moonpriestess30: We're full in winter here and it's freezing! The school runs are not fun! sounds beautiful your way though, I'm very jealous!

Chapter 4

Mena had paused in the middle of a doorway and was looking into the room with narrowed eyes. 'Hey, Mouse what's the matter?' Varric asked as he got close.

'Banal eth,' she murmured as she looked at the rocks. Something wasn't quite right about this area; she couldn't hear any small creatures or see any plant life.

Merrill tilts her head and touched Mena's arm to gain her attention. 'Not safe?' She repeated, both translating and inquiring as to what was going on. Mena shook her head.

'Around,' she said motioning with her hand that they should find another route. There was an underlying tone to her voice, a light whine that generally meant that she was at unease of the situation. Baring her teeth, she bent down and picked up a small stone throwing it into the room. Nothing happened.

Garrett shrugged his shoulders as Fenris gave him a look, 'Mena, nothing happened,' he pointed out.

She didn't understand what he said to her but her expression said it all. Fenris raised a brow and made the conclusion. 'I think that is half the problem,' he explained. 'There were no reactions from anything. Not even insects. Hawke, perhaps she is right. We should find another route,' he agreed with Mena as he nodded making her features lighten a little.

'That could take weeks, Broody. We might just have to take this shit show as it comes. Mouse could probably find a way but there's no chance that I'll be able to scale the walls like she can,' Varric said as he pulled Bianca around to his front and checked her fittings.

'Varric is right,' Garrett sighed. 'Come on, we're just gonna have to deal with this, sorry Mena,' he apologized as he walked past her with Peaches at his heel. Mena was reluctant but with Merrill's insistence she eventually entered the room. Everything happened so quickly after that, some sort of shield appeared over the doorway trapping them in and the rocks themselves began to move towards each other. Mena hissed and scrabbled at the wall around the shield trying to see if there was somewhere, anywhere she could climb out, yet there was nothing. Baring her teeth at Hawke she spat and clicked at him. 'I know! I know! I get that we're in fucking trouble,' he replied as he pulled his sword out its sheath.

Varric chuckled to himself earning a look from Fenris. 'Can't even speak the language and she's telling him ''I told you so'',' he explained making Fenris smirk despite the situation. 'Ah, this place never ceases to surprise me,' Varric said honestly as the large rock wraith assembles in front of them.

Mena climbs the wall and jumps to one of the pillars in the middle of the room as the fight begins. She's trying to figure out what this creature's weak point was. Merrill and Peaches were dealing with the smaller ones that seemed to emerge while Fenris and Hawke dealt with the larger threat. A powerful vibration tore through the room and the light increased hurting her eyes to the extent that she had to cover her face. Without warning the rock wraith expelled a massive amount of energy causing a burning wave to roll over them all continuously. Fenris and Hawke were the first caught and backed up quickly. Fenris grabbed Merrill's arm dragging her to safety behind a pillar while Garrett literally took out all four of Peaches' legs as he picked her up, diving behind the opposite one. Varric appeared next to Fenris a little out of breath.

'Where's Mena?!' Merrill asked in fear only to have her question answered a minute later as Mena fell heavily to the ground behind one of the pillars. Her skin was shiny and raw like everyone else who had been caught in the blast. She coughed and rolled onto all fours as she leaned against the stone and rubbed her eyes desperately. Horribly disorientated and with stinging eyes she looked over at Merrill to make sure she was okay. Once the noise and light died down Fenris risked a glance around the pillar. Once enough damage had been dealt it seemed to lose strength and it's ''core'', was revealed.

'The core is exposed!' He said summoning strength from his markings as he charged around the stone to hopefully put an end to the fight. Garrett soon joined him but Merrill ran over to Mena who looked worse for wear.

'Banal eth! Banal eth!' Mena repeated clinging onto Merrill's top. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook her head, her fear visible. 'Durgan din'an!'

The Dalish elf looked around the pillar to check on the others, they were fine for the moment. 'Mena, you're safe. I promise. Ar halani,' she promised. 'Up, up,' Merrill helped lift her to her feet. She points to the core and the stones that were assembling around it once more.

Mena nodded and motioned to the top of the pillar as she opened a pouch filled with dust. Merrill recognised it as the same stuff that she threw into the eyes of the spider queen. Apparently, it was dried deepstalker venom glands and darkspawn flesh ground into a fine powder. Stung like the blazes and would kill with enough of it. 'Mir mi, nadas,' Mena said closing the pouch.

