The Ascendancy of the Vampire

19. The Raid On The Emerald Grove

At Kalsarin’s request, the party of four set out after sunrise to start their trip back to the Emerald Grove. He wanted to ensure they wouldn’t be late.

The path back was unfamiliar; they had not traveled this direction before. But Astor had drawn a copy of Mint’s map into his notebook. Kal transformed back into his dragon form and took Astor for a flight. From their high vantage point, Astor matched visible landmarks to his map, ensuring that he had a good grasp of the terrain.

The sky was overcast, shrouded in heavy, grey clouds. A breeze blew through the region, growing as the day went on.

They traveled on foot, talking loudly amongst themselves.

“I can’t believe you unilaterally decided to do this,” Night said. “What happened to being a team?”

“You’ll understand once you meet Mint Baenre.” Kal sighed contently. “The way she carries herself, her shapely ears and her commanding tone. I can’t say no to her.”

“…you developed a crush on this drow you only just met,” Shadowheart said slowly, piecing the situation together. “And you’re going to kill innocent people to impress her.”

Astor nodded sharply in agreement. “This is impulsive, Kal. Even for you.”

Kal threw them a glare. “I’ve never felt this way before. This could be love.”

“You’ve never been in love before?” Night asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Not like this—not so completely,” Kal answered.

“You barely know her,” Astor said with a scoff. He was frustrated at how little control he had over this situation, and he gestured with his hands to show his displeasure. “You’ve barely even spoken to her! She didn’t entertain your attempts at small talk.”

“I came on too strong.” Kal rubbed the back of his neck. “That was my fault.”

Astor gave a long exhale in defeat. “Then what is your end goal today? Try to bed her?”

“Maybe? Well, if she wants to,” Kal said sheepishly. Then he changed the topic. “What about you all? Do you have loved ones?”

Shadowheart gave a determined look. “Love is incompatible with the teachings of Lady Shar.”

“Is your life only about Shar?” Astor said, wrinkling his nose. He paused briefly. “…What about you, Night?”

“Huh? Oh, um.” Night looked embarrassed. “I’ve been in relationships before, but…well…” She shook her head. “There is no one right now.”

“Ugh, boring,” Astor replied.

“And you, Astor?” Night asked casually.

Astor contemplated his own situation. “If I did fall for someone, Velith would eat them before I even blinked.”

“All you need is someone Velith can’t eat,” Kal said. “Someone strong, right?”

Shadowheart bit back a laugh. She looked at Night, who was slightly flushed.

“I was a bit busy trying to stay alive,” Astor replied dryly. “But thank you for the suggestion.”

When the party arrived at the gates of the Emerald Grove, it was still an hour before highsun. They were quickly ushered through by the guards.

Two druids clad in leather armor and antlers grabbed Astor and Night roughly by their shoulders, saying that the First Druid, Kagha, wanted a word with them.

Shadowheart waved them off, and Kal gave them a thumbs up, conveying that he would handle whatever Mint needed them to do.

The druids led Astor and Night down the path towards the inner sanctum. Before they were allowed to enter the underground base, the druids wanted them to leave their belongings outside. They emphasized that this included Astor’s infernal dagger and Night’s component pouch.

Astor refused and he caused a commotion, arguing back and forth with the druids. “You said Kagha only wanted to have a talk. Why exactly do I need to give up my dagger?”

“We had some mishaps recently,” one of the druids explained. “I beg your understanding, sir elf.”

“These are the new rules,” another druid said firmly. “No exceptions.”

These people will all be dead soon, Astor thought darkly. Why must he tolerate this treatment from such insignificant pests?

“You’re thinking something terrible, aren’t you?” Night said, watching his expression with amusement.

He finally relented. They gave up their items and then descended the stone steps.

The inner sanctum was a series of underground tunnels. The main chamber had a stone platform with wooden furniture. At one of the tables sat an elven druid, her orange hair tied neatly behind her, her wood elf heritage apparent in her green eyes and tanned skin. By her outfit, a formal set of leathers in brown and green with fur marking her shoulders, it was obvious she held a leadership position in the grove.

“Good morning, you must be Astor and Nightingale. My name is Kagha.” She was poised and authoritative, gesturing to the seats in front of her. “Please, sit.”

Astor and Night gave their greetings and took their seats.

“Now I’m sure you are wondering why I requested you to be brought here. A month ago, during your previous visit to the grove, you met with a druid named Nettie. Do you remember her?”

Night nodded casually, though Astor could tell she was nervous.

“She was helpful, she took a look at Nightingale’s…issue,” Astor recalled. He started lying smoothly. “Nettie didn’t have the herb needed for treatment in stock, so she asked us to come back in a few days.”

“Is that what happened?” Kagha replied. “And what exactly was your issue, Nightingale?”

“Er—“ Night paused, looking at Astor for help. “I—“

“She had a weird rash,” Astor finished for her. Then he whispered “it’s a sensitive topic for her.”

