"Wait."
Nathaniel stopped mid-stride, his nose twitching as his eyes followed a new set of tracks. These were footprints as well...but joined with long lines...many of them. Much had been dragged right past where the group now stood...and Nathaniel instantly saw the few droplets of blood nearly hidden in the grass. Interesting...
"What is it this time?" Mhairi moaned, the woman's fuse having gotten shorter and shorter the longer they had spent trekking through the woods she no doubt thought of as endless. Nathaniel ignored her though as he crouched low, a hand brushing aside some grass from one of the imprints of a foot, head dropping low to sniff at it. Strange...it smells of mud, not grass.
A small chuckle escaped Anders, the mage no doubt smirking at Mhairi. "Now, now, he's picked up a scent, you know dogs must follow such things through."
An inane giggle escaped Mhairi at that, but Nathaniel ignored it, as he did the insult, instead he moved a hand towards one of the droplets of blood, putting it between two fingers and rubbing it. Thick...old...this has been here for some time.
Looking back, Nathaniel dutifully shot the mage a glare, but the man just shrugged apologetically and gestured for Mhairi who was still was chuckling a little, her face red and sweaty under her helmet that nearly glowed like another sun in the burning midday sun. Fair enough...at least it keeps her glaring to a minimum. Shrugging Nathaniel turned to their Commander.
Despite her wearing armour that glowed just as much as Mhairi's Lynn didn't look the least bothered by the sun her pale face devoid of expression, waiting for him. He could swear she could stay like that for hours and not change her expression in the least...Nathaniel decided not to test that theory though and nodded towards the tracks: "They're old but sizeable, could be worth following up on."
A nod, the elf not saying a word as she gestured for him to continue.
Good call. Nathaniel grumbled as he turned back to the tracks, hands brushing over the grass. It has almost gotten straight again...but it was bent...that way... He moved, pushing through a bush to the right as he in a low crouch followed the fading tracks, absently noting how the droplets of blood got fewer and fewer. Whatever was dragged had lost a lot of blood beforehand...they were dragged a long way...
Ignoring Mhairi's exasperated sigh and Anders chuckling Nathaniel continued, surprised by the level of vegetation they were suddenly encountering, making the tracks harder to follow and also making his advance physically difficult. It's almost as if...narrowing his eyes he grabbed the nearest bush...heaving he rolled it over, finding its roots decidedly free of earth. These bushes were dragged here as well... "Wait..." Nathaniel gestured for the others to hold, his senses twitching with suspicion.
"Oh for the love of..." Mhairi growled. Nathaniel ignored it, ears perking as he heard something...
"At least there's shade here." Anders cheerfully pointed out. Nathaniel ignored it, suddenly aware that the smell had changed, the smell of unearthed ground was thicker here, along with the unmistakable stench of death.
Flies...I'm hearing flies...
Nathaniel grimaced, already knowing what he would find as he stepped forth, advancing on the solid line of brushes ahead of him. Grabbing a hold of them he wrenched them aside...and gagged at the rancid smell smashed into him like a blow.
They've been here for a while. Nathaniel dryly noted that fact even as he heard Mhairi growl in anger, their Commander silent as she marched past him...and Anders loudly gagging.
The ditch was wide and shallow, a thin layer of dirt having been thrown over it. Obviously a quick and sloppy job, whoever had done this having trusted the shrubbery they had dragged over the area to stop any passers-by accidentally stumbling upon the mass-grave.
And a mass-grave it was.
There was a thickening cloud of flies hovering over the dead, arms, legs and heads sticking out of the thin layer of dirt. Pale and covered in small, dark wounds, wounds where flies and other insects were gathering to feed, to make the wounds larger. There has to be forty dead here... Nathaniel narrowed his eyes and followed Lynn's example, closing the distance to the shallow grave, grimacing at the smell even as Lynn's foot kicked out at the nearest corpse, brushing some of the dirt off it.
Revealing scale armour and the face of a man whose mouth and sightless eyes were still open wide in a scream, nearly making Nathaniel grimace. I hate seeing dead like this...unfresh. He and Lynn both crouched down next to the corpse, eyeing it with narrowed eyes. These are all humans in armour...militiamen? What are they doing here?
The man's abdomen had been opened up, the wound arching slightly downwards, covering his legs with blood. Yet there was also a small splatter of dark blood over his chest as well...surprising Nathaniel since he saw no other wound than that across the corpse's abdomen. Lynn obviously found this interesting too as she reached out...and forced a droplet onto her finger...before putting it in her mouth!
