Chapter 10: Ch10 - Bulthir
Ch10 - Raphael and departure
Eyes locked with each other, an awkward silence fills the void between us. I was caught using my telekinesis to literally tear apart the dead for my own research and he was caught going out for a midnight snack.
For a moment I could see his thought process, something clicked and he said, "What are you doing out here? I came to check on you because you weren't at camp, and here you are tearing apart the dead!"
"Oh shut it, I know why you're actually out here. You're about as sneaky as an owlbear on tinmask spores, you literally have a bloody cup next to your tent and a mirror that doesn't show your reflection." The bastard tried to turn this on me, I'd say I can't believe it, but this is absolutely something he'd do.
"Fine, you got me. Though I thought I hid it better than that, what about you? Why are you here?" He gave up his disguise and ultimately decided to chase his own curiosity.
"If you must know, I'm trying to learn as much as I can about anatomy and biology, so that if I get a chance to get a body back I can a) design it properly and b) maybe even enhance it." A good half-truth on my part, I wouldn't mind a stronger body, if I researched shapechangers or doppelgangers that could work but they're only in the city as far as I know.
"So we both have our reasons, mine to stay alive, yours to become alive." Astarion solemnly states, I allowed a wave of sorrow to briefly pass over me. But not yet, I'll let that get me when I have a body to truly experience it.
"That we do, don't worry I won't share your secret, I've kept it this long after all. And for the record, when you go in with your dagger, you could pretend to have stuck it in at a bad angle letting you bite them without people thinking it's strange. It'll just look like you're trying to wrestle it away from them."
"Oh, well thank you for that, and don't worry your secret is safe with me too. And if I come across any corpses on my midnight trips, I'll know who would be best suited to discard them." A small genuine smile graced him before he skulked off into the woods.
****
Morning came and so did their breakfast, Astarion passed on it saying that he had no appetite. Instead, whilst everyone else was eating and getting up, we started searching the village for anything to do really. Eventually, we heard some rather interesting noises coming from a hut.
"Do you hear that grunting? Gods they're virile. Let's go see!" Astarion quickly pointed out. I absolutely had to see this, I gave him the honours of opening the doors.
With a great smile Astarion opened the doors arms wide as if to embrace the sight of a bugbear rutting into a female ogre.
"You ruin mood! Bulthir squash you like slow goat under foot!" We didn't even get chance to have a laugh at their expense before they charged us, naked as the day they were born.
Astarion leapt backward and hid in some bushes, firing shots into the bugbear. "I guess some can't take a joke" I heard him mutter.
Bulthir tried swiping at me but it just went through me, only silver, magic weapons and magic can harm me after all. So I just reached forwards, curious about what would happen if I used a certain ability.
My arm reached forwards to her head, I cast [The truth] upon her.
A shrill ear splitting scream came from her, her eyes bloodshot and her eardrums burst. Tentacles burst from her throat and begun ripping her apart from within. It only took 10 seconds and Bulthir was a visceral mess on the ground.
I placed distance between me and the mess, the gut wrenching knowledge I carried can do this to someone without the system? And she was an ogre as well! I'd throw up if I had the ability to, a truly disgusting scene I was unfortunately witness to.
The bugbear stopped fighting, there was nothing left in him. He dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, "Bulthir… no my love WHY?! YOU WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?" His pure rage lashed out at me, I could only feel guilt for giving her such a cruel death.
Astarion looked generally surprised but not shocked or disgusted, which makes me wonder what horrors Cazador must have inflicted upon his servants. We both stood there in silence for a moment, I did not have the stomach to finish off the bugbear, I just floated there unsure of what to do.
Footsteps appear behind me and the rest of the party finally arrived, Shadowheart looked at the weeping bugbear and Bulthir's remains and asked, "Wha- What happened here? What did you do?"
Lae'zel looked nothing but impressed that I could do something so violent as to basically powder an ogre.
"I'm not sure, I place my hand on her, and I guess I showed her… some stuff that I've seen" I didn't know how else to word it really, eldritch horrors and the end of the known existence sounds a bit too morbid for that.
At that moment Gale spoke up, "Well, now you know not to do that again" He wagged his finger at me and tutted, he really could not read a room. Wyll simply had a look of abject horror on his face, as if he was the victim.
Contrarily, both Lae'zel and Durge were breathing heavily for reasons I really don't want to know. "A crushing victory, a blow this powerful would've earned you an audience with a Jhe'stil Kithrakk."
Not exactly the most encouraging words but I appreciated them nonetheless. We begun to move away trying to move on from this incident, not noticing the bugbear holding tightly onto her tattered remains swearing cold, bloody vengeance upon me.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone