Chapter 73: Mark of the Assassin pt3
Hunting Grounds-West
In their search to find a wyvern, they ran into a dragon nest. The dragons were smaller than the ones back in Kirkwall and so took no time to defeat. "Not our prey, I suspect" Fenris said checking the fallen dragons. "A shame"
"Do dragons and wyverns even mix? I don't think so" Tallis said.
"The hunters in my clan would sometimes place parts of a creature into the territory of their hunting target" Merrill said.
"And wyverns are very territorial" Ericks said. "Sounds good" Ericks placed the dragon limbs into the hunting pack and continue their way before it got dark. On their way they saw the other guests of the party. Some were injured from either the wildlife attacking or an unfortunate fall while others were looking for something they lost. This was fortunate, the less competition the more likely they can get close to Duke Prosper. Tallis came to Ericks side.
"Champion of Kirkwall? Fancy title"
"The only one in Kirkwall not completely insane' was considered" Ericks said.
"So, do you get a stipend? They let you run the city?"
"They gave me a medal. It's shiny" he said. "Hello…" They came across a pool of blood at the crossroads of the grounds. "That's a lot of blood. Think it's from prey or from a wyvern itself"
"I've heard they fight for dominance. Not exactly gentle" the elf said.
"Which means we have another lure for us to use" Varric said.
"Yes, but would it be enough?" Fenris said.
"I'd say so. A little one but that's probably all we need" Tallis said. "In the right spot, no doubt" The gang continued their way and met up with some other hunters. Unlike them, the others didn't seem to worried about the hunt instead they were just standing around talking. One of the hounds came up to Ericks and the rogue pat its head. If he had brought Romulus with him, perhaps searching for the wyvern would be easier.
"Foolish hound! Get back here!" The mabari came back to its master. "I'm told the wyverns roost in the trees. Perhaps if we shake them?"
Fenris shook his head. "Hunting for sport. Is it wrong for me to cheer for the wyverns?"
"Just ignore them" The other hunters up ahead looked lost, as if they were trying to figure out what to do next. "You'd think none of them had ever been on a hunt before" The gang made it to a clearing where they saw a hunter running toward his partner. Apparently, he found something in the east and the two hunters followed the trail. The gang followed, if seeking the beast did not work then they had no problem stealing a kill from other hunters. The two hunters stopped at a cave entrance and the gang hid behind a rock formation and watched.
"There is…something in there. A nest, perhaps?" They could here something, but it almost sounded like…giggling. A dark figure jumped out of the opening and latched onto one of the hunters and stabbed him with a makeshift spear. It was jagged little creature dressed in rags and what looked like an armored gauntlet used as a makeshift helmet. It was a ghast, short goblinoid creature that dwells within the mountain caverns of Thedas. Taking shelter in various mountain caves and rarely venturing to the surface, ghasts are highly territorial creatures who live together in packs. If they have sufficient numbers, they will drive away or even kill those who encroach on their territory with malicious fervor.
While they are cunning and have a basic understanding of cooperation, ghasts aren't considered truly intelligent beings, as they are incapable of speech. Despite this, some ghasts have demonstrated an aptitude for magic. Called velghastrial, these ghasts quickly rise in the pack's social structure, and often become its leader. The little goblin looked at the other hunter but rather than fight, the surviving hunter ran for her life.
"Oh no, no, no…don't run this way!" Ericks said. The ghast took one look at the gang and attacked, letting the hunter get away. The goblins surrounded and swarmed them; Merrill used shook the earth to push the ghasts back. Tallis rapidly tossed daggers at their heads while Varric mowed them down with Bianca. Ericks and Fenris covered Merrill and cut down the ghasts trying to get close. "Shit, they keep coming!"
"The entrance! Close the entrance!" Tallis said. Varric and Merrill aimed for the cave entrance and destroyed it crushing the ghasts trying to get out. The gang then finished off the group attacking them and caught a breath.
"Nasty little fuckers…" Ericks said.
"It's a very good thing they don't come out on the surface much" Tallis said. "Welp, so much for the stealing the kill plan"
"Can I just imagine that wyverns are small, completely non-poisonous bunny-like creatures?" Varric asked.
"That depends…before or after its eating you"
"Spoilsport"
Fenris crossed his arms. "Do we expect to find this thing? Do we even want to?"
"The sooner we get this hunt over with, the sooner we'll be at the chateau to finish this" After resting the gang continued. The sun was higher into the sky, they had been here all day and still no sign of a wyvern. The gang could see that the other hunters were getting tired of the hunt and was heading back to the Haine estate.
"Just how long has this hunt been going on?" Ericks asked.
"It's an annual tradition the Montforts began to keep the wyvern population down. They breed quickly" Tallis said.
"Elves, too. We're plucky that way" Fenris joked to the surprise of everyone.
"Well there's no annual Elf hunt…yet"
"And the Orlesian nobility is only too happy to help out?" Varric asked.
"It's a game. The Montforts are close to the empress so anything that pleases them is worth pursuing" Tallis said. "Plus, you should really try the aquae lucidius. You'll be seeing purple dragons in the sky for days" The air all of the sudden stood still when everyone heard roars echoing from the mountains. The hounds were on alert and barking as they went to follow the sound of the roaring. "Is that…wyverns mating?"