Even Nathaniel grimaced at that, and behind him he heard Anders loudly heave, the mage no doubt having reached the last straw in what he could take. As for Mhairi...there were only muttered prayers from the woman, for the souls of the dead soldiers no doubt.
A second later Lynn spat, the elf nodding shortly, her voice cold: "Genlock blood, these men were killed by darkspawn."
"You can taste the difference between different darkspawn?" Mhairi muttered, her voice low with solemnity.
Nathaniel shook his head, ignoring Mhairi's question as his gaze roamed over the dead. "Do darkspawn usually steal the weapons of those they slay?" There were no weapons there, not a blade...for someone that had so sloppily hidden the dead Nathaniel found the theft of weapons strange. Perhaps they just left them where they killed the men? But that would make hiding the dead useless...
"No." Lynn stood up, making Nathaniel do the same. "They make their own."
Nathaniel grimaced and looked over at the other two, finding Mhairi close to Anders and helping him straighten as the pale mage moved a hand over his mouth, an embarrassed flush around his neck as he glanced over at Mhairi, who just smiled reassuringly. Shaking his head Nathaniel dryly noted: "Then they took them for a specific reason."
"Yes." Lynn replied, already moving to leave. "Can you track where the darkspawn went after dumping the bodies?"
Nathaniel grimaced as he glanced back at the grave, or more specifically, the maze of tracks around it, marked by many feet walking back and forth. Too much information...too confusing. "No."
The elf nodded, not even turning around, as if having expected his answer. Despite his simmering anger towards her Nathaniel found himself relieved, making him roll his eyes. Yes, perish the thought you'd disappoint her... "Then we go back and try to track them from there."
Nathaniel grimaced as he moved to follow, ignoring the look of desperation Mhairi was shooting the dead, no doubt wishing to bury them more properly, as he did Anders' silently comforting arm over her shoulder. Instead he forced himself to nod in agreement. "A sound plan." Damn you...
Then there was a loud crack ahead of him, as if a large tree was being snapped in two.
Nathaniel ran forth, sudden alarm gripping his senses as he rushed up to Lynn, finding the elf standing very still as she looked up at another woman atop a small mound, even as Nathaniel watched coiling ropes of wood were trailing down from the woman's legs, disappearing into the ground.
The other woman was an elf as well, though Nathaniel hadn't thought it at first since the woman was surprisingly tall for an elf. Tall and tanned...her skin exposed to the sun in a way Nathaniel had never seen any alienage elves be, a woman who had lived in the outdoors. And much of it was on display...showing so much of her long legs and surprisingly bountiful chest, enough to put a human to shame, that Nathaniel wondered if modesty was a foreign concept to her. Reminds me of the prostituted elves in the cities...but even those didn't have such chests...what do they feed the Dalish elves?
Because the woman could be nothing but a Dalish, not only the healthy skin-tone, far away from the sickly pale alienage elves, suggested it, her pale green robe was clearly made of deer leather and covered in intricate patterns that Nathaniel hadn't seen before. Not to mention that her bright grey eyes burned with a hatred that the Dalish had become famous for. Her sandy hair was pulled back in a bun, a few strands having escaped it and hanging over her right eyes...leaving her extremely long ears exposed. Must be some strange diet that...
"Whoa! Got milk?" Anders asked with a chuckle as the mage caught up with them, then winced as Mhairi with a growl shoved an elbow into his ribs.
"You!" The woman snapped the word and pointed a thin finger towards the group, eyes narrowed in hostility, her angular face twisting into a mask of anger and her voice venomous despite the inherent softness Nathaniel could detect behind her tone. "More outsiders! What does it take to make you leave! And with a flat ear too!" She snorted and glared at Lynn...then looked away from the dead eyes gazing up at her. "You think that will make me show mercy!"
"No." Lynn replied, arms crossed, waiting.
The other elf shook her head, face twisting into a mask of rage. "That's all you have to say! My sister taken! My friends dead...and you don't even try to explain yourself!" Nathaniel glanced back at the other two, finding both shrugging in confusion. What is she talking about...? "Then you will die like all the rest!"
Lynn's voice was cold, uncaring. "No."
The look of rage turned into dark hatred. "Oh yes you will..." Suddenly the woman's arms moved...
And the trees came alive.
