Hot Curves and Hard Truths

I rose carefully from the bed, trying not to disturb Shadowheart. She stirred anyway, cracking one eye open, entirely unbothered by the noise.

“Go on without me,” she murmured, already letting her eyes fall shut again. “I need a few minutes before I'm fit to be looked at by anyone.”

I huffed a quiet laugh, dressed, allowed myself one last lingering look at her pierced nipples, and stepped out of the tent to start the day.

The rest of the camp was already awake.

Karlach stood near the remains of last night’s fire with her back half-turned toward me, rolling her hips like she was still testing the new weight of her own body. The changes from the yesternight were impossible to miss in the open light.

Her shorts—once practical barbarian wear—had been stretched into something closer to a pair of tight, shiny black panties that barely covered the undercurve of her ass. The new shape was full, round, and heavy, the kind of curve that caught the light and held it. Her waist had narrowed slightly. The dense bulk in her shoulders and upper back had softened into cleaner lines of athleticism—still strong, still capable, but no longer built purely for raw force. Her smile sat a touch more luscious on her face. The makeup around her eyes was sharper. Even her posture had shifted, hips cocked with a new, unconscious confidence.

She caught me looking and grinned.

“Well?”

She turned fully, giving the new curve a slow, deliberate look over her shoulder, tail curling lazily behind her. The glossy black material of the shorts strained across both cheeks. A faint sheen of residual heat still clung to her red skin.

“What do we think?”

Wyll, already at the cooking setup, raised both eyebrows and gave a completely earnest nod.

“The feast from yesterday really sit well on you.”

Lae’zel said nothing. She simply shifted her weight and gave her own backside a brief, assessing glance, measuring which of them currently held the advantage. The comparison appeared to leave her unimpressed but not defeated.

Movement caught my eye near the chamber's edge—Kagha, picking her way back into camp, copper hair catching the firelight, dressed in plain camp clothes rather than her usual spidersilk. She caught my glance and offered nothing more than a small, unbothered smile, like she'd simply gone for a walk.

Behind her, the flap of my tent shifted, and Shadowheart stepped out. For half a heartbeat her eyes found Kagha's—the smallest nod passed between them, there and gone before I could decide if I'd actually seen it. Then Shadowheart's gaze slid past her, landing on Karlach.

“So that was what caught your eyes earlier… I might have been a tad too quick to judge.”

Kagha's gaze followed hers, warming the moment it landed on Karlach's new silhouette. “Oh—look at you.” A small, pleased hum. “He really does know how to bring out the best in us.”

Karlach turned back to face the group, then reached back and gave her own ass a solid, meaty smack. The sound echoed cleanly off the stone walls. She flashed a devilish grin, engine giving a bright, happy pulse.

“I love it.”

I could only nod, still mesmerized by the way the new shape moved when she did.

Her posture softened. The grin faded into something warmer, more private. She skipped closer, voice dropping so the others wouldn’t catch every word.

“You did a really good job last night, boss. With the change. With… everything. I really enjoyed it”

I recognized this moment. The morning after our first coupling. The dialogue tree clear in my mind—Karlach's true confession.

“I loved being able to touch you last night,” I said in tune. “Hold you. Kiss you. All of it.”

Karlach’s engine gave a soft, happy thrum. Her voice dropped even lower.

“I loved it too. More than I’ve ever lo—”

“Karlach!”

Dammon’s voice cut across the chamber like a blade.

I turned, irritation rising fast. “Can’t it wait, Dammon?”

He shook his head, looking almost sick with the weight of what he was carrying.

“No. Unfortunately not. I’ve been sitting with this since yesterday and I can’t hold it in any longer.”

He faced her fully, expression grim.

“Your heart is still burning too hot. Your body is touchable now—yes—but the engine is still consuming you from the inside. It was forged for the climate of Avernus. That is the only place it can exist long-term without destroying you. I—I’m sorry, Karlach.”

The soft moment shattered.

I stepped forward before the silence could settle.

“No.”

The word came out more desperate than I intended.

“She is not going back. Never. Ever. If I have to take on Zariel and every devil in Avernus myself, I will. She is staying here. With us.”

[Karlach Approval +8]

Karlach stared at me, completely speechless. Her eyes turned misty. Then she closed the distance and kissed me—quick, fierce, and full of everything she couldn’t put into words. When she pulled back, her voice was soft and broken.

“You get it. You actually get it. Thank you...Thank you.”

She rested her forehead against mine for a second, engine ticking fast against my chest, before stepping back just enough to breathe.

Silence followed for a moment, until Shadowheart decided to clear her throat gently.

“So… what now?”

I exhaled and let the practical side of my mind take over. We had gotten what we came to the Underdark for. Karlach could touch and be touched. I had always known the heart would never be fully stable on this plane—that was the tragic ending the game offered. Die, return to Avernus, or become a Mindflayer. None of those were acceptable in my run.

I opened my UI. The Sensitivity Curse was no longer active. That meant it was available again. Minthara was still waiting in the Grove, bound and climax-locked. We could finally return and finish what we started with her. Before moving on to the next act. A quick glance at the quest log showed the list was starting to stack uncomfortably high.

I closed the interface and looked at Dammon.

“Thank you for everything you've done for Karlach. We’re getting ready to leave the Underdark soon. We can make sure you reach Baldur’s Gate safely, though it will probably take a few weeks. Maybe a month.”

Dammon was quiet for a long moment, staring toward the tunnel that led back to the Adamantine forge. When he spoke, his voice was careful.

“I don't want to come off as ungrateful, but this party… reminds me a great deal of what I left behind in the Grove. The celebrations. The secrets. The… everything.” He met my eyes with a quiet plea.. “Do you think you could speak to the spider queen and arrange some form of protection for me? If so, I would like to stay here instead.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. If you could afford me the gesture, I'd like to keep by the forge. ” he admitted. “The smelting heat rivals Avernus itself. The craftsmanship… there’s nothing else like it in this world. I want to work it. Properly. For as long as she’ll allow me.”

I glanced at the others. No one objected. Karlach even gave a small, understanding nod—she knew what it was like to find a place that finally felt right.

“I’ll speak to Eliette,” I said. “If she agrees to guarantee your safety, the forge is yours.”

Dammon’s shoulders loosened with visible relief.

“Thank you. Truly.”

Karlach slipped her hand into mine and gave it a squeeze. The new, safer heat of her skin still felt like a small miracle against my palm. Her newly enhanced ass brushed lightly against my thigh as she shifted closer, and she made no effort to hide the pleased little sound it drew from her.

We had gotten what we came for.

Now it was time to talk to our way out.

Hi folks!
Please give a very warm welcome to the new and Improved Karlach.
I've been hinting at the "hot piece of ass" transformation a few times during the Underdark, but I hadn't seen anyone call it out in the comments, hehe.

I have also done a fun little piece of sidework. As the story goes on, and the months go by, I believe that all the active plot-threads is probably quite hard to remember.

Therefore I have made an additional chapter called "Active Quests"

It will be posted once each ingame morning, just like the "Character stats" page, in the same flavour as MC checking his UI to see whats up.

I will retroactively insert it on the 15 other mornings as well, or rather get a chatbot to recap it due to time crunch, so if any of you diehard fans finds any errors feel free to comment and I will fix them.
Lastly, thank you all for the wonderful likes, comments, and critique as well. I really do treasure every single one. Especially the likes are starting to stack, meaning that whomever joins the party next time, they will be able to join in the adventure immediately, which is wild!