Chapter 3
An assortment of delicious scents wafted from Ellana's plate. When she came in early to the tavern that morning and asked for some breakfast from Flissa.
She didn't expect the woman to bring a plate consisting of a sunny side up egg, a thin slice of both ham and bread, a couple of biscuits and apple slices.
She was initially stunned by what was by her standards a vast spread, the lavellan clan weren't short on food mind you. However back then, breakfast usually consisted of 2 or 3 food times and honestly she didn't think she could finish it.
When Varric, who was sitting at the same table at her saw the meal himself. He whistled. "They can't have their herald have, go hungry now can they?" He said and then taking a sip of his cup of ale.
She had offered him some of it, her upbringing with her clan taught her that a feast like this was best shared with friends. Varric thanked her and happily partook of some biscuits.
Ellana leaned closer and whispered to Varric . "So you think anyone else found out about the you know what?"
Varric on the other hand didn't bother whispering, the other tables were either sitted with groups that were still groggy from sleep or busy with their own stories. He had taken in account of Nightingale's spies but he figured she would have found out eventually anyway.
"The soldier's don't seem roaring for a demon hunt in the morning so I'm gonna take a wild guess and say no."
"That's a relief." She really was genuinely curious about the light ball of light. Solas's questioning of it yesterday had revealed little about the spirit's nature. There was a clue when it showed interest in Varric's gold coin but that was still too little to go on.
Ellana had just put away the last of her breakfast when Seeker Cassandra come into the tavern, evidently looking for her. She casually strode to Ellana and Varric's table and faced the elf.
"Good morning Ellana." Her face turned to the other occupant of the table. "Varric" It was clear that her tone with him was a level lower in friendliness compared Ellana.
Not that it bother him much. "Seeker"
"Good morning Cassandra, are you here breakfast?"
"Ah no, I already ate." Cassandra briefly raised her hand. "I actually here to get you, there are some people I would like you to met."
"Finally gonna introduce her to the trio running the group?" Varric asked.
"Who?" Ellana followed with her own question.
Admiring it's handiwork, the wisp thought it deserved to give itself a pat on the back. Of course that was not possible as it had neither backside or arms to pat himself with. It decided it might do so when it eventually grows into an ancient.
54, 000 units of lumber all harvested by itself during it's stay here, the wisp had only ever seen numbers like these only on occasions when a commander decides to use cheat codes. Though the satisfaction of amassing such an impressive stockpile was much greater than using such cheap tactics.
Great as this was, there was still a persistent issue that soured the wisp's celebrations, the ration of lumber to gold was 54,000 to 1.
1 measly gold coin, what was the point of having so much lumber when it's counterpart was practically non-existent?
Progress with communicating with the commander was dreadfully slow, even with the hero elf priest's questions. But the wisp will persevere, it will get through to this thick headed commander even if takes a hundred day night cycles.
Although the wisp really hopes it doesn't come to that, these new long settings on the day night cycles are well…..long.
Currently the wisp was now harvesting more lumber from a group of trees that were nearer to the town hall, a common night elf tactic commanders had employ to spy on enemy camps.
Not that the commander had ordered it to do so, in fact she had ordered it to stay with the log piles that the wisp had presented to her. The rest of it was still in the resource counter along with the gold. The food counter meanwhile displayed a count of 1/0 highlighted in red.
The wisp was reluctant to part with the commander again, she did say she and her compatriots would return the next day before heading to the town hall once more.
Well it was now 'the next day' and the wisp was getting worried, was she taken prisoner once more? In the same location? No the better explanation was that she was replaying the same mission again. Perhaps there was an easter egg or side objective she had missed. Some commanders were perfectionists like that, maybe she was too.
It was according to the wisp's internal clock, the 5th dot on the day cycle again and was pleased to see that the commander had entered its field of vision along with the rifleman and priest. The named units Varric and Solas, the wisp corrected itself.
This time though, they had the added company of another familiar unit. The helmetless female footman.
Now the wisp understood, she must be an obtainable bonus character that the commander missed in the last mission.
Without delay, the wisp quickly moved out of the trees to greet the commander. Maybe now she will decide to progress to the next mission or ask it more questions. By the great developers, it hoped it was the first.
Turns out it was neither as the moment the wisp had showed itself to the group the footwoman? Brandished her weapons and yelled out…
"DEMON"
Demon? did the footwoman see a demon unit? The wisp looked back but found no demon units within it's field of vision. Unless the demon unit was outside its vision and the footwoman had a much larger range than the wisp.
If there was a demon unit then the wisp decided to follow survival protocols, the wisp hurried to the commader's side to draw the hostile unit away from the wisp.
As the wisp drew closer, the unexpected happened. The footwoman attacked the wisp.
Her sword slash to the wisp had reduced the wisp's hp to 100 out of 120 and the blows kept on coming.
