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“Oh, NOT AGAIN!” Tav banged on the incredibly familiar glass. She’d lost count of how many times she’d opened her eyes to find herself staring at it. This was going to go the same way. She’d manage to free herself somehow, escape the nautiloid with Lae’zel and possibly Shadowheart, meet up with Astarion and Gale and Wyll, and not a single one of them would realize that they’d all done this before and become close.
Maybe this time, she should do things differently. She’d tried a couple times before, leaving Shadowheart in her pod and escaping with only Lae’zel. By the time she found her way to the Emerald Grove, though, she was back in the groove and making all the same choices, at least on the major things. Minor things like going to Auntie Ethel before Waukeen’s Rest instead of after, no one cared; what was important was that she saved Mayrina and brought Wyll to meet up with Florrick and hear about his father’s capture.
Last time, she’d tried to gather the group once she’d dealt with Mizora trying to get Wyll to kill Karlach and explain that she was in a time loop and knew what was going to happen. She told Shadowheart the truth about the Dark Justiciars and the challenge she would face, and what really happened to her. She told Lae’zel the truth about Vlaakith and Orpheus. Astarion what Cazador was really up to, which she’d have thought he’d listen to because he hadn’t even gotten around to telling her he was a vampire yet. Gale about the Crown of Karsus and how the Chosen Three were using it to control a Netherbrain, and that was the source of everything. Wyll about his father’s captivity and Gortash’s plan for taking over Baldur’s Gate, and Karlach what Gortash had done to her and that there was no permanent cure yet.
They’d all gathered and decided she was crazy. Lae’zel was the one to actually do it, but most of the others agreed that this had to be an early sign of ceremorphosis. It didn’t make the blade or the betrayal hurt any less that Tav really couldn’t blame them for it.
What could she do differently this time? Talk to Lae’zel about Orpheus immediately? No, Lae’zel would just kill her right now. She was too scared. She was not ready, probably not until after the zaith’isk failed. Shadowheart wouldn’t help either, for the same reason – she’d be more freaked out about Tav knowing her secrets than she would be willing to listen to any of it. Wyll, Gale, Karlach… she didn’t have much proof.
Astarion was her best bet. Yes, he was also prickly and not ready to hear it, but maybe he could be pragmatic. She’d just have to make sure that he truly understood what ascension would mean for him before he let it get in his head as a permanent solution… or “accidentally” kill Petras during the ritual. That had been a fun cycle, the time it had happened for real accidentally.
Shadowheart certainly stared at her funny when Tav quite obviously let Astarion get the drop on her and take her to the ground, knife to her throat. It wasn’t Shadowheart she was looking to get to. She smiled up at Astarion. “Hungry, Astarion? There’s a cleric right over there who can heal me up if you want to take a bite. Shadowheart, if he loses control, there’s a scroll of revival in my pack.”
“Loses control? Bite? What are you talking about?” Shadowheart demanded. “Who is this and why are you willing to let him kill you?”
“His name’s Astarion. He was on the ship, too, like us. He’s infected, which is why a vampire spawn can walk out in the sunlight, and why he’s free of his master’s control enough to break his command not to drink from a thinking creature. He’s no good to the mind flayers if he dies, after all.” Astarion’s hold went limp. “Yeah, okay, Astarion, we should probably wait till we’re at camp anyway. But then, you’re having a drink. No sense in not letting you fight with all your weapons.”
“What in the Hells is going on here,” Astarion demanded. “How do you know my name? Why shouldn’t I just drink you dry now?”
“Because if you want to survive this and keep your freedom, you need my help to get back to Baldur’s Gate and confront Cazador. The tadpole isn’t strong enough to protect you if you’re in his presence.” Tav got to her feet, offering Astarion a hand up. “Before we rest, though, there’s one more thing we need to do.”
She led the way to the malfunctioning portal. This time would be different, she swore, but as she stood there watching the hand pop out, she failed her resistance save. “Ow! Perhaps I should clarify. A helping hand, anyone?”
Gale hadn’t been present, and Shadowheart was easily warned off with a simple “you’ve got your secrets, let me have mine for now.” Astarion demanded answers before dinner. “Explain.”
“Of course. See, I’m caught in a time loop. We all save the day, defeat our personal demons along the way, celebrate as things are settling into a new normal… and then I wake up back in my pod on that damned mind flayer ship. I know how Cazador used you and your siblings to bring him victims. I know what happened to you the last time you betrayed Cazador by not bringing him the mark you seduced. I know what happens to the victims, and it’s not what you think – Cazador turned them into spawn, too. He only needed seven of you out and about with the marks on your back, but he needs seven thousand more to complete his purpose. I know about the scars on your back, and what they’re for.” Tav paused, letting Astarion assimilate the information. “None of this learned from the tadpole, which, by the way, we can use to communicate with each other.” She closed her eyes and thought really hard at Astarion, showing him her memory of the confrontation with Dalyria and Petras in the flophouse. “I’m not going crazy. I’m not in early stages of ceremorphosis. I’m reliving my past eight months or so.”
“Why?” Astarion asked. “What are you doing wrong that keeps you trapped?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. Last time I got myself killed trying to tell everyone about it so I could get help. This time, I decided to go to only you.” She glanced over at Gale. “The wizard’s probably the one who can help me the most, but you were the one I thought would be most likely to believe me. I had something I could use to prove that I have knowledge I shouldn’t, and you don’t have a good reason to think I’m trying to trick you.”
“Other than general common-sense paranoia that you’re somehow working for Cazador, promising to help me end him to get me home,” Astarion said. “I think I’ll take that chance. He’ll claim me back whether it’s through you or using my siblings or even somehow sending hunters after me – I saw the Gur, too, that’s not random. You at least there’s a chance you actually can and will stand up for me.” He looked over at Gale. “Soooo… how do we convince the wizard of what’s going on and get him working on the problem?”
“Honestly? What’s he going to do from the middle of nowhere?” Tav asked. “I figure after I lead us into a few situations that I’m eerily prepared for, he’ll be ready to hear me out. Such as tomorrow, we’ll be making for a place where we’ll find a book that has a list of dead gods, and awaken a… something… calling himself Withers who will show up here at our camp. And before you ask, yes, about the fourth or fifth time, I asked him what the hells was happening and if he could do anything about it. All he said was ‘no.’”
“So by the time we get to Baldur’s Gate, he should be ready to listen and dive into the research,” Astarion said. “As good a plan as any, I suppose.”