Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The adventure begins like any normal adventure does… in a local tavern. It was a rather rowdy tavern, a frequent stop for all travellers, adventurers, and locals. The barman was a friendly fellow, a rather tall half-orc, who made a point of getting to know anyone who frequented ‘The Dancing Lion’ more than once. His name is of unimportance, he simply introduces himself to his patrons as ‘Maxford’. Whether that was his actual name or just an alias, nobody really knew, but they didn’t question it.

Daehyun had chosen this tavern, not for any real reason other than it was the first one he had laid eyes on. He was hungry, in desperate need of a drink and somewhere to sit down. The whispering of his demon patron had been loud that day and it had quickly grown exhausting. When he had initially made the pact he hadn’t expected the other to move into his mind and be a constant presence just residing there. He no longer had any privacy, not even when he needed to relieve himself. Rude.

Gwi-Ma, his demon patron, did remind him to shapeshift into a more acceptable facade before entering any populated areas though. Changelings weren’t wildly accepted out in these rural areas, and he did not want to immediately get thrown into a fight just because of his race. So after placing a hand on his chest, he tapped into his shapeshifting abilities and donned a more human-like appearance. His hair straightened out before shortening, turning a light shade of teal, much different from his shoulder length white curls that he had when he was in his natural changeling form. His eyes changed from black to green, and his skin gained a healthy human glow. 

It was his favourite disguise, and one he defaulted to a lot whenever he needed to appear… not changeling.

Pushing through the doors to the tavern he was immediately hit with a wall of sound. It was almost overwhelming, but it also drowned out the demonic whispering he had been hearing all day. A sigh of relief passed his lips, and he smiled to himself as he made his way over to the bar.

“Good Evening!” The barman roared in greeting, lifting a hand containing a rag which he had just been using to clean a mug. “What can I do for you today?”

“Oh, uh…” Daehyun started, his usual deep tone causing the barman to blink before grinning even wider. He was frequently told that his voice did not match his face, which was ironic for a changeling really. “Can I get a bowl of stew and a mug of ale please?”

“Are you old enough to drink, son?” The Barman asked.

Daehyun sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. “Yes.” Why did this always happen? He reached past his cloak into one of his shirt pockets and after a moment he pulled out the paper he was looking for before holding it up in front of him. It read ‘Adventurer’s Licence’.

The barman lifted his hands in surrender and a laugh. “Okay, okay. My apologies…” He started, leaning across the bar to squint at the name on the paper. “Baby?”

“It’s an alias.” Daehyun shot back, folding the paper back up and returning it to his pocket.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you ‘Baby’. The name’s Maxford. Anyone causes you any problems, just come to me.” The barman, Maxford, grinned at him. “Now I’ll get your order ready for you in a jiffy. Just grab yourself a table and I’ll send Jinu over once it’s ready.”

“Thank you.” He nodded stiffly, starting to feel uncomfortable with just how friendly the tavern owner was. They weren’t all like this, and so he didn’t quite know how to handle him. “How much?”

Maxford hummed in thought, his hands returning to cleaning another mug, “Two silver pieces.”

That seemed… cheap. But Daehyun wasn’t about to question him. The more money he could save, the better, his funds were running low after all, and his search for his next quest hadn’t been fruitful as of yet. He nodded in understanding, grabbing his coin purse out of his trouser pocket. He counted out the two silver pieces and placed them on the counter in front of the barman.

“Thank you for your patronage!” He beamed. “Food and Ale will be over shortly.” 

Taking that as the dismissal it was, Daehyun turned, his eyes scanning around the room for an empty table. He spotted one by the window next to the door. Not his favourite placement, but it would do. Though it would be the perfect place to be sitting if a fight broke out, as they often did in taverns, and he wanted to make a quick escape. He did not like getting involved in physical fights. It never ended well for the other person or himself.

Daehyun weaved through the people, having to duck out of the way once or twice as a few drunken folk staggered around the room. Eventually he reached his destination, though, and he plopped himself down on a seat, choosing one where he would be able to see the entire room. Old habits died hard.

A sigh of relief passed his lips as he finally lifted the weight from his feet. He had been walking for most of the day, and he was tired. Taking one foot at a time, he slowly rotated his ankles, groaning in satisfaction at the pull of the stretch he felt in each. “Can we not walk for so long next time?” He grumbled quietly.

The voice in his head merely let out a low chuckle, ‘You need to build your stamina, Baby. How ever will you serve me if you continue to be this weak?’

“Oh shut up.” He bit back, rolling his eyes.

His demon patron merely chuckled again, the laughter echoing darkly through his brain. ‘Look at them, Baby. Any one of them might make a fine follower. They’d certainly get me the souls I asked for in exchange for the power I give.’

“You’ll get those souls eventually.” Daehyun growled out, his patience growing thin, yet again, at the words only he could hear. He was glad nobody else was sitting near him for he would surely look and sound positively insane. But thankfully the rest of the tavern was quite rowdy, so chances of overhearing him was slim. The arm wrestling competition happening two tables over was doing a remarkable job of drawing all attention.

His own attention turned to that table, Daehyun scanned the competitors, naturally sizing them up to see if they would be a threat to him. On a physical level, yes, but he had plenty of tricks up his sleeves to come out on top or escape if they turned on him. 

The one who looked the strongest was a tall half-orc. He was broad, muscles practically bulging out of the ripped tunic he wore. Judging by the lack of armor on his body and the axe propped up against the wall behind him, he was probably a Barbarian. He had pink hair, which was unusual for a Half-Orc, and should have clashed with the greenish tint to his skin, but it actually suited him? 

His ears were pointed in true half-orc fashion and yet he didn’t have any tusks? It was when he opened his mouth to laugh at something loudly that Daehyun finally saw why. His tusks had been removed. There was a story there, not that he really cared enough to hear it. He likely wouldn’t see this attractive hulk of meat again after today.

