Now we revert back to the original group and their adventures! :D Here's the full summary. :3
Summary: Living in Kirkwall has never really been good for her, especially since the family she lives in is a mixture of humans, elves, mages, and thieves. However, they make a living by becoming a mercenary group that holds any information for anyone, for a price. But when a new family moves in nearby just a couple of weeks after the Blight has begun, will their way of life change for better or worse?
Now on with the story!
Note that we do not own the Dragon Age franchise or any of its characters. They are the creation and belongings of BioWare. This is just a fan fiction and interpretation of the events that occur before and during Dragon Age 2. We only own ourselves.
I basically had to play out the demo for beginning reference numerous times and then playing the full game as carefully as possible, then replaying it in order to understand which choices will Hawke-chan will make with the assistance of people from another world and time.
Also, there is a lot of swearing, mostly in our parts, but hey, at least there's more swearing in the game… and a lot of NPC death…
Also, I know this chapter is short, but it was already hard on how to start this off… freaking writer's block and thank you to my friend for suggesting this.
This story is co-made with Michelle since she gave all the humor ideas here, mostly based on when we are playing Brotherhood.
Chapter 1
Dusk the Information Broker
Docks, Night
"I can't believe we are even coming here for simple information," Carver spoke with great annoyance and anger. His older brother just shook his head with a small smile before turning to look at Varric. The dwarven man had an impatient look on his face as he heard him say, "What is taking him so long?" Curiosity started to rise as it overcame him, making Garrett ask, "Who are we waiting for?" Turning to look at him with small confusion, Varric sighed and said, "That's right. Smuggler girl didn't tell you or I guess, you haven't gone to him before. We're here to meet Dusk."
"Who the bloody hell is Dusk?" Carver asked, not caring that his voice was filled with irritation. Varric ignored the urge to shoot the guy's mouth off as he then answered, "Dusk is rather new in Kirkwall as they had only arrived about a couple of years before you guys did, or so I've heard from my other resources. They say that this guy… or was it a girl? Maker, I hope it's a girl. Anyways, this person has nearly every kind of information for anything and on anyone. What's the really kicker is that the person seems to have this sense of precognition or what have you, giving you information on what could happen once you have the information." The two men gave a small stare to each other as Garrett voiced out, "So this Dusk is a mage?" Varric let out a laugh as he answered, "That's the thing. No one knows who or what Dusk is. Some say that this person was a powerful apostate who decided to just mess with the Templars here in the Kirkwall by being uncatchable. Others say that Dusk is in fact a group of people since the appearance of the person seems to change through each rumor." Garrett looked rather skeptical at this tale while Carver said, "Well, I hope they weren't praising the man's timing since I doubt he is going to be coming at all. This was a waste of time!"
"Well, in that case, I'll just take me leave then."
The three men turned to see three figures standing at the far end of the dock. The one standing in the middle was the tallest as he towered the one on his left just a few inches while the one on his right just reached passed his shoulders. They were dressed in hooded outfits, although the one on the left seemed to lack the cape that hung over the person's left side. He also noted that the one on the right was a female. "I'm surprised that Hawke the smuggler is actually here to see me." He did a mock bow as he introduced himself. "You may call me Dusk." Garrett then eyed at the man's two companions and asked, "Are they Dusk too?" The man chuckled a bit as he said, "Oh no, my friend. They are just here to guard me, much to my own dismay." The Fereldan mage noted that his accent was that of an Antivan, but it also gave off a weird vibe that wouldn't come from one. He then heard Varric ask, "You got the information?" Dusk simply tilted his head and asked, "I don't know. Do you have the money, mio amico?"
The dwarf looked to his friend who gave him a look of incredulity as Varric stated, "Hey, you're the one who wants in on the expedition." Garrett proceeded to comment angrily about Andraste's assets before he pulled out his money pouch. "How much is it?" he asked as Dusk simply stated, "Five sovereigns." Pulling out the only five gold pieces that he had, he placed them in a separate pouch and tossed it to the man. Dusk simply caught it and tossed it to the other male who quickly caught it rather awkwardly. Garrett nearly heard the girl scold the man quietly, but didn't hear the words as Dusk said, "A man in this city has the maps through the Deep Roads, though I suggest you tread lightly. He is, of course, a Grey Warden… or was it an ex-Grey Warden? Meh, non è mioproblema. Just look around Lowtown during the day and you'll easily see where you can start searching for your maps."
