The Price Of Freedom (Anders/Fenris/David/Nol)

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

A dark discovery concealed a few miles from Nevarra...


"Hush, my love... you'll wake the whole house," a male Elven man said with a smile as his body hovered over his lover's. The ginger haired female, also an elf, chuckled very lightly as she turned her head shyly exposing her neck as she breathed in calmly. He kissed her chin, her neck, between her collarbone, and then placed his hand on her cheek to tilt her head to face him, she lovingly nuzzled into his hand and kissed the sides.

"How long until we can be like this again, emma lath?"

- - -

The anger within him forced him to snap, and Krios lunged at his favourite slave, fueled with jealousy. "You allowed that, that thing to touch you!?" he growled through gritted teeth as his grip around her wrist tightened, causing her to yelp in pain. The young eighteen year old elf kept her head lowered, holding the sheet closely around her naked body as she knelt there in submission, refusing to let the tears spill from her eyes.

She shook her head wildly. "N-No, Master... we only..." she managed to force out due to the pain he was causing her "...it was just... moments, s-sentimental ones... we never..."

The young virgin elf was too afraid to say, though it didn't matter as he pulled her up, getting right into her face. "You are mine, are we clear? I own you and will do with you as I please!"

- - -

A large gash in her cheek began to bleed, the result of a woman's long filled nails meeting her flesh. Blood and tears now fell but she became silent, knowing all too well her sobbing would only get her into more trouble. One last attempt at fleeing but the guards held onto her tightly. She looked towards her lover one last time. Nothing could describe how she was feeling right now. And as she was taken from the room, her screams could be heard down the hall.


There was no telling why such memories plagued her thoughts, however, there was very little time to ponder them as she soon felt her eyes widen, the feeling of shock and fear overwhelmed her. Against her back she could feel something hard, cold even, it had to be stone of some sort. A stomach churning smell reached her senses and bile began to rise in her throat.

She found her vision was foggy, though could barely make out the various chains and torture devices on the walls as well as the shackles that kept her from moving from the cold stone slab that had previously been bloodied. Suddenly, she came to her senses as something sharp stabbed into her stomach, causing her to cry out in agony. Her vision was now becoming clear as the as the fibers of her mind soon pieced together.

Her breathing was no longer calm or steady, but to near hyperventilation as she saw the faces above her and the robes they donned. No, this had to be a nightmare! A horrible nightmare! This couldn't be real! They were... they were...

Tevinter Mages.

The woman struggled against her bonds, crying out and shouting in frustration, but it was then she felt a hand upon her cheek, the all too familiar feeling sent fear coursing throughout her entire body, so much in fact that her body began to shake violently. "Surprised, my dear?" came the Magister's cruel yet oddly articulate sounding voice as his thumb stroked around the elf's soft full lips. At that moment, Lyaera felt like a slave again, her eyes dare not tear away from the sinister ones that looked back, she dare not speak nor breathe to the point of being heard.

What had happened?! This didn't make any sense! First she was in battle alongside her friends, then someone got injured and pulled them to safety, and now... this!?

She wanted to close her eyes, pretend that this was just a bad dream, she would rather be in the Deep Roads fighting Darkspawn or lost in the Fade than be here! "No words to express how happy you must be?" he smirked, knowing that his rebellious little favourite had once again fallen into submission by his presence "I must say, I'm very disappointed in you, young lady... making me travel throughout half of Thedas just to find you..."

No words escaped her, not even thinking of various theories could put her nerves at ease. Another stab! Lyaera let out a pained cry, attempting to look at what was happening to her, though quickly looked away at what she saw, though her Master would not allow it. "See that? See what they're doing, my pet? They're going to make you beautiful!" he grinned a little too malevolently, a delirious chuckle escaped him as he gripped her chin, forcing her to watch as, what she knew to be, Blood Mages cut into the entirety of her body.

It was then her brain so cruelly allowed her to register the pain, she tried with all her might to hold it in, but she just couldn't. A loud and pained cry escaped her as her body arched back, but was only held down by others. She thrashed and cried, tears of sheer agony spilled from her eyes as she tried to break free. The wounds had been pulled apart by some sort of clamp so that they wouldn't close up. This pain was just too unbearable, and just when she thought it could get no worse... her eyes widened.

Lyaera had frozen, her body had attempted to shut down but some form of evil magic was keeping her alive at that moment. Something was being poured into the wounds, hands were then placed over them as if to seal the gashes. Her mouth opened and closed, shuddering breaths escaped her along with hard choking sobs and soon it wasn't long until she screamed again. The screaming didn't even sound mortal, more so as if a wild animal was brutally being slaughtered by a foul beast, even to the point of not being able to detect if it was a man or woman screaming.

There was no telling how far the screams reached throughout the various echoing halls of the dark chambers.

The proud yet malevolent Magister stood there proudly as the ritual took place, but it wasn't long until the Elven woman fainted due to the lack of energy. The Mages around the table feared that the process had killed her, but sighed with relief as she started breathing again. "Take her to the dungeons! There's still one more thing I must do, and I do not want her getting in the way!" Krios barked at them, and they complied in fear as they unchained the naked elf, half wrapping her body in bandages before carrying her off.

The Magister watched with the most sinister of smirks before turning and walking towards a door which led to another room, though his eyes were no longer those of a man... but of a demon.

- - -

Krios.

[Anders]

Why was he doing this? He wasn't sure exactly. Anders remembered that night he spent with her and her younger brother a couple years ago. Despite nothing happening between him and her, there was something about that night that stuck with him. Maybe it was their conversation they had about mages? Maybe it was her younger brother who just so happened to be a mage. He did feel some kind of connection the boy, like he did with that blond Amon kid he met a while back with his mother. The kid who looked up to him as if her some idol. That boy, Nol, trusted everything important about himself with Anders, and that meant something to him.

Originally he was just passing through. He had finished his travels across Nevarra, and had finally made it to the northern borders of Orlais. Of course, he wasn't planning on sticking around here long. No mage would, but when he caught sight of that redhead beauty he remembered so well, it was hard not to follow.