Finishing off his assessment, he took note of a scar down one side of his face, and interestingly… a squirrel perched upon his shoulder, tail flicking as it watched the goings on around it. The creature looked over at Daehyun for a moment and the young warlock felt like there was intelligence behind those eyes. Was that an actual animal or something else?

He didn’t have time to ponder on that for long before he spotted someone making their way over to him, mug and bowl in hand. A tiefling with short black hair, grey skin, and amber eyes was beelining towards him. His tail whirled around him as he spun out of the way of a couple who fell into his path. That was smooth. 

The tiefling flashed him a suave grin, and Daehyun ducked his head in embarrassment at being caught staring. A dark chuckle echoed in his mind. ‘So much ogling today, Baby.’

“Shut up.” He hissed quietly, before the approaching tiefling reached him, placing the items he had been carrying down and sliding them over to Daehyun.

“Here you are. One mug of ale, the stew of the day plus some bread, that’s on the house.” He added with a wink to flourish. 

A blush spread across Daehyun’s cheeks and he averted his gaze. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem, sweetheart. I’m Jinu, temporary employee before I find my next gig.” He grinned, his hands sliding into his pockets. “You need anything, just let me know.” He said, turning to leave before he quickly turned back and leant on the table with one hand. “Also… if you hear of any work going around, anything that involves leaving this town, please let me know. I’m so bored of these four walls.” He said, voice low.

Daehyun blinked at him dumbfounded. “Uh… sure.” He said, which resulted in Jinu giving him yet another wink.

“Thanks Doll.” With those parting words, the tiefling sauntered off leaving Daehyun sat, blinking in confusion. All the pet names… he had never met the guy before and yet he had already bestowed upon him two pet names? Just who was this guy?

‘Aw, I think he likes you.’ Came Gwi-Ma’s voice in his brain, causing Daehyun to flush in embarrassment.

He ducked his head, grabbing the bread and breaking a piece off which he immediately dunked into the stew. “Shut up.” He mumbled. “Of course he likes me, everyone likes me… not.” He huffed. 

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, Baby. You know you could get anyone you wanted with my help?’ Yet another offer.

“No thanks.” He immediately shot back, shoving the stew soaked bread into his mouth and chewing. “I don’t need your help for that.”

‘Are you sure? What about that pink-haired half-orc?’ 

Not for the first time since the demon had moved into his brain did Daehyun question why he had made that deal with him in the first place. Surely the power he bestowed wasn’t worth all this commentary? “I’m sure. Now can you let me eat in peace, please?”

Another laugh echoed through his mind. ‘As you wish.’ And then he fell blissfully silent. Finally.

Daehyun proceeded to eat the rest of his meal without interruption, his attention repeatedly being drawn to the ongoing arm wrestling competition. It seemed like the half-orc was beating everyone. Not surprising. He was built for it. And Daehyun was certainly enjoying the view.

At one point the squirrel he had seen earlier jumped onto his table, blinking at him and flicking his tail. Daehyun had stared back before offering the creature a piece of his bread. There had been no reaction at first, but after around 2 minutes of silent staring the squirrel darted over and took the offered food, sitting back and nibbling at it. The warlock had given the animal a small smile as he watched it eat before scurrying away yet again. 

Everyone and everything deserved to eat, deserved to live. That was why he had made his deal with Gwi-Ma in the first place. He wanted to bring equality for changelings to the world, and to do that he needed the power to make an impact. So far he hadn’t managed much, but he hoped that with each successfully completed quest, he was changing the views on changelings, bit by bit.

Once he was done eating, he leant back in his seat watching the other patrons of the tavern as he slowly drank his mug of ale. He finally felt content. A full belly, a decent mug of ale in his hand, and even the loud atmosphere surrounding him wasn’t so bad now. Maybe he would come back? This definitely seemed like one of the more decent taverns around. He would have to try and remember where it was.

He drained his mug of the last drops of ale before placing it down onto the table, wiping his mouth and climbing to his feet. It was time to find somewhere to sleep for the night. He didn’t have enough money to spare for an actual room so he would likely have to find a barn or a field where he could rest. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d slept rough to save money.

He turned towards the door and immediately bumped into someone. There was a quick brush of fingers against his side, as an apology reached his ears. “I’m sorry, please excuse me.”

The figure moved to dart around him, but Daehyun’s hand darted out to grab at the other person’s arm, holding him in place. “Give it back.”

“Give what back?” The overly innocent voice asked. Daehyun sighed before turning to finally face the culprit who was… annoyingly pretty. Elven features stared back at him, coy smile on his lips and a flirtatious glint in his light brown eyes. Long pink hair that was braided at the sides, ran down his back. His ears, though pointed, were rounder than a full-blooded elf… a half-elf then. 

“The coin purse that you took from me just then.” He said, willing himself not to blush as the other clearly was checking him out. “I promise you, you won’t find much in there.”

“I didn’t take anything from you, Babyface.” The half-elf replied, and Daehyun felt his patience growing thin. 

He sighed once more, before letting his mark of Gwi-Ma show, a purple lightning bolt shaped scar on his cheek. “Want to try that again?”

The other’s eyes narrowed as his gaze locked onto his cheek. He probably didn’t know who the mark belonged to, but he would recognise it as a warlock who was claimed by a demon, and not someone to be trifled with. Daehyun watched as the half-elf weighed up what to do and he opened his mouth to respond when the door burst open behind them and a harried woman ran into the tavern.

“Help! Someone please!” She cried, falling over her feet and onto the two men, one of her hands grasping onto Daehyun’s arm, and the other doing the same to the half-elf. “Please… they stole my Baby!”

Daehyun just blinked at the woman in shock, his mark fading back behind his shapechange, as the half-elf questioned her. “Who stole your Baby?”

“Goblins! We live on the edge of town… they came into the garden and plucked her from her bassinet!” She cried, tears pouring down her cheeks and her grip on them getting stronger.

‘Goblins… souls… get me those souls, Baby.’ A dark voice hissed in his head, and Daehyun knew that if he didn’t obey he would not be allowed to sleep that night. And with how exhausted he was after walking all day… he needed that sleep. 