He then turned towards the end of the dock as he waved at them, "And with this, I bid adieu." They watched as the trio turned away from them and just stood at the edge of the stone cliff. After that... well, they had just stood there as Garrett asked, "Uh... are we supposed to leave or do you?" Dusk turned and he saw the man smile innocently while saying through the gritted teeth, "Don't worry! We are just trying to... well, hold on." The mage and his companions looked at them awkwardly as they seem to be conversing.
What's the hold up?
Mister I'm-Down-For-Anything is too figa to go jump the cliff.
Not my fault! It's higher than you said it was.
Sei seriamente rovinando questo... I guess there's only one thing to do.
What?
夕暮れ
"What's taking them so long?" Lisa asked as they were on a boat, waiting below the cliff as they waited for their friends to jump them. "I mean, the water is better to land in than a cart full of flowers or hay." She stared at her two other friends, Cynthia and Merry as they stood on the boat. Merry wore a black tunic with a red sash wit h the end part flowing in front of her, a pair of knee-high boots and a black cloak over it. Cynthia dressed like a Warrior monk that was in a black and blue color scheme and her hair was tied and nearly touched the ground. She, herself, wore a simple grey hood jacket with no sleeves and a pair of white pants with red linings that overlapped a pair of black boots. Her hair was brushed to the right side as it laid lazily over her shoulder and collar bone.
"I didn't see any carts filled with those anywhere," Merry stated in a normal tone as her two friends just slowly turned their heads to give her a disbelief and narrow-eyed stare. Before anyone could comment on her ridiculous comment, they all suddenly looked up to see two figures falling from the cliff above. One of them seemed to be waving his arms rather frantically as Merry asked, "Is that Erick?" Cynthia simply tilted her head, trying to get a better angle from where she stood. Cynthia gave out a small laugh and stated, "Oh man, what is the guy trying to do? Flap his wings so he can fly?" As they continued to stare at the falling two, Lisa suddenly stated, "Maybe… we should move the boat a little farther out." She knew her friends glanced at her as she suddenly placed on glasses and pointed upwards, saying, "At the speed they are falling added to the force that was made by our boss pushing them, the trajectory of Erick falling will probably and most likely—"
She didn't get to finish as Erick landed pretty hard on the boat, causing it to shake, while Michelle landed on the far end of the boat and into the water. They all stared at the man who looked dead on the boat as Lisa just nudged him with her foot. After a few prods, Erick's arm pushed away the leg as Lisa shouted, "He's alive? Fuck all kinds of duck!" Her small fit of anger stopped when she saw Merry giving her a wary look as she then corrected herself, "I mean… thank Go—the Maker that he is alive from such a high fall?" Merry just shook her head as she went to the edge of the boat to help Michelle out of the water. Once she was safely on the boat, Michelle shouted, "Lisa! Ezio pushed us off the cliff because Pussy-pants wouldn't jump!"
There was another splash, but not one that sounded like it hurt as Ezio climbed on to the boat. "Next time we do this," Ezio stated as he took off his hood, revealing a young face. "I'm taking people who aren't taking loro tempo dolce just to dive into water." Shaking their heads, Cynthia went to the rudder as she steered them to a good distance away from the meeting place. There, they saw Naoe standing on the dock with many towels. Once reaching it, he handed the three drenched people as he turned to Lisa and bowed while saying, "I have been able to find a safe and concealed route back with some assistance by Athenril. She also gives her regards to Dusk for the information on the Corterie's cargo and will be retrieving said items by tomorrow night." Lisa simply smiled as they were led into through the streets back to Hightown.
The sun was nearly rising when they entered into the large mansion as everyone headed to their rooms, simply dead tired. Well, more so for the three who had just did that stunt earlier. As she moved to go slip under the covers of her bed, she felt her eyes slowly close and let unconsciousness overcome her.
