"Is that it?" Krem whispered as the hut came into view.
It was a small, dilapidated thing. It looked no different than the other buildings around, though seemed even less livable than the rest.
"Yes." Stitches whispered back. "And it looks like the mages are inside, too."
There was a small but noticeable green glow coming out from under the door and through the boarded up windows.
"What's the plan?" Rush asked just as quietly from beside them.
Bull frowned at the door. Too bad they didn't take Skinner, too, she might have gotten close without alerting the bastards inside. Too late for regrets now, though. At least the windows were barred, so the Vints might not see them coming. He narrowed his eye. Was it just him or did the glow get stronger?
"I'll break open the door and distract them. Krem, you go in right behind me and do as much damage as you can. Rush, get the tranquil out so she doesn't get killed in the crossfire. Stitches, cover us. All of you, kill them all, as fast as you can." Wouldn't do to give them time to summon a demon, but he didn't want to mention that to the men.
At their nods, he readied his axe and moved towards the front door, Krem right behind him. He felt Rush cover them all with a barrier and gave her a small smile. Then he smashed the door open and roared.
The five Vints inside jumped in shock and looked towards the door, away from the girl splayed on the table, who only stared with them with her dead-but-alive, disinterested eyes.
He was amused by their looks of horrified shock when he buried his axe in the spine of the closest Vint. Two of them were panicking, but the other two got their bearings together fast and raised their hands, spells ready. That's when Bull took a step to the side… and let Krem barrel into them. An arrow flew past and buried itself in the shoulder of the closest Vint, courtesy of Stitches.
Rush ran in and grabbed the Tranquil by the arm, pulling her off the table and started to drag her out of the hut.
Bull grinned and raised his axe. Or better said, tried. The axe banged into a wall. Bull tried to raise it for a blow and it got stuck in the wooden ceiling. He mentally cursed the stupid human architecture as he ripped it free. Krem seemed to have just as much trouble getting in good hits.
One of the Vints grinned and threw lightning at them. Thankfully Rush's barrier warded off the brunt of that hit, even if it broke under the strain. Rush cursed and cast a new barrier over herself and the Tranquil before it could hit them. The Vint seemed briefly surprised to see Rush use magic, but then she readied to cast another spell.
"Get her out!" Bull shouted. He gave up on using his axe and punched the Vint closest to him. He flew into the wall and a sickening crunch was heard as his neck snapped.
Rush used… something, Bull had no idea what. The air turned pale blue and both she and the Tranquil were gone from the hut.
Good, he thought and took a quick look around. Three Vints dead, the female one engaged Krem and the last one… 'Where the fuck is the last one?' he only had time to think that before he felt sharp, searing pain in his uncovered side. Damn that… bastard! He turned halfway towards the last Vint, used his remaining strength to grab the man by the throat and squeezed. The Vint rasped and tried to grasp his hand, but Bull only clutched tighter, then threw him on the ground and crushed the man's windpipe under his boot.
'Figures, that it would be the only non-mage that would get the drop on me. And then poison me, too', he thought woozily. He had no idea what the cultist used, but it was working fast. Dizzy, he heard Rush bellow a fierce cry and turned towards her. More enemies were coming; the Vint's bodyguards and paid mercs, no doubt.
He tried to turn towards her, to help her, but swayed on spot.
Krem caught him before he could fall, then gently lowered him on the ground. He raised his face to look into Stitches' worried eyes as he poured some foul tasting concoction down his throat, then pulled out some bandages and went to work on the wound. Bull swallowed, then tried to stand up.
"Easy, Chief, let the potion work," Krem admonished gently and pushed him back down.
"Rush…" he turned his face towards the sound of fighting.
"… has everything under control. Stay here, Boss." Krem finished for him.
Bull took a moment to listen, actually listen to the combat. What was that strange sound? Like metal struck by lightning, but… different. Seeing that he won't try to join the fight, Krem helped him up and Bull made his way towards the door.
Shiny.
That was the first thing Bull noticed about the thing Rush held in her hand. A blade, made out of pure light, zipping across the air as it cut down her enemies, leaving nothing behind but torn bodies and streaks of red flying through the air. Each strike recharged her barrier that now glowed bright around her body. A grand light-show of grace and death.
He couldn't help but grin. That's hot.
He rested his massive bulk against the wooden frame of the door. The tranquil stood just on the other side of the door, whimpering and trembling. He frowned over at the girl. Wasn't she supposed to be… well, Tranquil?
The last enemy fell and he saw her take a wild look around. Then she snarled and put two fingers against her forehead. There was a sound as if misplaced air rushed back where it was supposed to be, then a massive force of energy blasted away all the bodies around her… and hit another stalker who appeared just behind her. She turned and in one swift move, cut of his head.
Then she fell on one knee, panting.
"Bull?" she turned her face towards him, exhausted. She saw him stand by the door and a relieved smile spread on her face. It quickly vanished, though, when she saw him waver once he tried to go to her. She got back up on her feet, shaking, and went to join him.
"Everything all right?" She asked him, concern written all over her face.
He growled back at her playfully, "That's my question, miss magey-knight. What happened to not using the blade to fight with? Or keeping your secrets from people who really shouldn't know?" His eye briefly skipped towards the shivering Tranquil.
She blushed. "I… err… hmm." She looked down, and muttered, "I saw you get hurt. I… kind of lost it there. A bit."
Bull only shook his head, exasperated, but couldn't stop the fond smile that spread on his face. "I'm a merc, Rush. Injuries are part of the job, you know. Besides, Qunari are more resistant to stab wounds and poison than…"
"You were poisoned, too?!" she interrupted him, shocked. Then she glared back at the bodies behind her, as if she seriously considered raising them just to kill them again.
Bull chuckled. "Stitches dealt with that already. Worry about your own skin for once."
She nodded with a sigh and turned towards the tranquil, who by now picked herself off the ground and gave them all an uncertain look, hugging herself protectively.
"Huh." Rush frowned at the girl. "Are you… Helisma?"
"Y…yes. Helisma Derington, at your service." The mage trembled even harder and avoided their eyes.
"But… aren't you supposed to be… Tranquil?"
So Rush noticed it, too. Here Bull thought the rumors of the Tranquil's emotionless state were just that, rumors, and that the people had more emotions than others gave them credit for. What was going on here?
The mage shook harder, "I… I am. I was. I don't know what's happening." Tears filled her eyes.
Rush moved as if to go towards her, but Bull's hand on her arm stopped her.
"The Venatori tried to force a demon into her. How do we know where the emotions really come from?" He spoke calmly, but readied for an attack. Fucking demons. Looked like they were too late.
The mage… or the thing in the mage's body trembled harder and its eyes skipped all over the place, looking for the quickest way to run, no doubt.
Rush hesitated, then threw a quick look into the hut. She shook her head. "I've studied bindings before. The summoning circle isn't finished, and they didn't even start to draw the binding one. We interrupted them early in the process - she can't be possessed."
She moved towards the girl again and this time, Bull let her. He decided to trust her in this. She knew more about these things than him anyway.
Rush laid her hands on the tranquil's shoulders and asked in a soothing voice, "Are you all right? Can you tell me what happened?"
"W…what would you like to know?"
"Everything. Start at the beginning."
The girl took a deep breath and nodded, "I… was told to follow the templars. Disobeying would only get one killed, so I did as they asked. They… they brought me to some house in the hills, telling me I'll be… bait for the apostates. That they'll pretend to be friendly, draw the mages out,… then Silence them and kill them when they won't expect it. I… agreed," she looked away, ashamed. "Disobedience only gets you punished, so it was logical not to disobey."
Rush closed her eyes and released a breath. Then she nodded for the girl to continue.
"The mages weren't apostates, but Tevinter magisters. I don't know if they were fooled, but I think they would have killed the tempalrs anyway. A fight broke out, and the Tevinters brought in some bound demons before the Templars Silenced them. They… the templars died quickly after that. Once the tempalrs were dead, the magisters talked about how they'll bring me close to Redcliffe to 'put me in with the rest'. I knew I couldn't fight them, so it was logical to follow. Fighting only gets one killed." The mage blinked slowly, breath evening out. "They laid me on the table, started the summoning ritual… and that's when you came in."
Rush fixed her with an intent stare, "And when did your non-Tranquility start?"
The mage looked Rush right in the eyes as she said, voice much calmer now, "The moment you pulled me out of there."
Rush frowned. "But the only thing I did was pull you along when I… Fade… Stepped." Her eyes widened. The tranquil cocked her head curiously, as her breathing slowly evened out. "Of course! The Tranquil's connection to the Fade is severed. That's what causes the emotionless state and the inability to cast magic! Connect them to the Fade again and they regain their emotions. So Tranquility can be disrupted and the effects are not permanent after all. All it took was a bit of experimenting!" She laughed breathlessly, "Looks like we, heh, stepped onto the cure for Tranquility, right?"
The Tranquil gave a small smile, barely a twitch of her lips. Then her face slowly smoothed and she spoke in a dead, disinterested voice, "That is a viable theory. It might be advantageous to research it in detail. Once the Mage Rebellion settles, I will make certain to bring a report to the surviving members of the mage community and its leaders, Knight-Enchanter."
Rush stared at the woman. Then her eyes closed in pain. "Oh."
"What's wrong?" Stitches took a couple steps closer to them, then paused, uncertain.
"It's… It is a temporary effect. Looks like it fades fast, too." She bowed her head sadly. "How long was it? Five, ten minutes at most?" She sighed. Then her face settled in a determined expression, "But it's a start. I know more than before, now. Also, ten minutes of life are better than no life at all. Who knows? I might be able to find a more permanent solution later. Hard work never scared me before."
Bull gave her a moment to settle, then grumbled. "We finished here, then? Good." All this magic was making him… itchy. This was not at all like when Rush came to him with the horn balm and massage oil. This involved demons, and freaking Vints. He couldn't wait to get back to normal again.
"Yes." Rush nodded to him, and his men did too.
He exchanged a look with Krem, who went back into the hut to collect anything interesting or valuable off the Vints, and Stitches followed to try and find out what poison was used on him.
Bull took a couple steps toward Rush and the tranquil, Helisma, and faltered, still weak from the poison.
Rush ran up to him to help hold him up. She cast him a worried look, "You sure you're alright, Bull?"
He grabbed his injured side with a wince, "Fine. Just need to lay down and sleep it off. The sooner the better."
Stitches walked out of the hut to and joined in, "It would be good to have another healer check you too, Chief." He pulled out a mostly empty flask of some thick, foul-smelling liquid. "I don't know this one. The antidote I gave you was a general healing potion that should help, but… it might be a good idea to check in with a herbalist, too."
"Agreed," Bull said and leaned just a bit more heavily against Rush's side. He still felt very tired, and knew she could handle his weight.
"Let's try to get into Redcliffe, then. There must be a healer in there." Krem added as he joined them outside, packs in hand.
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed and tried to stand up on his own.
Rush wouldn't let him. "Don't exhaust yourself, you're injured already," she admonished gently and put one of his arms over her small shoulders. He felt power flow through her body as she suddenly became harder, sturdier, and it actually felt as if she was able to carry him. 'Stronger than she looks, oh yeah', he thought with a smile.
Rush turned towards their now silent companion and gestured for the Tranquil the follow them. Helisma did, without a sound of complaint or a question. Downright creepy, especially compared to how… alive she looked only moments before. He finally understood why Rush wanted so much to help these Tranquil.
This was just wrong.
Then he put the matter out of his head, and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. It will be a long way to Redcliffe.
A/N: So, Grote da Guru, you once asked me if Bull will defend Rush from templars. Well, err… Oops? :D I like the 'save your loved one from attackers' thing too, but Rush isn't really a damsel in distress. Neither is Bull, but… Hmm. This is how it turned out. ;)
About the cure: It always bothered me that Anders killed Karl right after he found out that Tranquility can be disrupted. I mean - why not take him with you (phylactery related problems aside) and try again? And again and again until you figure out something different, more permanent. But no, instead everyone just… gave up :/ I think that with enough repetitions, you could wear the brand down. Get the Tranquil back, return their emotions to them. You just have to try and not be discouraged by the amount of work it would require.
At least, that's my theory. You can tell me your own take on my 'cure' in the comments/reviews.
And please, never ever so much as mention that sticking a foreign consciousness like a spirit or a demon into your brain would be a good idea… (Seriously, Bioware? Seriously?)
Also, in next chapter or two, I will have to raise the fic rating - M for FFN and Explicit for AO3. Just a heads up ;)
Reviews much appreciated :)