“Did you see which way they went?” He asked her, offering her a reassuring smile. 

A crowd had begun to form around them, concerned voices changing the atmosphere of the tavern. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Jinu, the handsome tiefling, had made his way over, and was ducking around the other people to join them. The half-orc with his squirrel had also made his way over to where they were standing, concerned frown on his face.

The poor woman sniffled before speaking. “They took her towards the forest.” She said, her voice breaking as more sobs spilled out of her. “My poor baby… please, get her back, please! She’s all I have!”

A hand clapped onto Daehyun’s shoulder and he blinked as Jinu expertly maneuvered him out of the lady’s grasp. “Leave it with us, Ma’am. We’ll get your daughter back.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you!” She sobbed before she was ushered away by Maxford who was soothing her quietly. 

The crowd dispersed a little now that the initial shock had worn off and a rescue party had apparently formed. Said rescue party being the four of them that remained; Jinu, the half-elf who had pickpocketed him, the arm-wrestling half-orc plus squirrel, and Daehyun himself. How had he managed to end up in a ramshackle party with three people he had deemed attractive? Gwi-Ma was never going to let him live this down.

“Well…” Jinu started, giving them all a grin. “Let’s go hunt some Goblins!”

Chapter Text

This was definitely not the evening plans Daehyun had had in mind that day. Gwi-Ma, his demon patron, had had him walking all day travelling from the previous town in the hope of finding some work. He had practically stumbled into the tavern to get some actual food before he planned on sleeping and then setting out the following morning to ask around about any odd jobs or, if he was lucky, there might be something added to the quest board that every town had.

But what had happened? He had been bombarded by incredibly attractive people, one of which tried to rob him, then they had been fallen on by a distraught woman who it turns out had her child stolen by Goblins. This had then resulted in him somehow being roped into rescuing the child.

Even if he hadn’t wanted to help Gwi-Ma would have made him. The promise of Goblin souls for him to consume was enough for him to force Daehyun into obeying. And the last time that happened, he had blacked out… not something he really wanted to repeat. So doing so voluntarily was definitely the preferred method.

Plus it was the right thing to do. And if he succeeded… that was another tick in the ‘Changelings are Good’ box.

Daehyun found himself being ushered outside by Jinu, the incredibly attractive tiefling, who now had a Bipa attached to his back… oh, he was a bard… figures. Said attractive tiefling bard pushed through them once they were all outside and shot them a suave grin. “She said the forest right? Follow me!” He said before turning and hurrying in the direction of the forest.

This was all happening so incredibly quickly, and Daehyun almost felt like he was getting whiplash from it. “I’m all for helping damsels in need, but who are you all?” The half-elf asked as his long stride made him catch up to their apparent leader. “Not that I mind spending time with so many very attractive young men, but it would be nice to put a name to the face.”

A guffaw echoed from next to where Daehyun was doing his best to keep up with the other two, and he glanced across to see the half-orc was grinning. “They call me Abby, cus of these Abs.” He said, pointing down to his very visible abs. Daehyun was immediately distracted and he tripped over his own feet, just managing to catch himself before he faceplanted the floor. Gwi-Ma laughed in his head and the young warlock silently willed for him to just shut up before he died from further embarrassment.

Thankfully it didn’t seem like any of them had noticed for the conversation just continued around him. “Very nice.” The half-elf said, shooting the taller a wink before questioning further. “That can’t be your actual name though, handsome.”

“Friends call me Mingi.” He grinned, clearly relishing the attention he was receiving. “Ain’t that right Myst?” He asked, glancing over to his shoulder where the squirrel was somehow still perched despite their hastened movement. “Time for you to change back though, buddy. We’re gonna need your tracking skills.”

A smile of triumph slid across Daehyun’s lips. He knew that that squirrel wasn’t just a squirrel. It had seemed too intelligent and calculating. Not that squirrels couldn’t be that… but it’s mannerisms had been a little too… humanoid.

His steps slowed as the squirrel nodded, jumping off of Abby’s shoulder, and Daehyun watched as the animal form quickly morphed and changed into one of a silvery lilac furred tabaxi, who immediately started running with them once his feet hit the floor. “I was enjoying the ride.” He said, voice quiet but commanding enough power to draw attention. 

“Lazy.” Abby grinned back before taking it upon himself to introduce his companion. “This ‘ere is Mystery! He does have another name but he won’t tell me what it is.”

“You haven’t earned that right yet.” The tabaxi shot back, his feline ears flicking in amusement. 

So the half-orc and the tabaxi hadn’t known each other for long then? That was surprising considering what Daehyun had witnessed of them so far. He had assumed they had been friends for a while, but were they mere acquaintances too?

“Oh come on…” Abby said, whining slightly. “I’d have thought fighting together would have qualified for real names already.”

“Not yet.” Mystery shot back, his tail whipping behind him as they ran. “And I’m not comfortable giving my real name out to any of you just yet, sorry.” 

Honestly Daehyun understood where Mystery was coming from. He also didn’t feel comfortable telling any of them his real name yet. Names had power, especially to the fey. So he would have to trust these people completely to feel comfortable giving them his actual name.

“No need to apologise, friend. We’ll call you whatever you want us to call you.” Jinu said, joining in the conversation. “You may all call me Jinu. It is both my stage name and my actual name. Disadvantage of starting my career when I was a wee lad… I didn’t think to use any other name but my own.” He laughed, head thrown back and his fangs on display. 

A ripple of laughter flowed around them, their steps continuing to take them in the direction of the forest, the trees growing ever closer. At some point the tabaxi had darted ahead to take the lead.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you, Jinu.” The half-elf answered, shooting him a wink. “Everyone calls me Romance. But I might tell you my actual name later… if you earn it.” The last part had been directed towards Daehyun and he felt himself flush at the sudden attention. First he steals from him, then he continues to flirt with him… was he actually going to survive this mission? “And what about you, Sweetcheeks? What’s your name?”

