The Submissive Urge 18

The grove is abuzz with information that the goblin army is marching with the Hobgoblin and Drow leading the charge. With less than a day to prepare the defences both Tiefling and Druid were scrambling. You walk in on a rather tense conversation. The leader of the Druids, Kargha, seems to be in the process of guilting Zevlor into helping defend. You stayed for a while to listen. The general summary of the conversation is that it is all the refugees' fault to begin with, if they weren't around the Druids would have already closed the Grove and of course many questions of whether the refugees were grateful for what they were already given so far. You walk up as Kargha leaves. The consensus from the Tiefling side being: They have nowhere else to go, anyway.

"Hey Zev." You greet casually.

He sighs. "Oh, you. Yes... Hello. Here to help, I hope." He asks with a healthy degree of scepticism.

"I actually am!" You state.

"Oh! Good. You can start by-"

"But just you." You finish.

"What?" The man looks at you strangely.

"How do you like the sound of-" You hold up one finger.

"Not having to leave." Another.

"Having a permanent residence." Another finger.

"Having to not worry about anyone kicking you out." And a third. You look at the fingers and try to think if there was anything else.

"Listen, I appreciate your concern-"

"Oh!" You lift a fourth finger.

"Not dying."

"I'm listening." Zevlor stands at attention.

You grin and lean forward to pat him on the head. "Good boy." He does not like that, to say the least, but your words spurred him to restrain his anger for the moment.

"Okay. Here's the plan. Leave for basically one day and one night."

"Stupid... Stupid!" He rants.

"Where!? The PROBLEM is that we have nowhere to go! How would we possible find a place other than this that isn't infested with-"

"Big ass ruins to the south. Cleared of baddies and robbers. No presence there at all." You explain.

"The south but the ship..."

"The ship that crashed and burned? The ship where everything is either dead or has moved on? Yeah, you're right that IS a lot of really cool, useful material you can use. The only unfortunate thing is that the fishing village that used to be there got crushed completely so there's no competition when it comes to fishing or hunting in the area." You stare at him.

"No comp-" He blinks.

"Well... This doesn't work. We want to get to Baldur's gate." He sighs.

You smile at him with wide eyes. "Woah. What a coincidence. The big cultist army does, too."

"Wait... Wait wait wait..." Zevlor held his head in his hands.

"What in the HELLS is going on? There has to be a downside... What about the Druids? Surely they will care if we decide to stay, even if it is just nearby."

You smirk. "Yeah. Heh. Surely. If they're alive. But... seems like they might not be and the grove will be cleared in a bit with maybe one survivor and his dog."

"Rath?"

"Rath." You nod.

"Tell you what. Why don't you say you need him to guide you all to the ruins in... Oh lets say a few hours?"

"A few hours... A few-" His eyes widen with recognition.

"Oh shit! That's not a lot of time!" He starts running.

Karlach walks up beside you. "Proud of you, Dove. You found a solution where only the bad people had to die horrible, horrible deaths."

You beam proudly in response. "Thank you! I worked hard on this plan. It would have been so stupid and easy to just swoop in and kill everyone for the HOT Drow sex afterwards."

Karlach embraces you in one of her iconic, oven-like hugs. "I know how much you love things that are stupid and easy. It must've been hard."

"It was. It really was." You whine.

"One-Horn..." You hear the voice of a beta-male behind you.

"Advocatus Diabolis."

"What's going on?" Karlach whispers.

"I don't know," You rock in her arms.

"My eyes are closed. It sounds like that idiot."

"To me it sounds like the Sword of the Frontier." karlach whispers back, rocking along with you.

"Yeah." You confirm.

She laughs. "What do we do?"

"Maybe if we ignore him he'll go away?"

"I can hear everything you are both saying." Wyll remarks.

You sigh, releasing Karlach. You fan at a new, nasty set of burns around where her skin touched yours for far too long.

"What do you want?"

"To defend the Sword Coast from a Devil." He points his rapier at Karlach. She points to herself cluelessly, looking around at the mention of a devil.

"Yes, I mean you!"

"She's a tiefling." You remark.

"So it says. I know for a fact that this is a general in Zariel's army. She has plans of taking over the entirety of the Sword coast and bringing it down into the hells."

Your eyes light up. "Cool!"

Karlach looks at you. "It's not true, Dove."

"Oh." Your shoulders slump. You offer Wyll an unimpressed stare.

"Leave us alone, Wyll!"

"Heh. Yeah! Oi! Leave us alone." Karlach pumps her fist.

"What? But-"

A few tiefling's, the ones in armour with weapons, step up. "Is something wrong?"

You nod. "We were just over here hugging harmlessly and-"

"You have burns all over your body!" Wyll exclaimed, pointing at the burns you were still fanning.

You look down, then look up indignantly. "Sounds like this guy's got something against tiefling. My friend can't help how hot she is."

"That's true." The male god nods, looking at her.

"She can't help it."

The female guard crosses her arms, closing in on Wyll. He lowers his sword and holds his hands.

"Now hold on. That obviously isn't true! I've been here the whole time training your kids."