What were the odds that he'd run into her again? Last time he saw her was back on the north end of the Free Marches. Who would have known that she would have ended up here at the same exact time he was. He was more curious, though, as to why Nol wasn't with her, or more importantly, why she was here in the first place. There was a possibility that she had lost him. He was a mage, after all. Maybe he was captured by Templars and now she was here trying to get him back. They were in Orlais, Templars was a good assumption. But then what would that mean for her? She didn't know that Nol was a mage. Nol made him promise that he'd never say a word to her about it.

She didn't look upset, however. Which told him that Nol wasn't in danger, at least.

And then it happened. Within in a blink of an eye, a group of men appeared behind her, and before he could call out to her, or even give them a taste of some fire, one of them already had her in his grasp. Just by looking at these men, he could they weren't ordinary. Hell, they didn't even look Orlesian. They had a Tevinter look to them. Their dress and mannerisms. On top of that, you couldn't mistake the elegant robes and staff they were wearing, which is made it very obvious as to who they were.

Tevinter mages, and the one that grabbed her, a Magister. What was a Magister and his apprentices doing in Orlais? It must have been something they were looking for. Was that "thing", her? From stories told by Fenris, he knew that elves were commonly sold into slavery there in the Imperium. Magisters used them for money and riches, and only that. They viewed elves as something less than the human race. Were they going to make her a slave? Most likely. Just from the look on the Magister's face, he could that he saw her as nothing more than that. An object.

He didn't know what to do, but he needed to figure it out fast because before he knew it, they were dragging her away. Lifeless, like everything left her body. He knocked her out, and now she couldn't fight. He and the others dragged her away, and Anders was hot on pursuit. He couldn't fight them, not out here at least, but it wasn't going to stop him from trying to save her.

----

Anders didn't know how long it had been, how many hours, minutes, or seconds it had been since he started following them. It felt like it had been forever, but where were they taking her? She was still knocked out, so it couldn't have been that long, or they really did her in good. He could tell from here though, that she definitely wasn't dead.

He crouched behind a large tree as they stopped. The Magister, with the girl in his arms, turned to his mercenaries and spoke a few words. From what he could make out here, it sounded as if their destination was near. Around here? That couldn't be right. They were out in the middle of the wilderness! He expected some kind of palace or estate, at least. And from the looks of his surroundings, there was neither one anywhere near here.

They began to move again, though, and Anders made sure to be close behind. They only continued on for another yard or so, however, because an opening of a cave came into sight soon after. Was this where they were headed? A cave? What they hell did they plan to do in here? He guessed it made sense. A bunch of blood mages most likely planning on doing something... involving their blood magic. The best place to do so was out in isolated areas. But a cave? They couldn't have picked a better place?

Either way, he waited. He waited until the group finally retreated into the darkness of the cave's entrance. Now it was up to him to go in.

His heart was racing, and his blood was pumping fast through his veins. He could do this. He had been faced with much worse in the past, a few blood mages wouldn't match against him. They'd be nothing compared to other things he's fought. He needed to do this for Lyaera. She needed him. He was her only hope at this point.

The blond mage inhaled deeply before he left the safety of the tree and moved forward to the entrance. It had been a few minutes since they entered, so they most likely wouldn't notice him. There were surely going to be guards though, and if there were, he'd deal with them. They weren't what he was worried about. But when he entered the the depths of the darkness, and his eyes adjusted, he saw a lot more than he bargained for. There was a whole group of them. A whole group of men not that much farther in.

"Shit," he thought to himself as one of them turned into his direction and he made a leap for the side of the entrance, hoping that they didn't see him. All air nearly escaped his lungs as he silently waited the next minute for one of them to exit the cave looking for him. None of them did. "Good. They didn't see me." He could have just gone back in and dealt with them. He had the capability of killing them, but it'd risk Lya's life. If the Magister or others found out he was here before he could get to them, they'd surely kill her, or get the chance to. There had to be an easier way to do this.

[Fenris]

It was by the time his food had ran out that he finally had to come out and buy more. By habit and routine, he had hidden himself right after hearing of Tevinter robes amongst Orlesian silks. Fenris did not view himself craven, but perhaps he was. They weren't after him, in any case. Yet as he walked the market square, a pouch of newly-acquired sovereigns clinking against his waist, his eye caught a ray of light reflected from someone's hair. It made no sense, but that caught his attention; and, racing across the wells of time to reach his mind, memories came and filled him. Slight tingling in the back of his head, growing louder, a sharp alarm. He knew that man.

He forgot the magisters. He forgot his nourishment. He only remembered what he had promised to do if he should spot that hair one more time. But he also knew that it wouldn't do to just run up to him and gut him with his sword. A sword of steel, not silverite. That would just invite the half-demon to roast him. Some templars could learn a lot of work ethics from me. Instead of the direct way, though, he thought he could fool the man for a little while. Why would he begrudge him for wanting to see an old companion, even if they had hated each other?

So he followed the man, trying hard to not lose him. Under the scorching sun, plagued by a constant fear of walking up to a chance Tevinterian, he tried his best to keep up with the mage. From what he could gather, Anders was following somebody as well. He could just puzzle it out from the manner he stopped occasionally, staring deeper into the crowd, as if trying hard to see someone. Fenris could not see his target himself, needless to be said; a wall of human flesh stood fast in front of him, blocking his line of sight. Then Anders suddenly started towards the crowds again. Fenris rushed after.

A time passed, and then another. Moments became hours. The hot midday sun began to fall and a pleasant chill crept onto the streets, the rising wind pouring street dust on the city's inhabitants, not bothering whether it was elf or man, highborn or commoner, that received his or her daily dustbath. Fenris' shirt was dirty and had a rough feel to it, yet he suspected that his breastplate of grey iron beneath it was to blame for this calamity. It was a new breastplate, and better than his last one.

What use for armour if it can't stop swords? Though the devil's blade had been white steel. I would've taken it, if not for fainting so soon.

The evenfall brought with it more than just shade. The people were fewer, for one. He could see Anders and his target quite well. Lyaera. What's she doing in here? And what does she have to do with Anders? Maybe the mage didn't have the best of intentions. From what he knew of Anders, he could well be a rapist and a thief. A murderer he was, for sure. So why not them as well? Often Sin follows Sin, and if you do one, you soon have a regiment of ones. Anders wasn't up to any good, that much was clear. He never was, he knew.

