With Youtube's new system effectively fucking up the ability of over half the videos online to even load, I've been unable to work from the official Dragon Age 2 script like I had hoped and have been doing. So, I had to based the dialogue on my memory of the basic dialogue of each quest and cutscene. Basically A Business Discussion, Fools Rush In and the beginning of Tranquility are covered.
I think this is the only instance where I like Rouge because I like Isabela =3
Recap: Sonic and Umber are working to become partners with Boomer on the Deep Roads Expedition. Sonic has recruited a Dalish blood mage named Amy while Umber reluctantly gains the aid of Shadow, an ex-slave with a burning hatred for mages. But the pair will need a lot more money if they are to get the 50 soveriegns they need.
"All right boys, here's the thing: we need to find a way into the Deep Roads," Rotor started.
"Hold on a sec, you're telling me that we're planning an expedition to the Deep Roads when we don't even know how to get in there? Well, I can tell a lot of careful planning went into this!" Umber exclaimed.
"Now just wait Umber, let Rotor finish," said Sonic.
"As I was saying, Boomer can lead us to the right places once we get down there, but we need a good entrance."
"I guess that means all the bad entrances are out of the question?" Sonic smirked.
"Luckily for us, I've received some new information. There's a Grey Warden here in the city. And if anyone knows how to get to the Deep Roads, it'll be him."
"Perfect!" Sonic exclaimed.
"No, not perfect. How do we know that this Warden is going to even help us? As I recall, they're very secretive about their… well secrets," said Umber.
"Sounds like you'd get along with them," Rotor chuckled.
"Relax. We'll just talk to him and hopefully he'll help us out and we won't have any trouble with the Wardens. Worse comes to worse, you can just steal the map. Sound good?" Sonic asked.
"All right, we'll try your way first."
"Supposedly this Warden came in with a bunch of other Northamer refugees a while ago. A lowtown chameleon named Liza has been helping the Northamers. If we talk to her, we might learn where to find the Warden. I'll leave that for you two to handle however you want while I keep after my contacts to see if we can drum up some more work."
"Sounds, good. Let's head out!" said Sonic. They exited Rotor's room and down the stairs to the main floor of the pub.
"You owe us, Rouge!" Sonic, Umber and Rotor stopped and their heads snapped to the bar, as a white bat with tan skin leaned over the bar with a drink in hand. She was dressed in a white tunic that made little effort to cover the soft curves of her body, a blue bandana that kept her hair back, a blue sash around her waist and dark brown boots that traveled all the way up to her thighs as two daggers with nearly the same level of curviness as their wielder's body were strapped in place on her back.
"Well, Lucky, here's the thing. That information you gave me wasn't worth a happy ending or even a one minute lap dance at the Rose, which I'm guessing is all you'd ever be able to afford – the lap dance not the happy ending just to be clear – and since that's worth practically nothing to me, I'll pay you the equal amount. Nothing." The bat – Rouge – reached for the wine bottle and refilled her glass as she spoke, raising the cup to meet her lips. Lucky slammed his hand on the rim of the cup, forcing it back onto the bar and spilling the wine on the bat's hand. She scoffed in annoyance before flicking her hand dry and rolling her eyes at Lucky.
"Me and my boys will get my money's worth out of you one way or another, bitch," he spat.
"Oh you poor boy. Someone as innocent and naïve as you wouldn't last a single night with me. Trust me when I say that I'm too much for you to handle," as she spoke, she inched her face closer to Lucky's but quickly grabbed his arm, twisted it around his back and slammed his face into the bar counter. Lucky fell to the ground after she slammed his head in for a third time. One of Lucky's friends grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around hers and pinning them at her sides. Rouge countered with a head butt, and ducked just as Lucky's third friend came up and smashed a bottle into his friend's face, missing his intended target. Rouge quickly snapped back up and delivered a swift and powerful punch to the third guy's face. She turned around to see Lucky pick himself up and draw his sword, but she swiftly drew her dagger and pressed the tip at Lucky's throat. "Tell me little boy, is this worth losing your pathetic life over?"
