Serenity | Halsin

Five

Tav and Shadowheart watched as Roralei took a step back. They, however, appeared just as calm as they were right before Astarion killed the Gur.

"So, we're just going to pretend that Astarion didn't just kill a man?" She asked.

"Well, Gur aren't innocent. He obviously was hunting down Astarion."

Roralei side-eyed Astarion. "Something tells me you're not innocent, either."

"Quite the opposite."

She shook her head. "I'm wasting time. I need to find Halsin."

Tav stepped forward as she tried to walk away. "Wait! We're going with you."

"Why? You'll only slow me down."
"Because we need Halsin, too." Shadowheart stated.

"Why?"

Tav inhaled. "We uh. . . . Well, there's this situation."
Astarion rolled his eyes. "A tadpole, damn it. There's a tadpole in our heads, and Halsin is the only one who can help us."

She froze. "The mind flayer tadpole?"

As she reached for her weapon, Tav shook her head and held her hands up in surrender. "It hasn't changed us!"

"That's funny to believe, considering this pale freak just executed a man!"

"I'm sorry, but would you not kill the person hunting you down for no apparent reason?" Astarion asked angrily. Roralei stayed silent, and seconds later, she slowly released her dagger's handle.

"We've already spoken with Nettie, and she doesn't know where he is, either." Tav mentioned. The mention of her name caused Roralei to roll her eyes.

"That's still a shock to me, considering she's so far up his ass to learn everything." She muttered. Taking a deep breath, she crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll need to find camp for the night. I'll need you to explain to me where the goblin camp is located."

They exited the swamplands and headed north where they made camp inside of an old house sitting outside of the blighted village. Once bedrolls were laid and the fire had been made, Roralei sat down on her bedroll, crossing her legs as Tav sat down across from her.

"The village is north of the village." She said. "There's a large bridge just before their camp, but it's no piece of cake getting inside. Goblins are everywhere."

Roralei sighed. "I have to find Halsin."

Tav looked at her. "What is Halsin, to you?"

Her cheeks burned as she shook her head. "He's my teacher. He's my friend, but he's taught me everything about being a druid. . . I owe everything to him."

She smiled. "We can help each other, all right? And for Astarion, he won't harm you. You can trust him. He's been through a lot, too."

"If you say so." She said, laying flat on her back. She stared at the starry sky, imagining herself laying in the field outside of the grove while Halsin fished.

"The grove is hurting," Roralei said sadly. "The tieflings and the others, they're at each other's throats. It's not the same as it used to be."

"I should inform you that Khaga was exposed,"

She sat up. "What?"
"Khaga, was a show druid."

Her eyes widened. "How did you come about this?"
"We found her notes."

Roralei scoffed. "Halsin will kill her."

Tav stood. "Get some sleep. We'll start at sunrise."