Since it's canon that Br'aad has PTSD, here's this.

SPOILERS FOR JUST ROLL WITH IT CAMPAIGN ONE ARCS ONE AND TWO!!!!!

While in a weapon shop gearing up to fight Ungoro, Br'aad sees Taxi pick up two scimitars. Instantly, he falls into a flashback of his brother's death.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING FOR PTSD AND FLASHBACKS, panic attacks, blood, loss, murder, weapons,
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The Fated Five walked out of the King's planning room and into the courtyard.

"Which way did he say the weapon smith's was?" Taxi asked.

"Past the throne room and the stables." Mountain answered, recalling his father's words.

The group made their way around the castle grounds, getting stopped by servers and commoners alike, asking them questions about the preparations being made for Ungoro's arrival in just a month's time. They answered what they could, and redirected them to others when they couldn't. It took some time, but finally, they arrived at the weapon smith's.

The blacksmith who ran the place immediately froze upon seeing the group arrive. He raced to the entrance and got down on one knee. He was a tall and muscular Dragonborn.

"The Fated! It's an honor to have you all here in my shop. Please, look around at anything you like. If you have any questions, please ask me. My name is Dreacon. Take whatever you like."  He said, bowing his head.

"Thank you very much, sir." Taxi said politely.

"No, thank you all." Dreacon said as he rose from the floor and stepped aside to let them in. The five stepped inside and looked around. The shop was huge, with multiple rooms connecting to the large center one. The weapons were categorized by type, ammo, and further by size and price. The group spread out a bit as they searched.

Dreacon's shop didn't just have weapons, it also had armor and various survival supplies like rope, torches, first aid kits, water skins, and more. The group all restocked what they were low on as they browsed around.

Br'aad followed Taxi a bit closely as he looked around. He had no idea how to wield 98% of the weaponry displayed around him, and he was feeling more than a little intimidated.

Taxi seemed to know exactly what each weapon was for and how it was used. Every so often he'd pick one up and take note of how it felt in his hands. If he noticed Br'aad was close to him, he'd tell Br'aad what the weapon was called and give a bit of history on it. Br'aad pretended to be interested, and Taxi didn't seem to catch onto his suppressed insecurity.

His mind was reeling, telling him how useless he is. Everyone else in the group had the skills to wield impressive weapons but him. Taxi had his claws and his staff, Sylnan had his daggers, Velrisa had her war hammer, and Mountain had his insane flame sword Flame Tongue. Meanwhile, Br'aad didn't even have his Eldritch Blast, the one and only thing that made him useful in combat, anymore.

He looked around at the swords on the wall to his right, his hand drifting to the hilt of one of them.

"That's an impressive one, that is." Dreacon's voice sounding from directly behind him made him jump.

"Oh-Oh! Yeah, it's...Nice." Br'aad said, smiling awkwardly.

"It takes some masters years to learn to properly control its power. You though, I'm sure you'd be a natural instantly!" Dreacon told him. Br'aad smiled at him and glanced down, then back at the blade. Dreacon looked to Taxi and quickly walked away from Br'aad over to the tabaxi. The two were immediately engrossed in a conversation about the daggers Taxi was holding. Br'aad looked down.

What was he doing there? He didn't know anything about any of the items in this shop. He looked around, wanting to talk to his brother suddenly. His heart raced a bit when he didn't see Sylnan anywhere. Any time his brother left his site, Br'aad's heart dropped. As he looked around, he heard Taxi's voice say his name.

"Br'aad! Look at these!" Taxi repeated. Br'aad turned to look at his friend, and his insides ran cold.

Standing in front of him was a figure wielding two sharp scimitars. The figure flickered between Taxi, his close friend, and the blue Orc, the murderer of his brother. Br'aad stumbled backwards a few steps as he stared.

"Br'aad? Are you alright?" Taxi asked, but Br'aad couldn't make out the words clearly. He tried to speak.

"I-I...I...S-Sylnan?" He tried to tear his eyes away from the scimitars, but he couldn't move.

