Raging storm seemed like it was getting stronger every passing minute. The wind cut like a sharp knife, sweeping the rain in almost horizontal line. Huge waves looked like monsters, trying to embrace The Siren's Call fighting its way through, barely escaping the Qunari ship chasing her. Isabela mustered all of her strength on the helm, as she screamed the orders, cursing. The crew was all over the deck, trying to ease the sails so the wind doesn't tear them apart.
Sayo helped with sail ropes, trying his best to keep on his feet. Every time the wave struck the ship, he almost got swept away by the tide. They faced the storms like this one before but not while running away from the ship full of raging horn-heads. He looked up, trying to see if Damien is still alive.
Damien took his position in crow's nest, trying his best to inform Captain about incoming waves. He couldn't see shit, it was pitch black, the rain so thick and the wind didn't make it any easier. It was like the drops of rain were needles, poking into his face and arms. Only lightning strikes made it possible to see what is happening around them. As the lightning stroke once more, he turned his gaze behind to see the position of that blighted Qunari dreadnought.
Andraste's tits, they're keeping up!
"WAVE! LEFT!" He screamed to his Captain as he noticed a huge wave approaching the ship. The wave hit the hull with a massive force.
When the lightning brightened surroundings again, Damien noticed huge rocks in front of the ship.
"ROCKS!" His throat was ripping apart by the might of his scream.
"WHAT?!" Isabela yelled, obviously not hearing what he just said.
"Fuck! No time!" He thought as he leaped over the nest, sliding down the rope carried by the wind.
As soon as he landed on the deck he yelled trying to warn his crewmates. "WE WILL WRECK! LEAVE THE SHIP!" They all exchanged confused looks, not moving an inch.
He ran up to Isabela.
"ROCKS! WE'LL WRECK! RUN!" he screamed trying to outvoice the wind.
"NO FUCKING WAY!" He knew Isabela was stubborn, so without further delay he lifted her up on his shoulder and started running towards the edge of the deck.
"What the fuck are you doing! Put me down!" Isabela was squirming fiercely, but Damien's grip was strong.
He looked around for Sayo. When his eyes finally found him he screamed as hard as he could. "SAYO! JUMP!"
Sayo looked at him. He didn't know what is going on. Sayo saw Damien holding furious Isabela on his shoulder and it made no sense, but his gut told him to just follow and jump of the ship. And he did. As soon as they jumped they could hear a loud crashing sound, although they were not sure if that was a thunder or shipwreck.
The water trashed them around, from time to time they managed to emerge, catch a breath. After who knows how long Damien finally felt a firm ground on his back. He was still holding Isabela squirming in his arms. Damien mustered the last of his strength to pull both of them to the beach.
They were breathless, from all the drowning and swimming. As he lay on the sand, trying to catch a breath, sudden fear struck him. Sayo! He jumped on his feet gazing around the coast.
"SAYO!"
Nothing. Then suddenly someone pushed him so hard he fell on the sandy ground.
"What the fuck did you do?!" Isabela was furious. She jumped on him, and he felt the blood in his mouth as she swung a fist into his cheek. She let out a furious scream, landing one punch, and the other.
"Why did you do that?! My ship! It's all… your… fault!" she screamed the words, punching his face after every one.
"Fuck off!" He tossed her aside, his mind still focused on Sayo. "SAYO!"
He felt like his heart will burst out of his chest. Don't you dare leave me, half breed! Suddenly he saw someone crawling out of the water carried by the waves. When he ran closer he saw familiar face.
"Sayo!" He helped him get out of the raging water. Sayo wasn't sure what just happened but he was glad to see his friend doing alright. Well, except a split lip, swollen cheek and bleeding nose.
After they finally pulled themselves together, Sayo looked around trying to see anything that will point their location. "Where are we?"
"Wounded Coast." Isabela answered. "You can see Gallows from here. We are close to Kirkwall."
"What now?" Damien asked, getting on his feet.
"Well, thanks to you, we don't have a choice but to stay in this damned city!" She pierced him with her amber eyes.
"I saved your bloody life!"