Lucky, eyes wide in fear, slowly stepped back and his two friends pathetically picked themselves off the floor. "This isn't over," he muttered as the three ran from the bar with their tails between their legs.
Rouge settled back into her spot at the bar and drank her fill of wine. "Ha, didn't think so," she laughed.
"Who is that?" asked Sonic.
"Oh, that's Rouge the Bat. She's been rooming here for a while now. Showed up just after the Ixians I think. Anyway, word on the street is she used to be a raider, had her own ship even!"
"Well she certainly looks like she can handle herself and those daggers; almost as good as you Umber," commented Sonic.
"Wait, you're not suggesting we recruit her too, are you? Don't we already have enough people? You picked up that Dalish blood mage Amy and I've got an angsty ex-slave of a hedgehog on my back door that my sister is adamant on being friends with!" Umber shouted.
"Umber, looks we've got plenty of warriors who know how to handle a sword and a good number of mages. Out of all of us, you and Rotor are our only rogues and we could use another rogue who knows a thing or two about dark corners and sneaky tactics," said Sonic, turning to walk up to Rouge.
"Well well well, look at you, hot stuff. It's nice to see a strapping, pretty young thing like yourself who looks like he knows a thing or two about hoisting a main sail," Rouge said, noticing Sonic walk up to her. "Well now you are just a sight for sore eyes. I bet the ladies are just lining up to get a look at you," she said, licking her lips. Her eyes focused on the figures before her and that look in her eyes just said something about her: that she was cunning, decisive and a little bit crazy. It was the kind of thing that made you wonder whether she was insane or a genius.
"Excuse me?" Umber asked, confused.
"I think she's talking to you, Umber," said Rotor, elbowing Umber in the rib.
"Umber, eh? A sexy name for an equally sexy body. I'm Rouge, formerly Captain Rouge of The Siren's Gem, but without my ship the title rings hollow," she bowed, introducing herself.
"I'm Sonic and this is Rotor and… well I guess you already know Umber," Sonic said.
"You two are Northamers aren't you? You both have that stern look about you, like you're both ready for a fight that's going to hit you at any moment. If I were to place a bet – and I would since I am a betting woman – I'd say that anything that dared go up against you wouldn't stand a chance."
"You would be accurate," said Umber.
"Ooh, so serious. Say, you two look like you might be able to help me with a problem I'm having."
"You too?" Sonic chuckled. "I find I'm just plagued by problems day in and day out!"
"Funny, I like that!" Rouge laughed. "Here's the thing: Someone from my past has been pestering me lately and I've arranged for a duel. If I win, he leaves me alone for good. But I don't trust him to play fair more than I trust a poor man with loose lips and secrets to sell. I need someone to watch my back."
"I think I can manage watching your back," Sonic answered.
"I'll bet," she winked.
"Oh, no I didn't mean it like that. I just meant-"
"Oh hush now, I'm only teasing. You'll want to get used to that; I do it a lot. I've arranged to meet Hacker in hightown after dark. Hopefully I'll see you there," she walked past them, giving a wink to Sonic and Umber as she exited the pub.
"I don't like her," said Umber with a glare.
"You don't like a lot of people, Umber," said Rotor.
"Since we're in lowtown, let's look up on that lead on the Grey Warden," said Sonic, as they exited the pub.
"Remember, a woman named Liza owns a storefront near the stairs to hightown. My contacts say that she knows where we can find the Warden," said Rotor, pointing off in one direction.
When they entered the store, several people were lined up while a pink chameleon shouted across the room for people to settle down and assure them that they would all get her attention. "If you're here for help, you'll have to wait in line like everyone else. I warn you though, I can't give help to those who have already found food and shelter," the woman at the desk turned to Sonic as he and Umber and Rotor walked up to the desk.
