Chapter 37: Offered and Lost

Hanged Man-Night

"Just tell me if you hear more rumblings from the Coterie about protection. Blondie's got enough trouble…" A man nodded and walked away. Varric sighed… another day, another punk trying to shake down another one of his friends. Bartrand vanished after the Deep Roads expedition, and Varric had to divert his attention from searching for his wayward brother to keeping the now-abandoned family businesses from falling apart. Varric now occupies his brother's seat in the Dwarven Merchants Guild—technically. He rarely attends Guild meetings and is hardly ever seen actually occupying the chair in their hall that belongs to House Tethras. He prefers to run the Tethras financial empire from his suite at the Hanged Man. And he never replies to his mail. "Let ask you something, Hawke" he said. "You made it into Hightown. I'd expect anyone to get complacent. But you…you must have plans"

"You mean other than doing Dumar's job for him?"

"Yeah, other than that"

Ericks sighed. "No plans yet. Right now I'm just looking after Ma"

"Good thinking" Varric said. "To be honest, I thought there might be a chance you'd want to go back to Ferelden now that things have calmed down"

"It's good to hear you're sticking around"

"What would I do without my trusty dwarf? I'd cry myself to sleep without you"

"Oh, don't get all teary-eyed on me, Hawke. You know I can't stand to see a human cry" Varric said. "So we've got a whole city-state full of trouble to get into. Shall we get started?" Soon the door to the tavern opened and a red-haired man carrying a sword and shield came in with his chest puffed out looking real proud of himself.

"Looks like trouble has found us" Ericks nodded at Isabela and the pirate nodded back. The man came to the bar with a huge sack of coin.

"A round of drinks for everyone!" The entire tavern erupted in cheers. Corff looked at the sack with a raised brow.

"Someone's moving up in the world"

The man just gave a cocky smirk. "Easiest coin I've ever made with none of the danger" he said gulping down some ale. "And I'm doing the city a favor too, by ridding it of those oxmen"

"Loose lips that one has…" Fenris said.

"Greedy and stupid, the perfect pawn" Ericks said. "How about we go say hello to our new friend?" The gang moved on to the man. "A lot of coin for this place"

"That's right, pal. Tonight I'm paid and blessed. And all I had to do was turn my head" He grabbed a bottle and stood in the middle of the tavern. He held up the bottle. "To all my friends!" The tavern erupted in drunken cheers.

Ericks came behind the guardsman, and the man frowned. "Hey, step back. I know important people. We're going to show this city what to do with heathen oxmen"

"Well, well someone has deep pockets. I want an introduction"

"Someone always wants something, but I don't have to take that anymore. Three horn-heads are just a start" he said. "You want some of this? Take it from me and my new friends!" He looked back at the drunken thugs behind him, this fool of a guardsman actually thought he was someone special just because had coin on hand. But his new 'friends' looked annoyed that someone was interrupting their drinking.

"You're on your own, pal"

The man shook his head. "That's loyalty for you. Come on!" He got into a fighting stance and took out his sword. He swung for Ericks head but the rogue just easily dodged out of the way. The others were about to take out their weapons but Ericks stopped them; he could handle one sloppy fighter. The man swung again and Ericks ducked and then slugged the guardman into the gut and the man took a tumble. The man looked at Ericks with rage in his eye and Ericks just motioned him to come. The guardsman shot up and swung his sword; Ericks this time stood ground and blocked the blow. He then swiftly head-butted the man in the face giving him a bloody nose and sending the guardsman to the ground, before the man could get up Ericks held the guardsman's own sword at his throat.

"Feeling a little friendlier?" The guardsman started to cower; it was obvious from his sloppy sword work that the man was not used to combat. Knowing Aveline, she would never put a person that couldn't fight well on the dangerous patrols, which meant this guardsman was from a relatively safe patrol like Hightown.

"What…what do you want? I just did what he said. It was more coin than I've ever seen"

"Come on. Someone so generous, they deserve recognition" Ericks moved the sword closer to the throat, so close the point was now touching the flesh. Now the guardsman turned pale.

"Templar. It was a Templar. I didn't get the name" he said panicking. "We met near the chantry. He…he said taking these Qunari was serving the Maker"

"I swear, he even had the seal of the grand cleric! True is true!" Ericks dropped the sword and pointed to the door, he had no need for the guard anymore. The man took his sword back and quickly ran out of the Hanged Man. What he said about serving the Maker, it was very familiar but Ericks couldn't put his finger on it.

"A Templar…well this is a fine mess" Isabela said.

"Serving the grand cleric, no less…great" Ericks doubt the grand cleric was involved, like the viscount, she too didn't want open conflict with the Qunari but there were forces at work that wanted to force her hand. The Chantry was empty at night so the gang called it a day.


