’re dead~” Astarion replied in a sassy tone. “Now then, what else shall we kill today?”

“I say we soldier on; see if anyone else survived the crash,” Shadowheart said as she walked along the path. The rest of the group walks along, bantering with each other before coming across a wild boar dead on the side of the path.

Ellynn kneelt down to examine it. Astarion stands beside her before scoffing, “The pig’s dead, my friend. Staring at it won’t bring it back. Come on. We’ll never fix these brain worms if we stop and gawk at every piece of carrion you find.” Ellynn rolls her eyes and continues to examine it. The boar seemed to be fresh - only a few hours dead. Examining the corpse, she sees two small puncture wounds on its neck. “And?” He begins sarcastically. “Is it dead enough for you?”

Ellynn stands back up, noticing his strange behavior. “These marks are strange… Do you recognize them?”

“I-“ He began before sighing, knowing he’d have to tell her before moving on. “It’s been drained of blood through wounds in its neck. It’s been killed by a vampire. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to worry you. They’re ferocious creatures.” He smiles at her, knowing some reassurance might help things along. “But don’t worry. I’ll keep watch tonight. We won’t have to worry about nocturnal visitors. Now, please, let’s go.”

Ellynn looked at him before nodding, accepting his answer. She moves along before stopping, hearing voices ahead. She and the group run to the voices to find three humans trying to get through a gate. They were frantic and worried, shouting for the gates to be opened. Suddenly, a horn blares out as a small horde of Goblins appears, weapons at the ready before they let out a battle cry, charging for the men at the gate.

“Well….. Nothing we can do, right?”

“Are you insane?” Ellynn asks, a bit taken aback. “We obviously have to help them! We can’t just leave them like that.

“Ellynn is right,” Shadowheart says, drawing her sword. “They need our help. It would be wrong to turn them away and leave them to such disgusting creatures.”

Gale takes out his staff. “I most certainly agree with them. This is a matter of moral conduct. Besides, they might have information about our little parasitic friends.”

Astarion sighs, disapproving of their heroics. “Very well. But there had better be a reward for wasting our time.”

The group quickly charged over to the Goblins as one of the men at the top of the gate sounded for backup. Some more come out with crossbows, and a human with a sword and a stone eye leaps down, ready for the fight. The Goblins see the group before charging at them, attacking savagely as the group splits apart to take them down. They all charge and throw fire bolts at the Goblins while avoiding their swings. A bugbear suddenly appears behind Ellynn and picks her up by her neck and leg. She yelps out and tries to struggle free as he lifts her over his head, getting down on one knee, ready to drop her down to snap her spine. The human notices and leaps at the Bugbear, thrusting his blade into his chest and making him move back while dropping Ellynn, which the human caught in his arms.

“Pardon, my lady. But perhaps you should be more aware of your surroundings.” He flashed a perfect smile, putting her back on her feet.

Ellynn gets flustered and gets a surge of wild magic, suddenly being polymorphed into a wolf. She is initially confused but realizes she could work this to her advantage. She quickly pounces onto a Goblin archer and begins to sink her teeth into it while the human fights off the Bugbear, who is furious about the stab. Astarion took notice of the encounter and frowned before letting out a growl, thrusting his dagger into 3 of the Goblins. Shadowheart casts the shield of faith onto herself and swings her sword at 2 more, taking them down before taking a hit from a crossbow bolt. The spell took effect and deflected the bolt. She runs at the goblin and swings down, but it shifts to the side and makes her miss, cackling. Gale throws a fire bolt into the goblin's face, turning her cackling into an ugly screech before Shadowheart takes the chance to swing again, this time killing the goblin. Ellynn changes back and joins Astarion, hitting a few Goblin heads before letting Astarion make the killing blows, slicing their necks and getting covered in their blood before he straightens up and wipes the blood all over his face and his white curls.

“Nothing like a bloodbath to get you through the day, right, Darling?~” He asks, chuckling as he reveled in the Goblin m******e. Ellynn feels uneasy but agrees and keeps fighting until the remaining Goblins retreat, leaving them dead. The group then turns to find the human still battling the Bugbear.

The human notices the group coming before he calls out. “Archers!” The group stops as the archers take aim at the Bugbear and unleash a storm of arrows and bolts onto him, finishing him off as he collapses, going limp. “Apologies. I needed to keep you out of proximity if I were to finish off this beast.” The gate finally opened, and the three humans huddled close and ran inside. “Zevlor will want to speak with you inside. I will be around should you ever need me.” He looks at Ellynn and takes her hand before giving it a soft peck, smiling. “I would not mind seeing you again, my lady.”

“Well, you’re proving to be quite a popular ally, if I may say so,” Gale spoke up, amused. “It’s not hard to see why, as you are quite a fair lady.”

Shadowheart rolls her eyes, walking through the gate. “Let’s not waste any time, shall we? We must speak with the leader.”

Astarion sheaths his dagger before following her. “Finally, someone with sense. Let's go.”

Gale chuckles as he walks with Ellynn. “I mean every word, of course. Just stating what I’ve observed.”

The group makes it inside as a Tiefling man looks at them. “That’s the last of them, for now. Thank you for your help. We could not have saved our fellow brothers had you not shown up.”

Ellynn nods. “It was no trouble. We couldn’t sit idly by and let those fiends kill your friends.”

“Indeed. I am Zevlor, the leader of the Tieflings. I wish I could express my gratitude more effectively, but we have urgent matters if you don't mind. If you need me, I will be in my quarters. Please rest and have some food. We don't have much, but we have just enough for you and your companions.”

“That’s it? Food and drink? I’ll be at the camp…” Astarion attempts to walk away, but Ellynn grabs him by the back of his tunic, yanking him back. “Hey!”

“I apologize to my friend here. We’ve all had a bit of a rough week so far. We would love to stay and partake in your cuisine.”

“I would not call it cuisine. It’s nothing lavish or tasty, but it helps keep us strong. However, there are vendors who would be happy to sell you supplies for your camp.”

“Oh. Well, thanks anyway. We’ll look into those vendors.”

“Please, help yourselves.” Zevlor walked away, leaving the group in the middle of the grove.

Ellynn sighs softly. “Alright, as soon as we get those supplies, we call it a night. The sun is setting already…”

“I would not be surprised. We’ve had two brutal battles today already,” Shadowheart says, wiping the goblin blood from her blade.

The group quickly walked around the refuge before finding several different vendors. One had a nice elderly woman selling lotions and potions. She looks at the group and smiles sweetly at them. “Ah, if it isn’t the talk o’ the camp. Thank goodness you came along when you - oh!” She exclaimed, taking a closer look at Ellynn and the group. “There isn’t a bit of color in those cheeks, petal! Are you hurt? Cold? Feverish? Auntie Ethel will sort you out! I’ve lotions and potions galore!”

Ellynn chuckles a bit. “Don’t worry about me; my magic will fix me up! …. Probably.”

The woman chuckles back at her as she turns to dig through her bottles. “Ah, yes, but will your magic cure your ills or turn you blue?”

“Isn’t that half the fun?”

“Hah! We’re two peas in a pod, sweetie! What’s life without a little fun, eh? Aha!” She takes out a bottle and turns back toward Ellynn. “You take a sup of that, and you’ll feel right as rain, sweetie!”

Ellynn looks at the bottle, skeptical about its contents. “Might this concoction also help with something more… serious?”

“Well, that depends. What’s wrong, lovie?”

“I um…. Have a condition. An… Unusual condition.”

“Oh! I’ve seen it all!”

Ellynn’s eyes lit up. “Yeah??”

“Oh yes! I once had a fella who’d been caught dabbling with a dryad! The wife was none too pleased and introduced him to a pot of boiling oil. But worry not! I fixed him up, and depending on the lighting, he looks as good as new! My point is- whatever ails you…. I promise I’ve seen worse.”

