Misdirection.


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It was very early in the morning and they were already on the move.

They had been hiking away from Kirkwall, Hawke claimed they were going to the Dalish camp that he was requested to go to. It was a deal he made with a strange woman that he said screamed bad news. Regardless of how he felt about the woman, he did make a deal and that deal she already fulfilled on which saved his life and his family.

This bargain was only waiting for him now, to finally end this and he would never have to think about it again.

Surely as they approached the camp he warned them the Dalish did not like outsiders especially humans. S'aravi grumbled lowly about speciest elves hiding in the woods. It was their right to live where they wanted, but aggression to another specie made S'aravi far less approving of these wood elves.

She could clearly see objects made by people just over the crest of the hill, they appeared like the sails of ships that had been torn and the mast snapped. Something happened and it resulted in this extreme damage.

Once they got near enough, they were stopped by two armored elves aiming their arrows at them.

"Hold, shemlen! Your kind are not welcome among the Dalish." S'aravi huffed, they did not try to hide their hate either. Usually people had the decency to at the very least pretend they had no qualms about another specie.

"I'm not expecting tea and cakes, I just need to see someone." Hawke tried to be friendly even in the face of self righteous hate. It was difficult convincing these elves that he actually did have business with them.

The elvish woman paused for a moment, glancing over Hawke. "Wait, this is the one the Keeper spoke of."

A great deal surprised, the male stared at Hawke and his companions. "A shemlen? I thought he'd be an elf." S'aravi thought if they believed this aforementioned person would be an elf, it was someone they were planning to welcome openly.

"Enter the camp. Keeper Marethari has been waiting for you." She seemed far more friendly than her male guard friend.

Just so, the male glared at the group. "Cause trouble and you'll meet our blades, stranger."

Awkwardly Hawke slipped by the two guardsmen and entered the camp. Instantly they were all met with suspicious looks and uneasy armed elves. S'aravi had not felt so unwelcome with a people since Hackdirt. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine, the people of Hackdirt made S'aravi sick. Nasty people driven mad by their ritualistic practices.

"Marethari? I was told to bring you this amulet." Hawke quickly handed the amulet off, happy to finally pay off his bargain.

For a moment the elder elven woman examined the amulet with great interest. She did not take long before acknowledging Hawke and his companions, yet made sure this amulet was what she expected. "Andaran atish'an, travelers. Indeed, I am Keeper Marethari. Let me look at you." The woman stepped closer, looking into Hawke's face enough to make him fidget in place.

This close examination made him twitchy. "There's truth in your face. A rare thing in a human. Tell me how this burden fell to you, child."

There were few things in the world S'aravi despised and people speaking down to another simply for their specie was topping her list. Kirkwall was riddled with people hating each other. Humans looked down on elves, elves look down on humans, dwarves looked down on everyone, and it just circled endlessly. A constant cycle of distaste and arrogance over each other.

At least in Cyrodiil if someone disliked a specie or race, they usually kept it to themselves for fear of being ousted socially.

"A dragon fell from the sky, charred some darkspawn, then asked me to bring you this amulet. No big deal." Hawke shrugged off the question, and the elves unwelcoming attitude, with a bit of his usual humor.

"You are blessed by luck, then. I will pray that Mythal watches over your path." None of these strange words meant anything to S'aravi, instead she waited for things that did make sense and awkwardly looked around the camp. "The amulet must be taken to an altar at the top of the mountain, and given a Dalish rite for the departed. Then return the amulet to me. Do this and your debt will be repaid."

"Are you going to teach me this rite for the departed?" Hawke hoped not, he seriously doubted he could remember half of the Dalish words to it.

Marethari shook her head, "I will send my First with you. She will see to it the ritual is done." She paused and appeared to struggle with her next words. "And when it is complete, I must ask that you take her with you when you go."

Hawke raised a brow, finding this either as a joke or as some strange request. He almost felt like she was asking him to steal this elf away. "That... seems a little odd."

"It is her wish and I must grant it." The Keeper pointed to the path up the mountain. "You'll find Merrill waiting for you on the trail just up the mountain. Dareth shiral."

After they spoke with the Keeper, Hawke was zeroed in on finishing this deal. Once this was over he could move on and cut a large portion of his work out, the expedition could not continue until he tied together the last loose end. This trip to the Deep Roads would be long and dangerous, he had to be sure.

As they ascended the mountain trail, they saw the head and back of a woman sitting on the ground just over the edge of the path. She was focused on something in her hands and nearly missed their approach. When Hawke took the last step beside her, she jumped up and her eyes darted rapidly over Hawke and the companions. It felt more intrusive than the Keeper's momentary gauge of Hawke's character.

"Oh, I didn't hear. You must be the one the Keeper told me about. Aneth ara." She seemed friendly enough, before her polite smile turned to mild panic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't ask your name. Unless... it's not rude to ask a human their name, is it? I'm Merrill, which you probably knew already. I'm rambling, sorry." She jumped from one word to the next, as if she was scared to say anything at all and that the wrong word would make them angry.

"You seem awfully nervous." Hawke commented on the obvious, somewhat hoping addressing this alarmed girl would help calm her.

"I've never met a human before." That was strange, S'aravi had seen almost nothing but humans since she arrived here. "Dalish mothers frighten their children with stories about you, you know."

The girl's eyes went wide and she shook her hands in defense, "Not you, personally, of course. I'm sure they don't have any tales about you. Or not scary ones, at least." Her face fell to a defeated yet terrified stare. "Not that you're not notable enough to have a story... I'll just shut up now."

