7.10 - Expansion (Patreon)

7.10 - Expansion

Madison

A whole Cadre of druids, along with Halsin, hovered around Taylor day and night, healing magic flowing into the comatose girl, but Halsin’s features never lightened. Taylor didn’t wake up. 

Madison, all of them really, sat around the ‘front door’ of the cave leading to her. Someone was always there, practically standing guard; Astarion and Lae’zel watched every druid that came and went. She watched Gale cast scrying spells on others when no one was looking and Wyll politely stalling anyone they didn’t know with friendly conversation until Halsin or Rath arrived once more. 

But Taylor didn’t wake up.

Shadowheart added her own healing, so did Madison when she could. So did Nettie.

By the second day, she listened to Durge talking with Halsin. 

“I believe whatever attacked your party through the tadpoles, she took the brunt of it. Her mind nearly broke.”

“Can. You. Heal. Her?” The words had sounded like Durge had bitten them out. She’d heard him angry before, in this cave no less. This wasn’t anger. Or at least it wasn’t just anger. 

“She is alive. So long as that remains true. Then yes.” Halsin trailed off then. “I believe whatever she did, might have protected the rest of you. I can’t confirm it, but there’s a reason she is so hurt and the rest of you are not.”

That made Madison feel guilty all over again.

She remembered the pain, that brief, flashing instant of pure agony. An icepick boring through her brain, the time she was six and had gotten walking pneumonia, the weak feeling of wasting away and despair she’d felt coming back to her like it was happening right then and there. The harpy’s claws tearing at her shoulder, she could feel the blood splashing onto her hair. The redcap bleeding as he died above her. 

And Halsin thought Taylor shielded them all from it…

Something painful and squirming sat in her stomach, and Madison quietly made her way back into the chamber where Taylor was resting, Nettie now healing her, Shadowheart asleep in the corner.

By the third day, Halsin brought in Kagha.

The elf woman was bound in chains, and Halsin assured that despite her crimes she too was a strong healer.

Everyone watched her like a hawk.

Before the condemned druid knelt at Taylor’s side to take Nettie’s place- Durge had walked up to her.

Madison shuddered at the look in his eyes.

“One wrong move-” He didn’t finish his sentence. Didn’t need to. Blood red eyes stared down at Kagha. 

The elf woman raised her chin and answered with, “I have no reason to kill her.”

“Don’t give me one for you.” And Durge had stepped aside.

Still. Everyone watched her. Especially Karlach with her now mismatched eyes. The replacement for the one she lost because of Armsmaster offered to her by “The Frilly Blue moron” as Sophia called him in exchange for an interview.

Apparently, it worked like a real eye, Karlach could see. The only thing that marked it as different was that the eye was a strange, dual color, silver with a splash of gold in the iris, like the sun rising over the sea. But even the sclera looked organic white. Karlach just looked like she had two eye colors now. 

She said it made her feel prettier. She said it with a smile. Madison hoped she was being honest about that.

Madison spent her days in that part of the cavern. As the wounded got back to their feet. As the storm from the Rite finally faded away, letting the sun reach them again. She was there, at Taylor’s bedside, bringing water, clean cloth and whatever else Shadowheart, Nettie and Halsin asked for. She didn’t help wash or clean Taylor… she very much doubted Taylor would appreciate otherwise. 

By the third day, the last of the phase spiders died. 

They’d been injured in the battle… and whatever Taylor’s last commands, anyone who tried to use magic on them, even to heal… they were attacked. 

Halsin and the druids buried the creatures. Saying prayers to Sylvanus. Sophia had snorted. “Bitch fights in her fucking sleep.” But the words didn’t carry any bite. Nor any real mocking. If Madison had to call it anything, they were words to fill a silence.

“She’ll wake up today.” Emma had said on the fourth day. 

Madison had been with Wyll, helping him and Karlach as they helped the tieflings make ready for their journey out of this Grove and onto the road to Baldur’s gate. 

