The wardens are training in a clearing in the Emerald Grove. Sparring with staffs and practicing wards.

Maylee stands next to me, shoulders straight, hands clasped behind her back. She surveys the morning drills. "They train every day. The drills have gotten more intensive with the new recruits. I'm very proud of what they've accomplished in such a short time."

"Good. Keep recruiting. Focus your rhetoric on Cloakwood. We can discuss Moonrise with the new recruits once I have a better handle on what we are going to do with it."

"Understood."

I glance down at Maylee. She hasn't taken her eyes off the trainees.

"How have you been?" I ask.

She glances at me, and her face finally softens, but only just. "...managing. Making sure I'm taking care of myself. I have a tendency to get carried away. Apikusis and Emila have been a huge help."

"I'm glad." I study the druids for a moment longer before nodding to a few tieflings among the ranks. "That lot. Are they from the caravan?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I was shocked to see them volunteer, but they have been some of our better recruits. They say they want to join the circle. Except for that one. He wants to fight, but he'll be leaving once the path is clear to Baldur's Gate."

I look toward the man she's gesturing to.

Asharak.

I walk down into the clearing. A few of the wardens step aside for me.

"Asharak. I didn't think you'd have a taste for this."

He turns to me with a smile. "Vash!" He chuckles lightly. "I was wondering when I would see you again."

"Were you?" A small smile crosses my face.

"Yes. I wanted to talk about the last time we crossed paths."

I shift and my tail flicks. "...what about?"

"I wanted to be sure we are still on even ground. I want to help in any way I can, and I genuinely appreciate what you've built."

"The ground is even." I wave my hand dismissively.

"Good," he says with a breath. "I must admit, I thought I might be too old for proper combat training. I've taken what I've learned with the wardens and passed some of it to the children. It's been well worth it."

I laugh. "I'm sure you give far more practical lessons than me."

"No." He grins wide. "I haven't gotten to the throat cutting curriculum yet."

"Gods. Well if you need anything for them or for yourself, send for me. I'd be more than happy to accommodate you."

"Thank you, Vash."

I give a soft nod and return to Maylee. "I have business elsewhere in the grove, but it was a pleasure seeing you again. Keep up the good work."

"A pleasure, Peace Bringer," she says with the slightest smile.

I place a hand on her shoulder before heading toward the falls by the hollow.

I hold my cigar tightly in my teeth, staring unfocused at the water as it drapes across the stones. The white noise drowns out all other thought...

...a respite.

Even so, I remain alert for movement nearby. She asked for me, so I wait. A trap, perhaps. I don't trust her to keep her word, but I want to believe she truly wishes to speak to me.

Footsteps come from behind me. One person. I give myself a moment to be sure before pulling the cigar from my mouth. "A phantom." I mutter.

"Vash." Her voice sends a chill through me. It's calm and direct.

I glance up at her as she takes a seat next to me.

My lip twitches and I bring the cigar to my mouth, waiting.

"It's been hard for me to reconcile what you are from what you've shown me. I hardly know where to begin."

I blow smoke from my nose.

"All in the name of Bhaal. That's the thing I genuinely don't understand. Conquest is one thing. But why Bhaal? Out of all the gods in the pantheon, why him?"

I hold the cigar to my mouth. "He's my Father."

"A Bhaalspawn?"

I give a soft nod.

She drops her head, then begins to laugh. "How can something so horrible feel like relief? This is your heritage." She settles and stares at the ground for a moment before leaning back. "Your oath, what was it again?"

I am hesitant to say it out loud again. I glance around. We are truly alone. She kept her word. My voice drops as I speak the words. "For every seed Chauntea sows in life's fertile soil, I am the pestilence that blights her fields.

I am the reaper who tallies the dead, triumphant.

Where I cast my judgement, the damned will fall.

My name is the hymnal of fear that foments devotion."

"That, right there."

I pause.

"Each one of those lines is a declaration. They aren't an aspiration. They explain what you already are, as a bhaalspawn."

"Correct."

"And the last line?"