Hawke found this amusing and tried to put her panicked mind at ease. "You'll have to work harder than that to offend me. My name's Hawke."

"Thank you," She truly seemed incredibly relieved, but still nervous. "I'm afraid I'm not very experienced with your kind. The Keeper said you came from Ferelden, I spent most of my life there. We only came north a few years ago. Have you been in the Free Marches long? Do you like it here?" This elven girl was full of questions and apologies. S'aravi thought it funny, but she still appeared nicer than the elves who did nothing but glare.

"I miss the cold. And the dirt. Kirkwall's not brown enough for me, but hey, no darkspawn!" He chuckled at his own joke, apparently Ferelden to Hawke was a bit on the dull side.

"Ferelden wasn't that brown! The first and muck gave it character." S'aravi smiled, perhaps it was less of Hawke's own opinion and just a true characteristic of the land.

The moment the two bonded over Ferelden Merrill seemed to be a bit more at peace. "We should go. Your task is for Asha'bellanar. It's not wise to make her wait.

"Let's get this over with." Hawke agreed, the old dragon woman was certainly disturbing to be around. She gave off an aura that unsettled Hawke, the less he had to do with her the better off he would be.

As they set off, Merrill happily fell in line with the companions and found her own pace to walk beside them. She was a rather squirrelly girl with her eyes always searching and her hands always twitching. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with her, only that she does get scared easily.

Climbing the path they could see a fire up town centered around some ruins of old pillars and half of a dilapidated stone wall. A man stood beside the fire, armed with a bow and quiver. Clearly he was elven, but his presence up here did make Hawke curious.

Marrill followed suit and stood near Hawke once they arrived at this small checkpoint.

"So the Keeper finally found someone to take you from here." He, like most of the Dalish elves in camp, spoke with an icy chill. Only this time it was directed at Merrill and not the humans walking in camp.

Instead of instigating an argument, Merrill saved face and responded with equal coldness. "Yes."

"Then finish your task quickly, human. We cannot be rid of this one too soon." He made his point and cut a path between Hawke and Merrill, ignoring the strange looks he got and the dark glares at his back.

"I have made my choice and I will save our clan, whatever you think." She quipped, but left it at that. The elven man paid no heed and ignored her words. S'aravi found this all very suspicious.

"Sundermount seems very... mountainous today, doesn't it? Lots of... rock. And hillside." Hawke broke that tension with an attempt at a joke that fell on deaf ears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- Let's go. We should hurry." Merrill put an end to it faster than it began.

Once they left the small camp, S'aravi got a word from Varric. It was not long until the group paused again just before entering the cave through the mountain side. Merrill took a moment to say a few words, still nervous and seeking to make a good impression on the first human she ever met.

"There is so much happening here and no one is telling." Varric stated quietly, low enough for S'aravi to hear and not to interrupt Merrill apologizing on behalf of the other Dalish elves.

S'aravi nodded, "A decidedly bad thing too. The distaste he had for Merrill, Marethari's difficulty asking Hawke to take Merrill along after. Now Merrill is talking about saving the clan. I feel like we are building to some great reveal." She chuckled, "Let us hope it makes for a good story."

Varric replied with a wide, toothy grin as usual.


They reached deeper into the cavern, it was not particularly bad. The cracks in the sides allowed plenty of light to flow into the cave for plants to grow and grass to spread healthily.

Nothing seemed to be dangerous so far. The climb was the most stressful things, it was quite the incline to climb in armor while carrying heavy weapons. S'aravi rather enjoyed this hike though, the landscape of the Free Marshes were vastly different than Cyrodiil's. Like Merrill and Hawke joked about Ferelden being brown and dirty; the Free Marshes are the same to S'aravi.

It was grey and always wet, there did not seem to be any bright woods to watch the breeze or fields to watch the wildlife go by. It was dark beaches surrounded by sharp rocks, the occasional ruin, and some grassy areas that appeared to be dying.

To prove S'aravi's comfort in this cave wrong, a distorted hissing reached her ears and it was clear everyone heard it.

Hawke's sword slid out of the belt and he watched the cave tunnels to see where this sound was coming from. Everyone had plenty of time to ready their weapons and S'aravi noted Merrill use her staff, figuring the girl to be a mage instead of a warrior. It would come in handy for certain, but S'aravi remembered not to use her magic around strangers.

Perfect timing to note this small issue as a rather disgusting arachnid climbed down from the cave ceiling and S'aravi gagged at the sight. She hated insects and giant ones were uniquely terrifying.

Her skin crawled as more spiders appeared and they bared their fangs. "Careful, they might be venomous." Hawke warned as he charged the first spider. Sarcastically, S'aravi thought, that regardless of venom or not those fangs alone with one bite were large enough to kill them before any venom takes its toll on them.

With her sword in front of her S'aravi made a few warning swings at the legs of a giant spider in front of her. Its hissing, glossy eyes, and haired legs disturbed her.

"These things are disgusting..." S'aravi sliced off a leg, the crunch of its exoskeleton only made her even more revolted. It was not hard to beat this spider and she assumed the others were having an easy time of them. They raised their front legs to intimidate the threat, but all it meant was S'aravi had an easier direct path to their heads. Whatever she could do to kill it faster.

With one leg missing it jumped at her, the fangs gnashing at her face. S'aravi became acutely aware that she might have a real phobia. She struggled to focus her eyes on the arachnid, as she pushed back against it she felt as though her body failed to listen to her and struggled to reel back in disgust. Her body felt ill, her mind struggled to handle this.

