"You can't trust her--"

"Look at me. You're the Blade of Frontiers, you know monsters. Look into my eyes and tell me that's what you see."

His source had warned him that Karlach might take on mortal guise.

She could be a devil, pretending to be a tiefling, who somehow got a parasite, and who's pretending to surrender even though that would be singularly unlikely for Zariel's champion.

Or she could be a tiefling. Devils have mortal agents. Devils get possessive of their mortal agents. 

Of course they'd go after someone who escaped.

He's been had. "Shit." He sheathed his blade. His source is going to have his head about this, and soon-- but at least she won't have Karlach's.

"Wait, I'm not going to have to kill you? --Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of not killing you, just."

He sighs deeply. "I can admit when I was wrong. And I'm not going to make you make that choice."

"We're going on a quest to remove our mind flayer tadpoles. And also rescue kittens from trees."

"Sweet! I'd love to help with both those things, if you'll have me."

"...do you need help not being on fire?"

"I mean, I'd like not to be on fire, but unless you know a good infernal mechanic, I'm not sure there's much you can do." She hits her chest, and it makes a metallic sound it probably shouldn't. "This thing runs hot all the time, but it seems out of the Hells it runs even hotter."

"What is it?"

"Infernal engine. Zariel's special." She snarls the name. "I've got it instead of a heart."

...His source agreed to only send him against the "heartless and soulless."

She is so lucky he can't kill her. So, so lucky.

"Fucked up." Cayden wants to ask if it hurts, but then realizes this is a stupid question. "Party rules: we don't torture people, we don't kill people unless we have a good reason, we don't kill other party members, and we do random do-gooding if the majority of party members agree we should."

Odd number of party members! Democracy wins!

Most of her visible skin is covered in burn scars, and there are angry looking jets in her shoulder venting heat. 

It doesn't look comfortable.

"Cool! I can roll with that. Any particular leads on the do-gooding, or are we taking it as we find it?"

"We're going to find a druid named Master Halsin, who may be able to remove the tadpoles and also had a much more pro-tiefling policy than the druid he left in charge."

"I'd vote for that! Though we might want to get away from here first, in case those 'paladins' want to have a go at us."

They head off. "I'm not exactly fond of paladins, but on my home planet if any paladin didn't take a surrender they'd fall."

"I honestly don't know if these ones have fallen, but if they'd promised themselves to Zariel-- yeah."

"Huh?"

"Paladins-- I don't know exactly how it works, I'm not one, but the magic runs on promises, oaths. I met a few in Avernus. They'd sworn an oath to keep killing demons until they died, and they were good at killing them, but they weren't good people.

"Maybe those arseholes swore to Tyr they'd protect justice and Goodness and they're having a very rude wake up call. 

"Maybe they swore to Zariel to win the Blood War, and if Zariel thinks my head is what is going to win it, then they'll still be paladins when they give it to her."

"What??? That's a terrible way for paladins to work."

"I mean,  I think most of the ones not in the Hells are promised to defend beauty or nature or like, laws, and they're fine."

"On my home planet there are paladins, who are Lawful Good, and they have to obey the law and they can't lie and can't cheat and can't use poison and can't break their word and can't spend time around Evil people, and they have to punish people who do Evil and help everyone unless they know those people will do Evil or Chaotic things with it, and if they break the rules they'll lose their powers. And there are antipaladins, who are Chaotic Evil, and they can't spend time around Good people or willingly commit an act primarily meant to benefit someone else, or they'll lose their powers. I can't say I like either group but in retrospect I appreciated the predictability!"

"There is something to be said for just having two options."

"I guess there's the advantage that most Evil people wouldn't decide to be antipaladins of their own free will, if they could just swear to protect their country or their reputation or their family instead."