It had crossed his mind several times to run up to Anders and greet him before plunging a dirk into his belly, but he had never had the courage to try. I must know why he's following her first. And, as such, he kept to his stealth, as feeble as it was, and followed after him. They had exited the city a long time ago and the moon was hanging over them, half-full. It was an amusing chase, almost, if not for Anders. There was nothing funny about Anders. Anders made him retch and sweat at the same time; in other words, sick. But when it crossed his mind again to catch him and finish it, he saw sudden movement ahead. A group of men clad in fur-lined robes, dark blue and black in colour, rushed ahead of Anders to assault the woman, Lyaera. Anders stopped on his heels, tense, as if ready to spring into motion at any moment, but still doing nothing. Fenris noticed that he had done the same.

They're taking her. Fenris thought, and quickened his pace to a trot. His cuirass clinked softly, and he was sure that Anders had heard him at this point. But instead of turning, the mage continued onwards. He walked, first hesitating, then with growing determination, towards the cave entrance. Fenris followed, dropping his pace again, hoping that he had not heard him. He mustn't know of his presence. When he entered the cave, he found it too dark to see anything inside. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, yet when they did, he saw a mage in front of him. That mage was not Anders.

Fenris vanished into a side tunnel, confused. Not long in, he pressed against a dip in the rugged stone wall, breathing hard. His skin began to tingle, and his lyrium-infused veins began to glow blue. If that was Anders, he'd have to have changed a lot. No. I think that the man's still in here, hiding, like me. What's he up to?

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Note: Okay guys, for now this'll be just us three, David and Nol will be showing up somewhere near the end. Thanks for the great lengthy posts by the way, they're great!


How long had it been? What seemed to be minutes felt like hours. It was as if a dark corruption was now deep within her, filth in which tainted her soul to the very core.

None of this felt real, it had to be a nightmare... but no, the now red jagged patterns covering her body made sure to remind her that this was no nightmare, even though it might have well been. They burned and it hurt, eventually she gave into the pain and soon her body became numb, almost as if it wanted to shut down.

She sat in the corner of her cell, noticing many familiar faces in the various other cells in the dungeon-like area. In the cage next to her she noticed Clio, a pretty yet shy Elf... though she was without her more talkative and courageous twin sister. She had been dragged off earlier by two men and has not yet since returned, try as she might, she just couldn't block out the pleads of Clio nor the screams of her sister.

No words were spoken, the blonde Elf attempted to talk to Lyaera, but she just shut her out. She felt an emptiness within her, as if her body had been violated, she felt sick. Letting herself slump onto her side, she lay there as if dead, her back facing the entrance to her cell. Hair that was once as lovely as a sunset, but now as red as the markings on her flesh as it covered whatever heartbreaking expression she had to show, the burn continuously reminded her of her 'newest feature'. Her body was, however, wrapped in bandages, though the job had been done lazily as they only covered her 'womanly areas' whereas her vitals were exposed, for anything else to touch the fresh 'tattoos' would cause an increase in discomfort and agony.

A lump formed in her throat but she dare not cry, no one knew how long it had been but the blood haired Elven woman did not dare move from her spot, which caused concern in the hearts of her fellow kind, was she dead? She may as well been as her skin was losing its healthy tan-like glow, her body was blistered and scars were covered up by the filth she was now cursed with. She was shivering from what could have thought to be a fever though she wasn't sick; her skin began to feel clammy and her lips lost their color.

There was no telling what her Master was doing now, in fact, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know... there was nothing she could do.

She just... laid there. Cold, bitter...

Empty.

---

After an hour or so had passed, the patrols seemed to have changed as less and less mercenaries and guards secured the area, thus making entry far more easier now, though there would still be some men, from five to about eight, to be taken care of then stashed so no alarms could be raised.

Something had to be going on, something sinister, and whatever it was, it had to be important for these Tevinterians to let their guard down so quickly...

---

She remained there still, but it was then she heard a key turn in the lock to her cell. Lyaera didn't bother looking, it was as if the world had weighed her down Though the intent in this man's eyes was easily detectable...

Clio, in the other cell, attempted to warn the crimson Elven woman of the danger and violation that was growing near. Clearly this man did not respect his Master's rules and conditions. Then, as if he had no heart at all, the fly was pulled down before he advanced further into the cell. There came many shouts and cries coming from the various other Elves, some begging for him not to and the others pleading for Lyaera to stop him!

But she heard nothing, felt nothing... she was in a comatose-like state, sorrow weighed too heavily on her heart.

All they could do was pray no harm came to her - the woman in which they owed much to.

---

Primeval Markings (Excluding the ones on the face.).

[Anders]

"Alright, Anders. You can do this. You have to do this. She needs you," he thought to himself as his back was pressed against the cold rock behind him. He turned his head slightly to get another look at the large dark entrance next to him, hearing the shuffling of feet and the echoes of voices deep inside the darkness of the cave. They were only mages. What was another mage? He fought much worse than corrupt blood mages. Hell, half the people that are worse that he's fought, weren't even blood mages! They were no big deal.

Famous last words.

He rolled his shoulders and popped his neck as he stepped forward and turned to the cave entrance. His hand gripped the staff on his back and held it in front of him before he entered, taking one last breath. He finally entered, breaking through the dark wall as if he was crossing over into another world. All he did was walk though, walked calmly until his eyes adjusted and the figures before him finally came into view. They didn't seem to notice him as they were busy talking, but he stopped in his place and stood there until they did.

"Ay there. Where do ya think you're goin'? You'd best be turnin' back 'round and leavin'," his heavy accent melted through the air, and it just put a smirk on Anders' face. When he didn't budge, he could see their faces grow with anger as they slowly took a few steps towards him. "I think we got a wise guy 'ere," the guy next to the one who previously spoke spoke up. He was a small guy, not that large. The one who came closest to Anders was, of course, the largest one of the three. Messy black hair and facial hair that looked like it was a few weeks overdo for a grooming. The medium sized one, the quiet one, was the one who looked the most scared. He looked more groomed than the big guy though. His light brown hair was slicked back with whatever substances he could find, and had not a lick of stubble on his face. He was probably a new guy, his first round at a real mission. They probably convinced him that nothing would happen, that they'd be safe in this cave and nobody would bother messing with a group of rogue mages. Oh, how they were wrong. His fear was obvious when the guy reached for his staff. The smaller guy was still rising with anger. He needed to prove his strength, but you didn't need to be big for a mage. It was all in the magic.

