Prison break
Orochimaru should probably head inside like he’d seen some of the others do, but something tells him to go check out the bard (or at least, they had called him a bard) in the center of the crowd of goblins. He works his way through the crowd of goblins until he can hear the man over the shouting and obnoxiously loud chewing.
The man has a sweaty brow and his hands are shaking- clearly he’s not used to performing under pressure.
“With uh- fantastical might and frabjious blade- Dror Ragzlin short work of the innkeeper made!"
The goblins let out a series of whoops and hearty cheers, raising their glasses and downing them in one go, before immediately going to get more.
“Boo!” Basket shouts, contrary to the others. “Bad bard! Get off the stage!”
“Why I never!”
The bard turns beet red, sputtering.
“Why I never-”
Astarion snickers, hiding his grin behind his hand.
“Oi! Nobody told ya to stop!” a goblin shouts.
“I uh- of course, let us return to your ballad- uh-”
The man starts stumbling over his words, struggling to get himself back on track.
After about thirty seconds of this, it’s apparently too painful for even the goblins to bear.
“Aw hells, you broke ‘im!” one shouts, glaring daggers at Basket, who only continues grinning with the most smug expression.
“N-no, I’m not-”
“Ah shaddup- come on. Back to your cage, pigeon.”
“I-”
The man deflates.
“-Yes, ma’am. Of course.”
He trudges along behind her, head hung, looking defeated.
“Gods, good to see the back of ‘im! Ain’t we got anyone around here who knows real music?”
“Ugh- we should get out of here, before they drag someone else out here to start singing.”
Astarion covers his pointed ears with his hands, pulling an unflattering face.
“Agreed. Let’s see what we can dig up inside, shall we?”
“Basket wants to murderize someone!”
“Oh hush,” Orochimaru scolds. “You’ll get to have your fun, be patient.”
“Boooooored!” Basket whines, but stays silent after that.
They don’t encounter any trouble, since the goblins who are supposed to be keeping watch are too busy bickering amongst themselves for some reason or another.
Looking around, he tries to find something worth looking at- or at least more pleasant than all these obnoxious creatures.
“I ain’t never felt so powerful-”
“-Just you wait- after the next raid, the Absolute’s gonna make me a True Soul-”
“I can’t wait til we get this fuckin’ raid over with- I bet them druids are hidin’ some good shit, doncha think?”
They walk up a set of cracked stone stairs, until they’re stopped dead in their tracks by a large purple sphere that stares at them like a large, unblinking eye.
Orochimaru stares into the strange orb floating in front of him, frowning at his distorted reflection in the shiny purple glass-like substance making up the sphere’s surface.
“...what is this, exactly?” he asks.
“A scrying eye,” Astarion informs him, watching the thing over his shoulder.
“What is a scrying eye?”
“Nothing good- best not to get its attention, you never know who’s on the other end of those things.”
That doesn’t really answer his question, but Astarion’s nervousness is all the warning he needs to step away from the object, though it follows them as they walk away.
“Heh,” a goblin sneers, snapping both of them to attention. “Scryin’ eye ‘as a lookout on ye, huh? Better get it off yer ass, unless ye like playin’ hide n’ seek while yer tryna take a dump!”
Such charming creatures these goblins are.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” Orochimaru says, pointedly looking away from him.
“What’s this about a drow, by the way?” Astarion asks, desperate for any sort of conversation.
“Minthara? She’s over thataway-”
The goblin points in the vague direction.
“If she’s done with Dror Ragzlin, she’d be able to talk to ye. Doesn’t talk to anyone else besides the other True Souls- stuck-up cunt…”
“Ah, give ‘er a break!” another goblin says, in a lukewarm defense. “I mean she got ‘erself knocked up, that makes women crazy in the head-”
“-Nah she was nuttier than squirrel shit before that, I can tell. Drow are all like that.”
Sounds good. There’s no point in lingering around for any more of this inane banter, so it’s best they take their leave.
They head off, and the scrying eye wanders off to survey somewhere else.
The sooner they can get out of this hive of scum and villainy, the better.
“I’ve never really had experience dealing with pregnant drow before,” Astarion says. “I best let you take the lead on this one.”
“I’ve never dealt with any drow,” Orochimaru says. “What makes you think I’d be any better at speaking?”
“You strike me as the charming type- put that silver tongue of yours to use.”
Seems like he’ll have to figure it out.
Again.
“When does Basket get to murderize?”