Merrill nods and shouted at Hawke. 'We need ta get the core to reveal itself 'gain!' She explained. 'Mena can kill it! But she cannae do it alone!'

Varric appeared in a cloud of smoke next to Merrill, 'what the fuck you on about, Daisy?' He asked as he continued to try and pepper the creature with arrows. Merrill explained Mena's idea and Varric shrugged a shoulder. 'It's the best shot we got. I was trying to avoid that damn explosivey wave thing it does but fuck it, let's annoy the bastard.'

The dwarf disappeared the same way he arrived and left Mena to climb the pillar once more. She wouldn't go all the way to the top this time and instead just waited to be in prime position. Merrill re-joined the fight and between her and Varric they managed to inform the other two of the plan. Mena hung from her fingertips, her toes deep into a natural crack in the stone as she listened. Tears still streamed down her cheeks; she was feeling a sense of fear that she didn't know existed. Her heart pounded in her chest and her skin stung from the dust that was around them all. Pain ached in her entire body and a deep nauseated feeling had taken root in the pit of her stomach. Vibrations increased around her and she knew that the creature was being led towards her position making her mouth go dry.

Then the plan went sideways, literally. The rock wraith spun out one of its limbs and smashed into the pillar that Mena was holding onto. It knocked her from the stone, a boulder crushing her leg as it did so. Mena screamed as she fell onto the floor and whimpered as she tried to get to her feet. The rock wraith raised what she would call a fist into the air, intent on ending her. To her surprise she felt herself be grabbed under her arms as she's picked up and slung over a shoulder, Fenris had managed to get to her in time and pulled her out the way of the deathly blow. Placing her on the far side of the room Fenris looked at her, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks, being careful not to catch her eyes with his gauntlet covered fingers. 'How do we kill it?' He asked.

She takes out her dagger and makes a sharp stabbing motion down and then unties the pouch from her belt. He knew what was inside having been around when she was showing these things to Merrill. The powder was deadly and she had used it to save him the first time they met. He nods, looking around to make sure that she's hidden. 'Dareth,' Mena says with a click of her tongue as she looked at him.

He nodded and whistled for Peaches who bounded over, 'stay,' he said to the Mabari as he took the chance to change his position. Mentally he made plans, he wouldn't be able to create a wound in the core and then pour the powder in, there wouldn't be enough to take down the creature. Pausing behind one of the pillars he takes out the oil that he uses to clean his weapon and pours it along the length of the blade. Once each side was covered, he waited until the rock wraith expelled its wave of energy again. Peaches was doing a good job and protecting Mena, who had her arms wrapped around the Mabari's neck. Varric, Merrill and Garrett had managed to take shelter in the rubble of the broken pillar. So that he didn't lose too much of the powder from excess oil Fenris waited until the attack began to diminish. He quickly but carefully tipped the pouch over his blade and once the light vanished, he drew upon his markings and charged around the pillar lodging his sword up to the hilt into the core, running the creature through. It seemed to screech and writhe so he left the sword buried there and dove for cover as rocks began to reassemble around the core once more.

'It's still not dead?!' Garrett complains as he looks at the seriously pissed off rock wraith. It was definitely in pain, or at least weakened. 'And now you've lost your sword,' he said looking at Fenris who was breathing heavily.

Mena came out of the left field, somehow, she had managed to climb the pillar that Fenris had put her next to. She had leapt or fallen from the top and aimed for the grip of Fenris' weapon. Her weight plus the downforce of her trajectory when she grabbed the sword caused it to be torn out the chest of the rock wraith. She didn't land well, Fenris' blade was thrown to the side as her leg buckled under her and she yelped in pain, passing out. The core was poisoned and unprotected. Merrill grabbed one of the now lifeless boulders with her mana and literally crushed the heart of the rock wraith. 'Oh, thank fuck for that,' Varric sighed heavily as the pulses of power died around them.

Garrett and Merrill ran over to Mena who was unconscious but breathing. 'Lethallan,' Merrill said shaking her. Her eyes fluttered but it was clear that her body was simply commanding her to sleep.

'Ancestors, is she okay?' Varric asked as he runs over to them.

'Aye, I think she's just exhausted. We'll just have to carry her,' Garrett said in reply earning himself a beaming smile from Merrill. 'And with any luck that way is out and we'll be able to get her home to the city in good time. I think her leg is broken, it should heal if she keeps her weight off it,' he explained.

Fenris makes his way over having recovered his blade. 'We should make her a splint for the time being,' he said simply. 'Let us hope that we get out of this godforsaken place sooner rather than later.'