Blood & Wine - A Spawn Astarion Fan Fiction

Nymeria

I trudge on through the passageway behind Astarion, Karlach and Gale at my heels. I can tell it is beginning to wear on us all from the silence as we move like one entity towards the unknown.

Still, the spell I used to shatter the rocks simmers throughout my whole body. The exertion from using such advanced magics and the concentration from focusing my thoughts on such an abstract principal has left me drained. My powers are already depleted that I worry I won't be much use in a fight against Cazador.

I focus on Astarion ahead of me, only able to surmise his mood from the way he stalks forwards, poised to fight. But that might not be the case, I saw the magics tethering him to the rites cause the scars at his back to glow and almost burn. He might be feeling that in a much smaller capacity now if Godey is telling the truth and the Black Mass has begun.

"Gale?" I ask.

"Hmm?" Gale hums behind me.

I press my hand onto the cold passageway walls to ground myself, "What's the difference between Cazador starting the ritual tonight instead of on the night of the full moon?"

"Are you talking about any magical ramifications?" Gale asks.

I watch ahead of me as Astarion turns his head slightly, almost looking back over his shoulder.

"The rites taking place on the full moon would be merely circular. Though many believe the full moon has properties that aids in the manifestation of magical forces while others see the moon as sort of a mirror with the ability to amplify whatever spells they cast, but if that were the case doing it a bit before or after would make no difference." Gale explains.

"Maybe he's scared." Karlach says, "Astarion is a piece of the puzzle and he's no longer on his master's leash."

Astarion chuckles ahead of us, "Cazador is always ten steps ahead. He plans for every eventuality."

"Not every eventuality." I say.

Astarion glances back at us.

"It's clear his opinion of you was so low that he didn't take into account that you would have someone fighting by your side." My heart warms and the smile that tugs at his lips through the emotion I can see on his brow.

"Gods." Gale groans, "That smell."

I blink wondering what he means then it hits me, the smell of decay. It's much stronger than before. I groan and put my hand over my nose, behind me Karlach gags.

"Are we coming up on some more crypts?" Karlach asks.

"These aren't crypts." Astarion mutters, "What in the Hells?"

I peer past him deeper into the passage way and try to reconcile what I'm seeing ahead of me.

Torchlight flickers, reflected upon smooth marbled floors leading into a yawning cavernous room.

Astarion stops at the opening, I can hear the ragged breaths he's drawing in as he stares ahead.

Now that I'm closer I take it in. The room has the same large labyrinthine halls as the crypt, but with what looks like jail cells instead of burial chambers. The walls are made with the same material as the floor, but in a darker color with infernal etched into the border around the criss-cross of metal. Not quite bars, but still a barrier of some sort. Likely spelled by the runes.

The first few cells I pass by have between five to seven inhabitants, at first glance I think they're prisoners or possibly Cazador's next meals, but as one looks up and I see the glowing red eyes I recognize what they are. Vampire spawn.