Glancing around first, Daehyun took a breath before sighing. “Now don’t laugh…  I didn’t choose this nickname, someone used it once and it just stuck.” He started in warning. “But everyone calls me Baby.”

“Oh, I can definitely call you Baby.” Romance said, shooting him a flirtatious yet playful grin. Daehyun almost choked on his own spit as the others all laughed again.

Suddenly Mystery stopped running, holding his arms out in front of them all to stop them in their tracks. This did not end well. It started off fine with Jinu managing to stop himself just before crashing into the tabaxi… but Romance was not so lucky, as he ran into Jinu’s back in his distracted state, he had been trying to get Daehyun to banter with him. This meant Jinu then fell into Mystery… and then Abby ended up falling over Romance, adding more legs to the tangle on the floor.

As for Daehyun… he had successfully managed to stop himself from falling onto the pile of squirming bodies… until an errant arm flew out and caught the back of his legs, sending him sprawling on top of them all.

A chorus of groans erupted from their mound of body parts.

This was a disaster already.

At least the sun had begun to set so the rays weren’t glaring down into their eyes. That was something. Though that did mean that soon some of them would struggle to see in the dark unless they found some sort of light source… or used a spell. Not him though… thanks to his lovely pact with his patron, it granted him darkvision.

“So as much as I would love this fantasy to continue…” Romance started from where he was led half on top of Jinu. “We should probably move. We do have a baby to rescue after all.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” Abby agreed, rolling over with a groan and making Daehyun fall to the floor with a quiet thump. “Oops, sorry.” He apologised, immediately pulling the warlock to him and soothingly rubbing at the back of his head.

Yet again Daehyun found himself flushing at the sudden predicament he found himself in. Not that being cradled by the barbarian was a bad thing, it was just the awkward timing of the whole situation. “It’s okay! Don’t worry about it!” He stammered out, deliberately ignoring the dark laughter in his head.

“Let me help you up!” Abby said, clambering to his feet and yanking Daehyun up shortly after. The sudden jolt made him dizzy for a moment and he pressed a hand to his head to try and steady himself. When the world stopped spinning around him he saw the half-orc had proceeded to help everyone else back up, and was in the process of brushing Mystery off. “There! No harm done.”

“We’ll just ignore all of our bruised pride’s.” Jinu said, laughter in his voice. 

Mystery sighed, batting the taller’s hands away before turning to face the forest once again. “We’ll have to go slower from here so I can track their footsteps. Please try to be quiet so we don’t alert them to our presence.” He said, shooting Abby a deliberate look.

“I can be quiet!” He huffed, crossing his arms over his stupidly muscular chest.

Mystery raised an eyebrow at him, his tail flicking behind him. “Uh huh.” He said before squatting down and pressing a hand to the ground, his eyes focusing on the earth and searching for… something. 

Daehyun wasn’t really paying proper attention. He was too distracted by the pouting half-orc in front of him. Said half-orc had turned to him, sulking quietly. “I can… you believe me don’t you?”

Unable to help himself, he reached out to soothingly pat his arm. “Of course I do.” He said, and was gifted with a brilliant yet dashing smile from the taller. “You can’t help being taller than the rest of us, that doesn’t make you loud. And you aren’t wearing plate armour either. I bet you can be light on your feet when you want to be.”

He had a feeling those words came from Gwi-Ma because he usually wasn’t that talkative with people he had just met. But he sure didn’t mind, especially since it had apparently made Abby blush. Finally someone else was feeling the way he was.

Daehyun felt a light pressure on his shoulder and he turned his head to see that Romance was leaning on him, a playful smile on his face. “So you can be more than just grumpy. Good to know, Sweetcheeks.” 

The smile immediately dropped from the warlock’s face and he narrowed his eyes at the half-elf. “Bite me.”

“Oh… is that an invitation?”

The urge to scream was strong, but Daehyun held back, choosing instead to just step away from the other and ignore him. “Come on, let’s see if Mystery has worked out which way to go.” He said, directing his words towards the tall Barbarian.

“You didn’t say no!” Romance called after him with a laugh. Daehyun continued to ignore him, if he didn’t he knew he would get a headache, and he wanted to be fully conscious for this rescue attempt. Later… he could deal with the half-elf later.

He reached where the tabaxi was still crouched down, analysing the ground in front of him. Jinu was at his side, probably being very unhelpful judging by the annoyed flicks of the feline’s tail at his constant questioning.

“All I see is dirt… are you sure there are tracks there?”

“Yes.” Mystery responded, sighing as he tried to point out what he was seeing. “The dirt has been disturbed right here, but not in a natural way. You can tell that there was some pressure which means a foot. And judging by the size and shape, it looks to be from a goblin.”

Jinu nodded as if he understood everything the other was saying. “Huh. Still looks like dirt to me.”

“It is dirt, but it tells a story.” Mystery said, sighing again before standing back up. “A story we can follow to reach the goblins. So follow me, and stay quiet.”

The tiefling raised a hand and gave the other a playful salute, which was dutifully ignored. Daehyun shook his head in amusement at their antics, before following along quietly behind Mystery who had taken the lead once again. He made sure to keep his steps quiet and sure-footed, barely a whisper coming from him as he moved. Jinu, next to him, was very much the same. Romance was even quieter and making it look easy he strolled confidently yet silently forward.

Abby, however, though he wasn’t overly loud in his approach, he was definitely making the most noise out of all of them. His footsteps fell just a tad heavier, and instead of stepping around any leaves or twigs on the floor, he was just walking through them. A wince of apology fell from his face with every quiet noise, which was rather endearing. 

Daehyun couldn’t help but feel a small amount of affection growing already for the largest of their party. He shot him an encouraging smile, which the half-orc returned before they focused back on following the trail, led by Mystery.

