9:30 Wintermarch 26th
We got to Lothering by night.
We got up in the morning and ate what we could. We've been trying to conserve some of our food but I knew that what we had would get us to Lothering but not farther. Things were tense considering that Eren and I were still on bad terms. Just because I rejected him doesn't mean he has to be such an ass.
We walked but there wasn't much to say. Zevran and Leliana seem to be tag teaming me on trying to make me feel better. I understood why Leliana did that but Zevran? He was kind of a mystery. I get that he flirted with nearly every female but, for some odd reason, he seemed to be inching towards me more.
I won't lie, I actually like the attention. Zevran is attractive as hell. Please don't judge me.
He, Sten, Alfred, and I guarded the rear. Alistair, Eren, and Derek were up in front. Mages in the middle along with Leliana. It was lightly snowing but nothing like the Blizzard from two days ago.
"I was wondering something." Zevran came beside me.
"Really? How much thinking did you have to do for that?" I said. I heard Sten let out a breath which made me smile.
"You are a cruel mistress." Zevran chuckled. "But back to my original inquiry, how does someone like you end up here?"
"Someone like me?" I asked.
"You said you were married and you had children yes?" Zevran looked at me. I nodded. "Then it is a fair question as to how you came here instead of staying with them."
"That's a really loaded question and it isn't something I'm comfortable in telling." I said.
"We have time, I'm sure you'll tell me one day. My big Qunari friend! How did you find yourself in these lands?" Zevran asked.
"I am not 'your' Qunari nor am I a 'friend.'" Sten brushed him off.
"Perhaps but I am still curious to know how you found yourself in these lands? Especially considering your hot and humid country." Zevran said.
"I have no desire to explain myself to you." Sten huffed.
"It seems that no one will satisfy my curiosity." Zevran dramatically sighed.
"Maybe it's because we're trying to focus on getting to our destination? We're wasting energy talking." Talen talked back to him.
"Is that so? I believe slight entertainment makes time go faster. Meaning we will get to our destination faster." Zevran chuckled.
"Talking isn't really entertaining. Not all of us had entertaining lives." Talen grumbled.
"You are too young to have tales!" Zevran laughed. Talen growled before Leliana grabbed his arm to stop him.
"If you are looking for entertainment, perhaps a bit of song might do?" Leliana suggested.
"Oh, are you a bard?" Zevran purred.
"I did have a life before the cloister." Leliana hinted before she hummed a tune and then started to sing.
"Of all the things that could start happening, should we become a band of minstrels then?" Morrigan rolled her eyes.
"It's very nice Leliana." Wynne ignored Morrigan. Like that, Leliana would sing a few songs, Most of them were in Orlesian but, even without instruments, her voice seemed to echo in the complete silence of winter. It was hauntingly beautiful.
"Come now, I can't be the only one to know how to sing." Leliana giggled.
"Talen has a wonderful singing voice, especially with the hymns of the Chant." Wynne laughed.
"Hey! That was a long time ago!" Talen grew bright red.
"Don't even look at me Senior, I'm too old for drunken dwarf songs!" Derek laughed.
"And here I was thinking I might be able to hear a few." Wynn tsked.
"Now isn't this better than the tension from before?" Zevran whispered to me. I walked away from him and stood closer to Sten. I caught a glimpse of Eren when he looked back. He looked away just as quickly. It was true what Zevran said though, the group was a little more colorful. I actually smiled. The snow stopped as we kept on walking and the sun was setting.
Then the GWs stopped. We all took our positions and grabbed our weapons. The sun dyed the snow a light orange. For a second, it seemed that snow turned into fire. There was no sound except for the sound of our breathing. Then they came up from the snow. There was a huge Hurlock Alpha that stomped toward us with a huge axe in hand. Behind him were four Hurlocks.
Talen suddenly turned and shot off a fireball in his hand. Right behind us, I heard shrieking and saw three thin and sickly bodies rolling in the snow.
"We got an alpha, Hurlocks, and shrieks!" Derek shouted.
"I've got it covered over here!" Talen shouted. Eren nodded while the big hitters went toward the Hurlocks. Leliana was able to kill one of the Hurlocks that held a crossbow. The shrieks came up from the snow. They had loose clothing over their bodies and what looked like daggers attached to their hands.