The wisp's thoughts of confusion were soon overcomed by the need to follow survival protocols, when attacked, run. It tried making its way back to the treeline.
The footwoman however had no intention of letting up, she quickly outflanked it and bashed the wisp with her shield. The blow had managed to sent the wisp spiraling back a few feet in addition to stunning it.
It was the perfect opportunity for the footwoman to unleash another flurry of swords strikes at it.
Luckily for the wisp, the commander had chosen that moment to step in between the wisp and the hostile footwoman.
"Cassandra stop." The commander had spread her arms to her wide, her staff in her left hand.
The footwoman had a look of confusion on her face, but still assumed a combat stance "What are you doing Elana, the demon is a danger to haven if it is not dealt with immediately."
"It's a spirit and it's no harm to anyone."
"And how is it do you know this?"
It the dwarf's turn to step up next. "Because the three of us met it the other day, and it didn't do anything to us." The dwarf turned his gaze to the wisp ."Both then and now."
The foowoma- no Cassandra frowned. "You three encountered it, yet did not inform anyone about it?"
"We figured that anyone else would either run scared or react the same way you did towards it." Commander Ellana replied.
"Regardless." Cassandra lowered her guard slightly but not entirely. "it could be disguising itself to deceive you, like most demons do."
"They only do that while a mage is a sleep in the fade, you know that Cassandra."
Cassandra looked like she was going to retort, but then Solas had decided to step in. "Seeker, this creature is not a demon"
The commander looked gleeful "See? Even Solas knows its a spirit."
"To be honest I'm actually not sure myself."
All those present save the wisp, turned their heads to Solas.
"You want to run that by us again chuckles?"
"Let me explain demon can only sustain a physical form when either possessing a body or being within proximity of an open tear. This creature is neither doing the former or anyway where near the latter."
"So it could be a spirit instead?" Ellana emphasized on could.
"That is a possibly, however spirits are also bound to such rules as well. Whats more, spirits are the embodiment of concepts yet I have not been able to identify what this creature represents."
"So it could be a demon then?" Cassandra resumed a stance of hostility towards the wisp.
"It could be neither as well."
Commander Ellana looked at the wisp with new found curiosity. "Then what is it?"
"My money's on it being a sentient ball of light."
"You may wish to be more cautious with your money Varric, it did take your coin just yesterday did it not?"
"Technically it was Ellana's since she won the bet, it just took the money before I could give it to her."
By now, the mood had became less tense. Cassandra had even sheath her weapons. With no signs of hostility visible, the wisp made it's usual chime noise.
"It does no speak?"
"No, however it appears intelligent enough to respond to my questions."
"How?"
"One chime for yes, two chimes for no." Solas replied
"I see" Cassandra decide leave it at that.
Commander Ellana had turned and coached in front of the wisp, how peculiar it thought.
"I'm sorry about Cassandra, little spirit." She said apparently insistent that it was spirit. "She didn't know you were harmless."
Of course the wisp was harmless, it had no attack value.
The wisp chimed.
"We're gonna have to leave now, we have somewhere we needed to be. You're going to have to stay here."
What? No, what possible reason would they need the wisp here for?!
The wisp rapidly chimed its noise a few times. The noise was enough to make the Commader and her party wince.
"I don't think it happy with the idea." Varric said.
"Could we take it with us?"
From the corner of the wisps's vision, words seem to suddenly appear displaying the messages.
Solas Approves.
Cassandra slightly Disapproves.
What an odd system message it thought.
"Herald you cannot be serious, it might still be dangerous."
"Picking up a stray animal is one thing, but this? this is something else in entirely. I'm all for it."
"I for one think it's an fine idea." Solas continued. "I'd be able to study this creature more and if it is truly a danger to have as you say Cassandra, then I think it would be better if we shoulder that burden instead of leaving it here. Unleashing on the people of haven."
"All of you agreed it was peaceful."
"Yet you are still convinced it would do harm." Solas countered.
Cassandra's eyes narrowed at the others, taking a moment to reevaluate the situation. A few seconds later she caved in and made a noise that in the wisp's opinion conveyed more dissatisfaction than the three letter word would suggest.
"Ugh, fine it will come with us. But I will be keeping an eye on it."
"Thank you" The commander exclaimed. "do you want to come with us?" she asked the wisp.
The wisp chimed once.
"That was a yes right? I'm just gonna assume that was a yes."
"I can already feel that this was a mistake." was the last thing Cassandra said before their party plus one wisp ventured towards the hinterlands.
Author's note: Sorry, no talking tree scenes. I felt like the pacing needed this first. But worry not, the chapter will be where it makes its appearance.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know of any warcraft 3 fanfics that has the protagonist be in control of any of the playable warcraft races? I'm taking about the ones like an acolyte of zero by shadenight123 or the zerg swarm by east bridge or even the rebirth series by writer frantic(the starcraft equivalent of what I'm looking for)
If you haven't then I recommend you do as they are totally awesome.
