The ivy-covered gate appears just ahead through a haze of trail dust. Tiefling guards line the parapets as usual. Barely armed. All of them green.

As I come into view, I see a tail disappear down the path toward the Hollow. I am welcomed with the rumbling of the gate as it opens for me. Zevlor is waiting just inside.

He beckons me, tipping his head. "Walk with me." He leads me up to the parapets and leans on the fencing. He squints, scanning the horizon, tail swaying thoughtfully. "There have been whispers of anarchy in the druid's grove."

"Whispers. There shouldn't be." I say with a faint smile.

He chuckles lightly. "So, it is true then." He rests his elbows on the wooden fencing. "I've been at this for a long time, but I can't say I've been caught in the middle of anything like this."

"Good experience for you then. As if this is something you need right now. What do you plan on doing after you make it to Baldur's Gate?"

"My time as a Hellrider is over. Though I've been a soldier so long, I'm not sure if I know anything else. I'm afraid I'll be quite the mess if I can't find something to do with my time."

"That's the real dilemma, isn't it? Not the goblins. Not the druids. The monotony of living without a purpose."

A gentle breeze passes over us, and I lean my hands on the fencing next to him.

"A curse that seems to have been placed on all of us." He says with a tired voice. "The people I lead had their purpose ripped from them the moment they turned."

"Turned?"

"Yes. In the hells. Nearly everyone that follows me became tiefling while in Avernus. Touched by the hells.

It was tragic to see so many change. It happened gradually, over the course of weeks. No one knew who would change next. An itch on the forehead, pressure on the spine, darkening of the nails. All signs that they were becoming tiefling."

"Did you turn in Avernus?"

"Me? No. I have always been tiefling. Through my military training and my race, being recruited into the Hellriders seemed only natural. Even after I served in the hells, it was difficult for me to give up the identity. I became a guard along the River Road outside of Elturel. That's where I met your friend, Bex, actually." He speaks of the memory with a wistful smile.

"Her father had a merchant caravan, correct?"

"Yes, though she spent little time with him. She and Danis had a bakery in Elturel before Zariel claimed the city."

I pause, focusing on Zevlor's words.

"They were quite popular, you know.

But they were some of the many to change while in the Hells. When the city was restored Bex couldn't rebuild her business. No one wanted to buy haunted cookies from hellspawn.

She lost the last piece of herself, then." Zevlor pauses, a deep pity reflected in his face. "There's a hurt that runs deep and scars every tiefling here."

"Quite the leap to go from Ranger to Baker." I say, watching him carefully.

He doesn't flinch. "It was a shame. As a wood elf, scouting came naturally to her, but when she and Danis met, she gave up everything for him."

Zevlor watches as one of the guards passes, and nods to her. "Good Morning, Kaldani."

She smiles politely, carrying herself to the far side of the gate.

"Zevlor."

He glances at me.

"Those whispers you've been hearing. Someday soon, I'll need you to take the caravan to safety. Your chamber in the hollow, perhaps. Either way, be ready when I give the word."

He stands straight. "I understand. I'll begin preparations right away."

"Do so quietly."

He leans back on the fencing, "Will you need backup for said whispers?"

"I will need six guards positioned just outside the entrance to the grove's inner sanctum. Let no druid pass into the hollow. That is all you need to know."

"I'll have them ready to gather, at your word." He gives a modest sigh. "The burden of a paladin's duty. We sacrifice ourselves so that we may shoulder the weight of the world's troubles."

"If we do not shoulder them, will anyone?"

He scoffs. "A bitter truth to know that few people would." He pushes off of the fence. "With that being said. I have much to discuss with Tilses, the other Hellrider that's accompanied us. We'll be ready."

I take a moment to myself before heading toward the hollow.

To the right of the parapets, a group of the tiefling guards lounge around a smoldering campfire. There is a slight tension among them as I pass.

Finally, I hear the padding of feet coming up behind me. It's a man with dishwater-blonde hair. "Ser! We saw Bex run through here like a whirlwind. What happened out there?"

The corner of my mouth twitches as I turn to address him. "Quite the gossip, aren't you?"

He leans back with a stiff lip. "No need for that, but if something's going on, we ought to know. This isn't just about our safety, but our children's as well."

Several more guards surrounded me. The bodies inward and my breath grows shallow. "Please. If you have any concerns, speak to Zevlor."

Kaldani joins them. "Zevlor?" She comes to a halt near me, her eyes peeking through the sideswept fringe of red hair. "This isn't about Zevlor. What's this about you belonging to a cult?"

