Chapter Text
Smoke.
Too much smoke.
Belladonna opened her eyes, the pod opening to let her out. Coughing at the sight in front of her, she wondered where she was. She remembered being in Baldur's Gate. For the first time in years, she was home.
Then she heard the bells, seeing the Nautloid in the air as panic overcame the streets. Debris from the crushed tower coming down, her magic protecting her and a crying child. The child's mother thanked her, running away as tentacles flooded the street. She sliced one away with her dagger, parrying another but was taken by the next.
Her memories moved to her standing by a man, brain exposed to the elements, psionically talking to her. She assessed the situation, ignoring the pleas of the intellect devourer as she gave the man his last rites before mercifully putting him to rest.
It moves once again to meeting Lae'zel, their minds connecting in a powerful psionic force, the two of them taking out a handful of imps, divine powers burning the devils to ash.
Her memories shift again, to the next chamber. Belladonna then saw her in the pod; jet black hair and green eyes. The symbol on her forehead made her instinctively reach for her warhammer.
"You! Get me out of this damn thing!"
Sharran her training called back to her. Leave her.
Save her. Your Oath demands you help anyone in need!
Leave her
Save her
"Please!"
"Damnit," Belladonna cursed, moving towards the console to figure out how to release the woman. "Damnit..."
Pain shoots through her body, waking her. She hadn't experienced real sleep in...years. Belladonna groaned, the events on the ship replaying, fresh in her mind.
She looked around, checking herself for injuries but found herself in good health. Her hammer was nearby, as was her shield. Belladonna knew, at least, she was no longer in Avernus. She picked up her weapons, studying the crash site when she saw her. The same woman from before.
Sharran her mind echoed as she approached. Enemy of Our Lady in Silver. Kill her.
She reached for her hammer, something else stopping her as her hands wrapped around the handle. She helped you. She could be of use.
All Sharrans are the enemy. Kill her
Don't. She has the parasite as well, she could help, in her own way. Spare her, a female voice called out.
Belladonna shook her head, grip loosening on her hammer as she woke the woman up, Shadowheart recoiling. They caught up to speed, Shadowheart thanking her for helping her in the ship before they continued.
Belladonna led the way into the wreckage, looking back once to the woman following her, still taking in their surroundings. Does she not recognize her armour? Her rank? That she was the cleric's enemy? she wondered.
"Where to?" Shadowheart asked.
"This way. We can check for survivors along the way. We're still missing one."
"The Githyanki?" Shadowheart sneered. "We have no need for her."
"She helped us. Seem to know more about these parasites than we do. She'd help," Belladonna said. "At least, I hope she will."
"Putting your faith in an enemy. Not a wise move."
*You have no idea.* She thought.
She sat away from the group as they set up their makeshift camp. So far, they found 3 survivors: Lae'zel - the Githyanki woman who had helped them on the ship. The wizard, Gale of Waterdeep, was apparently on the ship as well but somehow found himself stuck in an arcane hole once they were flung back into the material plane and Astarion.
"Where do you think we are?" Shadowheart loomed over her, watching Lae'zel carefully. Belladonna looked around, her soldier training taking over as the familiar smells of the Sword Coast filled her lungs. Judging by the colours of the cliffs, still in the Western Heartlands.
"Best guess, the Heartlands. Where in the Heartlands, that I'm not sure." Belladonna said, getting to her feet. "You're a cleric, are you not?"
Shadowheart eyed her curiously, guard still up. "And you are a Paladin. A Paladin of Selûne, at that."
"So you knew," Bella replied, eyes meeting. "So you worship Shar, I serve Selûne, dare I ask how you feel about working together in this?"
"As long as we have use for each other, I can bite my tongue and stay my blade," Shadowheart replied, meeting the challenge. "Whatever you and I think of each other means little. We stand in our opposition, our goddesses have determined it. This cause, however, has united us."
"A truce then," Belladonna proposed. "While we figure out how to get these worms out of our heads, the eternal war we have been cast to play a part of can wait."