The sky was growing steadily more and more dark, the longer they crept along following the trail. Soon enough everything turned to greyscale, and not for the first time was the warlock thankful that his pact with the demon allowed him to have darkvision. As for if the others could still see fine, he wasn’t sure. He assumed so, however, as none of them seemed to be stumbling more or asking if they could have a light source. How lucky that they could all still see. Having to produce a light source would have made their current stealth mission ten times more difficult. And he doubted any of them would have prepared for the darkvision spell that day.

‘Ahead of you… look through the trees… just off to the right.’ Gwi-Ma’s voice echoed in his head, and unable to stop himself, Daehyun followed the instructions given. He turned his gaze from ahead of him to instead peer through the trees, sweeping right. He immediately spotted what his patron was indicating. The light of a camp fire was flickering through the trees.

“Hey.” He whispered, drawing the attention of all of the others. He lifted a hand to point in the direction of the flickering flames. “Over there.”

“Let’s get closer, stay quiet.” Jinu said, shuffling into the lead once more now that they had a destination. 

Daehyun nodded his agreement, falling into step behind the bard. As a group they crept forward until they were a few trees away from the fire light and they could clearly make out the camp. No tents. Just a small fire with around ten creatures surrounding it. They were short, and one was definitely holding onto what looked and sounded like a baby.

They had found them.

Chapter Text

Finding the goblin camp had been easier than Daehyun had anticipated. Granted a lot of it was thanks to both Mystery leading them as far as he did, and then Gwi-Ma telling him exactly where to look. But it still went a lot smoother than he thought it would, providing you ignored them falling into a heap before they reached this point.

Now the question remained… what were they going to do now? They had to rescue the baby somehow, but the five of them were outnumbered. There were 10 goblins, and only 5 of them. It should be doable, but they had never fought together before and that meant there was definitely a risk of something going wrong.

“Who can fight in both close combat and from a distance?” Jinu asked, turning his deep red eyes onto them all.

Daehyun could fight in melee at a push, but he knew his skills were more for ranged fighting. He had daggers but his spells were a lot more effective and for those he needed distance. He glanced around at the others, hoping one of them would speak up instead as he did not want to put himself in melee with any of those goblins.

“Not me.” Abby said, shaking his head. “I fight up close and personal. Get better results that way.”

“That… does not surprise me to hear.” Jinu said, offering the barbarian a friendly smile.

A sigh came from his left and Daehyun turned to see Romance flicking some hair over his shoulder. “If you want me to be the one to grab the baby, you just had to ask, Jinu.” He said, one hand on his cocked hip. “Should be a piece of cake. Providing one of you covers my back, just in case.”

“I didn’t want to presume.” The tiefling said, before turning to the rest of them. “Okay, here’s the plan. We spread out, try to form a circle around them. The aim is to take on two each, but Baby can you also provide cover for Romance?”

Daehyun wanted to object. How did Jinu even know he would able to take on two of the goblins, let only four? And would Romance even return the favour if the roles were reversed? No, he didn’t want to provide cover for someone who had stolen from him… but he would. “Fine.” He sighed, pulling his spellbook from its hidden pocket and hugging it to his chest. “But be quick about it.” He said, shooting a look at the half-elf who just blew him a kiss in return.

“I’ll be quick for you, Sweetcheeks, but only this once.” Another wink was shot his way and Daehyun had to turn his back to Romance so he wouldn’t see the blush on his cheeks. 

Maybe he should let an errant spell hit the half-elf. That would feel so good. No, no he couldn’t do that. He didn’t want to turn these people against him. He had to prove that changelings were good, and not the evil fey creatures that people believed they were. No matter how tempting it would be.

“Great! Let’s go!” Abby said, before scurrying off into the forest to circle around the goblins. The fact he hadn’t waited for exact instructions did not surprise Daehyun. But they could work around that. 

Jinu sighed, before indicating which direction the others should move in. Mystery nodded before following after Abby, Jinu heading the other direction. That left Daehyun and Romance where they were. 

“I guess we wait for Jinu’s signal.” Daehyun said after clearing his throat, glancing over at the half-elf.

Said half-elf nodded his head in agreement, his fingers tightening his bracer as his eyes locked in on the goblin camp. He looked to be tracking where everyone was, and probably calculating the best way to get to the one holding the baby. “I should be able to outrun them, and I have my sword just in case, but if you could keep too many from swarming me that would be wonderful, doll.”

“Got it.” He agreed, nodding his head as he cracked open his book and thumbed through the pages to check his spells. He knew a lot of his spells by heart, but maybe one or two from his spell book would work. But then again… maybe he should keep it simple? They were only goblins, he didn’t need to show off. Or waste the energy of his higher level spells. The higher the spell the level the more energy it took to cast it.

He closed the book with a quiet snap, glancing over at Romance again only to see him watching him, a small genuine smile on his face. Feeling self conscious, Daehyun felt himself blush. “What?”

“Nothing.” Romance said, shrugging, “You just look cute when you read like that.”

The blush on Daehyun’s cheeks flared brighter and he struggled to find how to respond. Thankfully he was saved by a strum of a stringed instrument vibrating out from the other side of the goblin camp and both of them straightened up. That was the signal.

“Go.” He said, nodding to Romance who nodded back before darting out into the camp, beelining straight for the goblin holding the baby. Shocked yells echoed around them, but they soon turned to cries of pain as Mingi burst out from his hiding place, swinging his great axe and making two of them go flying across the camp. Simple, but effective.

Daehyun glimpsed the appearance of a wolf jumping into the fray as he turned, arm outstretched and pointing towards the goblins that were closing in on Romance. “Eldritch Blast.” A beam of dark purple crackling energy jetted out from his finger, hitting one of the goblins square in the back. The creature was knocked off of it’s feet, hitting the ground with a heavy thump where it remained unmoving. 

A mist that only Daehyun could see rose from the still goblin, floating for a second before being sucked into the warlock’s chest. ‘Yes. More! Now!’

Without realising what he was doing, the changeling immediately moved his arm, finger pointed at another goblin. He repeated the spell, watching as this one, too, hit the ground and didn’t get up again. As he absorbed more mist, a buzz echoing in his ears, Daehyun spotted as the goblin that had held the baby was now bleeding on the floor, and Romance was heading back towards him.

