[Redd]

***

Hooves pounded against hard earth in a rhythmic cacophony, flinging up soil as the pair of beasts raced across the vast yellow plains. In front, a beautiful white stallion raced ahead, his steel coloured mane streaming in the wind, the woman perched on his back moving as one with the war horse. Behind, Korinne necessarily wasn't clinging on for dear life or anything, but she definitely was not comfortable on her animal, even if the black mare wasn't anything less than impressive.

Unlike Ashe, she'd never grown up with horses, well not the lean, fast, battle-ready version of the animal anyway. She'd grown up with big draft horses, a pair of bays, at least 17 hands high. The giants were patient and gentle with both her and the twins and due to their role, carrying the family's cart around every time they had to skip town due to Templars, she'd become very accustomed to the animals. You said horse, that's what she'd think of, a slow, gentle giant, not some flighty little thing.

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Sadly, they'd lost the horses during the Blight. It had been too risky and impractical to try and find a safe spot for them so they'd turned them loose before attempting to flee the Darkspawn army. She liked to think they'd managed to make it to the Brecilian Forest or something. Korinne had been planning to buy her mother another pair when they started becoming more settled in Kirkwall and she had the land and money from her share in the Bone Pits, but finding similar animals was incredibly difficult. And then well... blood mages happened.

Better shelf that thought for another time, huh.

Sealing off still fresh wounds, she pressed that to the back of her mind. It was so easy to keep going back to those memories, but for her own sake, they needed to be locked up in the vault. Locked up damn tight.

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Up ahead, Ashe pulled on the reins, slowing her horse down, Korinne's horse following suite without even being told - ah, that's why Ashe insisted she take the mare - slowing into a trot and circling back around. "Hey, they're up ahead. See that cliff?" Ashe pointed across the grass lands.

"Yeah, I think so?" Korinne muttered, squinting and raising a hand to shield her eyes from the glare. Through the haze it was hard to make out the small canvas tents pitched up against the rock face, but she didn't doubt they were there. However, due to their approach, they'd be seen long before they reached the encampment. "They're people though, you sure you'll be okay runnin' 'em through?"

Ashe made a slight 'pfft' noise under her breath, steering her horse in to get closer to Korinne. "That's a funny way of saying 'killing them' but, yes. I'll be fine. If not, that's why I brought you." she grumbled in response.

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"You're using me?" A dramatic little gasp escaped from the woman's mouth and her hand thudded against her chest as she pretended to clutch her heart. "You lure me out here under the pretenses of friendship and you're only using me for my ability to kill bandits and Tal-Vashoth in cold blood." she scoffed and rolled her eyes, not taking her eyes off the camp. She shook her head again before continuing, her tone far more sombre. "Just because they look like us, doesn't make them any less like monsters."

It would have been easier to teach Ashe how to cut down people if they'd been hunting blood mages and abominations. Folk learned to look past the human face pretty quick once they learn that it starts sprouting fleshy growths, horns, tentacles or whatever manner of grotesque transformation it chose to undergo. Strong sloth demons in particular were pretty nasty to watch but even lower level demons explode their host into a misshapen flesh heap was still pretty terrible.

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At the remark, a frown tugged at the edge of Ashe's lips but she knew not to comment. Perhaps if Korinne hadn't ended that with such a dark remark, she would have followed up with a playful jab but the mood just didn't feel right now. Instead, she kicked at her horse, spurring movement. She'd prove herself, she could become a warrior and drive these bandits off her homelands and away from the trade wagons. She'd show Hawke she wasn't some scared kid, she'd show her parents she was suited for more than just a sheltered chantry life or to be married off to some rich noble.

"Shit. Maker, Ashe hold up." Korinne swore, kicking her horse after. She had not expected Ashe to start charging the camp. They needed a plan, a strategy, a stealth approach, anything! Instead she was clinging to this animal as they blindly bolted straight into the camp. They'd been noticed, there were shouts and she could see movement as the small encampment surged to life. There had to be at least ten, maybe up to fifteen of them. This... this was suicide.

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Except somehow it wasn't.

Ashe unslung a spear she'd been carrying and as her horse cleared a shoddy wall and turned on the spot, she swung downwards lodging the spear in the chest of a man who'd gotten too close. Definitely bandits, their rough leather armour adorned with red paint made that clear. Ashe wasn't done though, unsheathing her sword and letting her horse continue his rampage across the camp, tramping tents while she struck out with the longsword at anyone who got too close. An arrow whistled past her head, prompting a furious scowl out her. She turned the horse around and jumped off, hitting the ground with a thud and a roll, while the horse took off Maker knew where.

"Hawke, the archer!" she barked back at the woman who had been honestly mostly gawking at the entirety of that.

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"R-right." Korinne kicked the mare and twisted the reins, half expecting her to actually listen but instead the animal had other plans. Mostly those involving rearing and sending the rogue flat on her ass, before taking off. Korinne grasped at the side of a rock, fully aware that three bandits were starting to advance on her. With a shaking heave, she pulled herself back to her feet, resisting the urge to feel her ass to make sure it wasn't like... broken or something. "Maker, I don't have time for this, can we just like... call a truce boys? No? Fuck." Right, time to dispose these goons in one go. Her hands fumbled at a clasp on her belt, prying a small glass vial from the hook, before lobbing it cleaning in their direction. Glass hit the ground and in the blink of an eye, flames flared to life with an impressive roar.

She was going to deal with the archer, sure but... with a quick hop, she cleared the rock and unclipped her two wickedly curved double-bladed swords. She swung one end of the black steel blade into the chest of the still burning bandit, before kicking him off, using the momentum to slash at the second, and tossing the second blade at the third. Overkill, but she always confirmed deaths.

No exceptions.

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With that one, she swept her gaze over the encampment, trying to find the archer. An arrow zipped by Ashe, causing the woman to flinch back "Hawke!" she yelled back, evidently slightly miffed that she was taking so long. That was fine, in that moment, the archer had given away his position and although it looked like he was trying to rotate to get a better angle, Korinne had his position.

With a bit of a sigh, Korinne pressed in a gem on one of her lockets, the rune on it warming up and giving a soft glow, before tucking it back under her tunic. It wasn't true stealth, just a small optical illusion to make her hard to see unless you looked hard enough or she made too much noise, but it did the trick most of the time.

Ashe could hold her own for a bit, she needed a bit of time to get to him quietly. Most of the bandits had opted for sheer numbers to overwhelm the warrior (which, oops, she needed to hurry. Her estimate was 10-15 bandits, one was speared, two had been trampled (deaths unconfirmed), there were the three Korinne had dealt with, the two Ashe was currently dealing with and the archer. By her estimate, there might be a handful more making their way over.

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It hadn't even been a problem getting there, and the archer hadn't noticed her coming. He'd been intently staring down on the fight, arrow in place, bow taunt, waiting for an opening. Behind him, she could see the actual fight. Ashe, shield up (wait, where'd she get that from? Was she just looting bodies now?) and facing down three of these thugs.

As Korinne stared over at the scene, a small knot started forming in her stomach. She'd gone and left her friend there, with unfair odds, while she picked off the weaker targets. Baring her teeth in a gritted scowl, she started towards the archer, swords raised like a pair of fangs, ready to sink in-

You're a real piece of work. Of course you'd take the easy way out.

The thought, unbidden, pierced her mind and she flinched, mid-strike. No, no, no, it was a tactical decision, she wasn't a duelist, she was an assassin! She did this with her team, it worked!

It didn't save Them. They still died.

No no no, she was freezing, this didn't happen, this couldn't happen. She had to follow through. She had to-

You get a new friend and what do you do? Immediately throw her in harms way for a couple of cheap thrills.

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A strangled noise of anguish came out of her throat and she stumbled, taking a far heavier step than she should have. The archer swung around and released the arrow on impulse, narrowly missing Korinne, but he was wasting no time throwing his bow aside and reaching for a sword. She needed to shake whatever the fuck this was and fight back.

Like, right now.

She tightened her grip around her blades, jumping back from the upswing and catching the edge of the offending blow on the hook of her blade. With the other, she swung it forward, slashing the hook across the hilt of his blades, fingers and all. The man howled, dropping the blade before babbling into a gurgling choke as she ripped both blades back towards her, and thrust forward. She ripped both swords out of the body, wasn't worth checking if that one was dead, before charging back to the woman she'd left.

Another down.

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"Oh, hey. You're back." Ashe grunted, swinging the edge of her shield at one guy who'd gotten too close. She'd assumed a more defensive stance, backed into a corner, swinging at anyone who got too close, rather than strike offensively and take initiative.

Korinne barely noticed. Whether it was the thoughts from earlier goading her into fighting or something else, she was done with this stupid fight, these stupid bandits and this stupid yellow ass looking countryside. A feral growl escaped her lips as she launched herself at the closest guy to her. She was immediately met with an axe raised in defense. She followed up with a swift kick, not noticing the cry of warning from Ashe, barely feeling a stinging feeling in her thigh, barely noticing the warm thick liquid starting to trickle and drip.

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What she did notice was the blonde woman charging past, shield up and smacking the axe-wielder across the face and sending him sprawling. She then noticed the other bandit, sword dripping with blood, sneer across his face. She dimly noted that was her blood, before descending upon him fangs tearing at flesh in a rabid fury. She was furious. She was beyond that. Black steel carved through his torso, the other hooking the hilt and ripping it out of his grasp.

"...awke. Hawke!" A hand came down heavily on her shoulder and had it not been for Ashe's heavy plate gauntlet, she would have instinctively swung up at her. She started, relaxing her grip on the weapons enough for her to fumble and drop them. "It's okay, I think we're done here." She soothed, trying to coax Korinne out of her berserker-like rage. "C'mon, lets get somewhere safer and sort out that leg of yours?" She continued, trying to pry Korinne's attention away from the mutilated corpse and elsewhere.

Korinne finally tore her eyes away and down at the leg, only now just feeling the hot bite. "Mm yeah, I... I need..." She swayed unsteadily, and Ashe immediately swooped in before she lost balance.

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"There, now I hopefully won't be in too much trouble when you get home." Ashe gave the bandage one last cautionary tug to make sure it was secure, before leaning back against the tree and sighing.

Korinne gave the injury a small prod, before turning towards the other woman, who's eyes were also closed. She simply was enjoying the soft breeze and the warm sun while it lasted. "Hmm?" she hummed, leaning back and entertaining the option of doing the same. Looked pretty damn relaxing. "In trouble? Figured I'd be the one making that statement, I'll be honest."

"Oh? Honestly, if I was offed in the name of protecting our homeland, it'd probably be a relief for my parents. If clearing out some thugs threatening the trade route counts as protecting the homeland." Ashe scoffed, barely opening her eyes. "But losing the fabled Hero of Kirkwall in Ostwick territory? Wouldn't that result in war? Not to mention I would be terrified of your scary friends coming after me. Your boyfriend mage? Aha, nooo. Nope. Not entertaining that thought." She laughed, a high, light laugh before shaking her head, her golden curls catching the sunlight.

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"Oh... yeah that." Korinne looked down, pretending to care about some dried blood on her clothes. Her next words were quiet, reluctant. "Nah, no one knows I'm here." She risked a glance back at Ashe, who'd broken her casual demeanour and had sat up, face a bit more severe.

"Well okay Varric knows but we have contingency plans in place. Pin the blame on both Meredith and Orsino, some seriously compromising shit. Like, scandalous even. Like if they found my body somewhere stark naked, with bits of evidence implying that some downright naught-"

"Hawke."

She coughed, halting that train of thought right there before the insane urge to ramble sans filter took right over. Yeah, that was her with a filter. Imagine her without it. "Look, I figured... they don't need to know...? Plus yeah, you're right. If I get caught up with some crazy shit out in Ostwick territory, the noble types aren't going to like it." she shrugged like it was no big deal. It was no big deal.

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"You're telling me your boyfriend doesn't even know your here?" Ashe paused before pressing on. "I mean... tell me if you don't want to talk about it but is everything okay?"

"Eeeeehhh, I guess?" She threw her hands up in a dramatic shrug. She didn't have an issue about talking. There was something about the whole situation, it was probably just the tiredness settling in and the blood loss but for once, the subject didn't make her want to get angry and defensive. Make her deny there was any issues. She was so far away from Kirkwall right now, so far away from home and all of it's dramas and problems that... she couldn't bring herself to delude herself any longer. "Boyfriend's probably... too strong of a word, haha... Look, we're still a thing but only... out of habit now I think. He's... I told you about the possession thing, right?"

Ashe slowly nodded, gears working away behind her eyes. "He's got that spirit in him, sometimes it takes over?"