The other two, with their scared friend, followed suit when they reached for their staves as well. Anders didn't even bother, his hands remained at his side and his face remained calm with a hint of humor. "Should we get rid of him?" The medium sized one replied with a hint of fear, but no thick accent. So, he wasn't from Tevinter? Maybe he was a wandering stray they picked off the rogue. Free mercenary. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it. Some men were willing to do anything to belong somewhere, especially when that person was an apostate; hunted and hated.

"Boss told us to not let anyone in, including 'im. Get rid of 'im!" The big one said as his staff whipped around the side and pointed directly at the blonde mage.

Still, he did not reach for his. No, he didn't need his staff for this. His hands would work just as well. Anders lifted his hands from his hands, into the air above his head until a blue glow emanated from his palms. And within split seconds, the blue glow turned into flames as they shot out and engulfed the three men before they could even ready their weapons. The small and big ones went down, screaming for their lives as they're skin melted away. The middle sized one, however, would prove to be more difficult. He was screaming just like the others, but wasn't so easy to fall. He grabbed his staff and tried to whip it around to make contact with Anders, but Anders ducked out of the way and did the same. His staff flung in the air and just as quickly came down across the man's body. It may have been smaller than theirs, but it was still just as strong. With a few more hits, the man went down, wheezing as over half of his body was scorched flesh. Within minutes he'd surely die, so Anders merely stepped over him and left him to live out his last moments staring at the forest beyond the opening of the cave.

He continued onward, the entrance no longer visible as well as the light the seeped in. Only light there was now was smartly placed lanterns that hung on the rocky walls. There were a few places where little light trickled in from the ceiling above, which proved useful as he made his way down several sections of steps. Handmade or natural? By the looks of things around, it seemed they had been here a while. There was a small area where a small camp had been sent. The logs--clearly used as benches--were abandoned, but the fire was still burning. Fresh. Did whoever was here know of his presence and left to warn the others? There was a small opening in the rock wall just a few feet away where the area on the other side looked much more open and well lit. It was welcoming, Anders' claustrophobia was starting to set in, but also suspicious. Where there was a fire, there were people.

Anders took a few small steps forward, pressing his back against the wall next to the archway. He turned his head so that he could hear better, hear the whispers of voices on the other side. They were faint, but he could hear them. He leaned forward to look around the corner ever so slightly, and he caught a glimpse of at least two of them. Two sounded about right, he didn't hear any other voices amongst them, but that didn't mean others wouldn't show up either. It all came down to the element of surprise at this point. If he could successfully apprehend both of them before any attention was brought to them, he'd be fine.

[Fenris]

Fenris ducked from his cover, his shoulders shivering with anticipation. He heard a sharp clack from deeper in the cave, and began to advance towards it. He didn't notice the charred body beneath his feet when he passed over the place where Anders had torched it, but rather went on, oblivious to it. Then he stumbled to another body, burned and blistered, and tumbled face forward into the third. Suddenly he became aware of the horrible smell of charred meat around him. He pulled his face free of the bloody meat, bewildered, and tried to swallow down his vomit. It came anyways. He retched on top of the charred body, twice.

It's just magic, just magic, not dangerous to me. But he was still just an elf. Fenris wanted to leave it behind him and forget about it. So he unsheathed his sword and continued deeper into the cave, following the direction of the sounds he had heard moments before. It wasn't hard, as there was only one direction he could go to. Onwards, deeper, towards Anders. And the other mages, whomever they were. Not friends of Anders, at least.

There was a long period of time where the only sounds he could hear were his own footsteps, but after a time that seemed like an eternity spent in the faint torchlight, he finally began to hear distant voices talking in whispers. He saw light ahead, as well, a sort of opening into a larger area. Like an entrance. He peeked his head through and hit it in something soft and black. It smelled weird, too.

When he realized who he was, it was already too late to unsheathe his sword. In his shock he could only blurt out a whispered question.

"What are you doing here, Anders?"

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Screams of shock and terror erupted from the slave's dungeon, elves held onto their loved ones, their eyes could not fathom what had just happened, more so the crimson haired woman who now stood over a dead slaver's body, her eyes quivered in their sockets from the sheer fear of what had just occurred.

She placed a hand over both her eyes, feeling each of them throb as a head ache began to form, her ability to think had slipped away for a moment plus the cries and screams weren't helping any either. What did she remember? Warning cries... her hair being pulled... followed by--... ugh, she gagged at the thought, luckily for her but unluckily for him, something had happened which prevented her from being violated but at the same time caused this human's death.

What had she done? She remembered so little, there was a deep red glow followed by a searing pain... and then there was blood, so much blood... And now, as she stood over the corpse of a man whose face now looked as if it had been mauled by wolves, you could see his broken skull along with barely any parts of his face remaining. Lyaera shuddered at the sight, she had already emptied her stomach twice at the sight and now she was beginning to feel the bile once more.

Before the sight frightened the slaves any further, she knelt down to search his body, and as if blessed, thus finding the keys to each cell. Quickly, she kicked the body into her prison and locked the gate-like door. "Stay calm..." her voice rasped due to not long being strangled in the struggle as well as not having anything to drink "... I'll get you out of here, I promise..."

Could such a promise be kept? Either way, Lyaera would not leave them in the hands of a sadistic Magister, just looking at these poor people made her heart sink. A child in which she recognized reached out to her and instantly the red head knelt down to hug her through the bars despite the pain it caused her to be touched. The Elven child, so adorable and sweet, now had half her face scalded, and then there were others, some whipped, some scarred or burnt, some either with missing limbs like an arm or fingers - luckily they were patched up, though would most likely be disposed of soon, they all would... who would want a useless slave?

Pulling away from the child, she then held out the keys to her. "I want you to do something for me, Amy... alright?" she spoke firmly but with a typical motherly softness "hide these keys in your apron, when I leave... unlock this cell and everyone else's--hey, don't be frightened, it'll be alright, I won't let them hurt you..."

She knew how risky this would be and how dangerous, but what would they prefer? To die here? Or to die for their own freedom?

"I'll..." she paused, being careful with her next words, though she could see the worry in the child's eyes "... I'll distract them, once they see that I've escaped they'll attempt to capture me, I suppose... I'm too valuable to Krios now... they won't bother checking on you." She hated to say that, but it was true, he wouldn't bother with them any more, the only enjoyment he'd get out of them now is either for sexual pleasure or torture, neither which she wished upon them.

"If I know Krios, there's bound to be an escape route or two, check your cells-" she was now standing up and speaking to them all in a hushed tone "-make sure no stone nor brick is overlooked, if you find none here, then once you escape look very hard at the stones on the walls along the way, the secret passages should lead to the other side of the cavern, once you're out... stay hidden! I will come looking for you!"

Most of them looked eager, some even began arming themselves with what they could find such as chains to strangle and metal poles to use as a makeshift sword, however, some were too scared no matter what they were told. Lyaera sighed. "The rest of you, I can't say what will happen to you if you stay here... but we both have a very clear idea, but no one is being left alone here... if I can... I'll find help for you, all of you..." she looked into each cell individually, her eyes held concern before she then began to make her way up the stone stairway "... stay safe!"

- - -

She hated leaving them, really she did, but she felt as if she had no choice. Most of them were smart, they had good survival instincts, she had to keep reassuring herself that they'd all be fine. But for now, she needed to think of herself, she was unarmed and in no way to defend herself. There had to be a weaponry or something around here, where there were mercenaries and Mages, there had to be a room where they kept armour, staffs, even weapons.

So far she had done well, she kept her breathing steady and her body in the shadows, what that fool Krios didn't count on was of all the time he spent training her to steal and assassinate that she would ever use such talents against him. Safe to say they were helping her a great deal at this given moment.

Upon seeing the various guards which patrolled around the caverns, she knew there would be no possible way that she'd acquire any form of weaponry. She waited in the corner, just waiting and waiting, soon beginning to notice the number of guards decrease. Instead of questioning why, she took the opportunity and headed straight for the now unguarded room, picking the lock before desperately barging in. Her heart almost stopped at her mistake, but that was then followed by a relieved exhale.

There was no one inside, just a few stands in which held some weapons and armour, unfortunately there was no armour that would fit her, wearing even over-sized armour would weigh her down plus it was bad enough that even the bandages covering her vitals was irritating her markings enough - she'd have to fight as she was, unfortunately. It was then she noticed something, two shiny blades which had been stuffed in a trunk - her trusty 'Sharp' & 'Pointy'.

With nothing to attach them to her, she'd have to settle for holding them, not that she really wanted to let go of them anyway.

So, now armed but with nothing but bandages clothing her, Lyaera knew it'd be a death trap she was walking into, but it's either die... or die trying.

Before she could even leave, she heard footsteps approaching. Immediately, she hid behind a crate, her heart began to thump loudly in her chest as two Tevinter Slaver's entered the room, they appeared to be arming themselves.

"Looks like we got some rats on our hands," one of them said, putting on some arm guards.

"Question is, what they're doin' 'ere and what they bloody well want?" said another with a much thicker accent than his counterpart.

"Probably competition... bloody slavers can't get their own slaves so they're after the Boss's!"

"Ol' Krios ain't gonna be too 'appy about that, Madrona's orders are to get the little buggers and put an end to 'em. Did ya see what 'appened to the lot keeping watch? Burnt to a bloomin' crisp, they were."

Madrona? She was here? It didn't surprise her, that forked tongue slattern was always at Krios's side, just like the good little Mabari bitch that she was, no doubt she played a great part in all this. There would be no regrets when she'd find a blade in her heart, it would be then Lyaera would find out if she had one or not.

Before she knew it, the two men had left and before they knew it, they were already being followed. She paid no attention to their conversation, but more so where they were going. However, before they could continue onwards, something--or someone, rather, had caught their attention.

"You two! What are you doing 'ere!?" one of them shouted. She stood a ways away from them, confused at the sudden outburst until suddenly, her eyes widened. The sight before her was one she was not expecting!

A-Anders!? It couldn't be...

She didn't no how nor why, but neither did she care either, she'd never felt so happy to see that familiar Mage's face, of all places! Had he seen her get captured? If so, how? Could he possibly be here to help? Oh! What did it matter? He was here, after all these years!

It was then another familiar face made her heart flutter with relief. And Fenris...? Oh, thank the Creators, he's alright...

She wasn't sure if he'd make it or not during that battle, but never had she felt happier to see them both. It was then the two men advanced further towards them, which seemed to attract three others. But before she could even help, within the shadows her head began to hurt once again. She then felt something grab her, dropping her blades with an audible clang she noticed it to be one of the guards while the other two seemed to be taking care of Anders and Fenris, but before she could recall anything a deep red glow emitted once again, and once again did she feel that searing pain before a sickening sound, like slabs of bloodied meat being thrown against a wall was all she heard.

Something wet and sticky dripped down her arm, irritating the markings on her skin, then a body fell to the ground, his state hidden within the shadows. Again, her head pounded and thus lost the ability to think for a few minutes. When her brain registered what had just happened and now gave her the ability to control herself once more, she found herself on her knees, crawling out of the darkened corner in semi-pain.

"Fff... Feh... Fenris! He... lp..." she managed to force out, hoping to catch his attention as she no longer heard the cries of battle or the sound of swords and staffs colliding. Her knees felt a little weak, but she managed to get up, supporting herself against a wall as she took deep yet shuddering breaths.

She didn't ask questions, not just yet, she needed to catch her breath, gather her thoughts, and calm herself before attempting anything further. After a few minutes, all was silent, it didn't seem like the little battle had caught anyone's attention thus far, so they were safe for now...

"Wha... what are you two doing here?" she finally asked, now calm and in a better state of consciousness, she then glanced at Anders, a very feint smirk appeared on her slightly tired face "... what are the odds, huh?"

- - -

Madrona.[/blockquote]

[Anders]

And here was the moment of attack.

"What are you doing here, Anders?" The second he stepped his right foot forward, the words hit the back of his head like a ton of bricks. After spending nine years with the man behind him, there was never a moment where he'd mistake his voice. Anders figured that he'd always know that voice from even ten miles away.

But what in bloody hell was he doing here? And more importantly, how did he know he was here? It seemed every time these two met each other, it seemed that it was never by coincidence. After three years, they still managed to continue running into each other! Why not Isabela? Or Varric? Hell, even Merrill! Why did it always have to be the brooding, glowing grey haired elf?

"Aw, bloody hell, Fenris!" Anders said just underneath his breath as he turned around to meet the elf. He didn't want to speak loud enough for the others to hear, but he wanted to make sure he could hear him.

Of all the times he had to make an appearance, it had to be now. Couldn't he tell that this wasn't a good time? He was about to attack some Tevinter slavers, and he just stands there as if they were safe in his home! When he came in, he must have seen the three dead guards, that didn't give him a bit of a hint?

"What does it look like I'm doing?" The blond mage sighed with a tired look on his face. He didn't have time for this. He was in here to save Lyaera, not to chat along with one of his worst enemies. He wasn't going to have her blood on his hands because Fenris couldn't keep his mouth shut and just continue to stalk him--since that was obvious what he was doing here.

More time wasted, higher the chances were that he'd be too late. "Hold that thought, Elf. I've got something to take care of." Before Fenris could reply to his previous comment, he quickly turned back around to face the opening. He stepped into the soft light emanating in the larger part of the cavern that held the two men.

Like last time, when he caught their attention, a smirk formed on his face. Seeing the shock spread all over them made a slight chuckle erupt from inside him. After hearing what happened to their friends near the entrance of the cave, it wasn't surprising that they were shaking in their boots. Still, they seemed ready for battle when two others appeared out of the shadows.

His smirk grew wider.

"Strap up! We're gonna have some fun!" Anders called back to Fenris as he gripped his staff and pointed it right at the men. They didn't hesitate to proceed towards them, and Anders didn't hesitate to retaliate.

Just like their fallen comrades before, he made sure they were smothered in fire and ice. Amongst the flames and whisps of frost, a bright red light flashed on the other side of the cavern. It didn't scare Anders, but it definitely distracted him so much that his attention was redirected to the sudden light. When it went away though, he ran towards one of the remaining men and smacked his staff against his head. Upon impact he heard a large crack coming from the man's skull, and the man fell to the dirty ground. At the same time of the hit, another red light flashed again in the same direction as before. As the dead man fell at Anders' feet, his head raised to the flash with confused eyes.

Fenris and Anders had successfully killed all four men, but they still weren't alone. The light went away, but someone came crawling out of the darkness where the light had shined from. The person had long red hair, covered in bandages, and marks all over her body...

Lyaera.

Anders' cane-like staff hit the ground and he ran towards the fallen girl. When he got closer, her state become even more noticeable. There was blood seeping through the white gauze covering almost her whole body, clearly draining all her life forces. She tried to speak to them, but Anders hushed her. "Relax. I'm going to help you," he said to her softly as one of his hands hovered over her torso and the other hovered over her cheek realizing how much pain she was in. It was almost like second nature to him, as a bright blue light glowed from his palm. There was almost like a gravitational pole from her body as the light pulled into her torso.

Within moments the light drew back into his hand, and a pained look drew on his face as he held his forehead. It happened every time he used excessive amounts of his magic and healing spells. He used so much that it drew severe amounts of short bursts of pain from his head. They didn't last long, and every time it was worth it considering what he was using it for. When the pain went away, he returned his worried gaze back on her and looked into her eyes until she responded.

[Fenris]

Fenris leaned back and watched Anders take care of the Tevinter slavers. Miserable creatures, really. Why did he have to run into the mage just now? What was he doing here in the first place? As far as he knew, Anders had no special grudges against slavers. Though he was a fool, a big one. And not very subtle when it came to insults.

"I'd make you answer for your words if it wasn't the life of Lyaera we're talking about."

Anders made no response, but began to patch Lyaera up with magic. Fenris felt disgusted, but still a small bit relieved that she had been saved. But Anders? Anders saving her? What were the chances? What were the bloody chances that he, while looking for Lyaera, stumbled upon Anders? It was the epitome of a mystery, the problem of all problems. And the irony in it was that he felt it worst. He could only kill. He couldn't heal or save people. Just kill, and help others by killing even more others. He didn't feel that it was a bad thing, though almost everyone else loathed him for it: his views simply weren't cut for everybody. Actually, his views were quite inhumane.

Guilt lunged into his heart, replaced the poison that had been there earlier.

"You find this unbelievable coming from me. But thank you for healing her." That seemed to be the extent of his capability in goodwill.

"Make sure not to grope her when she's unconscious." As if he had never done that. He walked over to Anders and squatted down beside the limp body of Lyaera. He felt as if an invisible rope bonded him and her together. He began to wait.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

"Hold still, Nol... this will only take a second, it's only a little scratch..."

The amber haired Elf smiled while placing a small bandage around the finger of her younger brother who was in tears after getting his finger trapped into a door. The seventeen year old's smile was more than enough to place one on the sniffling younger Elf, he shyly asked for her to kiss his finger better and she did so before ruffling his obsidian hair, commenting how she was always there when he was in trouble.

"Always, brother... no matter how far or dangerous, I'll always be there... protecting you, never forget that, alright?"

- - -

Slowly, Lyaera began to stir a few moments after passing out. "Ngh... Nol..." her lips parted, uttering those small words in a murmur before a hand came to her forehead, she winced as if having a headache. For a while, her vision was foggy, but her hearing was sufficient. The first voice was one she hadn't heard in years...

"...to help you..."

Her senses were beginning to come to, though she could've done without the stench of blood and corpses. Her eyes had not deceived her, right? She did she them fighting, they must've been here for her, surely.

"Make sure not to grope her when she's unconscious."

At those words, her eyes flew open and the first thing she did was make sure that her fist had collided with the face of a certain Mage before rolling away, her body squatting beside the white marked Elf. It wasn't that she wanted to--okay, that was a lie, but the last thing she wanted was to be touched... or groped. Right now, even though she did not show it, she was terrified of Mages, more so than usual, be they friend or foe - after the ordeal she had just gone through, she wanted nothing more to do Mages. They were dangerous.

She now knew why she supported Templars in their duty to keep Mages in line, of course, it was unfortunate for one to be born with such a heavy burden, but from what she knew... these humans had clearly done something to anger their God for such a thing to happen in the first place, they were the reason bad things happened and why Darkspawn tainted all of Thedas.

What a world she lived in.

During her thoughts, she was unaware of her hand clasping a certain gauntlet covered hand tightly, oblivious throughout that she had been trembling and her face stricken with fear along with the markings on her skin glowing feintly. Coming to her senses, she let go immediately, shrugging off the awkwardness. Perplexity soon turned into anger as her muscles tensed whilst standing up, looking at the two men, she wasn't angry at them but at everything that had just occurred within the past few hours.

She needed to calm down, these markings were giving her strange and unnatural reactions, her anger flared quicker than usual. For starters, she turned her attention to Fenris, a feint smile forming on her lips."I'm glad you're alright..." it was short but sweet, the concern easily detected, truly if she had lost him during that battle, it would've been considered a great one at that. She then gave Anders a curious glance, though started off with an apology.

"Sorry about hitting you, and thank you for healing me... though... what are you doing here, Anders? I haven't seen you in three years or so," she said, one eyebrow raised though before she even bothered to wait for his response, her body jolted and sudden realisation hit her. "H-Have you two seen Nol?! M-My brother!" she already knew Anders was aware of his description, but perhaps Fenris might've seen him "short black hair and green eyes, quite short with very light skin? If Krios is here, then he must be, too!"

Holding her head in her hands, she already knew she had some explaining to do, though not before her eyes fell upon the burning red markings on her skin again. A cocktail of sadness and anger mixed within her blood, a lump formed in her throat in which she tried to swallow down, taking a breath she composed herself and turned her attention back to the two males.

"It seems Krios finally caught up with me, Fenris..." she muttered, holding her arm though immediately regretted it as she flinched and let go "I'm assuming he had this planned for me for quite some time since getting his hands on the research of his idol, Danarius. Though I can only fear what has become of my brothe--"

She stopped right there, her eyes widening with dread and fear. "We have to find him!!!" she near screamed, placing her hand to her mouth, luckily it seemed that all guards within the area had been taken care of so there was no chance of any of them getting attacked for a while. She took another breath, knowing she'd need to have better control over her anger. "There's a lot of Elven slaves down in the dungeons, though they should be ready to leave provided we give them time, however... there are those that aren't as hopeful so I have promised to return to them once I have Nol," she sighed, guilt washed over her as she realised the danger she was putting them in, plus it wasn't as if she was doing Fenris any favors, this would surely effect him in some way or so.

"Krios is a powerful Magister, a recluse but not so easily fooled and very deceitful. And then there's his assistant, Madrona, a fork tongued slattern and blood mage..." she turned her back on them, picking up her blades as she began to walk, her tone darkened "... neither of them will be leaving this cave alive!"

Though before she wandered off any further, she stopped with her head bowed. "Although it would be appreciated, I won't turn down your help," her voice quivered with emotion before turning to face them, a sorrowful expression on her features "but I don't want to risk the lives of either of you... Fenris, you've done more than enough for me, and Anders... this isn't your fight... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to either of you."

Of course, it sounded sentimental and meaning, it was the truth. This was surely too much for them to take in, but in all truth...

She needed them now more than ever.

She didn't want to be alone.

[Anders]

"I... What-" as he tried to respond to Fenris' comment, a hand collided with Anders' cheek at full force. At first he didn't even know what had just happened. It was like his body was in a state of shock, but when he turned his head in the direction the slap came from, he saw the fiery red-head's eyes open. He had to admit, he was confused, and a little surprised after the sharp sting.


"What the Hell was that for?" He turned to Fenris, "And you make sure you don't rip her heart out of her chest." His expression remained serious as he slowly turned his head to the man. It was just like him. He hadn't been here for five minutes and he was already getting tired of him. He spent so much time bashing the mages, insulting them to no end, but refused to see the good of mages when it was in front of his face. Mages were so evil, but when they actually bothered to do good for someone he just insisted on making his comments.

Was the elf really that jealous of him? It was starting to seem that way. He was almost so envious of Anders' could do. Just look at his face when Anders was healing someone, he looked at him with the greatest disdain.

"I saw them take you from the wilds. I wasn't going to just let them take you. So, I followed. I don't know how much of a dent I made in the guards. I killed the ones that I came across," he said with calm eyes above the woman, but his words seemed irrelevant when she realized that her brother wasn't near.

Her brother. Anders remembered him the last time he saw Lya. He was such a bright kid. A bright young... mage. Did he ever tell Lya? The boy had promised Anders not to say a word to Lya because she didn't know the truth. If he was here, in a Tevinter Magister run cavern, he figured it would be obvious by now.

"Nol! Nol is here?" This would be bad. Very bad. There were only a few things that a Magister would do with a mage, and Anders couldn't even imagine what that would be. He remembered Fenris' stories about Magisters and Blood Mages. Would it have something to do with blood magic?

Anders immediately stood from his position above the two, "We need to find him. I'll come with you. I'm not going to leave knowing you and him are here alone. I don't doubt your abilities, I don't doubt this Krios' abilities either. I'll help you kill him too."

[Fenris]

Seeing Lyaera smack the mage was satisfying, but seeing the anger on his face was priceless. Fenris' reply to the mage's comment was calm, and a smirk twitched the corner of his mouth.

"I reserve that treatment for magisters."

Then he listened as Anders explained, quite interestingly how he even found out about Lyaera. Fenris' admission came easily from his lips.

"As for me, I followed Anders to see what he was up to. Initially I thought that he had a hand in kidnapping you, but he has proven me wrong... anyway. I'll help you. If it's the only way, I will. Your brother, too, and then we kill the magister. And then... then we get out of here, fast. We must find David again."

He seemed to remember something.

"Krios. You'll kill him personally, and I will make sure that nobody stands on your way when you do that."

And for almost the first time in months, he smiled.