He felt all tingly, and he swallowed before attempting to shoot another beam of energy at a goblin. He felt the beam begin to form, and he was about to unleash it when it sputtered for a moment before heading off in completely the wrong direction, shooting into the forest instead. 

Daehyun swore, shaking out his hand as he was hit with a ‘pins and needles’ feeling and watched as the half-elf, single handedly threw a dagger at the goblin instead. The creature let out a choked cry as the blade impaled it through the throat, blood immediately spurting out from the wound. It gurgled before falling forward and landing face down. Though he hadn’t made the kill, it still produced a mist which he happily absorbed to feed his patron. With all of these souls he was feeding the demon lord, he might actually be allowed a peaceful night’s sleep.

With their four goblins taken care of, Daehyun looked around at the camp to see the status of everyone else. Abby was chasing after one, running circles around the campfire with an almost manic grin on his face. Mystery was mauling what was definitely now a corpse. And Jinu was strolling out of the bushes, a suave grin on his face as he placed his instrument back onto his back. 

The soul mists of the fallen creatures were all floating aimlessly in the air, and Daehyun took the chance to slowly walk through the camp as well, absorbing them as he went. With each soul, a sigh of pleasure sounded in his head. ‘Yes. This pleases me. Well done, Baby.’

Unable to stop himself, a small pleased smile appeared on his face and he watched as the barbarian finally stopped playing and caught the fleeing goblin. With a quick snap, he twisted his neck and placed them onto the ground, where they remained still. 

“That was a bit unnecessary,” Jinu started, brushing his hands off. “We probably didn’t have to kill them all. But either way we got what we came for.” He said, turning to where Romance was gently bouncing the baby in his arms, trying to soothe her as best he could.

Daehyun absorbed the last of the goblin souls, a pleasant tingle running through his entire body, as he watched the half-elf. It seemed Romance was a natural, for it only took a couple of minutes of combined bouncing and gentle singing for the baby to fall asleep in his arms. He looked the part of a doting parent. 

Walking closer, the warlock peered over Romance’s shoulder at the baby. She was kind of cute now that she wasn’t screaming her head off. “You know… this suits you.” He said, smiling genuinely at Romance. 

The other looked a mix of shocked and confused. “What do you mean?”

“This.” Daehyun said, indicating how Romance was cradling the child. “You look like a parent. It suits you.”

“Oh…” Romance said, voice trailing off before he cleared his throat. “I, uh, basically raised my siblings so… I’m used to it.” 

“You have siblings?” Jinu asked as he joined them, a note of curiosity in his voice.

The half-elf nodded his head as he continued to rock the baby in his arms. “Yeah. Five of them. Two brothers, and three sisters. Only one is my full sibling though.” He explained. “My parents split when me and my brother were young. They both remarried, and so we have half siblings from both sides.”

“I always wondered what it was like to have a sibling.” Daehyun admitted, before shrugging in response to the questioning gaze of the other two. “Only child.”

“Same.” Mystery said, now in his usual tabaxi form. “But then again, I don’t even know who my parents are. I was left at a temple in the forest when I was a baby. So I could have siblings for all I know and just never met them.”

“I have a younger sister.” Jinu said, his smile turning sad. “I haven’t seen her in so long, her or our mother. I keep meaning to go back and visit but… I haven’t made it yet, you know, and I can’t go back until I have something to show for it.”

They all fell silent for a moment, taking in his words, Abby joining their small circle. Daehyun sighed before reaching out and resting a hand on the tiefling’s shoulder. “I don’t know your family… but I’m sure they are proud of you, whether you’ve made it or not.”

“I know, I just…” He started before trailing off with a sigh. “I don’t feel ready to go back yet. I will one day, when the time is right.”

Daehyun nodded in acceptance, squeezing Jinu’s shoulder before letting his arm drop back down to his side. They remained in silence for a beat before Jinu cleared his throat and turned expectant eyes onto Abby. “What about you? Any siblings?”

“Oh! I have a little sister. Like real little.” He grinned. “She must be about four or five now?”

“That’s a big age gap!” Jinu laughed.

Abby shrugged as he placed his hands on his hips. “Not really. I’m adopted.”

Stunned expressions passed over all of their faces, and they shared glances before Jinu spoke up. “Still your family, even if you aren’t blood related.”

“Exactly. And I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

If the conversation was going to turn to their families in general then Daehyun needed to change the topic or get them moving again. He did not want to discuss his own family right now for then he’d have to explain about fey hierarchy and nobility, and then would have to admit he was a changeling, and he wasn’t ready to face any negativity from these four just yet. He may have just met them, and they have fought together only once, but he was starting to like them. He had been alone for so long, with only Gwi-Ma for company… he didn’t want to lose potential friendships with these others already.

“We should go.” He said after clearing his throat and readjusting his cloak so it fell over his shoulders properly again. “It’s dark now and the lady will be worrying about her daughter.”

“Yes! You’re right! We should head back.” Jinu nodded, his spine straightening as he slipped back into leader mode. “Can everyone see alright? It’s really quite dark now.”

True to what Jinu was saying, the sky had completely darkened during the fight. The campfire was their only light source currently, and even though Daehyun assumed they all had darkvision, it had its limitations. “Maybe we should use some torches anyway, just in case?” He asked.

“Good idea.” Jinu agreed, unclipping a large wooden stick, that could only be a torch, from the side of his bag. The rest of them all did the same, following his lead, all except Romance who had his arms full with a sleeping baby. “Let me just…” He trailed off as he walked over to the fire and used it to light his torch. He then proceeded to kick dirt onto the campfire, extinguishing it, before returning to them and using his lit torch to ignite the others.

Their faces now bathed in the glow of fire, they nodded to each other and then turned as one, making their way back through the forest. Jinu took the lead now that they had no need to trace or track anyone, and they moved at a moderate pace. Hurrying enough so they could get back and rest up for the night, but not fast enough to draw attention from anything nefarious lurking around.

