Something wet touches my cheek. I swipe at my nose and open my eyes to see Scratch in front of me. Shovel sitting on his back.

"A vicious dragoon." I say in a bleary voice.

"Uugghh…" Shovel rolls her eyes and folds her arms. "Master Neely thinks he's clever."

"I do." I say with a yawn, raking my fingers through my hair. I try to be careful not to wake Astarion. He stirs, gripping the blanket and pulling it over his shoulder.

I sit on the edge of the cot and stare at the ground, trying to collect my thoughts somewhere in the chatter.

Scratch sits and waits. It's still dark out, but birds have begun to titter. I cast the spell that allows me to understand the creatures.

Whispers. So many whispers.

I shudder.

Gustav is nestled in a tiny fortress of sticks. He built his roost into a section of log that I keep on the arcane chest. His feathers ruffle as he wakes.

"Oy, Nutcracker. Can you understand me?"

"Yes, Gustav." I say quietly.

"Good." He stretched his wings and the feathers on his chest puff out. "Fezzerk and the others should be holed up in the base beneath the waterfall by now. Be ready to get wet."

"Right." I hate getting my clothes wet.

Scratch pants and wags his tail. "We can have food now?"

"Shovel is starving." She collapses on Scratches back like a wilting violet.

I rise and quickly dress, making my way out into the camp. Scratch trots next to me, tail high and victorious. Shovel is humming a small tune. "Snack sing. Snack ring. This is the song we sing when snacks he bring."

Bards would weep at her eloquence.

I open a fish barrel and hand Shovel and Scratch a large fish each. Shovel snatches hers and dashes off into the reeds to eat in peace. Scratch serenely takes his and plops down where he stands, holding the fish between his paws, licking the scales before nibbling the fins.

I hear a quiet flutter and look to my right to see Tara. She adjusts her wings, and sits with her back to me, tail coiled around her paws. She lifts one mitt and begins cleaning her toe beans.

"Good Morning, Tara."

A pause, pun intended. She finally glances at me. "Good Morning, Mr. Neel."

"Did you make any headway with the ox?"

"Hm? Oh no. That lout wouldn't say a word to me. Despite the invigorating conversations I had to offer. He remains a tightly locked box of his own damned secrets." She raises a paw to her mouth. "Oh! Forgive my language. I'm not usually so tactless."

"It's understandable. Thank you for trying."

The conversation grows quiet. Tara remains where she sits, back to me, staring straight ahead, tail flipping.

"Tara."

"Yes, Mr. Neel."

I pull out a fish and hold it down to her.

She glances at it, her ear flips. "Oh, no thank you."

I remain, wondering how long this is going to take.

After another quiet beat she gets up, takes the fish in her mouth, and walks off.

I pick up a sack of hay and grab Astarion's stool from in front of his tent. I then make my way to the ox.

"Good morning." I say, setting the stool down and cutting the sack open.

He shakes his head, his ears padding his neck as they flap. He bends down and begins to eat the hay. He tilts his head and eyes me. "Do me a favor." He says behind his chewing. "Keep that damned cat off my back."

I chuckle lightly. "Delightful, isn't she? I'm sorry I had to do it. If we can't reconcile this gap between us, then I will need to send you back to the tieflings."

He grunts, chewing his cud. He swallows his mouthful and blinks. "You really want to know? ...fine... I suppose I'm out either way. If you don't like what you see, you send me back to the tieflings. Okay?"

"Yes, it's an accord."

"Place your hand on my head. I will show you exactly what you want to know."

Slowly, I reach out, hesitating before planting my palm on his forehead. I am suddenly flooded with images of corpses and filled with screams. I open my eyes and pull my hand back, leaning back on the stool. "What is that supposed to mean?"

His tail flips behind him. "It means I am an ox. It's all I want to be. As far as you're concerned, that's all I'll ever be."

"You make it sound like you're hiding from something."

"I am."

"What?"

"Nothing you will ever need to concern yourself with."

I purse my lips. "I'm not sure I like being kept in the dark about a potential danger that could be headed straight for my camp simply because I am harboring you."

"They think I'm dead. There's no reason for them to assume otherwise."

"Alright. So... what does that make you?"

The ox huffs through his nose and looks around. "Here." He grumbles.

His face begins to cave inward, his body sinks into his legs until his belly hits the ground. With a hiss and a squelching, he shifts into a large... ox sized... ooze.

"There. This is the truth. The whole of it." He quivers and ripples formlessly, a pale, translucent pink.

"I see." I shift my foot back as his viscous form intrudes on my space. "I appreciate your honesty. Now that I know, is there anything you need to help out with your-" I gesture at him, "-ooze?"

He shifts back into an ox. "All I need is for you to understand that I'm an ox. Full stop."

I stand and give him a respectful bow of my head. "An ox is all I see. Thank you. Do you have a proper name?"

He picks up a mouthful of hay and flips his ear again. "Name? Oxen don't give themselves names. That's usually their handler's job."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ox."