"Could we mimic that?" Ericks asked.
Tallis blushed. "No! Oh, you mean the sound. Right, yes, I can mimic that"
"That sounded close…real close" Varric said.
"Yes, and the hunters are going the wrong way. It's coming from the east" the elf said. "This is our chance"
Hunting Grounds-East
The eastern half of the grounds of Duke Prosper's Free Marches estate, Chateau Haine. It is here that the Duke conducts his annual Wyvern hunts, attracting many Orlesian nobles hoping to climb higher in the Grand Game. The eastern grounds provide an idyllic view of the region, being home to a pristine lake as well as being sheltered beneath the Chateau on the nearby mountainside. Like the rest of the grounds, the eastern hunting grounds have several Ghast nests and are also home to Wyverns' preferred feeding spots. As they walk, the gang spots bloody pieces on the ground that was swarmed with flies.
"I'm no hunter, but I'll wager that's a sign" Fenris said.
"There you go Hawke. It seems we're on the trail"
"Someone alert the empress" They followed the trail, a rotten smell rushed to their nose that made them gag. They soon found the source of it, a rotting pile of whatever the wyvern ate.
"A wyvern kill? Some kind of…halla or something?" Tallis asked.
"That…could be a tunic" Ericks said. "It would seem wyverns are not too pick about what they eat"
"Don't know, don't care, it's bait they liked for some reason" The gang heard giggling and behind them were a large group of ghast. "Not this again!" The ghast jumped at Tallis and the elf tossed a dagger into its head while Ericks tossed a shock grenade to stun the goblins and clear them away. Varric rolled away from several ghasts trying to gang up on him, the rapidly shot down the ghasts. Merril slowed them down with a hex to allow Ericks, Tallis and Fenris to mow them down. When the odds turned from their favor, the remaining ghast ran away.
"Shit, and I thought darkspawn was vicious" Varric said.
"That's the last of them, for now" Tallis said.
"How many are there usually?" Ericks asked.
"A nest can often be a hundred or more. Just be thankful we're not underground" The gang continued and made it to an opening overlooking a large lake. This would be nice place to picnic if it wasn't for the ghasts and wyverns in the area.
"For a slaughtering ground, it's quite nice to look at" Ericks said.
"The Montfort family inherited this mountain from a clan of Navarran dragon-hunters" Tallis said. "Well, maybe inherited is the wrong word. What do you call it when you kill someone in order to get all their stuff?"
"Heh, your typical Tuesday in Kirkwall" Varric said. The pleasant scenery around them was soon ruined by a rancid smell in the air. "Ugh, check the bag, I think that pile we found is acting up again"
"It's not the bag…look" Merrill said. On the other side of the lake was a big mass of dung, very fresh. The size of the dung could only be the work of a wyvern.
"Ugh. Well, at least we're getting closer" Tallis said. "So…who want to do the honor?" The gang was silent, until Ericks sighed and walked over the mountain of dung. The smell was unbearable even for him and the rogue spent his time making deadly poisons.
"Looking for clues" Ericks placed his hands in the dung, it was very wet and warm to the touch.
"Aw, Ma vhenan no…" Merrill said.
"I'm staying upwind until you wash that off, Hawke" Varric said. Ericks felt something hard and pulled it out of the pile. It was the bones of a small animal.
"Ooh, nug bones. I wonder if a nug call would help attract a wyvern"
Ericks raised a brow. "You know a nug call?"
Tallis snorted. "You go elbow-deep in wyvern shit and I'm the weird one?"
"Touché, well we must have enough to bait a trap now"
"In the right spot…no doubt" Ericks washed his arms in the lake, the smell was still there but it was much less than before. Once he was ready, the gang went on their way. As they traveled deeper into the grounds, a large fog started to set in making it hard to see. It was also noticeably quiet. "Wait. What happened to the birds and…everything?" Tallis asked. "Uh oh…"
The fog cleared and they spotted bones everywhere, human and non-human as well as dung. The gang was in the lair of a wyvern. "Next time, could we hunt something small and cuddly? And maybe vegetarian?" They made it to an open clearing that had no trail except for the one behind them, the gang was truly in a place of no return.
"Well, the trail suggests wyverns just love this place to bits. If we are going to find one, it'd be here" The gang started to set up. "Luckily, this place has enough room for us to fight" Tallis said. "They're not stupid, though. We'll need some really good bait"
"Think we got enough?" Varric asked.
"More than enough, though I would be careful with it. We could end up luring a lot of them"
"Lay all out. I'm bring the duke a trophy to talk about"
"Let's get to it then, we've a lot of stuff to lay out" Tallis said. "Right, now the blood" The elf took the vial of blood and dumped it on herself with Ericks raising a brow. "What? The prey needs to be moving. Doesn't it?"
"Just warn me when you do that"
"Right, right…now the sound" Tallis then blushed. "If you could…not look at me while I do this, that would be great" The elf then cleared her throat and made an ungodly cacophony of sounds.
"Uhh, was that…good?"
"You can always do it" Ericks said nothing. "Didn't think so" Tallis started to move around the lair while making her sounds. The trees started to rumble, something was approaching and approaching fast. Out of the forest came a large alpha wyvern, it took one look at the gang and with a roar attacked.
They found their mark; now can they survive it? Next Time! As always, Review and Comment!