“Be a little patient,” Orochimaru snaps. “Anything worth having is worth waiting for.”
Basket goes back to pouting, and they continue their search for this mystery drow.
This temple-turned-goblin-camp is a maze of broken corridors and makeshift bridges, making finding their way around treacherous at best.
Hidan had gotten distracted by something else and wandered off, leaving Itachi and Kisame to continue their search for the druid they came here for.
“Careful.” Kisame warns. “Someone’s gonna break their damn neck in this place at this rate.”
“I’m not helpless,” Itachi grumbles, though he inches closer to his partner anyway, staring at the ground and hoping he can spot any potholes before tripping in them.
“I know that. This place is just a dump- best to be careful.”
Kisame isn't wrong. Everything is unkempt and in ill repair- goblins don’t seem to take terribly good care of their things.
(Considering they steal most of their things from the look of it, maybe that's to be expected.)
The rotten wood bridging the gap between them and the door about twenty yards away creaks dangerously, but holds steady.
“...I’ll call it victory if we make it out of this place without breaking anything.”
“I can carry you if it makes you feel better.”
“Absolutely not.”
Kisame laughs- he was mostly joking, just to see how bright red he could make Itachi’s face while still keeping his stony expression.
“Oi, you must be the new True Souls,” yet another goblin pipes up, looking bored as anything standing guard at a door at the end of a dead-end corridor. “You here to have some fun with the prisoner?”
“We-”
“-That’s exactly what we’re here for,” Kisame says, cutting Itachi off before they miss their opportunity. “Heard there was something fun going on in there.”
“Heh- more fun than the rest of this dump. Go on ahead.”
So they do just that, and the pungent smell of half-rotten meat permeates the air.
A trio of goblin children stand in front of a cage, next to a pile of large, jagged rocks.
One of them picks one up and chucks it into the cage with all their might.
There’s a roar, and in the darkness they can make out the shape of a large bear, pawing at its face as blood pours down it from the wound.
“Hehe! See! It squealed!”
“Keep yer arm steady, Three,” the mother goblin urges.
The child takes aim, and throws another sharp rock at the bear within the cage.
The bear roars in pain, rearing up on its hind legs.
When it lands back down it looks Itachi in the eyes, and there's a strange sort of knowing within them.
“Stop them!” the bear growls. “Free me!”
He doesn't really have to ask- Itachi doesn't want to let the creature suffer, certainly. Itachi nods to acknowledge what he’s said, then turns toward the goblins.
“What are you doing to that poor beast?” he demands.
His voice doesn’t waver from its monotone, but Kisame can tell he’s already beyond pissed off, and if they pick the right answer it might be the last thing they ever do.
“Caught it sneakin’ about,” the female goblin laughs, and the two adult male goblins laugh with her. “Been talkin’ about feedin’ it to the wargs, but I figured the kids could soften it up first.”
Uncertain, Itachi looks toward Kisame for reassurance.
He gets a nod from his partner, giving him the go ahead to do as he likes
“Open the cage,” he commands. “We'll take care of it.”
“What? But-”
Before the female goblin can truly protest, his tadpole reaches out, and the goblin's expression turns dark.
“...I understand, I'll open the cage for ya.”
“B-but I wanna hear it squeal!”
The mother goes pale, smacking the child upside the head.
“Quiet, One! That there's a True Soul, you best show some respect!”
“I- okay, sorry Mister True Soul-”
With that, the cage is opened with a loud shriek and the clanking of gears.
The bear steps forward, teeth bared, glaring at the goblins.
“Good.” he says. “Now they die.”
Itachi doesn’t even get a chance to respond before the bear’s claws have dug into the nearest goblin, shredding her apart before she even has the chance to scream.
Kisame has one of them grabbed before he can run, snapping his neck in a single fluid motion.
Still another meets his end when Itachi runs him through with a sword before he even seems to realize what’s happening.
The three goblin children stare in wide-eyed terror.
Well. They probably need to be dealt with, don’t they? It’d be a shame if they ran around telling everyone about their escapades.
“You best get out of here,” Kisame tells them, as they cower and shiver in terror. “And if you tell anyone else what you saw here, we’ll make sure to send you right back to mommy. Understand?”
The children muster the courage to nod.
“Good. Now shoo.”
The children obey, scampering off while sobbing quietly.
That’s that, then.
The wargs in the other cage gnaw at the bars of their enclosure, desperate to escape but not able to do so.
A gold light appears around the newly freed bear, drawing their attention.