Astarion soon chimes in, amused. “Why, she sounds positively demented. I love it! Let’s tell her everything!”

Ethel soon asks Ellynn. “What is it, petal? What’s wrong?”

Ellynn takes a deep breath to calm her nerves a bit before answering. “I’ve got a Mind Flayer parasite in my head.”

As she recounts her adventure, Auntie Ethel nods, her eyes wide as she takes Ellynn’s hands, squeezing them tightly. “You poor pet. My heart goes out to you, truly.” She pats her hands before letting go. “I see no sign of a tentacle yet, but that could change in an instant. You need help, serious help. I’ve ne’er a potion or lotion here that could do it, but… Yes! I may have something at home!”

“Such as?”

“I’ve collected some… interesting bits ‘n bobs over the years. You’ll have to stop by my house - just at the edge of the forest! Let me mark it on your map. I’ll be heading back soon, so I can meet you there.” Ellynn nods as she pulls out her map and hands it to the elderly woman. She marks a little black dot near the edge of the forest on the map before handing it back. “Now, do you need anything? I have a few odds and ends for sale.”

Ellynn takes the map back and puts it away before shrugging. “Oh, what’s the harm? Show me your wares.”

She shows a few items in her inventory, and some camping supplies and food are shown as Ellynn takes the gold she had in her pocket and buys the supplies. After thanking the old woman, she and the group head back out of the grove and begin to set up camp again. Ellynn finished setting up her bedroll before looking over to see Astarion lying back on the grass as he looked up at the sky again. She walks over to him, and he glances at her and smirks.

“It’s quite a sight…..” She raised a brow at him. “The stars, I mean. I could take or leave your chin.”

“They are beautiful tonight,” she says, putting her hands on her hips and looking up at the stars.

“I can see the stars from Baldur’s Gate, of course….but not with such clarity. It got me thinking… Reflecting on what tomorrow might bring when we meet with this hag. Will she know how to bring the worm under control? Will this little adventure of ours be over?”

Ellynn thought for a moment. He was unbearable sometimes, but he was good company. He was getting used to being outside in the wild, after all. “It doesn’t have to be. We can still travel together.”

Astarion smiles at her. “Good.” He sits up on the grass. “I don’t want you to run off just yet.” He stands back up as Ellynn looks at him, wondering what he meant by that. “You’re quite the ally, after all. Traversing Avernus, surviving the crash, surviving everything that’s followed. I’m not easily impressed by people, but you’re stronger than I gave you credit for!”

Ellynn chuckles softly to herself before replying to him, “I’m just trying to survive, like you.”

“Yes…. We’re more similar than I thought,” he says, holding his gaze in her eyes and smiling somewhat at her.

She notices how long the silence has been and gets a bit flustered. “Are uh… Are you feeling all right?”

“Hmm?” He blinks somewhat before snapping out of it. “Oh. Uh… I was leagues away…. I just need to… Get some air! Clear my head!” It was funny, considering they were outdoors in the fresh air. “I’ll see you later, I’m sure. Sleep tight~”

Ellynn rolls her eyes as she returns to her bedroll; she and her companions get ready for another night’s sleep, with Astarion taking watch again. Hours pass, and Ellynn finds she is not resting well, flitting between dreams and nightmares. Maybe she woke up because she knew something was wrong…. Or maybe she just got lucky as she felt a soft breath against her neck before her eyes flitted open, seeing the pale elf with his mouth wide open before he noticed she had awakened, quickly pulling back a bit.

“...Shit.”

Her eyes widen as she quickly lashes out with her elbow, hitting him square in the nose as he grunts out, falling back as she gets up from her bed. “Argh! You…” He stands back up, his nose slowly dropping with blood down his lips. “I- I wasn’t going to hurt you! I just needed - well… blood.”

There, in dim firelight, she sees him for what he really is: a vampire. A slave to sanguine hunger. She looked at his features now, his eyes piercing red and his fangs flashing in his mouth. She quickly looks around and picks up a large branch nearby.

