"You know, having 'Bull sling-shot you into that mob of Templars wouln't be such a bad idea," Aisling stated ruefully, motioning her hands in a circular motion as a Mana Surge was methodically placed behind the Templar camp. "Trying to be funny again, with your shitty jokes eh? Nope. Not gonna happen Lady Herald." Sera replied acidly, side-eyeing the Tal-Vashoth for suggesting the idea a few weeks ago. "Hey!" Bull bellowed playfully, "It was just an idea alright? Don't look at me." The large Qunari shrugged, reaching over his shoulder to prepare for his attack, "But you have to admit Sera, if we armored you from head to toe in the heaviest of Steel armor, you can take them all out like a loose canon, and you'd be a legend, and the people of Thedas would never forget you." Sera looks at the large Quanri and snorts derisively, "Pfft, yeah! Because there's not enough shitty songs /already/ being sung about me yeah? You think I want to hear more? Fuck off with that shite." Blackwall who was following the Inquisitor closely behind laughed, "Sera, Bull has a point. You'd be a bloody loose canon and not just in a metaphorical way. What more could you ask for?" Before the archer could reply, an arrow nearly grazes the side of Sera's cheek. She grabs it with a quickness, pulling her bow out as the arrow strikes against the bow string and is sent flying straight at the Templar's neck. Aisling lets the barrier work its magic, disrupting the group of Templars that walked right through and staggering them on contact. "Alright," Aisling started, glancing at Blackwall, Bull, and Sera. "Right. So here's the plan-"
"Nevermind the plan, we don't bloody need one!"
Aisling placed her hand over Sera's mouth and continued, "Bull, Blackwall- I'm going to freeze the two in the the back as me and Sera flank the archers. The two in the front have shields so using my magic on them won't do any good." Sera's mumbled in between Aisling's fingers. "Mmmph.. puffbucket..ppphhit head." Bull chimed in, "What she meant was we're all in Boss."
Aisling removed her hand and nodded, glancing at the barrier that evaporated into thin air a few yards ahead. "Oh I see you arsetit," Sera murmured as she began to run parallel to the Inquisitor, pulling three arrows from her quiver as she approached the Templar Archer from a more elvated position.
"And there she goes," Blackwall chuckles, pulling his sword from his scabbard as he signals the Tal-Vashoth to attack.
"PhHhhhWwwwAaaaaR!"The Quanri roars before charging.
With calculated measure, the two warriors run right into the belly of the camp, attracting the attention from the archers in the back. Aisling couldn't have found a better opportunity to cast. Her coat billowed as she ran up from on top, on the opposite side of the camp that was surrounded by foothills and stone hedges. The Inquisitor side stepped and turned, aiming her staff at the Archer closest to her. "Goodbye!" She yelled, not really sure why... only that it was cathartic. A distinctive battlecry that she hoped would be remembered for the ages. A fiery ball fo ice shot from the tip of her staff, hurling itself onto the archer on impact, freezing the rebel just as he released his arrow towards the Qun. Shields clashed and swords came together, singing their song of steel against the light of the sun that glinted off in the distance. "Come on!" Blackwall taunted as he lowered his shield, spitting a little blood to the side. "You gonna stand there all day like a lyrium-addicted pansy or you gonna fight?" The Red Templar didn't need further encouragement. A battlecry howled through his visor as he charged at the warrior with his longsword. He swung to the right, but Blackwall sidestepped just in time to the left, clubbing the side of the Templar's head with his shield and sending him straight to the dirt. When the Templar tried to get up, a sword went through his back. "Send my regards to Andraste herself you bloody bastard." A few Templar Assassins caught Iron Bull from behind, thrashing their blades as quickly as they appeared. "Sera, Iron Bull needs help!" The Inquisitor barked from up top, spreading her arms as a bolt of lightning striked the assassins from above, paralyzing them just as they were about to jump the Qunari from behind again. "Don't move you daft tit!" Sera barked at the Qunari, unclasping her index and forefinger and letting three arrows cut through the air. Iron Bull ducked out of instinct, and before he could blink, the arrows pierced through the Assassins bodies, killing them in an instant.
Iron Bull shook his head in disbelief, "You know Sera,
I'm getting tired of you stealing my kills." Sera stuck her tongue out and said, "You're not mad because I stole your kills you shitehead, you're mad because I saved your life. Don't be a sour loser." The Inquisitor wiped her brow and added, "She's right Bull, you had three Assassins ready to cut you up like snofleur." Blackwall didn't look amused. "Very funny, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I almost forgot how funny you are." Blackwall laughed at Bull's reply and glanced up at the Inquisitor. "Are we done here? I could use a bloody shower. Maker knows I haven't had one in days.."