She didn't answer and started walking, Damien and Sayo followed. Suddenly she stopped, turning towards Damien.
"My saviour," She said with a sarcastic tone. "Did you by any chance save the cargo?"
"What?" Damien was shocked. „We just barely survived a shipwreck, who knows if other survived. And you are worried about some damned Qunari book?"
Sayo knew they will probably kill each other if they start a fight.
"Can we please just go to some place warm and dry for the start? I'm freezing!" He jumped between them, trying to ease the tension.
Isabela looked at him, sighed and angrily started to walk again.
They finally found the tavern, with a cardboard of the Templar hanging by the ankles. It had an appropriate name "The Hanged Man." As they entered, the warmth stuck them, almost instantly relaxing their minds and bodies. Everyone inside gave them curious glares. They were soaking wet, Damien had his lip split and half of his face was covered in blood.
"They told me I can get a drink here," Isabela said, coming towards the bar. She tossed a couple of coins onto the counter. "What'll this get me?"
"It'll get you drunk, that's for sure." Barman said with a smirk.
"Wait!" Damien said, handing a couple of silvers. "Keep the liquor coming 'till the coin runs out. And make it strong."
They sat by the empty table in the far corner of the tavern. The barman brought them mugs and four bottles of whiskey. They were sitting in silence, drinking, keeping their focus on mugs in their hands.
"So… we are stuck here?" Sayo broke the silence.
"Really? How on earth did you get that conclusion?" Isabela said sarcastically. "We are not going anywhere until we find the book."
"Great." Damien backfired with more sarcasm, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, yes Castillon, we will steal Qunari's most sacred book for you." He imitated Isabela's voice. "It doesn't matter I lost the ship and most of my crew, I just want to give him that big book so later he will give me his big thanks."
"If you don't shut up, I'll gut you, I swear!" They never saw Isabela so furious before.
After another moment of silence, Damien got up. "I'll rent us a room." He said as he walked towards the counter, feeling light-headed from liquor and exhaustion.
Next morning Isabela woke them up. She wanted to search the beach and what's left of The Siren's Call. When they reached the Wounded Coast cliffside , their gaze ended on a sad wreck of once prideful carrack. It was hard to see it in pieces. This ship was their home for over three years. However, Damien took that number and multiplied it, reckoning how bad Isabela felt about it. That ship was her life for who knows how many years. They were standing at the cliff edge in silence, looking at their lost home.
"Browncake, you and I will search the beach. Damie, you go to her and see if there's anything useful left." Isabela said, turning her gaze from the ship.
Sayo and Isabela searched all over the beach, every cave and cove for anything. After who knows how long they finally gave up, finding only wreck and corpses. They sat on the sandy beach and waited for Damien to come back from The Siren's Call. They saw him swimming back to the shore.
"Anything?" Isabela asked, handing him his coat, belt and daggers.
"Nothing." He answered as he tried to catch a breath. "Not a damn thing. No crates, only bloated corpses, but none of them had a book."
"Balls!" She cursed, and started pacing around.
"But I did find your bandana." Damien winked, pulling a blue bandana from his pocket. Isabela's eyes sparkled with joy. "How was your search?"
"Same." Sayo said making a sad face.
Return to the Hanged Man went without a single uttered word. It was a tragic end of a beautiful relationship and nobody wanted to break the silence. Such void in their hearts could be filled only with liquor, so they reached the tavern and sat by the heavy counter.
"What's the word on the streets, Corff?" Isabela asked the blonde, unattractive bartender.
"Oh, mayor news just came today! A Qunari ship wracked on the Wounded Coast, and now they're stuck here. Can you believe?."
They couldn't believe. The ale stopped halfway in their throat.
"This is bad! Really, really bad!" Sayo felt the panic raising in his chest.
"Apparently, they're waiting for another ship to pick them up."
"And where are they now?" Isabela asked.
"Viscount gave them a place at the docks." Corff leaned across the counter and whispered. "I hope they won't stay for too long. Those ox-men are creeping me out."
"Shit…" Isabela said to her chin and took another sip of her ale.