"Br'aad?" Taxi asked. From his perspective, Br'aad had turned to look at him and had gone very pale. His eyes widened as he took a few steps away from him. His breathing hitched and quickened to small gasps as he began hyperventilating.

"Vel? Vel! Come here!" Taxi yelled when he saw Velrisa walk past them in the next isle over. Velrisa paused and looked at Taxi, frowning at his anxious tone of voice. She rushed over, and Taxi pointed at Br'aad.

"Br'aad? Br'aad, are you alright?" Velrisa asked. She walked over to Br'aad. The half-elf took a few more steps backwards away from Taxi. He shook his head as visions of the sewer systems flashed in front of him. His surroundings glitched and twitched. First Taxi, then the blue Orc stood in front of him. Sylnan's body was crumpled on the floor in front of him, bleeding out, one of the scimitars sticking out of him.

"Sylnan...No, no, no!" Br'aad whispered. His vision blurred, and he didn't know why.

"Br'aad? He's shaking..." Taxi said. Velrisa followed Br'aad's gaze, and she caught her breath.

"Taxi! Taxi, the scimitars! Put them down!" She said. Taxi frowned and looked at the blades in his hands.

"What?" He asked.

"The scimitars! The blue Orc used scimitars against Sylnan!" Velrisa said. Taxi's eyes widened.

"Oh fuck!" He said as he quickly sheathed the swords back in their display holsters. Taxi held his hands up quickly.

"Br'aad? It's okay. It's just Taxi." Velrisa tried. Br'aad shook his head again.

"No, nonononono!" He said as his breathing grew faster. He jumped as he felt something slide down his cheeks. He swiped at his cheeks quickly, and felt his hands come away wet. When he looked down at them, they were covered in blood. He screamed as he jumped back, trying to get away from his own palms. He looked back up in front of him and only saw Sylnan's body lying there.

"Sylnan!!!" He yelled.

"Br'aad? Look at me, Br'aad. It's okay. Taxi! Go find Sylnan!" Velrisa said. Taxi nodded and took off across the store. Velrisa put her arms around Br'aad's shoulders.

"No!!!" Br'aad sobbed.

"Br'aad! Breathe, look at me. Look at me, Br'aad. Focus on me. You're safe, it's okay!" Velrisa tried hard to capture his attention, but Br'aad's gaze was frozen on the floor in front of him. He seemed to be looking right through Velrisa at something only he could see.

"Vel!" Taxi's voice made her jump. She turned to see Taxi rushing up to them with Sylnan and Mountain close behind him. Br'aad jumped and tried to move away.

"Slowly! Slowly! Don't scare him!" Velrisa said. They all three froze instantly.

"Br'aad? What's happening to him?!" Sylnan asked as he looked his brother over.

"He saw Taxi holding scimitars and...I think he's having a flashback to what happened back at the Warf with the blue Orc." Velrisa said.

"Oh fuck. What do we do?" Mountain asked. They all looked back to Br'aad.

At this moment, Br'aad was still staring at the vision of his brother lying dead in front of him. He felt a tight pain in his chest, and he realized how hard it was to breathe.

"Sylnan, no, no, no, no!!" He somehow sobbed even harder. 

"Br'aad! I'm right here, I'm here! Look at me, Br'aad come on." He heard his brother's voice echo around him. Br'aad felt hands grasp his shoulders, and he tensed hard.

"Hey, hey, it's me! Br'aad it's me, it's Sylnan. I'm right here. Look at me!" Sylnan's voice spoke again. Br'aad blinked, and he saw a figure standing directly in front of him briefly. When he blinked again, however, the figure disappeared and he was once again faced with Sylnan on the floor, surrounded by a growing pool of dark blood.

Br'aad screamed again as he tried to turn and run away. His legs wouldn't move, and he felt fingers digging into his arms. When he glanced down, he realized he was hugging himself and his own fingernails were digging into his skin. He felt something shake his shoulders slightly, and he blinked hard.

