Thrill of the Hunt(Fenris)

Needless to say Fenris was just a tad disappointed not to find the slavers he was looking for in those caves, and may have taken out that aggression on the bandits who had no chance against them. He was beginning to think it was a bust when they found the note that would lead them to Fereldan. Hawke really didn't have to ask twice when it came time to travel, and for all the trouble they were going through to address these bastards, he was certainly going to make sure there was no trace of them once he had his hands on them.

It was clear to see that Fenris was still rather effected by slavery, even though he was freed himself now, as the warmth that had been growing in his eyes over the years had turned quite cold as he watched the slavers drag elves to the caves. It took all the power in him to not go after them right then, and he could see Zaria was just as upset about it as the crackles of electricity filled the air around them. He placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down and fortunately she seemed to have stopped before anyone had noticed.

Soon they were left to face a single guard standing watch and already Fenris' markings were taking on a faint glow. Sharp green eyes surveyed the area for a moment, looking for an angle, before he'd nod back to her in understanding. In a matter of seconds, the markings had grown bright before he suddenly transformed into that wraith-like state. He wasn't completely invisible, but to the untrained eye he could easily be overlooked. All he had to do was reach the guard before anyone noticed, and so he did.

He moved fast but kept low and managed to go unnoticed as he snuck behind the unsuspecting guard. He waits till the man is out of immediate sight before reaching around and covering his mouth, silencing him as he drove his hand through his back and took hold of his heart, crushing it with ease. The man makes a noise that's muffled and his eyes roll to the back of his head as he slumps in Fenris' grip, the elf catching him and dragging him to the side before anyone could notice. Once the body is taken care of, he waits and listens inside for any sort of commotion. When they don't appear to have noticed anything, he reverts back to normal and silently signals Hawke the okay to move.

Fenris flicked off some of the gore that coated his gauntlet as he waited for Zaria to join him. As tempted as he was to handle these monsters on his own, he knew that for one, she wouldn't allow it, but he also knew that there was a high risk of him failing, as he didn't know how many he was up against. There was safety in numbers, as much as he'd like to prevent her from facing any harm. It wasn't as if she was some helpless girl, the woman facing far more difficulties than most would in their entire lifetime. But that didn't mean he didn't want to try and spare her from it.

She'd approach the barrier and Fenris had already readied his sword, prepared for the worst but hoping for the best. As soon as the barrier dropped, the elf had instinctively stood closer to her, ready to block off any slavers from reaching her. For a moment, all seems quiet, and if he hadn't known better, he might have thought they were in the clear. Sure enough, a few more steps in and his ears twitched to the sound of hurried footsteps headed their direction.

Zaria is already on the move and Fenris watches as she prepares spells, grinning all the while. "Show off." he rolled his eyes, waiting for the mines to set off before he rushes in to take on the now frozen opponents, aiming to take them out before anyone else could arrive. Anyone involved with this slave trade deserved their fate, so he was hardly hesitant in killing any Tevinters he came across.

The first victim hardly has a chance, the elf striking hard, his icy binds shattering just long enough for Fenris to finish him off. The next, well he manages to free himself, but try as he might to fight back, he soon follows the last to the Fade. There's a couple more to deal with but one runs off further into the cave, undoubtedly to warn the others. Fenris growls as he watches, unable to really chase him down as he had 'obstacles' to get rid of first, and they were approaching fast, determined to get rid of these trespassers without any delay. The feeling was mutual, at least.

The first onslaught of opponents out of their way, the two would head deeper into the cave, the elf in particular listening closely for any threatening signs of another fight and keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of life. Eventually they reached a tunnel and inside found a couple of guards, stationed in front of the cell filled with people. Needless to say it didn't take long for the duo to deal with them and once Zaria had found the key, Fenris would leave her to it, keeping on guard all the while in case reinforcements were to show... It was also the simple matter that no matter how many times the elf witnessed it, he still had a hard time seeing slaves in this state. It was just another sore reminder of what his life was like. Hopefully once they were done here, they wouldn't have to deal with this injustice again.