They walked in a companionable silence, keeping close and moving as a group. It was after they left the treeline, the border of the town in the distance, that Daehyun felt someone lightly touch his arm. Turning his head his eyes fell upon Romance who had shifted the sleeping child into one arm.

“Here.” He said, holding out Daehyun’s pilfered coin pouch. “Sorry for stealing it. Work’s been scarce lately.” He admitted, his eyes averted from Daehyun’s gaze and a light blush on his cheeks.

Daehyun stared at the taller for a beat before slowly reaching out and taking the offered pouch. “Thanks.” He muttered, pulling his arm back and sliding the pouch back to where it normally resided in his pocket. “Like I said before… there isn’t much in it. Work’s been scarce.” He finished with a shrug, mimicking the other’s words with a cheeky smile on his face.

This brought a chuckle out of the half-elf and he finally looked at Daehyun with a smile. “Maybe we’ll all have more luck if we stick together?” He asked.

The warlock returned the smile with one of his own and he shrugged again. “Maybe. Let’s get this little one back to her mother first, then we can all discuss together what we’re gonna do next.”

Romance nodded and they shared a smile one more time before beginning to walk again, hurrying to catch up with the retreating backs of the rest of their party.

Chapter Text

Returning to the tavern did not take as long as Daehyun thought it would. It probably helped that he was great at being able to navigate towns and cities to find the easiest way through to wherever he wanted to go. He was a natural at it. Which was why once they reached the outskirts of town, he took the lead to quickly get them back to where they had started from.

He made sure to extinguish his torch, discarding it on the wood pile that was next to the tavern, and watched as the other three torches joined it. They didn’t need them now, and Romance did not have one to begin with as he had held the baby all the way back, bouncing her gently whenever she began to stir.

Daehyun entered the tavern, holding the door open for the others to file in first before stepping in himself and letting the door swing shut behind him. The chatter of the tavern did not dim with their entrance, but they did hear a shriek as a figure ran towards them.

“You got her back! Is she okay? Did they do anything to her?” The human woman asked, her hands fretting over the top of the sleeping child in Romance’s arms, almost afraid to touch her.

“She’s fine, just a little confused.” Romance said, a soothing smile on his face as gently laid the child back into her mother’s arms.

“And they didn’t get a chance to do anything before we got to them.” Jinu said, hands on his hips and a proud grin stretching his features.

The woman’s form sagged in relief, clutching her child to her chest. “Oh thank you, thank you!”

“Not a problem, ma’am. We were happy to help.” The tiefling grinned.

“The mighty heroes return!” Came a booming voice from over by the bar, and all of them turned to face Maxford, the tavern owner. He was grinning over at them, and they watched as he slapped the rag in his hand down onto the bar and made his way over to them. “Bet those goblins never stood a chance against you five!”

Abby laughed, loud and boisterous as he crossed his arms over his chest. “We took care of them. All of them.”

Daehyun winced at the admission as they shouldn’t have killed every single one of the goblins… but the heat of battle clearly had gotten to them all and well… There were no survivors from the goblin camp. Not that Gwi-Ma minded. The demon lord was happily rumbling in his head, not in a way to distract but to confirm that he was very very pleased with their actions. 

“Ah, jolly good.” Maxford grinned, clapping the half-orc on the shoulder. “They can’t bother anyone else now, as it should be.”

He knew that they had done the right thing by rescuing the baby. He knew that realistically what the tavern owner was saying was correct. But Daehyun couldn’t stop himself from feeling a little guilty. His own race was often looked down upon, blamed for things, and a few centuries ago they were hunted down and massacred, just like what they had just done to that goblin camp. Though… they would never have stolen someone else’s baby. Or changelings nowadays didn’t. They were a peaceful race, now, that just wanted to live their lives like anyone else. Just because they could change how they looked at the drop of a hat, that didn’t mean they were bad.

“Now.” The tavern owner continued with a loud clap of his hands. “I know you didn’t go save the child for a reward, but everyone here pulled something together for you boys.” He grinned, pulling a coin pouch out from the pocket of his apron. “It’s not much but it’s a little something for you all. Plus you all get a free drink and a meal, on me. How does that sound?”

The five of them all exchanged a glance with each other. They truthfully hadn’t expected to get anything in response for what they had done. Some of them hadn’t even volunteered, they had just found themselves stuck in the middle of it. So to actually receive a reward was very unexpected, but not unwelcome. 

And Daehyun would never say no to a free meal. The battle had made him hungry again and so he could do with more food.

They all looked back to Jinu who turned to his previous employer and grinned at him. “Sounds perfect to us.” He said, the rest of them nodding their agreement behind him.

“Wonderful! Jinu, you are officially off the clock now, so you boys go sit down and I’ll bring your drinks along shortly. Food will come once it’s ready.” He grinned, clapping the tiefling on the shoulder and handing him the coin pouch before sauntering off back to the bar.

Silence fell upon them, and they all shared a bemused smile before Jinu threw the coin pouch in one hand, catching it easily. “Well… let’s go find a table.”

Daehyun nodded and fell into line behind the tiefling who led the way smoothly through the tavern, artfully avoiding the patrons that were milling around. In no time they were led to an empty table and they all took a seat. A warmth filled Daehyun’s chest as he looked around at them all. This felt right. It almost felt like he was exactly where he should be, with these four individuals.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I feel that we should continue doing this together.” Jinu said, placing the bag of coins onto the table. “We worked well as a team, and I think we could do great things together.”

“Aw, Jinu. Just admit that you want to see our pretty faces more.” Romance said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning his chin onto one hand, his elbow resting on the table.

The bard shrugged with a smile on his face. “That too. But I do mean what I said, we’re a good team.”

“I have to agree. Me and Myst have been travelling together for a few months now, but it always felt like there was something missing.” Abby said, a nod from the tabaxi supporting his words.

