Rambling Writings of an Eternal Dreamer

Just trying to organize my thoughts a little to get writing again. Pieces I need to put together: 

Tien: 

Battlefield re-write

Rebirth

Post-Heist

A Battle Won

Desecration Discovered

Ehlana: 

Father Encased in purple stone

Conversations/Truth revealed

Days on the Island

Shandriz: 

Matthias

Elemental Plane of Air 

Mirshann

Orissia: 

Eleodoro discovery

Lieve: 

Listen. I’ll have time to write tonight. This weekend has been madness. More sunshine-cinnamon-roll water genasi goodness til then...

~~~~ The Ocean Waves

She sinks under the water, slowly making her way as deep as she dares and letting the salt soothe her jumbled mess of thoughts. She’s caught somewhere between “Captain Vale is wrong” and “Captain Vale is NEVER wrong” and it’s a difficult place to be in, really. Something’s going to have to give. For now, though...she just breathes. The way her hair floats around feels more natural here and she can feel all her muscles relax slowly along with it. Like the constant weight she carries around with her is being lifted from her shoulders. Here, she doesn’t have to worry about Metra or the Siren or the Vault or even her friends, whom she adores but who cause her no end of concern.

Alora is playing in the shallows with Storm and she's definitely going to join them in a bit, but she needs some time to sort through all the emotions running through her right now. She's not sure why everyone seems to think she's in love with Metra. She -likes- him, of course. Would like to touch him. Specifically his mouth. With her mouth. Oh goddess….of course Captain Vale isn't completely wrong. Her Captain can read her like a book. And just thinking about Metra is enough to have warmth flooding her veins and butterflies in her stomach and she curls in on herself under the water.

She can't allow this. The last time she'd felt this way about someone was three years ago and there was no forgetting how -that- had ended. She is an ugly freak of nature and there is just -no- chance he could actually like -her- the way her feelings are developing for him.

Besides, they really are leaving soon. Though she supposes perhaps that might be even more reason to say something. If she takes this risk at Captain Vale’s suggestion..well, when he denies her she'll know for sure, and she won't have to worry about seeing him again. Ever. And then she'll be heading for the Siren where the ocean can soothe her broken heart.

The idea of it, though. Of telling him what she thought of him….panic spreads throughout her. She can't do it. Couldn't bear the rejection. Especially now, when she needs to be at her best as they go into this mission. She doesn't need any distractions.

But isn't he a distraction anyway? Hadn't she spent more time watching him than listening to the council? isn't it possible that getting this off her chest will allow her to move forward, let go of him? But what would she even -tell- him? That she sort of maybe kinda thinks she might like him and that she wants to kiss his mouth and….what the -hells- was wrong with her? She'd known the guy a couple days! What kind of person is she, thinking about him like this when she'd barely spoken with him (but, then,  the way he had talked about his ship. The way her heart had gone out to him…)? He would be horrified! -She- is horrified!

She hadn't been distracted while they were fighting. She'd kept track of his movements, of course, but she did that with everyone and she hadn't paid any special attention to him. So she can keep it professional when needed. But then, they hadn't had that talk yet, and she hasn't been able to stop thinking about him since, has she?

She wants to see him again. That much, at least, she knows for certain. But she doesn't know where to find him anyways. Maybe Havae does. But would Havae tell her? Probably. But wouldn't it be rude, or at least incredibly awkward, to see him again so soon? And what would she even do once she is in his presence?

No, it is better to keep on as planned. She'll swim for a bit, play with Alora and Storm, and then she'll have Havae take her to the shops after they discuss this plan so she can look for a diamond that will work for the spell. She isn't sure she has quite enough gold on her person for it, but she has to try. It could mean the difference between life and death for one of her friends, and that’s really the most important thing, isn’t it? Her feelings don’t matter, and she knows it. They’re about to perform what is clearly the most terrifying adventure yet and she needs to focus on that.

I have had zero time to write today, soooooooo have a Lieve intermission instead. 

~The Ocean Waves

