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The Demon Hunt

A one-chapter, short story about the Bull’s Chargers and their hunt for the Envy demon. Rated T for blood, violence and language

Can also be read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13397112/chapters/32846613

Krem’s heavy foot dropped into the mud as he continued his walk down the path. The sky was dreary and grey, light rain falling down on them. But the Bull’s Chargers soon realized it wasn’t only the day that was particularly bleak. As soon as they came to the Ferelden lands near Therinfal Redoubt, the mood turned sour.

They passed a village on their way, which was at the foot of the hill where the great Fortress stood. The villagers glanced at them with suspicious and fearful gazes, but they kept their distance from the mercenaries. Yet twitches in their strained expressions told Krem they were hiding something. That was confirmed when he and the company healer tried talking to the villagers, to gather information on the former Seeker Fortress, only to be shut out immediately. The village folk would shake their heads and tell them they didn’t know anything in terse answers, or simply run away from them while pulling their children inside their homes. It seemed nobody was willing to talk about Redoubt or what happened there a few days ago.

Krem hated leading the Chargers blindly into possible danger. They barely had any information about what happened when they reached the stone bridge that led to the fortress’ gates. The first thing that drew their suspicion was that the gates were wide open, almost as if inviting them inside. There were no guards near the gates or archers on the battlements, leaving the place completely defenseless.

The Chargers glanced at each other in wonder.

“Maybe it’s our lucky day,” Dalish asked with a sheepish look and shrugged.

“When has that ever been the case,” Krem retorted with a sigh.

“There’s a first time for everything,” the elven mage muttered.

“Or we can just go in and find out for ourselves, instead of standing here in the rain and guessing,” Skinner suggested in an impatient tone, already walking across the bridge.

“Hey, stay on your guard!” Aclassi quickly jogged beside her, his heavy armor clattering. “I don’t want to explain to the Chief why I let one of you get killed.”

Therinfal Redoubt was huge, with three levels, the battlements and a wide courtyard. Cremisius decided not to take all the Chargers with him, so it felt like it would take days to comb through the entire Fortress.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the sinister feeling in his gut intensified. Before coming here, the Chargers expected the place to be swarming with people, even if Leliana’s sources told them the Templars already deserted the castle. Nevertheless, they expected at least some people, like servants, that would be left behind. They worried how they will enter undetected to scout the place, yet all that planning proved useless in the end, since there was not a soul around to stop them from exploring.

“Something isn’t right here…Why would they all just up and leave all of a sudden?” Stiches murmured in thought as he looked around. Next to him, Grim grunted in agreement.

“This place is too quiet and too shifty for my taste.” Rocky furrowed his thick eyebrows, creating a deep crease on his wrinkled forehead.

They passed the courtyard carefully until they found the entrance to the lower level. “Let’s check inside. Just…everyone be careful,” their Lieutenant warned.

Skinner exhaled, “You worry too much; you’re starting to sound like the Big Guy.”

“Yeah, just add a bad sense of humor with some cheesy flirting lines, and you’ve got the next Iron Bull,” Dalish grinned teasingly.

The heavily armored warrior rolled his eyes at the two elves. “Great. As if one wasn’t enough already,” he complained, but a shadow of a smile split on his face.

He pushed the doors open and stepped inside the main hall of the castle. As soon as he did, his chestnut eyes widened in shock. He heard a few gasps behind him and that confirmed what he was seeing was real – it wasn’t a nightmare, although it sure looked like one.

Bodies of Templars and servants littered the ground, old crusty blood staining the carpet. But not only on the floor. Even the walls were splattered with the crimson liquid, and there were a number of strange markings and writings on the walls, written in human blood. A few bodies disturbingly dangled from the ceiling beams and spiked on the giant chandelier, although that was so far up, there shouldn’t have been any possible way for them to get there.

The stench of rotting flesh stung Krem’s eyes and twisted his expression into disgust. What’s more, the bodies were mutilated, while some looked skinned alive. “Was this done by magic?”

Dalish’s response sounded muffled as she held her sleeve over her mouth and nose, trying to protect herself from the foul odor. “I don’t sense any residual magic, though.”

Unlike the mage, Skinner had no problem coming near the bodies and examining them up close. She was currently crouching over a dead Templar, removing his helmet to get a better look. “Some bodies look like they were killed by a sword.” As the helmet came off, she scowled. “Lieutenant, come look at this!”

Krem rushed over towards her, staring at the dead body. The rest of the Chargers joined them. The dead Templar was sickly pale, which wasn’t unusual, but the red veins traveling underneath the skin of his throat and face certainly was. “Stiches, what do you make of this?”

As the Company’s healer and surgeon, Stiches had the most skill to examine the corpse. He hummed in thought, looking over the skin. He took the Templar’s hand and examined the fingertips. “Look, on the inside of his nails…it’s red lyrium.” Then he opened the dead men’s eyes. The whites of his eyes were completely gone, replaced by glowing red that wasn’t blood. “Even inside his eyes…It’s definitely red lyrium corruption.”

“That crap Varric hates? He did warn the Inquisition about its dangerous,” Rocky mused.

“So maybe the Templars killed their own who were corrupted,” Dalish guessed.

Krem looked over at the other bodies, then shook his head. “I’m not sure. Look, not all of them were corrupted.”

Skinner shrugged, “So they fought with each other.”

The Lieutenant clicked his tongue. “We need more information. We need to explore deeper into the Fortress. Let’s go.”

The Chargers followed their Lieutenant through the deserted halls of the Fortress. They searched through the lower levels, until reaching the main level. There, they found dead bodies of templars abandoned in their quarters. Some of them had their necks sliced, most likely assassinated in their sleep.

In the quarters were a few notes and journals that helped them piece the puzzle of what happened in this nightmarish place. In one of the journals, a Templar talked about the strange change her comrades were experiencing, starting with their officers. The officers would wear red lyrium phials around their necks, gradually making all their subordinates drink the stuff. In the Officer Quarters they found a Lyrium Manifest, where it said normal lyrium shipments were replaced by red lyrium ones. Another journal talked about Lord Seeker Lucius – of how he completely took control over the Templars and was acting strange and authoritative, shutting down anyone who would oppose him.

They learned that red lyrium corruption overtook most of the Templars. Those who didn’t take red lyrium and stayed sane were assassinated. Those who got sick but proved too weak to the red lyrium corruption went insane and were eventually killed off. From the tracks left that Skinner read, it appeared a greater force came in and out of the fortress before the Chargers arrived, and the remaining templars who survived joined that army.

But it wasn’t until they reached the other side of the castle that the strangeness of the place intensified. They entered another courtyard, although smaller than the one at the entrance.

Dalish was the first to notice it. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing. “Be careful, the Veil is thin here…”

“Is that your professional archer opinion,” Skinner taunted slyly.

“That means demons,” Krem mumbled, pulling out his long sword and taking the shield off his back.

“….,” Grim grunted as he took the heavy broadsword off his back into both hands.

A growl came from around the corner and the group drew closer carefully. Skinner snuck to the corner and peered behind it, counting the number of Shades that aimlessly roamed around the area. She counted four Lesser Shades and one larger, Greater Shade demon.

She put up five fingers to the rest of the group before unsheathing her two dual daggers. Aclassi gave her a silent nod and the woman disappeared around the corner without making a sound. The Lieutenant then put up a hand in the air, letting the group know to wait for his signal.

Skinner used the shrubbery of the courtyard to hide her presence as she drew closer to the Shades. She could see her target, the closest lesser Shade that stood near a large oak tree and would let out a low growl every now and then. Her footsteps made no sound as she ran closer, rushing out of the bushes and leaning behind the oak, then peering at the Shade demon. As expected, it didn’t notice her yet. She was a skilled rogue, and her enemies only noticed her when she wanted them to. Although, most of them died clueless without even seeing her face before she stabbed her daggers or arrows into them.

The elven woman waited for the demon to turn its back to her more, then slid from behind the tree, and stabbed both weapons into its back. It let out a loud roar, but she was unfazed by it. Sliding the daggers out of its back in a slice, she cut through the demon’s hard flesh. With another roar, the creature turned into a puddle of black goo.

Its loud scream alerted the rest of the Shades and they all turned their heads towards the rogue. Their glowing beady eyes pierced her before they roared with expressionless masks that could hardly be called faces. The dreary creatures slid across the ground with quickened pace, heading towards her with clawed arms raised.

Skinner spun the daggers in her hands and sheathed them at her sides, before taking her bow from her back and pulled one arrow from its quiver. She drew back the arrow and shot it right into the eye of one of the closest Shade demons, but it only slowed it down. She didn’t wait to see the effects, however, as she turned around and started running back towards the corner from where she came. *That’s right, you ugly bastards, follow me right into a trap.* She timed her escape so she would be neither too slow nor too fast, wanting to lead as many Shades as she could to their deaths.

Jumping around the corner, she saw the Chargers a safe distance away. Just as the first demon appeared around the corner behind her, she saw Dalish rise her hand towards her. A fire glyph the elven mage posted right at the turn of the corner lit up and exploded, burning two demons that were currently sliding across it.

“Now,” Krem yelled and gave a signal for the party to attack.

He charged at the closest Shade, ignoring the fire that blazed on it. Even though it was on fire, it moved as if unaffected by it. He ducked low behind his shield to avoid getting singed and bashed it against the demon. The Shade didn’t stumble backwards, but the shield momentarily obstructed its vision. It clawed at the warrior, but Krem held his shield up to block the attack. He could hear the unnerving scraping of the monster’s claws against the shield’s metal. Stepping backwards and rising his sword, he brought it down on the Shade’s head. The weapon cut in deep, black slime pouring from the wound. He stepped backwards again, sliding the sword out and piercing the Shade’s chest with a finishing blow.

Grim passed him by, slamming his two-handed blade into a Shade that was previously frozen by Dalish. Meanwhile, Skinner covered Grim’s flank, stabbing and slashing at the incoming creatures.

A clatter of heavy armor brought their attention to their surroundings and they noticed the corpses of templars mauled by demons were rising to their feet. They moved strangely, swaying as if unsure on their already-rotting legs, while they held their swords or bows in a loose grip.

“Undead,” Stiches warned.

“Fenedhis, I said the Veil was thin here! The spirits must have come through and possessed the dead templars,” Dalish explained.