She looked at Emma, blinking curiously at the redhead. “Do you like… know that or…”

Emma had smiled. “I know.” She said with a firm nod. The motion made the circlet glint where it rested on her brow and the book she had under one arm caught Madison’s attention and she remembered that Gale was teaching her magic. Could magic do that? Let you… know things?

She wasn’t sure.

But whether she was right or not - Emma wasn’t there to see it for herself.

“You see… I don’t think you should be here, my dear.”

The words were pointed, sharp and cutting, delivered by Astarion of all people as he placed his hand on Emma’s shoulder, stopping her from walking in.

The vampire smiled, a toothy thing that showed more fang than what Madison thought was right.

“Since when are you playing guard dog for Taylor?” Emma answered, Madison recognized that tone, the expression, it was a taunt, something that Emma had used often enough at Winslow.

But this wasn’t Winslow. 

“Since guard duty is preferable to boredom my dear.” Astarion had chuckled and let Emma’s shoulder go, ‘shooing’ her away with the next motion. “Run along now.”

And Emma had glared then, frowning up at the elf. “Didn’t know you cared.”

Astarion had stared back and the elf’s eyes shone ruby red in the gloom. A trick she’d never seen from him before. 

After a long moment, he spoke again. 

“I said it once before. I know hatred like that my dear. And… in her place, if I saw the person I hate as much as she hates you as the first thing standing over my bed… well…” The man sighed.”Let’s just say very little would be worse for one party or the other.”

And Madison saw the words… land. Emma’s whole expression shuttered closed, almost going as blank as Taylor’s before she… closed her eyes, took a breath and walked away.

Astarion went back to leaning against the wall and checking his nails.

Madison delivered the clean linen, the water… and then went to check on Emma.

—

Sophia

She didn’t sleep the first night.

Every time she tried, she woke up with her heart hammering under her rib cage, a scream caught in her throat, and Armsmaster was standing over her as hot blood flowed out of her chest like liquid fire.

She shuddered, her hands shook. Cold sweat beaded her brow and she suddenly felt as though she might throw up.

She phased into her shadow state, slipping between walls and doorways to emerge outside where the cold night air slapped her across the face when she became corporeal again and the torrential rains hissed so loudly she couldn’t hear her own heart thundering between her temples. 

Her breaths shuddered out of her lungs like they wanted to stop halfway through, she collapsed beside a wolf effigy carved out of the stone, feeling its carved eyes on her. 

She clenched her fists, trying to stop her hands from shaking.

It didn’t work.

“Nightmare?”

She whirled around, and pulled the knife strapped to her belt, stopping short of actually swinging because Armsmaster didn’t have horns.

Wyll stood there, and even with his now too sharp, too inhuman features she could see the sadness in his one eye.

“Fuck off!” She gasped out and swallowed thickly to try and clear her airway.

“It’s alright.” Wyll said in that too calm, too soft, too pitying voice! The sound made her hackles rise, her fury spike. Because fury was better than the alternative. “What happened was-”

“Fuck off!” She screamed the words then. Shoving herself to her feet and shoving him out of her way.

She was fine! She didn’t need his bullshit, didn’t need his fucking concern or whatever the fuck this was supposed to be. She was fine! Behemoth had been worse!

—

The next morning, she went down there. Past the druids, past the ten Tieflings with crossbows, past Rath and three grizzly bears.

All of them guarding a man bound in roots, with his armor in ruins who wasn’t even conscious.

She stared at him. His helmet was off, face exposed, he looked smaller. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t Armsmaster… He was just a man with no suit who she had saved. He had no weapon and no blood was on her chest. She could breathe. 

And still she felt her body trembling. 

“What’ll happen?” The question slipped free. She turned to look at Durge who came down here with her.

His face was in shadow, but his eyes, glowing like red hellfire, stared at her.

“He’s a Hero in your world.” The Dragonborn said. “Here… he’s a threat.” He stepped forward, next to her, arms crossed. “If we can’t eliminate the mind control soon. Then we’ll put him down.”