He snorts and paws his hoof on the ground. "Hah! A pleasure indeed, Mr. Neel! A real pleasure!"

The sun rises, and the camp begins to bustle with voices and thoughts in tandem. Lae'zel prepares breakfast with Gale's guidance. She smiles softly as she pulls eggs from boiling water and dunks them in a bucket of cool river water before peeling each one with deft fingers.

She hands me my plate. A rare courtesy, being actually handed my food for once.

"Thank you, Lae'zel."

She gives a nod before handing out the next plate.

Bex takes it, sitting on a log near me. I take a bite of egg. "I have a few things for you that might help you at the goblin camp today."

"Don't speak with your mouth full." She says, wrinkling her nose.

My cheeks get a little hot and I swallow. I know better. "Apologies. I'm anticipating the insurrection. I forgot myself."

She smiles. "So, you'll be taking Sorrow to the camp?"

My fork is halfway to my mouth when I pause. "Yes. Its ability to incapacitate is intriguing to say the least."

"Why do you think it doesn't affect you?"

I am mid-chew and hold a finger to my lips, muttering. "Amnesia."

"Sorrow can't hurt you with something that isn't there."

I point at her. "Precisely."

She sets her plate down, wiping her hands off. "I'm ready, what do you have to show me?" Scratch trots up and begins licking her plate clean.

I finish my last bite and head to the communal chest. I pull free a set of soft grey drow armor. "Slightly better than what you have."

She takes it in hand and runs her fingers over the silk plates. "It is actually beautiful. I've seen vendors on the River Road sell similar armor, but I've never seen anything like it up close." She looks up at me. "The spider silk alone makes this armor nearly invaluable."

"You're pleased?"

She nods and chuckles softly. "Yes, Vash, I'm very pleased." She looks around.

"Oh. Feel free to use my tent. Once you're done, let me know, there is one more thing I want to give you."

"So many gifts today."

"It's a big day, I want to make sure we're ready."

"Prudent." She brushes past me, giving me a cocked smile.

I stand outside the door and watch the river. Grandfather saunters along the bank. He doesn't have his book in hand this time. He seems to be lost in thought. His robes drift through the air weightlessly. The sun gleams off the broken golden headdress that arcs across his face. He glances at me and I give him a nod. I think I see a vague smile, though it's hard to tell. He doesn't have lips.

"Vash, I'm ready. What else did you want to show me."

The silk armor is fitted well. I walk up to her and check her shoulder plates. "Good, there are fasteners."

I step past her into my tent and snap the arcane lock off the chest, carefully setting Gustav's fortress aside and opening it. I pull a bundle from under the Necromancy of Thay. "Here" I drop the fabric, and it falls heavy and loose. It has a subtle sheen to it that reflects a deep red. The Deathstalker Mantle.

Bex walks up and runs her fingers along the hem of the cape. "Gods... I've never seen anything like this. Where did you get this?"

"The druids. You'll get better use out of it than I ever would."

"What do you mean? What does it do?"

"May I?"

"Oh! Of course." She turns her back to me.

My fingers drag along her shoulders, undoing the fasteners. Her shoulders fall. I carefully snap the cape into place. "When you strike down a foe, you will become invisible for roughly 1 minute."

She scoffs. "Of course it's enchanted to have a blood price." She glances back at me. "It can never be simple, can it?"

"Power is rarely free, and it is almost always paid for in blood." I take her shoulders and look over her.

"I'm not naïve, you know."

I catch her eye.

"Before the fall of Elturel, when I was still working as an apprenticed Civic Administrator, there were a lot of rumors floating around regarding the price of the Companion." She takes the cape in hand once again, staring down at the red sheen. "It was too good to be true. A holy light that bathed the city, protecting us from the vampires that used to plague the streets. Most of us didn't even know what a vampire looked like. We had been kept safe for so long." She focuses on me once again. "When it turned, and the chains came to claim the city..." She drops the cape and looks at me. "That was the day my understanding of the world became clear."

I give her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"Someone's life for one minute of invisibility. It's funny how absurdly cruel it is. And yet I'll kill today either way. So, who am I to be appalled?"

I press my lips thin, dropping my hands.

"Was there anything else?"

"No. Nothing more."

She looks at the armor. "Thank you, Vash. For this, and for listening." She takes my hand. "I didn't mean to brush aside what you are doing for me. I appreciate it. Truly."

I smile sheepishly and lift her fingers to my lips, kissing them softly.

She pulls me down, giving me a soft kiss on my cheek, then wraps her arms around my neck.

I pull her in and we stand quietly for a moment. I feel her heartbeat against my chest.
"An archer is deadly. An invisible archer is unstoppable." I murmur into curls.
"I don't want anyone to get in your way."

She runs her fingers through my hair. "They won't." She whispers.

Bex and I walk quietly side by side as we approach the Temple of Selûne. She glances at me every so often with a subtle smile. I feel... I feel a stuttering in my chest. I keep my hands tucked in my cloak pockets.

