Shadowheart sighed. She hated the idea of sticking her neck out for someone she barely knew, let alone a gith! However, at the end of the day, her ultimate objective was safeguarding the artifact and getting this tadpole out of her head. Alone there was little chance of achieving even one of these goals. However, with a skilled warrior at her side, her odds looked a lot better. Like it or not, she really needed Lae'zel.
Coming out from behind the bush, Shadowheart cautiously approaches the cage. Lae'zel notices her first, locking eyes with her former companion. Shadowheart's skull pounded in response to the githyanki's white-hot stare. Lae'zel's lips didn't move, yet the cleric heard her voice clearly.
"Get rid of them!"
"Holy hells!" The female tiefling exclaimed, turning around and finally noticing Shadowheart. "Half-elf!"
"Blades high, Nymessa," Damays warned, raising his sword.
However, despite their bravado, Shar's teaching had taught Shadowheart to look a little deeper. There was fear in their eyes. Not just of the gith, but of the stranger who had just emerged from the woods. The tieflings were in over their heads, and she could exploit that.
"If you value your life, walk away," Shadowheart replied, her voice soft yet threatening. "Behind you is a githyanki warrior, a creature bred to cause pain and kill. In front of you is a cleric who has gone to Avernus and back." She allowed sacred flames to engulf her hands, giving them a menacing white glow. "Do you really think you can measure up? Because this will be your one and only chance to escape with your lives."
The words were like daggers into the hearts of the tieflings. Even Lae'zel seemed impressed with the cleric's threats, though she of course did her best not to show it. It was how casual Shadowheart sounded that really sold it, her calm demeanor inspiring more fear than the harshest githyanki stare.
"Damays..." Nymessa muttered, her voice shaking as she glanced at her companion.
"Come, Nymessa..." He replied, taking a few fearful steps backwards. "Now!"
Shadowheart chuckled as the two tieflings turned tail and ran, disappearing into the forest. With them gone, she was just left with her suspended companion. She sauntered over to the cage, confident and quite pleased with herself. From this angle, you really could see right up her armor, the view of her firm, athletic cheeks unobstructed.
"Enough gawking!" Lae'zel snapped, her appreciation for being saved seeming to have been short lived. "Get me down!"
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