"Aww…" Isabela frowned, "an empty chest is like an empty bed. What a waste!"
"I thought you didn't like dragging me into situations where you'd be ambushed by templars, Sister." Carver groused.
"You're here," I sighed, "because I'm quite certain that there are no templars."
"There's probably going to be an ambush waiting for us when we walk outside anyway." Varric muttered.
"Indeed!" I agreed, "So let's be prepared, ey?"
We left the hovel that was grodier than Gamlen's and just as we had predicted, there people surrounding the entrance.
"That's not the elf," A woman spat, "who is that?"
"It doesn't matter!" one of the others replied, "we were told to kill whoever enters the house!"
"See?" I said looking at Carver over my shoulder, "not templars. Slavers."
"Because that makes thing so much better." Carver replied as the fight broke out.
"MAGES DIE FIRST!" I shouted after noticing a spell whizz by.
Probably not my smartest moment, I earned the anger of all of our enemies, since I too, was a mage. Ah ha ha ha…whoops.
I was wheezing after the fight. I haven't had to dodge, block, and run like that in a fight in a long time. I inspected my staff worriedly, there were a few cuts in the wood but it'd hold up for a while more. I sighed in relief as I leaned on it.
"I really shouldn't shout for us to kill the mage first like that in a fight." I said panting heavily.
"Yeah, that was pretty stupid," Isabela agreed, "I had to peel off the mage and try to lessen the amount of people going after you at some point. Though I don't really blame them for going after you."
Isabela groped my ass here.
"In that case, I'm surprised more people weren't going after you," I said raising my brow, "let's go figure out who started this mess."
We walked towards the steps of the alienage, and another man was standing there.
"Great." Carver grumbled.
"I don't know who you are, friend, but you've made a serious mistake coming here." He said glaring at us.
"What? You don't know who I am?" I said in mock hurt, "but you just called me your friend! And now you're going to either have us killed or sold into slavery? What about all we've been through together?"
"Lieutenant!" he shouted, "I want everyone in the clearing! Now!"
Nothing happened.
"Uh…you okay there buddy?" I asked.
"Lieutenant!" he shouted again.
Staggering footsteps echoed from behind him.
"Cap…tain…" a man covered in blood gasped before collapsing to the ground.
"So much for your reinforcements?" I said tilting my head.
"Your men are dead," another voice said, "and your trap has failed. I suggest running back to your master while you can."
I felt my breath get caught in my throat. That voice was literally, sex. Are people really allowed to have voices like that? That's not fair. That should be illegal. I'm definitely going to be speaking to Aveline about this tomorrow morning.
And then I saw him, an elf with pale shimmery white hair, and olive skin with white markings. This is another thing that should be illegal; no one should be allowed to look like that. Seriously.
He was standing in front of me, looking me in the eyes. Those eyes! Incredibly not fair. Foul play. I wanted to call for a time out.
"You're going nowhere, slave!" the man growled angrily, grabbing the elfs shoulder roughly.
"I am not a slave." The elf growled, glowed, and shoved his hand into the other guy's chest.
Wait…glowed? What is with me meeting glow-y people lately? Is this something that's becoming more and more frequent? Is this a trend I should be aware of? Oh dear, how far am I behind the times?
Oh he's looking at me again. He needs to stop that. Like, really needs to stop that.
"I apologize," he said, "when I asked Anso to provide a distraction for the hunters, I had no idea they'd be so…numerous."
"Hah!" I blurted turning to Carver and jabbed him roughly in the chest with my finger, "See? Not templars! Take that loser."
"You were also right about the set up thing." Varric added dryly.
"Ah, yes. Take that too then," I said jabbing him in the chest again.
"Why are you hitting me for your small victories?" Carver grumbled shoving my hand away as I went to jab him in the chest again.
Because I need to hit someone. That's why. Otherwise I'm going to go crazy. I settled on repeatedly punching him in the arm lightly, and luckily, he sensed that this was just something he'd have to accept me doing, and didn't push it.
"It's quite all right," I said turning to the elf still hitting my brother, "we face this sort of thing daily."
"Impressive," the elf replied, "My name is Fenris. These men were Imperial bounty hunters seeking to recover a magister's lost property, namely myself."
Oh, Maker that voice. I was torn between my want for him to stop talking and keep talking at the same time.
"They were trying to lure me into the open," Fenris continued, "crude as their methods were; I could not face them alone. Thankfully, Anso chose wisely."
"That seems like an awful lot of effort to put into finding one slave." I replied.
He probably thought I was an idiot, standing here, abusing my brother while trying to have a normal conversation. Smooth, Marian, smooth.
"It is." He replied.
"But you're not an ordinary slave, are you?" I asked and tilted my head, "does it have something to do with those markings?"
"Yes, I imagine I must look strange to you," he replied, "I did not receive these markings by choice. Even so, they have served me well. Without them I would still be a slave."
Oh. Shit. He probably thinks I'm hitting my brother to vent out my disgust at looking at him. Ohshitohshitohshit. I stopped my assault on my Carver's arm immediately, and he moved his other hand up to rub the spot I had been punching with a roll of his eyes.
"So…wait…" I said putting a hand up, "Let me get this straight, we just thwarted a plan to recapture an ex-elven slave?"
"You did." He replied un-sure of why I asked that.
"When you tell this story," I said turning to Varric, "…actually I'll leave the embellishments up to you. But, if possible leave out the part where I beat up my brother out of anxious embarrassment."
"And the part where you basically fawned all over the elf, right?" Varric asked with a raised brow.
"Shhhht!" I hissed flailing my arms in a panic.
"Perhaps the deception was unnecessary," Fenris said grabbing my attention, "if so, I am sorry. I have become accustomed to hiding. If I may ask: What was in the chest? The one they kept in the house?"
"It was empty." Isabela cut in, frowning as she leaned on me, draping an arm over my shoulder.
"Relax, Kitten," she whispered into my ear with a grin, "though I don't really blame you. That voice is delicious."
"I suppose it was too much to hope for," Fenris sighed, "even so, I had to know."
He looked so sad I felt my heart shatter.
"You were expecting something else?" I asked.
"I was, but I shouldn't have," he said looking dejected, "it was bait, nothing more."
"All that for an empty chest?" I jested lightly.
"No," he replied sternly, "there's more."
He walked over to the dead body of the captain that I had forgotten he killed in quick strides and ruffled through the dead man's pockets.
"It's as I thought," he growled, "My former master accompanied them to the city. I know you have questions, but I must confront him before he flees. I will need your help."
I'll do anything you ask me to if you use that voice, is what I almost blurted out. Surprisingly, I managed to keep that bit to myself.
"Sounds like it's going to be a long night." I said with a small laugh.
"I will find a way to repay you," he replied, "I swear it."
Don't… Don't say that! I screamed inwardly.
"The magister is staying at a mansion in Hightown," he continued, "meet me there as soon as you can. We must enter before morning."