You finally enter the Grove's inner sanctum. And yet again happen to witness a tense situation. The young Arabella is cornered against a stone table, Kagha towering above her with a mean spark in her squinted eyes, while one of her peers desperatly tries to convince her to go easy on the child. You notice the serpent slithering its way behind the kid. Without a second thought, you dart to put yourself right in between the girl and the reptile. Arabella is so startled that she stops sobbing, the archdruid staggers a few steps back and the other one sighs out of relief. You need to defuse this whole conundrum, and quickly:
"It is an honor to finally meet the head of this Circle. I've heard you requested the presence of my company." you say, meticulously excising any trace of agression from your tone and placing a comforting hand on the tieffling kid's back.
The others are still at the bottom of the stairs, a few meters away, stumped. You use the psychic connection granted by the tadpole to adress them without a spoken word: "Priority is the child. The archdruid is extremely dangerous, and so is her snake familiar. Don't give away the game." Shadowheart almost imperceptibly nods, Gale slips you a discreet thumb up, and Astarion answers with a prudent common rogue hand gesture, even though he still clearly doesn't appreciate your initiative. Kagha gathers her thoughts, since your first move was in opposition to her authority and your second was to acknowledge it, she is quite unsure, defaulting to a cold disdain:
"-Yes. I did. But I will handle the matter of this thief first.
-I am certain she has learned her lesson and won't ever again try to steal from your own, or anyone for that matter. You have done a great deal of proving your point, she knows your might.
-A brood mother must protect her nest. I will not let her go without an oath to it."
Oh. So that is how she sees herself: a protective snake. That certainly explains how she can bury any common sense, doubt or guilt so deep that they cannot tug at her psyche. You need to get Arabella out of here before risking to let the rage building up in your guts erupt, so you will hold on a little longer:
"-Girl, have you heard the Archdruid? Now is your time to atone", you tell her, slightly caressing her back to encourage her.
"-I am so, so sorry. I swear I will not cause you any more trouble", she vows, making her eyes as sad and humid as she can. But you know Kagha will need more, so you signal her to add something else, anything, with a tactful tap on her shoulder:
"And- and I wanted to thank you! For your mercy!"
This kid truly is brilliant, she could make quite the talented scammer one day. The archdruid is surprised and has no choice but accepting to let her prey slip away. The kid leaves the room, running back to her parents. You feel relieved to know her out of danger for now, letting your anger overflow, coating your tongue in bile as you hiss:
"-Which precept of the Oakfather is the one where you almost murdering a child is Nature's law?
-You have no right to criticize my actions! I am defending my people!
-From what? Exhausted refugees? The sleight of hand of a terrorized kid?
-They drain our resources and leech off our hospitality! When a mushroom infestation happens, you burn it off the tree to let it have a chance at recovery!"
For the first time in forever, you are furious enough to lose your iron hand grip over your fey half. Vines of water writhe at your wrists, as your eyes disapear under a glowing icy mist, and the air crackling around you sounds like the rush of a violent torrent.
"Nature arises and decays eternal! Birds can nest in any tree, be it thriving or dying. It is not for the branches to decide the fate of the eggs comes spring, only the cycle can bend destiny to its whims!" you scream with the vigor of a great waterfall.
"Just what are you, exactly?" she asks, almost begging, as she recoils.
It appears your companions are wondering the exact same thing. Wild Howl comes at your side, pushing her head against your thigh, imploring you to calm down. And so you do, your legs almost buckling as the wild magic flows away from your body.
"I think you got a very angry fey on your hands", laughs someone from the door. You realize that in your rage you lost awareness of your surroundings, not hearing the oh-so heroic swordsman entering. He marches up to you, offering you his hand to shake. A bit befuddled, you accept his salutation. He turns to Kagha, still stunned:
"They are right, you know." He then adresses the second druid in the room: "Rath, I think we need a little backup in here."
"Yes, sorry, everything happened so fast. I'll go and get Nettie", he answers before walking deeper inside the sanctum.
You are forced to sit, your feet unable to carry your weight any longer due to both the fatigue and the hunger. You had forgotten how difficult and draining it is for your human body to endure the surges of wild magic. You notice the rats gathered near the archdruid in a semi-circle, there is something abnormal in their eyes. They are paying close attention to everything that's happening. The gears turn sluggishly in your mind as you are barely able to cling to the edge of consciousness. The healer arrives after what feels like an eternity, a wide array of potions and balms hardly fitting in her dwarven arms. She approaches you, analyzing your state:
"What is happening to you-"
No time. You grab her arm clumsily, pulling brutally her ear to your mouth and making her drop her medical supplies, slipping in a murmur:
"Rats. Shadow druids. Ready to attack", you manage to blurt out before passing out.
YOU ARE READING
On the Death of Stars
FanfictionA fanfiction based in the extended universe of DND 5e, following the characters and plotline of Baldur's Gate 3. Elen was lucky enough to have their life finally begin right at its end and find their place in this world. But now? It has been snatche...