Mid Afternoon of Next Day
Letting out a small yawn, Lisa rubbed the small tear that fell from her eyes while Merry was drinking a small cup of tea. "I can't believe just standing for hours in a boat can be tiresome." Next to them, or more like a few feet behind, Michelle was slowly walking as she groaned in pain. "Why was it my turn to go with Ezio?" she muttered quietly so that only her two friends could hear her. Lisa turned with a small smirk as she said, "Because you wanted to be with him, of course." The two nearly giggled when they saw the blush crawling on to her face while she stalked up to catch up with them as best as she could. However, once they stepped into the Chantry Courtyard, they heard a loud outburst.
"Sebastian! Stop this madness."
The three girls turned and stopped to see a young male placing something on the Chantry board while what looked like the Grand Cleric was yelling at him. As they watched the two converse, Merry asked, "Hey… isn't that your—"
"Just a friend, Merry," Lisa spoke irritably as they watched him stalk away. The Grand Cleric tore the post from the page as she held accusingly while shouting, "This is murder!" In a swift and fluid movement, they watched Sebastian pull out his bow and shot an arrow to embed the post back onto the board. He then stated, "No! What happened to my family was murder." He then turned to walk away, nearly bumping into a group of people. Lisa was about head over to the board when she was pulled back by Michelle. Turning to glare at her friend, she saw her pointing inconspicuously as possible towards someone and said, "Holy shit! It's the dude we helped last night!" Looking to the direction she was pointing, the two other girls saw a black haired man accompanied by a dwarf and two other humans. He was reading the post on the Chantry board, as if considering answering the post. She turned to look at her friend and said, "It's not like he'll recognize you. You're not wearing the same clothing as last night." She did have a point as they were all wearing the casual wear for Kirkwallers as Michelle suddenly stood normally and said, "I knew that."
They then resumed their walk towards the Market, almost reaching the steps when she remembered something. Touching her small bag, she felt the item through the skin pouch as she said, "Hold on! I have to go back! I'll meet you guys later." Ignoring the complaint from Merry, she rushed back to the Chantry and noticed that the group who was reading it was just about to leave. Seeing the dwarf, she called out, "Messere Varric!" This caught the man's attention as he stopped to look at her, his face filled with a cocky smirk. "Well, if it isn't Ms. Kamimae. I thought you had forgotten." She bowed to him, slightly out of breath as she apologized, "I know. I'm so sorry! It slipped my mind just earlier when I saw you with… um…"
"Hawke, ma'am," said the one who was leading the group. She bowed to him as she then rummaged through her bag, pulling out a small pouch and said, "Here is your payment, though I still don't get why you would like food instead of gold." The dwarf gave out a small laugh as he accepted the pouch of food, opening it while smiling happily. "Well, I'm wealthy enough as it is, and I can't resist this triangular rice treats you make. So, what's the filling this time?"
夕暮れ
As they watched the two conversing, Aveline asked, "How does Varric know Lady Kamimae?" The Hawke brothers looked at her with great surprise as Carver said, "That girl… an elf is a noble?" Aveline just simply stated, "Apparently, a noble adopted her and raised her as his own, along with a few other people that live with her. The only reason why there hasn't been much discrimination on her part is both because of her father's status and the fact that they are well liked by nearly all of Kirkwall, mostly the lower class." They then watched her bid farewell to the dwarf as she ran off towards the other corridor. Heading towards them, he lifted up the pouch as he said, "So, anyone wanna try these… aw shit, I forgot how to pronounce the name."
Not caring if they wanted one or not, he handed them each of the green dry seaweed covered food as he eagerly took a bite out of it while walking down the steps to the lower parts of Hightown. Garrett looked at it cautiously before he took a large bite out of it. He was shocked by the plain flavor at first before he tasted the well cooked meat that was most likely coated with a sweet sauce. "Bloody hell, this is good!" he heard Carver exclaim as he gobbled down the rest of it then asking Varric for another. However, the dwarf declined as he hugged the pouch, claiming that he wasn't planning on sharing the whole batch with everyone. Garrett just laughed at this as they headed downwards the stairs. However, he felt eyes watching him as he looked back to the Chantry Courtyard and saw no one even looking in his direction. Shrugging it off as just paranoia, he went on following his comrades down the stairs.
