Ephraal

Up top? Ephraal waved silently at his greatsword, in a way that seemed to say: "Do I look like a range spellcaster? I'm not just a warlock, I'm a warlock paladin!" But complied anyway. Even though he was specialized in close combat, he wasn't half-bad with range spells. He would be able to manage perfectly well, but his method wasn't suited to fight alongside someone else. At least, not someone who couldn't see in the dark as well as him.

He slithered silently towards the goblins, a hand on the pommel of his sword. Once in position, he lifted his hand from his sword to cast, whisperering;

"Umbra"

The warlock summoned a shroud of magical darkness all around himself, completely hiding him from the sight of both allies and enemies. But thanks to his infernal vision, he could see through the cloud of darkness just as good as in plain light. He moved his hands again.

"Dolor."

Crackling scarlet energy shot from his hand towards the goblins. The eldritch blasts striked one of them with force.

Ephraal was demonstrating a cold efficiency, a complete detachment of any emotion while fighting. He could've just as well been just a war machine, focused on his objective; striking down his enemies.

Verso shot him a look in return to the clearly unimpressed, sarcastic glance Ephraal gave him. One that conveyed he knew what Ephraal's preference was, but didn't need that right now. Verso and Lae'zel didn't have ranged attacks as a back up. Or rather, Verso was keeping that close to his chest for now. It didn't mean Ephraal was only going to use Eldritch Blast. But Verso didn't have time to baby him through it.

As Ephraal finally cast the Blast spell, Gale went to work as well. Twisting his hands to quite literally pluck the Weave from thin air and transform it into Magic Missiles, all of them striking their mark flawlessly. With the two sniper Goblins down, they had the element of surprise and the advantage of being two enemies down. Lae'zel led the charge and Verso followed suit.

Verso moved with his blades as if it was a dance. They seemed imbalanced - a shortsword and a dagger. But he made it work with no effort at all. With each swing that landed there was occasionally a burst of magical light to finish them off. Soon enough, they were finishing off the small collection without much trouble.

"Furciferous!"

Shouted Ephraal, looking scandalized.

"When I cast spells from afar, the least I expect is to NOT receive your dirty blood and guts, you dregs! Look at that! It splattered all over from there! My boots are red! RED! It's going to be a pain to clean that up! Fucking fewtril vermin!"

The tiefling leaned over his boots to try to wipe the most of it, grumbling under his teeth. When he got up, he rummaged through the goblin's corpses, looking for anything of value. Of course, he didn't find much, not even a few gold pieces to pocket. That goblins were not exctint yet was an amazement to Ephraal. He assumed they had high reproductivity to make up for it, like sea turtles, or seahorses, or ocean sunfishes...

He paused. SEA turtles. SEAhorses. OCEAN sunfishes.... Maybe tje goblins were meant to live in water after all...

He got up from his grim work, empty handed, and decided to keep his thoughts for himself. Or to only share them if they were all highly inebriated.

"The work is done over here. Let's keep pushing!"

He called to Verso.

When do you gaze at your soulmate?

Stolen from: @imperitvs

Tagging: Whoever wants to

#ephraal #dash games

Ephraal frowned, thinking, but didn't protest. The one wizard he knew, an old wizard, barely younger than Ephraal himself, talked too much about Mystra, and pretended too much to be good to his taste. But as long as Gale wasn't too similar to that one, it should be fine. He bit his tongue, keeping himself from nothing that if if was to hear "Mystra" once, he would kick out the wizard. He knew Verso would just retort he was just as annoying with his patron. And he couldn't pretend otherwise.

"Fine. If he is just a fraction as powerful as the wizard I know, he should be a valuable asset."

He replied, sighing.

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting here and I won't do anything till you're back with the others."

He grumbled, frustrated as he was taking in how much the tadpole was forcing him to adapt. After Verso left, he sat down, taking advantage of this brief moment of solitude to sort things out. Ever since he woke up with the tadpole, he had the feeling he was just bumbling around helplessly. As rash as he usually was, he needed to be more purposeful and calculated if he wanted to succeed, to rid himself of the tadpole before the worst came to be. Because he couldn't allow it to happen.