"We're not here for help. We're looking for a Grey Warden here in Albion. Do you know him?" Sonic asked.
"And why would you be looking for a Grey Warden? I won't have you turning him over to the templars!"
"Templars? So he's an apostate?" asked Umber.
"M'am you have nothing to fear from us. Our closest friends are apostates. We only want to talk to him. You have my word," Sonic said.
"All right… if that's all you're going to do. Silver likes to keep a low profile. A lot of people are depending on him. He's a healer and he's got a clinic in darktown," Liza answered.
"Thank you," said Sonic, as the three left the building.
"It's getting dark, should we keep going to darktown or meet up with the bat?" asked Umber.
"Rouge, the healer can wait until the next day. Rouge may not be there the next time."
"There you are! I've been waiting here for hours, but Hacker hasn't shown up. No one has. This place is as dead as the Rose after an STD outbreak. I don't like this…" Rouge said, greeting Sonic, Umber and Rotor as they entered the hightown courtyard.
"There's the bat! Hacker wants her dead!" shouted a thug that appeared from a dark alley. Rouge drew her daggers and dashed off to deal with the intruders with such grace and dexterous movements of her hands as her daggers slashed through the attackers. Several more appeared in the courtyard around them and Sonic, Umber and Rotor easily did away with them. "I should have known Hacker would play dirty; it's so like the scumbag he is. Search the bodies, see if you can find anything to tell us where the little mole is hiding."
"Hey, I found something. Looks like a note," Umber called, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from one of the thug's bodies. Rouge strutted over and seized the note, quickly skimming over its contents.
"Hiding in the Chantry? Typical. I should have just started there and saved myself the trouble," she muttered, gliding off to the Chantry as Sonic, Umber and Rotor followed on foot. The climbed up the stairs leading to the Chantry and Rouge paced in front of the giant doors. "You three ready? If I know Hacker, he's not going to play fair."
"Yeah I kinda figured that part out myself," said Sonic, nodding as he pushed open one of the doors and they all stepped inside. They entered the halls, now dark with nightfall and only barely lit by a few candles along the hall.
"Well, well, well if it isn't my dear Rouge," a short mole in the center of the main chamber said, surrounded by his troops.
"Cut the crap, Hacker. I want you off my back," Rouge spat.
"Well there's an easy way to fix that. Where's the relic?" Hacker asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I lost it," Rouge answered plainly.
"What a shame, because that still leaves us with a problem. You see Canus won't be happy if I come back empty handed. So it's either the relic, or you. Or it's my head."
"Well, that can easily be arranged," Rouge smirked, swiftly reaching for her dagger and throwing it right into the chest of the soldier on Hacker's right. Everyone raised their arms the soon enough the Chantry floors were soaked with the blood of the recently deceased.
"I would have liked it if we could have talked it out instead of ending in another bloodbath," said Sonic.
"Trust me, handsome. It's better this way."
"What's this relic he was talking about?" asked Umber.
"Just something I got my hands on that a lot of people want now. It's the only thing that can get Canus off my back and I have no idea where it's gotten to," Rouge said, crossing her arms.
"I can help you find it, if you like," Sonic said.
"Thanks for the offer kiddo, but like I said, I don't have a clue where it is now. But if I find a lead, I'll let you know. It may not be much, but you've done me a solid. If you ever need me, I'd be happy to lend my daggers to you… among other things," she said, walking back to lowtown.
"So I guess I'll just meet up with you at your estate in the morning and we can go see that Warden?" asked Sonic.
"Sounds good," said Umber, as the three friends bid goodbye to each other and parted ways for the night.
Almost done all the companion recruitment. I'll probably get into the post recruitment interaction with specific characters in the next chapter or two.
Next Chapter - A Prince's Revenge: As Sonic and Umber head to darktown to search for Silver, the Grey Warden with the maps they need, they come across a bounty posted by Rob O' the Hedge for the deaths of those who murdered his family.
~ZP