The undead templars shuffled slowly towards them, joining the demons. They moaned in low, inhuman voices as they approached, lured in by the scent of fresh, living meat.

“I’ll take care of it,” Rocky shouted, tossing two grenades towards a group of Templar corpses. The two bombs exploded, showering them with dirt, blood and rotten body parts.

“Oh come on, Rocky,” Krem screamed in disgust, covering himself with his shield to avoid contact with the falling body parts.

“Sod it, I didn’t expect it to make such a large explosion. I’ll have to fix the dosage of sand lyrium,” the dwarven sapper murmured in thought.

A loud angry roar echoed throughout the courtyard and Aclassi cursed at his momentary distraction. He raised his shield right in time to block a slam of the Greater Shade demon. Even with his muscular stature and heavy armor, the demon managed to hit him hard enough to send him flying backwards, his teeth rattling from the impact.

Luckily, Grim and Stiches appeared before him in defensive stances, already prepared to take on the large demon. Skinner laced her blades with magebane poison that demons were weak to as equally as mages. She then snuck up behind it and pierced both daggers in its back, while the two warriors attacked from the front. Meanwhile, Dalish and Rocky were taking care of the remainder of undead templars. Their Lieutenant was up in no time to join the fight.

The magebane worked, weakening the demon as it shrunk in size some. Krem lured the Shade in, bringing its attention to himself. He raised his shield above his head just in time as it brought both clawed arms towards him, slamming them onto the shield. Taking that moment to act, Grim went high while Stiches went low with their swings. The healer cut into the demon’s stomach, while the blonde warrior went for the head. The monster roared one last time before it collapsed into itself, turning into thick black liquid.

The elven mage sighed in relief when the battle ended. “Templars, red lyrium, undead and now demons…this cursed place has become a portal to the Beyond.”

Grim grunted, getting everyone’s attention, and pointed at some blood markings on the wall.

“Grim found something. What is that?” Rocky examined it. “Hey, there are more words written in blood on the walls here. But it can be read.”

The Chargers all gathered around the cryptic words as Krem read them out loud.

“A whisper, followed out of dream. A beckoning thread of power. At the end of it a figure, crowned in imperial red, seen through a tear in the air. The Elder One, demanding servitude with an offer impossible to resist.

Leader of the Seekers. Commander of knights. Lord Seeker Lucius Corin, master of templars.

Weeks of studying, learning, imitating. The Lord Seeker reveals who he is, what he is, with every sharp-tongued reaction. Lucius Corin abandoned, hidden after taking his face, his armor, his templars. Easy as slipping into new skin.

The Herald of Andraste protests as the templars leave the city. Small. Unimportant. Beneath a Lord Seeker's notice, but for instructions from the Elder One.

Growing disbelief. The Herald, leading nobles, shining men and women whose power chokes a country. The Inquisition, rising larger than the templars. Unbearable envy. What is a Lord Seeker, compared to what the Herald will become?

Seething, consumed with want. Dreaming, wanting, needing to wear the Herald of Andraste's face when next meeting the Elder One,” Krem read the whole thing, confusion written on his face.

“Well that’s creepy,” the dwarf deadpanned.

“I think I know what this is…,” Dalish called out and glanced at her comrades with a troubled expression. “It sounds like an Envy demon. I’ve never seen one in person, but my Keeper taught me about them. They are cowardly and greedy demons that want to take everything from the person – they want to become that person. They study their prey until they completely learn how to act like them. And they can even morph their appearance to look like another person.”

“From this text it sounds like the Envy demon took over Lord Seeker Lucius’ identity. No wonder he started acting so strange…it wasn’t really him at all,” Aclassi exclaimed.

“You’re telling us this Envy demon could be anywhere, posing as anyone,” Stiches wore a disgusted grimace as he questioned his apostate friend.

“Exactly. And by the sound of it, it serves this Elder One and has a fixation on our Herald of Andraste. There is a good chance that it’s going to come after Lavellan.”

Krem scowled, “We have to write to Sister Leliana and warn the Inquisition, on the double!”

“We can send a raven from that village down the hill. If those shems are even willing to help us…they didn’t seem too friendly earlier,” Skinner frowned.

“We better hurry then. The malevolent feeling in this place is still fresh. It’s so stifling, I can hardly breathe. The Envy demon couldn’t have left long ago. Maybe we can still hunt it down,” Dalish muttered with a shudder. Goosebumps crawled on her delicate skin from the unnerving atmosphere of this place.

~…..~

They located a tavern in the village where Krem sat down and wrote everything they found out in a letter, while the others talked to the Barkeep and a few patrons to try and get more information. When they came back to the table, each carrying a pint of ale, they compared what they learned with each other.

“Seems the tavern was a good place to start. Alcohol really loosens the tongue. Who knew, huh?” Dalish commented sarcastically, a sly smile spreading on her full lips.

I found out why the villagers are so on guard, especially with strangers. The eerie occurrences in Therinfal Redoubt are only half of the story,” Stiches started. “Apparently, a whole army of warriors and mages passed through here, going to the Seeker Fortress. By the description the people gave me, I’d say it was the Venatori.”

“Nugshit! The templars joined the Venatori - the same cultist bastards that tried taking over Redcliffe,” Rocky exclaimed in bewilderment.

“That is not all. Not long after Redoubt went quiet, strange things started happening in this village, too,” the rogue elf added her own information. “The barkeep says his apprentice started acting strangely the day after the Fortress went quiet. Then the next day, he completely disappeared.”

“I’m still surprised you managed to collect information by talking to shems without getting into a fight,” Dalish muttered at the rogue with a wry smile, innocently propping her head with her hand on the table. Skinner gave her an annoyed glance, but ignored the comment.

“I heard the same thing from another human. Seems like there’s been a few people that would act completely out of character and then disappear the next day, never to be seen again,” the dwarf confirmed.

The mage sighed, “This is definitely the work of an Envy demon. It passed through here.”

Krem pinched the bridge of his nose as he mulled over everything he heard. *Damn, this is starting to get complicated,* he growled in his mind. “Our camp is a few hours by foot from here, so we better hurry. The sooner we reach them, the sooner I can get this letter to the Inquisition.”

~…..~

The rest of the Chargers set up a camp about a day’s walk from the Seeker Fortress, careful not to garnish any unwanted attention. Aclassi only took a few people with him so they would stay inconspicuous, while he had the rest of the mercenary company waiting in camp for further orders.

It was already nightfall when they arrived at the camp. He gave a familiar signal to the camp guards, indicating it was his group.

Shiela, a cheerful dwarven rogue, greeted them. She was on guard duty with another of the company mercenaries. “So, you find anything interesting?”

“Lots,” Dalish gave a dry smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Too many things, if ya ask me,” Rocky added with an exasperated breath.

“Shiela, go get a raven. We need to send one to the Inquisition immediately,” the Lieutenant ordered, holding up the report he wrote for Leliana.

The ordinarily-cheerful dwarf glanced at the letter nervously. “Actually…there’s something you should see first.”

The Lieutenant definitely didn’t like the troubled look on her face. It was rare to see her upset about anything. His voice came out drearier than he intended, as that familiar bad feeling gripped his gut again. “Lead the way.”

She led them to the cages were the correspondence ravens waited. They were all sleeping by now, softly fluttering their wings, with cloth covering their cages to keep out the firelight. Past the cages, she went to a makeshift table made from crates and picked up a long piece of paper. “This arrived not long after you left. It’s from the Inquisition’s spymaster. Luckily, they knew where to find us since we didn’t change locations from out last correspondence with Haven. It was good to set up headquarters and keep some of us here,” the dwarf smiled lightly, but it barely reflected in her greenish-brown eyes.

It was Krem’s idea to set up camp here as headquarters and let a trained raven go back to Haven, so their spymaster would have a raven that knew the Chargers’ location, and could use it for any emergency correspondence. That raven was now back at their camp with a message that made even Shiela feel anxious.

His group all huddled around him while their Lieutenant read the message silently. They could practically pinpoint the moment when Krem’s tanned face turned ashen white.

“Yeah…,” Shiela trailed off, knowing exactly what Aclassi was currently reading.

“What is it,” Dalish demanded, trying to see over Krem’s shoulder and failing since he was half a head taller than her.

He muttered a stunned reply, barely audible. “Haven has been attacked….It’s gone….Sister Leliana says it’s been razed to the ground.”

“What the…,” Skinner whispered, unable to form a proper question.

Everyone was in a state of shock. “The leader! What about Bull!?”

“The Chief’s fine. He’s alive,” Krem answered, and could hear a number of relieved sighs around him. “Also, apparently they appointed the Herald of Andraste the official leader of the Inquisition. They gave him the title of Inquisitor,” he added.

“Well it was about time they named him a proper leader. He was pretty much leading the Inquisition anyway,” Dalish shrugged with an unsurprised tone to her.

The Lieutenant chuckled, “Although he kept complaining about being called the Herald. He’s always saying the Inquisition’s success is a joint effort. I don’t think I heard him call himself a leader of anything, even once.”

“Who cares about that part,” Skinner shouted in impatience, startling everyone. “What happened to Haven?”

After rereading the letter three times, their Lieutenant told everyone what the message stated. But even as the words formed on his lips, it sounded surreal – like something out of a storybook. An ancient Tevinter Magister attacked Haven with an Archdemon and burned it to the ground. The Haven survivors retreated and found an old castle in the mountains called Skyhold where the Inquisition was currently rebuilding. What’s more, the said Magister who some called the Elder One, commanded an army of templars corrupted by red lyrium, led by General Samson. It was all too much to take in at once.

“The Elder One? Didn’t that Envy demon write something about that on the Fortress walls?”

“Maybe the demon also works for the Magister,” Stiches shrugged.

“The guy’s name is Corypheus, according to Sister Leliana.”

“A mage and a demon…makes sense,” Rocky said. “No offense, Dalish,” he added.

“None taken. I’m well aware some mages are idiots who summon demons and use blood magic,” the elf dismissed it nonchalantly. “Besides, why would I be offended? I’m an archer, remember,” she added with a sly smirk.

“And I’m the Nugking,” the dwarf muttered.

“Nug-king? I’m not even sure I want to know,” Skinner eyed him dubiously.

“…..,” Grim grunted in askance towards their leader.

“There’s nothing we can do, Grim. I’ve sent the raven back to Sister Leliana, so we have to wait for new orders,” Aclassi answered.

“But the Envy demon might escape before that!”

“I can’t act on my own, Skinner. This is too important and we’re a mercenary company working for the Inquisition now.”

“I’m more worried what other damage this demon will do. There are a lot of populated areas in Ferelden. A lot of small villages to hide in. It hides best when it has people to imitate,” Dalish muttered with a frown, her slim eyebrows curling to create small wrinkles on her vallaslin.

Aclassi groaned, tired and ready to call it a night. They needed rest for tomorrow. “We’ll have to track it down. You can sense its spirit, while Skinner and the other rogues can follow the physical tracks. Plus, we can always gather information about the strange occurrences and reports on missing people, like we did in the last village. Hopefully, the raven will come back to us tomorrow in the late afternoon, with new orders. For now, all we can do is rest up for tomorrow,” he suggested.

“….,” Grim let out a short grunt.

Cremisius smiled, “It seems Grim agrees.”

~……~

The raven with new orders came back the next day, earlier than they expected. It seemed Leliana could understand the gravity of the situation and considered stopping that Envy demon a priority.

Krem gathered the usual group, who planned over a Ferelden map about their course through the area.

“What about the rest of us,” Gethwen asked. He was one of the elven rogues of the mercenary company, usually under Skinner’s orders.

“If we take too large a group, the Envy demon will see us coming and flee. It’s better if you stay here in the camp, Geth. We’ll definitely come back as soon as the damn thing is dead,” Krem explained.

The redheaded elf sighed, “Fine.” He was one of the newest recruits of the company so he hadn’t seen much action yet. He was obviously itching for it.

Shiela came to give her goodbyes to the group. “Don’t worry, we’ll hold the Fort,” she joked, giving their Lieutenant a wink.

“We appreciate it,” Rocky nodded at her.

The Chargers’ party left the main camp, going towards the direction of the nearest village. They didn’t know what awaited them there, but it was good a place to start as any.

~….~

The village was much larger than the one near Redoubt. With its farms on the outskirts and stone houses placed around in rings, with a large square in the middle; it could almost be called a small town.

The Chargers made a quaint group, with every race from elves to dwarf and humans, all banded together. That’s why it wasn’t strange that they were receiving curious glances from every passerby on their path.

With Dalish’s magic and Skinner’s tracking expertise, they followed the envy demon’s trail to this large village. They found a few animal and human carcasses on their way, devoured by something that wasn’t a simple beast. The most disturbing clue was shed human skin that the envy demon left behind from its last target.

“We are in a pretty populated area, with the demon that can shapeshift into anyone. This s going to be hard,” their healer commented as he watched each person passing them by with suspicion. Any one of them could be a demon in disguise.

“Do you think the thing knows we’re on to it,” the dwarf asked.

“I’m not sure we are on to it,” Skinner answered sourly.

“We followed its trail this far. We might as well ask around to see if there were any strange activates here,” their Lieutenant suggested.

“Tavern?” Dalish asked with a smirk.

Krem nodded in agreement, “Tavern.”

As usual, the tavern was the best place to start. Everyone were half-drunk, loose tongued, and happy to talk about their strange experiences in the village since nobody around would take them seriously. Especially when a drunkard would talk about seeing his wife at the same time as she was seen having tea with her sister-in-law on the other side of the village. Everyone laughed at his crazy prattle. Everyone but an elf who listened in on the conversation carefully, before relying it back to the rest of the mercenaries.

“Honestly, the taverns are the best place in any town. You’ll either get a crazy drunken fib or get in a fight with someone. Either way, you get a great story out of it,” Rocky grinned.

“No wonder the Chief likes drinking in them so much,” Krem returned the toothy grin.

“So I was thinking,” the elven mage started in a cryptic tone. “Maybe instead of running after the demon, it’s better if we let it come to us. Lure it into a trap.”

“Well sure. And it would be even better if it just committed suicide, but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen,” Skinner commented sarcastically with a shrug.

The other elf rolled her eyes at her callous Orlesian comrade.

“I’m sensing you have a plan,” Krem asked, interrupting their bickering.

Dalish gave the group a mischievous smirk, her pale blue eyes glittering. “The demon wants Lavellan, we know that much. And the best way to get to him is to infiltrate the Inquisition, right? So how do you do that if you’re an Envy demon? That’s right; you take on the form of someone who is already a part of the Inquisition. And what do you know – there’s currently six such people in the very village the demon is hiding in!” The apostate grinned as she saw realization hit the others’ faces.

“So if we spread the word that we are with the Inquisition, we might lure the demon to us. It will try to take the identity of one of us.”

“….,” Grim made a long grunt.

“I’m with Grim; it’s pretty dangerous to make ourselves the targets,” the dwarven sapper muttered. His lips twisted beneath his thick mustache. “Not that I’m afraid to do it or anything!”

“It’s dangerous, yes, but it might be our best bet. It’s better than to run around the village, trying to guess who the hidden Envy demon is,” Skinner said.

“So we spread a rumor that Inquisition agents, the Bull’s Chargers, are in this village.”

“How do we do that?”

“Well, where’s the best place to start a rumor?”

They all thought for a while, then concluded in unison, “Tavern.” Luckily, they were already in one.

~…….~

It was churning. Twisting with impatience.

The Herald. The Herald was promised to it. Promised by the Elder One.

It listened. It set a trap in Redoubt, but the Herald didn’t come. The tricky Herald avoided the trap. Now it grows ever more impatient.

But there are whispers again. Human whispers that are promising. The Inquisition, here, in this village. So close it could smell it. It could taste it. Taste the Herald. Become the Herald. Be the Herald.

It churned again. It twisted faster. So close to another skin. Better skin. It needed more. More than this saggy flesh of an old woman nobody cared about. The world didn’t care about her! It needed someone the world admired, worshiped, adored. It needed someone like the leader of the Inquisition.

One word repeated. One word whispered among the villagers. One name – ticket to the Inquisition, to the Herald. One name – the Bull’s Chargers.

But it needed to see first. To learn about them. Their feelings, innermost thoughts and secrets, their beliefs. It needed to learn to become them. It wanted to know more. It wanted to see in their minds and know everything.

Wait until darkness shrouds them. Carries them in their dreams. See inside their minds through the haze of the fade. See what makes them tick. See what makes them them.

Cremisius, Skinner, Dalish, Rocky, Stiches, Grim…the names carried to the Envy demon’s mind. The names beckoned it towards them. It will know everything about them before it puts on a new skin.

And then they will lead it…lead it to the skin it yearns to take – that of Nymrodel Lavellan.

~…..~

The next day, after a good night’s rest, the Chargers started making preparations for their trap.

“The problem is, the Envy can look inside your mind. It can come to you with a face of someone from your past and act exactly like it saw in your memories,” the apostate elf explained.

Stiches frowned at her words. “So how do we recognize an imposter then?”

“Whoever it tries to mimic, it will have to kill the original so it isn’t discovered before reaching Lavellan,” Skinner added.

“Which means it will attack one of us.”

“So what, we should just let it attack us,” Rocky asked with a grimace.

“As long as we all stay together, it won’t get a chance to infiltrate us. But there’s a good chance it will use trickery to try and separate us. That’s how Envy demons work. So we should create a fake opportunity for it instead. One of us gets lured away, so the demon attacks them thinking they’re vulnerable, and then we spring a trap on it instead,” Dalish grinned.

“We are so lucky to have an archer who is such an expert on the arcane,” Krem smirked, his teasing voice laced with sarcasm.

The others chuckled, and the apostate stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Dalish continued, “And remember; this transition is when Envy is weakest, for it is vulnerable as it moves from body to body. We must strike at that exact moment.”

“So who’s gonna play the bait,” the dwarf asked.

They all looked at him silently, their stares already hinting at the answer.

“Oh, come on!” Rocky exclaimed through his shocked frustration.

“You don’t have a connection to the fade so you are least likely to be influenced by the demon,” Dalish explained with a shrug. She was still giving him that teasing stare, making the dwarf glower at her.

“Fine,” he exhaled in defeat, finally relenting. “Stupid mimic demons and fade-crap…,” he mumbled under his breath in annoyance, while he drank his ale - despite the fact that it wasn’t even noon yet. He called it ‘Breakfast Ale,’ and in return the Chargers called him an alcoholic dwarf…then again, isn’t that just a regular dwarf?

~…..~

Rocky walked around the market, minding his own business with a sour look on his face, when Krem approached him.

“Did you see anything suspicious,” his Lieutenant asked.

The dwarf grimaced behind his mustache. “Not yet. Are you sure the Envy demon will come after me? What if it attacks Dalish while everyone’s looking my way? I mean, she is a ma-…well, you know,” the man cleared his throat.

“All you need to do is listen to my orders, don’t question me,” Krem barked back in a sharp tone, giving Rocky a pointed stare for a moment.

The sapper was taken aback so much, he literary took a step back. “Yeah…alright, Lieutenant. You’re in charge,” he murmured, wanting to calm the Tevinter down. *What’s gotten into him all of a sudden? Maybe all this demon business has gotten to him. He must be stressed,* he concluded.

“Come. We must prepare for the trap. It’s here,” the warrior turned his back to him and started walking away from the market in a brisk pace.

“I thought you already set the trap?”

Aclassi glanced over his shoulder, giving him another annoyed look. Right, he was questioning him again. Trotting after the warrior, Rocky tried to follow the hurried step as best he could.

It wasn’t long before they left the market and entered the winding narrow streets of the village. The road wasn’t paved anymore, but muddy and filled with horse dung. It clung to Rocky’s boots no matter how much he tried to avoid it. There were less and less people passing them by, until only the dwarf and his Lieutenant were walking through the area.

That was when Cremisius suddenly stopped. Not expecting it, the sapper almost bumped into his armored back.

“So tell me Rocky…why do you fight with the Chargers,” Krem abruptly asked.

The dwarf blinked, completely puzzled. “I’d think you’d know that best, Krem,” he answered humorously.

Krem looked dissatisfied with that answer and turned around in anger, his tanned face twisting into a snarl. “Answer me! I want to know!”

Once again, the dwarf took a step back. This time, for caution rather than surprise. His expression darkened as he watched his comrade in arms. “You’re not really Krem, are ya?”

The Tevinter let out a dry snicker, his usually-mellow face twisting into a hateful expression he never showed before. His voice changed, sounding like scraping of paper on drywall. “You are absolutely right. Now give me…give me all of yourself!” Krem charged at him, but before he had time to reach him, a ball of stone smashed into his side and sent him flying into the wall.

“Hah! Take that you soddin’ shit,” Rocky exclaimed in victory, albeit too soon.

“Rocky,” the real Krem called out with worry in his voice as he and the rest of the gang ran over to him, taking up arms.

“The plan worked!”

“It’s too early to celebrate. Look,” Skinner interrupted their merriment as she pointed at the fake Aclassi who was rising to his feet.

“He’s more resilient than the real deal,” Dalish mumbled darkly, taking her staff with both hands. For once, her expression was completely humorless.

The fake Krem molded into an old woman, who then started collapsing into herself like the body’s innards were being sucked dry, leaving nothing but a shed of skin. A clawed hand ripped through the skin, and a white monster emerged from what was once a person. The demon stood on its hind legs, towering over them all. It was even taller than the Iron Bull, who easily had two meters of height. There were no eyes on its scraggy skin, but deep reddened scars covered its hairless head.

Dalish grimaced in disgust, “That is officially the creepiest thing I have ever seen.”

Hissing, the Envy demon opened its maws, showing its crooked teeth. It inverted its spine until it crawled on all six legs, like some deformed spider.

“Alright, I stand corrected. Because this is now the creepiest thing I have ever seen,” the elven mage pointed out.

Skinner was the first to move, running at the demon to try and flank its side, but the Envy was quicker. It swung its arm at her and flung the rogue away, sending her flying.

It pounced in the air and landed right in front of the real Krem, taking the warrior by surprise.

“You will do,” the demon screeched, just as Krem swung his sword at the monster.

The Tevinter gasped and blinked as the ambient around him suddenly changed. He wasn’t standing in some back alley of the village surrounded by his comrades, anymore. Instead, he was in a small glen, with nothing but trees and cobblestone paths that led into the unknown. Mist flowed through the area, obscuring his vision.

“What is this place? Where am I,” he called out, hoping someone could answer.

And someone did. “You are in your own mind…Here, I can see everything. Learn everything that you are…that you know.” It was that scraping voice of the Envy demon.

Krem shuddered. *Trapped inside my own mind? How is that possible? How do I get back?!?* He took a deep breath to avoid panicking, but swarms of questions wouldn’t leave him. He wondered what was happening in the real world, outside. Were the Chargers still fighting the demon, or were they imprisoned just like him? The only thing that brought him some comfort was the feeling of hard steel in his hands. He still held his sword and shield – his last line of defense against the Envy.

A voice came from behind him and he turned around quickly, widening his eyes at the sight. His parents stood there, the same as how he remembered them. Maker, how long has it been since he last saw them?

His mother’s voice sounded distorted, “You don’t like your own skin. Your own self feels wrong. Wouldn’t it be better to shed it away? To give it to me, instead?”

His father continued, “Wouldn’t it be better to give this wrong body away?”

Krem clenched his jaw as hard as he clenched the sword in his hand. He wanted to lash out, to cut down these creatures that obviously weren’t his parents, but he was worried it would lead him into some kind of trap. He didn’t want to act rashly.

He took a step back instead of forward, but a voice came from his right this time. He quickly turned, shield raised.

It was his Qunari boss himself, but his eyes were different – glowing green. “Or maybe it’s your mind that is wrong. Distorted.”

As Krem’s chest squeezed in hurt, he could hear the loud beating of his heart in his ears. It was deafening. *No…The Chief would never say something like that. This place is all wrong. I need to get out. I need to find a way...* Scanning around, his eyes focused on the many paths that led out of the glen. *I’ll just pick one. It’s better than staying here.*

Just as he stepped forward, a sword came at him and he quickly blocked it with his shield. As he lowered it a little, he gasped, seeing himself right in front of him. The person looked exactly like him, except for those eerily glowing green eyes. In disdain, he noted the imposter was even armed the same.

“Tell me what you feel right now, as you look at yourself, like in the mirror! Like when you pretended to shave next to your father. Tell me what you think now,” the Other Krem demanded angrily, before he slammed his shield into Krem’s.

Krem stayed quiet, determined not to give the demon any information it was seeking. He knew it fed on knowledge, and he had no intention of giving it what it wanted. Instead, he sidestepped and pierced at the other’s outer thigh. He caught the other warrior by surprise, nt giving him time to react. Even if he looked like Krem, he apparently lacked his skills in combat. The Other Aclassi raised his sword and slashed down at the warrior, but he blocked with his shield. Another attack came, this time to his side, yet he blocked again. The hits were strong, tough, and he was slowly being pushed back.

The voices around him continued to speak, but luckily none of them were attacking. “Tell me. I want to know. I need to know! I need to take the skin for the Elder One! For myself!”

Right after another attack of the sword, the fake Cremisius tried to slam his shield into Krem’s chest. Krem sidestepped again and spun on his heel until he was at his side, where there was an opening between the front and back armor plate. He lunged at the other warrior, stabbing him through the ribs.

An angry cry came from the Fake Krem as he crumbled to the ground. He spurted black bile as he spoke, “You cannot defeat the Elder One! He will kill the Empress and raze Orlais to the ground with his demon army! He will destroy everything, just as he did at Haven! The Herald cannot-”

Before the demon could finish, a bright flash blinded Krem and he felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. He gasped when he was flung away, and fell to the ground with a loud clatter of his armor. He stared in shock, realizing what he was looking at wasn’t some dark misty sky, but instead normal, grey clouds of the real world. Sitting up, Aclassi could see Dalish standing in front of him with the end of her staff on the ground, like she just finished a spell. The Chargers surrounded him. Sighing in relief, he realized he had returned from that nightmarish place.

A loud cry came from the front and he saw the Envy demon slide back on the ground, twisting and turning its body to try and regain its footing. It looked in pain, although it was hard to tell. It was on the defensive now, pulling back from the dangerous force in front of it.

“Don’t let it get away,” Krem called out, quickly rising back to his feet.

The Envy demon suddenly twisted its spine to turn from them, four long legs on the ground. As it changed course, it quickly slithered towards a house and climbed on its wall with astonishing speed.

Dalish hurled a fireball from her staff and Skinner an arrow from her bow, but both missed as the demon quickly slid across the rooftop and disappeared.

“After it,” their Lieutenant shouted.

“How? We can’t climb buildings like it can,” Skinner argued with a scowl.

The Tevinter clicked his tongue in frustration. He was getting too worked up, but after his experience with the Envy demon, it wasn’t surprising. “Dammit! We were so close!”

Dalish put her hands on his chest to calm him down. It looked like he was about to storm off after the demon by himself. “Hey, calm down. What happened?”

“Yeah, it looked like you zoned out for a second, and almost got eaten,” the sapper added with an equally worried expression as the mage.

Cremisius closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down and think. “The Envy demon…it somehow trapped me inside my own mind. How long was I out? It felt like at least half an hour…”

The Chargers all looked at each other with curious stares. Finally, their healer talked, “You were just staring into space when the Envy attacked, but it didn’t even last a full minute. As soon as Dalish saw it was going for you, she stepped in front and blasted it away with some spell.”

He blinked, “It felt much longer in my head.”

“Good thing we were here, huh? If you had fought with it alone, it would’ve cut you down while you were in yer trance,” Rocky grinned proudly.

Krem gave him a small smile, “You’re right. I’m lucky you have my back.”

“And don’t ever forget it,” Skinner smirked.

“….,” Grim agreed.

“But the demon got away…now we have to start all over again.” Dalish sighed in disappointment.

“It won’t stop until it has one of us, I’m sure of that. It’s relentless. It will come at us again,” Aclassi stated darkly – he could sense the lust for knowledge when he met Envy in his mind, along with the greed behind it. This demon won’t give up that easily. “And it will be more careful and shrewder next time.”

“What happened inside your mind?”

Putting on a troubled face, he glowered at the memory. He didn’t want to worry his friends, but some of that was too personal and too fresh to share at a time like this. His parents, everything the Envy demon said…He decided to tell the less private part of it, “It mentioned the Elder One. It even confirmed he is planning to kill Empress Celene and march a demon army across Orlais. But it’s nothing new; we already knew that from the Inquisitor’s time in that Dark Future he was thrown into.”

“Then let’s just focus on bringin’ the soddin’ bastard down,” Rocky pointed out. “The next time I see it, I’m gonna blast the shit out of it!”

~…..~

It failed. How could it fail! Anger. Hurt. Pain where the mage’s spell hit. Frustration. How could those little creatures hurt it!? How could they overpower it!? It was seething with rage, with envy. It should be the most powerful.

Not enough information. Not enough knowledge. That is why it failed!

Next time it won’t fail! Next time it will take its new skin! The appropriate skin! Cremisius Aclassi! Aclassi will die for this! Die for this!

It roared in pain and anger, slithering through narrow, muddy backstreets like a wounded animal. Next time, it will separate them. Kill them one by one. Be them one by one! It needed a new skin now.

It rummaged through Aclassi’s memories. Memories of the Chargers. Memories of the Inquisition. What hurt him the most while he was trapped? What made him react the most while the Envy talked to him?

What was most important to each of them? Who was important to each of them?

It needed to learn. It needed to know everything. It needed to become more.

~……~

The next morning, Dalish practically invaded Krem’s room as she slammed the doors open. She barged in just as Krem was changing into his clothes.

“This is bad!” The elf exclaimed, ignoring Krem’s bound breasts while the other fumbled with his shirt in a hurry.

He quickly pulled the shirt down, working on his boots next. “I’ll say! Don’t just barge in here!”

“Oh, please, like I’ve never seen you naked before. Besides, it’s nothing I don’t have myself. You want to make me uncomfortable? Show me Rocky’s naked form again. On the other hand, don’t. That one time on accident was enough for me. That man is all hair, I tell you.” She shuddered at the memory, her pretty features twisting into an expression of disgust.

“Dalish! Focus,” the warrior snapped his fingers, bringing the apostate back to reality.

“Oh, right,” she blinked. “Everyone’s down already so come quickly. You won’t like this.” She closed the doors and disappeared as abruptly as she entered – the woman was like a hurricane.

After their battle with the demon yesterday, the Chargers took up lodgings in the village. Luckily, the local tavern also rented out rooms upstairs, so they didn’t have to look far.

Krem quickly put on the rest of his clothes and armor, then went downstairs. He could see the rest of his group leaning out the window, pushing each other to see outside. Voices boomed from the outside, in the village square, and he strode towards the open doors to see what was happening. A large crowd was gathering outside, surrounding a wooden platform that the village used for news criers or executions. The person currently standing on it and giving a speech in a Nevarran accent is what glued the Chargers’ attention to the sight. They would recognize those harsh features and dark eyes any day. It was none other than the Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast.

“Wasn’t the Seeker supposed to be somewhere in the mountains, rebuilding the Inquisition?” Rocky’s face constricted into a puzzled frown.

“Yes. There’s no way she would be here…right?” Stiches glanced at Krem, a bit unsure.

“:….,” Grim grunted in agreement.

They couldn’t believe what they were seeing, and neither could Krem. But that was hardly the worst part. It was her speech that really shook the Chargers in the first place.

The woman spoke loudly so all the Village could hear. “This mercenary company, the Bull’s Chargers, are so-called troops of the Inquisition, but that is not so! The truth is, they are traitors of the Inquisition. They are deserters, criminals! When Haven was attacked, they fled instead of standing their ground and fighting the enemy forces! They are to blame for Haven’s fall! The Inquisition’s fall! I, Cassandra Pentaghast, as one of the founders of the Inquisition, tell you this – the Bull’s Chargers should be captured on sight and brought to me for justice!”

The Chargers gaped at her words, realizing the Seeker was turning the whole Village against them.

“I bet you my bow that isn’t really the Seeker,” Dalish mumbled.

“You think,” Skinner retorted sardonically.

“It doesn’t matter, if the villagers believe her,” the Lieutenant answered bitterly.

A clatter of chairs around them was what brought them out of their engrossing conversation. Feeling the burning gazes on them, the Chargers all turned around slowly. Some of the people in the tavern recognized them and were now eyeing them suspiciously. A few of the bulkier men slowly stood up, reaching for their daggers.

“Prepare to run,” Skinner whispered to her comrades under her breath.

Krem cautiously glanced around for a way out, since the front doors were out of the question. He saw a backroom behind the bar and guessed it led to the storage room, and then to the back alley. Those storage rooms usually had a door that connected with the street, to easily bring new supplies in. “There,” he gestured with his chin to the doors, careful not to alarm the villagers of their intentions.

Skinner nodded, then quickly threw two flasks on the ground. As they shattered on impact, a thick smoke spread across the room, obscuring everyone’s vision. “Let’s go,” Krem yelled and the Chargers ran for the room behind the bar. He pushed the villagers aside as he ran, but didn’t hurt any of them. The last thing he wanted was to additionally demonize the Chargers – the Envy was already doing a good job of it on its own.

His speculation proved correct and they soon found themselves in the back alley, behind the tavern. They could hear confused and angry shouts from behind, and knew it was only a matter of time before their pursuers called for backup. They couldn’t stay there a moment longer.

~…..~

Dalish sighed, “So what do we do now?”

Grim grunted in displeasure.

“Yeah, it’s not my favorite place to be either, but we don’t really have a lot of choices,” Stiches sighed.

“I think I have straw in my trousers,” the dwarf grumbled.

They managed to sneak out of the village and towards the farmlands. They were currently hiding in a large barn, on the outskirts of the village. But all of them knew it was only a matter of time before someone notices them. The horses moved in agitation in their boxes, snorting at the uninvited guests. The mercenaries sat in hay, trying to ignore the strong stench of animals and manure.

“So the Envy won a battle. Now we’re even. We can still turn it around,” Rocky continued.

“It has a whole village after us,” Krem groaned in frustration. He put his head in his hands and ruffled his short hair, desperately searching for a solution.

“Pssst.”

A soft voice startled the Chargers and they turned towards the barn gates. There, a young girl of no more than 8 hid behind the gates, staring at them suspiciously. She whisperingly called out to them, “Are you the bad people my papa is after?”

The mercenaries glanced at each other, perplexed. If the girl suspected they were ‘the bad people,’ why talk to them instead of running to call an adult?

“Your papa?”

The girl nodded. Her blonde hair, tied in two braids, danced around her freckled face. “He is the village official,” she said with a voice filled with pride, although it sounded like something she memorized without understanding the meaning of it clearly.

The Chargers glanced at each other, before huddling into a circle to whisper among themselves, “You think he would believe us if we tell him the village was infiltrated by a demon that can take other people’s identities?”

“Without proof?”

“Maybe if we explained it in detail…”

“Or maybe he calls reinforcements and we end up on that pretty platform with a noose around our necks.”

“Whatcha talking about?” A sudden voice right behind them made the mercenaries jump in start. They turned around to see the girl rocking on her heels, hands behind her back, as she watched them curiously. “Mama says it’s not nice to whisper to each other in front of others,” she pouted, feeling excluded from the conversation.

“Well didn’t mama also teach you not to talk to strangers,” Skinner asked in an annoyed tone that clearly suggested “scram.”

The other elf elbowed her in the ribs and gave her a warning, sideways look.

The girl hummed, watching the elven rogue with two big green eyes. “But you’re the ones hiding in our barn,” she countered.

Rocky snickered, “Heh. Got you there.”

“We aren’t bad people. We just…got into a little bit of trouble,” Cremisius started to explain. “There is a bad creature after us, and we need to find it before it hurts anyone.”

“What…kind of creature?” The girl drew back a step, suddenly appearing fearful.

He exhaled slowly. *Great, now I frightener her,* he chastised himself mentally. “A demon.”

Suddenly tense, the girl bit her lip. After a while of thought, she spoke up again, “Then…you will kill that demon, right?”

The mage apostate whistled, “This is one dangerous kid.”

“We’re trying to,” their healer mumbled in disdain.

“Then I’ll help!” She suddenly announced, giving them a determined smile. “My name is Luca!”

“Whoa, wait a second! That’s too dangerous,” Stiches protested.

“Nice to meet you, Luca. We are the Bull’s Chargers,” Dalish ignored the healer, introducing them to the girl.

Luca blinked, tilting her head to the side inquisitively, “Who’s Bull?”

The Chargers all grinned as if she just said an amusing joke. “Someone you definitely don’t want to piss off.”

“And that also holds true for his men,” their Lieutenant added with a dangerous smirk.

~…..~

The girl brought them some food from the house, along with a map of the village by Krem’s request. She even showed them the best ways to move about without too many people noticing – “back streets where she often played with her friends without the grownups catching them,” she explained.

“Now be a good girl and stay inside your house. Don’t go out until the demon is taken care of,” the elven mage warned her like a stern older sister.

“Yes, ma’am,” the girl answered, albeit begrudgingly.

The Chargers were just about to leave when a sharp scream coming from the inner village drew their attention. Luca gasped in fright, “What was that.”

“Go inside, now,” Aclassi ordered, then nodded for his companions to move out.

As the girl ran back to her house, the Chargers hurried towards the sounds of screams. The noises got louder as people shuffled and commented in fearful, hushed voices. They stopped dead in their tracks at a grim scene. A woman was standing over what was once a body, but now looked as if nothing but skin remained, while everything else was sucked dry. A crowd of people was already gathering around the panicking woman as they examined the dead body with disgust. The villagers whispered in shock among themselves.

“I-it looks like the butcher, Vance.”

“Who…What did this?”

“A demon!? Was it some kind of demon?”

“How? How did he end up like this…It’s just skin, with no guts or bones.”

Krem turned towards the Chargers, whispering, “Once again, the demon has changed identity and left the old one behind.”

Just then he saw a familiar face running towards them. “Luca! Didn’t we tell you to stay home?” He scowled at the reckless child.

“But he told me to get you. That it was important. He…told me to tell you he is also with the Inquisition. That he was sent to help…with the demon,” she whispered with a knowing stare.

The mercenaries glanced at each other dubiously. “Who did?”

A troubled shadow passed over her expression. “Um…I didn’t catch his name. But he said he was here to help you – the Bull’s Chargers, he said.”

“It could be a trap,” Skinner murmured into her Lieutenant’s ear.

“Still better than running around blindly. Just stay on your guard,” he responded back in a whisper.

Alas, the Chargers had no time to catch a break and think of what will come next. “Hey, it’s them! The traitors of the Inquisition Seeker Pentaghast mentioned,” one of the villagers shouted as he spotted the mercenaries. As he pointed towards them, all eyes turned to them. Deadly stares pierced them.

“I bet they were the ones responsible for this murder,” a woman screamed in anger.

Soon, every gaze was filled with bloodlust. “Get them!”

The villagers, armed with barely any weapons yet outnumbering the mercenaries, rushed at them in blind rage.

“Shit. We can’t hurt civilians,” Krem warned with a shout, but they were getting overpowered by sheer numbers. He dodged one fist, then blocked a knife before tackling a villager to the ground. Attacked and overrun by the village folk, the Chargers had no choice but to split up. “Just run! We’ll meet up at the farm,” Aclassi relayed to his companions and turned to escape. He saw Skinner and Dalish disappear around the corner of the closest alley. Rocky and Stiches also made it out of the crowd, and were running in another direction. He sought out Grim with his eyes and saw him do an arm throw on one man over his back. He tried to rejoin him, but a group of villagers stood between them. “Go,” he mouthed to Grim, then turned to run into the closes alleyway, praying to the Maker it wasn’t a dead-end.

~…..~

“Are you sure this is the right way,” Dalish asked, trying to regain her labored breathing. Both she and Skinner stopped to catch their breaths momentarily. With Skinner’s roguish skills, they somehow managed to hide from the villagers. She held her breath in earnest while she watched the angry shems pass them by without noticing them.

“How should I know, I’ve never been to this backwater village before,” Skinner growled in annoyance. Not at the mage, but at the situation in general. All this running and hiding was pissing her off, and she was supposed to be used to it as a rogue. “I’m really starting to hate this place.”

“What, you think we should leave the villagers to their fates, then,” the apostate asked tauntingly, knowing full well Skinner wouldn’t really want that.

The other elf snorted. She was peeved, but not yet so callous to doom these ignorant shems for their stupidity. They needed to kill the Envy; if nothing else, for that little runt girl who helped them. And also, because the damned demon was really starting to get on her nerves.

The apostate smirked, getting the answer she wanted even if Skinner didn’t actually say anything. “Then let’s go meet up with the others.”

Skinner opened her mouth to retort when she noticed a familiar dwarf passing around the corner. “There. Rocky!” She grabbed Dalish by the wrist, and pulled her into a run after the dwarf.

“Hey, wait!” She exclaimed in surprise, but the rogue wouldn’t let go.

As they reached around the corner, there was no one there. And nothing but a dead-end.

“How can that be? I was sure I saw him,” Skinner muttered.

Dalish narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She stayed quiet, carefully listening around them and sensing for any insidious aura. Feeling something coming from behind, she spun around swiftly, only to see Rocky standing behind them.

“What are ye guys doing? Come on, let’s go,” the dwarven sapper called out, stepping towards them.

Skinner huffed, “Rocky, you scared the crap out of us.”

“Wait.” Dalish stopped her elven friend from proceeding any further. “We can’t know if that’s the real Rocky,” she warned.

“By the Ancestors, Dalish! Of course I’m the real Rocky. Aren’t I unique,” he laughed in jest.

“Sure sounds like him with that bad sense of humor,” the rogue muttered bleakly.

“Do not be fooled, we can’t know for certain.”

“Alright, then ask me anything. I’ll answer right, you’ll see,” the dwarf challenged.

But Dalish knew the Envy demon listened in and pried in people’s minds. It studied and learned of its future victims. Of its future identities it would take. Even if Rocky answered her questions correctly, it didn’t necessarily mean it’s not the Envy pretending to be him. And she could still feel this nagging feeling somewhere in the back of her mind. Finally, the mage smirked. “I have a better idea.” She summoned a fireball in her hand.

“Uhh, Dalish,” Skinner asked, starting to feel uncertain.

“Are ya crazy, Dalish?! That’ll kill me,” Rocky exclaimed in alarm.

“Mmm-hmm.” The fireball in her hand grew bigger, the fire swirling around as the heat intensified. “Don’t worry. If you get too burned, I’ll heal you,” she nonchalantly retorted.

Cold sweat appeared on Skinner’s temple and neck. She gulped as she saw the dwarf panic even more than her.

“Dalish!” Rocky screamed and Skinner gasped, as she threw the fireball at him.

Yet the dangerous spell never hit. Rocky disappeared from the spot, the fireball flying past and hitting a wall behind him. Instead, what used to be Rocky, swiftly dodged by jumping onto a wall where it was now crawling across. The Envy demon growled as its four long legs and two small, atrophied ones, scrapped on the stone.

“How dare you! You, who wasn’t even wanted by your own Clan,” the demon hissed in spite as it snarled at the apostate.

Dalish glared at the white creature, her tone turning murderous, “Don’t talk like you know me.”

Skinner clicked her tongue in irate and quickly threw three daggers at the creature. The Envy slithered away, but one hit its long leg, making the demon screech in pain. It suddenly jumped off the wall, right towards the two elves.

Dalish summoned a blast of energy to push it away, but not before the demon clawed at Skinner. The rogue dodged to the side, but one sharp claw scraped her forearm, ripping through her sleeve and all the way to the skin. The apostate’s spell managed to push the demon away and Envy slammed into the wall.

Ignoring her wounds, the rogue lunged at Envy, taking out her dual daggers from her sides. She spun on her heels, slashing at the demon horizontally and slicing through its thin legs.

With an angry screech, the demon grabbed the rogue with its other two legs and tried to sink its teeth into her flesh. It got a mouthful of pure energy from Dalish’ spell instead. It hissed angrily, before jumping up and digging its claws into the stone wall. Clinging to the wall, it started climbing, scuttling upwards on its four legs.

“It’s getting away,” the mage shouted in alarm, throwing another fireball at the demon.

The fireball missed as the demon disappeared on the rooftops. But it did not run away entirely. Dalish and Skinner could hear its voice echoing around them, even though they couldn’t pinpoint its exact location.

“Two little elves…One suffering in the alienage, the other abandoned by her Clan. Poor little elves…,” a mocking tone of Envy sang.

“Why don’t you say that to my face, you coward,” Skinner shouted in anger, glaring at the empty space around her.

Envy’s voice continued, undisturbed by her threats, “Why aren’t you with your Clan, Dalish? Even though you are a mage…you should be a Keeper’s First. Or….did the Clan already have too many mages,” the demon guessed.

Dalish’s eye twitched – a subtle change in her expression the demon instantly caught. It fed on knowledge about people, after all, so it was an expert on studying them.

“Aaah,” the demon noted in interest. “So that is it…Your Keeper chose someone else instead of you, so you were left behind. You weren’t good enough.”

The elven apostate gripped her staff tighter as a painful pang stung her chest, even as she tried to hide it.

“Shut up, you bastard!” Skinner retorted instead of her. “Don’t listen to it, it’s only trying to mess with your mind!”

“I know,” Dalish murmured, narrowing her eyes at the demon she couldn’t see.

“Oh! And there is the other one. Always so tough, aren’t you? Always ready to argue.” The Envy turned its attention to Skinner. “Hiding under that thick skin. Who could ever want such a belligerent person by their side,” the demon cackled.

Skinner snarled. “You have nothing on me, demon.”

The monster cackled again, this time sounding like nails scraping against a wall. “Not yet.”

With that last threat, the malicious presence around them suddenly disappeared.

“Is it gone,” Skinner asked the mage, unsure and still rigid from being on guard.

Dalish was silent for a while, listening and feeling the atmosphere. Then she nodded. “I believe so.”

The rogue sighed. “At least we managed to wound it.”

The mage tightened her jaw in irate, “And you got hurt in the process…Show me your arm, I’ll heal it.”

“I’m fine,” the other complained, but stretched out her arm for her anyway. As she saw a blue healing light envelope her forearm, she glanced at Dalish’ focused face. “About what the demon said-,” she started carefully, not wanting to antagonize her friend.

Dalish interrupted her before she could finish, “Don’t worry about it. It’s just trying to get a reaction out of us so it can trick us into revealing more about ourselves. Don’t take the bait.”

It was evident she didn’t want to talk about it, so Skinner respected her wishes and left it be. “All right.”

~…..~

Cremisius cursed under his breath as he snuck around the streets, clad in a stolen cape he found drying on a nearby rope. The dark grey cloth concealed his heavy armor and the hood kept his Tevinter features from plain view.

*I have no time to waste, I need to find the others.* He picked up his pace and walked in a hurry, cringing every time his armor rattled under his step, bringing about unwanted attention from the passersby. One thing he couldn’t get out of his mind was what Luca said earlier; “He came to help you!”

*Yet who is he,* Krem asked himself, despite being unable to find an answer. He headed for the farm the Chargers agreed to meet at, but he doubted they could stay there long without endangering the little girl. *Surely her parents won’t help us now, either. Not after what they witnessed in the village. Everyone thinks we are responsible,* he sighed mentally.

That’s when he spotted them – Grim, Rocky and Stiches, talking with someone, heatedly flailing their arms. He jogged closer to the group and gasped when he saw they were talking to none other than the Iron Bull; well, Stiches and Rocky did all the talking and Grim made grunting noises. The Qunari hid his horns and face with a cape much like Krem’s, but he could hardly hide his large frame. He was starting to attract attention. The rest of his comrades added to that as they continued explaining to him everything that happened in a confusing rush.

“Chief,” Krem exclaimed, his heart suddenly feeling a whole ton lighter. He couldn’t help but widen his lips in a relieved smile, his brown eyes sparkling with life.

Bull noticed him approaching and gave him that wide, confident grin of his. So this is who Luca meant when she said an agent of the Inquisition came to help them.

“I heard from Red that you’ve encountered a pretty nasty demon, so I came to lend a hand. Seems like you need it,” the Qunari’s grin never faltered.

Krem gave a nervous smile, but for just a second there, Bull’s words felt off. *No, well, if he headed to Ferelden right after receiving our message, it’s not strange that he got here in time. I should be glad. But…then why am I feeling like this?* A part of him was relieved, but something was itching deep under his skin. “Seems like you needed it,” he said. *Well that’s true…But it’s not like we are well over our heads with this mission,* he mulled over the words. Didn’t the Chief usually have more confidence in them?

The odd feeling was discarded when Rocky interrupted his thoughts, “We should get away from here before the villagers notice us.”

“That’s right. We agreed to meet with the others at a farm nearby,” the healer informed Bull.

Bull nodded, “Let’s not waste any more time, then.”

~…...~

As they walked on the unpaved path towards the farmlands again, the Chargers kept talking to the Iron Bull with relieved smiles on their faces, telling him of everything they encountered on their mission so far.

Bull laughed, “You’ve been busy. Don’t worry, now that I’m here, we can’t lose, right? Just listen to me and that demon will be food for the vultures…uhh, do vultures even feast on demons?”

Rocky laughed, “It’s good to have you back with us, Chief.”

Krem gave a weak smile, but he still couldn’t shake off this funny feeling he had. The Qunari sounded like Bull and yet…just a little bit off. “Hey. What exactly happened in Haven?”

Bull hummed in question, glancing over his broad shoulder at Krem. “Haven?” His tone barely sounded concerned. “A shitstorm, that’s what. They were completely obliterated.”

“Don’t you mean ‘you,’” he corrected. “You were there too, right?”

Bull blinked with one good eye, then smirked. “Hey, I’m not so weak that I would die there, so no, not me.”

Now even Grim, Stiches and Rocky stopped walking, watching the Iron Bull curiously. That didn’t sound like something he would say. But an Envy demon….that thing would never admit that it wasn’t strong enough. That it lost to something.

Suddenly, he felt his throat and lips go dry and he swallowed, before licking his lips to wet them. He decided to ask one final question. One thing that would really lift any veil of deception left. “Chief…You know, I always wanted to thank you…you accepted me into your Company and made me your second-in-command…even though I’m not really a man. Doesn’t it bother you sometimes? After all, Qunari don’t have women warriors, right?”

In truth, Krem and the Iron Bull had a similar conversation about this long ago. It was when the Chargers and Bull decided to appoint Krem as their Lieutenant. He didn’t know how to respond at the time, especially after his dreadful experiences in the Imperium military. But even to this day, he remembered what Bull had told him then.

The Iron Bull in front of him smiled, though there seemed to be a glint of annoyance in his eye. As if wordlessly telling him to stop wasting his time on such nonsense. “Hey, come on Krem, I don’t care that you’re not a real man. You know that already.”

Cremisius huffed. A small smile lingered on his lips, but his eyes were blank now. He was far from happy. “Close, but not quite right, Chief,” he muttered. He took out his sword from the sheath on his hip. The rest of the Chargers took a step back from the Qunari, realizing it wasn’t their leader.

Grim was the first to attack, swinging down with his giant two-handed sword. Bull jumped backwards, dodging the blow, then took the large axe from his back. With a roar, he swung downward once, right in the middle of where the Chargers were standing. The axe shook the ground, splitting it around the weapon and rising the dust in the air, until a cloud enveloped everyone and obscured their vision.

Coughing, Krem put a hand over his face to try and shield his mouth and eyes from the dust. When the cloud settled and he opened his teary eyes, he saw something large and white running across the high grass and into a golden-colored cornfield. It disappeared from sight, and he could only see the wheat stalks shaking wildly as it passed through them.

Grim have a grunt, bringing everyone’s attention. He was pointing in the direction of where the demon disappeared, but also past that.

“Grim’s right. The farmhouse we are about to meet at is that way.”

“Luca,” Stiches exclaimed in alarm.

They ran for the farmhouse, cutting their way through the cornfields just like the Envy demon did.

“Sod it all, dwarfs weren’t made for running,” Rocky shouted while he legged behind as they ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

Arriving at the barn they hid in before, they could see Dalish and Skinner already waiting for them. They stopped for a second, completely breathless. Both Grim and Krem wore heavy armor and Rocky had to work twice as hard to keep up, so they were all drained by the time they finally arrived.

“What’s going on,” Dalish asked, seeing the men were in distress.

“The demon…it went for the farmhouse. Did you see it?”

“Uhh...no?”

“It might already be inside with Luca,” Krem realized in dread.

The Chargers all gazed towards the small house connected to the farm. Luca’s home.

“We need to check it out,” Stiches demanded.

Grim nodded in agreement, staying silent but tense.

“Then what are we waiting for,” Skinner growled, taking deliberate steps towards the house.

The Chargers all followed suit, even as the woman practically burst through the unlocked doors.

“Hello!? Anyone here!?” Dalish called out, clutching at her bow with a crystal on top, with both hands.

“What should we tell the people living here? ‘Hello, we just committed a crime of breaking and entering, but it’s for your own good,’” Krem asked with a sigh.

“Who cares?! If they complain about the door, just tell them the demon did it,” the rogue shrugged.

“Guys!” A high-pitched, happy voice made them all flinch and turn around. They saw those familiar big green eyes glinting in excitement.

“Luca! You’re ok,” Stiches smiled warmly, feeling relieved.

“Come! Meet my new friend. He said he’d keep me company until mama and papa arrive. But he said you’ll be joining us too,” she squealed. She took Krem’s fingers in her tiny hand and dragged him into the other room, still talking. The rest of the group followed after them. “He’s a man, but he’s really pretty. And his face is painted, like Dalish, but different. And he has strange white hair, and funny ears like Dalish and Skinner…Ah, cause he’s an elf!”

The group glanced at each other in wonder, then laid eyes on an elf sitting in an old chair, legs crossed. He smiled politely, but there was a burning hunger and malice in those big crystal-blue eyes.

“He said he’s the Herald of Andraste,” Luca continued, running over to him.

“Luca, don’t!” Krem tried to stop her but it was too late. The girl already joined the white-haired elf, and the man put a hand on her shoulder as he drew her closer to him.

The one with the face of Lavellan smirked at the Chargers, “It’s the Inquisitor now, actually. Humans are so fickle, they can’t even decide what to call me,” he chuckled, but there was something malevolent in that act.

“Let go of her. Now,” Aclassi hissed, glaring at the fake elf.

The girl blinked in confusion. “What’s wrong, Krem? Aren’t you all friends? The Herald said you were friends.”

The tattoos on Nymrodel’s face twisted along with his expression, as he grinned slyly. “That’s right…Aren’t we all friends, Krem?”

Skinner took a step forward, but as soon as she did, Nymrodel’s hand on Luca’s shoulder squeezed. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to make the Chargers realize the demon was holding her hostage and had no qualms about killing her.

“What do you want, demon?” Dalish purposely called him that, to enlighten Luca on the dangerous reality of the situation.

Luca’s eyes widened in fear, “Demon?” Her voice wavered, suddenly sounding small and soft.

“Don’t worry, Luca. We won’t let it hurt you,” the Tevinter announced in confidence.

His determination didn’t go well with the demon, however. “Oh, is that so? Such hollow confidence…for someone so insecure inside.”

The girl started struggling in the demon’s grip, but it held her with vice-like strength now, bruising her shoulder. “No! Let go!”

“Just tell us what you want,” Krem seethed in anger.

“You.” The demon grinned and stood up slowly, still holding the girl close to him. “I want to know all about you. And then, all about the Inquisition and Nymrodel Lavellan, through you.”

He gulped, remembering how easily the Envy demon invaded his mind before. But he also recalled another fact; when he defeated it in his mind, it weakened it somewhat, giving the others a chance to wound it. Perhaps, he can do it again. “And if I agree, you will let the girl go?”

“When I learn all I can from you, I will let the girl go,” Envy promised with a sly smile. His tongue licked his lips like a starving man in front of a feast. It might have had Nym’s face, but that was where all similarities ended.

“Don’t be a fool, Lieutenant. Demons always trick you in the end. No deal can end well with them,” Dalish argued, glaring at the fake Herald.

Krem smiled back at her, “That’s why I have you to watch my back.” He gave her a knowing smile that made Dalish stop mid-argument and stare at him in interest.

“Alright, demon. Let’s see what you’ve got,” he glowered back at Envy.

The demon screeched in glee, its voice nothing like something an elf would produce. In the next instant as Krem blinked, he realized he wasn’t in the farmhouse’s living area anymore. Instead, he was back at those strange crossroads in the glen, enveloped by a thick mist.

“Last time you tried to defeat me here, you failed Envy,” he gloated, shouting at the air.

“This time will be different. This time I know even more about you, Tevinter,” a voice responded from seemingly nowhere.

People started appearing around him again, and Krem instinctively took out his sword and shield, preparing for battle. He swallowed hard when he realized the people surrounding him were his friends – Dalish, Skinner, Rocky, Stiches, Grim and even the Iron Bull. They were all here, staring at him blankly with those greenly glowing eyes.

They all spoke in unison, like they shared a collective mind, “Let us begin, Cremisius Aclassi.”

~…..~

“I can’t believe that idiot let himself be pulled into the demon’s trap,” Skinner barked, completely enraged by the situation.

Grim growled, concurring with her.

“Calm down, it’s not over yet. He knows what he’s doing, so let’s believe in him,” Dalish muttered, still staring intently at the eerie person in front of them.

Envy held onto the struggling girl, staring back at the apostate. “Do not worry, elf. You will be next.” It smiled reassuringly, yet it came out looking twisted.

“You’re cornered. You have nowhere to run,” their healer glared at it.

The demon hissed. Its laugh sounded like it was choking on paper. “We shall see-,” it suddenly cut off, its eye – Nym’s eye – twitching.

The Chargers watched it in confusion as they saw it jerk its head in anger, then growl, as if it was fighting a battle inside its own mind. No, inside Krem’s mind.

~…..~

Krem ran, although with labored steps from all his heavy armor and weapons. He didn’t stay in that glen like last time, but instead chose a cobblestone path and started on it. He was trying to keep his distance from the things chasing him – things that still held the form of his friends.

The path was winding, leading through the trees as a glen turned into a forest. The mist kept sticking to his limbs as if trying to pull him back and slow him down. He could hear numerous footsteps behind him, thundering on the cobblestone without any rhythm. They were getting closer.

*Now,* he told himself and swiftly turned around, rising his sword and shield. He didn’t wait to see who it was – didn’t want to see. He blocked an incoming sword and stabbed with his own weapon, piercing the attacker’s chest. Two light grey eyes widened as they stared at him, confusion and pain in them, as if wordlessly asking him ‘Why?’ Krem found himself face to face with the scarred face he would always recognize. “Stiches,” he whispered, aching guilt dripping from his words. He wanted to apologize, to explain, but stopped himself. *It’s not really him. This is all a lie! It’s not him,* he kept repeating in his mind.

He saw a flash of metal coming from his side and quickly pulled his sword from the healer’s chest, stepping back and raising his shield. The impact from the large sword was so heavy and strong, it almost brought him to his knees. His shield arm was numb with pain coursing through it from the blow. But years of training steeled his grip, and he held the shield up despite his shaking arm. He saw an armored warrior in front of him, wielding a giant two-handed sword that was almost as long as he was. “Grim,” Krem stated sourly.

The person said nothing, only attacked again, swinging his sword at him horizontally. Krem held his shield to block, digging his feet into the ground so he wouldn’t be swept away by the strong blow. On impact, the metal of his shield rang like a loud bell across the dark forest. The shield resonated and shook, as he felt another stab of coursing pain in his forearm. Even as he supported his shield with his shoulder, he still felt the sharp impact in his wrist. Grim’s broadsword was a force to be reckoned with, and so was the man himself. He was much brawnier than he appeared. Krem knew his shield arm wouldn’t be able to take many more of those strong blows, but it was hard to find an opening and leap forth to attack - Grim’s sword was much broader and longer than his longsword.

A voice echoed from the darkness around him. “Give up. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let go. It is just a matter of time. Your friends will die, and then you…But ‘you’ will come back to the Inquisition as the lone survivor of the demon hunt.”

The Tevinter gritted his teeth, “Like I’ll let that happen!”

“Like I’ll let that happen,” Envy repeated in the same tone. It sounded disturbingly close to his own voice.

He waited for another horizontal strike from Grim’s sword, aimed for his head, then crouched low and jumped down into a side-roll to avoid it. Rolling back to his feet, still in a crouch, he slashed with his sword. The slice cut into the man’s thigh just above the knee - he had to aim for places that weren’t heavily armored in steel.

The fake Grim stumbled, but stayed on his feet. He swung with both hands, bringing his weapon down towards Krem’s head. Aclassi was still down on one knee when he lifted his shield to block the attack as best he could. The strong impact rattled his arm, but he took that opportunity to push the shield up and to the side, sliding the weapon away with it and leaving Grim open. He stabbed upwards with his sword, piercing the man’s side, just below the ribs. Grim doubled over and took a few steps back, the sword sliding out of him. He groaned in pain, hacking blood as he coughed.

Krem could hear more footsteps approaching and glanced to see the Chargers running towards them, armed to the teeth. With one final slash of his sword, he sliced Grim’s throat and ended his suffering – if it could even be called ‘an end’ for an apparition.

He was breathing hard, tired an aching, but he started his run again. It was his only tactic – run until one or two opponents caught up, then defeat them before the others join the fight, and then run again. He glanced over his shoulder again, seeing two bodies of his friends bleeding lifelessly on the ground. He clenched his jaw in anger, ignoring the guilt bubbling inside him, as he knew full well it was what the demon was counting on. Without looking back, he escaped the bloody scene.

“Aaargh! Useless! Useless! Just give up and let me subdue you! You think I am not learning of you this way? But I am. Your every reaction, every emotion, every expression; it all tells me of you! It all helps me to know you!” Envy screamed after him from the darkness, but it sounded angry now. Less patient than before.

Aclassi smirked at the frustration in its voice. This was working. And he was sure it was also having effect on the Envy outside. He only had to hold out long enough for his comrades to finish the job. He knew they could do it. He believed in each and every one of them.

~…..~

Envy twitched again, this time letting out a soft growl.

The Chargers understood it was experiencing something…something was happening inside of Krem’s mind and it was making it lose its concentration. It wasn’t focused on the girl so much either.

Dalish saw Luca catch her breath and watch her silently. She gave a tiny nod to the girl. Not long ago, it was a gesture the Envy would surely notice and act upon, but not this time. It was too preoccupied battling inside of Krem’s mind.

Skinner also noticed it and she stepped a bit behind Dalish, masking her movement from clear view. She carefully took out a throwing knife, keeping her eyes on the twitching creature. The next moment happened in a split of a second, but it all felt as if in slow-motion. Skinner threw her knife and it pierced the fake Nym’s shoulder of the arm that was still holding Luca. With a surprised yelp, the demon momentarily loosened its grip, allowing the girl to wriggle herself out and escape. The demon reached after her as she frantically ran towards the Chargers, but it was stopped when a shower of wooden splinters flew at it.

Dalish used her magic to crumble a chair and used those sharp pieces of wood like weapons, sending them flying with great speed towards the demon.

Nym’s body dissolved before their eyes, rising in stature as the new body towered over them. Even for a demon, Envy looked deformed in its true form. It screeched at them in anger.

Rocky sneered in disgust, “Paragon’s balls! No matter how many a time I see its ugly-ass form, it still makes me want to vomit.”

“Luca, run outside and tell the villagers what happened,” Stiches ordered her, pushing the girl out of the living area and through the front door.

The girl looked behind her in uncertainty, “But you-”

“We’ll be fine,” the healer assured her. “Now go, child!”

The demon tried to go after her. It slammed one hand into Dalish, sending her flying, then quickly dodged a sword attack from Stiches. It clawed at Skinner who tried to flank it, and jumped out of the window, shattering the glass in the process.

“Don’t let it get away!” Stiches jumped out of the window after it.

Dalish acted fast, summoning her cold magic. The freezing ice enveloped the demon’s many legs, immobilizing it for a moment. It hissed in anger, trashing around. The apostate was momentarily distracted as she heard Krem cough and moan in pain. He looked deathly pale, even with his Tevinter-tan skin. Whatever Envy was doing in his mind, the connection needed to be broken fast.

Envy managed to shatter the ice around it, only for its way to be cut off by Grim. It clawed at him with two long arms, but the man quickly moved the broadsword in front of him to block both of them. He stepped back and swung his sword sideways, aiming to split the demon in half. It jumped in the air to avoid it, but Skinner already predicted that move and sent four daggers flying into the air. It twisted in the air to dodge them, but two hit its side and shoulder, and it growled in pain. It turned its attention to the rogue and landed right on top of her, making the elf lose her balance and fall beneath the white monster. She grit her teeth in agony as she felt Envy dig her claws into her shoulders, to hold her down. The demon opened its jaws wide, ready to sink its strangely human-looking teeth into her neck, when it suddenly stopped.

It hissed as if hurt, its thin body trembling. “No. No! How dare you! Stop resisting!” It didn’t sound like the shout was meant for her.

Skinner didn’t waste this chance. She pulled out her dual daggers and slashed at its exposed throat, making the demon gurgle and sneer, pulling back like a wounded spider.

Rocky helped her up, then threw yellow powder at the demon’s face, which burned its skin like acid. It screamed in surprise.

“I think Krem’s dealing blows to it in his mind and it’s weakening Envy,” Dalish called out as she ran outside.

The Chargers quickly surrounded the demon, not letting it escape this time.

It hissed menacingly, moving around and slashing at them like a cornered animal. Every time it would attack one mercenary, another would strike at it.

Grim used an opportunity when it tried attacking Dalish and cut one of its long legs off. It bellowed in pain and tried to jump over the circle of mercenaries, only to be stopped by Dalish as she uprooted a large boulder from the ground and sent it flying right at the demon. Stiches cut off its other leg, leaving it only with two long ones.

“This cannot be! This cannot be! Don’t you know who I am!?”

It suddenly changed appearance again, turning into a form of a badly injured Seeker Lucius. “I am Lord Seeker Lucius! How dare you attack me,” it shouted in his voice.

Skinner responded by kicking the man in the gut, hard, “Don’t fuck with us!”

Dalish clicked her tongue in annoyance, summoning fire in her hands and blasting it in waves at the fake Lord Seeker.

The man screamed, first in a human voice, but it soon turned into a monster’s howl of pain. The human morphed again, turning into Lavellan. “I am the Inquisitor! I am the Herald of Andraste!” Once again, all it got was a sword attack from Grim, cutting off another leg so it wouldn’t escape, while Stiches pierced his sword through its side. It screamed and writhed, dragging itself on the ground. Nym changed again, this time to a form of their Company’s captain. The Iron Bull’s voice resonated like thunder as he demanded, “I command you to stop! That’s an order!”

“Give it up, Envy.” A familiar voice came from the entrance of the farmhouse. The Chargers looked back to see Cremisius walking over to them. His shield was still on his back, but he had his sword in hand. There was a confident smirk on his lips, even though he looked mentally exhausted.

“Krem!”

“Lieutenant!”

The Chargers exclaimed in relief, grinning from ear to ear when they saw him alive and well.

“You’re alright now?”

Krem chuckled, “Yeah. I was under some serious stress inside my mind, but the more of Envy I defeated, the weaker it became outside, right? I thought I’d be able to keep it occupied long enough to give you guys a chance. Seems I was right,” he grinned.

“That was some crazy plan…Don’t ever do that again,” Skinner glared at him.

“I owe you one, too. You guys injured it enough that it accidentally broke its hold over me.” Krem gave her a smile, but it soon faded as he walked over to Envy. It changed back to its real body again, and was twisting and trashing in pain on the ground, still screaming at them.

“Impossible! Impossible! How could I lose!? I, the Senior Enchanter! I, the Lord Seeker! I, the Magister!” It kept rambling about its past identities, completely losing all sense.

Aclassi’s sword came down in one swift move, severing Envy’s head from its body and ending its cries for good. The body kept twitching like a headless insect even after it died. He sighed, “Finally over.”

Just as he said that, angry shouts and voices traveled towards them. The Chargers gazed up to see an angry mob of villagers charging their way, armed to the teeth with knives, pitchforks and anything else they could find.

“I think you said that too soon,” Dalish winced, and Grim grunted in agreement.

“A bunch of armed, angry shems…I can tell you from experience that never ends well,” Skinner snarled.

“It’s them! The traitors! Get them!” One of the villagers shouted, but a small girl stepped in front of the angry mob.

“No, you’re wrong! They saved me from the demon! It was all the demon’s fault!” The girl desperately screamed at the top of her lungs to be heard.

The men and women of the village frowned in wonder, but luckily the irrefutable evidence was still twitching on the ground, in all its deformed glory – or at least what was left of it.

Krem pointed at Envy’s corpse and smirked, “The kid’s right.”

~…..~

The Chargers stood at the outskirts of the village, the sun rising over the horizon as the pale sky greeted a new day. Luca’s parents decided to let them stay the night in their home as a ‘thank you’ for everything the Company did for the village. They rested and got a free meal and lodging, before heading out again. It gave them time to recuperate and for Stiches to heal their wounds.

The parents nodded to their daughter and she ran over to the mercenaries to give them one final goodbye before they left the village.

“Thank you for protecting me,” Luca smiled at them from ear to ear, her freckles dancing on her cheeks as she did.

Grim, the ever-so-serious warrior, knelt down in front of her and brought a hand from behind his back. There was a single white flower in his hand, and he handed it to the girl with a nod. His expression stayed humorless even then. The girl smiled at him, her face beaming brightly. It was a face cute enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. He patted her head as she took the flower in her small hands.

“I’ll miss all of you,” Luca said with a sad smile.

“You’ll be ok, lass. Just stay tough like you were against that demon, huh?” Rocky winked at her.

“And no more making friends with strangers, alright!? You’re making your parents worry,” Skinner warned with a stern expression.

The girl nodded firmly. “I promise, I’ll be careful.”

Dalish smiled, “There’s definitely an adventurer in you, da’len.”

The Chargers said their goodbyes to her before turning back to face the road ahead.

“Where will you go now?” Luca asked.

The Chargers exchanged glances, knowing smiles lingering on their lips. “It seems there’s one more asshole whose ass needs kicking, so we better get to it. I bet the Chief is all worried by now, too.” Krem smirked, his eyes gleaming.

As they hit the dirt road, they could see Luca waving for a long time before she and her parents became nothing but dots in the distance. Soon, even the village was barely in sight – only a smudge on the horizon behind them.

That’s when Rocky spoke up, “You know where we could stop by before we reach the main camp?”

The Chargers were silent for a while before one of them responded, “Tavern?”

“Tavern!” The dwarf exclaimed and his friends laughed in unison.

#dragon age inquisition #bull's chargers #the iron bull #iron bull #cremisius krem aclassi #Rocky #Stiches #Grim #Skinner #Krem #lavellan #inquisitor #original characters #Dalish #fanfiction #took from cannon what I could from the reports #HCIMF

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