Chapter Text
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Scanlan whined. “Like, this place is fucking boring. No sign of what we’re supposed to be looking for.”
Vex rolled her eyes about to make a poisonous retort instead of answering but Vax spoke before she could. “This is the place Allura told us to go. The gargoyles. The fountain. The dead hedges. It’s the place.”
The group found themselves wandering the halls and rooms of a massive mansion in the middle of the woods. It was vacant, could tell that by the layers of dust and cobwebs, but they’d been told it was used as a hideout a few years ago. The group who hid here, the King’s Hands, or something like that, were in possession of a magical artifact The Council of Tal’dorei wanted. When the item wasn’t found where the Hands were slaughtered a few months ago they figured it must’ve been hidden in one of their many hideouts. This mansion was one of many Vox Machina has searched already.
“Okay, but there’s nothing here but old books and dusty champagne glasses.” Scanlan grumbled more.
“To be fair,” Percy chimed in, “A mansion as large as this one would be a far more suitable place to hide something precious than any of the other places we’ve been to.”
“Yeah, like that dumb beach house.” Pike grumbled with her chin in her palm from her perch atop Grog’s shoulders.
“Or the old mining shaft.” Vax scoffed from his place leading the group. “Nothing there but coal.”
“And that lame garden.” Vex laughed.
“I liked the garden..” Vex heard Keyleth grumble from the back of the group. She couldn’t hold back the roll of her eyes.
“Yes, love, we know. ”
Scanlan and Grog chuckled at Vex’s bite but she rolled her eyes again at the glare Vax gave her.
Trinket grumbled from beside her before stopping. He let the group pass til he started walking beside Keyleth. Vex watched her solemn expression turn back to its usual bright smile when she met his chin with her hand. “Hi buddy.” She laughed.
Vex rolled her eyes again and continued marching forward. Trinket had made it a habit to accompany Keyleth when they were in places like this. Closed off areas made the both of them nervous and Vex guesses they found solace in one another. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous.
She had a sneaking suspicion Keyleth was soon to take Trinkets “second favorite person” spot from Vax. How long before she was his favorite altogether?
Vex scoffed at herself. Honestly, as if that could happen. Her attention was brought to her brother when he crouched and held his ablaze dagger further in front of him, but he kept walking so so did everyone else.
“See anything, brother?” She asked him.
“Hm..” his brow furrowed. “I thought I saw something at the edge of my light but it was gone sooner than I realized I saw something. Probably nothing. Just a flick of the light I’m sure.”
“Alright.” Vex turned to Scanlan. “Still not sensing any magic?”
“Nah,” he waved his hand dismissively. “There’s been a book or two and a couple knickknacks on the shelves with a little spark in ‘em but far too faint to be useful, let alone what we’re looking for.”
“I’m getting hungry.” Grog grumbled.
“I know buddies. We’ll stop to eat soon.” Pike patted his shoulder.
“Are we camping in here?” Keyleth asked.
“Might as well.” Vax said, stopping to face them. “This place is massive and I feel like we’ve been going in circles. I doubt we’ve checked even half of this place yet.”
They were standing in the middle of a long corridor. The walls were lined with massive shelves stocked full of old books and small trinkets. The windows were pitch black outside and it was raining. No light from the outside flooded in other than the rare flash of lightning. They’d passed an empty room with the door eroded off of its hinges. An old office it looked like, but nothing of note.
“Should we stop here then or find a suitable room? Maybe go back to the office?” Vex asked as she crossed her arms.
“The office was too small for all of us. Especially if we want to start a fire for dinner.” Percy said scratching his chin. “If we do want a fire I’d suggest we camp here for the night. More open space and a draft. Won’t suffocate ourselves.”
“Sounds good to me!” Grog bellowed, tossing his backpack off his shoulders, followed soon by Pike.
“A fire would be nice.” Keyleth said, kneeling down til she sat on her knees. She flipped her pack around her to pull out some firewood she always carried on hand. “It’s surprisingly cold in here.”
“Yeah. The storm outside doesn’t help.” Vax said. “I’ll walk further down for a bit just to scout. You’ll still be able to see my light and I’ll see your fire. I’ll be right back.”
Vex wanted to go with him but since she knew he wouldn’t be out of sight with his dagger alight she opted out in favor of warming herself by the fire.