Throughout her life, all of her favorite things have been green. Her father's eyes are a beautiful, piercing emerald. Rain’s skin is a soft green, pale and beautiful. The ocean is a roiling mass of green pitched against a shimmering blue horizon. Even Captain Vale is a solid, sturdy green. Her hair might be green as well, but there's enough blue in it apparently to make it singularly unattractive again.

So she can't be too surprised when, upon his pointing out the green of his skin, she stupidly states how much she likes the colour. And in fact, her stomach flutters just a little as she says it, her cheeks warming to a vibrant violet. And maybe it's because she likes his colour so much, but mostly it's the way he doesn't seem to think her strange at all. And after all as a half-orc she is sure many would consider him unattractive as well, though she doesn't. She finds him quite handsome, really, and she particularly admires the tusks. She has to stop herself from staring at them before it becomes noticeable.

She doesn't speak to him too much after that- she asks his name and he refuses to give it. So, okay, maybe he doesn't really like her that much and that's okay. Really. She gives him her name anyway, because if he finds Captain Vale before they do, he can tell her that she's looking for her.

They continue through with their mission. They need to find Captain Vale after all, and there isn't time for playing around. Eventually she comes to them and she's hurting and Lieve focuses all her energy on helping her captain heal inside and out. They go swimming again and she's feeling refreshed, happy, whole.

They return to the rooms Havae procured for them and Alora asks her if she thinks Captain Vale and Raische are in love and...well, honestly, how would she know? They do seem very close and she'd love to see her Captain find that kind of happiness. But the last time she thought someone was in love it was Jovin and he'd only been using her to put another notch in his bedpost and add a tall tale to his collection. The freak of a fish woman he'd fucked once. She does think they’re very close, and very sweet and...Havae brings up an orc and Lieve is confused at first. She's never noticed Captain Vale around an orc, let alone interested in one and she's pretty sure Havae couldn't have seen her with one since they'd only just met.

“I meant you, Lieve,” the drow asserts in his unforgiving monotone and Lieve blinks, “What?!” even as Alora all but squeals in delight, “You didn't tell me, Lieve, who is it? I bet it's that grumpy guy we met…”

Lieve flails verbally as the group teases at her about the whole situation. At least she gets his name out of the debacle, though- Metra. It doesn't matter, of course, as she'll probably never see the man again but at least when he crosses her mind now there is a name to go with the face. She curls up in her sleeping bag in Gin’s room, ignoring his light-hearted teasing in favor of sleep. The day wasn't so bad, really. Her friends are all alive and safe and that’s what really matters, isn’t it? The feel of the salt water from her trip to the stream is still seeped in her skin, soothing her as she drifts off.

The next morning she goes to check on Captain Vale and hears her still asleep. She would have liked to have the Captain at her side, but she'll settle for Havae and Alora and Raiche since Gin has elected to remain and watch over the Captain. Raiche seems almost as concerned about Captain Vale as she is, and it warms her heart a little- she starts to think that maybe Alora -is- right and makes a mental note to ask Captain Vale what the deal is there. If she can help her Captain in any way, she’s certainly going to try.

They get to the audience chamber and He is there. She flushes a vibrant violet instantly- she hadn't expected to see him again and certainly not here. And he's -hurt- and she wants to reach out and help but she can't. They're here for a reason and they need to get this over with and it's no time for pleasantries- certainly not with someone she just met.

Havae talks to the leaders and she watches Metra. She can't help it- the gash on his face is like a cut to her own heart and it weighs heavy on her. She can’t just leave someone hurting and not do anything about it. He catches her looking and she blushes, ducking behind Alora away from him because she was -staring- and she's not usually this rude. It's just that she can't seem to focus while he is around, especially with the cut on his face that she could fix but she'd have to touch him and...

The council leaves to discuss and Havae and Metra talk. They bring up his injury and she can't help herself any longer, “Here, let me-” and she touches his arm- goddess she wishes healing didn't always require you to touch people because her cheeks are -burning- but he doesn't seem bothered. He turns away and she feels badly- perhaps she was wrong about her assumption and she should have just left well enough alone...but he does thank her even if he looks away when he says it and that leaves a bit of warmth in her stomach as she ducks back behind Alora before she makes even more of a fool of herself. Not that it helps much- Alora is not a lot taller than she is, and the other woman is slimmer of figure, so she's not really blocking her from view. But he's not looking at her anymore, so Lieve feels like that's at least some kind of victory.