He wouldn't notice the girl inside, not until they started discussing what had happened. Looking over, his heart had sank, watching as Zaria tried but failed to revive her. Fenris remained quiet, cold even, but he was no less effected than Hawke had been. He, on the other hand, managed to remain calm, whereas he could already feel the sparks in the air as she stormed out and faced more of the Tevinter slavers, on her own no less. She was upset, rightfully so, but even he knew that jumping headfirst, judgement clouded by anger, would risk getting hurt. So as she had leaned against the wall, lamenting the cruel death of the girl, he had to step in. "They will be." he assures, not one to argue that point. He'd paint these walls with their blood. "But you must calm down." he tried to hopelessly get through to her, nearly reaching out to touch her only to retract at the slightest of shocks that crackled in the air.

He was half tempted to tell her to stay behind, get the people out of there and he'd keep the slavers from advancing, but he knew that wouldn't go over well. In fact she merely proved how determined she was to see this through as she walked right past him, ready to take out her aggression. He knew that feeling very well, so was hardly surprised. Still, he decided to try and keep up with her and try to prevent her from hurting herself.

Further along and it seemed their presence was well noticed by the remaining slavers, as Tevene curses wound the air as the apparent leader had shout out orders in Fenris' native tongue. "They're preparing." he states, making out enough of what they were saying in the echoed halls, hoping the words were enough to advise caution. They both were well aware a mage was among their ranks and they couldn't be too sure how many others were left to handle.

Fenris was somewhat relieved to see she'd started to calm down. He couldn't expect her to completely put aside that incredibly cruel death, and if he'd known more of why she was so shaken by it, he would have insisted on handling this on his own. Instead he focused on merely trying to keep her out of trouble, and hopefully not accidentally get in her line of fire. He doubted she'd intentionally hurt him, and while he didn't want to say he didn't trust her, magic was even more unpredictable when the caster wasn't thinking clearly. Regardless of what happened, he was going to try his damned hardest to protect her.

Asked for translation, Fenris nodded before listening in. Unfortunately sometimes words were lost in translation, the elf not knowing how to translate certain words into the common tongue. But while he didn't get it word for word, he managed to relay the basics. "There is at least eight of them. They are expecting us and getting ready to ambush." He continued to explain how they were being ordered into hiding, four at the entrance and two up high where they could deal with the intruders at a distance, given instructions to kill on sight. It appeared they weren't taking any chances with the duo and planned to surround them the moment they'd reached the end of the cave. "With the other mage unaccounted for, this could be difficult." he warns, as if it weren't already obvious.

"What's your plan?" he asks. Normally on his own, he followed his own lead, but it seemed almost instinct to trust her decisions now. Sure from time to time he offered advice, corrected any points he may have found flawed, but she was the leader of the two, whether she liked it or not, and he'd come to accept it, having followed her lead for far too long to just stop now.

She mentioned the possibility of an escape as a good thing, though he supposed in terms of improving their advantage, it was, but Fenris didn't seem too keen on letting anyone escape if he could help it and would certainly hunt down anyone who managed to slip past them. He kept this opinion to himself for now, however, simply listening as she formulated her plan, while also keeping on the lookout for any strange activity should anyone try to sneak up on them.

He doesn't seem too keen on the first part of her plan either, still not quite comfortable with any sort of magic, helpful or not, but he supposed in this situation it may very well be necessary. They might have a general idea, but they couldn't be sure what exactly they were facing. As much as he hated to admit it, perhaps they'd need all the help they could get. The second option would have suited him better, though of course it posed more difficulty, as they still had to fight through one group to get to the other.

"Let me take the lead." he suggested, figuring it was the best course of action regardless. "If you must cast your spells to feel better about it, I will allow it." he noddded, giving permission for her to cast her protective spells, even if he wasn't going to be thrilled about it. If he must, he'd use his markings as well and could probably slip past to take care of the ranged foes before they even realized they were under attack. "If we can get rid of the two above, we can deal with the ones on foot much easier." he went on to explain, implying of course that was all they'd have to deal with. "Until we know for sure what we are up against, I'd rather keep you out of harms way." he admitted. He could take more hits than she could and he believed she was much better suited at a range herself, where no one could get their hands on her before she could use her magic against them.

Fenris was well aware of the fact that the woman would not be happy about such a plan well before he even suggested it. Sadly their concern towards each other's safety was just another thing they argued about from time to time, both too overprotective. But it was the best plan that he could think of, and surely she'd be able to see that. Well, she did, but she improved it a bit, undoubtedly because she wanted to evade any possibility of him getting caught. He appreciated the gesture and, surprisingly, seemed to agree with her plan, though before he verbally admitted as much, he decided to address something else.