Put him down.

Like he was a dog, or some, rabid thing you got rid of.

It made her feel sick.

Armsmaster was the Protectorate ENE. New York City had Legend. Los Angeles had Alexandria and Houston had Eidolon.

He was it. He was that guy for them.

And Durge was talking about… putting him down.

Just like that.

She wondered… if they did… if they killed him… If she might stop seeing him standing over her then.

That thought made her feel even sicker. 

—

She noticed it on the third day.

Emma slept.

Not slept. She was forcing herself to sleep.

She’d seen Gale and Durge cast the damn thing enough to recognize the sleep spell being used.

And Emma was using it on herself every chance she got. Practically making herself comatose. 

When she woke up, and began to make the spell again almost immediately, Sophia’s hand was already on hers, crushing the fingers together in a tight, painful grip, making Emma wince as she turned bleary eyes her way.

“Wh-wha?”

“The fuck are you doing?” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. 

Emma blinked. “I have to see.” She answered… “I have to make sure.”

“Make sure of what?” She’d seen enough junkies to know when shit was looking like an addiction and Magic looked a lot like an addiction.

“Just trust me.” Emma pleaded. “I’m close. I need to see!” 

Sophia’s stomach twisted into a knot, a muscle in her jaw jumped as she clenched it. 

“One more.” She said, and the words tasted like acid. “You see shit on this try, or whatever the fuck you’re doing I’m taking you off it, even if I gotta shave Mullet’s hair and punch him in the fucking dick to get him to pull his head out of his ass and throw you into Magic rehab or whatever.”

She expected anger. Addicts always got angry when you threatened their fix. 

Instead Emma looked determined. 

She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Sophia was envious of that.

But then, eight hours later… Emma woke up.

She didn’t go back to sleep. 

She looked determined.

—

Durge

The argument erupted just after they placed Hebert and Karlach on the stone that would be their beds while they were healed.

“You have an artefact from my people. You’re going to tell me why.”

Lae’zel’s voice was a low hiss. Often times the Gith woman coated the edge of danger but there was a terrible wrath in her voice now. Something real. This was no idle threat, it was a very real promise of intent.

Shadowheart, for her part, glared at Lae’zel defiantly. The polyhedric bauble, with its myriad runes and pulsing red-gold magic, was clutched in her hands, glowing like a lantern in the night.

“An artefact of your people-” Shadowheart snorted. “More like something you raiders pried off of the cold dead hands of better people who knew how to do things besides murder.”

Before Lae’zel could give into the very visible urge to stride across the room and gut Shadowheart, Durge stepped between them, his massive frame serving as enough impediment… for now at least.

“What-” He said slowly, turning to Shadowheart “-is it?”

Shadowheart lifted her chin, not quite defiance but defensive. “I don’t know.”

“You lie.” Lae’zel accused.

“I can’t know.” The Half elf insisted. “Secrecy is everything to Lady Shar. My memories-” She hesitated. “The reason why I was sent on this mission is unknown, the purpose of this artefact is unknown. All I know is I’m meant to deliver it to Baldur’s Gate.”

“Wait, hold the fucking phone-” Hess cut in. “You let someone Master you? Like, willingly fuck with your memories?” The girl’s expression went beyond simple incredulity and verged on horror. “That’s just fuckin’ stupid!”

“It’s an act of faith.” Shadowheart defended. “I wouldn’t expect someone who was faithless til just days ago to understand.”

“For what ya’ll described as one of the worst Gods!?” Hess shook her head, raising her hands. “Yeah, nah- you can keep the faith. I think I’ll prefer to remember to stick to common sense on this one.”

Shadowheart’s glare could have burned a hole through steel.

“Regardless-” Gale cut in and for once, Durge was grateful for the Wizard’s compulsion to give his input regarding anything magical. “-Its magical signature is unique. I have no doubt this device, whatever it might be, contributed heavily to our continued survival after the psionic attack.”

“Wasn’t that Tay?” Clement’s voice was small, almost meek. “Halsin said she-”

“It very well may have been both.” Durge cut in with a shake of his head. “We have too few specifics to draw a proper conclusion. So for now we must assume that this artefact is what helped us last night.”

“We need to test things.” Gale said.

“Absolutely not!” Shadowheart snapped, clutching the thing close. “My mission is this artefact! For Lady Shar. I won’t stand aside and let you possibly damage it! Especially since you bloody well eat magic!”

Gale looked offended. “I assure you, my condition in no way impedes my-”

“It should be returned to the Gith, not your petty Goddess!”

“You call my Goddess petty? You serve a glorified Lich-”

Astarion kicked his legs back and looked incredibly entertained and Durge was ready to strangle him!

“ENOUGH!” His voice thundered through the chamber, very literally; he used Magic to make it so. He was too tired to deal with this. He turned to Gale. “If your Orb eats that artefact it may very well kill us. So no, you will not be conducting any tests while you have that in your chest.” Then he turned to Shadowheart. “Goddess or not, that thing might be the cornerstone to whatever is keeping us alive and untransformed. I will examine it. You can cooperate and assist in that examination or you can go to a shrine and pray for Shar to smite me in revenge but it will be done! Unlike you, I’m not satisfied with complete unknowns in my knowledge base.”

And to cap it off he rounded on Lae’zel. “And if this thing is keeping us alive, the last place it’s going to is the Gith. Not while we have these tadpoles in our heads! So-” He barked out the final word. “Now that everyone is thoroughly unhappy-” And they were, all three targets of his argument looked equal parts insulted and angry. “-get some rest. We have two of our own injured, a dangerous prisoner, too many unanswered questions and I have a such a headache.” 

He turned and began walking away to his little corner of the cavern. “If anyone wakes me up for anything less than someone dying or near dead there will be a body and I will not be responsible for it.” He swore.

—

Hebert did not wake the next day.

Halsin, Shadowheart, Nettie and the Druids all worked on her, almost non-stop, healing magic flowed so strongly through the caverns he was pretty certain Gale would top his Orb off just by being in the general space for five minutes. 

And she still wouldn’t wake up.

Durge was exhausted. Phantom aches and pains from the battle just hours ago felt like they sapped his strength. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a full day. But he couldn’t.

He forced himself to his feet, sheer willpower pulling him out of his bed roll beside the empty hammock.

He watches the druids that come to heal her. Asks each one how her condition progresses. He goes to Gale to make certain the magic from the book is still tiding him over. He finds that Wyll is worried about Hess… he explains that the girl had a nightmare. Durge notes it. Wonders if it will become a problem. A brush so close to death with one so young. Likely it will be. He checks in on Halsin, and then on the prisoner still held securely down below. Karlach wakes up somewhere past noon. The imbecile, Volo is asking her for an interview, offering an eye in exchange. 

Astarion advises her to accept it, in his way. “You won’t look dashing with an eyepatch love. It’ll just look like you’re trying too hard. Leave the roguish look to those who can properly pull it off.”

Then, Halsin helps her install the eye, even as she complains, arguing with Volo, ‘The fuck are you on about!? There wasn’t a Terrasque! Are you fucking mental!?

She can see through it. She still has her depth perception. She doesn’t have a blindspot. That’s all that should matter. Astarion says having an eye in a different color will make her look even more unique. Durge holds up a mirror for her to see.

She smiles at her reflection. Something trying to be true. Something trying to push away the brittleness from coming closer to death than she has in a long time.

He raises his hand to place on her shoulder, but has to stop. The heat stops him. She notes it; Astarion notes it. The Vampire doesn’t comment. 

The pause, the impossibility… It hurts her, but she still smiles. 

He goes to Dammon and Barcus after. Demands an update. 

Shadowheart finds him when the sun is going down.

Where has the day gone?

“You look like hell.”

“Thank you.” He drawls. The rain is still falling, still hissing. He’s tired.

“You really should get some rest.” She says quietly. “Tomorrow’s another day.”

