Freely We Serve (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

Alienage

They joined Oghren where he was keeping an eye on the front door of the hospice, and Zev emerged from the crowd a moment later. "The front door is rather heavily guarded by mages and fighters," he said. "But the back door is watched only by a single elf. Very nervous."

"Back door it is, then," Judith said. She waved Shianni over. "We think we'll try the back entrance to the hospice. Can you make a scene and cover us as we go around?"

"Does a dog have plague-ridden fleas?" Shianni walked up to one of the guards and started shouting again. The rest of the elves closed in on her, trying to convince her to be quiet so she didn't damage their chances of getting in.

Meanwhile, Judith and her team went around the edge of the crowd into the alley next to the hospice. When she saw the elf guarding the rear door, Judith walked up to him. "I don't suppose you'd like to let me in there, look around a bit."

He sneered at her. "Don't suppose I would. Why would you want in there anyway? You're not sick."

"Aye, but you might be," Oghren crowed. He unslung his hammer, tapping its giant head lightly in one meaty hand.

The elf recoiled. "Is that a dwarf? He looks ... disturbed," he said to Judith.

"Oh, he is," she said with a chuckle. "Also very, very drunk. Not responsible for his actions."

Oghren grunted, lifting the hammer again. "Nothin' like an elf skull," he said. "Sodding soft, but makes a mighty nice squishin' sound."

"Call him off!" the elf cried out in alarm.

"Only way to do that is if you give me the key and get lost," Judith said regretfully. "But you said you didn't want to do that."

"I've reconsidered," said the elf hastily. He held out the key. When Judith took it from him, he took to his heels, running down the alley.

"Oghren, my friend, you should leave some of the fun for the rest of us," Zev complained.

"Next time, swishy, be man enough to take it yourself," Oghren chortled.

Kylon watched as Judith turned the key in the lock, then lifted one booted foot and kicked the door in. Immediately there were shouts from inside, as the guards attacked, and Judith chanted a spell, sending cold air whooshing forth to freeze whoever was inside. She rushed in, and Kylon followed her with the rest of the group. Oghren's hammer took out the first frozen guard, shattering him. Judith was engaged with another warrior, Spellweaver clashing with his sword. Morrigan's mind blast swept across the room, and Oghren and Zev cornered a guard together, clearly enjoying playing him off against each other. Kylon joined Judith, lending the strength of his two-handed attack to her admittedly impressive sword skills. As Kylon's sword found a weak point in the guard's armor, an arcane bolt shot over his shoulder, hitting the guard in the head. Kylon shuddered at the crackle of the magic as the man fell slowly, a smoking hole in his forehead.

He turned to find Morrigan's level gaze on him. She nodded at him once. "A lesser man would have flinched, Sergeant, after what you have undergone. Impressive." He didn't feel particularly impressive, as his knees were still trembling. Looking around, he saw that all the guards were down. Zev and Oghren were sorting through the armor. As he watched, Zev held up a pair of boots. "These are not bad," he said, not seeming concerned by the barefoot corpse in front of him. "They should bring a decent price in the market."

"Do you always loot your enemies?" Kylon asked Judith uneasily.

"Grey Wardens aren't exactly paid for their efforts these days," she said, shrugging lightly. "We have to eat. And maintain our equipment. And pay tolls. However ..." She looked around the room, saying to the others, "Leave some of the valuable stuff. The Alienage elves probably need it more than we do." She walked over to a desk in the corner, rifling through the papers. Lifting a scrap of paper to the light, she squinted at it. "'Eight males and six females needed for next shipment,'" she read. "Daniel, does that sound to you like it sounds to me?"