Get it together- kill this thing! As she pushed back, her teeth bared and she growled. It was a struggle just to look at this creature, but with a renewed effort she forced her body against it and sunk her blade into its body. Blood poured from the wound, the crackling of its exoskeleton, and the hiss it made as it curled up to die.

For whatever reason S'aravi shook. She did not fear this creature, it was no more dangerous than a goblin. The appearance, the knowledge it was a giant spider, combined with the sounds - she had a difficult time coming to terms with a horse-sized spider.

In a wave of disgust and skin crawling illness, S'aravi shook her entire body and looked away from the spider. She could not handle it, something in her head could not reconcile what was wrong with her when she thought about this creature.

Stuck in place she failed to hear when Hawke neared her side.

"S'aravi...?" Hearing her name snapped her out of her unnatural focus on this newfound phobia. She jumped a bit and turned to Hawke, nodding her acknowledgement.

"Are you alright? Were you bitten?" Aveline asked, wondering if those spiders were actually venomous.

She sheathed her sword and offered a slight shrug, "Not quite, just curious as to how giant spiders come to exist." S'aravi tried to brush off her discomfort around the arachnid corpses. It took all her energy to not think about them or see them around the cave. She noticed that all the other spiders were dead and there was quite a few, at least six other corpses decorated the room. "I only had time to slay one of these creatures and you slaughtered the rest. They must have been remarkably easy."

Aveline tilted her head, "Not really, S'aravi. Once we handled the rest we saw you standing here. You looked like something was bothering you so we gave you a moment to collect yourself."

Hawke jumped on S'aravi's earlier statement, interrupting Aveline's concern. "Wait- you've never seen spiders that big before?" He thought that was strange, out of all the extreme stories she told them giant spiders was such a simple thing. "Well, we should continue. We're almost at the summit so we get get this out of the way once and for all."

S'aravi agreed and without further questions, they all headed to the far exit of the cave. She felt dirty, like she could feel the spider's hair still on her and it was incredibly uncomfortable. While before she had never considered the need to bathe as they did not have much of a bathing room to do so in, she needed one absolutely now.

Once they left the cave she felt a bit better. Not having the spider corpses in such close proximity provided some peace.

Just outside the cave they came to more ruins and a glowing blue magical barrier separating them from their goal. There were strange sounds like whispers in the back of her head, S'aravi had no idea what to think of this place but there was something off about it.

"I can open the way forward. One moment." Merrill stepped up, taking a second to prepare her cast.

She withdrew a small blade from her waist and cut a slit into the palm of her hand. From that wound she summoned a torrent of blood and there was no words for the display S'aravi saw. Merrill cast something that required a blood cost, once she fed it, the red torrent hit the barrier and it dissipated within seconds. The way was now open.

But there was a change in the air, such a simple cast put everyone on edge and S'aravi remembered them mentioning magic like this before. It was forbidden just as necromancy had been before she rose to the status of Archmage. "That was blood magic, was it not? Is that not a school of magic looked down upon in this land?" She looked to Hawke for answers, but it came from Aveline instead.

"Very much so." She spoke with the knowledge of a templar, what blood magic meant, and how it was a serious choice to meddle with.

"Yes, it was blood magic, but I know what I'm doing. The spirit helped us, didn't it?" Merrill offered what she though was a gesture of good will. S'aravi knew little of what a demon really was and their true nature. The only examples she has had so far were less than happy to see them and spared not a moments notice to kill everything in sight.

Hawke was not happy to travel with a blood mage who actively practices with delusions that a demon, or this 'spirit', could be good. "Sure, demons are very helpful... right up until they take your mind and turn you into a monster." He had a bit of sarcastic humor for every situation, though he certainly strained his lightheartedness for this subject.

"Well... yes. But that won't happen, I know how to defend myself." Merrill wished to prove her actions right, but they still had a deal to complete and there was danger just ahead of them. "Be careful up ahead. Restless things prowl the heights. In the days of Arlathan, the elders came here to sleep. Uthenera. The endless dream, they called it. But they don't sleep peacefully anymore."

Hawke straightened the edges of his tunic below his armor and stepped into the foreboding mist that obscured the rocky ground. There were crude stone arches placed intently around the path to the altar. They held meaning of course, likely the graves of the elders Merrill spoke of.

They all watched their footing, Aveline followed up the rear with her back to her companions. S'aravi watched the sides as best she could with Varric's crossbow at her back. Hawke lead the way to the altar on the very edge of the overhang. The mist shrouded the shadows but disappeared in the light, it was not natural.

There was an unnerving gust of frigid wind that S'aravi could explain was simply the height of the mountain they stood on. Yet just as the mist faded from the light, the sharp wind only existed in the shade and the air went stale in the sun. Some magic was at work and it did not favor guests.

As they neared the altar, the curse on this ground showed its twisted head. A tall, ghostly figure simply appeared from thin air. It hovered over the ground, looking down with it's fingers touching as if in some strange prayer. Just as most of the strange unnatural creatures it let out a breathy hiss. The skeletons around them came to life, each one standing in positions to surround the unwelcome visitors.

They carried bows and swords, the ghostly figure carried magic, and all they had to do was send them back into the abyss. Great. Sounds easy. S'aravi took position as a skeleton charged her.

"Take out the archers first!" Hawke delegated his orders and he was right, the archers were the one thing they could not defend against without a shield.