I feel a pressure building at the back of my skull and my fingers begin to twitch.

Another guard chimes in. "People have gone missing, and they say you were the last to see them!" I see Arka with her crossbow, staring me down with a bitter scowl.

More voices rise. "Where's Alfira?"

"And the druid, Nettie? Arron has been asking about her."

"What are we supposed to say?"

My head is on a swivel as I try to track the voices in the crowd. A graduating tightness continues to pinch my breath. "I offer my assistance and suddenly I'm facing my own lynch mob."

Arka steps forward. "We deserve answers!"

"Answers." My voice strikes like a hammer, a faintest desperation behind my words. "Alfira joined my camp a few nights ago. When we awoke the next day, she was gone. Full stop."

A few of the guards look at each other, and I hear one muttering to a woman with a long purple ponytail. "She may still turn up." They clasp hands in futile hope.

I stare down the rest. "Nettie was killed in a goblin ambush. It was only by her sacrifice that I was able to save you from the horde. "Again."

My nose curls, raising my palm to show the emblazoned symbol of the Absolute. "I ask for nothing in return for my services, and yet the sacrifices I've made for you are met with bad faith."

I wait for the tieflings to fall silent.

"The cult trusts me, and do you know what that trust has yielded?" I drop my hand, as I see a herd of glowing eyes watching me. "I've found Halsin, alive."

Murmurs surge around me.

My heart is pounding. "I cannot offer salvation if you hang me from the gate."

The smoke from the campfire drifts past us, as a quiet falls.

Kaldani speaks once more. "What does the cult want with us? We have nothing."

I look at her, and the bodies around me. "Can you please give me some space. I cannot think with so many of you around me."

Several tieflings step back, and I feel the tension in my chest begin to release. "Thank you." I turn back to Kaldani. "They are looking for a weapon. One that neither you nor the druids likely have, but the cult is desperate. I have managed to stave them off during negotiations, and I am working diligently to clear the way for you."

The pain in Kaldani's face seems to soften.

"I need you to trust me. I cannot help you if you hang me from the gate."

There are a few more murmurs shared between the guards, and few begin to leave.

"Negotiations are one thing, but they're still out there. Do you have a more permanent solution for the hive?"

The question is coming from the man with dishwater hair. "It is as Zevlor says. Once the leadership is taken out, the goblins will scatter. That is the plan, but such things take time."

The man breathes and I see him glance at a woman next to him before the leaves to return to the campfire.

The others slowly depart, with murmurs among them.

I finally see her.

She's gotten out of her gear and is sitting on her bedroll, eating, drinking, staring. Danis is sitting calmly, splicing fibers into cordage. He glances up, then carefully sets the rope aside and walks over to Bex, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She falls still, watching me. I stop below them, looking up. "Bex, there must have been some sort of misunderstanding. May I come up and speak with you?"

Her voice is slightly shaken. "I've barely had enough time to process what I witnessed, and you've come stalking after me. Leave me be, Vash."

Her words hit me like a hammer to my chest. "Sometimes, in war..."

"It wasn't just the violence, Vash! You didn't even hesitate." She lowers her voice and mutters, "you were so calm." She reaches up and grips Danis's hand. "How long have you served the Absolute? What were you planning to-" She stops herself, her eyes shifting toward the grove.

Her voice grows cold. "I can't imagine what you could say to redeem yourself."

"I have answers, but it's complicated. Very complicated. If you're willing to listen, then come to my camp when you're ready, and I will explain everything." I lower my voice and cast my eyes down with a nod of humility. "Please."

"No!" Danis barks. "She's not going to your camp! We're not going to be tricked by you!"

He focuses on his wife. "You've seen the truth, Bex, you cannot trust this man! There's nothing more that needs to be said."

Bex bristles at Danis's declaration, but answers patiently. "I understand you're trying to protect me, Danis, but it's not your decision to make." She turns back to me, exasperated. "I'm not in the headspace to entertain your invitation. Just-" Her chin curls in frustration, as she searches my face. "Just leave me alone, Vash."

She turns her back to both of us, cross-legged on her bed roll, tail dragging with agitation.

Danis watches her with a mild dread on his face before glancing down at me. I see his hand flex, but he says nothing more.

I take my leave, at the mercy of what faith she may have left in me.

Astarion sits next to me, as if his presence is enough to coddle me in my embarrassed state. "Look at it this way. The only thing you really did was scare the goblins too well. Gods, I wish I had been there to see it." He sneers at Shadowheart. "If only someone hadn't gotten their boot stuck in the mud."