Erupting out of the golden light is a mountain of a man, with broad shoulders and a broad smile, doing his best to shake off the blood and guts covering him.
“Pardon the viscera,” he says, wincing as he does so. “One should cherish all of nature’s bounty, but goblin guts are pretty low on that list…”
“...Glad you’re not hurt,” is all Itachi can muster, awestruck (and honestly a little flustered) at the sheer size of the man suddenly standing in front of them.
“You not only speak with a bear, but rescue him without even knowing if he would savage you?” the man laughs. “A true friend of nature- or perhaps a lunatic. Either way-”
He holds his hand out while bowing his head.
“-I owe thanks. I am Halsin.”
“Halsin, as in Master Halsin of the Emerald Grove?” Kisame asks, squinting skeptically at him.
“Yes, but just Halsin will suffice- far be it from me to demand honorifics from the ones who saved my hide.”
“We’ve just come from the grove,” Itachi says, “it’s in danger.”
“I know,” Halsin sighs, shaking his head exhaustedly. “I left perhaps too quickly, trying to get to the bottom of this cult and its tadpoles.”
He squints at Itachi.
“-Paron me for asking, but- are you feeling alright?”
He takes holdl of Itachi’s head carefully, a warm gold light enveloping his hand.
The color drains from his face, his expression growing grave.
“...Oakfather preserve you, child,” he says, in the most pitying voice Itachi has ever heard. “You’re infected, aren’t you? With the mind flayers’ spawn.”
There’s no sense in lying, so Itachi nods.
“We all are,” he admits. “That’s why we’re here, actually.”
Halsin shuts his eyes, looking pained. But then, he looks confused.
“But something is…different. You are aware of the monsters inside you, and still act on your own. How is this possible?”
“Honestly? Not a clue.” Kisame answers. “We were hoping you could help us figure that out, actually.”
“These tadpoles are different.” Halsin says. “They’ve been altered by some strange magic. I’m afraid I cannot undo it, so I cannot cure you here.”
“...well that’s unfortunate. We were hoping to fix this before we started growing tentacles.”
“Please, don’t fear- all is not lost.”
Halsin holds his hands up, trying to sound confident.
“While I was studying these tadpoles, i was able to trace their origins to Moonrise Towers. It seems the towers are the source of these infections- and there, we may find your cure.”
‘Sounds kinda risky to bet our lives on.”
“It is. And I have no right to ask any more of you. But if you could help deal with the butchers threatening my grove, I will do what I can to help you with your parasites.”
Kisame and Itachi exchange worried looks.
“...What do you have in mind?”
“Rare is the beast that survives decapitation,” Halsin explains. “If the goblin leaders are dealt with, we can put a stop to this.”
Itachi nods.
“Alright. Who are their leaders?”
“Dror Ragzlin, Gut, and Minthara. Once they’re gone, I have no doubt the rest of the goblins will scatter.”
Kisame bares his razor-sharp teeth in a grin.
“If you’re asking us to spill some blood,” he says, “you’re in luck- Itachi and I happen to be adept at that.”
“You have my thanks- and the grove’s as well.”
“Let’s save the thanks for when we’re all out of danger.” Itachi says. “You should come with us.”
‘That was the plan.”
“It might cause us some trouble if you’re wandering out in the open,” Kisame points out. “Can you turn into something other than a bear? Something, uh- smaller?”
“Hm? Ah, yes- of course.”
In another burst of golden light, the hulking form of the druid is replaced by a small, rather inconspicuous mouse.
In his newfound mouse form, Halsin clambers up Itachi’s pant leg and climbs into his pocket, poking his head up and doing the best version of a thumbs-up a he can manage without proper hands.
“Perfect.”
“Where did the others go, anyway?” Kisame asks.
“Hopefully not far. But I’m not sure.”
“I think that priestess was out there doing some kinda ritual with some of the other goblins. Maybe we should start with her.”
Halsin lets out a tiny squeak of approval, disappearing into the confines of Itachi’s pocket to stay out of sight.
Stepping over the dead goblins, they head out.
“Stay close, Itachi. It’s kinda dark in here and I don’t wanna lose you.”
Itachi nods.
It’s annoying, but he’s painfully aware that he’ll have a hard time finding his way around this place. So he grabs his partner’s hand just in case, and they make their way forward, peeking around carefully to make sure nobody is around to see the mess inside before slipping away, Halsin stowed safely away in Itachi’s pocket.