Chapter 26: Hunt for Blood (Neria)
Soon all twelve recruits gathered around the fire, where Duncan, Alistair and Franco were waiting for them. Neria noticed three strangers in the group: a tall human in a worn armor, apparently Elissa's brother, as well as a dark-skinned elf and an archer in leather armor. As she was staring at them, Graham watched her intently. Neria tried to avoid him.
- Great. All the recruits are here, we can start, - Duncan said. - As long as Alistair doesn't make the mages angry anymore.
- What can I say? Revered Mother forced me, - the young Warden justified himself. - Were guilt a weapon, she could be a great warrior.
- Did she made you act rudely to Uldred? Our position in Ferelden is too precarious to make enemies.
- You're right, Duncan. I'm sorry.
- And now to the Joining. You will go to the Korcari Wilds, split into two squads: Franco's will go to the west, Alistair's will head to the east. You will need to obtain twelve vials of darkspawn blood, one for each recruit.
- Finally! A combat mission! - Faren exclaimed happily.
- Also, one more task for each squad. Those of you who will be led by Franco should follow the trail of the scouts and check on how things are going in the Chasind village. Rahta is from there, she will show the way.
- The scouts led by Fergus? - Elissa asked. – My brother and I will go with Franco then.
- I'm afraid that's not for you to decide. Alistair's group, meanwhile, will go to the old outpost of the Wardens. There you need to pick up ancient treaties. They will be useful to us in case of defeat here.
- Get blood, see how things are in the village and get treaties. Everything is clear, - Sereda summed up.
- Then go, and may the Maker and the Stone protect you.
Duncan went to the main camp, and Franco began the distribution.
- As the elder of the two accompanying Wardens, I will choose my squad first.
Franco began to point his finger at those who will go with him.
- Rahta, Mhairi, Sereda, Neria, Faren and Aedan, you are with me. We leave first.
- What a pity he took you, - Alistair managed to said.
- But Daylen will be with you. He is a strong mage, you are very lucky, - the elf replied.
- I doubt that. He doesn't have such big beautiful eyes.
Neria had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's good that Graham isn't with her. On the other hand, he is with Alistair and Daylen. A strange templar with her best friend and her...boyfriend? Crush? Brother-in-arms? It was hard to tell, but she really liked Alistair. It's much easier with him than with Cullen. They are both Gray Wardens, which means they are equal, and there is no templar pressure from him.
The squad went beyond the fortress and began to go through the swamps. A couple of times they ran into wolves, which were easily cut down by Mhairi and Aedan. The dwarveswith their short legs did not even have time to reach the wolves.
- Let me leave at least one to fight! - Faren shouted.
- There will be another fight for you, calm down, - Sereda encouraged him.
- Wait, - Franco said. – I feel something. Darkspawn!
Before the Warden could do anything, an arrow flew into his throat, and he fell into the water.
- Everyone hide behind me and Mhairi! - Sereda shouted, pulling out her shield.
Neria approached Franco, but it was too late - the Grey Warden was dead.
- Hey, what are you doing? - Aedan asked, grabbing the dead Warden's shield.
- I thought I could cure him. It didn't work out.
The recruits went on the defensive: Aedan, Sereda and Mhairi covered Neria, Faren and Rahta with shields. The Chasind took the bow, crawled out of the cover and shot a hurlock with a sword running in their direction. Neria looked into the mist and saw the silhouette of a genlock with a bow. She pointed the staff in his direction and launched an ice spell at him. All six recruits froze again. For five minutes there were no arrows, no attacking hurlocks.
- We can get up. That seems to be it, - Mhairi said.
The recruits slowly moved on, Aedan left the shield near the corpse of Franco.
- Do you know where to go? - Sereda asked.
- Yes, - Rahta replied in her usual manner.
When they reached the village, they saw an elf in Grey Warden armor and a black mabari fight off six hurlocks. Neria and Faren hurried to help him.
- Stand aside! - the elf shouted.
Theron bounced off the darkspawn, and Neriah launched a Cone of Cold at four hurlocks, freezing them. Faren, meanwhile, cut through the remaining two. Aedan, who approached them, smashed the hurlocks frozen by Neria to smithereens.
- Ma serannas, thank you for your help. I couldn't have done it myself, - Theron said.
- What are you doing here alone? - Neria asked.
- Well, I'm not completely alone. My valiant mabari hound is with me. There he is, by the way. His name is Fen.
Mabari barked happily.
- I know everyone here except you, - Theron said, pointing at Aedan. - My name is Theron Mahariel, and I am also one of the Gray Warden recruits, except I had passed the Joining a month you. What is your name?
- Aedan. Aedan Cousland.
- Cousland? Like Fergus Cousland?
- Wait a minute. You know my brother?
- I'm afraid you'd better sit down.
Aedan sat down on one of the stumps, while Theron and the recruits stood around him. Rahta went inside one of the houses.
- We were betrayed by a warrior named Paedan. I don't know what he did to Fergus, but I didn't find the body. Aedan, I'm so sorry.
Hearing the sad news, Aedan took out his sword, ran up to the corpses of the hurlocks and began to cut them furiously.
- Please don't come near me! - he said angrily.
The dwarves began to collect blood from the corpses. Neria and Mhairi followed Rahta into one of the houses.
- They're… all dead… they're… all dead…" the Chasind muttered, sitting on her knees in front of the bodies of three of her fellow Chasinds, one of which was a little girl.
- Who are they? Mhairi asked, scaring Rahta.
- My parents... and my sister... They are dead.
- Rahta, I'm sorry, - said Neria and approached to hug her, but Rahta jumped away from the elf in horror.
- I... will not be able to continue the Warden path, - the Chasind answered. - I can't go on. Kill me. Or leave me here. But I won't go any further.
- We… need to discuss this. Let's go, Mhairi.
Neria and Mhairi left the house.
- We have a problem, - Mhairi said.
- What's the matter? Sereda asked.
- This whole village has been taken over by the darkspawn, - Neria continued. - Rahta's family used to live here, but they didn't survive the attack. Rahta is now sitting next to their corpses and says that he will not go anywhere else. He asks to either kill her or leave her.
- When you join the Gray Wardens, you can't just leave, - Theron replied. - And Duncan didn't elaborate on why, but living women shouldn't be left to the darkspawn.
- I doubt darkspawn like to interrogate prisoners, - Faren objected.
- If Duncan said so, they must be doing something worse than interrogation with women, - Sereda said. - We'll have to kill her. But who will do it?
Neria thought. It is unlikely that she would be able to kill someone who does not attack her. Even out of mercy.
- I will, - Aedan, who had vented his anger on the dead hurlocks, said. - Maker forgive me.
The human entered the house where Rahta was, and after a couple of minutes he came back. There were new blood stains on his sword.
- The blood has been collected, we have reached the village, - Sereda summed up. - We need to get back. Franco and Rahta are no longer with us, and they knew the area. Theron, will you show me the way?
- Certainly. Follow me, - said the elf.
Theron, Fen and five recruits began their journey back to the fortress. The image of Rahta, who gave up and was ready to die, will now remain in Neria's head for a long time.