It's not that the Orlesian soldiers are any trouble. They are a boon, in fact. Sensibly afraid of darkspawn, and willing to observe particular strategies while engaging them. They've set up a camp for themselves a short distance away, just far enough that their conversation is reduced to indistinct murmurs.
Well enough. Better they remain out of earshot. There's no need to mingle, when all they really need is to be able to join together to manage their work in the forest when daybreak comes.
And it's also for the best that Orlesian soldiers are not privy to the conversation they're having.
"It's been seen before," Ellis is saying, voice pitched low as he feeds another log to the fire. "More often, over the past years. But I don't know that the growths have had much commonality."
When he looks up from his work, his gaze lands on Holden, remains as he continues, "But I can't say I was making much study of the ones I came across. On their own or in threes, it might not have been so obvious."
And it might be coincidence still. Ellis is no scientist; there's limitations to his own expertise in this matter.
The manpower is more than welcome, honestly. With the imperative to not damage the forest, there's not much for their task but to keep with the work of hunting down and destroying darkspawn wherever they can find them. It makes him miss the relative simplicity of the maze in Orlais, as frustrating as the tree spirits had been.
Holden sits in stillness, eyes unfocused in the direction of the blaze, before he looks back to his companions. He's been part of his division long enough to be able to discuss the work with some degree of confidence; but there's something else that'd pulled at his mind too, gaunt humanoids glowing blue, the thing in the Roci's hold.
"It's too bad we can't bring one back for Wysteria," is what he says first, imagining her probable delight at having a darkspawn corpse to poke at. But then, more seriously, "It's always been the chest. Every single one of them, the growths coming from the same spot. That's not a coincidence."
Edgard's eyes are above and around him, trying to foresee any possible change. The manpower is helpful, but all Edgard can see is all of them dead. He blinks it away and tries to steady his breathing. All is still for now. He looks down at his companions.
"Please don't bring one back." He responds to Holden, his tone plaintive.
"If you've seen it before--" He speaks to Ellis. "then, what should we? is there a better--?" A better tactic, a safer way to approach this? Edgard doesn't know. He just expects disaster and doom.
He instinctively touches his bow for comfort. "Guess we shouldn't let it near our chests, then huh?"
The lack of coherent question receives a shake of the head from Ellis.
"They die all the same," he says, brisk over the words. "The lyrium doesn't change that."
And it's hard to say whether or not it makes them anymore difficult to kill. Ellis doesn't feel as if that's the case. The lack of clear benefit is
"It's not impossible to bring one back," comes as Ellis looks to Holden, straightening from the fire, though he frowns through the statement. "But there's a serious danger of contagion. You'd be risking the life of whoever you asked to dig into the corpse."
And Ellis is uninterested in risking Wysteria's presence anywhere near a darkspawn, alive or dead. That likely need not be said, judging by the severity of his expression.
There's a level of exasperation to his expression as he considers both responses to what was, really, said with only fractional seriousness. Yes, James Holden, famously irresponsible with the lives of others, particularly Wysteria's; he's previously kept her from touching raw lyrium only to reveal his true aspirations of asking her to put her hands in a darkspawn corpse.
"So that's out," he agrees, dryly, to the both of them. And then, "What I want to know is where these infected darkspawn came from."
There's too many of them here for it just to be a coincidence or a fluke. One or even a couple of infected darkspawn is one thing, but this?
Edgard sighs. He supposes it's a good idea to wonder where these things came from and he is curious about it. But, every time he's in these situations all he can see is the ways it can go wrong. A darkness churns in his stomach and he's scared and furious at how scared he is.
"I don't know." He responds tersely to Holden taking it entirely out on him. "Why don't you make a list of your questions and observations?"
Edgard spits on the ground. "Let's just kill these fuckers and get everyone out of here in one piece."
"I know it spreads," is Ellis' more measured answer. "Darkspawn come from the Deep Roads, so it's not impossible to think it might have become part of them before they came to the surface."
The pattern of the ones he'd observed in Ghislain had been more random. Or it had felt more random. And no one in Ansburg had mentioned such a thing when he and Vance had inquired. Ellis turns his hands over the fire, before shaking his head.
"But not that way. Not all in the same pattern. Nothing that grows naturally grows the same way each time."
If anything — in response to open aggression, he only grows calmer. His expression, his voice when he answers, have a quality not unlike still water.
