We met up with Scout Harding on the outskirts of the Crossroads only to learn that Mages and Templars were fighting not just each other but refugees as well. Just like the shems to turn on the innocent. Travel to meet with Mother Giselle was interesting, to say the least. We fought through and found ourselves aiding the refugees in other ways as well: killing rams for meat, locating abandoned mage supplies for blankets, even locating additional healers.
Mother Giselle's advice to me on the next move I, or we as the Inquisition, should do was to actually confront the Chantry clerics. To say that the idea met with disbelief was an understatement. Nevertheless, her words resonated with truth and word was sent ahead of the plan, leaving us only one more known mission to accomplish in the Hinderlands.
Scout Harding had pointed out on our map where they had suspected Master Dennet resided. Dennet was wanted for his skills as a horse master, but because of the fighting the forwarding scouts had yet to be able to get through. So it falls to me. I led the way that I thought would get us through the fastest. Behind me I could hear Varric and Cassandra discussing Kirkwall's reconstruction. Solas however remained silent.
I was just about to comment on it when we came over the rise of the hill and stood face to face with a small pack of wolves. I could feel something off about them, but before we could try to move around them, they attacked. We made short work of them, and as the last one fell Cassandra spoke up. "No normal wolves would fight with such determination," she said.
"The Breach could have driven them mad," Solas suggested, but I shook my head kneeling next to the closest one. "Their eyes," I said softly, "there is something off with their eyes." Solas peered over my shoulder as I lifted its head and showed them the eerie green eyes. "Or perhaps a demon has taken command of the pack," he amended. A shutter ran through me and I hoped he was right.
"Something is wrong with them," I said standing. "We've never been attacked by wolves before." We started forward before anyone commented. "Maybe these are the first wolves are the first we've come across since the Breach." He said it as a statement but it sounded more like a question. "No, there were wolves feasting on carcasses just outside of the Crossroads. Even if you didn't see them…" I began. "They would have seen us and protected their food," Solas finished.
About this time farm land came into view. We could see smoke rising from the largest building, presumably the home of Dennet, which reassured us that at least someone from his family lived. We set up a small base camp just outside of his fields before going to make inquiries about horses. Dennet was a rough looking gentleman but his terms weren't too outlandish, depending on your point of view. His wife and lead farm hand had some requests for safety, once those were dealt with he would supply horses.
His farm hand suggested some watch towers for protection of the refugees and readily pointed out locations that he felt they would best serve. It was an easy enough request and we had sent the plans back to Haven on the fastest Raven we had. Within a few days we received word that troops and builders were on the move to begin construction.
Dennet's wife, Elaina, on the other hand, had a slightly harder task for us. Up in the hills was a cave that housed a pack of wolves. These wolves had recently taken to attacking the farmers making it unsafe for them to work. "No farming means no food, no food means people starve," Elaina said unnecessarily. "I won't have our men back out on the lands until those blighted creatures are taken care of."
I had spent a few days scouting the hills for the best route to where Elaina suspected the wolves to be coming from, before the four of us set out. My path led us almost directly to the cave and before long we were surrounded by wolves. As we worked on thinning out the wolves I noticed the same eerie green glow in their eyes. "Solas," I said dodging a lunge from one wolf as he brought his staff down on another. "If they were possessed, do you think the demon is in one of them?"
"No." His short reply came out in almost a grunt as he cast Winter's Grasp at a wolf about to leap onto Cassandra, who quickly turned and bashed the frozen creature with her shield effectively shattering it. "If any of these wolves were possessed they would have red eyes." Another pause as a fireball shot towards his attacking wolf. "As their eyes are green I suspect that the ruling demon here is nearby."
"Right," I said with a nod and quickly moved next to Varric. "I'm gonna borrow this," I continued and grabbed one of his hidden blades. "Herald, don't even think about…" Cassandra was cut off as a wolf knocked her to the ground, her shield just barely coming up in time to protect her throat. "I'm not thinking," I replied, "I'm doing. Keep the wolves occupied." And with that I ran further into the cave system, feeling the faint touch of magic as Solas hurried to cast a barrier over me.
Not much further in, I found a small trail that lead to a higher perch. I took that route, praising the Creators as it set me up above the demon. "Oh it just had to be a terror demon, didn't it?" I muttered under my breath. I secured my blades, gripped Varric's, and waited for the demon to move into just the right position before leaping onto its back and driving the small blades deep. I knew I didn't stand a chance fighting the demon on my own so I didn't wait for it to recover before taking off back for the entrance, feeling the demon enter the ground to follow me.
I kept running, feeling it pop up right behind me only to realize it missed and disappear into the ground again. I immerged from the cave entrance and leapt onto the back on the last wolf standing, burying my blades into its skull. "Incoming," I said and before anyone else could question my meaning the ground below me rumbled with the tell-tell sign of the Terror.
This Terror was bigger than the others that we had encountered and after having just battled a pack of wolves, we were nearing the end of our strength but somehow we still managed to defeat it. "You are one crazed elf, Glowworm," Varric said laughing after the battle was over. "Crazed and stupid," Cassandra cut him off, her tone heavily laden with anger. "You could have gotten yourself killed running off on your own like that, and then where would we be. For all the help you are wanting to give us, you certainly act like you have a death wish."
"Aw leave her alone Seeker," Varric said, retrieving his blades from the dead Terror as its body disintegrated back into the fade realm. "Master Tethras has a point," Solas said coming to my side. "If the Herald had not…persuaded that demon to come out of those caves, we would have had a harder time fighting it." Varric and I both laughed at this. "I persuaded it?" I asked skeptically. "Indeed," Solas replied. "Piss a demon off and it is easily persuaded to give chase."
At this even Cassandra laughed a little, though she turned it into a scoff. "The important thing is that we are alive, and the farmers are now safe," Cassandra said in a much softer tone. "Let us return to give the good news and rest." No one argued with that one and we all set off. However as we were making the climb up the final hill to the farm, there was a crackle of energy as the mark flared up and a rift opened just off to our left. "Not now," I complained, but we all got into position anyways.
…..
It felt like a fly walking across my forehead. I swatted at it but it didn't go away. Soon I felt a trickle of water and that caused me to sit up. I was in one of our tents surrounded by Varric, Cassandra, and Solas who had the offending "fly cloth" dripping in his hands. "What happened? How did I get here? What happened to the Rift?" I blurted out questions just as soon as my mouth started to work.
"We were kinda hoping you could tell us, Glowy" Varric answered. "Indeed, the circumstances are hazy and difficult to understand at best," Cassandra added. "I remember the Rift opening," I began slowly. Their looks didn't give me much comfort. "Did we manage to close it?" I asked softly.
"Yes," Solas replied, "but not until after you managed to call another pack of wolves in to aid the fight." I looked at him in disbelief, and then looked at Cassandra and Varric for confirmation. "I called…" I paused as the memories finally hit me. The rift opening with Desire demons and Terror demons, the feeling of being over whelmed, the mental cry I did for Fen'Harel's cunning and the answering wolves howling, a new pack of wolves showing up seemingly out of nowhere and attacking the demons with us, and then finally the closing of the rift.
"How long have I been out?" I asked instead. "Only a few hours," Cassandra answered. "The sun will be setting soon. But do you have an explanation for what happened at the rift?" I reached into the collar of my clothes, my armor having already been removed, and pulled out an amulet. "Token of the Packmaster," Solas explained after looking it over. "Quite a helpful and seemingly innocent looking thing."
"I pulled it off of the Terror demon when I jumped him at the cave," I explained. "Glowworm, I don't think you will cease to surprise me. It's good that you are awake," Varric said with a chuckle before exiting the tent. "Indeed," Solas agreed heading to exit as well, "It does explain why a handful of the wolves suddenly took off while we were fighting them." Cassandra didn't say anything, just grunted and left the tent before him.