Shadowheart raised an eyebrow at her, "Some would consider diplomacy a virtue. Others might see it as a lack of will." She paused, studying Belladonna. "I suppose there is no harm in learning about the opposition, though I doubt there's much to learn. A truce then?"
"Truce." Belladonna stuck out her hand, offering a shake. "On my oath to the Moonmaiden."
"And my vow to the Nightsinger," Shadowheart countered. "Until the worm is out of our heads."
"Until the worm is out of our heads."
"We don't have time for this non-sense!" Lae'zel cried out as Astarion freely looted the corpses at their feet. "The parasites in our brains will turn us into Mindflayers any day now. We could turn within the hour, yet we waste our time with these people's plights."
"We won't get anywhere if the rest of the Sword Coast is our enemy." Belladonna yelled back, using her full elven height to now tower over the Gith.
"The Crèche can help us. We need to find them."
"We don't even know where they are!" Belladonna shouted. "I will not forsake my Oath to help people and avenge those who cannot fight for themselves. These druids need our help. The Tieflings needs our help. They've opened their doors to us, offering what little they have to help us. We have barely a enough coin to get us by, we might as well help them while they are helping us."
Lae'zel huffed, standing down from the challenge. Belladonna continued, "You trusted me before this, on the ship. Trust me on this now. We need the gold. We need supplies and we need answers. If this Halsin can help us, I will take it. If we find a lead about your crèche, I swear to you, we will follow it too. At least this way, we have options."
"Options will not help us when we turn into *ghaik*!"
"Then we might as well give up now, if that's what you want! If you feel this strongly about this, stay at the camp then. Or leave! We'll press forward without you." Belladonna shoulder her way past the growling Githyanki, wiping the blood off her face with her tabard.
She caught Astarion's eyes as she left, the man putting his hands up to confirming he wont challenge her as she walked towards where Shadowheart had their prisoner. "Any luck?"
"No. Your turn I guess," Shadowheart said, stepping away from the captured goblin.
"Our Lady in Silver, grant me patience for all this. Forgive my actions in the coming days. Let your hand guide my judgment and let it be swift when passing your justice." Belladonna muttered to her self as she set her hammer down with a thud on the body of a still breathing goblin. "Where is your camp?"
"Fuck off!" Belladonna lifted her hammer, bringing it down with greater force. The goblin cried out in pain.
"I'll ask you one more time, where is your camp?"
"The Absolute will prevail!"
Belladonna sighed, lifting the hammer once more, bringing it down on the goblin's head with all her strength. Shadowheart watched, not flinching at the sight. "Didn't think you Selûnites had the balls."
"Don't start with me, Sharran."
Shadowheart held up her hands, glow of magic emanating from them. "Not here to provoke you. Just observing your handy work. Let me tend to that." She nodded to the open gash on Belladonna's side. Bella looked down, the would still fresh. Shadowheart can feel her hesitate.
"Truce," the cleric reminded her. Bella nodded, feeling Shadowheart's hand on her flesh briefly before the feeling of the healing magics coursed through her, shutting the wound. "Should keep you going for the rest of the day. Better make camp soon though."
"We're not making headway. Who the bloody fuck is this Absolute?" Belladonna asked, securing her hammer to her back.
"Cult, surely. Speed of the headway is staggering though. I've never heard of them yet they seem to have this entire area under their thumb," Shadowheart noted, taking note of the amount of goblins they just had to fight. "With the group from yesterday, 20 goblins in all with no less than 2 ogres."
"One ogre is too many already," Belladonna said. "We'll head west, check out what lies beyond in the overrun village. Hopefully Wyll and Gale have made headway with in the grove."
"Look at you two, being friends," Astarion remarked, tossing Belladonna a scroll and handing Shadowheart pouch. "Nothing of note on those but I think you need to see what's in there."
Belladonna opened the scroll, reading through it glaring at the words. Shadowheart pulled the another Illithid worm in a jar. It was still alive, reacting to her...their power. "They're using the worms to find us."
"What does this have to do with the Absolute?"
Belladonna took the parasite from Shadowheart, studying it. It screeched, calling out to them, making her frown at the scenarios going through her head. "I don't know. And I have a gut feeling we won't like the answer."