Chapter. 2

Dungeon Crawl

Kali and the man simply stared at one another, one lost for words and the other thoroughly confused about how a fantasy elf was standing in front of him.

The silence was broken by a sword wielding Soris pushing open the door. "Um… hello?"

When Soris opened the door, he expected to find Kali and the other women surrounded by guards, with him just in time to arm Kali and have them fight their way out of the Arl's Estate. What he honestly didn't expect was Kali staring gobsmacked at a giant of a man who looked like he had just fought the last Blight single handed.

"Uh, hi?" The man greeted. "Do… you know where I am?"

"T-The Arl's Estate, o-of Denerim…"

"Oh, cool." The man looked around until his eyes landed on the sword in Soris' hand. "You mind if I have that? I, uh, I… lost mine."

"S-Sure?"

"Oh! Thanks!" The mans wholesome smile was in stark contrast to the blood and viscera that covered his frame.

Soris blinked as the human took the sword from his hand and started inspecting it, he then traded looks of "what the fuck just happened?" with Kali until the corpse of the elven woman on the floor finally caught his attention, more accurately the sudden stench of the elven corpse on the ground caught his attention.

Soris walked up and knelt next to the corpse with a shocked look on his face."I… can't believe they killed her!" He turned toward Kali with a frantic look. "Are you alright? They… didn't hurt you, did they?"

Kali scoffs. "Nothing rattles me. You know that."

"Thank the Maker! Hopefully we can still save the others!"

"Not dressed like that you won't!" Jaune pointed out as he sheathed his new sword in a metal sheath, one he didn't have a moment ago. "Oh! My name's Jaune, I'd say it's nice to meet you, but we're in a prison cell with a dead woman, so… yeah."

"Ah, yes, hello, Kali Soris." Kali introduced before turning to Soris. "Where did you get that sword?" She asked pointing towards the sheathed sword, too many things on her mind for her to wonder just where he got a metal sheath.

"That Gray Warden, Duncan, gave Nelaros and me his sword and crossbow, but that's all we have… or, uh, had."

"Did you have to fight your way in?" Kali asked frantically, knowing her cousin was far from a warrior, and she didn't expect her betrothed to be much of one either.

"We snuck in, although Nelaros took own a guard. He's a savage fighter." Soris explained. "He's guarding the end of this hall. Let's figure this out with him."

"Really?" Kali let slip. "I, uh, mean. Yes, let's go."

"Sounds like a plan." The man agreed.

Both elves turned and looked at the man, he had ditched his ruined breastplate and the tattered remains of his black tunic, leaving his in only his ruined blue trousers and a strange looking undershirt.

"Oh, um, you're… coming with us?" Soris asked.

The man looked at the empty room. "Not like I got a lot of options here."

Soris opened his mouth before closing it. "That's fair."

Kali took the two dead guards short swords and gave them a twirl. "Are we going to get out of here or discuss the finer points of torture?"

Both men shared looks before nodding and exiting out of the cell behind Kali. The trio enter into the next room, which turns out to be the kitchen, where the human cook turns around at the sound of their entrance.

"Oi, what's this?" The cook asks as he turns around. "What are you three doing here?" He peers closer. "And what 'em elves carrying weapons for! What a minute? You lot shouldn't be here! G-"

Before the old man could scream for the guards, and elven servant smashed a bottle over his head. "Maker I've always wanted to do that!"

The Servant then runs for the hills, leaving the trio processing what just happened.

"Well, that was a thing." Jaune muttered. "You two look around for anything useful, I'll peek into the next room."

The room was searched, and as expected, didn't have anything particularly useful. And so, the trio regrouped in the center of the kitchen, funnily enough over the unconscious cook.

"Well, there's nothing but some bits of copper." Kali sighed.

"I mean, it is a kitchen after all, it's not like their going to keep any weapons down here." Soris pointed out.

"Eh, it was still worth a shot." Jaune defended. "Anyway, there are three guards in the next room, their unarmored and drinking, so it's safe to say their off-duty, maybe we can pass by them by pretending to be servants?"

"What about you? You're not an elf, they'll never believe a human's a servant." Kali pointed out.

"I'll… improvise?" Jaune shrugged. "I'll just hide behind the door and sneak around when you've got their attention."

"Okay, let's go!"

Kali and Soris rush through the door, but in their haste forgot they were still adorned in their wedding dress and had weapons visibly strapped to their backs.

A particularly fat guard stood and pointed at the pair of elves. "Oi! What are you two doing carrying around weapons?!"

"I… we're…" Kali sighs. "Oh, fuck it."

Kali then threw a knife at the fat guard, hitting him in the jugular.

There was a moment of shocked silence as the fat guard slowly fell to the ground to bleed out, before all hell broke loose.

Kali launched herself at the guard wielding a crossbow, while the other guard charged a fumbling Soris. But before the guard was even halfway to Soris, Jaune burst through the door, exploding it into millions of splinters, and making a beeline toward the guard trying to strike Soris.

Kali dodged the hastily fired bolt and dashed low toward the guards legs, where she struck that back of his knees, crippling him and sending him to said knees. From there it was a simple downward trust into the mans heart, killing him instantly.

The guard charging Soris, on the other hand, only had a moment to widen his eyes in fear as Jaune steel blade lashed out at his midsection, cutting through steel and flesh as if they were little more than melted butter.

After a moment's rest, where Soris finally managed to untangle his crossbow from himself, the trio then fought their way through the estate, with Kali and Jaune taking up the lions share of hard work with the skirmishes. After raiding the armory, where Kali found a hardened leather breastplate and Jaune and Soris found some chain maille in their size, they made their way to the next room, where they arrived just in time to see the Captain of the guard strike down Nelaros.

The Captain looks up and sees the trio. "See? I told you there'd be more. Elves run in packs, like rodents." He paused. "Though, I didn't expect a human ta' be with 'em."

"Should we keep the knife-eared bitch alive?" One of his underlings asked.

"They killed our boys, she dies, the human who helped 'em too." The Captain ordered.

"I'm going to enjoy this…" Kali growled as the men's eyes hardened with determination.

"Stupid wench." The Captain scoffed. "We'll show you how men fight."

Steel sang as they left their leather homes and boot's thundered onto the floor as bodies flew into battle, but unfortunately for the guards – and fortunate for the elves – they were fighting a superhuman. In less than a blink of an eye, Jaune was upon the Captain like a plague of lotus upon egypt, and in the span of widening eyes, the Captain has breathed his last. Soris and Kali fair almost as well as Jaune, with Soris shooting a lucky bolt into the right guards throat and Kali slashing the other's.

Once the short skirmish is through, Soris kneels by the deceased Nelaros. "Nelaros… I'm so sorry."

"Come." Kali spoke softly. "Let's find the others and leave this place."

"Yes, of course." Soris agreed softly as he stood.

Jaune knelt beside Nelaros' body and softly spoke. "I hope you find peace, where ever you end up, but know you showed more courage in your final moments than many so-called warriors I've seen."

Jaune briefly remembered Beacon, and the so-called Hunters who abandoned it and the city of Vale in their greatest hour of need, before shaking his head clear and looking towards the two living elves in the room.

"Come, we might still save the others."

Filled with bleak determination, the trio fight their way through the kennels and more off-duty guards before facing the bodyguard of Lord Vaughan at the end of the hallway in front of the last room they have yet to check.

The bodyguard, seeing the blood soaked trio approaching, draws his blade and charges, only to end up in two pieces courtesy of Jaune's own blade.

Opening the door reveals a half-dressed Lord Vaughan and his equally dressed cronies. Before he can button his doublet, Vaughan's attention is drawn to the door, revealing the bloody and beaten form of Shianni covering upon the floor in ruined clothes.