Yes. It would be.

But he doesn’t say that. Instead he asks-

“How is she?”

“... Stable.”

“Stable is not improving…” He notes.

“It’s not deteriorating either.” She reminds. “Please get some sleep. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dragonborn with bags under his eyes.”

“Hn.” He rumbles. She pesters him until he acquiesces. 

He stops once more by her room. Only Madison is inside when he arrives. Placing a fresh bedsheet to shield Hebert from the chill of the cave. 

He sits without a word.

He does not hold her hand. He doesn’t speak. A man with ten thousand deaths to his name leans against the wall by her bedside in silence, staying and telling himself to get up and head to his cot before Shadowheart returns to fuss again. 

Because her death is unacceptable. And if he’s there perhaps he can prevent it.

A man with ten thousand deaths, trying to prevent one. 

Laughable really.

Karlach comes in a bit after.

She sits at the foot of the stone bed. The heat coming off of her is like a fireplace in the cave. Warm and comforting.

Somewhere Durge closes his eyes.

When he wakes up, there’s a blanket wrapped around him. 

He doesn’t know who put it there.

It makes him smile, even as he cracks the new crick in his neck. 

— 

Emma

Sophia carried Taylor up the hill.

Taylor who was bleeding.

Taylor who wasn’t moving.

The image had seared itself into her mind and even long after the battle was done, Taylor still didn’t move.

Healing magics were poured into her like the water from the river and she still didn’t wake up.

That very night, even with how tired she was, even with all the others arguing about the artefact, Emma pored over the book on divination. 

She needed to know.

She needed to see.

To one just starting on the path of the seer the easiest way to begin reading the myriad and complex web that are the skeins of fate is through sleep. Dreams are windows into futures and realities uncountable. To worlds that cannot exist and never wil-

She goes on reading, her eyes darting over every line, absorbing every shred of information on how to manipulate the magic before you slept to open the way for your own dreams to scry the future.

She’s never been the greatest academic. Taylor always was. But now her attention doesn’t stray, her mind doesn’t wander. She’s focused in a way she hasn’t been for as long as she can remember.

Because Taylor might die. 

And she needs to know if she does. 

She follows the books’ instructions exactly. With a precision that borders on mathematical before she casts the sleep spell and knocks herself out.

Her dreams that first time are broken, fragmented things. Snippets of imagery. Sophia, clutching at her chest. Madison carrying sheets. Durge’s claws twitching as he towers over the elf woman bound in irons and chains just feet from Taylor’s bedside. Karlach’s eyes, mismatched.

It doesn’t make sense.

When she wakes up and Taylor is still asleep. She tries again.

She tries again, and again, and again. Because she needs the answer.

The dreams come clearer with each attempt. More precise, more complete.

When Sophia stops her Emma’s stomach lurches. She’s so close. She can feel it.

But Sophia doesn’t stop her, she lets Emma try one more time. Emma does, weaving the magic perfectly as she had before.

And this time, the dreams are clear.

—

When she wakes up next… she knows that Taylor will wake up too.

There’s relief in her chest. And a disquieting, lurching need to plan. To try and think of contingencies. The rubberband pulls taut, snaps and pulls taut again. 

She gets up, she’s slept enough. She starts working before the others are awake.

She makes her way outside. It’s still raining. Not as heavily, but enough. She heads up to the Tiefling’s and their hollow. She knows who she’s looking for, even though she’s never met them. They agree to a deal. 

Hours later, she descends to the caverns.

The last of the adult spiders is dying. She stays with it. She doesn’t touch it. She can’t. If she does it’ll attack. She’s seen that. But she stays with it anyway.

It dies just before noon. It’s body guarding the rows upon rows of silk. Emma doesn’t touch it. The druids will return it to Silvanus’ embrace as they call it. 

She heads for the basket of eggs.

One hundred and thirty seven phase spider eggs. 

She builds a fire, and sets the basket next to it.

The heat will kill them keep them alive. 