"My conquest will be unrelenting, until the world falls silent at my feet."

"The only aspiration. Your only purpose is to conquer until you've conquered it all. It seems… absurd."

"Excuse me?"

"One man cannot make the world fall silent at his feet. You're building an army, but even so, it's too broad. Vague. It seems, more than anything, your oath is simply relentless conquest. That's the shape of you."

I study her and take another drag.

She folds her hands, the tip of her tail flicking lightly. "It's just that... your methods are very brutal."

"Bureaucracy serves where it can, but you know very well it does not always serve. Just look at the grove."

"I don't have to. I saw it happen in Elturel. I saw what Thavius Kreeg was doing. I gathered evidence. Filed reports. I was banished from High Hall for even mentioning it. Even Danis downplayed the signs. The only person who took me at my word disappeared. I'm not sure if he's dead or alive."

She watches the falls, the rush of air disturbing her curls.

"When I asked for the truth, you gave it to me."

"I did."

"Terms must be set in place. We cannot move forward the way things are now."

"What terms?"

"First, there will be a debrief every morning. No more hiding in your tent sending gods know what to gods know who."

"That's a bit invasive."

"Not if you want me to continue being a part of this operation."

My lips straighten. "What else?"

"I will be attending every meeting. If I can't attend, I expect a detailed outline of what was discussed. No major decision will be made without my inclusion and consent."

"Oversight may not always be possible."

"Well, those are my terms."

She stills, watching as I tap the ash from my cigar.

"Unfortunately a lot of what you're asking for is no longer possible. Perhaps it would have been, before you abandoned your post, but things have changed significantly while you've been away."

"What do you mean?"

"More factions. More allies. Things I must protect at all costs. I have more people relying on me. People I care deeply for."

"You do?" She brings her fingers to her lips. "I'm sorry..."

"I was honest with you, yes, and it cost me dearly. You chose to turn your back on me." I hesitate, pressing my lips around the cigar before breathing out a plume of smoke. "Until I have reason to believe otherwise, you are a liability."

She draws a sharp breath. "Vash."

"Was there anything else, Bex?"

She presses her lips together. "Vash… What would it take?"

"It's not something I considered."

"Consider it, then."

I lean my elbows on my knees. "Why do you want to come back?"

Her mouth hangs slightly. "I..." Her voice grows quiet. "I still believe in the cause. Cloakwood and the cult are still a threat, and I know I can help."

"What about my relentless conquest?"

"A tool."

"My oath is not a game."

"No, but everything has a place. Even conquest."

I take one more drag from the cigar and tap it out on the log. "A probationary period. Then we can return to negotiate your terms."

She glances up at me.

I meet her eye and a breath escapes me. She seems hopeful. A dangerous feeling. I take her hands into mine and the tension in my shoulders falls away. "If you accept."

She looks at our joined hands. For a moment, her face tightens before softening into a smile. "I accept."

I lift one of her hands to my lips, but hesitate.

She doesn't pull away.

I give it a gentle kiss. "Bex... I'm very happy to see you again."

Ox gently trots down the shaded trail toward Waukeen's Rest. Bex sits behind me, while Danis hangs on behind her. I feel my hand twitch every time the man makes a noise.

"Why are we going to the Underdark?" he asks, presumably gripping tightly to Bex's waist.

I adjust the reins and Ox picks up the pace. "The campaign has moved. We're trying to find a way to Moonrise Towers."

"Ah." He begins to mutter, but Ox shakes his bridle and drowns him out.

Bex shifts. "Danis."

We trot past the husk of the inn, where Thom greets us at the entrance to the Zhentarim hideout.

"Six gold, please." She grins wide and holds out a hand.

I dismount and bend a knee, holding out my hand for Bex. "We agreed on three."

She takes my hand and steps on my knee, climbing down from Ox.

Thom nods toward the horse. "Big boy is three more."

Ox's ears pin back and he tosses his head as Danis tries to climb down.

"One moment, please."

I glance at them as Danis drops to the ground.

"Wait here."

I lead Ox outside the gate, well out of sight.

