Like Starlight and Wine (A Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion x Tav Fanfic)

19. The Blighted Village

The next day we decide to head out in search of the one called Halsin, much to Lae'zel's annoyance. She still believes the only answer to our problems lies within the Githyank Creche, and perhaps she is right but we still have nothing to go on. We don't know where the creche even is and we haven't found the tiefling named Zorru, who is supposedly going to tell us where to find it.

Lae'zel refuses to set off to the west with us to find Halsin, instead opting to stay behind at the grove to discover what she can about the creche. And without Lae'zel in the party with us Shadowheart finally decides to travel along with us. And we quickly come to find that Shadowheart seems even more secretive and closed off than Astarion. And she has none of his manufactured charm and charisma to make up for it. Though she is beautiful... in a dark, mysterious sort of way... so she has that going for her.

We leave Emerald Grove that morning and make our way west in the direction we were told Halsin was last seen before he was captured by goblins. We had been told to anticipate running into hordes of goblins along the way, but that, in theory, they would not attack us, recognizing us as one of their own with these tadpoles in our heads. Well... let's hope that's the case. This will either go smoothly, or disastrously badly.

By afternoon we come across the ravaged ruins of a village - a town called 'Moonhaven'... or at least it was once called Moonhaven. And laying on the road just in front of the gates of the town we see bodies littering the street. Druids. Travelers. Tieflings. Goblins. Their dead bodies all mingled together on beds of dry blood, as though they'd engaged in battle.

"Goblins," Astarion says gravely. "I can smell trouble ahead."

As we step foot into the abandoned city, I hear some movement on an old, wrecked, rooftop to the right of me. A few goblins are tottering around in crouched positions, attempting to be stealthy, but failing miserably.

"Git over there," whispers a goblin to the others. She seems to be in charge. "Surround 'em, like."

"I know you're there," I shout up to the goblins. "Show yourselves."

"You spotted us," the goblin replies, standing up straighter. "Good. 'S like the say. 'No fun in skewerin' a pig what doesn't know he's cooked."

Her words ignite a sense of rebelliousness inside of me. I know I shouldn't be picking fights with every minor grunt I come across, but if she's looking for a fight... well then it's a fight she's found.

"Curious," I reply in kind, my hands planted firmly on my hips. "I had almost the exact same thought when I saw you."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" The goblin is taken aback. "Got a set on you, all right. Almost makes me like you. Almost. I'm gonna enjoy pullin' off your skin when we're done."

And with that, we commence our battle with the goblins at the gate. There aren't as many here as there had been the other day attacking the grove. These goblins are not strong like those other ones either. They're grunts. I almost feel bad about how quickly we take care of them. Although it does give me an excuse to watch the new and improved Astarion fight after having a bit of my blood. He did promise me a show, after all. And I am not left disappointed. Astarion is at the top of his game, fighting like he did when we first met. Swift, agile, lethal.

With the goblins at the gate out of the way, we move in further. I know that we are going to meet more goblins on the way, but I'm not sure just how many. We were told on several occasions that the old temple of Selune, and all the roadway in between, were lousy with goblins. We could take on handfuls at a time, but would we be able to fend them all away? Nettie promised they wouldn't attack us if they knew we had the tadpoles in our heads. Perhaps I'd been to rash with the goblins at the gate. Maybe next time we could avoid a battle.