#((and ended up combining two ideas into one alskfehlshfe))

[theurgic-necromancer]

Wizards are not exactly known for their physical strength and sturdiness. You are no exception. On the other hand, as the oldest living child of Bhaal, you're much tougher than the average wizard.

Which is how you're still conscious even after a minotaur came barreling into you. The wind's been knocked out of you, and you're fairly sure you've either gotten slashed or else you hit the ground hard enough to break skin. You reach for your side and feel something slick and wet. When you pull your hand away, you can see traces of your blood all over it. Yep, you're definitely bleeding.

You stagger to your feet and take stock of the situation. The minotaur has cut you and Astarion off from the rest of the group. Zia, Shadowheart, and Karlach are doing their best to avoid the minotaur's wild axe swings and piercing horns. Astarion is visibly irritated at being caught out in the open with little to hide behind. He shoots an arrow into the minotaur's back, then dashes towards the nearby stone formation to hide behind it. The minotaur rips the offending arrow out of its back. It turns and slams its axe down where Zia was just standing a moment ago.

There's a surging in your blood, a feeling like something trying to claw its way out of you. For a moment you can't breathe, and you're not sure if it's from getting the wind knocked out of you, or from the thing in your blood trying to exert control. Either way, you find yourself coughing and choking as you struggle to maintain control. Everything hurts. Your head is swimming.

You manage to shake it off enough to blast the minotaur in the back with a few Magic Missiles. It swings at you. You're not fast enough. The axe catches your arm and you're sent staggering back, clutching the bleeding gash. You feel a soothing calm fall over you, like a quiet evening. Shadowheart's cast a healing spell, and you feel some of your injuries knitting together.

You don't have time to shout a thank you before the second minotaur slams into your back and knocks you out.

You awaken back at camp, with at least half the party hovering over you. Shadowheart and Zia are both busily pouring their healing magics into you. You can tell without opening your eyes just from how their respective magic feels. Shadowheart's like the calm of a nice evening, Zia's like the feel of a long-forgotten lullaby.

It's Zia who notices you stir first. "Oh thank the gods he's awake."

"You alright, soldier?" Karlach says, leaning over to get a good look at your face. You can see the worry writ large across hers.

"I feel like I got run over by something, but otherwise I think so," you reply. You grimace from the lingering pain of mended bones. You're fairly certain you might have broken a rib, but the healing magic seems to have fixed that.

"Try two minotaurs," Zia says.

"Two?" you repeat incredulously.

"It's a miracle you're still alive," Shadowheart points out.

"From the way you were splayed out on the ground I was worried you weren't," Zia says. "By the way... why in all the hells is your blood black?"

You blink. "You just noticed?"

"Unless you've been secretly bleeding without us noticing, yes," Shadowheart says. You know she's lying—about herself, at least. You still remember the way she'd stared at your bleeding head after the crash. The look of confusion and vague horror that flashed across her face before she... simply healed you and moved on.

"Surely Astarion noticed, at least," you say, shoving yourself into a sitting position.

There's a pause. You glance at Astarion to see him pointedly looking away.

"You literally drank it," you say.

"It was dark!" Astarion protests. "And—Well—You know as well as I that darkvision isn't exactly good at distinguishing color."

You catch Lae'zel grimacing and shaking her head in exasperation out of the corner of your eye. You honestly feel about the same way as she does.

"Well, now you know: I have weird-colored blood." You shrug, hoping that no one will press the issue.

"I presume it has something to do with your necromantic studies?" Gale chimes in.

The guess surprises you, but you're not going to bother correcting him. "Something like that, yeah." You hold up a decidedly not injured hand. "Kind of neat, don't you think?"

"Not the word I would have used," Shadowheart says.

"It's fascinating," Gale says. Zia's expression says she also finds it intriguing.

"Hm... Now that has me curious," Astarion muses. "How does everyone else's blood compare to yours?"

"Well, mine probably tastes like his," Zia casually tosses out. You shoot her a look. Before anyone can ask the obvious follow-up she adds, "It turns out we're related. He's like my great-great-uncle or something."

"I suppose that would lead to some similarities," Astarion says. You quietly breathe a sigh of relief. Shadowheart glances between you and Zia. You don't need the tadpole to sense that she knows what that connection means.

"I'd offer a sip of my blood as a potential point of comparison," Gale says, "but I fear my... condition—" He gestures towards his chest, where the Netherse orb lies, "—might possibly taint the results."

"Such a shame, that," Astarion says. "I imagine your blood would taste like a finely-aged wine."

"Thank you?" Gale sounds bemused.

"If you so much as look at any of us as prey, vampire..." Lae'zel warns.

Astarion waves a hand dismissively. "It's just idle musing, darling, I'm not actually going to bite anyone here. Unless anyone wants to volunteer~"

"Maybe after I've recovered a bit from getting flattened by a pair of minotaurs," you say, absentmindedly rubbing at your neck.

"That would be for the best, I'd say," Shadowheart chimes in. "You were out cold far longer than I would have expected."

"I... was?" You blink in confusion.

"Yes, even after we'd brought you back from the brink you wouldn't wake up," she says.

"It's why we ended up dragging you back to camp," Zia adds. "Figured it would be better to fuss over you somewhere safe rather than risk a third minotaur showing up."

"...Huh," you say. That's certainly weird.

"You feeling alright, by the way?" Karlach pipes up. "Head's not hurting or nothing?"

"I'm fine, all things considered." You shrug. "Still a little achy from getting run over, but otherwise..."

"That's a relief," Karlach says, visibly relaxing. "Next time, don't wander off so far. Made it way too easy for those two big lugs to separate our group and prevent us from getting to you."

"Yeah, noted," you say. "You'd think I'd know better by now, but apparently not."