Sayo and Damien sat by the table close to the counter, while Isabela stared at the bottom of mug, deep in her thoughts. It didn't take long for someone to eye her. A foul-smelling longshoreman approached her, placed his hand low on her back. He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance. Isabela grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm behind him. Damien and Sayo jumped up from their chairs, ready to act if their Captain needed help.
Isabela rammed her elbow on back of his neck, slamming his face into the wooden bar-top. They could hear his nose cracking.
"Touch me again and I'll break more than your trunk." She hissed in his ear. She started snapping the fingers on his offending hand. The sound of crunch, sickening pops and a howl of pain filled the tavern. The man walked away, cradling his hand and spitting curses. Isabela had a satisfied smirk on her face.
Just as Damien and Sayo were about to relax again, sitting back on their chairs, another man approached their Captain. He smirked, with an expression that looked more like a grimace than a smile.
"I'm Lucky." He said, leaning his elbow on the counter.
"Is that a name or a description?" She asked, not even looking at him.
"Both. And if you're new in Kirkwall, you'll want to talk to me. My boys and I know everything going on in this town."
"You know," Isabela said, coldly. "I once knew a dog named Lucky. Obnoxious little thing, and too stupid to know when he was two yaps away from a kick in the side."
Damien and Sayo laughed, as Lucky turned red and glanced at some man behind him, probably his mates. They cheered and laughed together with Isabela's boys, offering no support whatsoever. Lucky was about to back out.
"Wait." Isabela said, suddenly. "If you know everything going on in Kirkwall, maybe we should talk."
"What is she up to now?" Sayo thought anxiously.
She turned to Lucky looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You see," She said, smiling for the first time after they got here. "I lost something in a shipwreck, and it would be most fortunate if somebody... capable found where it is."
Days passed. The only exciting things were constant brawls triggered by Damien and Isabela. They tried their best to gather any information about the "relic" and Qunari, and find out if anyone from the crew survived.
One day, their old friend made a contact with Isabela. It was a man named Hayder, and he informed her that Castillon knows what happened. Castillon's wish was either a relic, or Isabela's head. Of course, Isabela couldn't approve of such a deal so she challenged Hayder in a duel.
It was either a victory or loss – if she wins, his men will leave her alone. But all three of them knew Hayder was a sneaky son of a bitch. They tried to come up with a plan, just in case.
The day of a duel came. Contrary to Sayo's and Damien's opinion, Isabela wasn't nervous. She joined them in drinking, cracking jokes and playing cards most of the day, until Lucky showed up.
She got up, walked to the counter and led him away to have a private conversation, while Sayo and Damien continued their party of Wicked Grace. With the banter of tavern patrons and clanging of ale mugs, they couldn't overhear their conversation.
Of course, they've returned and Isabela looked completely disappointed.
"You own us, Isabela!" He said leaning his elbow on the counter, dangerously close to her.
"Well, Lucky, I'll tell you what," she said coldly, pouring whiskey in the mug. "Since the information you gave me was worth nothing..." She tipped the whiskey with a big sip. "That's what I'll pay you."
Lucky pushed himself from the counter, glaring at his two mates closing behind Isabela.
Just as Captain was about to take another sip, Lucky placed his hand on top of the mug slamming it hard onto the counter.
"Me and my boys will get our money's worth, bitch!" He said angrily.
Isabela looked at him for the first time since he got here. She leaned close to his face, faking she feels sorry for him. "Oh, you poor, sweet thing."
It was enough to drop the defence of a young lad. She tugged his arm, pulling him to the counter with a lightning speed, slamming his forehead on a bar top. Something cracked loudly, and Lucky fell down, squirming as he held his head. Damien could see the blood pouring from his nose, through his fingers. A blonde guy hugged Isabela from behind, lifting her up. She tilted her head back, breaking his nose like an overly ripe melon. At the same time, other guy took a bottle of rum from Damien's and Sayo's table.
"Hey!" Damien said with an amused giggle.