Aveline took point on that, using her shield to block the flint tipped arrows and heard them snap on contact. S'aravi was busy with a longsword wielding skeleton that would not relent. It bashed its sword against hers mercilessly, caring not if it caused any real damage. It was mindless and brutish, it would be easy to beat if she was not also worried about the archers trained on her.

As if seeing this issue, Aveline stepped closer to S'aravi to help give her a chance to fight back the skeletons. Hawke went immediately for the ghoulish figure that awoke the undead, being that it would hit the group far too hard if given the opportunity. Varric helped dispatch the archers as Aveline was able to progress against the archers.

The closer Aveline got the harder it was to not be hit by arrows. Once she was close enough, Varric loaded a larger bolt and pierced one of the archers arms to snap it and gave Aveline the opening she needed to take the offensive.

S'aravi took the brunt of the skeleton's maddening attacks and pushed back against it. Without having to dodge away from the arrows, she turned the undead's brute force against itself. When it made another heavy attack, S'aravi side stepped it, and returned the power attack by raising her own sword and hacking off the undead's skull.

Aveline bashed her shield against the archer, knocking it to the ground and forcing her blade into its chest. As it still hissed and struggled, Aveline took her shield and slammed the bottom onto its neck, severing the head. As it went limp, she turned to the other archer just in time to see a bolt split its skull. She looked over her shoulder and saw Varric giving her a knowing grin.

The last archer was already readying its next arrow when S'aravi made a dash for it. The momentum of her run and swing cracked the bow out of its hands. While it was stunned, S'aravi took another hard swing to its neck and it collapsed to the ground.

Merrill, helping Hawke handle the ghoul, fired a strong pillar of flame at it. Hawke stepped back to let the fire burn the body, as it screeched it blasted Hawke off his feet and turned to Merrill. Aveline responded first, pulling her shield between Merrill and the demon, interrupting the psychic's attack path. Hawke and Varric were next to move in, Varric's bolt's stuck into its hide while Hawke reeled up for crushing blow.

The demon took the brunt of Hawke's attack with it's arms, it was tough enough to take it. It was not capable of withstanding so many attacks at once. When S'aravi came up from behind it she rammed her sword into its back. It bent backwards, screeching in pain. The strike was not enough to kill it, but when S'aravi pulled on the hilt of her blade it remained stuck in the hide of the demon.

When it swung its long, clawed hands back around to strike at her, S'aravi rolled under the attack to get to a safe distance. Sure enough, her blade stuck out its chest and she was left without a weapon in her hands.

Hawke saw that curious scene and took up S'aravi's attack path. He blocked the next few swings from the demon as Aveline rushed it from behind. She hooked her shield onto her back and grabbed the hilt of S'aravi's stuck blade. Using her own sword she ran the demon through for a second time, using her own sword and S'aravi's she forced them apart. The leverage between the two hilts was enough to sever the demon in two.

It let out an ear piercing shriek before falling to the ground, its body disappearing into the air.

Aveline held both her sword and S'aravi's, panting tiredly as she realized the battle was finally over. She heavily disliked having to fight demons and the undead, they were always some of the worst creatures to fight. Excluding abominations of course.

S'aravi watched Aveline take her minute to catch her breath and it was remarkably intense seeing Aveline tear a demon in twain. Once she had relaxed from the battle, Aveline flipped the blade into her hand and held the sword out for S'aravi.

Hawke smiled appreciatively at Aveline. "Well, that's one way to kill a demon."

Taking the sword from Aveline, she sheathed it, and rejoined her companions as they brushed themselves off. S'aravi checked to be sure her armor, gloves, cloak, and mask all remained in place through the battle. It was crucial that it remains in place when fighting or she would have to make more adjustments. With luck it appeared as though everything stayed together.

It was not until Varric cleared his throat beside her did she find anything wrong. S'aravi looked to Varric and tilted her head to the side, wondering why he was trying to get her attention.

Without saying anything or letting on to the others, Varric looked down her legs which made her a little confused. When she followed his line of sight, she did not initially understand. With a shrug, Varric reached a hand out and grabbed the tail twitching side to side in response to the tension of battle. S'aravi nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his grip on the end of her tail.

"I think this defeats the whole purpose of your new look, don't you think?" He teased her for her lack of awareness. She tugged her tail out of his grip and shaking her head.

"Could have just said something, you did not need to manhandle it." S'aravi reprimanded him, now far more aware of the normal movement of her tail. It was strange to try and keep such close tabs on a part of her own anatomy. Never before had keeping her tail hidden been part of her life, there were moments she had to be careful where it was and who could see it; but that counted to her entire body as well.

Varric glanced to the others, "With how many times that thing nearly hit me I felt entitled to something," He holstered his crossbow on his back, "Besides, you didn't seem to get the hint. Figured I'd help you out, we don't really know how these elves will react to a cat woman walking around. Probably not much better than Kirkwall would."

"It would not hurt you if my tail did tap you." S'aravi scoffed at him, "And yes, I realize that. The usual threats on my well being for simply existing. Divine's forbid I walk through town without hiding my face everywhere I go."

Huh, perhaps that was more of an outburst than a joke? S'aravi was surprised with herself, she did not think she had such strong feelings about how secretive she had to be. It was a moot point, there was no way to help that, so it was not worth complaining about. The statement she made was definitely not as joking as she wanted it to be and admitted to herself she felt a moment of frustration boil to the surface.