The figure in front of him appeared again, and Br'aad looked up at it. He saw his brother's nervous face.

"Br'aad! Stay with me! Stay here with me! Keep looking at me, Buddy! I'm right here! I'm right here Br'aad!" Sylnan said desperately.

"Sylnan?" Br'aad cried, trying to take in a breath. He choked and coughed.

"Yeah, it's me! It's me, Br'aad. I'm here! I'm right here." Sylnan said.

"We need to slow his breathing down. He's hyperventilating." Velrisa said.

"How do we do that?" Taxi asked.

"He won't look at me!" Sylnan said, feeling his own heartbeat increasing.

"He's not seeing you right now. He's seeing what happened in the sewers." Velrisa said.

"Well, how the fuck do we get him to see Sylnan?" Mountain asked.

Br'aad covered his ears with his hands suddenly, making everyone jump as he moved without warning. He shook his head again.

"Stop! Stop, stop!!" He yelled.

"We need to talk calmly. No sudden loud noises or movements." Velrisa said.

"Can't you cast something?! Make him better?" Sylnan asked Velrisa. Velrisa looked Br'aad over.

"Do something! Please Vel!" Sylnan begged. Velrisa suddenly flashed back herself to Sylnan's death. She remembered Br'aad begging her with the same words as he sobbed over his brother's body.

"I...I'll try." She said, steadying herself with a quick deep breath. She raised her arms in Br'aad's direction and tried to cast Cure Wounds on him. She had no idea if it would work. Br'aad's wounds were internal, psychological, not physical. She didn't know if her spell could even reach his mind and soothe it. But she tried anyways. She focused deeply on Br'aad's mind.

When she heard Br'aad's sobs quiet slightly, she opened her eyes in surprise.

"It's working!" Sylnan said. Velrisa winced again. She remembered Br'aad saying the same thing when Sylnan's arm began glowing. She looked Br'aad over very closely. When she saw what was happening, her shoulders fell slightly.

"It didn't work, Sylnan. He's getting tired." She said sadly. Sylnan looked from her to his brother. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Thank you for trying. Br'aad? Can you hear me, Bud?" Sylnan turned back to Br'aad fully. Br'aad opened his eyes slightly, and looked up at Sylnan.

"Syl?" He choked.

"Yeah, I'm right here. I'm right here Br'aad. It's okay. I need you to try to calm down for me, okay?" Sylnan tried.

Br'aad looked around himself hesitantly. Slowly, his vision was shifting back to the weapon shop. He saw his friends gathered around him. When he wiped at his face and looked at his hands again, the blood was gone. He looked back up at his brother.

"Sylnan." He cried. "I thought you...I s-saw you..." He couldn't finish the sentence as more tears overwhelmed him.

"Br'aad it's okay. It's okay. Can I hug you?"
Sylnan asked. Br'aad didn't answer him verbally, but he collapsed forward into Sylnan's arms. Sylnan wrapped his arms around his little brother protectively.

"I'm here. I'm right here, Br'aad. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay. Keep breathing, Buddy. It's okay." He spoke calmly to him as best he could. Br'aad looped his arms desperately around his brother's body and gripped onto the back of his cloak like his life was tethered to it, and if he let go, Sylnan would fade away and disappear.

"I saw you..." Br'aad tried again.

"Shh. It's okay. You don't have to say it. You don't have to tell me. I know." Sylnan whispered. "It isn't happening. We're right here. I'm right here, I've got you. I've got you, Br'aad. We're safe. I'm safe. I promise. It's not happening anymore."

Br'aad cried more heartbreaking sobs into his brother's shoulder, his tears soaking Sylnan's cloak and shirt. Sylnan didn't care, though. He didn't even notice in truth. Every ounce of his attention was focused solely on his baby brother.

"I'm so sorry, Br'aad." Taxi said from where he was standing.

"I don't know if he can hear you, Taxi." Velrisa said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I know. I'm hoping it just sinks in." Taxi said.