夕暮れ
Erick walked into the establishment as he saw many nearly beautiful people dressed in skimpy clothing. Resisting the urge to splurge here, he quickly headed into the main room to see Michelle speaking with some of the girls. "Now, you have to make sure that you keep them talking, darlings," he heard her say as he got closer. "And I'm sure Ezio will come here to congratulate you personally." The girls giggle as one of them said, "Oh! He is such a gentleman, unlike all the jerks here in Kirkwall." They soon left Michelle alone as the girl smiled, but it didn't stay long as the girl gave out a loud irritated sigh. Erick chuckled as he said, "Looks like you aren't having that much fun co-running a bordello."
The female elf turned, showing obvious irritation towards his presence as she said, "Well, it's better than just sitting on my ass at the manor, and thankfully, the girls here do get easy information from the templars." She then led him to where the courtesans would rest between their shifts or patrons. Getting a pint for both of them, she slid it to him as she took a seat across from him of the table. "Where's Merry?" he asked. Michelle just made a waving motion as she said, "She went to tell that Antheril about the Corterie having some supplies up in the Docks that is up for grabs. Hope whoever they send gets their ass handed to them." She took a large chug of the drink before hearing Erick then ask, "I still don't get why the people here seem to be very laidback than the hookers back home." Michelle slightly glared at him and stated, "Look, these people have only a short time to live, so why don't I just let them do what they want with little restriction and information in return? If they wanted to do other things, I won't stop them."
She suddenly stood on the table as she swished her pint, getting everyone's attention in the room as she shouted while pointing far yonder to nowhere, "Go, my hookers! Be free and spread AIDs for you don't have long to live!" Erick was shocked to see the people let out a sound of approval before laughter and drinks clinking echoed through the room. He then looked at the door that led back to the main room, seeing Ezio just staring with great shock as he then cleared his throat. Michelle turned and nearly fell off the table in surprise as the Italian said, "We should all meet outside. It's time for all of you to start some training." As he began to leave, Erick suddenly asked, "Do we have to be in uniform?"
All he got back as a middle finger by their maestro.
夕暮れ
They all were standing in a nearby alleyway that was near the Blooming rose as Cynthia adjusted the small belt of her outfit. She also fixed her hood, as did Merry and Lisa before turning to see Michelle fixing the shoulder cape while running towards them. Erick pulled up his mask and said, "So, what does the guy have in store for our first training session?" They all suddenly looked up to see a figure landed right in the middle of their gathered circle. Ezio was still dressed in his casual clothes as he said, "I'm glad you asked, Osmar." This was a small reminder for them to use their persona names, indicating that Ezio was probably inside the bordello and listening to his and Michelle's conversation. Ezio then continued, "Your objective is to find the assigned target. In order for you not actually kill each other, we will be aiming for these flags." He held up a bunch of different colored clothes, five in total.
"In them will hold a list of the order you must go after, by also taking the flags they have or acquired," he stated as he handed them each a cloth. "It's similar to, what is that game called… capture the flag, non? Anyways, you must grab the flag without getting their attention. If you succeed, hurry back to the top of the Blooming Rose and I will tell you how well you have done." They were given five minutes to get far away from each other as they could, but they could only travel in Hightown. The wait didn't last long as Michelle pulled out her list from her green cloth, seeing that her first target was Erick. She let out a small victory whoop before hearing someone behind her. She turned; ready to punch whoever was trying sneak up on her when she saw that it was Lisa. She let out a small sigh of relief before she eyed at her suspiciously. Under the hood, she saw her friend shake her head before she made a gesture that look like she was drawing a long line.
"Oh, Merry," she quietly stated before they decided to help each other get their first targets. As they traveled towards the Keep, they soon heard many of the other people complaining about a person shoving past them. They turned to see that it was Cynthia as she was pushing many of the people out of her way before climbing the rooftop. Lisa literally felt the anger rising in her friend as she saw her hold out her gloved hand and said, "Give me your flag, now." She was about to question, but quickly decided against it as she untied the blue cloth from her wrist and gave it to her. She then saw her friend disappear into an alley and decided to carefully follow Cynthia.
On the rooftop, Cynthia looked down below, not caring that some of the people were staring up at her. She looked for her target, mostly the short elf, but she didn't see her. As she leaned more closer to the edge, she had no time to react to someone pulling the front of her belt and over the edge. She let out a rather loud scream as she fell into a large bale of hay. Quickly scrambling out and checking if all of her was still there, she looked up and saw Michelle waving three colored flags, one of them hers. She then heard the elven girl shout, "That's what you get for running!"
