Warnings: Strong and Sexual Language; Violence, Gore, & Death.
"Da fuck just happened?" Grog exclaimed, his eyes wide as the group stared at the empty space where Raishan and Thordak's corpse had been moments before.
"She took him," Keyleth said grimly, her voice heavy. "Raishan took Thordak's corpse."
Vax was only half-listening, his focus fixed on Athena. He knelt beside her again, his hand lingering on her arm as if to steady her. His gaze darted to the black streaks crawling up her veins. "Athena," he whispered, his voice taut with worry, "you're not fine."
Athena forced herself upright, swallowing down the constant burn in her body. She managed a weak smirk, brushing his concern aside. "I've had worse," she lied, her voice steadier than she felt. "I'll live." She winced, but pushed through the pain, squaring her shoulders as if that alone could convince the group she was whole. "We've got bigger things to worry about than me."
Her eyes shifted to Keyleth, who had drifted several steps away, her back to the others. The druid stood rigid, staring off into the distance as if the horizon itself was accusing her. Athena frowned softly.
"Keyleth?" she asked, voice gentle. "Are you okay?"
Keyleth's reply came sharp, almost breaking. "Of course, I'm not okay. She laid a trap for us—and we walked right into it."
"Oh, we didn't know—" Athena began, but Keyleth cut her off.
"I knew," Keyleth's voice cracked, thick with frustration. "This entire time, I've known. But I couldn't convince anyone."
"You can't blame yourself for this," Vax said, stepping closer to the two of them
"I don't," Keyleth snapped, turning suddenly, her eyes burning as she stared back at all of them. "Every time I brought it up, every time I raised my voice, I was questioned. Doubted. Dismissed... by my own team."
The silence that followed hit harder than any blade. Even Grog shifted uncomfortably. Pike's lips parted as if to protest, but no words came. Keyleth turned around, walking away from them.
Athena's chest tightened. "Wait. What are you doing?"
Keyleth straightened, her jaw set. "Not waiting for anyone else's approval. Not relying on anyone anymore."
"Keyleth, please—" Athena started reaching for her, but the druid's expression hardened, though tears streamed down her face as she moved out of her reach.
"Don't. Don't come after me."
She turned, the air around her beginning to ripple with power as she transformed into her eagle form.
"Keyleth!" Vax's voice tore through the heavy silence, desperate and sharp, but she was already flying, already gone.
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The ruined halls of Greyskull Keep were quiet—eerily so. The laughter, warmth, and bustle that once filled its stone corridors had long since been smothered by fire and time. Now, only the crackle of wind through shattered walls and the weary footsteps of Vox Machina remained.
Upstairs, Pike and Grog had laid Scanlan carefully on the narrow cot of his old chamber. His chest rose and fell faintly, a shallow rhythm that worried Pike more with every passing hour. Grog sat slumped in a chair too small for his bulk, watching, his hands fidgeting in restless silence.
Down the hall, Vax had found himself pacing in Athena's old room. One wall had collapsed in the chaos months ago, leaving a jagged opening that framed the horizon like a broken painting. Beyond, the ruins of Emon stretched toward the sea, scarred but enduring.
YOU ARE READING
A Raven's Blessing | Vax'ildan x OC | TLOVM
Fanfiction"I don't know if I believe in the gods...but I believe in you, Vax." Athena never had it easy growing up in Tal'Dorei. Orphaned at a young age, she was selected to begin the brutalist of training to become a weapon as apart of a masked order of kill...