"We should probably get him out of the weapon shop." Mountain suggested. Everyone agreed.

"How? If we go out onto the streets people are gonna stop and try to talk to us." Sylnan asked.

"I'll go ask if there's a back door." Taxi said, and he rushed off to find Dreacon.

"Br'aad, it's okay. You're okay." Sylnan kept repeating. His brother's sobs were slowly beginning to quiet down a little. He tried to pull away so he could look him over, but Br'aad yelped and gripped onto him tighter.

"Okay, okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere, Br'aad. I'm not gonna leave you." Sylnan said.

"Promise?" Br'aad asked. His voice was muffled by fabric, and it was barely above a whisper. He voice was weak and scared. Sylnan blinked quickly as his eyes misted over, and he nodded.

"I promise, Br'aad. I promise." He said. He felt Br'aad start to pull away, then hesitate. "It's okay. You're okay, Br'aad. It's alright." Sylnan encouraged. He let Br'aad lead this, and the smaller half-elf slowly pulled back and looked down. Sylnan kept one arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"You're okay, Br'aad. I'm okay. Look at me,  Br'aad." Sylnan said. Br'aad dragged his eyes up to look at his brother.

"Look at me. I'm completely fine. I'm right here standing in front of you. I'm standing and I'm talking and walking. I'm okay." Sylnan said, stepping back a bit and holding his arms out. Br'aad looked him up and down and nodded, rubbing his eyes.

Taxi returned and slowly approached the group. "Hi. Dreacon says there's a back door behind the counter in the back room we can use. I didn't tell him what was going on. Only that we have to leave now." He explained.

"Thank you, Taxi. Come on, Br'aad. Let's get you out of here, okay?" Sylnan said. Br'aad nodded. The group followed Taxi as he lead them back to the counter. Dreacon stood by the door. He had opened it for them. As they approached, he frowned when he saw Br'aad.

"Is the young lad alright?" He asked Taxi. Taxi paused and let the others walk through.

"He...Uh, yes. He will be. Being...Some of the weapons brought back a bad memory for him. He'll be fine." Taxi explained. Dreacon nodded knowingly.

"Make a left out of here and the back exit is the second door on your right." Dreacon told him. Taxi nodded, thanked him, and followed his friends out of the shop.

"How do we get out of here?" Velrisa asked.

"This way." Taxi led them down the hall and to the door Dreacon told him about. He pushed it open with some difficulty as the door was surprisingly heavy. The door opened out to a small hidden courtyard garden area with a fountain in the middle. As Taxi looked around, he knew immediately that this was not the main exit out of this area of the castle grounds. However, it was incredibly peaceful. He looked over at his friends and saw all of them looking around as well.

"Here, Br'aad. Let's sit down, okay?" Sylnan led Br'aad over to the fountain and sat him down on the edge. Br'aad rubbed his eyes, and Sylnan sat down next to him. He kept his arm tightly secured around Br'aad's shoulders. Br'aad leaned into Sylnan, still clearly desperate for comfort and confirmation that Sylnan was there with him. Velrisa sat down on Br'aad's other side, and Taxi sat criss-cross in front of him. Mountain sat next to Taxi, which surprised the large cat, but he said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Br'aad asked.

"Who? Me?" Sylnan looked at Br'aad. Br'aad nodded, sniffling wetly.

"Yes Br'aad. I'm perfectly okay. I'm completely fine, I promise." Sylnan said seriously.

"You promise?" Br'aad asked, his voice going up in pitch as he tried and failed to hold back a few sobs.

"I swear. I don't just promise, I swear." Sylnan said. "Br'aad, can you look at me?"

Br'aad turned and looked at Sylnan.

"I'm right here. I'm okay. I swear to you, I'm okay. Okay?" Sylnan said. Br'aad nodded. "Okay. I need you to breathe for me, Br'aad. I need you to slow your breathing down." Sylnan told him. "Can you try to breathe with me?"