The man ran towards Isabela ready to bash the bottle on her head, but she crouched, and the bottle smashed on the head of a blonde guy behind her, who didn't expect a bottle, concentrating on the pain and blood coming from his broken nose. She quickly stood up, landing punch after punch until the "bottle-man" toppled like a felled oak. Lucky finally stood up, reaching his sword, but never got the chance to unsheathe it. Isabela placed the needle-sharp tip of the dagger on his neck, her other hand gripping the dagger on her back, ready to strike. Lucky froze.
"Tell me, Lucky, is this worth dying for?"
Lucky slowly moved pass Isabela. He and his thugs ran out.
"I didn't think so." She chuckled, watching them as they ran out from the tavern.
"Nice one!" Damien said, still laughing out loud.
"You could have helped, lazy arses." She walked to their table.
"And ruin your fun?" Sayo chuckled.
Isabela and Damien laughed toasting to yet another brawl.
"Well, well look what the cat brought in." She said when she saw two women walking to the bar.
"What?" Sayo followed her gaze.
"I have an idea." She smirked mischievously.
As she walked seductively swinging her hips towards two women, Damien and Sayo looked at each other confused and decided to follow their Captain.
"You're new around here, aren't you?" Isabela asked two women.
One had a dark messy hair, seemingly with a mind of its own, falling around her face and into her eyes; pale skin and mischievous blue eyes glaring at Isabela with amusement. Isabela couldn't escape noticing dagger handles behind her shoulders.
The other one had a long black hair falling to her shoulders, and brown eyes filled with anxiety as she was watching them approach.
"Welcome!" Isabela said, like she owned the place. "And keep your wits about you. You are nothing but tits and arse to the man in this place, and they won't hesitate to grab both."
"Oy! Not all man!" Damien joked, making Sayo giggle.
"Speaking from experience, are we?" Woman with blue eyes said, eyeing Isabela from head to toe.
Isabela laughed. "After a few broken fingers here and there, they got the idea. I'm Isabela." She said jokingly bowing like a noble. "Previously Captain Isabela. Sadly, without my ship the title rings a bit hollow."
Damien and Sayo continued with their giggle.
"Aww, don't say that. You will always be our Captain, with or without a ship." Damien said, leaning his elbow on her shoulder.
"Thank you, sweet thing. And this is what's left of my crew. This charmer over here is Damien," Damien bowed the same way Isabela did. "And this is our beloved Sayo." She smiled, her gaze fixed at the woman in front of her. Sayo waved to them in greeting.
"I'm Marian Hawke. This is my sister Bethany."
"Please to meet you." Bethany said still standing behind her sister.
"You're Fereldan, aren't you? You have that look about you. We were in Denerim not too long ago." Isabela continued, waving Corff to give them something to drink. "We even met the Hero of Ferelden."
"What is she doing?" Sayo leaned closer to Damien.
"Honestly, I think she will ask them to help us with Hayder."
"You know; you might be just what I'm looking for to solve a little problem I have."
"See?" Damien said proudly.
"Can't anyone fix their own lives around here?" Hawke joked.
"Must be something in the water." Damien replied, making everyone laugh.
"Someone from my past has been pestering me. I've arranged for a duel – If I win, he leaves me alone. But I don't trust him to play fair. I need someone to watch my back."
"What about your bodyguards?" Hawke pointed to Sayo and Damien.
"They are coming too, of course. But I'll need another pair of eyes watching my back, just in case."
"I think I could manage watching your back." Hawke said.
"I'll bet." Isabela chuckled, Sayo and Damien snored to suppress laughter. "I've arranged to meet Hayder in Hightown after dark. I'll meet you there." She said, seductively walking past Hawke. Damien and Sayo followed her out.
"I call dibs!" Isabela said enthusiastically, when they closed the door behind them.
"What?" Sayo said confused.
"I call dibs! On blue eyed one." She turned her gaze to Damien, pointing her finger on him. "Don't you dare touch her."
"I wasn't planning to." Damien replied chuckling at Captains joke.
"Good."
They walked their way through Lowtown. The sun has almost set, it was getting darker, and people of Kirkwall locked themselves in their houses. It is a dangerous city to live in, if one doesn't know how to fight their way through horde of thugs lurking the streets at night.
"Do we really need help? Three of us could easily deal with that bastard." Damien asked, as they entered Hightown.
"I just want to be sure. Hayder could've brought whole Armada here. And like I said, more daggers can come in handy."
Square below Viscount Keep greeted them with cold, stony demeanour. It was a silent, pristine place and none could presume its streets were as dangerous as Lowtown during nights. Thus, Isabela eyed dark corners of the square.
"Damie, climb up and scout around." She gave order.
"Aye, aye, Captain." Damien jokingly said. He ran to pile of crates, jumping on them and quickly climbed up to the rooftops.
"I'll never understand how he does that." She said, watching him climbing.
"I know him for more than twenty years, and I still don't understand." Sayo chuckled.
The sun had set and finally, Kirkwall was covered in shadows. The moonlight dimly brightened the streets. Sayo was sitting on the stairs, playfully swinging a throwing knife between his fingers, while Isabela nervously paced around, cursing to her chin from time to time. Damien was still scouting around; Sayo could see him a few times as he jumped from roof to roof. Finally, they saw Hawke sisters approaching them, with yet another familiar face following them.
"There you are!" Isabela sounded frustrated. "We've been here for hours. Hayder hasn't shown up. No one has. I don't like this."
"'I don't like this?' That's like right up with, 'What could possibly go wrong?'" A dwarf, named Varric stepped in front, jokingly smirking as he did. They met him few days ago in The Hanged Man, drinking and playing cards. He put a fun in the dwarf.
"I'll put my gold on 'Everything'." Sayo walked up to them, greeting the dwarf with a polite curtsey.
"Hey, Browncake."
Suddenly Damien jumped down, skilfully landing and rolling over the shoulder to ease the fall.
"You will love this, Bela. We are surrounded!" He said happily.
"Spider!" Varric greeted him.
"Varric? How did you tag along?" Damien teased.
"Any sign of Hayder?" Isabela was losing patience.
"Nope." Damien let out a sigh.
"There's the wench we are looking for! Gut her!" Someone yelled from dark alley.
In a second, square was filled with charging raiders. The group didn't hesitate; they unsheathed their weapons and countered the attack. Damien rushed towards a group of masked archers. He threw a knife at the slit above the rag on his face, and the blade landed right between thug's eyes. He evaded arrows, running like a shadow, slitting their throats like a bladed hurricane of death, sprinkling the air with the bloody rain.
Sayo tried to flank a brute with the huge maul. His armour had no visible openings – dragonbone plate held tight, and he panicked, thinking on his feet as he evaded slow, deadly attacks. But then he saw it – at the moment when a man raised his hammer, a slight crack on his stomach appeared, large enough to push the dagger in.
It was a calculated move – if he's late just a second, brute will crush him into a bloody pulp. He waited until the man raised his hammer, rushed forward, made a roll and pushed the dagger right between the crack. Man gasped, and the pain produced by the dagger piercing his gall almost made him throw the hammer down. From here on, it was only a matter of evading attacks until he bleeds out – Sayo hit an artery leading to the stomach. Man tried hitting him, but the attacks became slower and slower until he, finally, toppled down, making a small quake as his huge armour hit the ground.
After almost ten minutes, fight was finally over. They all were covered in blood, except Varric and Bethany. No one was hurt too bad, Damien got a cut on his arm, Hawke's lip was split and Isabela was holding her midsection groaning in pain.
"Hayder sent them. Search the bodies!" She ordered. "I need to find out where he is!"
They started looting the corpses for any clue of Hayder, also taking coins along the way. After few moments of searching dozens of bodies, Hawke found a letter on one of the ambushers. Isabela read the letter and smirked.
"Hiding in the Chantry and sending thugs to finish me off? Coward." She tossed the letter behind her. "He'll not get away with this. Come on."