"Then what's the problem, Sword? Is it the fact that they're both women?" She looks at him with disgust. You smile from behind the armed protection, sticking your tongue out.

Wyll points. "Look at her! She's lying!"

They turn around. As the two guards look you are once again playing the role of a nervous maiden. You wipe your eyes and lean into Karlach.

"I like tieflings. I don't care who you all are related to or what gifts you have." You lift your chin proudly.

"I'm happy to get burned for tiefling love!" You explain passionately. A few people in the background stop packing their things to clap. You grin, winking subtly at Wyll.

Karlach blushes. "You're embarrassing me, Dove..."

"Heh." The female guard nods her approval.

"All I see here is a classic case of prejudice. You better move along, Sword. Didn't know we were hosting a bigot."

The male begins pushing Wyll out. "Hey! Wait! You got it all wrong!"

"Heh." You smirk smugly in the aftermath of what you have done. As things slowly go back to normal a small child with a patch over one eye approaches. You make a point to ignore her, turning back to Karlach.

"Now-"

The kid interjects. "Oi! I saw that. Teach me your ways."

You turn, give the tiefling child a look, then smile at her warmly. "No." You turn back to Karlach.

"Let's blow this joint, good lookin'" You give her big, muscular barbarian ass a smack and start to walk her out, leaving the kid staring at you in awe.

"I thought we were gonna let the goblins do that?" She whispers to you.

"Shhh. Don't say that out loud!"

You waited. And waited. Eventually Zevlor and all his people come running up to the gate like bandits. They all seem to be carrying their homes on their backs, including the blacksmith who has a chest of tools in a wheelbarrow.

"How'd it go?" You ask.

A tiefling with dark purple skin, blue hair and red eyes snickers. "Told 'em we were comin' up to be the first line of defence. Idiots ain't even left their burrow."

"Where's the good one?" You look around the group for Rath and his dog. The blacksmith opens the chest to reveal a single tied up elf. The wolf trails behind seeming, oddly enough, to understand the situation pretty well. You clap.

"You all are really something else. I praise your adaptability to 'the way.'"

"The what?" Zevlor asks. The tiefling guarding the gate begins to open it.

You smile widely, looking upon all of the refugees. "The way is to cheat, lie, steal and do whatever you need to for the sake of one thing. One ever important, holy goal."

"What is that, oh genius saviour?" One of them asks from the crowd. You look down and notice that it is Asterion making a woman's voice with his hands cupped over his mouth.

"Kinky sex acts!" You announce.

They exchange looks of disbelief, then silently file out without paying you any mind after that display. The only ones left inside after everyone exited through the gate and moved south to avoid the goblin army was Asterion. The elf was rolling on the ground cackling. Karlach seemed sympathetic while Shadowheart had a look of disapproval that mirrored Minthara's.

"Wait a minute... Minthara?"

"I infiltrated with the spiders." She claims. You look to your left and right and see two giant phase spiders.

"Oh, sup." You lift a hand towards them. One of them lifts a claw and offers a soundless high-five. It makes a sound like pressurised water escaping through a tin full of stones that you take to mean 'sup to you.' You nod.

"Could have roped them in a little better, don't you think? I suppose I have no need to worry about your cult-like charisma."

"Wouldn't be so sure, Mith." Karlach smirks.

"Growing on me, for sure."

"Oh please, by the gods do not start giving out pet names."

"I think it's working quite well." Shadowheart of all people claimed.

"We are all hopelessly tied up in this child's game that she's playing with people's lives."

"How ironic of a thing for you to say, Sharran." Minthara critiqued.

"Hey, Mina, do we have sex before or after the invasion?"

She stares at you pointedly. "No."

"Eh?" You cock your head to one side.

"What is my name?"

"Minthara." You admit.

"Good. Now that we are allies I will take you whenever I want. Understand?" She states sternly.

"Is that a drow's ideas for what an ally is?" Asterion questions in amazement

"Yes." You and Minthara answer at the same time.

"Hey Mina-" You gulp, correcting yourself as she gives you a withering stare.

-Thara... Since we got overwhelming force, what do you say we give them the underdark treatment? Lotta cute druids down here with cute faces and bodies." You lick your lips, rubbing your hands together.

"Out of your current self, this is a good idea. Bringing hostages will vouch for the fact that the artefact was never in their presence. None of them will know a thing about it if probed."

Karlach breaths. "Oh, thank the gods. Thought you both were talking about turning those people into slaves. I mean... War is one thing but slaves?"

"Actually-" Minthara began.

You sprint down to place a restricting palm over her mouth before she could say another word. The drow woman stares daggers into your soul as you speak.

"That's right. We just meant hostages. Hehe." You smile.

"Karlach. Everyone else. Why don't you all go with the tieflings since we got this handled."

Asterion shrugs. "I want to stay behind for the 'hostage taking.'"

"I'll go. Come on, Karlach." Shadowheart savvily drags the tiefling away.

Once they have left, Minthara is released. She sighs after a moment of frustration. "You know, if you grab me like that so suddenly in the future I will have no choice but to bring you to your knees..."

"Oh my." You blush.