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Annie is on her trike on her way to school.
This van labeled HAZARDOUS MATERIALS is also on its way to school.
The van hits a patch of black ice. It goes spinning, it turns over, it slices itself open on a wrought-iron fence with spikes, and it disgorges boxes which smash open on the pavement. Some of them skitter clear into the slush.
Some of them - along with most of the van - land on Annie.
There is a whirl of bewildering pain and confusion -
- and she falls to the ground, injured and in more kinds of discomfort beyond that and moaning.
She slowly starts to heal before the eyes of her sole witness.
six artifact pileup annie in thedas
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keep_busy
first-and-final
"Anyway. I also grew up with two brothers, both legitimate, one older, one younger. Half-brothers technically, but the distinction isn't important. My older brother Trian was one of the most annoying people I've ever met and would've made a terrible king, and my younger brother Bhelen is a scheming little shit who had Trian killed and then convinced everyone I'd done it so he could have me exiled for the crime, presumably with an eye to becoming Father's heir once we were both out of the way."
first-and-final
"Yes, my sentiments exactly. The night before it happened, I was talking to Bhelen and I told him what I thought of Trian as a candidate for the throne, and that if he wanted to make an open bid to replace Trian as heir I'd support him. We could have done it. If he wanted to be king, he did not need to resort to kinslaying. And yet here we are."
keep_busy
"That's -" Pause. "Something's moving, that way, past the nearest aperture beyond this wall, the next one after that. Several somethings but they're passing in and out of my range."
keep_busy
"Humanoid... assorted sizes. Um. Vaguely horrible. Probably darkspawn. I've counted eight so f- nine. Ten."
first-and-final
"Mm. If there's only ten I want to kill them; if there's significantly more than ten I want to flee in an orderly fashion."
keep_busy
"I can't run," she reminds him anxiously, following at a walk. "This is about it and then I start falling, it'd be slower but I can find the unevennesses in the ground better with the new sense..."
first-and-final
"I've fought my way past large concentrations of darkspawn before, when they cornered me unexpectedly. All is not lost even if they catch us. I just don't want to fuck with them if I can avoid it, not while I have someone to protect."
keep_busy
Nod. "Okay. But if you do have to run away, I mean - I don't know that I can do anything about your self-respect but your companion cannot run and we're being chased by monsters and if you have to leave me behind you won't lose my respect."
first-and-final
"I am unfortunately a bit of an overachiever. Even if I'm doomed anyway - in fact, especially if I'm doomed anyway - I'd never forgive myself for abandoning you while there was still a chance you could be saved. See also my doomed quest to save the lost Paragon and by extension hopefully the world."
keep_busy
"Okay. I'll walk as fast as I can and cross my fingers and hope for useful magic powers."
keep_busy
So she walks as fast as she can, although she doesn't literally cross her fingers.
first-and-final
And Stalas leads her through the dimly lit and often almost totally dark tunnels. At least the light doesn't matter to either of their perception of the terrain.
keep_busy
And she points out darkspawn when she notices them. A handful over that way. More than a handful up ahead.
first-and-final
Stalas skillfully navigates them away from the darkspawn again and again.
...And then, at some point, there are darkspawn in two available directions and spiders the size of ponies in the third.
...And then, at some point, there are darkspawn in two available directions and spiders the size of ponies in the third.
keep_busy
"Oh my god those spiders are so big spiders aren't supposed to be that big. Are darkspawn worse than giant spiders."
first-and-final
"Darkspawn are worse than giant spiders. Giant spiders are trivial. Which way to the giant spiders?"
keep_busy
"That way. They are too big how do they hold themselves up that's supposed to be physically impossible."
first-and-final
"If we had options other than darkspawn and giant spiders I would happily spare you the giant spiders, but, as it is..."
To the giant spiders they go. Stalas slaughters the giant spiders. Happily, Annie cannot hear them chittering and shrieking.
"...Technically these are edible. You probably didn't want to hear that."
To the giant spiders they go. Stalas slaughters the giant spiders. Happily, Annie cannot hear them chittering and shrieking.
"...Technically these are edible. You probably didn't want to hear that."
keep_busy
"It's... strictly better than them not being edible... what are my other menu options likely to be?"