“What are you-” He sees her snap it in half, fashioning it into an improvised stake. “Oh no! There’s no need for that!” He smacks the stake from her hands and holds his hands up to show he isn’t a threat.

Ellynn’s thoughts raced as she tried to reflect on any signs she missed during their time together. There were a few, but then there was the boar she had found earlier that day. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it- we even found the boar you snacked on!”

“It's not what you think—I'm not some monster! I feed on animals—boars, deer, kobolds—whatever I can get. But it’s not enough. Not if I have to fight. I feel so weak….” He looked into her eyes, his own showing a soft desperation. “If I just had a little blood, I could think clearer. Fight better. Please.”

Ellynn thinks momentarily, still keeping her guard as she asks him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Astarion replies, sighing softly as he does. “At best, I wasn’t sure if you’d say no. More likely, you'd ram a stake through my ribs. No… I needed you to trust me… And you can trust me.”

She thinks some more for a moment before slowly straightening herself up. “I…. I do…. I believe you.”

He lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you…. Do you think you could trust me just a little further? I only need a taste…. I swear.”

Ellynn was already nervous about having a vampire in the group, but she knew he would be a better asset in any battle if he were in better health. She sighs a bit as she answers. “Fine. But not a drop more than you need.”

His eyes widened with surprise at her answer, and he had expected her to refuse. “Really? I—Of course. Not one drop more. I’ll be gentle as a babe. Let’s make ourselves comfortable then, shall we?”

Ellynn slowly laid back on her bedroll as Astarion knelt beside her, wiping the blood off his face as he moved his arms to the sides of her shoulders. He leans in and bares his fangs before plunging them into her neck. It’s like a shard of ice in her neck- a quick, sharp pain that fades into throbbing numbness. Her breath catches, and her pulse quickens. Her body trembles from the sensation as she slowly leans into him, losing herself. She could feel her blood racing, coursing through both their bodies. A gentle, numb feeling starts to spread through her, but she gathers enough of her senses and strength to finally push him off of her, making him pull back as he huffs intensely, drops of her blood dripping from his lips down his chin.

“Ah! That…. That was amazing~” He stands back up as she stands as well, holding her neck while he licks his lips and wipes up the drops on his hand before licking them off. “But it worked. My mind is finally clear. I feel strong. I feel….. Happy!~” He smiles happily at her, the dark circles in his eyes having faded off, and he looks more lively.

Ellynn winced as she held her neck. “Y-You almost killed me.”

“But I didn’t. And that’s what matters. And look what you’ve gained. Together, we can take on the world!”

She knew this, of course. Now that there is a strong ally in the group, battles may be easier. But there was still the risk. “I hope so… I look forward to seeing you fight.”

He chuckles as he stretches his arms out. “Shouldn’t take long. So many people need killing. Now…” He bows to her. “If you’ll excuse me, you’re invigorating, but I need something more… filling.” He turns and starts to walk away before stopping and turning his head toward her. “This is a gift, you know. I won’t forget it.”

Ellynn watches as he stalks toward the forest. Stronger. More confident. Ready to hunt. He smirked as he disappeared into the forest brush, leaving her to process what had just occurred. She sat back on her bedroll, feeling along her neck as she grazed her fingers against the two fresh puncture wounds. She grabs a cloth and a healing potion as she presses the cloth to her neck and sips from the bottle, the aching feeling slowly melting away and the bleeding slowing. She will be fine. She will live through the night. But something about the situation felt… strange. The initial bite hurt, yes, but something about the sensation when her blood was being sucked from her body felt… tingling in a way. She begins to feel flustered as she tries to shake off the idea that she may have actually enjoyed what happened to her. All that mattered was that he was able to do it now. But now she needed to trust that he wouldn’t attack her or the rest of the group if he ever needed more than the amount she allowed him to have. She lays back down and closes her eyes. It will be a new day in the morning. Let’s see where it will lead them.