Chapter Text
The deeper chambers beneath the goblin camp were damp, torchlit, and foul with the smell of wet fur and old blood. Tav stepped carefully over a cracked goblin mug as the party descended into the prison area beneath the shattered temple. Somewhere overhead, goblins were still celebrating around stolen ale and half-burned fires, blissfully unaware of the slaughter already cutting through portions of their camp.
Beside her, Shadowheart glanced toward the corridor ahead. “If the druid is alive, they’ll keep him somewhere contained.”
“Preferably somewhere far away from the smell,” Astarion muttered, pinching his nose dramatically. “Gods. Do goblins bathe in rancid butter?”
Gale ignored him, peering ahead thoughtfully. “Archdruid Halsin is said to be one of the most gifted druids in the region. If anyone might understand these parasites, it would be him.”
The parasite behind Tav’s eye gave an unpleasant twitch at the reminder. They were running out of time. Every lead they followed seemed to end in more blood, more uncertainty, more reminders that ceremorphosis should already have claimed them.
Then came shouting from around the corner:
“Poke it harder!”
“See if it bites your arm off!”
A heavy snarl reverberated through the stone walls. The party rounded the corner into the prison pens and immediately found the source of the commotion. A massive brown bear stood trapped inside a heavy iron cage. Goblins circled around it with cruel delight, jabbing spears between the bars while the beast roared and slammed itself against the metal hard enough to shake the hinges loose. Straw and broken bones littered the floor around the cage.
Yet despite the violence, Tav slowed. The bear’s eyes locked onto hers instantly, aware. Not animal awareness but.. connection.
One goblin noticed the party and waved eagerly. “You here to watch too? Thing’s vicious!”
The bear growled low in its throat, chest heaving. Then, abruptly, it stilled. Its gaze remained fixed on Tav. The realization settled over her almost immediately.
“That’s him.” Gale said quietly. “Halsin.”
Astarion blinked. “The bear?”
“Druid.” Shadowheart corrected under her breath.
The goblins continued circling the cage, oblivious. One jabbed a spear hard enough to scrape across the bars near the bear’s face. Another laughed while throwing scraps of meat through the cage. The bear’s restraint finally broke. With a thunderous roar, it lunged forward, slamming both paws against the bars so violently the nearest goblins stumbled backward screaming.
“He’s angry now!”
“Do it again!”
Tav’s hand drifted instinctively toward her weapon. Then, one goblin shoved a spear through the bars toward the bear’s shoulder. The bear caught the shaft between massive jaws and snapped it clean in half. The goblins shrieked.
“Well,” Gale sighed while drawing his staff, “that seems to have answered the question of diplomacy.”
Tav moved immediately. Steel rang through the chamber as the party surged into battle. Shadowheart intercepted the nearest goblin with her shield while Gale unleashed a burst of arcane force that hurled two attackers across the prison floor.
Inside the cage, Halsin became a force of pure fury. The iron bars groaned under his weight as he slammed against them repeatedly, roaring loud enough to shake dust from the ceiling.
Goblins scrambled in panic, some trying to attack the bear while others fled outright.
“Key!” Gale shouted.
Tav spotted it hanging from a goblin’s belt near the back of the chamber. She cut through an attacker, ducked beneath a wild axe swing, and drove her blade into the goblin carrying it. The creature collapsed with a scream. Tav snatched the key free.
Across the room, the bear’s eyes found her again immediately. Focused.. and waiting.
She crossed the chamber quickly and unlocked the cage just as another goblin lunged toward her from behind. The bear exploded from captivity before the goblin could reach her. Massive claws sent the creature flying sideways into the stone wall with a sickening crack. The rest of the goblins scattered in terror as Halsin barreled into them with unstoppable force.
“Oh… that is considerably more concerning up close.” Gale breathed while hurriedly stepping aside.
Even in the chaos, Tav found herself watching him. The stories in the grove had not exaggerated him. Halsin fought like nature itself had turned violent - wild, relentless, precise.
A goblin tried to rush Gale from the flank; the bear intercepted instantly. Another raised a bow toward Shadowheart only to disappear beneath a crushing swipe of claws.
Yet despite the sheer brutality of it, there was intention of protection and control in every movement. Not mindless rage.
The battle ended quickly after that.
The last surviving goblin tried to flee deeper into the camp, Halsin overtook him in seconds.
Silence finally settled over the prison pens, broken only by heavy breathing and the distant crackling of torches.
The massive bear stood motionless amidst the aftermath. Then slowly, the wild shape receded. Fur melted into skin. Claws became hands. The enormous beast folded inward until, once more, an elf stood where the bear had been. Halsin straightened to his full height, broad shoulders rising and falling steadily as he regarded the ruined prison around him.
Only then did his gaze settle fully on Tav and the others.
“Pardon the viscera. One should cherish all of nature's bounty... but goblin guts are quite far down the list. Not only do you speak with a bear, but you free it, too? A true friend of nature.. or perhaps a lunatic. Either way, I owe thanks. I am the druid Halsin.” He continued, “had you not intervened, my escape would have been… considerably bloodier.”
Astarion stared openly. “That was the less bloody version?”
To Tav’s surprise, the corner of Halsin’s mouth lifted slightly. The expression was brief, but it transformed him unexpectedly. Softened the severity of his features without diminishing the sheer presence he carried. And gods, up close, now without the chaos of battle between them, he was difficult not to look at. Not merely handsome, intimidating yet compelling. Like standing too near an ancient tree and suddenly becoming aware of how small you are beside it.
Tav realized she had lingered too long only when Halsin’s eyes met hers directly. His steady gold-green, observant eyes.
He had noticed. Something subtle shifted in his expression. Not amusement exactly, but awareness.
Shadowheart cleared her throat lightly beside her. “We should move before reinforcements arrive.”
Halsin inclined his head. “Agreed. There is much to discuss.”
His attention returned briefly to Tav as he stepped past her toward the prison exit. “You fought well.” he said simply.
The sincerity of it caught her slightly off guard. “So did you” she answered.
Behind them, Astarion leaned toward Gale just enough to murmur: “I give it three days before one of them starts staring dramatically into the campfire.”
Gale folded his arms thoughtfully. “Three? I was estimating two.”
“I can hear both of you.” Tav said flatly.
“Excellent,” Astarion replied. “Then our observations are saving time already.”