Things move quickly after that- the council returns, agrees to help them if they help the council first, and they are to go to the caves and destroy some sort of snake creature. Her friends exit the room and she holds back a moment. As nervous as she gets around him, she -does- have a responsibility.

“Are you okay? Injuries all fixed up?” a part of her can't believe she's voluntarily talking to him alone, but he -was- hurt and healing is the one thing she really is halfway decent at, other than sailing. He looks down at her- gods he's tall. Why are all her friends so tall?

“Yes. The facial scar, anyway.”

She blinks, using her medical experience to search for any further injuries- something she can mostly do without touching him- and comes up empty-handed.

“Is there something else? I can try to help. I'm not great at a lot of things, but I mostly have this healing people bit down.”

He kind of shrugs, and she gets the feeling he's trying to dismiss her but she can't quite leave just yet, “The rest is just bruised ribs, don't worry about it.”

And she blushes a little, because she can't believe how stupid she's being. She'd have to touch him again to heal him, of course he doesn't want that to happen! He's clearly not in terrible shape, and she doesn't want to push the subject especially with a man she barely knows, so she accepts this.

“...I understand...you don't- I'd have to- I'm sorry about-...” goddess she's stupid, she never should have healed him before, time to change the subject somewhat, “....you got hurt for helping Havae, right?”

“Yes. I broke a guild contract. In its most basic form, the guild reneged on its word.  So, there are consequences. And I paid them.” Indignation builds within her. This violence is entirely unnecessary and she can not -believe- that there are people who think this sort of behaviour is all right…but it’s really not her place to say. Still, she can’t quite keep her mouth shut entirely about the injustice of it all,

“Well I...I don't think they should have..done that to you. You know Havae better than I do, but he seems like a good person, and so do you, really, and I'm just glad he's...that you're both..I mean, I guess you still got hurt so it didn't...but..just…” She takes a deep, steadying breath as she realizes she’s rambling and she can feel the heat in her cheeks building with her embarrassment, “But thank you. For helping him.”

Metra shifts a bit in place, looking off to the side, and she wonders if maybe he’s a little uncomfortable discussing Havae. The discussion they’d had earlier has her certain they were lovers at one point, and she’s not sure if maybe he’s still a little bit in love with Havae and it’s a bit of a sticking point. She’s so bad at this sort of thing, though that she can’t be certain at all. Maybe he just doesn’t like her?

“Yeah... Well... That fool owes several thousand gold. He's not allowed to die until I collect.”

And she doesn’t know a whole lot about love or relationships or whatever, but that sounds a little like maybe she’s right. She immediately tries to squash down any of her own feelings, because if he’s still got a thing for Havae...well, she’s not going to stand in the way of that. Not that she was going to...anyways...there’s no chance…

“...I...right. Of course. Still....” she tucks her hair behind her ear, but it just floats right back off to the side as usual. It’s a nervous habit she can’t seem to shake and it frustrates her more often than not, “ um. I guess that's- that's all I- I just wanted to make sure you were-...I should go catch up to my friends, probably. You won't get into any more trouble, will you?”

“Probably,” he answers, though as she turns to leave, she hears him call out, “Hey…”  and she turns again, looking at him curiously, feeling the violet tinge of her skin still burning as she does so.

He gives he the ghost of a smile, “Thanks.” and puts a pipe in his mouth before skulking off.

A brief interlude from Shandriz’s story while I try to write the next section I don’t have done rather than skipping to a later section I do. XD Have a Daelinia. 

~~Your Love Could Start a War~~

She swung her axe- her newest toy and she hadn't had much of a chance to play with it yet- expertly. Arms stretched wide so the sun glinted off of sleek bronze skin pulled taught over muscle. She liked people to know what they were getting into when they picked a fight with her- all cards on the table. If she covered up, they might think her an easy target- tall and slim as she was with the soft curve to her ears that brought to mind elegance and poise. Neither of those words applied to Daelinia, however, though the swing of the blade had its own sort of grace and her movements themselves were smooth from hours upon hours of use.

