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Sundermount and Caves

Halan Hawke:

It had been a gray and cold journey outside Kirkwall for two missions. We were a different group than for the haunting at Bartrand's mansion the other night, and we'd checked on Aveline's patrol the same night too. Varric was in a foul mood and Aveline had duties after those events. Fenris was still in a snit or maybe drunk, I ceased to care as much after too many insults to my family and I, without apology or change. Sebastian said nearly as many rude things about mages, so no visiting the Dalish Keeper with him along.

Isabela was more fun. She was the only one of us in a good mood while we looked for an assassin, poking each of us in turn with our betting skills, our drinking capacity, and our sexual preferences. Or our abilities to do all of those at once.

Merrill, who knew this terrain the best, either answered earnestly or counter questioned to understand exactly what Isabela meant.

Anders was just plain irritated, and was cutting in his answers to Isabela's provocations.

I was irritated too, as I hadn't really had the time to feel rested before we left Kirkwall. I wasn't sure if Isabela was doing this needling because she was annoyed at Anders' nagging about mages, she wished Fenris was here, or she just wanted to remind me Anders could be an arse even if she hadn't wanted anything permanent with me.

Isabela got tired of annoying Anders after a while and moved on to her next target, and I got to hoping we'd get ambushed by some more tainted spiders. Even a dragonling would be better company right now.

When the standing stones outside the Dalish camp were in sight, I called for a rest. While there wouldn't be any Templars there waiting for us, I wanted to make sure I had cleared my mind before meeting Keeper Marethari again. She bothered me more than Merrill's blood magic sometimes.

Sitting on a large piece of ancient rubble, I was almost surprised when Anders came over to sit close. We hadn't really argued about anything lately, but he wanted me to hurry with helping him to sooner find those potion ingredients. Justice hadn't been that restive lately, I hadn't seen him since he'd hurt Ella.

When Justice came out, it was like lightning was coming out of his pores. His arrival was like a large stone falling into a small puddle, and there was almost a faint breeze of mana coming from him. That was delicious after a battle, but then he lost his temper, accusing the frightened gel making her even more scared, proving that he was as dangerous as a demon. She was so scared. He saw her fear, and acted to stop her threat.

Anders screamed in anguish and ran off, I revived the girl and healed her, muttering a curse while the other two stared. I wasn't as fast as he was to heal during a fight, but my father had taught me the basics before the Blight. Ella accepted that she'd passed out from a late found trap and I'd sent her on her way to Varric and the one contact I knew would help her, Selby. I didn't want a second mage we'd rescued, recaptured like Grace. Being free of the Circles would cost her far more than missing her family, and I doubted her family would give up anything to support her. Maybe she'd grow up once outside the hothouse.

Anders was fully distraught when I got back to his clinic to check on him, and only calmed when I told him that the silly girl had survived and should have reached Selby now under Varric's escort. I didn't tell him that I nearly slapped her for being so foolish.

When Anders fell back to sit on an empty cot, his hands shook as he tried to read the evidence that the Templars and Divine were not approving of Aldrik's mad plan. I tucked him in, and set my mabari to watch over him. I could easily take care of his patients today, though it took longer for me as they got tongue-tied that the Champion was healing them. When he woke he sleepily tried to put out milk for cats I'd never seen down in Darktown. We finally talked and hurried back to the estate with foolish smiles in our eyes. That was the last time I'd seen any real sign of Justice, almost five years ago.

We'd lived quietly enough, once the mess after I beat the Arishok was over. I couldn't quite stay in my old mercenary armor and pretend publicly that I wasn't a mage because I didn't wear robes. No, I couldn't pretend that as it felt like half the nobility watched me defeat the Qunari leader with my magic, even as the Viscount's head was still seeping blood on the marble.

From their reactions, they would have made me Viscount right then, if I'd had the sense to not be born a mage. Meredith hated that, but the Grand Cleric still welcomed my open visits to the Chantry. I even tried to hide my smugness from the Templars on duty, when visiting the chantry to collect Sebastian. Anders' eyes gleamed at the joke too, even if we never spoke of it.

Still the occasional task like tracking an assassin or reopening the quarry when another dragon arrived in the area was enough for now. I hungered to make Meredith eat her words, as anyone could be corrupted, not just us mages. Look how much damage the former Teyrn of Gwaren did, that was far more than the abominations I'd ever seen. They fought stupid and had no allies.

Even now Anders was still strong, and he worked with the Ferelden underclass and I'm sure still helped other mages. But he was at heart a healer, so I did what I did best: help others with problems they couldn't do alone and blast idiots and monsters with my pyromancy. Any assassin who was sloppy enough to catch my attention, was a more immediate threat than Justice for a few days.

Anders seemed firmly in control even at home, so we'd be in the sewers hunting shit in less than a week.

We passed through the Dalish camp. The elves pointedly ignored Merrill, while she only looked sad. I'd supported her, warily, but I don't think she understood that friendship wasn't a carrot to make her give up her dreams. I liked to talk about magic with someone who'd not been taught by the Circle, directly for Anders, or indirectly as it had been for Bethany and I.

Not far beyond the Dalish camp we checked the first cave Merrill knew of. By the time we'd explored it, the only creature left inside was a golem that didn't respond coherently to any of Isabela's sallies. The rest of us were quiet, and even our pirate was quiet by the time we reached fresh air again.

Following the path to the next cave, Anders warned, "Darkspawn!"

"Bollocks..." complained Isabela.

I only had the time to brush my lyrium potions at my belt before the creatures attacked. Calling flames from the sky while Merrill called lightning, the things scattered, fried, or just plain died from our spells. Anders yelled one of his silly battle cries, while Merrill and I just killed them.

These were much easier to face above ground than when they'd been down in the Deep Roads. When Isabela swore and I glanced in her direction to see something almost too big to be real.

"Fuck. An ogre, isn't it?" she said, sounding a little uncertain. "Well, I always like my men big..."

"Anders, help her with the ogre!" I called before pouring down a potion, trying to ignore the bitter living flavor of magic. I knew Merrill could finish the garlocks, or whatever they were.

Isabela was getting good at dodging the ogre, even laughing a couple of times before we managed to kill him. It was the last one killed, falling down with a huge thud. Cautiously, Isabela lifted a strip of remaining cloth and armor over his crotch, made a face and spat. I wasn't planning to ask.

I hadn't dodged a swipe and spent some time after the fight was over, with ringing ears from a glancing hit. Sitting on a collapsed wall, I fuzzily watched Isabela do a jig on the ogre's corpse and had to snicker.

"Hawke? Are you still hurt?" Anders asked, sounding less irritable and more like himself, cupping my cheek gently.

Smiling up at him, I put my hand over his. I really looked forward to when his potion was made. I really wanted his undivided attention, when he didn't have to be extra careful to keep Justice happy.

"Nothing too serious," I admitted, "I could fight if I had to."

"But?" he said coaxingly, kneeling between my knees, closer now because my war mage armor had breeches instead of the damn long skirts.

"I can't like that everything has gone to shit at once, ever since Orsino tried to rally people behind the mages and the Knight Commander shut it down," I said leaning forward enough to lay my head on his shoulder and put my arms around him. "She makes the ones that Dad knew sound pleasant. It's been how many years since we had this many things that needed attention? I wish you'd found that potion recipe six months ago when we'd had the time."

His arms around me, Anders turned his face into my hair, and admitted after a long moment, "It was nice then, taking a lazy day when the weather was bad and staying in bed all day.

Those were special days, days I hoped could last forever. Maybe they'd be so in two weeks.

"Hawke!" came from the direction of the dead ogre.

I looked up again, and Isabela was helping a slightly worried looking Merrill to stand up on the ogre too. After a few seconds Merrill relaxed into the jig and I had to smile at them.

Isabela waved and gestured me up, "Come on Hawke, you can kick him in the balls, too. Even blue-arse-crack should approve of that revenge."

Shaking my head and smiling, I had to say, "No, I am soooo not drunk enough."

Isabela pouted, but I got a kiss from my favorite mage instead, so I was fine.

The next thing I knew I heard Isabela's voice right by my ear say smugly, "Exploring your Deep Roads again Hawke? Need any help, Anders?"

Anders chuckled and said, "No, no. I don't need maps anymore. I've got this thaig memorized, and the other thaigs all look alike to me these days."

Both of them smirking at me, I played at smacking them both while Merrill giggled.

I was very glad she was looking better, she always looked bad if we had a mission near her clan. We'd have to find her Keeper before we returned to Kirkwall. That mirror didn't bother me too much but I was afraid she'd kill herself by doing blood magic to fix it quickly. The secrets had been lost for centuries, she didn't have to fix it this year and I doubted that a mirror was the cure for all the elves had lost that she hoped it was. We were far more likely to get into a cess pit by hurrying than being careful.

Once Isabela had rechecked the bodies for coins for her new ship, we continued down the path to one of the larger caves, looking for the reported killer. The next cave had a Varterral last time in the depths, and this time lots of spiders all the way in. They just kept coming down from the ceiling and out of tunnels too oddly shaped for us to explore. I used more potions than when we had Aveline or Fenris along for some missions. I even missed Carver's complaints.

Still we kept moving forward and we began to joke about the ways spider silk could make us a profit, to cover my nerves at least.

The last chamber we checked was the largest, and we still hadn't seen any sign of the assassin. Well that could have been because we walked right by him, but I didn't think so. When we reached the huge chamber, it looked like it had last time, with only a few bits of husks or bones.

I had the same odd rattle in my connection to the Fade I'd felt last time, just like other places reeking of old and new deaths. Even if I didn't hear anything, it was like hearing an angry snake. "I thought we killed it," I muttered in the doorway, raising a defensive spell.

"It cannot die, as long as it has something to guard..." Merrill said, sounding ever regretful these magics were lost.

That annoyed me, "So anyone, anything, that can somehow get past all the spiders, will be safe? I'll remember that the next time I bake a pie I don't want stolen before it cools."

"I believe it may only protect the ehlven, lethallan," Merrill warned. "Do you bake?"

"Still that is a very large loophole," Anders said thoughtfully. "Then again why didn't it protect the hunter when we were here before?"

Merrill looked dismayed, but only shook her head.

I carefully stepped in, with Isabela close to me. Merrill and Anders usually stayed back. At the bottom of the stairs, I felt that apprehension I felt last time and the Varterral dropped into the chamber, We attacked with our best spells while Isabela closed. I held my petrify until Merrill's expired.

I thought we were doing better this time. We had Aveline and Varric last time and I'd begum to think I'd die of old age before it dropped, Now we could keep hitting it with spells constantly, paralyzing it to give us a breather. Its spit was still noxious, and my biggest problem so far was running out of mana, emptying several vials. It was starting to slow from some of its injuries, when it thrashed out and knocked loose rocks from the roof.

Casting a spell, I almost didn't feel the warning dust in time, but I jumped back. I was knocked back by a boulder. It was taller than me, and rolled towards the base of the stairs and my shoulder felt smashed. Merrill had been knocked aside too and was standing up, but Anders wasn't moving.

Rushing closer, his neck was bent at a bad angle and I could feel from the spirits that he was nearly gone. Reaching for another mana vial, the cork was broken off, and the others were already empty.

I began to panic when I thought I saw a glow as if a wispy light seemed to rise from his body.

"No! Anders!" I screamed as Merrill cast another paralysis at the monster. I didn't have enough mana left and she couldn't help. I reached for my knife, wondering wildly if willpower and blood alone was enough to make up for my total lack of knowledge on the hated blood magic.

Help me to help him and other mages who are victims!

Oh Maker. I grew dizzy feeling like a gust of Fade energy wafted through me, It wasn't enough, but Anders wasn't breathing and time seemed to have stopped. Even Isabela seemed to hang almost in a midair leap.

-You've nearly destroyed him with your impatience! I wanted to shout at the spirit.

Some things cannot wait! The tyrants, inside the Fade or here, must be opposed. Complacency is their weakness, it need not be yours. I can strengthen you against apathy and sloth. I can give you strength to strike against injustice. A pause in even this timeless instant and he said, My friend can not wait much longer, this is not the time for patience.

My mind stuttering, I couldn't think, couldn't accept this. For some stupid assassin and a suspicious contact... Anders wasn't allowed to die for such a stupid reason. I might accept it if he'd accomplished something, but not some blasted spider. I couldn't liv...

-Fine.

I breathed in fresh energy from the Fade, and closed my eyes against the visions and disjoint and coldly emotionless viewpoint. It was a little like the lack of feeling the Tranquil seemed, but there was a seething lava river of feeling for abuses and just consequences for doing or approving of evil. I saw sights of injustices and resulting actions spinning like the paddles of some waterwheel. Stilling my thoughts as if with a heavy mace, I carefully cast my spells of revival and healing.

As much as I felt my head would explode as I cast the spells, Anders body rose in the air briefly as the energy from the Fade returned with him for a moment. So it did work. Wearily I cast another healing, one that would aid everyone. Soon Anders stood and flatly called he was able to fight. I only nodded and shifted back to attack spells, because my head felt twice as wide and tall and about to fall off. Or maybe my skull was overstuffed like some goose, but there was a pressure like deep water giving me a headache.

Eventually, the Varterral collapsed again, and before Isabela even got the chance to look at the coins off to the side, a male elf melted out of the shadows,

Isabela knew him, well it seemed, and Anders had heard of him. That was good enough for me, I'd been hunted for no good reason my whole life, I wasn't going to do the same to others. This Nuncio set me up, and we were going to visit him now.

It seemed people lied to me all the time, I thought while gritting my teeth. I didn't like being this sure. If this Crow leader couldn't handle the cave, I was just pissed enough to return his lies to him forcefully. I let the elf go, collecting the treasure that had been gathered for or by the spider thing. I'd need it to buy more potions for this wild goose chase.

I rubbed my head discreetly all the way out.

We caught up with the Crow at a small camp and he didn't like that I hadn't any proof of the elf's death. What kind of sick ass did he think I was?

The elf showed up with even more rude words for Nuncio, and the expected fight started. These Crows weren't nearly as tough as the Varterral, and soon I kicked the corpse of Nuncio. The others had been pleased with the booty, and Isabela wandered off with this Zevran for some private booty as Anders grinned at them.

We moved further away from the Crow camp and Merrill went looking for herbs. Anders was still grinning, almost fit to burst, and I waited to make sure Merrill had gone far enough away to not hear this.

His grin faded into horror when I asked him, "And just how long were you going to lie to me about that damn potion, Anders?"

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A/N: Any typos that remain are not intentional... Reviews or a PM to let me know what you think would be very appreciated.