Daehyun took a breath before adding his own agreement. “After being alone for so long… it was really nice to work with others for a change. I’d… like to keep working with you all.” He finished, offering each of them a small smile. ‘More souls for me to feed on.’ Gwi-Ma added for the changeling’s ears only.

‘Not them.’ He thought back, mentally scowling at his patron.

Gwi-Ma laughed in response. ‘Maybe… but you will provide me with more souls to feed on.’ He said before falling silent.

Getting his patron souls, he could do, but he would not sacrifice any of the others. He may not have been with them for long, but he knew that much. They had made an impression on him, and he did not want to leave them any time soon.

“Then it’s decided.” Jinu said, grin on his face. “We stick together.”

“Great!” Romance said, brushing a braid off of his shoulder. “Now, is there enough coin in that purse for us to find somewhere to sleep tonight? Or is our first night together going to be roughing it?” He asked, a sassy smile on his face.

“Oh we don’t have to worry about that.” Mystery said, finally speaking up. “The inn down the road owes Abby and I for sorting out their rat problem. We should be able to get a room or two for free for the night.”

“Perfect!” Jinu grinned before he laughed to himself. “I should probably tell Maxford that I’m quitting.” He said, leaning his elbow on the table, and resting his chin in his hand. “He knew I was only here temporarily anyway but still… he’s been a good employer.”

“I mean…” Daehyun started, praying that the faint blush on his cheeks wasn’t visible to them. Though judging by the smirk on Romance’s face, that wasn’t to be. “You don’t have to quit yet. We haven’t lined up more work yet, after all.”

“That’s a very good point.” Mystery added, absentmindedly scratching at one of his feline ears, “Maybe stay working here whilst we try and find something for our new party to do? With the size of our group we can take on some of the more dangerous missions that we were all probably avoiding before. We have the numbers now.”

“But do we have the skill?” Daehyun couldn’t help but ask, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Thankfully it didn’t seem like any of the others took offence, instead they all seemed rather amused. “Maybe. Maybe not. But we won’t know until we try.” Jinu grinned, Abby nodding his agreement. “But you’re right. I’ll stick around here for now, but once we have our next mission, then I’ll quit.”

“Do you think you could get us temporary jobs with you?” Romance laughed, “I’m sure all of our pretty faces would double the amount of clientele this place gets.”

Jinu let out an awkward laugh, a hand raising to scratch at the back of his head. “I don’t think-” He started before he was cut off by another laugh.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Romance said, waving the other’s worry away. “But until we find a new quest, you’re our main money maker.” He finished, batting his eyes at the tiefling.

“Hopefully it won’t take too long to find another quest.” Abby said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I think there were a few on the board for larger groups.”

“We should check it out in the morning.” Daehyun said, nodding his agreement to the plan already.

It was at this moment that Maxford returned, five mugs of ale in his hands which he placed down and slid out so one was situated in front of each of them. “Here’s your drinks, and I’ll be right back with your food.” He said, finishing with a wink before immediately leaving again.

Taking his mug into hand, he simply nursed it in front of him as he fell into silence and simply enjoyed the atmosphere. Knowing he was going to get to spend an unknown period of time with the other four filled him with a warmth that Daehyun hadn’t felt in a long time. He had almost forgotten what it was like to have companions, to have friends.

‘Will they still be your friend when they find out the truth about you?’ Gwi-Ma whispered in his ear and he frowned to himself. He hoped that they would. They all seemed like good people. Surely him being a changeling wouldn’t be enough for them to turn their backs on him. Yes, he might have made a deal with a literal demon, and that could be an issue for some of them, but even then… would they really just rule him out and no longer want to be associated with him?

‘Remember the last time you tried to befriend someone? How well did that turn out?’ Daehyun’s fingers curled into the wood of the mug in his hands, his eyes dropped to the liquid within but unseeing. 

He always tried to avoid thinking about that or remembering that time. The betrayal he felt when his former friend had turned his back on him… the hurt he had felt. Selling his soul had been the right thing at the time, and using that power to save them had been the correct call in his mind. But for what? To have them immediately turn their back on him and declare they wanted nothing more to do with him. He had given everything for them and ended up alone in the end… alone save for the voice that had permanent residence in his head.

‘This time will be different.’ He mentally mumbled back. He knew he shouldn’t rise to Gwi-Ma’s bait. The demon took great enjoyment in mentally torturing him, often reminding him of his failures and how little he truly had in the world. Responding to any of his taunting would only please the demon, maybe even make him stronger. 

Said being laughed darkly in his head again before responding, voice low and dangerous. ‘Are you sure about that? Just you wait… they will all leave you in the end.’ With that his voice faded away again and Daehyun took a shaky breath as a cold shiver ran over him.

“Hey. You okay?” A voice asked him, causing Daehyun to come back into himself. He blinked quickly a few times, turning his head to the side and meeting Abby’s concerned gaze. Had he been out of it for that long?

He hurriedly tried to smile, unsure whether he had been successful or if he had just grimaced instead. “Y-Yeah.” He replied, unable to stop the stutter. “I’m fine. Just… tired.” He really hoped that the others would buy his excuse. He was too drained now to explain about his relationship with his patron and just why he was so shaken right then. Now was not the time for backstory confessions.

“It has been a long evening.” Jinu agreed, nodding in support. “Let’s eat up and then we can go find that inn Mystery was talking about.”

Looking down Daehyun realised that they had received their food at some point during his unfortunate trip down memory lane. He hated when he lost himself. The amount of gaps in his memory that he now had because of those moments… it was becoming concerning.

He nodded his own agreement, picking up his cutlery and beginning to eat. He continued to remain quiet, letting the conversation of the others flow around him, and just taking comfort in the company. They didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t contributing, still including him with glances and smiles. It was nice. 

Soon they were all done, and standing from the table. They all said brief goodbyes to Maxford, thanking him for his hospitality and generosity with giving them all a free meal, before heading out. 

And as they walked towards the inn they would be staying at for the evening, Daehyun couldn’t help but think that maybe… he could get used to this.