They’ll be needed to keep her distracted, pacified… safe.

The Tieflings wander in just a bit after that. They look nervous, unsure, but the druids show them the way. She’d asked Rath to help. Because he doesn’t know the history. He doesn’t know the story, he has no reason not to.

The first one is an old woman, her skin is a blue purple, hair steel wire grey. She’d been making gruel to feed everyone in camp. Emma had asked her because the old woman is excited to do anything she could with her hands that isn’t stirring grey sludge in a Cauldron. 

She brings about seven others with her.

Emma smiles when they arrive, and makes the deal she’d seen that Taylor would make if she hadn’t been asleep.

One roll of silk, the first one, the worst one before Taylor got used to directing the spider’s complex movements. The worst, but still better than most markets.

One roll, for all of them to trade in Baldur’s gate, a small fortune.

In exchange- make clothes for all of them. Make bags, make rope. The utilities they’d need in the coming days. 

The old woman agrees, and sends Guex up to fetch more help. Emma gives them two days. Because Taylor will wake up in two days. 

They ask for measurements. She gives them out, because they’ve asked the question in her dreams, she’s found the answer in those dreams. 

She gives the old woman Taylor’s. Because the old woman is the best one at the task. 

The next day. She goes to Barcus. Barcus who’s ready to leave. Who wants to head off and search for his friend. But she’s argued with him before. She knows what can sway him.

So she does.

And he stays a little while longer. Just long enough to place some small, rudimentary enchantments on each new set of clothing to let the silk breathe and feel cool regardless of temperature.

Nothing much, nothing combat applicable, it’s a small thing.

But it’ll help. 

And then, on the fourth day…

“She’ll wake up today.”

Madison looks at her oddly. But Emma is confident. 

They head down, when their tasks are done and then…  something she didn’t see. Didn’t realize.

She’d never seen herself in the room, when Taylor woke up.

She only knew that Taylor would wake up. 

“I know hatred like that my dear. And… in her place, if I saw the person I hate as much as she hates you as the first thing standing over my bed… well… Let’s just say very little would be worse for one party or the other.”

She feels the words stick. Like a thorn she’s suddenly aware of dug in under her skin. And it’s like she remembers suddenly, the rubberband pulling back, snapping, clicking. She hates Taylor too. Like a dark fantasy playing in her head she had seen herself in the dreams in Taylor’s room, spell in hand, Taylor defenseless.

It would be so easy.

She realization hits her, the rubberband pulls taut again and snaps and Emma turns around and walks away, feeling Astarion’s eyes following her until she leaves.

She steps to the outside. The rain is gone now, the sun finally reaching the grove again. She can smell wet grass and earth.

Madison comes up to her.

“Emma? A-are you ok?”

And Emma smiles as she turns to look at the smaller brunette who isn’t Taylor. 

Taylor who she can still see bleeding. Taylor who’s so still as Sophia carries her. Taylor who can’t die. Because her death is… unacceptable. 

Taylor who Emma fantasizes about killing, because its the only way to get rid of the threat.

But she hides all of this, doesn’t give voice to any of it.

The circlet feels so heavy on her head. 

She wants to sleep. She wants to see more, because she needs to see. How else will she keep Taylor safe?

“I’m fine Mads.”

Madison doesn’t look like she believes her. 

That’s ok.

Emma doesn’t believe her either. 

That night she sleeps. And she dreams again.

Not the dreams of divination. Something else. Something different.

A woman appears in her dream. A woman that sits so perfectly between Aunt Annette and Taylor Emma’s heart aches just looking at her.

The next morning, she wakes up quietly. Before the others.

She makes her way to the two Tadpoles Durge and Gale harvested from the Goblin leaders.

She hasn’t seen this in her dreams.

The rubberband pulls, pulls- and snaps.

And she takes the tadpoles.

One more chapter to go, and then we go on break :)

NGL this one was a lot of fun and had a lot of moments I'm extremely pleased by. I hope you all enjoyed it too :D