"Eeww! Remind me again Blackwall... how you managed to get doe-eyed Squishy squish to fall for you old man? Was it the beard?," She mocked as she jumped from the stone hedge to the ground, "Oh wait! I've got it, she has a thing for danger doesn't she? Explains that whole bit about you being a Grey Warden and all that yeah?"
The Inquisitor joined the group but remained quiet, enjoying the banter that erupted after and before every kill.
"Maybe it has a little bit to do with everything," he stated matter-of-factly, "But to be honest, I fancy it has something to do with the way I use my sword if you catch my meaning."
"I take it the book worked wonders for the two of you?" The Inquisitor grinned, crouching on the ground to yank some elfroot from the wet grass.
"You seem to have good taste in rading material, Aisling. I'll leave it at that."
By the time the group finished looting off the scattered bodies they had just killed, it was hard to tell the time of day from the gloom that covered the skies. The stretch of shore line that gently embraced the Waking Sea carved out the path clearer than most of the regions they scouted. Cavernous hills and mountains that seemed to stretch towards the sky skirted around the rocky path. The shoreline itself was always trecherous to the feet. Composed of endless rocks and seashells, and sometimes shards of Lyrium that glinted its deathly glow of seductive power to anyone who laid their eyes upon it. Rich Merchant ships blanketed the depths of the ceaseless and restless ocean, all attributed to (according to legend) the follies of their proud captains. It was understandable to believe why such tales arose in such vivid imaginations, especially when the Waking Sea was never shy to strike so close to the shore, ever a bold invitation if there was one.
It was a long path, but not one that was void of danger. The mists seemed to part before the group and close up as they passed. The stones were wet and slick beneath their feet.
"You know, I remember the first time I was here," The Inquisitor started as they tread the stony shoreline, with the others walking beside her, "Bull, I couldn't tell the difference between the good guys or the bad. Sort of like when I first scouted the Hinterlands." There was a beat. "As a matter of fact, I still can't get it out of my head, having to fight agaist Mages when I myself AM a Mage." Blackwall immediately cut in, leering. "And that wasn't the bloody worst of it! Do you remember that Dragon and Giant going at it right by the water?" He whistled at the thought. "Maker's tits if that was ever a fight!"
"Oh yes," Bull salivated, "I remember that. It was the first time I fought along side you boss, and I'm not gonna lie, I was rather... curious to see how you would stand up to the challenge."
"And how did I do?" She questioned the tall Qunari.
Sera shaked her head dismissively and interrupted. "Why the lot of you enjoy being stomped about like ants is friggin beyooooond me. Not me, nope. I've never sent so many arrows to a face like that before." She yelled, "And that was just that tit's face!. Know how many I had to send to it's big fat ugly toe?"
Bull chuckled at Sera's remark and said, "Boss, all I gotta say is it was a defining moment. I knew right there and then, I had chosen the right person to follow- and mind you- I don't follow."
"You know," Blackwall added, "I didn't think you'd do it either. I figured that closing breaches business was all you were good at, no offense. Well, that, and dancing."
Aisling laughed at that and glanced over at Sera, who was walking alongside the Warden.
"Apparently I'm also very good at being rejected by Sera if I recall correctly."
Blackwall and Bull oooohed almost simultaneously, their eyes averting to the smaller elf.
"What are you on about?" Sera shot back defensively, knowing full well what she meant. "I was bloody tired yeah? And you wanted to dance and I'm a horrible dancer."
"Doesn't matter if you are Sera, all you had to do was follow my lead."
"Oh yeah? I've seen the way you look at me Herald. You come by my room practically begging for a snog everytime you see me, telling me things you know I want to hear so that I can play damsel-in-distress to your knight-in-shining-armour. I'm not stupid, you know. I know your lot."
Bull and Blackwall oooohed again, glancing at eachother before turning to see how the Inquisitor would react.
"You know Sera, I find it interesting how you think you've got me all figured out. I never pegged you for being the 'hard-to-get' type." Sera stopped walking, forcing the others to turn around to see what she was up to. "Oh yeah?" She said. An illustrious cheshire smile graced her face before she started sprinting towards the Inquisitor, leaping off the ground and jumping onto the Inquisitor's back, sending the her lurching slightly forward and taking her off guard.
"I came around see? Just from the back. Now instead of you galloping around with your big head all full of crazy ideas and stuff, you're going to carry me all the way to camp. Like a good Herald."