Quickly, he heard approaching footsteps and, as his eyes darted in their coming direction, saw Verso coming back with the others. He got up and thought about Verso question for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. I don't care which way we go as long as we are fast and efficient."

"Works for me," Verso agreed - for once - and his usual short sword and dagger materialised into his hands as they moved forward, looking to infiltrate through the back. There'd be a fight, but it would be private and quick. "Let's get going."

Lae'zel was itching to fight so followed Verso's lead, Gale seemed to grasp the importance of the situation and followed suit with his mouth closed. Just before they rounded the corner and would appear in the small group of Goblin's eyesight, Verso stopped. It was obvious he was doing a quick situation check. And he was - but he was also making a mental note on what powers he could use and be able to get away with it. Which wasn't much. Though, with any luck, he wouldn't need any of it to take down a handful of gnats anyway. He then muttered back to the others.

"There's two on the wall, looks to be around five or six inside and a couple of worgs. Ephaal, Gale, can you take out the two snipers up top? Lae'zel and I will push forward and cover you."

Up top? Ephraal waved silently at his greatsword, in a way that seemed to say: "Do I look like a range spellcaster? I'm not just a warlock, I'm a warlock paladin!" But complied anyway. Even though he was specialized in close combat, he wasn't half-bad with range spells. He would be able to manage perfectly well, but his method wasn't suited to fight alongside someone else. At least, not someone who couldn't see in the dark as well as him.

He slithered silently towards the goblins, a hand on the pommel of his sword. Once in position, he lifted his hand from his sword to cast, whisperering;

"Umbra"

The warlock summoned a shroud of magical darkness all around himself, completely hiding him from the sight of both allies and enemies. But thanks to his infernal vision, he could see through the cloud of darkness just as good as in plain light. He moved his hands again.

"Dolor."

Crackling scarlet energy shot from his hand towards the goblins. The eldritch blasts striked one of them with force.

Ephraal was demonstrating a cold efficiency, a complete detachment of any emotion while fighting. He could've just as well been just a war machine, focused on his objective; striking down his enemies.

Love bear type

I mean... I guess it is how Ephraal behave with Raphael

Don't expect him to behave that way with someone he doesn't love though, lol

Stolen from; @imperitvs

Tagging; whoever wants to

#ephraal #dash games

I'm thinking of doing little doodles of my characters with their pride flags for pride month. Same level of doodle as this one. Hopefully my health will be compliant :)

#ooc #mun talks

Ephraal kept a groan. He preferred working alone, and he absolutely hated working with a big team. Three people- counting himself- was the most he could handle.

"Do we have to fetch them all? The githyanki looks sound and competent, I guess the rogue could be of use, but the others? They'll slow us down, not help us go faster. They don't seem to have the guts to do what it takes."

The tiefling shot Verso an offended look.

"That fight doesn't count! I was trying to fight like I usually do, I had no idea the tadpole had weaken me so much I couldn't cast my usual spells, or smite him thrice before he could utter so much as an ouch! And even then, I was in no danger. I would've get him eventually. But it would've take more time, which I couldn't spare."

He protested, his tail starting to rattle before he curled it tighter to keep it quiet and not attract unwanted attention.

"You'll find out I'm plenty useful, when I'm not held back."

He added, with the certainty of a warlock who know he would've been dead a long time ago otherwise. He got up.

"If you insist on getting the team, let's not waste more time and go fetch them. I guess I'll stand ready to cast Darkness for when such a big team running around inevitably get spotted."

Verso's gloved fingers pinching the bridge of his nose flattened into a hand that dragged down his scarred features. He would argue the rogue would slow them down the most. Due to infantile whining about having to do anything that required not sitting around and watching other people die. Astarion was great at picking locks, but in Verso's opinion - not much else.

To leave behind a literal hero of the Swords Coast behind when it seemed very obvious Wyll was adept in fighting off creatures like this, seemed ludicrous. But Verso just pinned it to not wanting competition from another Warlock.