Br'aad nodded again. Sylnan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He repeated this motion until Br'aad started following him. He struggled a lot in the beginning, and he kept choking and coughing. His breathing got worse before it got better, but it did get better after a while.

It took a long time, and Sylnan was beginning to grow more and more worried that Br'aad couldn't calm down. He glanced at Velrisa. She was keeping a very close eye on Br'aad's vitals. She nodded at the older one.

"It's working." She confirmed quietly. Sylnan nodded back and continued showing Br'aad how to breathe.

Finally, after what felt like the whole day had passed, Sylnan got Br'aad's breathing back down to a semi-regular rate. He leaned against Sylnan's shoulder, completely exhausted. They were all a little tired from the anxiety and stress of watching their friend break down so severely. Sylnan was wiped out too, but he sat strong for Br'aad.

"I'm so sorry, Br'aad. I don't know what I was thinking-Well, I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry." Taxi finally said. Br'aad sniffled.

"It's okay." He said.

"No, it isn't. It's okay if you're mad at me, Br'aad." Taxi said. Br'aad shook his head.

"I'm not mad at you. It's okay, Taxi." He said, wiping his eyes. Tears still streamed down his face, but the sobbing had died down.

"Are you okay?" Sylnan asked him. Br'aad nodded, forcing his usual smile on for him.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay. I'm really sorry." He said, his cheeks growing hot with embarrassment.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Br'aad." Velrisa said softly. Br'aad turned to look at her.

"If uh, you don't mind my asking. What the fuck just happened?" Mountain asked. Br'aad swallowed with difficulty.

"I-I'm not too sure. I saw Taxi holding the...things. And, all of a sudden, he wasn't Taxi anymore. He changed into the blue Orc. And, I was back in the sewers with Sylnan. I saw everything all over again. It felt really real." Br'aad explained slowly, wiping away more tears that leaked out.

"It's okay, it's okay." Sylnan said, feeling Br'aad beginning to shake harder. Br'aad took in a very shaky breath and let it out slowly. Sylnan nodded at him encouragingly.

"I've seen that happen before. It's a flashback. When something traumatic happens to someone, they can get flashbacks of what happened. Certain things can trigger them, memories or words or items that apply to the event." Velrisa explained.

"Gods..." Mountain said.

"It was really scary." Br'aad said, looking to his brother for comfort. Sylnan hugged him a bit tighter, and he felt Br'aad relax slightly against him.

"I'm so sorry." Taxi repeated, shaking his head.

"No, it's okay, Taxi. You didn't know that was gonna happen. I didn't know either." Br'aad assured him.

"Are you feeling alright?" Taxi asked. Br'aad hesitated.

"I think so." He said. "I'm a little shaky and really tired. And my whole body is sore for some reason."

"It's because all your muscles were so tense for so long." Velrisa provided.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense I guess. But, other than that I'm alright." Br'aad said.

"How are you doing? You know..." Mountain asked, clearly unsure of himself.

"I'm-I'm okay." Br'aad glanced away from everyone.

"Br'aad." Sylnan said.

"If you don't tell us the truth we won't know how to help you." Velrisa spoke up. The group all nodded. Br'aad wrung his hands.

"No I'm okay." He said unconvincingly.

"Br'aad, I can see you shaking." Velrisa said gently. Br'aad sniffled.

"It's cold out here." He said.

"No it isn't. It's actually warm." Taxi looks around the courtyard area. The sun was high and the sky was clear and blue.

"Hey." Sylnan said to his younger brother. Br'aad kept his head bent down. Sylnan moved Br'aad's shoulder gently. "Br'aad, look at me." Sylnan said.

Slowly, Br'aad looked over at Sylnan, who gave him a warm smile.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, Br'aad. I promise you." He said quietly. Br'aad nodded, blinking quickly.

"Thank you." He said. "I'm really sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Br'aad. It's not in your control." Velrisa said gently. Br'aad turned to glance at her briefly before looking down again.  