"You'll enjoy it. Just as I did."

[Nol]

Nol's scream, as the scorching iron sank into his forehead, was bloodcurdling. His irises weren’t visible anymore, his eyes were twisted back too far. Krios didn’t know what was more satisfying: This image or the screams. His lips formed into a sinful smirk as he took away all the magic powers –and with them the innocence of this young boy. Now no one would disobey him again.

The elf boy tried desperately to stop this, his small hands gripping onto the wrists of the man who was performing this act of cruelty. As low as it was for him. He begged. All he could do was beg but thus only granted more satisfaction to his Master.

"Please! I don't want to forget!! I don't want to be an empty shell! Please, don't take this from me!! I beg of you!!"

The pain was unbearable, his mind felt as if it was on fire and alas, poor Nol screamed and screamed until his lungs gave out. He screamed for his sister, he prayed she'd rescue him, he needed her! This was all his fault! He saw what they had done to her, if only he had told her sooner what he was! How could he keep such a secret from his own blood yet share it with a complete stranger!?

"That's right, let her know where you are! Let my little pet come find you!"

Krios was harsh with his words and Nol knew what he wanted of his sister, but what could he do now? Nothing.

But then, something changed in him. His glimmer of hope went out when his eyes broke. His sorrow which was replaced with deafening emptiness. Perhaps this was for the best. . .

He wouldn't be able to harm anyone. Mages were dangerous even though all he did was heal, he was still a danger to all. He knew why his Master did this to him, it was a torture to his sister, Krios knew it would break her but Nol tried to convince himself that she'd be alright.

All the thoughts and feelings inside him, the fifteen year old lad could feel them slipping away. It felt as if someone stabbed him in the chest but the pain was becoming numb. . . it was almost done. . .

"Sister. . . My beloved sister. . . I love you . . . remember me. . . for who I was. . . I'm sorry I failed you . . . forgive me . . ."

His jade eyes were stripped of all colour.

His expression blank.

He was gone.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Words could not express how grateful she felt to the two of them, Anders would stay to make sure both Nol and herself would be safe, and then there was Fenris... she didn't know what she felt when he said those words, that he would make sure she would be the one to kill Krios, her eyes lingered for a moment, trailing from his eyes then to his lips which were now curved into a smile. She was most likely looking at this all wrong, but she felt something for him, she may not have known what is was... but it was something.

Breaking from her trance, her attention was caught by the bandages around her body. There was no way she'd survive long in such an exposed state. Inspecting the bodies, she was lucky to find one was a female. Without a moment's hesitation, she began to strip whatever pieces of the armor that she need, the corpse still had its dignity of course as it lay there in cloth pants and a shirt.Whatever goods these Tevinters had on them, she made sure to give to Anders and Fenris - such as potions and droughts.

Just as she was about to unravel the bandages from around her, she felt two pairs of eyes on her and glanced at the two males, now didn't really seem like the time to care about being 'lady-like'. A small hiss escaped her lips as she carefully unwrapped herself, the bandages were red... mostly lyrium with hints of blood. She took a moment to inspect herself, fully looking at the fresh markings on her body... wondering what made them so special.

For a woman with such a feminine yet somewhat athletic body, there sure were a lot of scars. However, she didn't want to keep them waiting long... or staring.

Once clad in the leather armor, already did she feel uncomfortable as the materials rubbed against her body, she would have to get use to it. Now able to place her blades somewhere, she put them in sheaths at her hips. "Alright, ready, enjoy the show boys?" she said with a smirk, there was not much to be ashamed of with her body, she was confident but she sure as hell wasn't a piece of meat.

She spoke confidently, adjusting the armor. "I won't lie... there's bound to be a few Mages down here, when they had me tied down I saw about five of them, Krios making the amount six, and as Madrona's here, I would say there's seven in total. The lesser ones should be easy to take out, so I'll leave them to you Anders, also watch out for mercenaries, if they're anything like these ones... they should be no difficult task, and Fenris..."

She caught his gaze, her gauntlet clad hand placed itself upon his spiked shoulder, a look of dependency painted her features. "It would mean a lot to me if you dealt with Madrona, she's not as strong as Krios... but she put Nol and I through a lot, I want you to be the one to kill her, that's all I ask of you..." she spoke calmly, she believed in him to do this, she believed in them both.

"As for Krios... well, let's see why he's obsessed to have these markings carved into my flesh and see how he likes them used against him..." she let off a smirk before turning around to walk on ahead, though there was something she dreaded most of all than Krios.

Please don't let him be here-...

As quick as lightning, her thoughts were interrupted by a piercing scream. Fear invaded her heart as she recognized it immediately to the point of causing her voice to quiver with emotion. "NOL!" she shouted out, her markings glowed dimly for a moment, reacting to her emotions. The hallway in which they stood in seemed to go on forever, she could barely see the end of it.

There were many doors, but she had no clue which one her brother was behind. She looked back at Anders and Fenris desperately. "Stay with me! Whatever happens don't let the three of us be separated from each other!" she said firmly before turning to face the hallway "don't get too close to me though, there's bound to be traps so let me deal with them, if any enemies decide to show, if anything wound them and don't waste any time in trying to kill them!"

And just like that, she was off. Running down the hall, sprinting even though she made sure not to run too fast so that the others couldn't catch up with her. She triggered off the first trap by stepping on a pedal, sending arrows towards them from the left. "Down!" she shouted to them whilst ducking and quickly began to disarm it. Success.

There was no time to waste. Nol was in danger, and if her ears were correct, he was at the very end of the hall. She went along disarming traps and while enemies did appear, but only mercenaries, she was quick to slash their vitals or slit their throats before they could even realise.

For a full ten minutes it went on and on before she burst through the door, panting lightly as she looked around the room. Instantly she recognized it, but it was empty. "This is where they performed that ritual on me..." her gaze caught the table she had been placed up, an image flashed in her mind before she could even look away from the bloodied table.

It was a torture room, that much was clear, but on the other side there was chasm which most likely went on forever - she made note to stay away from it. Then looking to her right there were stairs which led to a door, could Nol be behind it?

"I don't like the feel of this," she said uneasily, standing between the fellow elf and the human.

[/blockquote]