"These ones are going to be quick, do not let them out of your sight!" Morrigan transformed into her wasp form. The shrieks started to attack. Sten, Zevran, Alfred, and I went forward. Alfred was quick to bite into a leg. The shriek went to stab him but I was able to do a series of quick slashes on its back. It hissed in pain before Alfred went for the kill.
I evaded another shriek before I saw the other two being covered by wasps. They fled as soon as Talen dealt another fireball. One fell while the other ran toward Talen. It was struck by icicles, commanded by Wynne. I saw that Derek and Eren were teaming up together to fight the Alpha. Alistair was being ganged up by three. Morrigan went back into her human form and did a lightning arc between all five Hurlocks. Talen rushed up and followed it by concentrating on his staff.
"Everyone, out of there!" He yelled. Eren and Derek ran but Alistair was held back. Wynne did a protective barrier around him.
"Now!" Wynne shouted. Talen unleashed his energy into a firestorm. Small balls of fire came rushing from the sky and raining down on the Hurlocks. Two were killed, the Alpha still stood. Alistair got rid of another one. One Alpha, one Hurlock. The Hurlock stood back as the Alpha roared and started to flay his axe wildly. I saw Alistair ducked away.
"We can't get near it if it's going to rampage like that!" Derek shouted.
"Then we hit it with magic!" Morrigan shouted as she commanded earth and forced it toward the Alpha. It cut it in half. Then an arrow came by and missed Leliana's leg.
"Shit! The other survivor got the crossbow!" Talen panted.
"Spread out now!" Eren shouted. Everyone was quick on their feet but as we separated, the Alpha stopped its rampage.
"It stopped!" Zevran shouted as he tried going closer, only for a shot to strike him right in the bicep. He shouted in pain.
"Zevran!" I shouted before evading another arrow.
"Shit! It wanted us to spread out!" Talen growled.
"We won't be able to hit one at a time! We need to go in as a group!" Derek shouted.
"Someone can get killed!" Leliana evaded another arrow. I saw Alfred drag Zevran farther away.
"Even if we do, if we cannot kill the one with the crossbow, then we are sitting meat for the larger one!" Morrigan theorized. We needed to stop the sentry. I saw Alistair creeping by away from us. He tried to signal us as well. I saw Eren's face turn calm.
"Morrigan, can you use your magic to command the vines around the Hurlock?" He asked.
"All magic can be used at a range but it is too far and I need a clear view." Morrigan explained.
"Then we need to obstruct their view for a time as well." Wynne said. She raised up a wall of ice. "This will hold! Go to your positions!"
"Morrigan with me! The rest go the other way!" Eren shouted. The alpha was tall enough to look over but not the regular Hurlock. It shouted something I couldn't understand.
"Everyone, stay clear of the wall! It's going to smash it!" Derek shouted. No sooner had he said that, Alpha tackled the wall of ice. The plan worked though. As he smashed through, the Hurlock was focused on us, the bigger group. Morrigan, now close enough, ensnared the Hurlock with vines. Alistair came out where he was hiding and lopped off its head in one quick motion. That made the alpha mad though and it started to go on another rampage.
"Spread out!" Eren shouted as he grabbed Morrigan and cleared out of the way from the Alpha. It was in a whirlwind, twirling its weapon all around. That meant it was moving slower than before. Wynne got down on her knees and let out an earthquake. The Alpha stumbled and its feet were caught.
"Charge!" Derek shouted as Alistair, Eren, and Derek came up to attack all at once. The Alpha roared as it tried to get out from its hole but it wasn't able to before Eren pierced its skull with his sword. The Alpha let out a gurgle before falling to the ground. We all panted around, still high off adrenaline.
"It's all clear!" Talen shouted after he stopped concentrating. Alfred barked and I ran over to Zevran.
"I see your combined efforts have felled the beast. Well done." Zevran lightly chuckled, holding onto his injured arm.
"Yeah, come on. Let's get you healed." I helped him up as Alfred was there for support. Talen came up and examined the arrow.
"Lucky you. Looks like this arrow wasn't coated in their blood." Talen said as he ripped it out. Zevran winced in pain.
"And if it was?" Zevran asked.
"You don't want to know." Talen said as he healed his arm. "Try not strain your muscles. I'll heal it again tomorrow."
"Thank you." Zevran said. The Grey Wardens gathered all the darkspawn in one center. Morrigan cleared them away with fire as Talen was winded by his earlier fire attack and his healing of others.
"This was only a small party. There might be bigger ones later on." Alistair said.