I can hear the edges of Karlach's joy and Lae'zel's vigilance as we walk.
The sacrifice nursed the violence, and yet my fingers twitch.

Shovel totters along next to me, hands curled, tail swaying. She's humming a little tune.

The smell of smoke covers the stench of goblin. Everything is quiet. The waterfall is to the right of the bridge. We make our way down, and I throw on my hood, making my way through the water. Marginally wet. I have accepted my plight.

Half of the goblins are drunk and chattering loudly. Sazza sees us enter and she climbs onto a table. Her voice cracks through the noise. "Everyone shut up! Boss is here!"

There is a negligible dampening of the raucous banter, but enough to garner Fezzerk's attention. They both approach and Fezzerk pulls a seat for me.

"I'll remain standing." I would either break the chair or fall out and make an ass of myself. "Tell me where we are."

Fezzerk's face twists. "We're in our secret little hub, away from those nut jobs that don't understand your brilliance." He speaks waving his hook hand in the air.

"I understand that. I mean, what is the position of the other faction."

Sazza pushes Fezzerk aside. "They're millin' about thinking they won somethin', but we're gunna break them. Ain't we, Boss?"

"Yes. So, they have control of the whole temple? How many are there?"

"Plenty." She grumbles. "And they've got Ragzlin backing them."

"What about Minthara?"

"She hidin' in her war room. Don't know what she's planning, but I don't like it."

"Do you have a map of the temple, like I asked?"

Fezzerk pushes in, waving a rolled up piece of paper. "Right here!" He slaps it down and unrolls it, putting a beer stein on either end to keep it from coiling in. It's a crude sketch, but legible.

"Show me where they are congregating."

Fezzerk blinks.

"Where are they gathered?"

"Oh! Here!" Fezzerk points his hook at the throne room in the back where Ragzlin had initially been trying to raise the illithid.

I trace my finger along the map. "There are cracks that lead to the spider pits here and here. These cracks past this wall lead straight into an abyss. Do you know where they go?"

"The Underdark, I reckon." Fezzerk says, scratching his back with the hook. "Oooooh, that's the spot." He says, looking at his hook. "This thing is almost better than a hand."

"You're welcome." I say with a half-smile.

"Hah!" He slaps his knee. "That's funny, Boss! You're funny!" His voice is strained as he attempts to flatter me.

"Do you know if there is an entrance to the Underdark in the temple?"

"Oh yeah! Through the spider pits there are tunnels that lead straight down!"

"Good to know."

"But uh..." He fidgets slightly. "They might not be big enough for you."

My nostrils flare before glancing down at Shovel. She's found a half-finished beer and is drinking it voraciously. "Shovel. Find a viable entrance to the Underdark, if there is one."

She glances at me, finishing the dregs from the stein. "Master Neely gives Shovel three more days?"

"Yes, and you can have Ragzlin's body. We need that path open."

She drops the cup and begins to scurry off, screaming. She staggers and falls over, hitting the cobbled floor hard. She climbs to her feet and begins running again, still screaming.

Karlach stands across the table from me. I glance at her, and she catches my eye but quickly focuses on the map.

Bex and Lae'zel stand hunched around the table, and I turn back to the map, studying it. "We have three ways to attack the throne room. The rafters, a frontal assault, and the spider pits."

Lae'zel points at the two doors that lead in. "A frontal assault would be no issue. We have the might to take them out quickly."

Karlach points at a crude line. "What's that?"

Fezzerk smiles. "A ladder, Ma'am! Leads up to the rafters."

She nods. "Are there usually people up there? Do I gotta make some goblins fly?"

Fezzerk scratches his armpit. Fleas perhaps. I shift away from him.

"Maybe one or two..." he mutters.

"How many archers do we have?"

From the squad, bows are raised, some triumphantly.

"That's enough." I turn to Bex. "Position the archers in the rafters. Maintain the high ground."

Bex taps the crude line. "The ladder is located in front of the war room where Minthara is positioned." She searches the map, and points at another crude line, turning to Fezzerk. "Another ladder?"

He titters nervously. "Ahah! Oh, yeah, yes Ma'am! A ladder. Right there."

"We'll access the rafters here, making our way to the throne room from the main hall."

We share a subtle smile, and I turn to Lae'zel. "Take a vanguard. Lead the frontal assault."

"It will be done." She gives a curt nod, back straight, chin high.

"Karlach?"

"I am so ready, Spooks! What do you need?"

"You can speak with creatures, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Lead your own warband to the spider pits. See if you can sway the spiders to join the assault. If you can't, cut through them. Block off the tunnels to the Underdark. Hold the line."

Karlach grins wide. "Oh, these fuckers don't stand a chance. You can count on me!"

I finally turn to Sazza. "Do Ragzlin and Minthara know who I am?"

"Uh... They know you're True Soul Neel. That's it."

"Good. I'll enter the temple alone while everyone gets into position. Do not begin the assault until you hear thunder from the war room. Then you move."