Even Varric, who was still standing beside her, noticed the change in her voice. He gave her a moment to correct it or allow her privacy, but her freezing in thought told him something was up. "Stripes-"

A powerful bright yellow light swirled around them originating from the altar. They could both see that Hawke continued on their task while S'aravi and Varric spoke. As a strange twist, this amulet was magical, but contained a life. S'aravi had known people that went willingly or unwillingly into a soul gem and yet never in her life has she seen someone exit one.

A figure rose from the amulet on the altar, it was engulfed in the yellow light, licking the figure like flames.

As quickly as this strange torrent of light began, it faded and before them stood a woman clad in thick deep red leather, black feathers and heavy armor adorning her. Her eyes burned golden, her hair wrapped into four long horns, and a metal crown resting upon her brow. All in all the woman looked as though she was far more than human.

S'aravi had seen few people powerful enough in magic to do such a trick, but she could not figure out was if it was teleportation magic or she had somehow found a way to materialize out of nothing. Was she human or another creature in human form? She was more powerful a mage than any mortal being S'aravi had ever known.

Every last person was a bit on edge, save for Hawke who did indeed recognize the woman. He came here to serve a purpose and repay this strange woman, yet there was no telling what her intentions really were. Hawke, for the moment, did not seem concerned.

"Ah~ and here we are!" She took one step forward, seemingly relaxing after this magic trick.

"Andaran atish'an, Asha'bellanar." Merrill bowed, not looking directly at her. S'aravi could not tell if Merrill bowed out of respect or fear. Perhaps both. She would have to be cautious.

This tall, armored woman watched her curiously. "One of the people, I see, so young and bright. Do you know who I am, beyond that title?" Her voice, the way she spoke, feigned friendliness and while listening it was clear that it was to calm them, but still served as a warning. This woman would not be trifled with and she had no time meaningless banter. She had a goal and the growl and depth of her voice made everyone's hair stand on end.

"I know only a little." Merrill responded, remaining in her formal bow.

"Then stand. The people bend their knee too quickly." When Merrill rose, the woman gazed at Hawke.

Every second the woman did not speak it felt as though she was meticulously picking out every word to use, every detail on their attire, and many colourful ways to kill them if she saw it fit. S'aravi remembered few people like that, Mannimarco was one, though he was far more rash than this creature. Dagon was driven by rage and S'aravi could not compare meeting Dagon to meeting this woman.

While Dagon towered over them as a god, this being stood before them and knew she was stronger. It felt like weight was dropped on them, if she did so choose to, they would not survive her onslaught.

"So refreshing to see someone who keeps their end of a bargain. I half-expected my amulet to end up in a merchant's pocket!" The joke made everyone a tad bit more comfortable, but in a way where they realize this woman was not going to kill them even though she could without a struggle. It was a nervous laugh, to appease her.

"No one wanted to buy it. Maybe because it had a witch inside?" He quipped dryly. The amulet was a host for this woman, though the magic to perform this was alien to S'aravi.

The woman appeared to look far beyond Hawke, "Just a piece. A small piece, but it was all I needed." Her leering gaze returned to Hawke, "A bit of security, should the inevitable occur. And if I know my Morrigan, it already has."

"S'aravi, you know anything about this kind of magic?" Hawke asked her and it was more a surprise than S'aravi wanted. She did not wish to be brought into this conversation, remaining on the outskirts was pleasant enough for her.

Just as she had done to Hawke, the woman stared straight at S'aravi. She was a little uncomfortable that she knew who to look at for the reply. S'aravi took a step forward as she had paused too far behind with Varric.

"Teleportation, regeneration, soul gems; all magic to move, restore, or contain. It is not uncommon for a soul to be captured inside a gem. To emerge from the gem is... unheard of. The soul is taken when the body releases it, as such it can be given a new host. Which means they cannot leave the gem unless used or destroyed." S'aravi looked to Hawke and shook her head, "Teleportation can do such things. And yet-" S'aravi met the woman's eyes, "-my gut tells me this is not the magic applied here."

A grin on the woman's features broke S'aravi's concentration. "Something tells me your gut is correct. Of course, perhaps someone more well-versed in old magic could help. A smart lad he was, that priest."

S'aravi's eyes were wide, Martin. She stuttered for a moment, unsure if these words were meant to shock her or agitate an open wound. As readily as she stepped up to answer Hawke, she retreated into herself. S'aravi gave a single nod, "Y-yes, I am sure he could." Her tone was cold and numb, this was not the time and place to think about such things.

Hawke noticed that Flemeth's words struck a nerve and he quickly changed the subject. "You have plans I take it?"

"Destiny awaits us both, dear boy. We have much to do. Before I go, a word of advice?" She turned, not waiting for anyone to reply and looked beyond the cliff edge. "We stand on the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly."

Everyone knew either she was insane or had foresight the rest did not. This woman had a power none of them could reconcile and, if true, gave them a glimpse into what she could see. Evidently, there were many things in operation that they were unaware of. It was clouded, as if obscured by smoke, but there was something in her words that rang true.

"Cheap advice from a dragon." He cracked a smile while he admitted personally his confusion.

"We all have our challenges." She looked to Merrill, "As for you, child, step carefully. No path is darker than when your eyes are shut."

"Ma serannas, Asha'bellanar." Merrill was more stern and controlled around the leather clad woman. The usual nervous rambling was cut entirely.

With a long stride towards Hawke, the woman smiled with a dark look in her eyes. "Now the time has come for me to leave. You have my thanks... and my sympathy."

When she turned towards the altar, her body lit in the same golden light as before. A powerful gust of wind tore through the unnatural stillness around them and before the mountain a dragon stood. It raised its massive wings into the air and leaped off the edge of the cliff. The companions turned their face away from the sharp winds and watched as the dragon roared into the skies.