"Then let's keep moving. The sooner we get to Lothering, the better." Eren suggested.
"Are you alright Talen?" Leliana asked.
"I'm just tired from that spell earlier." Talen panted. "Hey, Nia, come over here." I looked at him before going over to him. "Just stick next to me ok?" He whispered. I nodded. He must have sensed that I seemed to be a trickle of fade like Wynne said. Putting two and two together that meant I can actually help mages recover mana. But how much, I wouldn't know.
Our pace grew slower than before. Alistair, Eren, and Derek were all going over the battle and how to strategize if we ever got caught in between two groups. Alistair was able to name off all of the darkspawn that he's encountered and how to combat against most of them.
Genlocks are big and meaty. They weren't slow either but the ones that had shields were the most dangerous ones. They left the back of their necks unprotected though. One stab there and they fall. It's best to take them on as a team.
Shrieks are the best in fast combat. They had nimble feet and their tendency was to lay low and kill those that were unguarded. They were weak though and a good hit on their chest would kill them just be wary of their daggers. Rogue vs rogue is best for these bunch or, if they group together, a wide area spell.
Hurlocks were the most fluid out of all of them. They could wield crossbows, daggers, and sword and shield. Their armor is also of better make. It's best to make the fight as quick as possible. Their necks are unprotected so it's best to decapitated them. They like to move in groups so it's best to take them out one by one.
Alphas were the strongest as their name implied. There were Hurlock Alphas and Genlock Alphas. Both were bigger than the regulars and pack a powerful punch. They don't go down easily and they both take considerable damage. They can also command a pack of their respective darkspawn. It's best to get them out of the way as soon as possible or get rid of their underlings as soon as possible. Either way, get ready for a fight.
Omegas were extremely rare darkspawn. They can kill other Alphas with ease and can command a small army. Unless you have a group of veteran Grey Wardens, keep clear of these and hope you outrun them.
Then there are the Darkspawn Emissaries. They are ones that can use magic. What type of magic they can use is widely varied. They can even heal their own. Rare as they come, they are a force to be reckoned with and is recommended for a Grey Warden with Templar training to handle them. Otherwise, stay clear. Unlike regular mages, they can fight hand to hand and can also teleport.
Either way, as long as we can stay in a group to fight, we'll manage. Night fell quickly as well as the temperature. We cleared a series of hills and went by a post that showed which way was Lothering.
"I recognize these farms even if they are deserted. Lothering should be right across this…" Leliana went ahead of everyone, climbing up the steep path. Of course by the time everyone got to where she was, they were able to see the devastation even in the night. Smoke rose from where we could see Lothering. Leliana gasped and started to walk over towards the ruined town but Talen stopped her.
"I don't think that's a good idea." He said but she took back her arm.
"You don't know that! We can go and we can save those that are still there!" Leliana shouted.
"In the dead of night? We would be walking into a trap." Morrigan scoffed.
"But-!" Leliana started.
"No. We can't do anything right now. We'll turn back and go into one of the abandoned houses. As soon as the night starts to get clear, we'll start to move again." Eren said calmly and walked back the way we came. Morrigan smirked and followed him.
"There, there has to be something we can do right!?" Leliana said. More and more of our group followed Eren. Wynne gave her a sympathy pat on the back and Zevran nodded. Talen stayed right next to her. Leliana sniffed and quietly sobbed. I came by and held her hand.
"The Light shall lead her safely, through the paths of this world, and into the next. For she who trusts in the Maker, fire is her water." I began to recite. Leliana cleared her throat.
"As the moth sees light and goes toward flame," She exhaled. "She should see fire and go towards Light. The Veil holds no uncertainty for her, And she will know no fear of death, for the Maker…" She sobbed.
"Shall be her beacon and her shield, her foundation, and her sword." Talen ended it and held Leliana's other hand. He summoned a small flame in his hand and flicked it. It floated in the air before disappearing.
"I need time, alone." Leliana said. I gave her hand a squeeze before going. Talen stayed for a time before coming to join me.
"The darkspawn only know how to take don't they?" Talen glared.
"That's what they do best." I sighed. We followed the footprints to a nearby abandoned house. It was already raided and it didn't hold anything besides a cracked bed and chest. Everyone was solemn as Lothering's destruction was fresh in their minds.
"Now what? We can't restock in Lothering and our rations are almost out." Derek sighed, taking a sip of his water skin.