“Alright, Kiki.” Pike said, holding a handful of different foods wrapped in parchment and a pan.
Keyleth nodded and lit a small flame from her hand. With it she lit the firewood, leaning back from her creation to let Grog set up the small grill and let Pike start cooking.
Vex watched with more attention than she’d like to admit. Keyleth sat on her rolled up bedroll and closed her eyes. Vex figured she was listening to Scanlan as he strummed a light tune with his instrument. It was a peaceful sight, and Vex would be lying if she said Keyleth didn’t look pretty in the light of the fire. Not that she’d ever say that either. She’d much rather poke at her and make her flustered than say anything genuine.
“Vax?” She snapped her attention to Percy.
She turned around and, sure enough, the fire of Vax’s dagger was gone. She stared off into darkness. The rest of the group shifted, ready to pounce if they needed to.
“Brother?” Vex called. “Brother!?” She heard the recognizable click of Percy’s pepperbox behind her.
“C’mon.” She felt Pike grab her hand. Her hand lit up and she held it in front of them offering just as much light as a torch. “Let’s go get him.”
“You sure we should split up again?” Keyleth said. She was standing now and her hand was also lit ablaze for a torch.
“I think he probably just turned a corner or is checking out a room. Vex and I will go make sure of that.”
Keyleth and Percy both looked skeptical but Grog quickly went back to tending the food and drinking his ale while Scanlan started to tune his guitar.
“We’ll be fine, darling.” Vex made eye contact with Keyleth. Admittedly, she was nervous for Vax so what would make her feel better than poking at the nervous bundle of their group? “Or do you not believe in Pike and I can take care of ourselves?” She offered her most affectionate smile but knew it only held poison.
When Keyleth’s face turned almost as red as her hair, Vex’s smile became genuine. “N-no! No, of course I do! It’s just- I don’t- I-…” she sighed heavily and sat back down on her bedroll.
“Hm… that’s what I thought.” Satisfied, Vex let Pike lead her forward. She almost felt better.
Almost.
Then Pike had to go and ruin it.
Once she was sure they were out of ear shot she kicked Vex at her ankle making the taller woman squeal.
“Ow!” She exclaimed. “What was that for?”
“Would you quit picking on her?” She said flatly, not even looking up to address the half-elf herself.
“What’re you talking about?”
Pike huffed, annoyed. “Keyleth. She’s the only one you’re so mean to.”
Vex rolled her eyes for the hundredth time they’ve been in the mansion. “That’s not true. I’m mean to everyone.” She accompanied that with a smug laugh. Pike looked up at her then.
“You’re mean to everyone, sure, but I can tell it’s in a joking way. A sisterly way. But Keyleth?” She looked away, glancing around the darkness as she thought of the right words. “You’re almost spiteful when you pick on Keyleth. Why?”
Vex didn’t think she was any different with Kiki. Sure, she was getting jealous whenever Trinket chose Kiki over her, but nothing she ever said felt out of the ordinary. She knew Vax had a crush on her, and that made her worried he’d choose Keyleth over herself, but she didn’t think of that often. Right?
When she thought about it for a moment, Pike letting her think, she figured it may have been different.
Admittedly, she tries to poke at Keyleth. When she thinks back on her times poking at others she realizes it was always off the tongue. In the moment. Genuine fun wit she spoke with when bickering with the others. With Keyleth. Well…
She often put effort into annoying her.
Why was that?
“I-“ she started, but didn’t really know what to actually say to the holy woman. “I don’t know. I didn’t think I was being any different with her.” She wasn’t lying, but it didn’t feel like she told the truth either. Vex lies to people all the time, she knows the familiar taste in her tongue of facts and knitted fiction.
“Well, it’s getting on my nerves.” Pike said.
Vex was the woman of the group. She’s the one who sweet talked them into and out of situations. She’s the one who got merchants, men and women alike, to lower prices for her and her friends. She was the one who felt powerful being who she was.
Pike’s one of the only women she’s ever met who genuinely threatens that bravado. She doesn’t give a shit about how pretty Vex is, or how smooth she can be. So when she talked to Vex she talked plain and simply. She didn’t dance around what she wants to say like others do. Like Keyleth does. It’s what leaves Vex speechless.