Her opponent was wearing approximately 4000 lbs of plate mail, and while to some that might appear an advantage against her bare arms and abdomen, they'd be wrong. She had been with Kydian long enough now she knew how to find the joints and seams to slip between. Knew just how much pressure it'd take from her axe before the metal itself split. And the way this guy swung his sword spoke less of experience and more of false bravado. Oh, she was going to have -fun-.

She let him make the first move, his sword striking against her forearm. And perhaps in someone less trained than she it would have been quite the blow. As it was, her muscle shifted to slide it almost harmlessly along the surface of her skin, leaving a small, thin line of blood behind.

She stuck out her bottom lip, “Ouch!” she protested playfully, then shifted to a wicked grin as she lifted her forearm to her lips and slid her tongue along the scratch, feeling the metallic taste of her own blood permeate her mouth as her eyes slid to a platinum silver that matched the glow of the Dragon shaped tattoo on her back, “My turn.”

Her first hit was a test- she hadn't gotten a good enough look at the armor up close to know how thin it was and she wasn't looking to remove any of the poor guy’s limbs. He hadn't exactly made the fight personal by nicking her arm and she saved the real savagery for those who deserved it. Still, it was a clean cut to the shoulder blade and she could see the guy wince as she dented the plate and likely left a nasty bruise. Then the fight began for real. His first real strike was predictable- an attempt to swipe from her stomach up to her breasts. They nearly always tried this move and she liked to think it was because they wanted -some- part of them to touch her breasts. She didn’t blame them, she was pretty damn hot. More likely they perceived weakness in the lack of armor on such sensitive areas and went in for the kill.

His mistake- she was so used to this move that she'd turned it into a tactic of her own and as his blade skidded almost harmlessly along her abdominal muscles she leaned backwards, swinging her axe down on the top of his head as he leaned in to reach her.

It wasn't enough to split the helmet, or even to really disorient him, but it was enough to get him to back off so she could get a little breathing room. Axes weren't the best in close quarters- they needed a good swing to get the kind of speed and strength they needed to do the maximum amount of damage.

She swung again and he was ready for her this time, his sword slipping across her brow. The cut was deep enough to have blood mingling with the sweat now forming on her forehead in the heat of the day. Her grin widened as she swiped at it with one hand while blocking his next blow with the clang of metal on metal.

After that, she sank more into the ebb and flow of the fight. The cheering of the crowd faded against the background of the hot rage surging through her blood, and while the blood slipping into her eyes put her at less of an advantage, she managed to slip between the plates on his chest for a good strike at the ribs while he slashed across her back and sent her into another rage. Nobody cut her dragon and got away with it.

Her swings got a bit more reckless after that, and while she took more hits, hers struck harder and faster. The blood from his blow to her head had matted into her hair and sweat dripped down every inch of her body by the time she brought him down- one hefty blow after another until she heard Kydian shouting, “Daelinia, he's yielding!” and the rage cleared just enough that she could hear her opponent's voice, “Get off me, you psychotic bitch, I yield!”

The half-elf staggered to her feet, exhausted as the adrenaline drained away and her eyes returned to normal. She panted for breath, planting her axe on the ground and leaning against it for strength as she took stock of her wounds. It had been a good fight- any fight where she was bleeding from at least three different places but was still standing at the end was a good one- but she wasn't going to be taking on any other opponents today.

“Come on,” Her partner put a hand on her shoulder and she felt just a little of her energy return with his healing light, “Time for a drink.”

She nodded, slung her axe over her shoulder, and walked away with her companion as the arena medics tended to the man she'd beaten. She could ask Kyd to heal her, of course, and charge back in. But she preferred to fight on her own terms when it wasn't life or death.

“You need a bath, too,” he advised her, “You look like shit.”

Daelinia smirked, looping an arm through his as they made their way back to the inn, “Love you too, dear.”

