They packed in record time. It might have had something to do with the fact that they really didn't have all that many things to pack. Krem and Stitches spent the way back to the crossroads bickering and making jokes, while Helisma watched them, enraptured, and laughed at every silly thing they did and said as if she never saw anything funnier. That only made them joke harder.
Bull hung back, as did Rush who both watched the countryside and looked around for anything harvestable. After the way a couple weeds she gathered for coin saved Bull's life, she intended to always have her satchel at least half-full.
She spotted some more elfroot and crouched to harvest it properly. She was mildly surprised when Bull joined her.
"Hey, Rush, I wanted to have a private word with you." He started, and the serious look on his face immediately called her attention.
"Yes, Bull?"
"What's your plan?" When she only threw him a confused look, he explained patiently, "The… cure is magic, right? How do you plan to explain it to the Chancellor?"
Her eyes widened. Damn, she didn't even think of that! She mentally chastised herself. That was exactly the sort of thing that got her sent into the Circle in the first place. She got careless, too confident, and then someone surprised her. Well. Good thing she had a couple excuses always ready. They could serve now as well.
"We could say the Venatori did it. I was not the only mage around." Yup, when there's doubt about your guilt, blame someone else. Ideally someone who can never contradict you. Works every time.
"Will the tranquil agree to that?" Bull asked, still calm, but Rush saw his mind wasn't fully there. Did he have a plan or an idea he didn't share with her?
"She seems to be an all right sort. We could always just ask." She looked him in the eye, curious, but didn't say anything.
"You do that," he replied, still lost in thought and stood back up.
Rush finished harvesting the elfroot and hurried to catch up with the rest of their team. That's when she spotted them.
Rams.
Half a herd from the looks of it. Wild things, living on the open plains and hills of Hinterlands. She suddenly remembered the half-starved refugees back at the Crossroads… and the swearing hunter who lamented that if only he could hunt a couple rams, many people wouldn't starve to death.
She checked the rams again. They looked healthy… and were within the range of her dagger throws, if she put a bit more power into it than usual. Should she…? It was technically poaching, but the refugees were starving. Weren't the nobles supposed to care for their people, and make sure that didn't happen?
Well, if they shirked their duties, she'll make sure that at least the people didn't suffer for it. As a mage, she might have also felt a bit of responsibility for the way the Mage rebellion ruined so many people's lives, logical or not.
She pulled out one of her daggers. Her muscles flooded with power as she threw it with all her might at the most promising looking ram. It hit the beast right in the jugular. The ram fell down with a choked gurgle, dead. The rest of the herd scattered.
The Chargers and Helisma paused and turned to her, questions in their eyes. Helisma clutched Stitches' arm, suddenly nervous.
Rush only shrugged her shoulders. "I think the refugees will enjoy eating a good dinner tonight."
"Only you, Rush," Bull chuckled fondly and walked over to the ram to check it. "Good throw. It died before it hit the ground."
"Thanks," she blushed and looked away. She wondered if there ever will come a time when his compliments would lose their novelty. When she'd become immune to them. Somehow, she hoped such a time will never come.
Bull smirked at her, threw the ram over one massive shoulder, then continued on as if nothing happened. Rush hurried to catch up with the rest of their team.
"Should we start calling you Ram-Enchanter now, your Knighliness?" Krem smirked at her.
She smirked right back. "I think Meat-Bringer is more appropriate, and something the refugees will find much easier to remember. But hey, if you want a title too, the herd ran that way," she gestured towards the mountains.
"We'll leave the titles to you, oh noble lady," Stitches interrupted before Krem could take her up on the offer. When Krem and Rush looked over at him, he subtly nodded towards Helisma, who still looked a bit scared.
Rush personaly thought it was mostly just for show now, considering the way she clung to Stitches' arm… and the doe eyes she threw his way. She suppressed a smirk.
They journeyed on. Maker willing, they'll arrive at the Crossroads within an hour or two. Ii didn't seem that far off now.