Night gave a small nod.

Kagha carefully looked between Astor and Night. “Then Nettie was confused about what she was treating. Because her notes clearly indicated that you saw her for—“ She tapped a notebook in front of her. “Mind flayer parasite removal.”

Astor glanced at the notebook. He remembered seeing it on Nettie’s work bench, but hadn’t read its contents. He cursed internally. Nettie must have written something down when she was rummaging her desk for the stick of thorns.

“Well, we definitely saw her for Nightingale’s rash.”

Kagha sighed and rubbed her temples. “Nettie has been missing ever since that day. It cannot be a coincidence that the last note she wrote was treating you for an incurable ailment.”

Astor shrugged. “What can I say? Nettie’s notes must be wrong. If Nightingale truly did have this parasite, then wouldn’t she have sprouted tentacles by now? As you can see, she is perfectly fine in that regard. Her rash cleared up too.”

“So you know what mind flayer parasites are,” Kagha said, eyeing Astor suspiciously.

“It has been a surprisingly common infection recently, especially in these parts.” He pointed at the notebook. “Perhaps Nettie meant to write another patient’s name instead of Nightingale?”

“Perhaps…” Kagha sounded doubtful now. “I will investigate this more. I’m sorry. but you two are to stay in the grove for the rest of the day.”

“That was our plan anyway,” Night replied, flashing an awkward smile.

They prepared to leave when a druid ran down the stairs towards them. “Kagha!” he yelled, “we’ve got trouble. There’s invaders and they’ve breached the gates! Goblins and all sorts of monsters.”

Kagha’s eyes widened. She looked towards Astor and Night. “We would greatly appreciate it if you aided us at this time. We will talk after.” Then she quickly exited the sanctum with the other druid, leaving Astor and Night alone.

Astor and Night walked out the entrance of the underground sanctum. All activity around the entrance had ceased, the druids that were previously here were all missing.

They looked around for their belongings, finding them in a crate behind an intimidating statue of Silvanus, the God of Wild Nature. They equipped their items.

In the distance, they heard the sound of screams and combat. They could smell smoke and blood in the air.

“I guess they’ve started without us,” Astor said lightly.

“Do you think we should help the druids?” Night suggested. She dug into her bag and extracted her silver staff.

Astor cackled. “Funny joke. We need Kal on our side.”

“I’m strong enough for whatever you need us to do,” Night said smugly, posing with her staff and holding it like a sword in front of her.

Astor scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You might have the title of archmage, but with the Netherese poison in you, you’re just an adequate mage.”

Night winced. She considered whether to whack him.

Astor pretended not to notice. “Besides, Mint knows about the Absolute and whatever True Souls are. They’re connected to the tadpoles somehow. Having her in our favor isn’t bad.”

They fell into silence, watching the smoke rising in the distance.

Then Astor said sharply, “it’s too late to switch sides, Night. You’ve chosen your loyalties. Now see it through.”

“Gods above, Astor, I was only kidding.”

The Emerald Grove was a field of heat, flames and smoke. The deafening sounds of screams and cries filled the surroundings, along with a fine mist of blood and the clangs of weapons.

Goblins, worgs, gnolls and other monsters spread out in what was once a sanctuary. Now it was an area of carnage and bloodshed. Charred bodies of tieflings, halflings, druids, and other refugees and adventurers lined the roads of the grove. The pungent smell of burning hair and blood mixed with floating soot and debris.

Mint stood in the center of the battlefield, the commander of the monster unit, and Kalsarin stood nearby, still holding his humanoid disguise.

Mint held a scimitar in one hand and a shield in the other, wearing dark plated armor. Her white wavy hair was coated in a layer of blood, her magenta eyes sharp as it darted from one enemy to the next.

Kal positioned himself in Mint’s blindspot. His hands had manifested long claws, covered in bits of gore. His shirt and trousers were soaked in blood, though most of it were not his.

Occasionally, he opened his mouth and breathed out a thick column of flames, lighting the grassy terrain of the grove on fire and burning a handful of enemies with each attack.

There were plenty of friendly fire, and he didn’t seem to care as goblins and other monsters also fell from his flames.

“Kalsarin,” Mint yelled over her shoulder at Kal, “watch your fire!”

“Oh don’t worry, Mint,” Kal said cheerfully. “I’d never hit you.”

He lifted a sobbing, begging tiefling off the ground by their horns. One claw went clear through their chest and their screams died in a gurgle as blood filled their lungs.

Blood splattered across Kal’s face. He licked his lips.

Mint caught his eyes, and her lips curved into a wicked smile. Kal’s heart fluttered.

“Still,” Mint continued mildly, “keep the damage to my monsters to a minimum. I still need them.”

“I’ll try,” Kal replied, “but my aim isn’t very good.” He attempted to wipe blood off his face, though all it did was smear it around.

