Familiar Roads

We watched until the last of them disappeared beyond the bend in the road—wagon wheels creaking, children’s voices fading into the distance, Halsin’s broad silhouette leading the way like a living standard.

According to him, they were now beyond my influence. According to me, the outcome couldn’t have turned out better.

Halsin despised me. That much was obvious. But he was also stubbornly honorable, painfully protective, and—most importantly—hopelessly inclined to shepherding the **** wherever he went. If anyone could get the tieflings safely through the wilds and into the next act, it was him. The confrontation hadn’t weakened my position at all. If anything, it had secured a missing variable neatly into place.

Karlach watched them go with furrowed brow, scratching the back of her head. “You sure about this, soldier?” she asked at last. “Letting them head out with him, I mean. Guy looked like he wanted to turn you into mulch.”

“I am,” I said. “Whatever else he is, he seems reliable. I have a feeling that they will be just okay.”

Karlach hummed, unconvinced. “I thought you'd say something like that.”

She glanced at Kagha. “You know him better than we do. You sure he's fine and dandy?”

Kagha’s eyes followed the empty road for a moment longer, her expression thoughtful. “Halsin is… infuriatingly devoted to helping those in need,” she said. “He will guide them and protect them to the best of his abilities.” Her lips thinned slightly. “That does not mean I approve of his company, nor his teachings. Only that in this case he is useful.”

Karlach visibly relaxed, “Okay. That's good enough for me.” She said quietly.

Shadowheart broke the silence next, gaze still fixed on the horizon. “He said he’d meet us again.”

Her tone made it clear she wasn’t asking a question.

“This time, there was a good use for him,” I replied evenly. “Next time? Who knows.”

Kagha looked to me, eyes determined. “If he seeks confrontation, he will find it.”

Lae’zel inclined her head in agreement . “And should he try, he will be removed.”

Karlach nodded slightly “I guess he has it coming—”

[Karlach: Corruption +1]

“—But it Kinda feels bad, you know. Using him like that, just to cut him down later.” she admitted.

“Only if he comes looking for trouble,” I said. “If he doesn’t, there’s no reason for blades to cross.”

Shadowheart tilted her head, dark hair slipping over one shoulder. “And the Grove? If he decides to ‘cleanse’ it himself?”

I snorted. “Then he’ll be greeted by a nest of trigger-happy cultists, and—if he makes it past them—a very unpleasant surprise beneath the sanctum.”

Kagha’s eyes brightened with unmistakable approval. “Elegant,” she murmured.

Shadowheart smiled faintly. Lae’zel nodded once. Karlach let out a low laugh “Very unpleasant indeed,” she grinned

With that settled, we turned away from the Grove for good.

We didn’t follow the tieflings’ road. Instead, I led us westward first, skirting familiar paths until the trees thinned and the land grew harsher. The Blighted Village loomed ahead, its broken silhouettes rising from the fields like old scars. We’d camped there more nights than I cared to remember—long enough for it to feel almost comfortable.

From there, we turned north.

The route was familiar—we had trekked these mountain roads a week prior, past the same bend in the road and the same half‑collapsed stone wall, and now, by early afternoon, the sun hung high and warm, its light slanting through broken clouds. Last time we’d come this way, we’d planned to surprise the gnolls. Instead, they’d ambushed us hard. We’d barely survived the battle—took down the scouts, broke the initial pack, and then retreated before the boss and his inner circle could join the fight.

Now we were stronger. Better equipped. And one member richer.

And—if I was being honest—there was a certain satisfaction in clearing the last of the threats in an area before moving on. The accumulating loose ends started to bother me. But Unfinished encounters even more so.

Karlach rolled her shoulders as we walked, eyes bright. “You know,” she said, “I’ve been itching for a good scrap all day. No politics. No speeches. Just steel and fury.”

“Lae’zel’s love language,” Shadowheart remarked with a smirk.

Lae’zel nodded without offense. “The gnolls will fight until they die,” she said. “This pleases me.”

Kagha glanced toward the bushes, her hand resting near her blade. “They are but predators,” she added. “Senses sharp but minds dull.”

I said nothing, letting the sounds guide us.

The road narrowed, grass giving way to trampled dirt and scattered bones. The foul smell hit us next—iron, rot, and excrement.

Then came the laughter.

High-pitched. Hyena-like. Several manic voices overlapping in cruel amusement.

We slowed to a halt just beyond a rocky rise. From here, the cave entrance was visible in the distance—dark, yawning, and unmistakably occupied. Shapes moved at its mouth, silhouettes pacing and snapping at one another.

The gnolls were still home.

I felt a familiar calm settle over me as I studied the terrain, the angles, the distance. This time, we were ready.