As they passed another small herd, Rush threw a smirk at the Chargers lieutenant, "You sure you don't want that title, Your Kremliciousness? Or are the horny goats too fast for you?"
"Oh, you're on, Rush. I'll bring one down, just for you. You're not the only one who has experience with horny animals." He growled at her playfully.
"Hey! That's kinky!" Bull shouted from behind them with a shit-eating grin on his face.
Rush chuckled, "Now you'll definitely have to bring one down, lieutenant. We wouldn't want our Chief to think too deeply about your… hobbies."
Krem just grinned and fixed his eyes on the biggest, meanest looking ram of the herd. Then he readied… his warhammer? Now Rush was really curious how he wanted to bring it down. Bull just kept smirking from where he stood next to her, and the rest of their team waited with batted breath as well.
Krem moved very, very slowly towards the animal, warhammer ready. Rush didn't know how he did it, but the ram didn't even twitch, despite how close Krem got.
Then the winds changed and the ram twitched.
Krem gave up his slow approach and charged at the animal with a roar. The ram stood still for a second, staring at the charging human in shock. Then it turned to flee, but never got the chance.
The moment it turned, Krem gripped his warhammer by the end of its haft, swung it around as he turned and threw it with all his might at the escaping ram. The warhammer hit it right in the skull and the beast dropped to the ground without so much as a peep. The hammer flew a bit further and struck a nearby rock with a resounding clang.
"You're shitting me!" Rush exclaimed, borrowing one of their Chief's favorite phrases.
Krem just laughed and with one strong move, broke the ram's neck to finish it off properly. He threw it over his own shoulders, picked up his warhammer and rejoined the party with twinkling eyes.
Rush stood there in shock. "That… was awesome!" She gushed, then gushed some more when she noticed Krem's flaming cheeks. "You've just earned yourself a new nickname. Krem: The Ram Crusher. Or better, Krem The Hammer!" Her smirk her wider when she heard him groan at her horrible nicknames. "Just admit it. You're A-Class-i of your own!"
Now Stitches was groaning too, to both her and Bull's laughter. Even Helisma snorted at their antics.
Only minutes later, they passed another small herd. Bull grinned and went to ready his own axe, but he never got the chance. Helisma let go of Stitches' arm and without any warning, threw two spikes of ice at the running rams. they hit both rams right in the skull, killing them instantly.
Everyone turned to stare at her. She shrugged her shoulder and smirked at them, "What? I didn't cast a spell in ten years. Good to know I haven't lost my aim."
Rush only snorted. Then she looked back at the two dead animals. Bull already carried one, as did Krem, and she could easily carry one as well. But what of the last one? The weight would probably be too much for both Helisma, a mage not used to physical labor, and Stitches, who was a support fighter and concentrated on healing. She could carry both, if she used her powers, but that would be a bit too… obvious.
She cast a sideway glance at Bull. He watched her already, obviously thinking the same thing.
"I'm not a beast of burden," he growled at her playfully.
"No, but you're a beast in the sack, Bull," she smirked at him, eyeing his powerful body. She felt pleasant shivers pass through her when she remembered the previous night.
He barked a laugh, then bowed down to pick up the second ram. "I'll show you a beast the moment we get back to our tavern."
She paused at those words. Our tavern. Good to know she was not the only one who considered it an 'almost home'. She shook off the strange mood, and smiled at him, "Can't wait."
The rest of the journey passed quickly. Krem and Rush bickered like old friends while Bull chuckled at their antics… and added his own two coppers to the list of horrible nicknames for their friend. Stitches bore it silently with a long-suffering expression, while Helisma looked on and giggled from behind the safety of his back.
It was a strange party that walked into the small settlement of refugees. One giant horned brute of a Qunari with two dead rams, one slung over each shoulder, two smaller humans each carrying one animal and a mage clutching the arm of a dark skinned man who rolled his eyes whenever his gaze fell on the companions ahead of him.