"We keep going, that's all we can do." Eren sighed.
"Do you really think you can keep going if you stop eating?" Wynne chastised.
"I do not see you coming up with a plan to restock our food." Morrigan snapped.
"Even if we do reach Flemeth, we're there to kill her so most likely, she won't give us any help in this." Alistair sighed. Talen's stomach growled behind me and I gave him a blank stare.
"My body is more honest than anything." He grew red.
"Enough. We waste more energy by fretting over our situation. It is best if we rest for the night." Sten piped in.
"The Qunari is right. Let's stop for now. We can argue tomorrow." Derek sighed. Talen went over to the GW group and they all talked about night watch. I sat down and rolled my cot on the ground. My stomach grumbled slightly as well.
"Since we are near a tainted land, I'm sure we won't be able to find game to relieve our stomachs." Wynne said. Alfred whined as he laid next to me. "Where is Leliana?"
"She's still outside looking over Lothering. Give her a minute, she'll come back." I said. By the time I finished with my entry, Leliana came in with big, puffy, red eyes. She spread her cot next to mine. It's time to sleep.
9:30 Wintermarch 26th
We were all woken up by a creaking cart. Alfred was the first to bark and alert everyone. He ran outside and I heard someone squeal with laughter. Derek was the first one out since he was taking watch.
"Bodahn!?" He yelled.
"Ah! It's the Grey Wardens! We have finally caught up to you. Say hello Sandal." Bodahn said.
"Hello." Sandal said. Eventually everyone went out. The light was barely shining over the horizon.
"How'd you find us?" Alistair asked.
"Actually I've always been following you! Ever since I heard that it was the time for a Blight, I reasoned that the best defense would be with the great Grey Wardens!" Bodahn chuckled. "Once I stopped at Lake Calenhad, the ferry person told me you were all heading toward Lothering. So me and my boy strutted our stuff to meet you." Bodahn explained.
"Adventure!" Sandal clapped his hands. Eren laughed out loud.
"I'm not sure whether I should call you foolish or brave but you are welcome to stay, just mind yourselves." Eren said.
"Thank you so much! Thank the kind gentlemen." Bodahn said.
"Thank you!" Sandal laughed.
"You wouldn't happen to have food in your cart right?" Talen asked.
"Of course! But I am a business man, if you don't have coin then we can trade." Bodahn insisted.
"Shrewd but I like it!" Derek laughed. Everyone went out to the cart while Leliana stayed with me inside.
"How are you feeling?" I asked. Leliana let out a deep sigh.
"I…I don't know. I spent years in Lothering. There was a calm there I never knew anywhere else and now it's gone…And I don't even know if anyone I knew fled! Because I know that they would be the ones staying, trying their best to save everyone!" Leliana sobbed again. I hugged her. "Why must the Maker be so cruel?! Is that what he wants? More blood, our lives?"
"No one can speak for the Maker, you know that Leliana." I said. Leliana sniffed.
"I even thought, for once, let them be selfish so that they could live but I know in my heart they stayed. They stayed so others can live." Leliana sniffed.
"Then you know the Maker would welcome them." I said. Leliana nodded and breathed into my shoulder.
"Hey we finally have some food." Talen said awkwardly as we both looked up at him. "Um…" Leliana got up and went past him. Talen grew red and bit his lip. "I said something didn't I?"
Beta'd by FearaNightmare and Syutaku!
I love Talen so much. He's so awkward it tugs my heartstrings. Also I decided to add Bodahn and Sandal to the story. Another change yay!
Thank you Saskue's-Killer112, Chaos-Wolfy, and Gizmo60 for favoriting/following! Thank you Syutaku for revewing!
XInsanityXGuiltechXShadowwindX: Actually I'm only going to rewrite Lives and Time. Days of Our Past is basically going to be edited to include the new info from the rewrite. I'll just tell everyone that Lives and Time are non-canon but I'll still have them up because I do love the stories. The whole reason why I'm doing this is because I had two really big plot holes that I uncovered while I was writing. I couldn't just push them into my original story so I decided to rewrite it to also include a ton of content that I glossed over. I hope you like it!
Chimera Spyke: Hue, hue, hue. It's not the only tension that's going to get introduced. I had to remind myself that these are a band of MISFITS meaning that they are not going to suddenly be all buddy buddy within a few days. It's going to take time. Time I will enjoy writing.
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