Location: The Wounded Coast. Mission: XP Grinding and Goldfarming

[birdofkirkwall]

Hawke still has a while to go before she reaches the fifty gold mark, so today finds her and her three companions out on the wounded coast and searching for the slaver den rumored to be in the area.

It was hard, dirty work, but no one said it'd be easy and someone had to do it. Not to mention the reward the guards were offering, that would make a

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[igetthatalot]

And if it came right down to it, there were plenty of worse places to be making money hunting down people for the guards. The sewers, for one thing. Darktown, another.

"At least out here we're out in the fresh air," Varric mutters. "How close are we to our lead, now?"

[venhedis]

"It's a stroll in the garden, to be sure," says Fenris wryly. "We cannot find them soon enough for me." He raises his head to look farther down their path.

[birdofkirkwall]

"We have to get our exercise somehow," Hawke says, straightening from her crouched position at the side of the poor mercenary that had tried to get the better of them. "May as well get paid doing it."

The few things she's lifted from their unfortunate adversary disappear into various hidden pockets, and a map comes out. She takes a moment to unfold it, and gauges their position in relation to where Aveline had marked.

"Shouldn't be too much further, just over the next crest."

[igetthatalot]

"In that case-"

There's a creaking sound or two as Varric makes a few preparations.

"Bianca just loves surprises. Handing them out, mostly. I'm ready when you are."

[venhedis]

"Excellent." In one smooth motion, Fenris unsheathes his longsword from back scabbard and settles into a ready stance. "Let them come."

[birdofkirkwall]

Bethany chimes in with her readiness, flames already flickering around her hands as Hawke unsheathes her daggers and moves forward, ducked low as to better creep up on their prey.

The come up the rise and to a sudden ledge, the slavers visible below them. Well, Aveline was right, there was something going on here, that's for sure.

With one last grin over her shoulders at her three companions, Hawke cheerfully throws herself from the ledge, only to land neatly on the shoulders of an unsuspecting slaver, quickly bringing her dagger down for a killing blow.

[igetthatalot]

She's good at that. Varric can't deny that fact. He himself prefers a less... mmm, stabby... approach.

THOQQ.

Score one for Bianca; that slaver's going to have a very hard time using that arm ever again no matter *how* much magic he gets used on it.

[venhedis]

Fenris counts ten slavers still living; indeed, this will be a stroll in the garden for he and his friends.

With a crack of muted thunder, streams of liquid silver begin to flow over Fenris's body. He rushes into battle and quickly takes down the nearest foe with a swift slice upward from ribcage to collar bone. "Bring me another!" he calls.

[birdofkirkwall]

And another he gets, as a well-placed spell from Bethany sends a few slavers flying towards him.

Hawke, as per her usual, is anywhere and everywhere on the battlefield, dancing away from a blade one moment, only to slide behind her foe the next, felling them with a well placed blade to the vitals.

[igetthatalot]

The slavers aren't standing there gaping, of course. They're rounding on their enemies and fighting back with everything they've got. Not that it's likely to do them much good...

"Don't say I never gave you anything!" Varric answers, and lets off a shot from his crossbow that pins one of Bethany's spell-slung slavers' feet to the ground.

[venhedis]

"A welcome gift," Fenris growls. He spins to face the pinned slaver and swings his heavy sword in a low arc that cuts both her legs off below the knees. She falls to the ground screaming, and the last thing she sees is Fenris's triumphant snarl as he smashes his blade down to cleave her skull in two.

[birdofkirkwall]

The quartet is nothing if not efficient, and despite the resistance the four systematically work their way through the remaining slavers until none are left standing. Sheathing her blades, Hawke nudges one with her boot.

"I hope Aveline didn't want us to bring any of these fine people in alive."

[venhedis]

Fenris's lip curls up in a cynical grin. "If she likes, we can bring her the heads."

He wipes his blade on the gambeson of one of the fallen slavers, and sheathes it across his back.

[igetthatalot]

"We could put on a puppet show if we did that," says Varric. "I think she'll be satisfied as it stands, though. Just a hunch."

[birdofkirkwall]

"Good hunch," she quips. "Somehow, I don't think puppet theatre in the guard's barracks would go over well."

Absently, she nudges one of the dead slavers with her boot and cants her head towards the cave in the cliff face.

"Why don't we go see what this bunch had stored in there?"

[venhedis]

"Let me guess," Fenris says with a snort. "A dozen poisonous spiders, a rage demon and a pair of torn trousers." He grins mirthlessly. "I can hardly stand the excitement."