Enrolled in Epicness - A Baldur's Gate 3 Fanfic

14. Campfire

Life's cruel twists.

Frustration struck at Astarion, twisting his hands into fists. He gazed at the drow girl, who was soaking her lips with wine, and for a brief moment, she looked like Shadowheart. He shut his eyes, calming himself before he'd do something atrocious.

"Your father is looking for you."

His inebriated attention shifted to the real cleric, who approached them holding a big glass of aromatic red wine, a black evening gown flattering her every curve. Zelnira returned a pout.

"Swiftly now; we've opened a portal for you." The cleric gestured toward a glowing gate. Bing-Bong was hovering beside it, intoning foul, demonic words, and Waterdeep was speaking to him, looking frustrated. "No, not Avernus! They don't want to go there."

"Yes, Avernus!"

"No, Bing-Bong, the Underdark. Drow belong in the Underdark."

The imp scratched his little hat, twisted his mouth, and grinned. "Avernus?"

Their fruitless exchange didn't seem to deter Shadowheart, who lifted Zelnira by her arm. "Time to go. It will take you home, eventually."

The young drow stuck her tongue out, then she leaped on Astarion, planted a wet kiss just at the edge of his lips, and said something he imagined meant 'call me.' He rubbed the spot while she ran over to her father. The two waved goodbye and crossed the gate, hopefully not to Avernus.

Astarion let out a disgruntled groan. "I almost bit her."

"My blood wasn't enough for you?" Shadowheart said, sitting beside him.

"More than enough, darling. You taste... divine."

"Thank you... I think."

The hunger had two sides, though—the physical, which got satisfied, and the emotional, which meant the bite made him want more of Shadowheart. Not wanting to expose that vulnerability, he emptied his glass and tossed it into the distance. It shattered near the lakeshore, beside a couple of Tiefling children, who yelled in protest.

"Shut up before I give you an actual reason to complain!"

They responded with slang swears that made no sense. Astarion reached for his crossbow, only to recall that General Thorm had destroyed it.

"Relax." Shadowheart put her hand over his, gently. "We've just won several encounters against great odds."

"But they don't know that!" he said, pointing at the dumb kids. Sometimes wine made him fighty.

"Isn't it enough that I do?"

Astarion stared, dumbfounded, as Shadowheart leaned forward and planted her moist lips on his mouth. A wonderful, reassuring warmth filled his body, shutting off his rage and pain. He closed his eyes.

"FOOLISH ISTIKS." A second booty landed beside him. "Wasting your time again."

Shady raised an eyebrow at Liz. "Wasting?"

"HE CANNOT FERTILIZE YOU!"

Astarion smacked his forehead. "Neither can Tav, you know."

"YES, MORE FRUITLESS T'RAC." Lae'zel looked back at the camp. "The oversized druid and the supplicating spellcaster are virile."

Did she mean Gale or Wyll? Astarion scratched his head while Shadowheart buried hers in her palms. "Go away. I just want to enjoy this night!"

"I'm trying to protect your ZAI, your Honor!"

The cleric raised her mostly empty wineglass. "Don't make me spill this on you!"

"You two were so much hotter when you were kissing," Astarion said. It stopped them both, so he continued. "Baldur's Gate must have nice hot baths. How about we visit them together, without mentioning, er, babies?"

"Or eggs, in her case—"

"DO NOT MOCK OUR SACRED EGGS!" Liz said, reaching for her greatsword.

Apparently, it was up to him to be the bigger person. "Darlings," he said, laying a hand on each furious woman, "let's not bicker on such a perfect night. We still have to defeat Gortash, Orin, and—hopefully, Cazador."

"AND VLAAKITH!" The Githyanki said with a raised fist.

"And Shar's Mother Superior," Shadowheart added.

"Must we? I've heard she's hot." They looked at him weirdly; Astarion coughed into his fist. "Either way, plenty of tough enemies await us, so let's save our fury for them."

The girls nodded. Crisis averted. Near the fire, Tav had just punched Wyll in jest, knocking him out cold. Scratch rushed to lick his face, and Mizora burst into a guffaw.

Lae'zel shook her head at the sight. "TAS'KI! Hand over your fermented istik drink."

Shadowheart obliged her with an amused smirk, and the Githyanki emptied the glass in one gulp.

"Hardcore," Shady said. "So, what's next?"

Liz smashed the empty glass on the rocks. "HONOR AND BLOODSHED!"

Astarion rolled his eyes. "I prefer delving into the depths of depravity—excluding bear sex."

"That only happened once!" Shadowheart said, her cheeks turning redder than Raphael's. "I mean, I sort of pushed Tav into trying it, but she spat hairs out for two days afterward."

Astarion peered at Halsin. The buff druid had put Jaheira to sleep with his stories. He kept talking while she lay snoring on his arm. Near them, Waterdeep was sitting outside his tent with that creepy eyeball tome, seemingly absorbed in whatever unsettling words it contained.

"Either way, darlings," Astarion said, putting on a mischievous smile, "I think interesting times await us in Baldur's Gate."

Shadowheart laid her head on his shoulder. "Together, I feel like we can take on anything."

A moment later, the Githyanki leaned on him as well. Smirking, he wrapped his arms around the women. They gazed at the starry night sky in silence, the crackling campfire and the nearby city's lively sounds filling the cool air. Soft paws approached them—Squeaky. The friendly cub cuddled by his feet, letting out an owlish purr.

Astarion gave him an affectionate head pat. Yes, their next adventure would be glorious.

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Thanks for reading my BG3 fanfic!Writing it was quite the fun journey. I hope it was an entertaining read and that the generated images enhanced the overall experience. If you enjoyed the story, please leave a star or two. Those always help 😊And do let me know if you're interested in more.