Astor and Night marched through the winding paths of the grove, now a burning mess. People and monsters ran screaming in every direction.

The copious blood being spilt hit Astor’s senses and his bloodlust flared, his eyes contracting. A low growl emitted from his throat. He rushed in, dagger in hand.

Some human adventurers were gaining ground on a mob of goblins. He smoothly dispatched the humans, their blood splattering on his shirt.

A hobgoblin and some worgs were being chased by a group of tieflings. He used his psionic magic to force the tieflings to grovel. The monsters finished the rest.

A band of gnolls were losing to druid guards. Stalking through the chaos, he felled the druids with precise strikes. He then claimed one of the bodies, latching to their neck, drinking deeply.

The gnolls jumped the remaining guards, tearing through them in animalistic carnage.

Night stood amidst the battle, her hand gripping her silver staff, eyes sweeping the various skirmishes and brawls with distaste. Her gaze lingered on crates of burning supplies. On stacks of torn, bloodied books. On merchant stalls set ablaze.

What a complete and utter waste, she thought, annoyance creeping in. Her hand tightened around her staff.

“Are you going to help at all?” Astor’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He was laughing, and he wiped blood off his chin, licking his fingers. The chaos continued behind him, and he looked completely at home.

Night stared at him with a flat look. “I’m glad you’re having fun, but I don’t think they need my help.”

Just then, a torrent of flames swept the scene. Astor dodged to the side, pulling Night with him behind a boulder, cursing as he went.

“Kal is going to cook us alive,” Astor said bitterly. “He doesn’t see anyone else but that damn drow.”

“Where’s Shadowheart?” Night asked, concerned. She patted the back of her robes to put out where it was igniting.

“Let’s look for her,” Astor said, glancing around. “And hope she’s not already burned to a crisp.”

Astor, Night and Shadowheart stood atop a high cliff overlooking the chaos in the Emerald Grove. The heat of the fire burning the scenery caused an updraft, and wind blew at them from below.

“Normally, I enjoy a bit of bloody chaos,” Astor mused, “but this is too messy for my taste.”

“And all because he’s infatuated with her.” Shadowheart added wryly. “How romantic.”

“Doesn’t this bother either of you?” Night asked, scowling.

“We tried talking him down,” Shadowheart said coolly. “I’m not about to fight a dragon to save some weak tieflings.”

“It’s Kal’s mating dance. He needs to burn it out of his system,” Astor joked “He was well-behaved, but he’s been completely erratic since meeting the drow. Maybe he’ll mellow out after this.”

Night sighed. “This better be a one time thing,” she murmured.

Then Astor noticed Kagha and a group of druids running towards Kal and Mint. He gestured to the action, telling the others to watch.

The druids around Kagha morphed into grey wolves, targeting nearby monsters. Meanwhile, Kagha threw her arms out and a giant beam of radiant energy descended from the sky, enveloping both Kal and Mint.

They heard the drow and dragon both scream in pain as the light tore through their bodies.

Then, a moment later, the full form of a red dragon materialized in a blur of flames. “How dare you hurt my treasure!!” He roared wildly into the air, his wings beating up a frenzy of debris and soot, fanning the burning wreckage. Opening his giant maw, he breathed a thick column of molten fire towards Kagha and the other druids.

The druids did not expect a dragon to appear and were caught completely off guard. Kagha teleported away from the line of impact, leaving a trail of mist. The druids in wolf forms were hit by the fire, their transforms breaking.

The group watched as Kal in his red dragon form battled the group of druids, all the while protecting Mint behind him. Mint was singed from the moonbeam but still standing, and had swapped to a crossbow, sniping at the druids from behind Kal’s protection.

The druids held on as long as they could.

Kal charged them, his open jaw full of sharp, jagged teeth, and eventually all but Kagha fell, torn to bloody, charred pieces.

The dragon roared at Kagha as he swiped a huge claw in a wide arc. Kagha teleported again, stepping through mist out of range. She was about to throw another spell, when one of Mint’s crossbow bolts hit her right in the shoulder.

Kagha quickly wrenched the arrow out, gritting her teeth, her other hand moving to her hips where a healing potion hung clipped to her belt, but she realized the bolt was coated in poison. She held her chest as pain seized her. Her hand moved to the next flask clipped to her belt, a flask of antidote.

But before she could drink it, Kal was in front of her, his open jaw towering above. A stream of fire crashed down upon her, and she could not do anything but stare up in horror.

Soon, Kagha was a pile of smoking, burning flesh. The leader of the Emerald Grove had fallen, and with it, any hope that there would be survivors.

There was a crack of thunder high above them. Lightning flashed across the horizon, backlighting Kal as he roared once more in victory, Mint standing confidently beside him.

And then the sky broke, the storm clouds that were building all day decided it was finally time. A flood of rain poured, quenching the burning wreckage.

Night laughed under her breath. This was barely a battle. This was a one-sided massacre.