~~~~

“We have to leave.”

Shandriz’s hand was on the knife she kept at her bedside table even before she came out of the half-slumbering haze of evening meditation. It took her a moment, so dazed and surprised, to realize that the voice belonged to Erov. Males were not supposed to be on this floor of the compound unless one of her sisters or her mother had brought them into their chambers for mating purposes. Certainly no male was ever to set foot in -her- rooms.

And her brother had only arrived home last night after her mother had sent him to the surface to raid for supplies following their successful mission against the kobolds. He’d been gone for weeks and he hadn’t even had a chance to say hello to her since his return.

“Erov?” she asked quietly, but he put a finger to his lips, indicating that they should make no sound lest they wake one of the slumbering females in another room. Drow were conniving, deceitful creatures and evil besides. Shandriz had learned from an early age to rely on no one but herself- her sisters would as soon slit her throat as any if they perceived her a threat to their own plottings. But Erov, she knew, was different. As long as she could remember, she had relied on him to keep her safe. He would never lead her wrong. He alone was worthy of her trust.

And so as he led her from the Compound, she followed him despite the panic rising in her chest that when he said “Leave” he had really meant -leave- and that her entire world was about to be turned upside down. He grabbed the packs that they usually took for hunting, handed her her weapons, and took her by the hand- red meeting violet as he claimed her gaze, “I want you to come with me,” he said quietly, “There is so much more out there in this world for you. I knew from the moment I saw you, facing off that bugbear when you were just a baby. Please, little sister.  You were destined for better than this.”

The girl bit her lip to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. She had been -right-. She didn't know why he was leaving, or how they'd survive in the Underdark on their own, or what destiny he had in mind for her. What she did know was that she would follow him to the ends of the earth, because he believed in her. If she stayed here, what sort of life would she live? Buried under the dark earth young because one of her sisters had killed her, most likely. She knew she wasn’t a match for any of them with their power struggles. And while she craved power of her own, what she wanted was not what Lolth could give her. She wanted freedom, adventure, excitement. Not subterfuge and death and decay. Somehow, she knew that Erov could help her find that.

“I’ll go.”

Her heart clenched in fear, but she pushed through it. Shandriz was used to fear- here in the Underdark it was her constant companion. She knew how to shove it aside, keep moving, pretending that everything was all right.

Erov squeezed her hand gently, a small smile on his face, “Then let's go.”

They traveled then in silence. She wanted to ask about why he had come to her so suddenly, in the middle of the night, but got a definite feeling that now was -not- the time to ask.  The deeper they traveled through the caverns, the louder even her silent footfalls sounded to her ears. Anything and everything could be lurking out here, and it was just the two of them against the world.

She kept close to her brother’s side, cringing at every rustle of fabric, peering desperately into the gloom as though she could see through the cavern walls to all the threats that they might hold. After several hours, her brother motioned with one hand, and the two of them tucked themselves into a niche so small they could barely sit side by side.

“We should be safe here for the moment,” Erov began quietly, “I've been here before, during journeys to the surface- none of the others know about this spot.”

The girl nodded, shifting uncomfortably, “Brother…” she looked down at the ground, not certain she wanted the answer. What was she going to do if he said something crazy, leave? Go home? She didn't even know if she could find her way back at this point- they'd never ventured this direction before. And she couldn't betray him like that- if she returned home without him, they would want to know what happened.

“I am afraid I have been keeping secrets from you,” Erov began, his own gaze mirroring hers as he looked down at his hands, “I hated lying to you, but if they found out..if I told you, they'd assume you were part of it, they'd kill you.”

