Dragon Age Inquisition: Legend of the Dovahkin

Unlikely Companions

It wasn't long after the pair had finished their chat that Hardvak's hearing picked up several pairs of feet trudging through the snow outside the shack.

"You get a lot of visitors?" Hardvak asked.

"Why do you care?" Alduin growled back, not tensing up in the slightest as the sound of feet through snow became more obvious.

"Bastard!" Something large and heavy plowed into the door, knocking it off it's hinges and sending it flying into the shack. Just barely missing the duo inside. Hardvak's gaze bounded from the door, back to Alduin, and then finally to the intruders who began filling the shack.

The first through, the obvious leader, was a tall beast of a man with heavy scars littering his hairles face. In his hands a large steel warhammer that was more than likely the culprit of the collapsed door. Flanking him were a pair of dagger wielding Elven women with matching dark hair and sea blue eyes, and a trio of blonde, muscular men who looked so alike they could've been brothers. All of them wore shoddy armor that had seen better days and carried old, dull, and generally ill-cared for weapons. Coupled with the aura of confidence that filled the room when they entered, as if they were somehow intimidating, and Hardvak was well on his way to not liking these people.

"You've got some serious balls. Thinking you could get away stealing from me!" He sneered at the sight of a tied up Alduin before realizing that he couldn't have done that to himself...and that he wasn't alone. The man's gaze slithered over the other occupant in the room and one side of his mouth curled up in an ugly grin."Well damn. Good on ya old timer. Saved me the trouble."

Hardvak's sigh filled the room. It always had to be something didn't it? Of course Alduin couldn't have just been up here out of sight and out of mind. "What he do to piss you guys off?" The nord asked rubbing his eyes.

" Bastard's taken something that's not his. Profits been going down for Andraste knows how long, And then this monster has the balls to actually go and steal from us!" He ended with glare towards the scaled one.

"Profits...Ah." Hardvak said with a short nod. He glanced around the room again. A total of six of them. "And just how much profit do you usually get?"

"A passing caravan. A family who gets lost in the mountains. The usual stuff." The leader replied.

Wow. Hardvak had to respect the man's honesty. He wasn't even trying to hide who he was or what he did. There was something admirable in that way of thinking. Of course it was probably buried so low it would never see the light of day.

"Boss. Do you really think we should just..." The one of the Elves started noticing Hardvak's eyes dart around them. She at least was smart enough to sense that he wasn't what he seemed. He made a note to keep her alive. Maybe her and the other elf since they stood beside eachother.

"Quiet Kara. It's not like this old bastard's going to tell anyone anyway." The leader interrupted with a yell before tensing up. As he lifted his warhammer over his head, Hardvak's hand shot to his sword hilt. With a roar the man's hammer crashed into the ground right where Hardvak should've been standing. Before he could figure out that the old man had nimbly side stepped his attack, he felt a searing pain explode from his chest that only intensified with each millisecond. He looked down to see a sharp Skyrim style steel sword impaired through both his armor and the skin it was supposed to protect.

"Havin' me tell is the least of your worries" Hardvak replied with a low growl as the man's sight darkened. Hardvak hated bandits, always had. Dishonarable bastards and bitches, preying like wolves on those too weak to defend themselves. He drew his blade back out from the man's chest with a quick jerk sending a geyser of blood from hulking man spraying to to the floor before collapsing. Sword in hand, Hardvak's cold gaze then went to the others who all went pale with fear as they tried to comprehend what just happened. "Now then, how about we talk about those profits."