"Lae'zel I can agree on. Perhaps the wizard for more ground cover instead. Would be better to take out groups of them than just reluctantly picking off one at a time - if that - like the pompous elf would manage." If that... Verso had seen the pale one miss far too many times to deem him worthy of the battlefield. Not that Ephraal knew how long Verso had been spying on them all.

Gods, maybe he'll purposely deter them so he could pick up Monoco along the way to Baldurs Gate... At least then there was someone Verso could definitely trust to have his back without incessant whining.

"Uh huh..." Verso frowned, but he couldn't really object too much. He was tadpole-free, he had no such restriction to his abilities. He just couldn't use them without exposing his true nature.

"Well, I just hope you survive long enough to show off what you're actually capable of then." Verso shrugged before heading back through the long grass. "There was a portal in the village, I'll fetch Lae'zel and Gale through that. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

Or do. One less thing for Verso to juggle. But he didn't dare mutter that as he headed back around to the village entrance. He may not be able to use all of his skills, but no-one said he couldn't lay the charm on thick to get through safely as he had done for the tieflings and druids.

Soon enough he had returned with the other companions in tow. "I've updated them on the plan. I take it you have a preference which way you want to go, Monsieur all-powerful Warlock."

Ephraal frowned, thinking, but didn't protest. The one wizard he knew, an old wizard, barely younger than Ephraal himself, talked too much about Mystra, and pretended too much to be good to his taste. But as long as Gale wasn't too similar to that one, it should be fine. He bit his tongue, keeping himself from nothing that if if was to hear "Mystra" once, he would kick out the wizard. He knew Verso would just retort he was just as annoying with his patron. And he couldn't pretend otherwise.

"Fine. If he is just a fraction as powerful as the wizard I know, he should be a valuable asset."

He replied, sighing.

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting here and I won't do anything till you're back with the others."

He grumbled, frustrated as he was taking in how much the tadpole was forcing him to adapt. After Verso left, he sat down, taking advantage of this brief moment of solitude to sort things out. Ever since he woke up with the tadpole, he had the feeling he was just bumbling around helplessly. As rash as he usually was, he needed to be more purposeful and calculated if he wanted to succeed, to rid himself of the tadpole before the worst came to be. Because he couldn't allow it to happen.

Quickly, he heard approaching footsteps and, as his eyes darted in their coming direction, saw Verso coming back with the others. He got up and thought about Verso question for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. I don't care which way we go as long as we are fast and efficient."

(Reposting cuz I did a mistake + found out about something that fits him more)

For pride month, I made pride flag frame for Ephraal

Transmac - Demisexual - Enaromantic

#ooc #ephraal

Ephraal got hit with the shrink ray, I decided the size I gave him didn't fit the image I had of him.

Here's a comparison of him and his son

I'm currently getting my body used too quitting my antidepressant to start a new one, which means my depression is kicking again.

I have 2 weeks on low dosage before starting the new one, and it'll take approximately 1 week to kick in. So don't be surprised if I have low to none activity til around the second week of June.

#muse talk #ooc

Ephraal shrugged with dismissal;

"History lessons? I lived history. It's not my fault your Lumière is obscure."

He didn't bother to defend himself. No, he wasn't selfless, quite the opposite, he only served his interest - and Raphael's - but he was quite certain nobody was. Selflessness was just a lie. Just like when he was manipulating people. Instead, he just replied;

"You'll find out I'm quite unique, even amongst warlocks."

After all, he has yet to meet a warlock who didn't consider his duties to his patron the price of their pact, but rather, the very thing they wanted through it.

"I joined a team to go faster, not slower!"

He protested in a grumble when Verso confirmed his intention to plan the attack. He observed the animation from all the goblins from a distance. There were many, and he might be immortal, but that didn't make him invulnerable. He had no chance on his own. He let out a growl.

"Fine, we'll do it your way. Again. Not that you give me any choice."

The tiefling was quite certain that, were he to charge into the camp, Verso would simply abandon him. After all, he would do the same if he thought his companion was too stupid to be useful. He scouted around, being as discret as possible, his tail curled close to him to prevent the rattle from hitting something and alerting goblins of some happened to be close enough.

"The main entrance is guarded, but we could easily kill them. Or, if violence doesn't suit your taste, trick them. Goblins aren't very smart."

He nodded in another direction.

"If it's still too risky for your frail heart, there's seem to be a second entrance over there. The pathway is a bit more athletic that simply walking up the gate, and I can't tell if it'll be guarded or not."

Ephraal then pointed the walls.

"Alternatively, I'm pretty sure we can find a way to sneak directly from up there. We would have they most definitely won't be expecting it. And if there's guards perched there, we can dispatch them quickly before they notice us. But it would probably be even more athletic than the side entrance."

Finally, he turned back his gaze to Verso, as if challenging him to treat him like an idiot again.

Verso looked at Ephraal incredulously. As if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing. "We're not part of the team, you cretin, our team is back at camp! If you want to go faster, then we go back, get them, and then we'll tear this camp asunder much faster than you could manage on your own!" Verso closed his eyes tight and looked away, as if reminding himself it was absolutely pointless speaking to a walking brick wall...

Verso was absolutely prepared to climb up the nearby tree for a better view, get comfortable and nibble on his rations while Ephraal got his ass handed to him by dozens of Goblins. He was not about to blow his cover saving the tiefling from his own stupidity.

The Expedition analysed the situation himself - hearing Ephraal and quietly agreeing. "You keep insisting you're so much older, so if anyone is frail here it's you. Wasn't it you I had to pull off the ground after one goblin attacked you? Are you sure you can handle the entrance guards?" Verso raised his brow mockingly. The nerve of being insulted when this whelp could barely handle a small group of them...

Verso glanced up the wall. Athletic, sure, but not impossible. "Perhaps for the more flexible of us, or those with Misty Step." Which wasn't many of them. "It looks like we'll have to split up. Some of us over the walls, others through the side entrance." Verso wasn't about to give Ephraal a proper compliment. "Nice of you to finally contribute something."

Ephraal kept a groan. He preferred working alone, and he absolutely hated working with a big team. Three people- counting himself- was the most he could handle.

"Do we have to fetch them all? The githyanki looks sound and competent, I guess the rogue could be of use, but the others? They'll slow us down, not help us go faster. They don't seem to have the guts to do what it takes."

The tiefling shot Verso an offended look.

"That fight doesn't count! I was trying to fight like I usually do, I had no idea the tadpole had weaken me so much I couldn't cast my usual spells, or smite him thrice before he could utter so much as an ouch! And even then, I was in no danger. I would've get him eventually. But it would've take more time, which I couldn't spare."

He protested, his tail starting to rattle before he curled it tighter to keep it quiet and not attract unwanted attention.

"You'll find out I'm plenty useful, when I'm not held back."

He added, with the certainty of a warlock who know he would've been dead a long time ago otherwise. He got up.

"If you insist on getting the team, let's not waste more time and go fetch them. I guess I'll stand ready to cast Darkness for when such a big team running around inevitably get spotted."

nickname(s): Hades, Ephraal, Droon, Raph'

zodiac: Scorpio

last movie i saw: Huuuuuuh......... Idk. Maybe a Disney my bf put in his room while I was playing?

last thing i googled: "BG3 stat calculator". I.... Wanted to do my cat stats in BG3 for the lol

favorite musician: Idk. Multiple of them? I can never pick a favourite thing. Lindsey Stirling violin always gets my heart... "feeling" I guess.

song stuck in my head: Most recently it was "Proof of a Hero" from Monster Hunter. I woke up with it stuck in my head after dreaming a bird was singing it.

other blogs: @dia8low (for other BG3 muses) / @ephraalthegremlin (my Main account from which I follow, nothing interesting happens over there though) and @valeurdesmots (another roleplay blog for a fandomless muse and two divinity muses, but this last one never got to be used)

do i get asks: Rarely

following: I follow blogs I'm interested in roleplaying with.

amount of sleep: Variable. I'm prone to insomnia

lucky number: 8

what i’m wearing: A T-shirt with a cat in a box where it's written schrodinger cat. The cat says "I'm alive". But in dark the t-shirt glow and it become the skeleton on a cat saying "I'm dead". And a jean.

dream job: Working in a bookstore ☺️ I was so happy during my time there

dream trip: As long as I get to visit another country I'll be happy really. I mean, I'd like to visit egypt I guess, but I also doubt my health would allow me, too hot.

favorite food: Anything sour.

play any instruments: I used to play the guitar but I stopped because I HATED the music theory lessons, and when the teacher changed for one that was much more like your classic stern school teachers I dropped. I couldn't endure MORE school lol.

languages: French and English. I can babble a few Japanese and Spanish words.

favorite songs: Just like favourite musician I can't pick one favourite. So you'll get a few random: I'll be complete from Blixemi really resonate with me and I really love A sadness runs through him from The Hoosiers and I'm not going to go through my whole playlist so I'll stop there

random fact: I heard Down by the River at the cinema, while waiting for the movie to begin, before BG3 fully came out. I immediately loved the music but couldn't pick up much of the lyrics beside "down by the river". I told myself to look for the song but ejther never did, or never find it. A long time later, when I first picked up BG3 and started character creation, I almost cried upon hearing the music and recognizing it.

describe yourself as aesthetic things: Huh.... I'm not sure.... I don't really see... I don't understand? How's someone an aesthetic?

Stolen from: @iron-hearts-ablaze

Tagging: Whoever wants to

#mun talks #ooc

aurora-rph

reblog this if you're fine with your mutuals sending you asks unprompted

"Do not mistake me for the wizard. I am not fool enough to think myself special in the eyes of my master. I know my worth only goes so far as my usefulness, and that he would dispose of me the second I stop being of use. I don't expect any less."

He almost added that, were Raphael to ask him to kill or maim himself, he would do so without a shred of hesitation. But he considered that admitting being so blindly devlted to a cambion wasn't such a good idea. Most people considered loyalty to be a fault, or a folly even, when granted to someone they disapproved of.

"Yes, for exactly the reasons you cited, I doubt mortals would be able to help. Crazy things are happening around us, and I doubt they understand nearly enough of it to do anything about it. Understanding new stuff takes time, understanding it enough to act upon it, even more so."

He would know. The world changed SO MUCH in his life, it was hard to keep up with it not to look like an alien. At least, not more than he already does through his natural demeanor.

When Verso showed him the golden ribbon, Ephraal stared at it with no reaction. What was it supposed to mean? Was it a secret code? Maybe he was collecting those weird ribbon and was hoping Nettie would give him one? Apparently, the tiefling confusion displeased his companion, but his complaint only amused him.

"Old ways? I'm still convinced I'm way older than you. Don't old ways me."

He retorded with humor, marching through as dilapited village, before adding.

"That expeditioner thing is all well and good, but that still doesn't know what you're getting out of it."

Nobody was doing things just to be nice, or to help others. Those were acts people were putting on, this Expeditioners excuse was nothing but that; an excuse. A pretense. An act to look more sympathetic when helping people and cashing in the rewards. Ephraal shrugged.

"I assume you don't want to tell it either. Fine by me."

He turned his gaze to the horizon and changed the subject, estimating that was what Verso would prefer.

"I assume you will want to plan a strategy to attack the camp? Cause I'm fine with just charging in otherwise."

Verso rolled his eyes and didn't bother wasting breath arguing back. Clearly they had very different interpretations on what made for a worthy life. Verso was supposed to be in the same vein as Ephraal - a worshiper of the Paintress. The muse that gifted him an incredible ability to paint. She adored him just as much as he admired her. But his love for music offended her, and he was made to paint - and paint alone. This entrapment and obsession over his worship scared him. He couldn't take being forced into a life that only appeased her. And so, here he was, trying to find a worthy group to help rid him of her for good.