Deep claw prints were left over on the cliff, the loose ruin stones toppled over and a few tumbled down the edge. The tension was lifted, the woman gone, and everyone had far more questions now than before.

It was over, the deal done, and time to head back to the Dalish camp.


S'aravi cared not for the looks she received from the group and Hawke shared her in actively ignoring the companions. No one had much to say, yet enough questions to fill an entire day.

Neither avoided anyone, but could feel certain curious eyes on them. Hawke lead the group, S'aravi followed up the rear, and no one spoke. The stress of seeing this woman, or being of some creation, emerge from the amulet and speak in cryptic sentences about the future put everyone on edge. They were all welcome to be done with it though.

By the time they descended the mountain and arrived back in the Dalish camp, the awkward silence ended and they were back to their usual selves.

Once they neared the Keeper she immediately turned to them, "Ma serannas, child. Your debt is paid in full." She addressed Hawke first, appreciating his work, before looking at Merrill. Her expression told S'aravi she was worried and feeling sorry for the younger elf. "It isn't too late to change your mind, da'len."

"Dareth shiral, Keeper." Merrill handed the remains of the amulet to Marethari, "I am ready. Let's depart." Hawke nodded and offered a curt half-bow to the Keeper, trying to be respectful without intruding on this clearly personal moment between them.

"I need to stop at the trader, there are some things I think he would be happy to have." Hawke gestured to the elven man tending to a table of tools, clothing, supplies, and weapons. In the mountain, amongst the long dead elven elders, Hawke had picked up some ancient pieces of elven jewelry that the undead had worn.

It was worth something for certain, but instead of trading it off to a merchant in the city he felt it would be a good show of will to hand it off to the Dalish. Internally, he hoped it showed that he was not trying to walk over them and profit from their ancestral grounds. He needed coin rather badly, yet the Dalish were barely clinging to their historical predecessors.

At the table the Dalish man watched Hawke approach and did not seem to mind them terribly much. When Hawke picked the rings and pieces from his belt, the elven man smiled. It was not necessarily thanks, but a polite appreciation for Hawke's consideration.

During the time Hawke discussed purchasing the Dalish man's other items, S'aravi took a moment to look around the camp.

Her encounter with the strange woman-turned-dragon was less than enjoyable. She suspected that reply was about Martin, perhaps it was about Hannibal? It felt directed at me. As if it was deliberate... knowing... S'aravi searched and searched over possible ways for that woman to know about her and Martin's relationship.

Obvious only to S'aravi using Martin so pointedly was either a threat or meant to display something. Her power? Does she have a gift of foresight?... Frustrated and stuck with no way to get answers, S'aravi thought of the only thing so written.

An Elder Scroll? It was not beyond the realm of possibility that a Scroll existed out here, but no mortal being looked upon a Scroll and could either interpret it, even look at it for more than a second, or gather information and survive. It was the fabric of reality written down before them in a language and magic that they could not hope to understand wholly.

S'aravi carried an Elder Scroll before, looked at the design inside and saw a nothingness burnt by runes that meant nothing to her. It was a frenzy of information not meant for her eyes.

How could one woman, unnatural though she is, know information secluded only to herself, Martin, Baurus, Jauffre, and some members of the Blades. Perhaps one of her old companions had an inkling. S'aravi sighed, but her old companions all died in their adventures. She restrained herself from inviting companions along in her quest after struggling with the guilt of their deaths.

It was always a fight to consider someone joining her, but no one she had ever met could do the things she did. They could not fight as she did, they had fear in their hearts where S'aravi only had the need to move forward. This driving force behind her propelled her through Oblivion gates, dreams of a trapped mage, an alternate realm, and uncountable more dangerous situations in her life.

People followed her, some brave enough to enter an Oblivion gate and survive; none could keep it up. It was built largely on S'aravi's ability in battle to sustain her ally, though she would get too focused on herself and fail to aid her ally.

In light of the woman's knowledge on S'aravi, she considered someone who knew her or had the idea of Martin and her together. Perhaps she had been to Tamriel, knew stories, was she in Cyrodiil when the Oblivion Crisis occurred? S'aravi bit her tongue, No, probably not.

As deep in thought she was, S'aravi could not mistake the sound of small feet running near her. It was either a very small person or a child, excited to play. When S'aravi looked up she saw the child running towards her.

"Well, hello-" S'aravi jumped when the kid dodged between her legs and hid under her cloak. It was an uncomfortable position to be in as the Dalish elves saw the child playing, but more stared when the child engaged the fully armored stranger in their camp.

The girl giggled, oblivious to the extreme discomfort she was causing the other Dalish.

A woman neared, having followed the child and saw S'aravi lifting her arms up, twisting around to try and get to the child. Every turn she made, the girl went with her. S'aravi was trying not to alarm the Dalish elves glaring daggers at her, she was innocent, the girl only wanted to play.

It was not until the woman, mother S'aravi assumed, that the girl peaked out from behind S'aravi. "Get away from the shemlen! Do not go near them!" She was scared of the strangers, believing S'aravi a human like Hawke and Aveline. Varric tapped Hawke's back to get him to turn around, Aveline was already watching in case the Dalish took this harmless act to heart.

S'aravi brought her arm behind the girl slowly, striving to show peace. She kept her eyes trained on the mother and gently patted the girl behind her, urging her to stop hiding.

"Come here, now!" When S'aravi's hand touched the child's shoulder, she could feel eyes on her. It was tense, only because the Dalish took a human's presence so heavily.