"I think this is a dignified distance for transformation."

"What will you tell them?" Ox grunts.

"I turned you loose to return to the Emerald Grove. You're a loyal steed. You know your way back."

He laughs. "Indeed I do! My mind is an iron trap, and I'm loyal to a fault!" He shifts into a snake and coils at my feet. I pick him up and tuck him into my front pocket.

Thom leads us inside, and we step onto the elevator platform. She tucks the three gold into her pocket, vaguely put out. "Of course it was the druid's fucking horse..." She pulls the lever.

The platform rattles and we descend. The air grows cold, and Bex grips her elbows, looking around.

"To think they'd had this the whole time. It seems the tunnel entrance at the temple wasn't necessary."

"The tunnel entrance at the temple is free to use," I say, my voice low.

She wrinkles her nose. "A luxury. Thank you for sparing us."

I give her a weary smile.

We finally arrive at camp and Doni runs headlong into me. I grunt as he grips me in a tight hug.

"You made it back, Mr. Neel!" His voice is muffled against me.

"Hello, Lad. Let me see what Shadowheart did."

He takes a step back, turning around to show the braids tracking across his scalp. "Clean. Perfect. Do you like them?"

He pats them gingerly and nods before pulling his tunic up. "It's cold. But I like them. Ms. Shadowheart says I'll get used to it."

"I'm glad. Oh! I got you something from Arron." I pull a wooden soldier from my pocket.

His eyes go wide and he grabs it, running his finger across the painted armor.

Bex and Danis hop off Ox and gather their things. Doni glances around me and points. He hops and laughs, running up to them.

Bex drops her bag when she sees him. "Doni!" Her voice cracks.

Doni stops in front of her, grinning and bouncing. His mouth opens, then closes. He waves at her.

"Did you almost speak? Doni, I'm so proud of you!"

His smile grows crooked. Then he holds up the wooden soldier.

"Look at that. You got Vash's present. Do you like it?"

He nods, then turns and runs to me. He leans into my ear, cupping a hand around his mouth. "May I play with Shovel?"

"Certainly." I snap and she tumbles through the planar fabric, landing on her ass.

She hops to her feet. "YEEEE! We play with dead fish again?!"

Doni nods and they run off.

"Again?" I mutter.

Bex and Danis settle into their guest room and Bex emerges clad in her leathers.

She lifts her chin. "I would like a debrief on the status of the operation."

"Not even a moment to breathe?" I say with a smile, before pulling a map from the breast pocket of my coat. I glance around the yard. Shadowheart and Karlach are sitting close, deep in conversation. Gale is doing a few simple tricks for Sazza, who is utterly entranced. Lae'zel is with her egg. Doni has a stick, and he's scratching at a rock jutting from the dry soil. Shovel is summoning something. "Everyone gather. We need to discuss the Cult of the Absolute."

Karlach glances back before jogging over. "Yesss. What are we getting ourselves into today? I'm ready!"

The others meander over as I kneel down and unfurl a map of the area. "Sazza." I wave her over and she kneels next to me.

"Where can we locate the base?"

"Eh. The map is too small, but it's that way!" She taps the edge of the map.

"And you'll know where to go from there?"

"Too right, Boss! It's just beyond the Ebon Lake!"

I pull a piece of charcoal from the firepit and study the map, charting a course. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"Four days?" she says, scratching her scalp.

"Is that a question?"

"Huh? N-no, Boss! Four days!"

"Very good. Gale, Lae'zel, stay behind with Danis."

Danis lifts his head. "Why am I staying?"

"It isn't safe."

"When is it ever safe?"

"A fair point, but ever still, everyone else has a purpose. You, on the other hand..."

"I'm useful!"

"Yes, you can make tea."

"I can do more than make tea, Vash!"

"Like what?"

"I whittle."

"And?"

His gaze travels across me and with a clumsy flourish, the charcoal markings from the map are whisked away. He winces and frowns, but then straightens. "There."