From the top of the Chantry, he heard the screaming and shouting as Ezio let out a disappointed sigh before heading down to go explore more of Kirkwall since this would be taking a long while.
夕暮れ
After leaving his new Assassins to practice their stealth killing, Ezio decided to go venture through Kirkwall in his casual clothes. He grew tired of walking through Hightown not because of the constant swooning from the nobles and prostitutes there, but because of the fact that it always seemed to have a sense of more depression than any other part of the city. Once stepping into the part of Kirkwall known as Darktown, he knew that he was sticking out like a sore thumb due to the fact that he was wearing his casual outfit. However, he knew it was either this or his Assassin armor and he knew that would completely destroy their cover. He also didn't come here by accident. He wanted to know about the person he had just give information about to that Hawke man that was with Varric. It wasn't that he didn't know who the man exactly was; he just wanted to know the kind of person he was.
He soon found at the end of the long streets the house with lanterns lit. He opened the door and closed it behind him, seeing the place filled with a few patients, mostly of sick and injured people. He tried his best to avoid getting in the way as he soon found a spot where he could just observe. He soon was able to spot the man, being that he was the only one healing with magic. He wore some sort of coat with feathered shoulder covers, but if he didn't carry that staff that laid against the pillar, he just looked like your average middle class man.
"You there!"
He was pulled from observing when he turned to see a young female glaring at him and said, "Why are you just standing there? Go help her with the child!" Unsure what to really do, he hesitantly went over to the group she was indicating, easily noticing that the two person were trying to help a woman give birth. What really put him off was the fact the two didn't know what to do. Rolling up his sleeves, he held the woman's hand. He nearly regretted it when he felt the grip nearly break his knuckles. Slightly wincing, he said, "Ma bella, you must breath calmly, si?"
夕暮れ
Taking a short break, Anders was about to head to the next patient when he noticed that someone was already issuing orders to his volunteers. The dark brown haired man seemed to be dressed as a noble, which questioned on what he was doing all the way down here in Darktown. Maybe this man was the woman's husband. However, the superstitious side of him lessened when he saw him trying to calm the woman who looked ready to faint. He continued to watch until the sound of a small child crying echoed through the broken down clinic. Everyone looked happy when they saw the baby was wailing loudly, indicating that it was healthy. He proceeded to walk towards the two volunteers as he was about to take the baby from their hands when he heard the man said, "No,No,No!Nonfare questoadesso,signora!Ènonpuòmorire!Haiunavitaper prendersi cura di!" Quickly going to the man's side and mentally wishing that he would understand what he said, he asked, "What's wrong?"
The noble-dressed man turned to him while still holding the woman's hand and said, "Io non lo so! Ha solo—I mean, I don't know! She just won't wake up!" Anders took the woman's hand from him as he checked for a pulse on her neck. It was weak and only getting weaker. Quickly concentrating, he closed his eyes and placed his hand over the woman's body. Slowly waving it over the person, he felt the power surging from his hand and focused on the source of the lack of pulse.
The woman's interior uterus has been cut open in the inside from the near rapid release of the newborn. Immediate suturing needed.
There was no time, the voice in his head told the other as he began to concentrate harder. He sensed the insides of the woman's stomach slowly reattaching to their rightful places as the bleeding from the opening began to stop. He felt the grip of the hand tighten around his own as he opened his eyes to see that the woman had done the same with hers. The man next to him breathed out what sounded like words of relief as the woman said, "Where's… my baby?"
The man then went to the two, gently taking the baby from their hold as he gently handed her the child. "Here he is, signora, un ragazzo giovane e sano for you to raise as your own." Anders helped the woman sit up as best as she should as she held the child in her arms, joyful tears falling from her eyes. "Oh, he is so handsome." The mage smiled at this wonderful sight as he slowly stood up, only to feel the world suddenly move under him. He nearly fell sideways if it hadn't been for the man didn't catch his shoulder. "Signor, are you alright?" He nodded his head as he staggered a bit to the pillar near his staff as he waved him off, saying, "You should probably go to your wife." The man looked quite shock and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I have no relation to her. In fact, I don't really know her."
Closing his eyes as this random event was starting to hurt his head, he suddenly felt a nagging feeling in his head. He then grabbed his staff and turned to face more people who had entered his clinic, only these people were armed. "I have made this place a sanctum of healing and salvation," he boldly stated as he then nodded to the one that was in lead, a male mage. "Why do you threaten it?"