Without this racial tension, it looked as simple as S'aravi sending the girl back to her mother no worse for wear.

"No, I want to say with kitty." S'aravi felt yet another hand on her tail, turning it towards her.

When she heard the voice, the brazenness of the little girl, S'aravi nearly spun on her heel to see the girl standing nervously behind her. Her tail came free and she kneeled down to the girl, just now coming to recognize her face.

"Nauriel?" S'aravi smiled, though hidden under her mask. The girl smiled, that initial nervousness melted away, and she came to hug the overjoyed khajiit. S'aravi wrapped her arms around the girl, thrilled to see her safe and free. "Nauriel, child. This kitty is happy to see you."

"Uh, S'aravi?" Hawke caught her attention, pointing to the rather confused and unhappy Dalish around them.

S'aravi released the child and swallowed hard, while the two were safe with each other, the Dalish were defensive. When she stood, the woman who S'aravi thought was her mother came closer and beckoned Nauriel.

Nauriel still had a her hand on S'aravi's, holding her close. "I apologize, this must look strange." S'aravi chuckled, trying to be friendly. "I know Nauriel, everything is fine, I assure you."

The Dalish did not seem to be interested anymore, everyone relaxed, not because S'aravi told them it was safe. The woman looked to Nauriel and back to S'aravi, "If you truly know Nauriel, shemlen, where is she from?" She was supicious, but the fear had ebbed away into doubt.

Hawke came to stand beside S'aravi, showing her without words they were watching and nothing would happen. "I do not know where Nauriel is from, but I was with her when the Tevinter were transporting us. There were more than Nauriel and myself, there were others as well. During transport we made an attempt at freedom." S'aravi used her free hand to rub the back of her neck, "It resulted in Nauriel and others being free, but I was bound in shackles and chains. This man and his friends saved me then."

Always glad to accept praise, Hawke joined in the conversation. "She was truly bound in chains and we were able to free her. Slavers aren't very good fighters."

Accepting this information, the woman nodded. "Well then, I suppose I should say I am glad to see you escaped as Nauriel did. We found her and some others making their way towards your shem city and asked for them. When they saw we were Dalish, many asked to join us. Since they had no lives in the city, they remained with us."

"And you were tasked to care for Nauriel?" S'aravi shook her hand, tightening her grip on Nauriel's hand to reinforce her. Trying to tell her that is was alright. Nauriel leaned into S'aravi's side more.

"You could say that. I have a son and was willing to take Nauriel in as my own. She is a sweet girl, if a bit too energetic." It was a good, relieved smile when she saw Nauriel's comfort around the stranger.

"Kitty is soft and nice, can she stay with us?" Nauriel came up to the woman mothering her, "I promise I will take care of her."

The woman laughed, "She is no pet, Nauriel. She is a shemlen, a human." She addressed calmly, amused at Nauriel's pet name for S'aravi. The more Nauriel called her kitty the more openly concerned S'aravi was to be ousted.

Nauriel grabbed hold of S'aravi tail again, holding it to her though it were a toy. "No! She is a kitty, I promise. I promise- she is pretty and she doesn't bite." Perhaps I shouldn't use the "I don't bite" joke anymore, at least not with children. S'aravi laughed uncomfortably, her tail was visible and it shocked the woman.

When she met S'aravi's eyes, she looked closer beneath the hood and cowl. It was not obvious, but the more she examined it the clearer it became. This was not the face of a human, elf, dwarf, or even qunari. This creature was foreign and entirely new.

"You're... you're not a shem, are you?" A frown pulled at her face, "What are you?"

Other Dalish, though not as interested as before, were overhearing the conversation and those that did now cared not to hide it. A new creature, intelligent, and friendly. This was something that broke polite interest.

"Ah-" Hawke jumped in, "Of course she's human! Why else would she live in a human city, with me?" He immediately cringed at his own attempt to hide S'aravi, "Alright fine, she's not human. But that's no reason to be scared."

"Hawke!" Aveline glared, surprised at him.

"What? They know, we know- we can't hide it when it's this obvious." He defended, running his hand through his hair.

"Hawke." She warned again.

He persisted, "Look, if they know I doubt they'll spread that information. I'm sure they're fine."

"Hawke!" Aveline and Varric stopped him in his tracks. He grinned, somewhat embarrassed.

"Um, perhaps you would like to sit down?" The woman offered a seat by the fire, warmer, comfortable; this could be a chance to talk for a moment. "If you're alright to talk about it?"

S'aravi shrugged, "We are on a tight schedule, I do not believe I have the time to chat. At a later time I would be happy to discuss things with you." She glanced at Nauriel, who was still taken with S'aravi.

"Of course, I often wonder what it was like for Nauriel to be in those bastards cages. I worry for her adjusting to life as a free Dalish." She smiled sweetly, the first sense of worry overtaken by relief and the shared adoration of the excited little elven girl. "Come back any time, I am sure Nauriel would love to see you again."

S'aravi released Nauriel's hand, giving her a gentle pat on the head. "And I would be glad to see her again too."

"Come along, Nauriel. You have chores to do." The woman held her hand out and Nauriel accepted it. She looked back to S'aravi as she and her adopted mother left them to their devices. She could hear Nauriel asking about where the kitty was going, but she did not complain when they had to leave.

"That was interesting. You never mentioned you're good with kids." Hawke smiled slyly, "Maybe I could hire you to babysit Gamlen when we're away."