"You're right. That's what I'm here to do," is the answer to Edgard, on both counts. Questions and answers, observations, are very much in the purview of his division. And, too, getting everyone out of here in one piece; a bigger priority than getting any of these answers. But, building off Ellis's response,
"Which means we have a bigger problem than just the darkspawn in this forest. If someone's making them deliberately, we can be sure we'll see more of them, even if we kill all of the ones here." But, more saliently, "And there's a chance someone might try to stop us."
Which, he has good grace enough not to say, they wouldn't have been able to anticipate by blindly attacking.
Edgard listens to both men's words and though he's still irritated, he takes a breath.
"Alright. Say you're right and something is making these. How do we figure that out without making this more dangerous?"
He motions to the three men.
"Not just for us. For everyone."
He means the men here helping them. He also means anyone who they might come in contact with later. Edgard doesn't understand red lyrium, but he is intimately familiar with it's capacity for harm.
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no subject
Well enough. Better they remain out of earshot. There's no need to mingle, when all they really need is to be able to join together to manage their work in the forest when daybreak comes.
And it's also for the best that Orlesian soldiers are not privy to the conversation they're having.
"It's been seen before," Ellis is saying, voice pitched low as he feeds another log to the fire. "More often, over the past years. But I don't know that the growths have had much commonality."
When he looks up from his work, his gaze lands on Holden, remains as he continues, "But I can't say I was making much study of the ones I came across. On their own or in threes, it might not have been so obvious."
And it might be coincidence still. Ellis is no scientist; there's limitations to his own expertise in this matter.
no subject
Holden sits in stillness, eyes unfocused in the direction of the blaze, before he looks back to his companions. He's been part of his division long enough to be able to discuss the work with some degree of confidence; but there's something else that'd pulled at his mind too, gaunt humanoids glowing blue, the thing in the Roci's hold.
"It's too bad we can't bring one back for Wysteria," is what he says first, imagining her probable delight at having a darkspawn corpse to poke at. But then, more seriously, "It's always been the chest. Every single one of them, the growths coming from the same spot. That's not a coincidence."
no subject
"Please don't bring one back." He responds to Holden, his tone plaintive.
"If you've seen it before--" He speaks to Ellis. "then, what should we? is there a better--?" A better tactic, a safer way to approach this? Edgard doesn't know. He just expects disaster and doom.
He instinctively touches his bow for comfort. "Guess we shouldn't let it near our chests, then huh?"
no subject
"They die all the same," he says, brisk over the words. "The lyrium doesn't change that."
And it's hard to say whether or not it makes them anymore difficult to kill. Ellis doesn't feel as if that's the case. The lack of clear benefit is
"It's not impossible to bring one back," comes as Ellis looks to Holden, straightening from the fire, though he frowns through the statement. "But there's a serious danger of contagion. You'd be risking the life of whoever you asked to dig into the corpse."
And Ellis is uninterested in risking Wysteria's presence anywhere near a darkspawn, alive or dead. That likely need not be said, judging by the severity of his expression.
no subject
"So that's out," he agrees, dryly, to the both of them. And then, "What I want to know is where these infected darkspawn came from."
There's too many of them here for it just to be a coincidence or a fluke. One or even a couple of infected darkspawn is one thing, but this?
"Is red lyrium contagious for them?"
no subject
"I don't know." He responds tersely to Holden taking it entirely out on him. "Why don't you make a list of your questions and observations?"
Edgard spits on the ground. "Let's just kill these fuckers and get everyone out of here in one piece."
no subject
The pattern of the ones he'd observed in Ghislain had been more random. Or it had felt more random. And no one in Ansburg had mentioned such a thing when he and Vance had inquired. Ellis turns his hands over the fire, before shaking his head.
"But not that way. Not all in the same pattern. Nothing that grows naturally grows the same way each time."
no subject
"You're right. That's what I'm here to do," is the answer to Edgard, on both counts. Questions and answers, observations, are very much in the purview of his division. And, too, getting everyone out of here in one piece; a bigger priority than getting any of these answers. But, building off Ellis's response,
"Which means we have a bigger problem than just the darkspawn in this forest. If someone's making them deliberately, we can be sure we'll see more of them, even if we kill all of the ones here." But, more saliently, "And there's a chance someone might try to stop us."
Which, he has good grace enough not to say, they wouldn't have been able to anticipate by blindly attacking.
no subject
"Alright. Say you're right and something is making these. How do we figure that out without making this more dangerous?"
He motions to the three men.
"Not just for us. For everyone."
He means the men here helping them. He also means anyone who they might come in contact with later. Edgard doesn't understand red lyrium, but he is intimately familiar with it's capacity for harm.