“Don’t think the others haven’t noticed either.” Pike continued. “Percy and I have talked about it extensively. Scanlan mentioned it offhandedly as well. Even Grog noticed you’re meaner to her.”
She shook her head. “Like, I don’t get it. Why her?”
“Pike, I-“
“Ugh, where the fuck did your brother go. Vax!” The gnome called out.
Vex had been so distracted she somehow forgot why they’d been walking anyway. When she turned around and met darkness, she looked back forwards to call for Vax. When the realization hit her her blood went cold.
“Pike?” She gulped, slowly turning around again.
Pike huffed in response. “What?”
“Can you see the campfire.? Because I can’t.”
Pike turned around to follow Vex’s gaze and gasped when she couldn’t see anything passed what her glowing hand allowed.
“What? There’s no way we walked that far.” She rose her hand higher and waved like she was trying to get someone’s attention. “Hey guys!? Grog?! Scanlan!?”
“Vax!” Vex shouted in the direction Vax disappeared from. Then she turned and shouted towards the group. “Keyleth!? Percy!”
“Maybe they can’t hear us.” Pike said, a slight tremble in her voice. She ushered for them to start walking back the direction they came. “Try call for Trinket.”
Vex shook her head. “If Keyleth can’t hear us Trinket can’t either.”
She remembered the time Keyleth had told them about her animal-like senses. She can shift her whole body to the shapes of other creatures, but she often kept her senses up to par with her animal forms. “Comes in handy, and I don’t have to be a cat all the time.” She’d laughed then. Now Vex was cursing. How could she not hear them? How could they not see the campfire?
“What do we do?” Vex gasped, slightly panicked. “Should we walk all the way back? We can’t leave Vax out there. I won’t.”
Pike shook her head. “I don’t understand. We shouldn’t have walked far enough to loose sight of the fire. A corridor like this there’s no way they wouldn’t be able to hear us either. Something’s wrong.”
“You think?” Vex nearly growled. “We’re lost out here in a one-way corridor! How? We’re separated from the group and Vax is separated alone!”
“I know, I know.” Pikes brows furrowed. She held her hand to her chest, gripping her holy symbol in her grasp and closed her eyes. When they opened again they glowed a brilliant white. With them, she looked around.
“I… I don’t see anything.” She huffed and her eyes turned back to normal. “I thought I’d be able to see if the corridor’s enchanted or something but I don’t see any of that. And Scanlan’s much more capable of sensing magic, he’d have said something if something this big, this powerful , was fucking with us.”
“Well, clearly there’s something here!” Vex snapped. “We need to keep going after my brother. They have each other, we have each other, we need to find Vax!”
Pike met her gaze, and for once, Vex was unwilling to back down against her piercing gaze. After a moment Pike sighed and nodded her head.
“You’re right.” She said. “The others should be fine so long as they stay together.”
Together, the two of them marched forwards once more. They didn’t realize the lack of sound from the outside storm or that the windows they passed showcased nothing but a blanket of black.
— — —
“Vex’ahlia!” Percy shouted into the darkness, the others standing close behind him. “Pike!” He’d been calling out for the better part of five minutes. No one outside the light of their campfire replied. “Dammit!” He swore.
Keyleth stood beside him, her eyes closed as she listened for any sign of them. She opened her eyes and looked to Percy, sorry to offer nothing but a shake of her head.
Percy turned to the others, seemingly ready to tell them they needed to go, but found that Scanlan and Grog already packed everything back up. In the end, Grog was the only one who ate anything.
Percy took an old torch off the wall and held it out for Keyleth to light. Once she did he took it and led them down the hall.
“I still don’t sense… anything.” Scanlan sighed, his face contorted with annoyance and confusion. And worry. “I don’t understand. If the corridor’s enchanted, or cursed, I should be able to feel it.”
“I don’t feel anything either.” Keyleth said, her hands nervously running through Trinket’s fur as they walked. “If Pike didn’t sense anything wrong than it isn’t holy magic or the opposite. If you can’t sense anything then it’s not the usual magic or even a unique magic. Just magic in general. I wondered if it was a spell or a trick of nature, like something another Ashari could do, or a Druid of any kind, but…”
“You don’t sense anything either.” Percy finished for her. She replied with a nod.
“Can your people even do something like this?” Scanlan asked. “It’s not very… nature.”