The Chantry

The next day Ericks and the gang headed for the Chantry to speak with the grand cleric. "The man was a drunk. Surely you don't think Grand Cleric Elthina is funding zealots?" Sebastian asked. Ericks briefed Sebastian on what was happening and could hardly believe it or more like he didn't want to believe it after all, Elthina was like a mother to him. When Sebastian was a disgrace to his family, he spent his considerable allowance on drink, entertainment, and the wooing of the ladies of Starkhaven. Fearing that Sebastian might father a bastard that could grow to challenge the Vael throne, his parents forced him into the Chantry, exiling him from their principality. After Sebastian was forced into the Chantry, Elthina helped him escape in the dead of night, telling him that people should enter the Chantry through the front door, not the back. She gave him a purse full of gold and told him to go and live his life.

Elthina helped him to regain his faith however, and after reflection, Sebastian returned to the Chantry, this time willingly, and through the front door. Embracing his new role, Sebastian took vows of poverty and chastity to become a sworn brother of the Chantry.

"Easy, Shiny, it's only a careful chat about missing Qunari"

"Keep an open mind, Hawke. Elthina isn't behind this" The gang met with a lay sister.

"The grand cleric, please. Tell her…" Ericks said. "Tell her, 'Three qunari leave an estate…' and let her finish" The lay sister went to fetch the grand cleric, only to be stopped by a familiar face…a very unwelcomed familiar face.

"Serah Hawke"

Ericks frowned. "Sister Petrice…" There was an uncharacteristic air of malice from the usually glib Ericks. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

"Is it me? Or am I sensing some hostility?" Varric asked.

"We did business with Petrice some time ago...it did not end in the best of terms" Sebastian said.

"Mother Petrice. Time has changed us both" she said. "Grand Cleric Elthina cannot grant an audience to just anyone. What do you want?"

"Funny how you and issues with the Qunari seem to go together"

"And you always assume their side" Petrice said. "I was naïve when we met. I did not want you dead, but a death was necessary"

"That may be too fine a point for you to understand but you must admit, you came out the better for it" she said. "I hear Viscount Dumar is asking for you these days"

Ericks crossed his arms. "I know you and I know someone is abusing the grand cleric's seal"

Petrice scoffed. "Who are you to question who serves Her Grace? I am sorry, but I see no reason to let you pass"

"How about the fact that her authority was used to abduct Qunari" Ericks said. Petrice gave the rogue a cold and deadly glare. "Such silence…it's almost like you knew. But I wonder does Her Grace?"

"The grand cleric trusts her stewards to enact the wishes of the Maker"

Ericks smirked. "Such a naughty girl, this will shock Her Grace, no doubt"

Petrice frowned. "Stubborn…all right, Serah Hawke, if you won't abandon this. Let me offer you something" she said. "The Templar you seek is a radical who has grown…unreliable. Confronting him may do us all a favor"

"And his relation to you is…?"

"He is my former bodyguard, Ser Varnell. Assume what you wish, but I offer him to you as…reconciliation" Petrice then gave Ericks a document. "Meet me at this location. I invite you, Serah Hawke. Come see the unrest these Qunari have inspired" She walked away.

Isabela shook her head. "Poor bitch, she thinks we're stupid"

"It's her game, for the moment"


The Undercity

"The Undercity…good place for hiding zealots as well as bodies" Varric said.

"Petrice is here somewhere"

"I have a bad feeling about this…" The gang made their way through the Undercity, as they got closer to the location they could here sounds of yelling and someone talking.

"Qunari hold no real power. They are absent from the eyes of the Maker" The gang turned the corner and spotted Varnell speaking in front of a small crowd of heavily armed people. Behind them were four qunari tied against poles, the Arishok's delegates. "Like any beast, remove the fangs and it is lost"

Varnell turned to one of the qunari. "They are weak before the faithful of the Maker. The only certainty in their precious Qun is death before the righteous" The Templar then punches him in the gut while the qunari's comrades growled. Varnell's crowd cheered and ranted at the qunari, the lust for blood was in the air. The fanatics were ready to tear the qunari apart. The punched qunari looked Varnell in the eyes and growled. The gang approached.

"Ser Vernell!" The gang looked to the side and saw Petrice to their side.

"Take a knee, faithful. The Chantry blesses us"

"You claim a blessing when you have used the authority of the grand cleric so openly?" Petrice asked. "You remember Serah Hawke?"

"The Qunari have friends, Templar. How will you answer their allegations?" Ericks narrowed his eyes, Petrice was up to something but they had bigger things to deal with.

"You want a fight! Face someone whose weapons are not bound!" Ericks said. Varnell took out his knife and slit one of the qunari's throats.

"Righteous!" The Templar said. "Destroy them!" The crowds turned on the gang as Petrice fled for her life. Out of the corner were several more fanatics, the gang were surrounded.

"That's a lot of them…" Isabela said.

"Yep, it's a good thing we came prepared" Ericks then whistled and Aveline and her guards came running and the odds were now evened up. The large battle began.

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