5
WITCH OF THE WILDS
The wilds were ugly, grey-green swamps for the most part. A few trees dotted around but in general swamps. We came across a couple of wolves about a hundred yards in but nothing too severe.
About an hour or so later the scent changed, it was no longer a musty, rotting smell of old vegetation but this was different, a rank, cloying stench of rotting flesh, I could hear heavy, asthmatic breathing, before I could even comprehend everything that had happened in the last thirty seconds a figure shot up from the ground, short and stocky with brown flesh glistening with some disgusting gunk,
"What is that?" The smell of rotting flesh hit me.
"That is a genlock." Alistair told me.
Stenchlock more like, gross! Ebony was as disgusted as I was.
Daveth stepped forward, stringing his bow and knock an arrow, Jory unsheathed a massive great sword, Alistair took his sword and shield off his back and I raised my new blades. I realised with a jolt that it would be the first time I used them for real, well you know what they say 'the show must go on'.
I thought that there was something odd about the way it was standing, then I realised it had its back to us. I held my hand up to the others. Stealth walking through the heavy mist that had descended in the ten seconds we had stood there I crept up behind the 'genlock' and slit its throat.
"Wow," Daveth whispered. "You're good."
"Let's keep moving," Alistair said.
"Good idea, I don't like the smell around here," I jerked my head towards Mr Gob.
"Oi!" Jory said.
We wandered on, me stealth walking in the shadows. We must have walked for a few hours when we came across the body of a dying solder, blood stained his chain mail. He appeared to be unconscious, Ebony barked at him
"Aggggrrrr!" he screamed.
"Ebony, don't frighten the poor bloke," I scolded. "I'm sorry, Ebony's over enthusiastic at times but she's harmless." I told the panting solder. "What happened to you?"
"My scouting party was attacked by dark-" he gasped, grimicing in agony, "spawn…" a hiss escaped from between his clenched teeth.
Let's try to bandage him up at least. Ebony look at him with pity.
"Ebony says we should bandage him up," I said.
"Mad as well as a gobby wench," Jory still looked at him with sympathy.
"No-one should have to suffer at the hands of darkspawn," Alistair took some bandages out of his pack.
"Th- thank you, I-I've got to… return to camp." He staggered off.
"Did you hear?" Jory look scared out of his wits, that's if he had any to start with. "An entire patrol of seasoned men slaughtered by darkspawn."
"Calm down ser Jory, we'll be fine if we're careful," Alistair said.
"Those men were careful and they were still overwhelmed! I am no coward, but this is foolish and reckless, we should go back."
"You sound like a coward to me," I said.
"I… am simply trying to stay alive, you do not see me fleeing do you?" Jory said.
"Know this," Alistair said. "All Grey Wardens can sense darkspawn. What ever they do I guarantee they won't take us by surprise."
Jory still looked unhappy but a little calmer. We trudged on through the undergrowth, suddenly we saw a massive building, overgrown and pretty ruined but still more or less intact before we had taken that in at least ten figures shot from the ground, the same as the several we had encountered before, I ran at the nearest one cutting its head off in one clean sweep, I twisted round to the next one stabbing it in the chest. I turned to see a hurlock being impaled by one of Daveth's arrows then having its head cut off by Jory. Alistair stabbed it through the chest just for good measure. I saw, or rather felt, the presence of someone, something, else. A shadow fell across me, and I turned though I wish I hadn't. Standing behind me was a terrifying monster, eight feet tall, with bronze armour and a terrifying helmet with a skull painted on it, horns on the side. It swung its sword at me and I only just dodged out of the way, staggering backwards my foot caught on a root and I fell.
It advanced on me, drawing its blade again, it was about to cut my head off I brought my arm up, knowing it would do little good but I had to, I couldn't stop it.
This is it, I'm finished. I'll be with my family, but what about Fergus, I'm nineteen. That's too young to die. I thought, I turned my head to hide it from 'it'. Then I heard a crash, I looked up the monster was on the ground with no head and standing over it was Alistair,
Are you ok? Ebony charged towards me licking me enthusiastically.
"You ok?" Daveth helped me to my feet not that it was easy, I was shaking like a leaf.
"Yeah fine, I think," I said. "Thanks for killing it, whoever did."
Daveth grinned, "I think it was kind of a team effort," he said. "Alistair did most of the leg work, we weren't about to trust Mr Gob now were we?"
I shook my head, "Come on, let's see what's in there," I pointed to the ruin.
So off we went inside straight away I saw a chest, with a griffin on it, the Grey Warden symbol.
"Hey! Look guys," I said.
"The chest, great work Brodie," Alistair was grinning like a little boy, the same way Fergus had done, he went over to the other two they were all grinning.
"That was easy," Daveth said.
"Don't congratulate yourselves too quickly," I said. "Look," I pointed to the chest, it was empty.
"Well, well, what have we here?" A mischievous voice came from behind us. "Are you a vulture I wonder? A scavenger, picking amidst the corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, coming into these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" A figure appeared, dressed in leather trousers with some kind of wrap around it, they were wearing some sort of purple hood with feathers tied onto it a pair of golden eyes pierced a pale face with dark hair tied into a bun. "What say you mmm? Scavenger or intruder?"
"Intruder, and just how are these your wilds?" I glared at her.
"Because I know them as only one who owns them could," this woman seemed amused. "I have watched your progress for sometime, where do they go? I wondered. Why are they here? And then you disturb ashes none have touched for so long, why is that?"
"Don't answer," Alistair said. "She looks Chasind and that means others may be nearby."
"Oh, you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" The woman laughed.
"Yes," Alistair said slowly. "Swooping is bad."
"She's a Witch of the Wilds she is, she'll turn us into toads!" Daveth looked worried.
"Witch of the Wilds," the woman seemed somewhere between anger and amusement. "Such idle fancies, those legends. Do you have no minds of your own? You there, women do not frighten like little boys, tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."
"I'm Brodie-may," I said. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Now that is a proper civil greeting even hear in the wilds, you may call me Morrigan. Shall I guess your purpose? You sought something in that chest, something that is here no longer."
"Hear no longer?" Alistair said to Morrigan. "You stole them didn't you? You're some kind… sneaky… witch thief!"
"Sneaky witch thief, how very eloquent," Morrigan didn't seem angered by the insult.
"Those documents are Grey Warden property and I suggest you return them," Alistair on the other hand seemed to be very annoyed by the lack of reaction.
"I will not for it 'twas not I who removed them."
"Then who did?" I asked.
"It 'twas my mother in fact," Morrigan told us.
"Can you take us to her?"
"Hmm, there is a sensible request," at least she approved. "I like you."
"I'd be careful if I were you, first it's 'I like you' but then zap, frog time," Alistair told me.
"Follow me then if it pleases you."
So Morrigan set off with us following behind her.
Eventually, after about three hours of walking, we arrived at some kind of hut.
"Greetings," Morrigan said to an old woman dressed in green robes, "mother. I bring before you four Grey Wardens who-"
"I see them girl," 'mother's' voice was harsh and slightly husky. "Hmm, much as I expected."
"Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?" Alistair said.
"She's a witch she is," Daveth cried.
"Quite Daveth, if she's really a witch do you want to make her mad?" Jory said.
"There's a smart lad, sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things but it is not I who decides, believe what you will, but I assume you are not here to listen to an old woman talking you are here for your treaties yes? And before you begin barking your precious seal wore off long ago I have protected these."
"You… oh, you protected them." Alistair said.
"And why not?" She looked at him. "Take them to your Grey Wardens and tell them that this blight's threat is greater than they realise."
"Thank you for returning them," I said.
"Such manners, always in the last place you look, like stockings. Oh do not mind me, you have what you came for." the mother said.
"Time for you to go then," Morrigan said.
"Do not be ridiculous girl," mother said. "These are your guests."
"Oh, very well. I will show you out of the woods, follow me."
So we followed her.
A\N - Yes! My chapter's now have names! All chapters will now have names and not be chapter 1 chapter 2 etc... this chapter was one of my favorites to write. This was the first time I included detailed fight scenes which I was quite excited about. In next chapter Brodie will find out why the Joining is a secret, not a good idea. For those who have played the game you will know why, for those that haven't you'll have to wait and see.