Shandriz’s heart skipped a beat. Secrets? From her? But she had -trusted- him!

“Not all of my journeys to the surface have been raids. A few months before I became your guardian, I discovered a priestess of Eilistraee when separated from my raiding party on the surface. Since then, I have become one of her Devoted Followers.”

Shandriz gasped. Her brother was a traitor! Her skin started to crawl as though the eyes of a million spiders were now watching them, watching her, ready to shred her apart if she betrayed Lolth by refusing to kill Erov on the spot. The girl shivered in revulsion at the idea of those horrible creatures- or worse, Lolth’s horrifying hybrids the driders, coming after them.

She bit her lip, hard, so as not to cry out when her brother touched her arm again. This was -Erov-. He had loved her as no other ever had, had taught her and trained her and believed in her. She owed him her life, and he was offering her freedom. How could she condemn him in hatred?

“You are still so young,” he continued softly, “and you have seen so much evil, lived so many lies. Let me show you truth and beauty. I wanted to wait until you were old enough to choose your own path, but Matron Lo’rel knows. She tried to have me killed. I'm sorry, Shandriz, I really am.”

Her violet eyes filled with tears. She was so confused. She wanted to stay with Erov, but she was afraid to turn her back on the only life she had ever known, terrified of the wrath of their evil goddess, unsure whether or not she was strong enough to walk her brother’s path.

“I'm scared,” her voice was small and quiet, and Erov’s features softened visibly as he pulled her into his arms, “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I will protect you. We can stay in the Underdark for now. Just us, until you are ready to leave.”

The girl nodded, allowing herself a moment of weakness. One minute, sixty heartbeats, a few slow, deep breaths.

“I'm with you.”

He squeezed her then, and let go of her while he pulled blankets out of his pack and wrapped one over her shoulders,  “I will keep watch. You rest.”