My nostrils flare as I stare down at the clean map before glancing at him. "...Prestidigitation?" I sift through the ashes of the campfire to find another piece of charcoal and redraw the fucking lines.

"I'd been working with Gale before Bex and I left." He gives Gale a nod.

Gale responds with a feeble smile.

I finish redrawing the route and snap my fingers, cleaning the charcoal from my hands. "Can you cast anything else?"

"Of course I can!" He makes another exaggerated gesture before a flame sputters into his hand. He then flaps his hand and it flickers out. "Fire is very useful."

A power that comes naturally to all tieflings... "What else?"

His brow pinches. "That is all, so far."

"Danis. I appreciate your... exuberance. But we need to be practical."

"I am being practical! I belong on this mission with the rest of you."

The man has grown more stubborn. Maybe it was a mistake bringing them back. "Shadowheart is a cleric. Karlach is a warrior. Astarion is fantastic at ambushes. Doni will be learning how to survive the Underdark."

"You're taking Doni?!" He shrieks.

Doni sits cross-legged with Shovel resting in his lap. His gaze drops and his shoulders rise as he scratches her back.

"Yes, I'm taking Doni. He's my ward. Missions like this are exactly why I took him on."

"Your ward?" He looks at the boy. "Surely this is all too much for you, Doni. Don't you want to be safe back with the caravan?"

"Danis!" I bark.

He jumps and stares at me.

I rise and straighten the lapel of my coat. "I think it's time we talk."

"Uhm." He shifts back.

Karlach puts her fingers to her lips. "Ooo, you made Spooks mad."

"I'm sure it isn't the first time." His voice is low.

Bex presses her fingers into her forehead. "Danis..."

"Walk with me," I say.

He follows and I tuck my hands behind my back. We move down the trail. We're quiet for a while before I speak. "If you wish so badly to travel with us you cannot undermine me in front of Doni. More still, I will not have you treating him like he can't decide for himself."

"Can he? He's just a boy, and a mute at that. Do you actually know what he does and does not want?"

My jaw tenses. "I do."

"How?"

"Because he shows me. He's very easy to understand if you bothered paying attention. He's been handling the wilds of the Underdark longer than you have, and doing a damn good job."

Danis scowls. "And what happens if he were to face any real danger? Not just beasts and bobbins."

"Bobbins?" I stop and wave my hand dismissively. "Then I will protect him."

"You can't expect to be able to save him from everything."

"No, but he deserves the opportunity to become more than what he would have been stuck in the caravan with you lot. How is that any safer?"

"Because we actually care about him!"

My motion is quick. I'm standing over Danis before either of us have a moment to think. "You assume I don't? What in the Hells do you think I'm doing?"

Danis leans back. "I... uh..." He presses his mouth thin, staring up at me. "That's not what I meant."

"Isn't it? What exactly did you mean? That I wouldn't do everything in my power to keep him safe? I would gladly give myself for that boy, if needs be!"

Danis's mouth hangs as we stand fixed on each other. "I... I didn't know."

"Obviously." I break away, walking once more. My eyes track the path, the words settle heavily in my mind.

Danis keeps pace as we pass over the bridge that crosses the river.

"I know you spoke to Shadowheart."

His face pinches and his tail flicks. "Of course she'd tell you. I knew speaking with her would be a mistake."

I allow the silence between us to settle, waiting for him to fill it.

His eyes flick to me a few times. "And don't try to tell me that I didn't see what I saw. I trust my own eyes more than I trust you."

"And what exactly did you see, Danis?" I say sharply.

"All of it. The way you rose from your bedroll, a twitching mess. Probably drunk. The way that..." His voice chokes. "Don't make me relive that gods-damned nightmare."

"So, you were stalking the camp. How long had you been surveilling us?"

"Surveilling? I was only there on a hunch. Something just felt... off. I just wish I could have done something to save her..." He finally glares up at me. "Save her from you! She was my friend, you know! We had just lost Lihala and now you... she was so young. She had dreams!"

"Yes. I know. It was a mistake."

"A mistake?! The knife was in your hand, Vash! For gods' sake! I considered every excuse in the book, but a mistake? I'm not stupid."

