Ascending the stairs through the door, Hope found herself back in the private quarters of Gut. It was vacant, and she heard nothing beyond the doors. Had everyone left her here? She wrinkled her nose. If they had, she'd be kicking some ass at camp tonight.
Opening the door with a soft creak, she looked out through the crack only to find bodies strewn about in puddles of coagulating blood. None of them was familiar, which was good, she supposed. She crept out and glanced around, taking in the scene, listening astutely.
Everything seemed calm, far too calm for comfort. Perhaps they hadn't abandoned her. They could have died in battle, which was arguably worse. How was she supposed to travel to Baldur's Gate without the people who knew about Baldur's Gate? It would make the journey exceedingly more difficult.
Groaning, she walked through the blood and gore of dead goblins, only searching faces to see if they were one of her fallen companions. When she could see they weren't, she ventured on. She passed another scene of bodies surrounding what looked to be an altar, for the Absolute, likely.
Nope, no dead friends here, moving on.
Hope skirted along the wall, listening intently as she roamed, but it wasn't until she staggered across a flimsy wooden bridge that she heard the shouts.
"Where is she?" Gale's familiar shout echoed from an open door on the far wall. "Where have you taken her!?"
"I don't even know what yer talkin' bout!" Screeched another voice, followed by their wails of agony and then silence.
Hope neared the door as Shadowheart said, "If we haven't found her by now, we likely won't. We should cut our losses and leave."
"No," Gale replied indignantly.
"Oh, please," Astarion sighed with exasperation, "I'm sure she's not entirely without sense. She's likely run off."
Gale bit back, "Just because it's something you would do, doesn't mean she would."
"Do you hear yourself?" Shadowheart snorted. "She did him, of course she's prone to making bad decisions."
Astarion grunted but didn't otherwise argue.
"I am not leaving her behind," Gale said, "if you all want to return to camp, I will not stand in your way, but so long as I believe she may be trapped here, I will not leave."
Hope frowned. Had anyone ever spoken about her like that before? She wasn't sure that they had…and yet, Gale said those words as if he…meant them. Did he want something from her? He probably knew more than she wanted him to, which is exactly what she didn't want. To be used again for the power she could harness.
What was his game?
"I don't think you have to look much further," said a deep, unfamiliar voice.
Hope poked her head through the door to get a look at the new person. Built like a tree, she studied him with wide eyes. Was this the druid they were after? All bodies turned, and eyes shifted, following his gaze to the door where Hope stood.
She held up a hand in a simple greeting. "Don't worry about me," she said, smiling as she entered the prison quarters and approached them. "I found my way out of my cell."
Shadowheart blinked in slight surprise as she looked her over, "How?" She asked warily.
Hope's smile morphed into a smirk, "Oh, I can be very persuasive."
Astarion smirked in return, but it was Gale who approached her, hands on her shoulders with a serious twist of his brow, "Are you hurt?" He asked.
"I'm fine," she nodded and flitted her gaze to the druid, "Halsin, I presume?"
"Hm, the very same," he pursed his lips as he studied her, but there was something behind his eyes that made Hope hesitate; she wasn't sure what it was. "Your companions informed me of your need for a cure."
"Yes, please." Hope responded quickly.
He offered a sad smile, "As I informed them, it is unfortunately a task I cannot perform. Not without killing you in the process."
Nodding slowly, Hope chewed her lip as she contemplated, "So, let's say we did that, hypothetically. What would happen?"
Halsin raised a brow, "You…would die."
"Well, yes, I know that," she nodded, "but if I died, what happens to the parasite?"
"It would die too," Halsin responded, but then frowned, "but I must implore you, the risk isn't worth the outcome. The likelihood of you surviving would be…none."
"Of course," Hope replied, but she was considering it. If she died, then the parasite would die, and she'd simply come back. Wouldn't she? Or were the rules different in this universe? Hm, maybe the risk wasn't worth it, but she supposed that if she ever needed a last resort, it could be an option.
"Now that the place is rid of the vile creatures that imprisoned me," Halsin continued with a new smile twinged with malice, "it's time we headed back. I have a few words to exchange with Kagha."
The trip from the camp was a short one, with fewer goblins and no hags to worry about; it was even a decent stroll. They didn't talk much, most exhausted from the day of fighting, which Hope hadn't had the pleasure of seeing. Part of her regretted that, and then another part was thankful she hadn't had to face the choice of appearing helpless or helping. It helped ease her guilty conscience at least a little.
By the time they returned, the entire grove was in an uproar of celebration. They walked through the stone doors, greeted by eager faces and happy laughter. It felt lighter now, like the rain clouds had finally subsided, yet Hope couldn't relax. Not really. There was still the ever-present dilemma: Halsin couldn't fix them, so now what?
"That was a waste of time," grumbled Astarion.
Hope pursed her lips as she glanced around at the people, "Hm, in a way, yes," she replied, watching them smile and converse happily, "but at least some good came of it."
Astarion rolled his eyes, "I suppose," he grumbled, "if you're so interested in being a hero."
Snorting, she glanced at him but said nothing as they approached Zevlor.
"Thank you for all that you've done," he said with a broad grin, "it's time for celebration now. I think we could all do with a little cheer."
Hope smiled and shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I like parties."
"At sundown then."
Hope smirked, "At sundown."