Shandriz’s lip trembled slightly as she met his eyes with her own, “You won't leave me?”

~~~~~

The glow of fungus underneath her feet reflected soft light on a slim neck as she tilted her head, the violet eyes of a Drow girl not yet grown tracing the movements of the kobolds below the ledge she stood on. After a moment, she rose to her feet and retreated further into the cave that opened into the rocky outcropping. She was far enough away - and had not mastered the secret Drow hand signals more commonly used on the field- so she spoke quietly as she looked to her brother for confirmation, “Are these the ones?”

The man nodded and she looked him over for a moment. He was a tall figure with a small and secretive smile he saved only for her, long silver hair not unlike her own, ebony skin just a slight shade lighter. Shandriz Vo’Dur had always been a precocious child- not that she sought out trouble, but instead possessing a curiosity that came naturally to her. When she had been barely old enough to walk she had once wandered out of the compound which her mother and sisters ruled with an iron fist and her drive to explore the world around her had nearly resulted in her death. A roving bugbear came across her- some slave of another house perhaps, or even one of their own. They never had done a very good job of keeping track of the creatures, leaving them to do as they wished as long as they stayed within their part of the compound.

After her close call, her care was given to the man who had saved her life- the second son of House Vo’Dur and the child's older brother. Old enough that now, while she was perched precariously between childhood and adulthood, she realized that he could have as easily been her father as her brother. Though it displeased her mother greatly, she had recognized only a decade ago that Erov was correct in his suggestion that Shandriz ought to be taught basic survival skills in addition to her training as a priestess of Lolth. Here on the outskirts of society, her drive to explore was as good as a death sentence without them. And the number of daughters a Drow Matron had following the path of Lolth was a symbol of status. Losing one would mean losing face- no matter how irritating that child could be.

“These are the ones, little sister,” he said quietly, “How should we go about eliminating them?”

He knew the answer,  of course. This was part of her training- a test of how well she'd taken to her lessons. She tugged at a loose strand of hair while she mulled the situation over in her head. Erov had told her that it was best to tie her hair back when out hunting- the strands would only get in the eyes, and a second’s delay in reaction time because your hair was in the way could cost you your life in a fight. And so she’d pulled it back into a rather messy ponytail, with wild strands scattered here and there around her face. They hadn’t really had time for her to pull it back properly, and she could only hope the little that slipped from the tie wouldn’t interfere with their upcoming battle.

They could charge into the fray and probably make it out alive. They were only -kobolds- after all, and not terribly intelligent ones at that. But there was the possibility that the sight of the two Drow would cause the creatures to flee, and defeat the purpose of hunting them down to begin with. If they lost track of them now it was unlikely they would find them again to extract justice for their crimes.

“Take your time,” he assured her. While thinking on your feet was important as well, Erov always reminded her that she must first learn how to explore her options before she could summon them quickly. Just like reading- you had to learn how to pronounce the words before you could recognize them in a sentence without a thought. They’d worked through a countless number of theoretical exercises, of course, but it was different being presented with an actual problem solving situation.

And so she did take her time, making her way back to the ledge and watching as the tiny, ugly beasts set up their camp for the evening. They had been tailing them for a week now- following tracks and scratch marks and discarded waste. After the raid on House Vo’Dur, Matron Lo’rel was perfectly content to let Erov handle the situation, though she had been less than pleased with his insistence that Shandriz ought to accompany him.

“She will never learn from words alone- she must experience it herself. You yourself know how difficult it is to teach her strategy.”

He wasn't wrong. The young Drow had ever been a more hands-on learner, most lessons going in one ear and out the other without more tactile representation. She got more out of her lessons with Erov than out of any of the boring lectures on the glories of Lolth her sisters provided. And her mother had learned that the best way to teach her the cunning ways of her people was to involve her in the goings-on around the Compound, show her how to manipulate and intimidate firsthand. Shandriz didn’t have much interest in dealing with people, but she was decent enough at recognizing the strategies her mother used. Mostly, though, she was too young to interact on behalf of the House anyway.

Slowly, the girl unwrapped the strand from her fingers, meeting her brother’s eyes once more, “Stealth,” she answered finally, “We separate, cover the exits as best we can, and take them out one by one after they go to sleep.”

Pride blossomed behind his crimson eyes as he nodded, “Exactly. We do not want to damage the goods they stole, and we do not want to lose any of the kobolds. Waiting for sleep is the best course of action.”

She knelt down next to him, settling in as he continued, “and what if they were a raiding party, not yet having stolen anything?”

Shandriz pondered this briefly, “We could eliminate them with less caution- if I were a full priestess I could summon power to do it in one fell swoop.”

Something like anger flashed across his features,  but she would not have caught it if she hadn't known already that he would react so, “But you are not yet a priestess of Lolth.”

The girl nodded, the hair from her long ponytail sweeping across her shoulders as she did so. “True. So instead we could take them out from here with our crossbows. Eliminate some, let those who escape serve as messengers- show them that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”