Shadowheart doesn't dignify him with an answer. She's too busy reworking her braid, using an assortment of fragrant oils. The most she gives him is a raised eyebrow.

"Hmph." He looks over my shoulder and his cool red eyes narrow. "Well, well. Looks like she couldn't keep away long."

I turn to see Bex and Danis walking down the path, their fingers locked together. Danis is watching me intensely as I quickly stand, meeting them at the trail head. "I'm glad, if not surprised, you decided to come."

Bex glances at me. "Thank you for giving me space to collect myself, I'm ready to hear you out."

"Of course, but..." I look at Danis's burning stare. "May I speak with you, privately? There's something I'd like to show you. It will make everything I want to explain a lot clearer."

Danis clings to her, and I feel the air shift. "There's nothing you need to say to her that you can't say to both of us."

I look down at him, flatly.

He does not break his stare, but his tail sways low and he flinches ever so slightly.

The silence stretches between us.

Bex snaps at me. "Stop!"

I blink.

She sighs. "You're asking to speak to me alone without having offered any reason why I should trust you. You can understand my hesitation."

"You're right, of course." I notice tension coiled in my shoulders and breathe. "In our travels together, is there a single moment you can point to when I acted against you?"

Her face twists at my words. "No. But the violence you demonstrated is enough to warrant my loss of faith."

"My handling of the goblins was distasteful, even if they were just goblins."

She snorts. "Distasteful."

"I apologize for the tactless spectacle."

Her eyes go wide. "Tactless spectacle? Is that what we're calling it? You're very good at choosing your words."

My cheek creases with a faint, albeit guilty, smile.

"Gods..." She looks skyward as if to say a quick prayer before putting a hand on Danis's chest. "Give us time. This shouldn't take long." She speaks sternly. "Right, Vash?"

"A moment is all I need."

She sighs, half believing me.

The corner of my lip twitches as I turn my attention to Danis. "You're welcome to join the others."

He stiffens. "How far is this place?"

I snap. "I'm sorry, are you her keeper?"

Bex puts her hands on my arm. "It was just a question. Relax!" Her words crack slightly.

The tension in my shoulders has not resolved. "A-apologies." I focus on calming myself once again. "It will be just down the riverbank. Less than a kilometer away."

"Only a moment." She shakes her head. "You're so fucking insufferable." I see the smile she's trying to hide.

Danis looks at his wife like it's the last time he'll ever see her. He steps into her and gives her a gentle kiss on the cheek before walking over to the campfire with my company.

I watch him leave before beginning to walk. She follows me down the banks of the Chionthar. Its hushed flow, an anchor of calm.

We walk, and the sound of the river next to us creates a hush that fills my mind. A slight breeze softly mists me with water coming from the rapids.

Frogs sing in time with one another, claiming the conversation before I hear Bex's voice.

It warbles softly, threaded with a kind of joy. Like she isn’t meant to be sad. It makes moments like this, when I've hurt her, even sadder.

"I heard you've told the others about your station." She clasps her hands behind her back. "I wasn't expecting that. It was good of you to be honest with them."

I step over a stone in the path. "I saw the faith you lost in me. I wished to make the truth plain. But it is a cruelty, given the faith I still have in you."

"Of course you have faith. I'm not the one playing games, Vash."

The lie lands heavy as I look down at this audacious baker shuffling next to me.

My voice grows sharp. "Why in Hells' name did you confront those goblins alone? You forced me into a position where I either had to watch you die, or intervene, potentially getting us both killed."

"What do you mean? He needed help, and the strong have a duty to protect the weak. It was the right thing to do. Had I known you were going to be so heavy handed with them, I wouldn't have been so bold."

"You expected me to step in?"

"I... well, we're a team, aren't we?"

"We're supposed to be a functioning unit."

"What is the difference?"

"Life and death."

She grows quiet.

"You don't run off like that, especially if you expect me to intervene."

We walk, and the sands shift with every step. My legs burn from having carried Alfira's body down this very shore.

Whispers rise inside my mind that bid me 'drown her.'

She bites her lips, before speaking softly. "I wasn't trying to-"

"You were trying to be a hero."

The wind shifts, filling the path with a faint, stinking haze.

"What have you witnessed on our little adventure together?" My nose curls with contempt. "A heroic monster hunter, who was going to drag Astarion back into slavery. An apothecary, who was going to resurrect his lover against her will." She looks up at me and my voice softens. "Bex, the hero who is going to save the hollow, by turning a druid circle against itself."