So, whenever he came across the likes of religious zealots, Chosen ones for Gods or puppets for the Devils, he couldn't help but look down his nose at them. How ridiculously narrow minded and blind they always were. Only those who lived for themselves, and for themselves alone, were worthy of his admiration now.

Verso pinched the bridge of his nose. "Being older than me doesn't make you smarter, it seems. Clearly your history lessons are lacking, and apparently your geography as well. Go back to school, study 'Lumière', and get back to me."

He spoke of the City of the Sky. A huge chunk of land that was fractured off the mainland and placed out to sea and above the waves to keep it safe from the corruption of the Swords Coast. A barrier was erected to keep tiny 'country' safe. Aside from the Expeditioners. Who's sole goal was to spread good deeds and try and help those in the tainted lands as best as they could before travelling back home. But Verso had lost everything... Lumière held no comfort for him now.

"I wouldn't expect a Warlock to understand the selflessness of wanting to help another. You just concentrate on keeping your patron fat with your ass-kissing and we'll leave it at that." Verso sneered as he crouched low in the long grass and made his way around the decrepit village and to the Goblin camp.

"If you think you can take the entire camp by yourself, be my guest. I, for one, will be scoping out the place for a better entrance, then getting the others back at camp with a more solid plan than 'charging in'" Verso shook his head. He didn't get this far on his own by just waltzing into anything without backup plans.

#ephraal #ic #backward pawn #maskedvisages #verso

Ephraal shrugged with dismissal;

"History lessons? I lived history. It's not my fault your Lumière is obscure."

He didn't bother to defend himself. No, he wasn't selfless, quite the opposite, he only served his interest - and Raphael's - but he was quite certain nobody was. Selflessness was just a lie. Just like when he was manipulating people. Instead, he just replied;

"You'll find out I'm quite unique, even amongst warlocks."

After all, he has yet to meet a warlock who didn't consider his duties to his patron the price of their pact, but rather, the very thing they wanted through it.

"I joined a team to go faster, not slower!"

He protested in a grumble when Verso confirmed his intention to plan the attack. He observed the animation from all the goblins from a distance. There were many, and he might be immortal, but that didn't make him invulnerable. He had no chance on his own. He let out a growl.

"Fine, we'll do it your way. Again. Not that you give me any choice."

The tiefling was quite certain that, were he to charge into the camp, Verso would simply abandon him. After all, he would do the same if he thought his companion was too stupid to be useful. He scouted around, being as discret as possible, his tail curled close to him to prevent the rattle from hitting something and alerting goblins of some happened to be close enough.

"The main entrance is guarded, but we could easily kill them. Or, if violence doesn't suit your taste, trick them. Goblins aren't very smart."

He nodded in another direction.

"If it's still too risky for your frail heart, there's seem to be a second entrance over there. The pathway is a bit more athletic that simply walking up the gate, and I can't tell if it'll be guarded or not."

Ephraal then pointed the walls.

"Alternatively, I'm pretty sure we can find a way to sneak directly from up there. We would have they most definitely won't be expecting it. And if there's guards perched there, we can dispatch them quickly before they notice us. But it would probably be even more athletic than the side entrance."

Finally, he turned back his gaze to Verso, as if challenging him to treat him like an idiot again.

this time, you can trust me.

- Ephraal (Because he's the less trustworthy out of the two)

"I'M NOT SURE I CAN TRUST YOU" PROMPTS

The hypocrisy wasn't lost on him, to be debating how much someone can be trusted. But Verso wasn't about to out himself as a lie incarnate. It helped that others in the party were just as unpleased with the revelation that Ephraal's patron was Raphael - son of Mephistopholes himself.

"Haven't we got enough problems without your patron nipping at our heels like a deranged pup?" Verso scowled, brows furrowed. "You kept your patron a secret and you're asking me to trust you now? You expose us to Raphael, he can just use you to pinpoint exactly where we are and what we're doing - why would I trust that?" He knew Karlach and Wyll certainly would approve of keeping firm that Raphael was not to be trusted. Shadowheart, Gale and Lae'zel may follow suit in time. Astarion was a wildcard but... well, Verso wasn't beyond asserting over others. He doubted the meek vampire would try to challenge them all over this.