“Shandriz,” her brother’s voice was tentative as he placed a hand upon her arm, “Do you even want to become a Priestess?”

The girl blinked, pulling away to look at her brother incredulously. Did she -want- to become a priestess? How was that even a question? What else was she going to do? She was a female, and fourth daughter or no, females trained in the ways of the Spider Goddess. What she -wanted- wasn’t important, even if she knew what that was. She’d never really thought about it before. If you wanted to survive in the Underdark, you studied and worked and plotted and prayed and hoped that Lolth would be merciful upon your soul. And so there was no surprise etched across the man’s sharp features when she responded with a bewildered, “What?” rather than answering the question.

His eyes softened as he watched her, shaking his head and sighing, “Nevermind, little sister.” And in the space of a moment he was gone from her side, peering over the ledge to see if the kobolds had yet fallen asleep. She watched him carefully,  thoughtfully, til he motioned her forward. “You take the front- there are only a couple of them there. Use your crossbow to eliminate as many as you can from a distance. Take out your sword only if you must. I will handle the rest.”

The girl nodded wordlessly. While she still had questions for him, she had learned to keep them to herself when out in the wilds of the Underdark. She might be able to ask him when they returned home, but there was no guarantee of that, either. They weren’t often around each other when no specific training was going on. Not now that she was old enough to know better than to go exploring the Underdark alone.

Their approach was swift but silent as the kobolds slept on. The soft ‘thunk’ of a crossbow bolt into the soft flesh of kobold skulls was the only sound as they slowly made their way through the camp. After she had eliminated the ones on the outskirts, she made her way to the ones near the cart. That was when she made her mistake. It would have been a small one if she were perhaps a seasoned warrior like Erov. But with her minimal experience in swordcraft, it was nearly their undoing. A kobold yelped, loudly, as she miscalculated her attack on the sleeping form. Her crossbow bolt clattered uselessly into his arm, instantly waking him- and all those kobolds surrounding him.

She managed to finish the job with him and take a few of them out with further bolts. But her minimal experience hadn't prepared her for overwhelming odds in the middle of a kobold camp. She spotted Erov, across the camp with a fierce, unreadable look on his face as she pulled out her shortsword- the light of the torches the kobolds had set up glinting off silver steel.

She took a hit from a dagger as she put the weapon into play, slicing cleanly across one of the creature's torsos as she struggled to block another dagger with her arm guard. The knife dug into the leather there as the one she'd struck fell to the ground and she pushed it away, swinging her sword around to strike the creature with its hilt.

Outnumbered 5 to one, she held off the worst of the attacks, but she was clearly still in trouble as the numbers dwindled slowly. Another one down, and the next took its place. A crossbow bolt sank into one just as a knife was about to go into her side, and she would have spared a glance to see how close her brother was if she had any seconds to spare, but a sword replaced the knife and her own swung down to clip the knees of a kobold while blocking its strike and there simply wasn't any -time-.

She heard a roar then, and the bolts flew faster as more and more kobolds came towards her. They stopped abruptly and she knew that Erov must be close now, using his sword against the few that were trying to protect themselves against the more difficult foe, rather than jumping on the easy target.

“Shandriz! I'm coming!” the voice bolstered her, giving her strength to continue fighting even though her arms were getting tired and there was stinging pain in a dozen different spots where the horrible little monsters had gotten past her armor and her weapons.

There were only half a dozen kobolds left, and Erov was almost to her side when things got worse. The roar sounded again and a giant, lumbering arachnid charged into the cavern. The Umber Hulk must have been nearby and heard the commotion, because it now lurched towards Shandriz , locking her in place with its glare.

“No!”

The Umber Hulk swiped a couple of kobolds out of the way in its charge, and it managed one good swipe at the confused girl’s chest- knocking her on her back just in time for Erov to launch himself at the monster.

The last few kobolds darted away as Erov locked into battle with the creature while Shandriz struggled to recover from both the blow and the creature’s stare, “Eh..”

She clambered to her feet, watching as the thing slashed down towards her brother, “Stay away from it!” he shouted desperately as he ducked under another attempt to take his head off. The girl swayed a bit as she reached for the crossbow that had been knocked from her grasp when she hit the ground, but everything was moving in slow motion. The Umber Hulk swiped at Erov again, and it took everything she had not to scream in terror as she watched the man who meant -everything- to her collapse, bleeding to the ground.

She dropped the crossbow and darted in, shaking away the confusion, before the thing could spin around to go after her. Then she slashed at its soft underbelly, ignoring the ichor dripping over her hands, the bruises on her ribs, the dozens of tiny cuts all over her body.

“Erov!” she grasped her brother by the shoulders, tears in her eyes, “Please be okay.”

He had to be all right. She couldn't bear to live without him. Their training sessions,  these hunting missions, his friendship was the one thing she couldn't manage without. They kept her from going mad when Yirza locked her in the study for hours poring over boring texts about the history of Menzoberranzen or the glories of Lolth. They gave her an escape when K’sel threatened to slit her throat if she didn't master a technique by tomorrow.