She stiffens, a line forming between her brows. "That isn't fair."

"Isn't it?"

"It's not my intention to hurt anyone. It's unfortunate that it's come to this."

My voice grows gentle. "Exactly." I stop her, leaning down. "I need you to understand something." My hand rests on her shoulder. "You are far more valuable to me alive. I intend to keep you that way."

Her expression tightens, and she flexes her fingers.

"I honestly didn't consider the position I was putting you in. I'm..." She hesitates before her shoulders fall. "I'm sorry." She says with a breath. We begin to walk again, pebbles crunching beneath our steps.

"Please, just be more mindful."

I watch the shore as it bends toward our destination.

"Survival is never guaranteed," I glance down at her, "and heroes don't exist."

A scene of devastation unfolds before us. Vast, arching shards of a spiraled shell are sunken into the sands of the river's shore.

Her pace slows, eyes wide as I bring her to the center of the nautiloid's wreckage.

The smell of burning chitin and decaying ship-flesh assaults the senses. Waning hues of sunlight cast beams through smoke that weaves around the wreckage. The sound of lapping water echoes against the walls, amplified more so by the dreaded silence.

Awed by the looming ruin, she steps away from me and carefully touches a sunken landing. A chitinous chest bolted firmly in place, lid askew.

She takes in the catastrophe that surrounds her. "What is this place?"

"This is the crash that rattled the hollow. Do you know what this structure is?"

She scans the grand hull, shaking her head. "No. I've never seen anything like it."

"It's called a nautiloid. An illithid warship."

She's focused. "Illithid?"

I gesture toward a few scattered mind flayer bodies lying in silver pools of blood. Shriveled, peaceful, and empty. "Illithids travel the realms, functioning as a collective. They rely on psionic powers for control and communication. They are insidious and parasitic."

Bex steps toward me, her eyes lingering on the corpses.

"My companions and I are survivors of this crash. We don't know how we survived, but we remain united under a common cause: to find a cure for our infection."

"Infection." She says sharply.

I reach into my cloak pocket for one of the vials. The parasite inside swims frantically, biting at the glass. The tadpole in my head flexes vaguely at its presence.

She recoils, nostrils flared as she studies the abomination.

I turn the vial in my fingers. "Such a small thing to be the source of so many profound problems." I mutter quietly. "An illithid parasite absorbs the memories of their host, gifting in return psionic powers." My gaze shifts to Bex briefly. "My infection is what makes me a True Soul. Nothing more."

"How can that be? It's a cult, why would your infection matter to them?"

I tuck the tadpole back into my pocket. "The Absolute uses the power of the tadpoles to enthrall her cultists."

She stares at me with a look of horror. "...Gods," her voice barely a whisper. "Do you hear her now?"

"No. Through some strange cosmic fate, I've happened upon a device that protects me from her influence. I am not a thrall." I give her a subtle smirk. "Well, I'm fairly certain I'm not."

"Vash, this is no joking matter!" She says, though I see the corner of her mouth pulls briefly.

"Halsin has been studying the tadpoles. This is why it was imperative that I find him."

At that, she hesitates. "I thought you were getting him to help the grove."

"Of course. Reasons that are mutually inclusive."

"Vash..." Her face twists into a focused scrutiny, "why are you trying to stop the Rite?"

"Bex."

Her focus is unwavering.

"...because it must be done."

"That's it?" She suddenly looks exhausted. "Survival is not guaranteed, heroes don't exist, and yet this must be done? Why? Why risk yourself for them?"

"Because I am a man who woke up right here four days ago with nothing.

I need to build something."

She studies me carefully, a subtle disquiet filling the space between us.

"I hope the respect I've shown you makes up for my transgression." I murmur.

She shakes her head and scans the wreckage. "You know... the respect you've shown me has brought me more comfort than I've felt in a long time." She turns back to me with a diminutive smile. "Maybe the shape of a hero simply isn't what we thought it was."

My eyes linger on her. "Bex..." I step closer, and her hand gently lands on my chest.

"Thank you for trusting me, Vash."

I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Her fingers drag slowly against my chest as if fixated on the texture of my tunic. Her hand suddenly drops, smile falling, brow creased. She steps back and almost speaks. She leaves me rooted to the moment, heading back toward camp. Her cadence slows, and she glances back.

My body moves, closing the distance between us.

She walks, and I follow.