"Why should we even keep you around?"

#ephraal #ic #maskedvisages #verso #middlegame #I was supposed to answer to Erris first but I received your answer at a moment where I needed some distraction

Ephraal was standing before them, his tail rattling like a cornered snake ready to strike.

"Hey, at least my patron doesn't want one of us dead or enslaved!" He snarled, staring pointedly at Wyll, "and yet I don't remember you making that much of a fuss about it! The team is made up of a vampire, a Sharran, a Githyanko, another warlock, a ticking bomb and..." he pause, considering Karlach and Verso, "You two, who are hiding your agenda better than the others. So, frankly, making a fuss over the identity of my patron is quite ironic when he never proved a threat to you!"

He lifted his chin proudly;

"In fact, since you're traveling with me, it's his interest you DON'T get killed. You should be thankful to have his best warlock in your midst!"

His added with arrogance.

"I have been honest with you from the start. I'm a warlock, my patron is a devil. Were you expecting him to come with flowers and to help mortals out of the goodness of his heart? His identity was never relevant, no, not even when came to us. What would telling you he was my patron back then would've change? We would've had the same conversation, but earlier."

The tiefling sneered before fixing his gaze on Verso, cold and unflinching;

"You should keep me because I make a very dangerous enemy. Meanwhile, you are under no threat from me nor Raphael while we work together. You can complain all you want about my personality, but you can't deny I'm dangerous in a fight."

Back in the Grove, Ephraal stood in front of Verso, his tail rattling furiously the only visible sign of the raging anger inside of him.

"I did NOT became a warlock for an easy ride! Quite the opposite! I became one for my patron, and I never spared any effort for him ever since!"

He stopped abruptly, breathing in to calm himself. He was fine with being told he wanted an easy ride when he was doing something for himself; it was true. But not when it came to his pact.

He thought back on the day he met Raphael, as was reseigned to die, and didn't care one way or the other about it, pondering about what it meant about his life. He remembered the awe he felt when the cambion appeared before him, how he instantly knew he wanted to give his entire being to him. The memory helped him calm down.

"Theoritacally, I could ask him. But I'm not sure how to reach him out: the tadpole is messing things up. I can't just will to get to him like I used to. There is also no guarantee he would accept. Maybe he decided to give up on me because I fai... Because I got tadpoled. So if we stumble upon a way to free myself from the tadpole, I won't turn my back on it. But my patron still is the most reliable option in my mind. I doubt any mortal can do anything about tadpoles that doesn't involve killing the host, which isn't going to happen anytime soon."

The warlock replied, irritated at this whole tadpole situation. The idea he could exist -or rather that something could exist through him- without furthering Raphael goals was the most insulting part of it all.

"And yes. This "spoiled brat act" as you call it usually works. Notably because nobody is stopping me everytime I start talking. And it only got me arrested once."

And sentenced to death, yes, but he was still alive now, wasn't it all that mattered at the end of the day? Ephraal paused for a moment before casting an apologetic look to Verso, letting his tail droop.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm acting out a lot. This tadpole is stressing me a lot; I don't know how long I have before not being me anymore, this is terrifying. And I'm worried about my patron silence, what if he truly gave up on me?. I just want things to go back to normal quickly."

Obviously, he was insincere and not a single word was true. But he knew how to look like he was.

"I heard you want to find this Halsin? I don't believe for a second he'll be able to help, but it looks like we can't move forward without dealing with the goblins anyway, it can't hurt to try I guess."

The tiefling thought for a moment before asking.

"What are you hoping to get from this? Telling Nettie you'll search for Halsin... What do you think anyone in this Grove could possibly grant you of value? No one here seems to have their act together."

He casted a glance to the druids chanting to their idol to illustrate his words.

"They don't even have enough brain to get tadpoled."

He snorted under his breath, just for himself, before resuming walking.

"Anyway, I don't want to waste any more time. Let's eradicate those goblins and see if they have yet to turn Halsin into soup."