"Just promise me you'll keep your distance." he insisted, his expression a mixture of seriousness as well as concern. All it could take it one person to slip past her and kill her while she was off guard. He had to remind himself she was just as much a fighter as he was, well capable of handling herself, but that didn't mean he couldn't or wouldn't worry. He nearly lost her once, he wasn't interested in allowing it to happen again. "Keep anyone from advancing towards you, long enough for me to deal with the archers. Don't let them get too close." he explained, implying that she should indeed run if necessary. He would try to avoid that of course, planning on making quick work of the two so he could join her against the other four, but unfortunately not all things went as planned. At the very least he'd like to have confidence that she would not try to play hero and get herself killed.

At any rate, her smile had caused him some comfort, making his own expression soften a bit. Their relationship was an odd one, for sure. She frustrated him just as much as he loved her. Funny how he ended up falling for his rival of all people. But now was not the time to think on such matters. "Are you ready?" he asks, his markings already taking on that glow in preparation.

Feeling her hand intertwine with his, the elf found himself relaxing just a small margin at the familiar gesture, the tips of his ears turning a faint red as she gave him a kiss to the cheek. Now was not the time! But he couldn't say he didn't appreciate it. Til of course she went on, promising to do as he said, except leave him behind. He frowned at the thought but simply sighed. "Well let's just hope you wont have to." If things went well, all of this worrying would be for nothing, after all. If they didn't, well, he was prepared to do anything to protect her, and she knew that well enough.

She was trying. He'd been around her long enough to know when her jokes were a mere effort to calm herself, though well before this he had always found her sense of humor an acquired taste he was certain he'd never really acquire. "I'd rather not." he plays along, though there is some truth to his words. He hadn't fully grasped the concept of reading, but the bits he did know about Varric's famous writing pieces were that they were a bit odd, at least for him, but he'd always thought that about the Dwarf to begin with. He still wasn't even sure what he'd end up writing about his and Hawke's relationship, and was almost afraid to find out. "It keeps him off of me, at any rate." he admits, which actually was a lie. No matter how busy he got, anytime that man had the chance, he'd remind Fenris of the sovereigns he still owed him. Unfortunately just about any time they did get together, gambling became inevitable, and that rouge would manage to rob him blind. He sighed at the thought, reminding himself once again now was not the time.

Once all that was out of the way, it was unfortunately back to business and they'd start heading deeper into the cave, to finally finish this. There was sure to be some form of retaliation, as Tevinter was hardly favorable to anyone who wasn't on their side in this war, but he could care less about how they may feel, content with being a thorn in their side.

As they round the corner, the four men come into sight. Before they can even really respond to their presence, Zaria had struck them with a series of spells. The moment he had his opening, he darted through, invisible to the untrained eye as he quickly made his way to the archers. The first was down seconds after the paralysis had faded, falling into a pool of his own blood as he'd been sliced in half. The second recovered, already having changed from his bow to a set of daggers in an attempt to fend off the elf. It's a valiant effort, but Fenris overpowers him quite easily through sheer strength alone, though not without hearing Hawke cry out. He didn't need to think twice.

The barrier she'd set up was failing, though fortunately, at his approach, the two remaining guards are distracted enough to not immediately advance towards her, instead wisely making the decision to address the immediate threat. Being better armed, these ones wouldn't go down as easily, and he fought to keep them both at bay as well as keep them from going back to Hawke. His great sword becomes a shield as he blocks the oncoming attacks, waiting for the opportune moment till he could stun one of the guards and better address the other, kicking the Tevinter warrior and sending him back before turning to slash at the other, his blade managing to slice a deep line across his chest, not enough to kill it seemed, but certainly enough to wise him into backing up. He was gaining advantage and would make short work of these two. But he had forgotten someone, up until he was given the painful reminder by arrow, piercing into the back of his shoulder, nearly causing him to drop his sword from shock alone.

It could have been far worse, but it had certainly been enough to catch him off guard, the archer having seemed to have just enough power in him to make that shot before he collapsed, presumably for good. Fenris hadn't the time to note this though, the other guards already making their advance as the elf grit his teeth through the pain, determined to fight back. He wasn't going to let a mere arrow slow him down.