Chapter Text
The group of an elf, a dwarf, and two humans all agreed they would take the opportunity to seek refugee from the rain once they saw the lit lantern outside the inn located close to the road. None of them had spoken a word, but everyone knew that a tent wouldn't be able to keep all the rain out. So in their wet armor and clothes, they made their way to the inn. Without hesitating, the smaller human woman opened the door.
They were met with a wave of heat and warm light warming up their cold cheeks, but they were also met with the sight of the innkeeper, a woman, mopping the floor while singing a song none had heard. It was so cheery, so fit for a bright summer day, not this wet weather. But they only got to listen to a small snip of the song, but the words echoed in their head, "that's when I know my baby, and I will have a good time."
"Oh, hello, I wasn't expecting any guests this late," these words snapped them back to reality, now all of them stared at the tiny woman who offered them a warm, toothy smile. "Come in, and I'll bring you something warm to drink."
The group stepped in; the tall human and elf both felt a little unease, the human because she was dripping water onto the wooden floor. The elf because of experience with past human owners denying him any form of service, but from the smile didn't seem forced but relaxed. "What can I get you? Tea? Warm milk? We got milk from the farm close by just before sunset."
The Seeker asked for the tea, the other human quickly followed up by telling the owner that she wanted tea with honey. The dwarf asked for ale, something which wasn't unexpected, and the elf only asked for a glass of water. All of their orders were quickly brought forth as the small group had settled to a table close to the fireplace.
For a while, everyone was sipping their drinks in silence as the owner kept on cleaning the already clean surface, but Varric understood that it was because she didn't want to stand around awkwardly. And the silence kept on surviving till the dwarf began speaking, "you don't have a room or two to spare?"
The innkeeper leaned the mop against the wall close to the staircase; she wiped her hands against her apron even though her hands were clean, "I've got room for plenty of more serah," she smiled and went behind the bar. "Two silvers for a room each, and the drinks, I'll take five coppers," the prices were quite low, so low that none felt the need to lower it by a copper.
"We'll take two rooms," the Seeker said, and walked over with the money. The innkeeper hummed as she handed over two keys to the Seeker, "how much for breakfast? And something to go with?"
"For a group of four? A silver do just fine," this made the dwarf nearly choke, even the elf was displaying confusion. "Are you fine, serah?" the woman asked as she poured some water for the coughing man.
"You won't earn much at this rate, " the dwarf said as he took the offered glass, "why are you doing this?"
Her dark brown eyes twinkled as her shoulder shook, the woman calmed down quickly as she looked at the tall woman, "I had heard of a Herald, and that she could close the rifts to the Fade," she glanced at the gloved left hand, "rumors also spoke of a Seeker," she then looked at the Seeker with her symbol painted on her armor, "and of the famed Varric Tethras who had newly joined the newly restored Inquisition," she winked to the dwarf who only chuckled, "little to nothing has been said about this fellow, regardless, there will be rumors soon enough," she tilted her head in the elf's direction. "Does that justify my actions?"
"I did suggest earlier that we should have disguises," the Herald said to the Seeker, who only rolled her eyes in response.
"We want to be seen so we can build the Inquisition's reputations, and also yours," she explained as she drank the last of her tea. "We need the support of others, but first the people have to know who the Herald is and know that the Inquisition has been restored, understood?" she placed the cup down and looked down the Herald, she only bobbed her head. "Good."
"Now, now, Seeker, let's not give the impression that our Seeker is an angry lady," Varric said, trying to smooth the Seeker's anger out. The Seeker glared now at the dwarf who had tried to better her mood.
"I will retire, for now, Seeker," the bald elf said as he stood up, the Seeker nodded and handed him one of the keys. "May I ask which room it is?" he asked the innkeeper who had been cleaning some bottles behind the bar.
"Oh, I forgot to tell, it's down the hall upstairs, second to the last, or the last one," she smiled as she wiped a silver mug with a cloth. "Sleep well, and breakfast is served at the eight bell strike."
"I see," the elf spoke with his hand resting against the stair railing, his head tipped forward, "sleep well," he murmured before he slipped away. The innkeeper looked over at her only guests to see that they were arguing about something which they could quarrel about tomorrow instead, but it was not her place to step in, so she kept going on with her business.
The innkeeper locked the door after all of the guests had retired, and the fire had been killed, she decided to leave the key in the door in case one of them decided they needed fresh air or if they were in a hurry. "I should get some sleep," the words were spoken quietly as the innkeeper walked to her room.
She was ready to retire when she felt a stinging sensation in her nose, slowly the smell of smoke filled her nostrils. The woman walked out of her room and went to see where the smoke, which was slowly filling the hall, came from. It didn't source from the kitchen, nor the lower floor as the staircase was clear for the smoke.
She walked down the hall and towards the last room where the smoke was seeping from the door crack. The innkeeper wasn't scared, but she was slightly annoyed to see that her guests had become the source of great trouble. And this small fire was all she needed to fuel her magic, quickly the temperature around the little woman dropped in a hearth beat. Tiny water droplets that no human eye could see lost their heat and formed perfectly shaped ice crystals.
United, the crystals moved to push the door with a single flick of the innkeeper's hand. Together they pushed against the wooden frame before they tore it from the wall and sent it flying through the room behind the door. The ice crystals had also in the same moment pierced a being made out of lava, hot molten stones- a rage demon.
The ice didn't do much, but the impact and the product of heat and water did. Now the creatures couldn't properly lift its arms, but it could still cause much damage... especially towards the unarmed woman in her bed trying to flee, but fear had stricken her too hard.
"Herald!" the Seeker shouted as she was trying to find her sword beneath her bed, unfazed by the innkeeper's display of magic. There was another issue before her that needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
To their rescue, the innkeeper once again formed small bodies of droplets, but she let the temperature stay as it was. With her own will, she collided the water droplets together and formed a larger body of water that moved towards the demon in a matter of seconds.
The water did more now than the previous attempt, the water formed a skin of hard rock, mummifying, and keeping the demon from doing much harm. All of the three women used this moment to catch their breaths and understand what had just happened, it was also in this moment the Seeker could address the elegant in the room, "you," she pointed at the innkeeper with a steady finger, "you are an apostate."
"Aren't we all?" the woman retorted as she used her magic again to kill the fire, which spanned from the broken window frame to the middle of the room. During this short span of time, both the dwarf and elf had come up behind the innkeeper with their weaponry ready. The innkeeper couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the elf holding a staff.
"Well, someone seems to be having a terrific night," Varric chuckled as he saw the petrified demon.
"More will surely come here, " the elf said and looked at the Herald, "I suppose there is a Rift close by, and the Anchor is acting as a beacon for all demons the Rift is letting out."
"We should scout the area," the Seeker then shook her head, "no, we should stand our ground, we can't possibly fight out there with no good source of light."
"I agree, we should stay," the Herald then looked at the innkeeper who was studying the demon with curiosity and no fear, "if you allow us to," there was an awkward pause in the room as the innkeeper looked at the demon.
"Oh, you were speaking to me?" the woman said once no one had spoken up, she turned her face to see that the Herald was waiting patiently, "you have already paid for housing so I must allow you."
"We should take care of that demon first," the Herald said while gesturing to the demon, which was slowly melting its skin of stone, but before it completely melted, the Seeker came from behind and pierced the sword through the demon's chest in a single swift move.
"Does this mean we have to stay up all night?"