Heart to Heart

Chapter 18

"Before we do anything to get back at Gortash, I need to train you how to fight," Karlach said.

"I am an ok fighter. I don't need to learn how to."

"Y/N, you fell for my tactics twice."

"Once."

"Twice."

"When was the first time?"

"Outside the grove."

"The swinging underneath my leg?"

"Yes. You fell for it twice now. You have basic fighting skills."

"I can get by."

"Sure," she nodded her head. "Shadowheart told me of all the times she had to heal you after a battle. It was like trying to clean up a mauled animal with all the wounds and blood."

"No one can be like the Champion of Avernus."

She shook her head, "Even then, your skills are lacking."

"I guess there is always room for improvement."

"Now you're talking," Karlach smiled. "We can train along the way. I have a feeling that we're going to be traveling for a while to get to Gortash."

"We are," I said. "That is if we don't get lost on the way. Actually, I was thinking."

"Yeah?"

"What if we go to Baldur's Gate, like we originally planned on doing, and get your engine tuned up. Once we're not in the middle of the woods, we head out on our own."

"You're not going to tell the others what we plan on doing?" she asked.

"They'll try to come along with us. And it's like you said. You only want me to come with you."

"I was going to tell the others that it'll be the two of us."

"If we leave, they won't have an idea on where we'll be going."

"That is true, but what if something happens. They'll have no idea where we are."

"Then I'll tell Shadowheart."

"No. You tell everyone what our plan is and we get prepared from there. Such as you learning how to heal yourself without Shadowheart."

"Yeah."

"I like that idea better than just heading to Gortash first before getting my engine tuned up once more. Hopefully we have enough infernal iron."

"I think we have more than enough, but we can never be too sure."

"You're telling me I have to carry more infernal iron whenever we find more?"

"Yep. Good thing you have a strong back," I leaned back, getting a good look at how well structured and well built her back was.

"See something you like, Y/N?"

"N-No," I said, leaning forwards, meeting her gaze.

She smiled cheekily, "You definitely do."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Y/N," Karlach smiled smugly. "I'd reach over and poke at you, but I can't. But."

She untangled her tail from mine and lifted it up, poking at my tail.

"You know you like what you see," she teased.

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about, Karlach," I chuckled.

"Do you have a type?"

"A type?"

"Yeah."

"A type of what?"

"Gosh," she laughed, shaking her head. "A type of person you like or you're attracted to. There has to be someone you're attracted to."

"I never really gave it some thought. I always thought I'd work for Zariel until the day I died. No room for meeting friends and no room for meeting someone. So I never experienced what being loved felt like, aside from my parents. I never really experienced what friendship was until I met everyone," I pointed my head to where the camp was. "They not only taught me what friendship is, but also taught me what it means to be a family."

"Found family is probably the strongest bond anyone can make aside from love, in my opinion," Karlach said.

"So I don't really have a type. I suppose you have one, though."

"I thought I did, but I figured since I was always busy fighting that I didn't have time to sit down like you and I to just talk. I also intimidated a number of people down in Avernus. Along with being put on a pedestal that no one really talked to me because of it. My status down there really got in the way of everything."

"I can only imagine how lonely you felt down there."

"I know you were lonely, too," she said. "Even if I saw it a bit too late."

"Even then you recognized that I was lonely."

"I hope we can fix that."

"I believe it already has been fixed, but with you now part of the group, I think you can liven things up."

She smiled, "I hope I am not doing anything to you."

"Doing anything to me?"

"I know we started off on the wrong foot, but I hope we can look past that, even now."

"Karlach," I began. "If I am going to be honest, even though I never got the answer on why you pushed me through that portal, before you gave me your reasoning, I forgave you."

"What?"

"I had struggled with those thoughts on why you would do such a thing when Zariel needed me most. After talking to Shadowheart and the others, they all told me that you were, in your own eyes, saving me from my inevitable outcome prematurely. You gave me another chance to live the life I wanted. But then that just filled my heart with more regret and guilt as I couldn't bring you with me."

"But I'm here now," she smiled. "Even though I had to go through some fighting as well as rough spots."

"Yeah," I smiled, my tail getting tangled up with hers once more. "You are here with us now. How does it feel?"

"To finally be free? Amazing. I've wanted this ever since I was with Zariel. To finally be back to the place where I grew up and experience everything like its the first time all over again."

"Y-Your engine."

"Ol' rusty," she said, pounding her chest, a hollow sound coming from her chest. "What about it?"

"Are you worried about it?"

"While I am worried about it combusting without so much as a warning, I want to live the rest of what little time I have left with the people I care about. Even if it means I go out around the ones I just recently met. Because in the end, I was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about me. Far better than any battle field and under the command of Zariel. I didn't want to live forever. I just want to live good. Have a good life with the people I want to meet and be around with."