"Take the shot!" Nathaniel barely heard Lynn's barking order over the creaking sound of five trees surrounding them suddenly coming alive, arms and legs becoming freed from their trunks as they became animated. Yet he moved, ignoring the Sylvans as he drew his bow, notched an arrow, pulled the string taut...and loosed the missile towards the crazed elf.
Only to have the arrow thud into coiling ropes of wood that suddenly sprang from the ground, enveloping the Dalish.
They disappeared back into the ground as suddenly they had appeared, leaving nothing but air where the elf had once been. Neat trick...
Nathaniel had no time to contemplate the elf's magic though, nor what she had said, all that he could do was to roll forward as a Sylvan's swinging arms nearly took his head off. Coming back onto his feet he pulled another arrow at the ready and took aim at the head of the creature, finding it towering over him. It's very big this close...he loosed the arrow...which simply thudded into the creature's eyeless face. Ah...new plan.
Jumping back from another swing of its arms Nathaniel tried to put some distance between himself and the Sylvan, but found himself unable to do so as it simply followed with a lumbering yet long gait, easily keeping up with him as he tried the odd shot at it.
Don't have time, can't aim properly... Nathaniel felt his heart rate increase as he more and more desperately shot arrow after arrow into the creature, only to find the missiles simply sticking to the uncaring creature without doing any real damage. Maker just give me a moment to aim!
Then he was flying.
Blinking he tried to make sense of it...only to find his vision filling with bright light as his back loudly smashed into a tree, his bow falling from suddenly limp fingers. What...
Pain.
Doubling over Nathaniel fell onto all four, gasping for breath his left hand came up to clutch at his chest, finding his breaths laboured as his lungs struggled to draw new air. Cracked rib...hurt... He heard the crash of the Sylvan closing the distance though, felt the ground shake under his palm... No time, move. He shuddered, mind swimming with confusion. Get up...
He grunted and heaved his left foot up, finding blood covering his lips as he glared up at the Sylvan closing the distance. Damn elf...move dammit! He couldn't though, his breath hitching as he tried to raise his other foot, a spike of icy pain shooting through him, nearly making him fall over again.
Can't die...not now... He managed a dry chuckle at the thought, ignoring the pain as he barred his teeth at the approaching Sylvan about to crush him with its now raised fist. Life never been fair...come on then you pathetic pile of stove-food...give me your best shot. He growled in defiance, still one knee as he pulled free a flask from his belt. He wasn't in any state to throw the flask of acid at it, but when the creature crushed him he would give it a burn to be remembered...
Then there was a shout. "For Ferelden!"
The Sylvan wobbled, its right leg cut in twain along the length and fire suddenly racing up towards its thigh. Mhairi appeared a moment later, the heavily armoured woman's sword covered in eldritch fire as she spun where she ran up between its legs, her sword hitting the inside of the Sylvan's left knee and making it fall forward.
Nathaniel winced as the ground shook with the creature's impact as it fell prone, his teeth bared in irritation as much as pain as he watched the knight jump up on the Sylvan's back, crying out in victory as she plunged her sword into its back. Great, saved by the idealist...
A moment later he felt the prickling sensation of healing magic as he saw Anders come walking, the man smirking as he held his staff raised, white light glowing from its tip, white light that Nathaniel felt within him...he offered the mage a grateful nod as he took his bow and got to his feet. At least I'm alive, that's what's important. He looked over at Mhairi, finding the woman grinning at him in satisfaction...and forced himself to bow his head as he spoke the needed words: "Thank you, I will not forget you saving my life, and do my utmost to deserve such a deed."
The woman's grin instantly disappeared, replaced by one of surprise, then irritation. She turned her head away. "We are allies, it's expected."
"True." Nathaniel nodded in ascent even as he turned to Lynn, not at all surprised to find the woman already walking up to him, broken pieces of wood and sap still stuck to her armour. "You still have my gratitude though...Commander?"
Lynn wasted no time on words, as expected, dead an uncaring eyes focused on Nathaniel. "Can you track her?"
Nathaniel turned to look at the mound where the Dalish had simply disappeared through magical branches and narrowed his eyes. It'll be hard...then down at his chest where he still felt the slight ache of his once cracked rib...and the end result satisfying. He spat on the ground, fist clenching in anger. She nearly bereft me of a chance to redeem my family name...
"Oh I'll find her..."
888
Thanks to Abydos Jackson for continuously remaining both observant and clever.