My face falls. "Does Bex know?"

"She does, yes. But it didn't stop her from returning. It ended up not mattering at all. You won."

"No. I did not win." My nose creases. A disgusting assertion. "An innocent woman was killed by my hands. It's not something I aim to repeat."

"But you still did it."

"Yes, Danis!" I snap. My fingers twitch. "Yes." I say it again, this time measured. I tuck my hand in the front of my coat.

"If it was such a big mistake, then why did you do it?"

I lean into him. "You are not entitled to that information, especially knowing how careless you are. Moving forward, you will need to be more discreet."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Do you think my request is frivolous? Your actions have consequences. I'll not have you putting everyone in danger because you want to play hero with private information."

"How could that possibly put anyone in danger? If anything, you are the danger, Vash."

"You are mistaken, and if rumor spreads that Peace Bringer can't be trusted, the structure I've built cracks. That makes us vulnerable."

Danis stops walking. "The structure you've built. Vash. I need you to be honest with me. Absolutely honest. Is Bex safe?"

He stares, unblinking. It feels like he's holding his breath.

"No."

His brow grows tight and his jaw flexes.

"She knows that the world doesn't revolve around her safety alone."

"Mine does..." He turns back and returns to camp.

I walk slowly, taking my time returning to camp. I want to empty my mind, but the silence always makes the voices surge. Suddenly the quiet is very, very loud.

As I return to the yard, Rooster and Astarion are speaking with Bex and Danis. They're seated around the campfire.

"I swear you remind me of someone," Rooster says, clutching Astarion's hand.

The expression on Bex's face shifts into something unreadable.

Danis reaches for her but pulls back.

Rooster sees me and jumps to his feet. "Boss!" He bounces over. "I hope you don't mind me calling you that. It's Sazza's fault." I smile and he grips my lapel, pulling me into a kiss. "What did you get me?"

I place my hands on his hips. "I forgot, Rooster, I'm sorry."

He deflates. "Oh."

I reach into my pocket and pull out a parcel of gut strings, a light and flexible case, and a polishing cloth for his mandolin. "I hope this will suffice."

He grins wide. "You bastard." He takes them and slings the mandolin off his shoulder, tucking it into the case. "Oooh. This will keep the road dust off it. Fancy."

His dimples are precious.

Bex straightens. "You... you're together?"

Rooster glances back at her. "Oh, yes!" he says in a sing-song voice, then grabs my arm. "I'm very lucky."

Astarion laughs lightly. "We found him at the local tavern. We've decided to keep him."

"Oh." Her tone is short.

"Bex?" I ask.

Rooster grips my coat. "Bex? Did you say Bex?"

"Uh, yes. Rooster, this is my friend, Bex and her husband Danis."

His arms go slack, and he dashes over. He falls to his knees and grips her cheeks, studying her face.

Tears begin to well in her eyes.

He drags his hand over her horns and looks down at her tail. His voice drops several octaves and loses its lilt. "Bex?"

A tear rolls down her face. "James... you made it."

"Bex, by the gods. Why didn't you say something? I've been sitting here making an ass of myself."

"I was afraid."

He tenses and thumbs away one of her tears. "By the light of the Companion, I thought you were dead." His voice catches as his own tears fall. "You're going to tell me everything. And don't ever be afraid of me again. Promise?"

Her lip quivers and she nods. They hold each other and cry softly.

Danis places a hand on Rooster's back. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Mr. Hornwood. Both of you."

Rooster wipes away his tears with his sleeve, laughing lightly. "You're a fucking moron, Mr. Aldwick. Look what you did to my Bex."

Danis's face falls, and he drops his head.

Bex and Rooster pull him in and hug him tightly.

I shift where I stand.

Astarion walks over and gently folds his fingers into mine.

First Druid Peter is trying to negotiate funding and he's refused to supply his own faction. He's being an utter cunt about it. I should have time to consider my response. I glance down at Astarion. "I'll be in my office."

"Want me to come?" he asks softly.

"...No."