Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The soot has settled upon the city of Baldur's gate, and the citizens are coming to terms with the destruction that has ravaged them and their homes - even if they don’t know the true reasons behind it yet. The city's streets are in mourning, and the echoes of their despair are haunting. For there are still so many injured, and so many who have been lost - either to the invasion itself, or crushed inside their own homes as a result from the great earthshakes that shook them all. Some may even have been affected in inconceivable ways that Tav can’t even imagine. 

The western part of the city (the upper city especially) is nearly unrecognizable - most of it, at least. The High Hall - which is in the central area of the upper city - is in ruins, and she sees that many mansions are destroyed too. However, it is still the peasants who are the most affected, which isn’t unexpected. They do not have health potions, mending scrolls or means of revival like most nobles possess. Tav wishes she could help …

This mansion that is at the edge of the upper city seems to have survived fine enough - she thinks some of the facade of the Crimson palace is destroyed, but that is more than repairable.

As of right now, it has been a little more than an hour since the Netherbrain was destroyed.  Tav - the rejected Bhaalspawn - knows it was her friends who went up against it, and they have seemingly won. 

Without her …

Tav tries to stay awake through her brains fogginess, a result of loss of blood - inflicted deliberately by lord Cazador Szarr himself in order to make her more docile and easy to handle by the servants. At least until her friends have freed everyone of their illithid affliction, including her. 

Just so that he can start over with a new circle of vampire spawn, since he sacrificed his previous circle a few days ago. But even then, he knew of Astarions lack of control under the illithid affliction - and his pride can’t allow an uncontrolled spawn.

So he waited, and even coerced the team into rushing into defeat the Absolute instead of saving her (sabotage). 

And now they have … so she was brought here by some servant minutes ago. Too weak to stand, of course - she only gazes upon the city. 

The fact that the sky is cloudy and not allowing her to see the sun one last time feels like an insult. She closes her eyes and tries to focus - tries to imagine Astarion at her side. He is not with her anymore, but his memory makes her feel slightly better somehow. She will live, one way or another. For him.

She misses Astarion so much …

“The end of the world was overblown, was it not?” 

Cazador has appeared from behind her. She senses his movements, but decides to not answer him or look his way. He is undeserving of her attention, and she will hinder and annoy him as long as she can. 

She is still breathing, and until she ain’t anymore - she will not give him the time of day. He doesn’t deserve that.

She hates him

“I suppose that when thou hast lived as long as me, and an end of the world is said to appear every century - one has come to disregard these claims. They have only proven to be minor inconveniences” he says with a smug voice, gazing out at the destroyed city. He steps in front of her, a dark cloak covering his back turned towards her. 

She doesn’t answer him. She likes to imagine that it bothers him if she acts unbothered. 

He turns around and grabs her clothing, pulls her into a position that forces her to straighten and look into his evil, red eyes. And if she ain’t totally mistaken, he is indeed bothered by her lack of fear towards him.

“Tell me true - are you still affected by that sickness” he demands with a frown

“I am not” she answers. And she is startled by the fact that she answered him at all for a moment, but she almost immediately remembers that vampire masters have that hypnosis-thing. If someone gazes into their eyes, they are vulnerable to being charmed. That must be it. 

So Tav looks away from him with a frown of her own

She underestimated that ability, she supposed. He hadn’t bothered with it so far as he mostly left her drained and alone in a horrible room, until now. Uninterested until he knew she could be turned without any complications. 

Tav tries to slip out of his grip, but is unsuccessful because of her weakened state. She knew she can’t flee like this, but she’ll still try if it bothers him. But her heart is trying to jump out of her chest, and that seems to make him feel more smug. She feels hatred, yes. But she is truly getting scared.

He assesses her for a short second, for what she does not care - she just wishes for him to be dead and for her to be elsewhere

“Then there is no more need to wait. I welcome thee to my family, child ” he says with horrible glee

Cazadors nails dig into her shoulder, and the other one painfully pulls her hair aside to reveal her neck. It has still healing wounds from a few days ago. She struggles more ferociously as his fangs sink into her neck again - this time with deadly intent 

Her last thoughts are of her hatred towards him - the monster who killed Astarion in the rite of Profane Ascension. Her Astarion … her love …

She becomes limp 

And cold

Falling into total darkness