"My, my." Vaughan exclaimed as he turned. "What have we here?"

"Don't worry; we'll make short work of these three." Pedo-stache chortled.

"Quiet, you idiot." Vaughan admonished. "They're covered with enough blood to fill a tub." He turns to Pedo-stache. "What do you think that means?"

"You tell me." Jaune growled.

"All right, let's not be too hasty here." Vaughan persuades. "Surely we can talk this over…"

"If you have something to say, say it." Kali grunted.

"Here's our situation." Vaughan started. "You're skilled, obviously. We fight here, perhaps you could even manage to kill us…" He turns and walks toward a portrait. "My father won't let that go. Your pigsty of an alienage will be burned to the ground." He turns back toward them. "Or you turn and walk away… with – hey, wait! What are you doing?!"

Before the snake of a Lordling could finish his offer, Jaune started towards him, seeing red.

"S-Stop him!" Vaughan ordered.

Chin strap ran upon Jaune, only to lose his nerve along with his head at the hands of Jaune's blade.

Pedo-stache jumped in from the Jaune's left, only for Jaune to snatch him by his neck and violently jerk it sharply to the right.

Finally, Vaughan gained enough ill begotten courage to charge Jaune with his sword held over head like an 80's slasher villain. The sword sailed onto Jaune's head and struck true, only to shatter upon making contact with Jaune's Aura.

Vaughan fell alongside the hilt of his sword, crawling back into the wall and away from the thing in front of him. "Wha, w-what are you!"

"I'm a Hunter." Jaune replied coolly as he poised his sword above the lordling.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"My job, killing monsters."

Alongside Jaune's cold reply, his sword plunges into Vaughan's chest, seeping the lordlings life blood onto the floor, staining it forever more in ruinous, dark, crimson. Jaune reaches his sword from Vaughan's chest cavity, before flicking off the noble's blood from his blade and turning to Kali and Soris.

"See to the others." Jaune gritted out. "I'll make sure we don't have any… "interruptions", when we leave."

Without another word uttered, Jaune exits the room with a hard, brisk, pace.

After a moment, the reality of the situation hits them, Vaughan's dead.

"He's… he's dead." Soris looks to Kali, breathing hard. "Tell me what just happened was the right thing, cousin."

"He forced his hand." Kali defended.

"That's… true." Soris admits. "I… I'll check the back room for the others, Shianni needs you."

Kali knelt by Shianni as Soris went to check on the others.

"D-Don't leave me alone… please… please, take me home." Shianni sobs.

"Can you walk?" Kali asked softly.

"I… I think so…" Shianni shuddered. "You killed them, didn't you? You killed them all."

"Like dogs, Shianni."

"Good. Good…"

Soris and his bride exit the back room.

"Is… she going to be all right?" Valora asks.

"Let's… just get out of here." Kali sighs, suddenly feeling like she was ancient.

"I'll take the rear guard." Soris said. "I can't wait to leave this place."

The retreat from the estate was quite and void of any form of combat, after all, most of the guards were dead. And so, with Kali, Jaune, and Soris leading the way, the elves returned to their alienage unmolested, at least no more than they already were.

Waiting for them was Duncan and Valendrian.

"You have returned." Valendrian sighed in relief. "Has Shianni been hurt? And where is Tormey's daughter, Nola? And who is this?"

"Nola… didn't make it." Valora chocked. "She resisted, and…"

"…they killed her." Shianni finished.

"Nelaros, too." Soris added. "The guards killed him."

"And I'm Jaune, I… helped them escape."

"I see." Valendrian said. "Would the rest of you ladies please take Shianni home? She need rest."

"Of course." The rest of the women depart, leaving only the cousins and Jaune present.

"Now tell me what happened?" Valendrian spoke in a deathly serious tone.

"The arl's family just got a bit smaller." Jaune grunted.

"Then the garrison could already b on their way." Duncan warned. "You have little time."

"We may need to leave Denerim for a while." Kali suggested.

"Ahh, that is has come to this!" Valendrian cursed.

A young elf man ran up to the group. "The guards are here!"

"Don't panic." Valendrian warns. "Let's see what comes of this."

shortly afterwards, a group of five guards approach the group – now thankfully unarmed and armored and free of any wayward specks of blood.

The lead guard, an older gray haired man with a goatee, announces. "I seek Valendrian, elder and administrator of the Alienage!"

"Here, Captain." Valendrian calls. "I take it you have come in response to today's disruption?"

"Don't play ignorant with me, elder." The Captain spat. "You will not prevent justice from being done. The arl's son lies dead in a river of blood that runs through the entire palace! I need names, and I need them now!"

Jaune and Kali step forward. "It was my doing."

"You expect me to believe a man and a woman did all of that?" The Captain asked incredulous.

"We are not all so helpless, Captain." Valendrian pointed out.

"You both saved many by coming forward, I don't envy your fate, but I applaud your courage." The Captain praised, before turning to his men. "These two will wait in the dungeons until the arl returns." The Captain addressed the crowd of onlookers "The rest of you, back to your houses!"

"Captain… a word, if you please." Duncan called out.

"What is it, Grey Warden? The situation is well under control, as you can see." The Captain replied.

"Be that as is may, I hereby invoke the Grey Warden's Right of Conscription." Duncan ordained. "I remove these two into my custody."

"Hear that?" Kali whooped. "You can't touch me!"

"You can do that?" Jaune asked.

"Son of a tied down- very well, Grey Warden; I cannot challenge you rights, but I'll ask one thing!" The Captain growled. "Get these two out of the city. Today."

"Agreed."

"Now, I need to get my men on the streets before this news hits." The Captain turned to his men. "Move out!"

Duncan approached Kali and Jaune. "You two are with me now. Say your goodbyes, and see me when you're both ready. We leave immediately."

"Understood." Jaune and Kali sounded off.

"Do not take long, I agreed to have you both out of the city forthwith." Duncan warned.

Kali heads off to say her goodbyes, while Jaune – who had no one to do so with – stays near the gate with Duncan.

Unbeknownst to Jaune, Duncan is studying the strange young man before him. "Strange, when I look at him, it's like when I sense the darkspawn – but it's almost as if he is the very opposite of a darkspawn, strange."

The pair didn't have to wait very long, as Kali soon joined them, only no longer dressed in her ruined gown and ramshackled armor.

Instead, she wore a pair of dark trousers – with the left leg cut off – that were held up by a brown leather belt that held a large pouch and dagger, with knee-high brown leather cavalier style boots and a white undershirt tucked into her waistband, covered by a dark padded jack that was opened at the bottom, with a hardened leather breastplate shaped to her upper torso with leather arm protection covering the entirety of her arms and the back of her brown fingerless gloved hands. Upon her back rested two sheathed falchions.

"Are you ready?" Duncan asked.

"After one more thing."

Kali replied as she took a dagger from her belt before pulling her long hair into a ponytail and cutting off the bundle of hair, leaving her in a sort of messy bob cut that ended at the top of her neck.

"Now, I'm ready."

Duncan nodded in response and the trio then set off for Ostagar.

Don't expect chapters to normally be this frequent, I was already into a quarter of the way through this chapter before I posted the last one, which caused me to forget to mention I used the artwork for the City Elf origin for Kali's dress instead of the one from the game, it was a lot easier for me to describe, I also used the Grey Warden armor from their wiki page for Duncan and the rest of the Wardens that show up, to make them feel like an actual organization rather than a smattering of country bumpkins, city urchins, and whoever else could be plucked up to fight literal creatures of darkness. Also I hope this chapter had sufficient action to make up for last chapter.

Thank you all for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing.