A Life's Worth

Over the River and Through the Woods

"I think I may have just found it," Eloriel whispered to herself as she kneeled before a broken chest. She had just arrived to a crumbling tower in the middle of the swamp. It had taken her longer than excepted due to the fact that she had to take down a small darkspawn scouting troop.

It's like those monstrosities just appear out of nowhere.

The other three, Alistair, Daveth, and Jory had went a different path so Eloriel was alone. Or at least she thought she was.

"Well, well, what have we hear?" a deep, velvety voice called out from nearby.

Eloriel scrambled to her feet and looked behind her where a dark-haired woman stood on the second floor. How and why anyone would be wandering around in the swamp.

That goes for me too.

"Are you a vulture, I wonder?" the woman dressed in purples and blacks and feathers asked, descending down the slope. "A scavenger pointing amidst  a corpse whose bones have long since been cleaned?" The woman then paused. "Or maybe an intruder, come into these darkspawn-filled wilds of mine for easy prey?" She then was only a few feet away from Eloriel who stood silent the whole time.

"What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"

Eloriel looked around having no clue of the situation she was in. She could easily tell from the branch that was used as a staff that this woman possessed magical abilities. But her wilds? No one had claim on these, especially with all the Chasinds around.

"This tower, I believe is property of the Grey Wardens, but I am not a Grey Warden. And I have come here to get something." She then hesitated a bit. "So I guess I am a scavenger and an intruder."

"Oh, impressive. A woman who thinks unlike the men that accompany her."

"You know about the others?"

"I have watched your progress for sometime. 'Where do they go?' I wondered, 'Why are they here?'"

"You've been watching us this whole time?" Eloriel asked with a bit of disturbance.

"And now you have disturbed the ashes none have touched for so long," she continued, ignoring Eloriel. "Why is that? What have you come to get?"

Just then Alistair, Jory, and Daveth started running to Eloriel. "Don't answer her!" Alistair shouted as he made his way across the cracked floor.

"And why can't I?"

"She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby."

"Oh! You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" the woman asked, raising her hands above her head.

"Yes..." Alistair said. "Swooping is bad...."

Eloriel choked on her laughter to stop it but her grin gave it away.

"She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is!" Daveth cried as he caught up with Alistair. "She'll turn us into toads I tell you!"

"Witch of the Wilds?" the woman with yellow cat eyes and heavy deep purple eyeshadow asked with little interest. "Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own?" She then looked at Eloriel. "You there, the woman with intellect. Tell me your name, and I shall tell you mine. Let us be civilized."

"My name is Eloriel. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Now that is a prose civil greeting, even here in the wilds. That was kind, indeed, but do you not have a last name?"