The corner of Aisling's lips curved, knowing in full confidence that Sera's playful defiance against her authority was more provacative instead of its intended effect. She held on to Sera's legs to quickly support her weight and winked at the other two, who seemed just as entertained as she was.
"You see? I've got her in the palm of my hand."
Sera flicked her in the ear, "Shut it, or you'll have something else through that magicy-hand of yours."
"Hm, I can see why you'd fall for a girl like Sera, Boss." The Qunari mused.
"Shut it!"
"Ohoho come on! You didn't even know what I was going to say!"
"Don't say a word, you hear."
Aisling laughed lightly and urged the Qunari on, "No Bull, go on, I want to hear this."
"She's small, and squishy," The Qunari said, "and bendy. I like bendy."
Sera shot the Tal-Vashoth a look, "Is that it? That's what you like about me? Pfft, even that creepy demony thingy would've come up with sum'n better."
"I was ALSO going to add that Sera has a lot of heart, despite of what others presume of her. I find that to be cute."
"I'm right here you know."
Bull let out a deep chortle. "But of course, you already know all this, right boss?"
"I think Sera knows how much we love her company, Bull."
"We?" Sera reiterated, "I don't believe he was asking us for our opinion now was he? Why you trying to avoid the question?"
"I don't know," Aisling's breath hitches as she makes her way up the dirt path toward the mountain, "Maybe because you're quite heavy and I can barely breathe?"
"Am I really?" Sera says curiously. "You can send a demon back to the fade and put a Templar six feet under but you can't handle carrying me on your back? I call bullshit." The Inquisitor knew better than to take the bait and ignored the small jeer. This wasn't the usual behaviour she allowed any of the others to see, but without the judging eyes of the Knight Enchanter around, the mage felt like she could let her guard down and be more of herself around them. "I think the camp is just a few yards ahead," Aisling panted, feeling a slight trickle of sweat glide down the side of her neck. "Bloody fantastic, now I can finally take a shower." Blackwall gazed out at the sky as the stars began to shimmer against the vase expanse. "And not a cloud in sight," Bull added, "meaning no rain, which is unusual in this part of the coast." He took a deep breath and hummed a long sigh of approval. "And that salty air aahhh, it's what I missed most since I left."
"And I just want to go to sleep." Sera placed her chin on the Inquisitor's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Alone, in case you were wondering your /worship/."
The two men 'oooh' once more.
"I wasn't counting on it," The Inquisitor deflected acrimoniously. "Besides, I've heard tavern tales about your snore. What was it? The snore that shook the world I believe it was called."
"No- See that was a bad joke Herald. You're just /full/ of them aren't you?"
"Dad jokes," Bull quipped, "We all love them Boss, don't listen to her. She's just jealous she's not as funny as you hehe."
Sera didn't bother to reply since she had already fallen asleep.
"And there she goes," Blackwall said with a slight chuckle.
The wind howled as the four of them made their way to the top of the hillside. The evening's mist had evaporated into a chill that was refershing for a day's worth of endless fighting. Bruises littered their bodies, with the exception of the larger Qunari who was too much muscle for a Templar to scratch.
The Inquisitor's boots were lumps of brown leather mottled by saltstains cracked from long wear, and her body was nearly shaking from exhaustion. It was a relief to finally stop moving, and it couldn't have been a better spot. Nestled in between large mountains and lush greens, Driftwood Margin Camp was a beauty in comparison to other ones she discovered in her travels. The bright crescent moon hung on a bed of stars, washing the large stones with a contour of the large trees that surrounded the small campsite.
Bull and Blackwall were quick to set up the tents and supplies the requisitions officer had left for them behind, and it wasn't long before there was a warm fire to keep the party warm through the night. Blackwall had gone off to shower, and Bull and Sera were already sleeping in their tents. Tomorrow she knew they would have to take the Templar stronghold by surprise, and that meant regaining enough rest to have the proper wits to do so. Most days, the Inquisitor relished at the comforts provided for her, but tonight was too beautiful to pass up. She rolled out a bedroll and climbed in it. Her body languid and aching with every movement. The stars were red-hot against the black ocean. She could feel her heart fold against its magic, as if the stars themselves were calling her away. Maker knew she needed it, a little semblance of peace and quiet before the madness started all over again. And she was grateful. Many heroes came before her, and now their place was among the stars, she thought hazily, her eyelids feeling the weight, a soft spoken promise of a good night's sleep. And a good night's sleep it was.