Nothing Left Chapter 5

One year, that was the price to enter Kirkwall. A year of serving Athenril and her band of smugglers, I took most of the jobs as I was not willing to allow Bethany to bare this burden. She helped mother settle into Gamlen’s shabby house, fixed clothes and helps me clean my armoured clothing when a deal had goes badly and ends in the splattering of blood.

I tried to avoid shedding blood, Athenril had told me this made me more valuable to her as she didn’t have to spend time covering the deaths. Though it was not always possible, some people refused to be persuaded without the threat of violence, or swing of a blade. Drawing my weapon brings back the memories of Carver and father, my blade and I too weak to protect them. Some nights I would glance and I would see the blood that would never wash off no matter how hard I scrubbed. The blood of those I had failed to protect was the most staining of all.

I had refused that Aveline help with any of the tasks Athenril set; if not for us she may never have come here, I refused for her to bare our debt. Instead she worked favour with the guards, working her way into the chain of command under the Captain of the guard. She said that was where she belonged and I didn’t question it. Most nights she stayed at the barracks, not wanting to feel the straining environment at Gamlen’s. Sometimes she spent the night with us, and muttered to me in the quiet of the night that she wouldn’t be in a hurry to do so again.

Shortly after our term with Athenril had ended word reached us of a venture to the Deep Roads. With the Arch demon now vanquished the horde would slowly return to those roads but for a short while it would be less crowded, less dangerous. We managed to track down the one heading up the expedition a dwarf by the name Bartrand. It was a chance, a chance to escape the concerned looks of mother and angry glares of Gamlen, a chance we were eager to take.

He didn’t want us, he made that clear the moment he clapped eyes on us. We may not be the best dressed of people but at least we had fighting experience, more so than most of the immigrants in this small place. He walked as he talked his way out of accepting of us, I tried to persuade him but he wasn’t budging. When he left us in the street a kid bumped into me as I talked with Bethany. Thinking nothing of it I continued a step, suddenly realising the missing familiar clink of the few coins I had collected. Turning I started after the thief only to see him pinned to the wall by a single arrow.

The origin of the arrow appeared to be from another dwarf, this one wielded a beautiful looking crossbow that he seemed to handle with care. His hair pulled back framed his face, his clothing seemed well kept and fairly new, a part of his chest was exposed revealing eye catching chest hair, the colour seemed to almost glisten in the sunlight.

The dwarf retrieved my purse and returned it to me, introducing himself as Varric he suggested a business proposition for us to consider. He also placed himself as a friend that could help out in the times to come.

Traveling with Varric served as nice way to get around, he knew a lot of people working in the shadows, could persuade people where I could not. Varric provided a nice distraction, I felt that when I travelled with Bethany and him in my company that Bethany would stare at me a little less. She still expected me to fall apart at any moment, she didn’t know I concealed that part of me, buried it so deep I wondered if I’d ever be able to deal with it. The time never came to deal with something as complex as feelings, something always needed to be done.

A trip into Darktown in the pursuit of a rebel warden had pulled at the wounds on my heart. Of course we would find a warden now, much too late to be of any use to the one that had needed his assistance. Wesley may not have been with us long before we lost him but the pain I sometimes glimpsed in Aveline’s eyes was enough to remind me of the sacrifice I had asked her to make.

The warden Anders wanted something, everyone did. “A favour for a favour...” those words concerned me, too vague, too little information. Asking a few more questions and learning the basic nature of this favour he asked for I agreed. The maps of the Deep Roads and the lives those maps could save worth ten times more to me than this favour of his.

It did not go well. The one we were trying to save had been made tranquil. Having a mage as a sister I had learnt every danger that could become her, tranquil was one of these dangers. The process was never described in the books I could find or conversations I listened into however the result was enough of a danger. I would let no one rip my sister’s mind from the fade, preventing her dreams and making her a slave. To see this done to a mage was a dreaded reminder.

Templar’s awaited us, a fight broke out and Ander’s secret was revealed. He’d made a deal with a demon. He insisted it was not a demon but a spirit of justice, but what was this spirit’s version of justice may not be justice for everyone. It unnerved me to be in the presence of a spirit in a human host.

The time had come, to complete the favour Flemeth had asked. Sundermount that was the destination, Marethari the only name I had to go on. Travelling there was no easy task, the mountain trail seemed endless at times. Finally the Dalish camp revealed itself in a flat space practically at the top of the trail. Two hunters stopped our approach demanding to know why we had travelled this way and our business with their camp. After revealing the name I had been given they allowed us passage but threatened violence should we do anything suspicious.

Marethari told us to continue up the mountain where we would meet Merrill, after we had taken the amulet given to me by Flemeth we were to take her to Kirkwall. This was the favour for the information and ceremony to complete the task. Climbing further up the mountain we met Merrill and she babbled at us. Taking the lead in our little pack I followed the trail ahead, shades and skeletons attacked revealing that Merrill was a mage. Another to worry about.

Almost at the cave we would have to travel through a hunter stopped us and told us to complete our business quickly so that they could be rid of Merrill. The implications lingered heavily upon my mind. Upon exciting the spider infested cave a strange barrier blocked our path. Merrill dealt with it revealing the secret that she used blood magic. I felt my blood run cold, Anders and his strange version of Justice I could just about deal with but blood magic. That was another matter, it scared me to have it performed so easily in front of me seemingly without care.

The ceremony was completed and the piece of Flemeth that she had placed in the amulet was freed. We trekked back to the camp and allowed Merrill to say her goodbyes to her keeper, before beginning the long journey back to Kirkwall. I escorted Merrill to the alienage in Lowtown of Kirkwall, she was disappointed asking if she could accompany me from time to time. I agreed, I’m not sure if it was out of pity or just to get her to leave my company for a while.

Passing through Hightown, I noticed an argument with a chanter and a man. His armour gleamed in the sun, the white surface reflecting the light beautifully. He placed a request upon the board as he argued about his right to do so. He stormed away, before the chanter could remove the request I ran to the board and read the request. It was simple enough some gang that he wanted dealt with, they were likely not in one place but easy enough to deal with. A justice that even I could see as a right decision. I took the task.

It was easy, almost too easy, as I dealt the final blow to the final group of the thugs I thought how everything had gone to easy. There was surely more of to this. Returning to the man I leant was called Sebastian, I informed him of my success and he was thankful for the completion of the job. Paying the promised amount on the request. I still felt uneasy as to if the task had actually been completed but was happy to let it go.

I received a request to help someone retrieve something, I found them and retrieved all the information I needed from them. It was a simple task, a package they couldn’t retrieve themselves. The location of the package was located in a house within the alienage a short walk from where the client had arranged to meet us. Getting to the location was easy, getting to the chest was easy. It was empty. My first thoughts were we’d been set up and had un-knowingly walked into a trap.

Leaving the house seemed to prove my fear correct, a large group of people awaited our exit from the building. They talked about an elf and how they were ordered to kill anyone who exited the building. The fight erupted, blood splattered in every direction staining the night. We easily defeated the bandits and were heading to exit the alienage to report back to the client. A templar approached, a single man not posing as much threat as the dead bodies littered at our feet.

The man ordered an attack, we readied ourselves for battle. A single heavily bleeding man stumbled round the corner. An elf pushed him over stating that the men were dead, the others relaxed. I was not so comfortable around this new person. The templar called the elf a slave and he angrily stated he was no one’s slave, glowing blue he plunged his fist through the templar. The elf introduced himself as Fenris and asked about the dealing with the package and client. He asked for our assistance in dealing with a person from his past. I agreed still partly on guard.

We travelled to Hightown and entered a mansion that apparently belonged to a person called Danarius. Making our way through the house shades and demons attacked us but we easily defeated them. We made it into the last room, a human priest looking spirit seemed to be summoned by doing so. We defeated the enemy and Fenris left the house.
Taking anything of value we could find to sell, we headed outside. Fenris seemed unhappy that he had received help from a mage. I defended my sister as I always will, after all she had helped. Fenris seemed uneasy but offered to be of assistance any time I needed him.

Visiting the Hanged Man was always interesting, there was a man that always talked seemingly to himself at times. The drunks telling silly stories scattered at the tables, this time a woman took caught my attention. She fought off some thugs and seemed quite skilled. I went to the bar and talked to her, she reveals her name is Isabella.

She asks me to watch her back for a meet up that she is to attend as she doesn’t trust the people. I agree. At nightfall I travel to Hightown to meet her, she is nervously pacing thinking things are to quiet. A small group of thugs appear and it is clear the deal has gone sour. Once we deal with the thugs a quick loot of their pockets revealed a note stating Hayder the man we are dealing with is in the chantry.

The journey to the chantry is only briefly interrupted by a gang of thieves. Making our way into the chantry Isabella and this Hayder talk a while. She then reveals there is only one way to end this and sends one of her blades flying into the man. A fight breaks out that is quickly over Isabella then states she’ll just have to find this relic of hers another way. She thanks me for my help and offers to accompany me if I have need of her.

That is how I met them. At times I have regretted agreeing to helping them or allowing them to join me. Especially Isabella and that forsaken relic, the relic that would cost more on blood than any book item should be worth.