The refugees watched them hungrily, but none stepped forward to so much as ask where they were carrying their game. Rush felt a stab go through her heart at the hopelessness in their eyes.
The sooner they got the rams to that hunter, the better.
The man saw them approaching, and stood up when he saw they aimed for him. "Nice game," he greeted them the moment they came into earshot. "Any chance you can spare some of that meat for the refugees? Or the entrails, or skins, or…"
"Sure," Bull walked up to him and thew both the rams he carried right in front of him. "Here you go."
The hunter stared up at him in shock, then a spark of anger entered his eyes. "Is this some kind of joke?"
Bull only gave him a charming smile, thought it held a note of sadness in it. Or perhaps it was pity; Rush couldn't tell. "No jokes. We've hunted these down for you." He gestured at the animals, and Rush and Krem added their own rams onto the pile. "Free of charge. Just help the people."
"I…" the hunter stared up at them, shocked. A moment of hesitation, then he all but bowed to them in gratefulness. "Thank you. Too long, these people have gone hungry. It's… good to know there are still good men in this world, ones willing to help those in need."
"Don't thank me. It was this beautiful lady's idea." He nodded his head in her direction and Rush blushed once again. Both at Bull's compliment, and at the grateful look in the hunter's eyes.
The hunter nodded to her, but turned his attention back to Bull. "I never would have thought an Oxman of all people would help. Or a mage." He looked over at Helisma. Rush was proud of herself when she didn't twitch, and even more proud of her team when they didn't so much as glance in her direction.
The hunter continued, "Nobody else tried to help. I guess you Qunari can't all be as bad as people say." He grinned at them, "I'll make sure the people know just who brought them their dinner tonight. If you need a place to sleep or any help, just shout. It's the least we can do for you."
He smiled once more, then turned his full attention to the rams. The Chargers left before he started skinning them.
They decided to leave for Val Royeaux, where they could meet with Roderick immediately. The day was still young, and they will no doubt pass through many other settlements on the road.
The journey back was mostly quiet. A couple crazy apostates and some rogue templars who were dispatched almost as soon as they attacked. Helisma also stopped panicking at the sight of violence and was actually a quiet, orderly team member, once her emotions settled down a bit.
At Rush's urging, she cast Fade Step on herself several times that day. Helisma spent a couple moments mildly panicking at the sensation, then mostly leveled out and they journeyed on. Seemed this 'couple times a day' spell worked out well as the cure if she put some power into it and held it for longer than was normally advisable. While far from a permanent solution, it was more than any Tranquil had before. As it was, Helisma needed nothing more than a 'daily dose' of magic to get her emotions back.
Rush only worried what would happen should Helisma miss a day. Will she become Tranquil again? Worse, will the next Fade Step pull her out of that state safely, or will it have some nasty consequences? The second time Rush disrupted the Tranquility, Helisma was so much worse off than the first time.
As they approached the shining Val Royeaux and passed through its gilded gates, Rush tried to think of a willing mage Helisma could ask to pull her along into a Fade Step.
Ironically, the only one who came to mind… was herself. She silently cursed this damned war that made contacting sane mages incredibly difficult. The only other options seemed to be the Imperial Court Mage, who was no doubt too busy to 'bother' with a tranquil, unless it brought her something politically, or the rest of the Loyalists, who were just as power-hungry and prone to politicking, but less capable.
She didn't want Helisma to go through that. The poor girl has been through enough. No need to use her as a bargaining chip or a curiosity to titillate the court and it's idiotic Game.
If only there were accessible mages not involved in any Games… Mages that the people could contact and ask for help without getting involved in politics.
She sighed. At least Helisma seemed to be doing fine. That had to count for something, right?
A/N: I just got back from a day-long conference and didn't have time to read it through again (as I always do before I post a new chapter), so if you notice any weird grammar, please let me know.
And if you liked it, please review :)