"I would not sit at home with Gamlen any longer than I already have to. You could not offer me enough gold." S'aravi grinned, thankful for Hawke's usual sarcastic attitude. She did not particularly desire to talk about her experiences while captured. Nothing extremely terrible, but enough beatings and torture to wish to avoid it.

"Come on, we've still got a few things to do. I'm sure we'll come back to the Dalish camp again sometime." Hawke gave S'aravi a strong pat on the back, enough to knock the wind out of her.

S'aravi would like to see Nauriel again, it was a strange connection through a negative time in their lives. Even as a child it was a time worth note, even if Nauriel did not understand why or what the situation meant for her future.

When Hawke began to leave the Dalish camp, S'aravi was all too happy to join him. She would be glad to be back in Kirkwall, the Dalish lived in mud and dirt. It was muck that got all over her clothing, she desired to be clean again.

Aveline and Varric shared the position of an audience. Both talking, but trying to figure out everything going on between S'aravi and recent information.

What all stuck in their minds was the witch that came from the amulet. Her foreboding presence made them all feel like more was coming than they thought. Somehow the mood between the companions would change after this point. It was not enough to scare them away from these adventures; it only made them think about the means to an end.

The trip home would be slowed by a heavy rain. When they finally arrived back in Kirkwall they headed indoors.

Aveline was quick to return to the barracks to get dry.

Varric retreated to the Hanged Man, which S'aravi made a note to herself she had to visit again. She liked the drinks there, but she really wanted some food there. He made no attempts to stick with them longer than he had to, the storm was coming down strong and he did not wish to be outside during it.

When Hawke and S'aravi returned to Gamlen's hovel they were drenched to the bone. Bethany had a hearty laugh seeing her brother struggle to move with so much water weight soaked into his clothes.

Hawke and S'aravi both entered the bedroom and began removing their armor. Leandra and Bethany stood outside the bedroom door giggling while Gamlen rolled his eyes and muttered something about wet cat smells.

When she heard Hawke's chest piece thud onto the floor, she smiled watching him take a deep breath in relief. With most of his armor removed it was easier to move around. Water soaked into the cracks of the floor boards. S'aravi unwrapped her clothes and removed her leather pieces, taking the fabrics and ringing them out.

"Tomorrow we'll start the expedition. I've got one thing to do in the morning, but after that I'll get ready to go." Hawke nodded mostly to himself and his own plans. He sat on his bed, "I heard Varric hired you to protect the expedition team. I guess I'll have to get someone else to follow me around."

S'aravi shook her head and neck, attempting to dry her fur. "Yes, I am quite happy Varric thought well enough of me to hire me. It is a rather nice boost to my ego." Hawke chuckled, "I will be around, but Bartrand will likely be my top concern. You care take care of yourself and you will have three of our already well qualified and able bodied allies. I know Varric will be with you, but you will likely be able to convince anyone you want to join you."

"I understand, Bartrand will probably get himself hurt if he went anywhere alone." He thought about Bartrand's character, how smart mouthed and somewhat rude he was. He was a haughty dwarf.

"If you really end up needing my help I will still be around." S'aravi offered, knowing eventually Hawke would probably ask for her to accompany them. She rung out her head wrap. She hoped it would be dry by tomorrow.

His mood shifted when he looked at S'aravi, watching her shake out their clothing. She had even taken it on herself to start ringing out his clothing. He was still dressed in the last layer that was below his armor, but he removed his shirt and began to join her drying out the clothes.

"Some things happened today and I know I don't take things seriously..." Hawke laid out his shirt on the table, watching S'aravi for a switch in her when he tried to touch on these topics. "While we spoke to the witch she said something to you, I don't understand what it meant but I think I speak for everyone when I say I saw how it affected you."

There. He saw her falter, she paused only for half a second before continuing drying clothes.

"And about that kid, Nauriel." He waited again, seeing if she would respond. After a minute of listening to nothing but water pooling onto the floor, he tried again. "I know that you tell us a lot about your home and your people. I really want to hear more, of course. It's just this was different than how you are when you talk about home. You're usually excited to discuss those kinda things."

S'aravi laid out her wrap from her new armor set, setting it out to hang off the table. She was thinking about what Hawke was saying to her and she was carefully gauging to say anything or leave him to think.

"I just want to say... whatever it is, you're fine with us. I don't know what it is or what it means to you, but it had meaning to you. I... apologize if it went too far." Hawke was thinking largely about Flemeth and her mentioning the priest.

She put her hands on the table, still not looking at Hawke but staring down to the table darkened as it soaked more water in. "It's alright, Hawke." He was glad to hear her speak to him, "I don't know how to explain it, it's very personal. I do not know how she knew about it, almost no one knew. Certainly no one that would say anything."

Hawke leaned over the table, "You were close to the priest?" He was trying to be careful, knowing he could overstep boundaries.

"Yes, I was. We were." S'aravi replied, she felt she was being a bit short with him at this point. "It is not important, but I thank you for your concerns."

The tone of voice told Hawke it was over, she did not wish to expand on these details and he was pressing his luck. Instead of pressing for answers, he backed off. "S'aravi, you know you can talk to me about anything. No judgement here. I've done enough stupid things to know I have nothing to say."

She looked to Hawke, "There's nothing wrong anymore, Hawke. Everything is in the past." S'aravi pointed to the door, "Now I would prefer to get warm by the fire. The cold has touched this cat's bones."

He agreed, worried he might get sick before the expedition. Hawke and S'aravi sat on the couch in front of the fire, a blanket wrapped around them both hoping to be dry before early morning.