"I made you guys leave the store. And I scared you all." He said.

"Not intentionally. And compared to what you experienced, we weren't scared at all. We were concerned for you." Taxi said.

"I still worried you." Br'aad argued.

"Br'aad, stop. This wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. None of this was done intentionally. It was a bad memory getting set off in your mind. You don't have to apologize for that. Okay?" Sylnan said firmly but gently. Br'aad nodded. "Thank you." Sylnan added.

"Yeah." Br'aad caved.

"How are you feeling?" Velrisa asked.

"Still shaky. I'm really tired." Br'aad said. Velrisa nodded.

"The best thing you can do right now is stay hydrated and get some rest. Can we walk you back to your room?" She offered. Br'aad shook his head.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going to sleep now. Not after all that." He said, trying to chuckle.

"You don't have to sleep, but at least lay down." Velrisa said.

"No. If I lie down, I'll fall asleep. If I fall asleep right now...I'll have nightmares. I don't wanna deal with that. I'm not going to sleep. I'm fine." Br'aad fought.

"I'll stay in your room with you." Sylnan tried.

"No. We don't have time to anyways. We still have so much to do. And we still need to find Aldwin. Come on. I don't wanna talk about this anymore, okay? Please? I'm okay." Br'aad said. He looked a Sylnan with pleading eyes. Sylnan could still see them swimming with tears, but he also saw how much desperation was in them. He sighed.

"Br'aad, you're exhausted." Taxi said.

"Please!" Br'aad said again.

"Okay, okay, Br'aad. Okay. Let's at least take his mind off of everything for now, alright? Let's go...Let's go talk to some of the guards and see what they need from us." Sylnan sided with Br'aad. He could see how unsteady his younger brother was, and he knew that if the conversation continued in the direction it was going, he'd explode. The others eyed him with concern, but nobody else protested. They caught onto the fact that Sylnan could see something in Br'aad that they couldn't. Taxi and Mountain stood.

"Alright. Let's explore a bit and find a way out of here." He said. He and Mountain walked in separate directions. Velrisa made eye contact with Sylnan, and she nodded at him. She stood up and left the brothers alone.

Br'aad wrapped his arms around himself again.

"We should help them look." He said quietly.

"They can find something themselves. I want you to know I'm here for you, Br'aad. I am. No matter what else is happening or going on around us. You're still my first priority, okay? If you need to talk to me, I'm here for you. Always." Sylnan told him. Br'aad sniffled and wiped his eyes. He nodded.

"Thank you, Sylnan." He said. "And I'm here for you too. I...I know I can't do much. But, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you too, okay?" Br'aad's voice was shaking badly. Sylnan smiled comfortingly at him.

"I know you are. And don't say that about yourself. You can do a lot of things. A lot of things no one else can." Sylnan told him. Br'aad chuckled.

"Thank you." He repeated. Sylnan pulled him into a tight hug, and Br'aad hugged him back. The two stayed like that for a moment, just focusing on each other's existence. Br'aad took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"One more." Sylnan said quietly. Br'aad took another deep breath in and let it out.

"Good." Sylnan praised. Br'aad sniffled. The two pulled apart, and looked at each other.

"I love you, little brother." Sylnan said.

"I love you too, Sylnan." Br'aad smiled.

"Hey, guys? I think the way back to the front of the castle grounds is this doorway here!" Taxi called from somewhere. The Vengolor brothers stood and followed his voice. They were quickly joined by Mountain and Velrisa, and the four continued down a walkway until they saw Taxi standing in a doorway.

"Hey. This way." He said. The Fated Five walked together down the hallway. Br'aad looked around at his friends and brother surrounding him. He took another silent deep breath and let it out as slowly as he could.

He was gonna be okay.

A/N: Hi! I hope you guys enjoyed this part! Thank you so much for reading!! As always, I hope you have a great rest of your day, whatever time it is for you!! Thanks again and stay safe! 😊✌🏻♥️