They started running toward the chantry. Hayder's raiders did not make it easier; they ambushed them all the way up the decorated stairs. As soon as they got there, Damien started climbing the building. Hawke sisters and Varric watched him with amazed looks. Sayo found that funny, he and Isabela got used to it but it was fun to see how others react on Damie's climbing skill.
The Chantry was, by all means, huge. Damien remembered the some chantries in Feralden – a small shack compared to this majestic building. In Ferelden, he would sometimes see a scurrying rat, but here the floor was so pristine, he could see his own reflection. The large, golden statues rose above their heads, a scent of lavender and incense filled the air with the burning fires on the walls lightning the path towards the large altar.
They were so immersed in the beauty of the Chantry that they didn't notice a man stepping out from the shadow. He held himself with arrogance, wearing a tight leather armour, with a long flowing cloak and a hood covering his face. When he swiftly moved the hood from his face, they realized it was Hayder.
"Isabela. Should've known you'd find me here." He said, with a cocky voice.
"Tell your men to burn the letters next time." She smirked.
Sayo noticed Damien high up on one of the balconies, as he climbed up on the stone fence. Suddenly, a dozen men stepped from the shadows – all thugs, wearing tight leather armours and scarves around their mouths. Their eyes showed no emotion – no fear, no joy, nothing. Sayo knew a trained killer when he saw one – these man had no remorse. Against such enemies, mercy won't do. Thus, he squeezed his daggers, ready to jump on any of them.
"Castillon was heartbroken when he heard about the shipwreck. You could've let him know you survived." Hayder said with disgusting smirk that revealed his crooked, yellow teeth.
"Oh, it must have slipped my mind." Isabela replied cynically.
Hayder chuckled. "Where's the relic?"
"I lost it. Castillon's just going to have to do without."
"Lost it? Just like you lost a ship full of valuable cargo?" Hayder looked angry now.
"They weren't cargo, Hayder, they were people!" Isabela yelled at him.
Sayo noticed Hawke is looking at him with a suspicious glare.
"We'll tell you later." He whispered, avoiding her piercing blue eyes.
"Those slaves were worth a hundred sovereigns a head, and you let them scurry off into the wilds." Hayder hissed. "And now the relic's gone, too. Castillon won't be happy to hear that, I promise you."
"Castillon isn't a very happy person, is he? Maybe he needs a new hobby." Hawke said sarcastically making all of them giggle.
"There is only one way to settle this." Isabela smirked. In a flash she reached the dagger on her back, and threw it on one of the Hayder's thugs. Damien dropped from the balcony on the two thugs behind Hayder, thrusting his daggers into back of their heads. And again, the fight broke out.
Flesh and meat was as uniform as their cold faces. Damien could see the moment where their eyes panicked just for a second before he professionally cut their throats, ending their lives. He counted the moment of desperation at last twenty times before the sudden wave of heat almost threw him from his feet. It was the first time he'd heard a scream – three men ran around frantically and their screams chilled to the bone, as their bodies burned alive. He turned around and noticed those living torches were the last of the bunch.
Among them, Damien saw Hayder's bucked, yellow teeth as he screamed, trying to put the fire burning his rugged cloak, even while his body burned – completely.
Only a few seconds; it took only that much before they fell down and stopped screaming, turning to a charred corpse.
"Next time, can you please be more careful with those fireballs?" he joked, walking to the corpse whose glassy eyes stared at the ceiling. He tugged on man's purse and swiftly cut the rope holding it to his belt.
"Don't worry, I won't set you ablaze. Yet." Bethany chuckled. Damien imitated a panicked thug, waving his arms. Bethany and Sayo laughed.
Hawke and Isabela talked privately; they could not hear their conversation. After the looting was done, Isabela showed that they're leaving.
"Anyway, thanks for helping me with Hayder." Isabela said, stepping on Hayder's head as she seductively approached Hawke. "And I have a room at the Hanged Man, if you're looking for a... company later."
Damien, Sayo and Varric giggled and waved their heads in disbelief.
"Hey! We share the room, remember?" Sayo joked.
"Like I care." Isabela gave Hawke a wink and walked her way out, with her boys following her. Sayo and Damien waved to sisters and Varric.