Keyleth nodded. “Some druids are capable of creating powerful illusions or even whole structures of earth that could shape and change to their wills. I suppose something like this is possible. For someone far more powerful than me, but I’d at least be able to sense it if it were that.” She shook her head, irritated. “The smell of earth, the prickles in the back of my neck. None of it.”
“So we’re shit out of luck.” Grog said. “We’re stuck here.”
Percy noticed Keyleth tense up, her eyes widening with panic, but before he could soothe her Scanlan replied.
“Nah.” He said. “We’ll find our way out. We just have to find the others first.”
“Did you guys hear that?”
Percy stopped to watch Keyleth snap her attention behind them. They all stopped and waited for something.
“I didn’t hear anything.” Scanlan said. He looked at Trinket and once he saw that the bear didn’t react to anything out of the ordinary he figured Keyleth was just being paranoid now that she was spooked. “C’mon. We wasted enough time sitting around.”
Keyleth cringed into herself, holding her staff to her chest. “Right. Sorry.”
“Maybe we should walk the other way.” Percy said after a few minutes.
“Why would we do that?” Scanlan scoffed.
“This corridor is clearly enchanted.” Percy rubbed the bottom of his chin. “Even if you can’t sense it it’s obvious. What if it’s just a loop and we have been going in circles. We’d meet with the others if we went the other way right?”
Scanlan thought about it while Grog kind of just stared into the darkness. He had a frown on his face, no doubt worried about Pike. Keyleth didn’t seem like she had heard. She was staring out behind them, her eyes wide and ears flicking. Percy watched Trinket too, but he didn’t seem like he was hearing anything.
“Yeah, alright.” Scanlan said after a moments thought. “Best case scenario: you’re right and we run into Vax and then Vex and Pike. Another scenario would be we find our way back to the beginning and we can leave just to make sure we aren’t trapped. The worst case scenario is nothing changes and we’re still lost in here.”
“Alright.” Grog grumbled, turning on his heal and walking back toward where they came. The others followed suit, with a reluctant Keyleth in the back.
“Are you alright, Keyleth?” Percy asked form the front.
“Y-yeah, I just… it’s probably nothing.” She said, rubbing her elbow. “It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure? What is it you’re hearing?”
“I-“ Her head flipped to behind them, even though they were now headed in the direction she was listening to before. “I thought… Vex?”
The group stopped then, Percy coming to Keyleth’s side. “You hear her?”
“Y-yeah, she’s close. Vex!” Keyleth took a step forward and suddenly it was pitch black.
“Shoot.” She grumbled. She turned back around, her palm igniting a blaze. “Sorry, Percy, I’ll relight the-..”
Percy was gone from her side. As was Grog. And Scanlan. And Trinket.
“I- I- uh, fuck. Guys?” She called out. “Percy!? Scanlan!” Her fire flickered in her hand as it shook with panic. “Shoot. Dammit.” She brought it closer to her chest, gripping her staff hard and trying to get her breathing back under control.
“Fuck.” She exclaimed. She was alone now. She must’ve stepped out of Percy’s light or something. She was separated.
Hello..
Keyleth snapped around, holding her fire out defensively. The whispering.
Oh, would you look at that…
She wasn’t sure what she’d been hearing this whole time but now it spoke clearly. With the group it had been unrecognizable mumbling. That is, until it sounded like Vex had called out to her. Or was that actually Vex? She should keep moving. No point in standings around.
But the whispering got worse. Before, it was like the sound of a wind passing by in the back of her head. Then, it had been like it was Vex’s voice calling out to her from afar. Now it was a voice she didn’t recognize, and it spoke clearly. And loudly. Like someone was right up against her ear.
They left you.
They aren’t even looking for you.
You were left behind.
The whispering became louder and more persistent. Keyleth whipped her staff around as she walked every now and again just to see if she’d hit something. An impact never found something other than the wall. Her other hand gripped the side of her head, a headache threatening to run its blade through her skull.
“Stop.” She whimpered.
Stop.
“Stop!”
Stop.
Keyleth dropped to her knees. Throwing her staff to the ground she used both hands to press against her sensitive ears.
“Please. Stop.” She whispered. Tears ran down her cheeks, her teeth sharpening instinctively. “Stop.”
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.