Chapter 6

The team made their way to the Chantry and once there, Thomas, Alistair, Morrigan, and Leliana entered the building. Thomas had spoken of the Chantry's revered mother. His hopes were that with some persuasion, she would release a Qunari prisoner, by the name of Sten.

Nicolas had asked what the man had done to end up in his imprisonment and when told, he objected to his release strenuously. But after a slight argument, Nicolas relented, his reasoning was simple. If the Warden would rather the murder die on the battlefield helping to stem the coming blood loss, then so be it. In fact, he was more than happy with the idea. " Why leave a man to die in a cage, when you can have him die fighting to save what remains." That was what he thought.

But time had begone to pass now, and the Wardens and his party had been in the Chantry for an hour now and Nicolas was beginning to grow a bit restless.

" What's taking them so long?" Nicolas asked. He sat there in front of the Chantry, his legs crossed on the dirt, and his arms folded over his chest. He practically looked like a pouting child.

And then the wind began to pick up and carried with it the scent of evil.

Nicolas took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of blood and death, and stood up.

" Darkspawn... They're close by. Already?" Nicolas spoke. Nicolas looked to roads and then to the chantry. " They'll be fine. I suppose I'll be back before they finish whatever talk they're having." Nicolas started walking away from the chantry to the roads nearby.

However, as he was, a short woman with brown shoulder length hair, and a man about his size with black hair came sprinting past, nearly running into him.

" Bethany! Carver! Slow down!" Nicolas heard a man shouting after the two laughing runners.

" Come on, Hawke, keep up ya slow poke!" The man most likely named Carver, shouted at the man chasing behind him.

" Sorry about that!" Hawke shouted as he ran past Nicolas, his bright blue eyes shined in the sun, and short brown hair bounced in the wind as he ran after the other two. Hawke had a bright smile on his face, and he appeared to be enjoying himself.

Nicolas brushed it off, it didn't matter.

" Well, better get to it." Nicolas spoke. He started running to the roads.

It didn't take very long as he approached, he noticed that sitting in the middle of the road with a broken-down carriage, were two dwarven men. One with a fuzzy long red beard, braided down the middle, he had lines on his forehead and face showing just how old he was. The other one appeared to be young, as he had no signs of facial hair, or any lines on his smooth-skinned face.

" Away with ya foul creatures! Leave us alone!" The older dwarven man yelled at the approaching Darkspawn, when a young man with skin as tan as a tree and hair as white as snow, jumped over his head and landed in front of his carriage.

" Need a hand?" Nicolas asked the man.

The Darkspawn alpha, let out a vicious, blood curdling roar.

Nicolas glared at the creature. The beast was challenging him, threatening him, mocking him. And he was angry. His face started to change. On one half was the face of a young man, around his early twenties. On the other half, however, was the face of a predator. Beastial in appearance. His teeth had all turned razor sharp. His skin on the left side of his face had turned silverish, almost misty, like a cloud you could touch. And his red eye started glowing.

The Dwarves could not see it from their position, but the sound of a low and guttural growl told them that the man in front of them was anything but ordinary.

The Darkspawn looked at Nicolas. Though they didn't voice it, they were suddenly cautious of the man. The had stopped pressing forward.

Nicolas exploded forward, not giving the Darkspawn even a moment to act, and with one swift swing of his leg, kicked the Alpha's head off its shoulders.

The other darkspawn no longer hesitated.

It must have been instinct. Kill or be killed. An instinct all creatures share when in danger.

Though it did little to help these creatures of blight.

Nicolas grabbed two daggers from the belt underneath his robe and chucked them both into the skulls of the Darkspawn.

Nicolas quickly turned and caught the blade being swung at him by one of the remaining Darkspawn and used it to parry the last one's blade. He then twisted the creature's arm around and used it to drive the blade into the creature's own back. He pulled the blade out and spun around, launching the sword from his hand and into the gut of the last Darkspawn's stomach with enough force to launch the creature off of its feet.

Nicolas looked down at the bodies, quietly, checking for any sign of movements when out of nowhere one of the Dwarves came running up to him.

" That was bloody amazing. Thank you, for the quick help there, friend." The Dwar exclaimed.

Nicolas looked down at the man and nodded to him.

" Of course." Nicolas replied.

" Here, I have a hundred silvers, I want you to take them. I was gonna use it to fix up the carriage. But considering me and my boy get to walk out of this with our heads, I figure it's the least I can give you." The man spoke.

" No, don't worry about it. Keep your money. I only wanted to help. I didn't save your life just to take from you man. Besides, I have enough money to last me a lifetime." Nicolas explained to the man.

" Heh heh heh! Then I suppose we are doubly fortunate, aren't we? ha! My name is Bodahn Feddic! Merchant and entrepreneur." Bodahn introduced himself graciously. " This here is my son, Sandal. Say hello boy." Bodahn told his son.

" Hello!" The boy exclaimed. He was a little.... different. But Nicolas wasn't judging. After all he was different as well.

" The roads have been mighty dangerous these days. You mind me asking what brings you out here? Perhaps we're going the same way." Bodahn asked.

" Eh, well, it's a bit complicated." Nicolas replied bluntly.

" Complicated! Ah well, I understand. Perhaps it's a good thing. Your path may have a bit more excitement than me or my boy are comfortable with. Allow me to bid you farewell and good luck in your travels." Bodahn stated.

" And you as well, Bodahn. I hope I get to see you again someday. After all this mess is over. I could use a man who knows about trading. Until then, see ya." Nicolas gave a wave to the man and started walking back to Lothering. He didn't want the others to think he had skipped out on them. But he also hoped that they would be done with their meeting.

However, as Nicolas was walking, he looked up into the sky and noticed the darkness in the clouds.

" There's a storm coming."