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[needlebearer]

Who: Arya/Elizabeth and OPEN
Where: The Deep Roads
When: May 5-9
Rating: PG for now
Summary: Catch all for Elizabeth and Arya exploring the Deep Roads!
The Story:

Comments

b

[fatherlesskind]

"Maker's breath!" Whatever Alistair was expecting when he stepped into the chamber, it wasn't to see mangled darkspawn corpses piled about. Edging closer he nudges one with his boot, cautiously trying to get a better look at it and its injuries. He can't tell what killed them but he knows he doesn't want to meet it. Which means he shouldn't linger but just as he thinks of moving on he hears movement nearby.

Gaze following the trail of blood he spots the small figure up ahead, frowning in surprise. It takes a moment to place her but when he does Alistair calls out, "Arya? Is that you?"

[needlebearer]

Arya grips her axe tighter, ready to swing if any of the darkspawn is only playing dead, or if the smell of their entrails would attract others. She's surprised to see Alistair, but then she remembers what he'd told her about his Order. It only makes sense to her that he'd been the one to kill all of these.

"These are the monsters you were talking about, aren't they?"

[fatherlesskind]

She's remarkably calm for being surrounded by dead darkspawn that he's pretty sure she didn't kill herself. Unless she has some serious magic he's not aware of and the axe is just for show. But somehow he doubts that. She certainly looks like she can defend herself with it just fine. Better than he might have been able to at her age.

"These are darkspawn, yes. That's why I'm down here." Because he's a Warden and he felt them the second the tunnels opened. Looking down at the trail of blood leading off from the bodies he adds, "Try not to get any of blood on you. It will make you sick."

[needlebearer]

"You're a bit late, then. They were all dead when I got here." She sounds a little disappointed about that, even though she knows she'd be lucky to take even one of them down. At his warning about the blood she sidesteps a big pool of it, checking that none of it had got on her shoes.

[fatherlesskind]

"I can see that." And lucky for them both they were already dead. He wouldn't like their chances if all these darkspawn were still alive. Though he wasn't about to relax until he was well away from here and hopefully whatever had caused the massacre.

Trotting over to her side - thoroughly unconcerned about the blood himself - Alistair looks between her and the bodies around them. "What are you doing down here?" Alone. It seems like an incredibly bad idea for her to have come here at all, especially without anyone to accompany her.

[needlebearer]

"There was supposed to be treasure down here." She sounds tired and disappointed that she's no closer to finding any, but has just spent days wandering around in the dark instead.

[fatherlesskind]

Alistair snorts. "There's darkspawn down here." Not that he didn't get the same feeling about the possibility of finding something valuable in the darkness. Not that he hadn't already found something, the runed dragonbone blade strapped across his back and mostly hidden by his shield. But the Deep Roads are a terrible place and no one in their right mind wants to spend time there. Which says something about the fact that he's here.

"Are you going to keep looking?" It's clear he doesn't think it's a good idea but if she refuses to return to the surface there's not a lot he can do short of picking her up and carrying her out. And she has survived this long on her own. He has to give her credit for that.

[needlebearer]

Arya gives him a look that implies there's only one answer to that question. "Of course I'm going to keep looking. Besides, maybe we got lucky and they're all dead." She sincerely doubts that, herself.

[fatherlesskind]

"They're not. Trust me." That much he's certain of. There are still darkspawn alive out there. He can feel them, crawling under his skin though nowhere close for the moment. So long as they're together he can warn about any that do come close. And his only other option is to just sling her over his shoulder and hope he can avoid all the darkspawn on the way out. So.

With a sigh Alistair nods and smiles wryly, gesturing for Arya to go on ahead of him. "Lead the way, my lady."

[needlebearer]

She leads on, figuring they may as well keep following the bloody trail and see where it leads. She navigates her way through darkspawn corpses for the most part, though there are a couple of places where she has to step on the grotesque bodies, glancing down frantically as she does so to make sure she isn't about to misstep and sink her foot into a pool of blood.

"Over here-- come on."

[fatherlesskind]

Alistair is far less concerned about the darkspawn bodies, as unpleasant as they are, though he can't hold back a grimace whenever he has to step on one. Dead darkspawn are only a little better than live darkspawn and he'd much prefer there be none at all. Especially when he still can't work out what killed them all. He's pulled from grim thoughts on whether there could be demons on the loose or some of the particularly bad varieties of giant spider when Arya calls out.

"Right behind you." Hurrying up to her, Alistair glances around. "Do you see something?"