The Duster & The Giant
(My second story. Until my first is complete, this will only be released once a week. Bi-weekly if there are issues. This WILL be a crossover, however, at it's heart, it is a Dragon Age fan fiction. Feel free to leave a review, all feedback is good feedback.)
Hel was doing her work at a steady pace, carefully placing the fruits of her labor in a box marked "lichen bread". Of course that wasn't really in there: the Carta wouldn't waste someone simply on baking. Hel was a capable fighter, but what the Carta, specifically Beraht, valued her for was her ability to make explosives: fire bombs, acid flasks, anything that could ruin a day for someone. She was paid nicely for her work, and add that to Rica's noble hunting...she scoffed. Her sister shouldn't have had to play whore for Beraht. Ancestors, how she hated the man.
"Hey salroka, hows your tinkering going for you? Easier than mugging I'd guess," said a familiar voice from behind her. Hel turned to see her only friend in the world: Leske, her childhood friend. His dark skin and dark cornrowed hair blended in perfectly to their cavernous surrounding.
"Fine, nug humper," she said quietly, a little tired from her long work hours.
"Well, glad to hear," he said. "Your 'bread' has saved me many times."
"Damn, now you're making me regret my work," she said, chuckling. She and Leske had a sick sense of humor. It was one of many bonding points for them. Their other common interests included lock picking, nug wrangling, and scrapping with other thugs to practice their skills.
"Well, Beraht told me to tell you that you have a shipment of fire crystals coming in soon," he said. He was on his way out, but then turned to say "Oh, almost forgot. Beraht' going to have an old fashioned job for us two soon. Bashing heads, just like old times." The massive grin on his face showed how excited he was.
"Good," Hel said as she corked her last bottle. "Gives me more practice. Time to test new formulas."
He waved then left. Hel turned to the water basin to wash herself of the soot and chemicals that she was currently coated in. When she was done, she was staring at a young, pale woman with black hair and pale blue eyes. Those eyes had seen things nobody ever needed to see. She looked down at her hands. They did things no one should ever do. She clenched them. In order to survive, they'd need to continue their horrible work.
She walked out of the store house, and looked up to the cavern's ceiling. After all, she was casteless. There was no escape of this life for her. All she could do was get used to it. Sighing, she was about to begin her way home, then she noticed a silhouette slumped against the side of the building. Curious, she took a step closer to examen. What she saw shocked her.
At first, she thought it was a qunari. Beraht hired a few Tal Vashoth on occasion. But this person seemed a little thinner than the sullen men from Par Vollen. Then, she realized: It was a human! The man had to be 6 1/2 feet tall! At his side was a sword that appeared almost as tall as him. The armor he wore, a metallic heavy armor that appeared to be modeled on some surface creature, seemed equally interesting. His brown hair was cut a little short, and he bore stubble rather than a beard. Hel leaned in to check on him, only for him to open his eyes and look at Hel.
"Ugh...where am I?" Eyes as pale as ice crystals, almost white, stared back at Hel. His voice practically rumbled with power, with some distinct guttural accent that she couldn't place. Then again, she'd never heard a surfacer's accents.
"Orzammar. Who are you?"
"Call me Ulf" said the giant, now standing, and towering over the dwarf. He looked confused. Almost as if he never heard of Orzammar. The look he was giving Hel made her think he'd never seen a dwarf.
"Well Ulf, why don't you come home with me? My mother may be a useless drunk, but she makes a good nug roast," said Hel. "Besides, you clearly don't know how you got here. Perhaps we can find out what happened?" Something seemed weird about the man, but she didn't care. She obviously wasn't some random footpad, so she was trustworthy, or more so than most of her associates at least. Maybe this giant was her chance at getting rid of Beraht...