The Search for Soul in Everything

Chapter 5

"Got everything?" Astarion asked as he packed his last book.

"Yes." Vanora answered, pulling her pack over her shoulders. The bag brushed against the top of her tail, and she huffed a little, not saying anything about it.

"Great. We have a long way to Baldur's Gate." He said, noticing the uncomfortable face she made. He decided not to ask.

She nodded, quickly catching up to him so she could follow closely behind. They walked in silence for a while, before they came across a caravan of other tieflings. Vanora stepped a little closer to him, seeking some sort of shelter from all the people. Astarion didn't notice.

"Well met, travelers." A man walked up as the caravan continued. "What brings you out here?"

Astarion scoffed. "Passing through. We're on our way to Baldur's Gate." He said, looking the man up and down with some caution.

"What a coincidence, we're traveling there now!" The man, just noticing the purple tiefling behind the elf, smiled at the girl. "My name is Wyll." He bent down to grab her hand.

"Astarion," he said, watching Wyll closely as he reached for the girl. Some kind of feeling rippled through him, and he found it hard not to want to hit the man.

Vanora pulled her hand away like he had burned her. "Don't touch me." She nearly hissed at him, taking another step back. Astarion bit back a laugh as she stepped away.

Wyll cleared his throat. "Apologies. I see that I was too forward." He took a step back. "You're welcome to join us, if you'd like." His eyes never left the girl. She stood watching the ground, finding only extreme discomfort at his words.

Astarion, growing frustrated at the man in front of him, stepped between the two. "We're fine by ourselves. Thank you for the offer."

"No, I insist." Wyll stated, leaning over to look over the elf's shoulder. "A beautiful girl like her should be well protected. Wouldn't you agree?" He directed the question at the girl.

"Only if we can agree your breath smells of fish and scat." Vanora seared quietly to herself.

Wyll chuckled. "A fighter, I like it. Come now, we have the perfect wagon you both can rest on. Looks like you've been through some trouble" Wyll said, motioning at her stained shirt. He quickly turned, expecting them to follow.

Astarion felt anger burst through himself, glaring daggers into the back of this Wyll character. "We'd love to!" He says, throwing his arms over the man's shoulders as his face contorted back into a smile.

They both stopped for a moment, backing away from one another abruptly. Astarion grabbed his temple. Vanora wanted to help, but she remained frozen. She didn't know what was happening.

"You... you were on the ship." She heard Wyll say.

None of them said anything for a moment. "Too bad Halsin isn't with us, he left with the heros that defeated the goblin camp. He should be back sometime soon... Come on, you can rest for a while." Wyll stated. Astarion followed cautiously.

Vanora followed behind. She felt extremely uncomfortable, bowing her head as she caught up to the elf. She didn't want to be here, there were so many people. The air grew thicker as she breathed deeper. She just had to keep calm, nobody will hurt her.

They caught up to a mostly empty wagon, save for a few crates stacked up. The elf lifted himself onto the moving cart, bracing himself as he offered his hand to the girl. She was hesitant for a moment, but decided to take his hand to help herself up.

Her pack landed in her tail as she sat down. She winced, quickly slipping it off of herself and throwing it to the side. Astarion noticed, quietly kneeling behind the girl to inspect the pack.

"So, where are you coming from? I don't believe I've seen you in these parts. I'm sure I would've remembered." Wyll said casually. He was... very forward.

Vanora's face scrunched slightly as he talked. Her anxiety rose as she tried to find a way to answer. "We haven't met." She told him coldly.

He stepped closer to the wagon, "I would've-"

Vanora felt her head twist as she saw visions of something. It was dark, barren around her. She saw three silhouettes, watching her. She was breathing harshly, clutching her head hard as the vision faded.

Vanora didn't say anything, her head pounding hard as the pain grew. Astarion was quickly at her side, watching her closely. Something was wrong, really wrong. She started falling forward. She felt someone catch her, pushing her backward, but she threw the hand away from herself. She was surprised when the ground hit her, but she didn't get up.

A voice, it was powerful. It wanted control. But she'd faced much harsher power against her. She pushed the thoughts away, the visions blurring as the darkness that swallowed her faded. She breathed, finally forcing the air into her lungs.

Astarion stood over her, his hands hovering just above her as she started to see. He wasn't doing any magic, he just didn't know what to do. Fear was written on his face. Wyll stood by him, looking down in concern.

Vanora tried to sit up, but she failed to do so. Astarion caught her, slowly lifting her. "Are you alright?" He asked, caution lacing his voice.

She nodded, confusion written on her face.

"How could you drop her like that?" Wyll asked, obviously frustrated.

"Don't dare to assume I just let her fall." Astarion's voice became hoarse and low. He didn't waste the energy to look at the man. The elf helped the tiefling back into the wagon, which she now noticed had been stopped. Wyll walked away suddenly.

She looked at her hands for a moment, clutching them hard so her nails dug into her skin.

Astarion almost didn't catch it, but he did. He was sure she meant for him not to, so he didn't say anything. He knew she didn't want pity. "What happened?" He asked.

"I don't know... some sort of fucked up vision." She said, breathless. She unclenched her hands, blood pooling in the crescent cuts.

Astarion thought for a moment, having to look away from her hands. "It might be the parasite." He stated.

"Parasite?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh... you don't remember?" He asked cautiously. She shook her head.

"Whatever took us, they put parasites in our heads. We're infected." He explained. "I'm not too sure what it is. We need a healer. Someone who can get rid of it. I thought that's why we were going to Baldur's Gate?" Vanora shook her head. "Then, why are you coming?"

Vanora hissed a little, pain spread across her face and radiated her body. She became tense very quickly. "It's best if I'm headed back already."

Astarion wanted to press more, but he decided not too. "I lifted your pack up more. So it hopefully won't bother you."

Vanora smiled at him, thankful for both the distraction and the thought. "Thank you."

Astarion felt that pride again, the kind that made him want to puff out his chest and stand on top of the world. Like he owned the world. He started to like that pride.