The other mage, dressed in what looked like a smuggler outfit, had a scruffy look to him as he said, "I'm just here to talk." His attention was then placed towards the dwarf as he stepped forward and said, "We're interested in getting into the Deep Roads. Rumor has it that you were a Warden. Do you know a way?" Anders lowered his stance, but not his guard as he questioned, "Did the Wardens sent you to bring me back?" Before they could either decline or confirm this, he waved his hand down and said, "I'm not going. Those bastards made me get rid of my cat. Poor Ser Pounce-a-lot, he hated the Deep Roads."
"Aspetta!" the man next to him exclaimed. Anders turned to him and noticed the amused look in his eyes as he asked, "You had a cat named Ser Pounce-a-lot?" Seeing the laugh was soon to come, the healing mage quickly said, "He was a gift, a noble beast." Anders then put on a thoughtful look as he added, "Almost got ripped by a Genlock once. Swatted the bugger off, drew blood too." The man let out a small laugh before the two heard the dwarf exclaim, "Ezio, what are you doing all the way down here?"
The man then innocently said, "Well, I kind of went on wondering around Kirkwall, and then ended up down here. I was trying to find the Hanged Man." Ezio let out a small nervous laugh and added, "At least I know not to take that elevator the next time I go exploring." The dwarf groaned irritably and said, "You know that your family is going to worry, especially Marianna." The man sighed as he turned to look at Anders and said, "It was good to meet you during my exploring, signor. You are doing a good thing for these people." The group then watched as he then walked over to the woman as he seemed to converse with him. After hearing a few inaudible words, Anders watched as Ezio pulled out his money pouch and took out a couple of sovereigns before handing it to the woman. The lady's eyes were filled with disbelief before she hugged him happily and kissed his face.
Ezio quickly stood up and went towards the exit when the dwarf said, "Do you even know how to get back to Hightown?" There was a long pause before the dwarf let out a breath and said, "Hawke, just meet me up at the Hanged Man when you're done. I need to take Playboy here back to his home."
夕暮れ
After a short walk, they soon reached the rickety elevator and took it up towards the Docks. There, Varric then asked, "What the hell are you trying to do, Ezio? You trying to destroy the identity that you created?" The Italian just let out a sigh as he stated, "Look, I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't leading you guys to just some crazy man who was going to kill you on the spot."
"And what do you think of the guy?" Varric questioned. Ezio stood straight and looked onwards as light from the surface began to creep through on to the lift.
"The man has, what do you say, un cuore buono, though I sense there is something else there. Anyways, she wanted to tell you that the man has a friend who is being held at the Chantry right now. You might be able to save him before he becomes Tranquilo."
Varric nodded his head as the lift reached the Docks. Ezio stepped off and said, "Good luck on getting those maps, Varric. I bid you, buona fortuna." The dwarf gave out a laugh as he said while activating the lift, "Thank the Maker that I at least slightly get what you're saying or I would have thought you were insulting me just now." The Italian gave out a laugh before walking away just as the lift went back down. He soon reached the entrance that would lead through Lowtown when he noticed someone waiting on the steps.
"You relay the message, Serah Auditore?" Naoe asked as he bowed to him. He chuckle a bit as he said, "Si, si, Naoe. The giovane donna does not need to worry. They know." Staring back in the direction he had just walked from, he quietly added, "What happens next is in that mage's hands."
To be Continued…
Character Information
Name: Ezio Auditore
Age: 26
Class: Rogue (Assassin)
Information: Ezio Auditore is best known in the game series, Assassin's Creed. After many years in service as the Maestro of the Assassins, he soon died, only to be resurrected again by the Darkyn in order to play as teacher and guardian to the ones staying at the Tremayne Manor in Kirkwall. He is given his own persona as his own name and works by day as a banker. However, he truly works as an information broker by the name of Dusk, mostly given by Varric who is the only one outside of the Tremayne household who knows about Dusk's true identity. With Lisa's help and knowledge of events that will come, he uses this information to train the people in the manor as he would with his recruits in his previous life.
When he is Dusk, he mostly acts like he always does, but only becomes serious when it is his turn to go physical in mission.