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Defenders of the Empty Throne Ch.125


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#1 Theodur

Posted 24 June 2017 - 08:09 AM

Chapter 125

 

Skyhold

 

The morning of the following day began with a promising development when a considerable group of allied forces arrived at the gates of Skyhold and quickly rode past the raised portcullis and into the inner courtyard, the Bull's Chargers returning just in time, having been riding hard all through the night to stay ahead of the darkspawn horde. Immediately upon their arrival, Bull was whisked away by Alistair to discuss the placement of the Charger troops, while Alexius and Dorian caught up with the Hawke sisters to learn about their assignments for the imminent battle.

 

This left Harding alone in the courtyard of Skyhold, rushing forward when she spotted Varric descending down the stairway from the main keep, almost tackling the spymaster on the hard stone stairs as she pounced upon him, the couple not having seen each other for nearly two months. "Damn it, this is so unfair!" Lace exclaimed, all the while smothering the nobly enduring Varric with heated kisses. "We're finally back together in Skyhold, but I arrive on the eve of the decisive battle with Corypheus!"

 

"I know exactly what you mean," Varric nodded, frowning a little, though obviously happy to have Lace back with him. "What did you see out there on the road?"

 

"Not much… only a few darkspawn here and there," Harding replied. "But that scary red lyrium dragon kept swooping high above our heads. We were fearing it had already started to attack Skyhold!"

 

"It hasn't… probably waiting for the darkspawn horde to arrive. I bet you didn't see them because they're taking shortcuts underground through the Deep Roads," Varric said. "And there's definitely no shortage of those bastards. It's a good thing you grabbed the wrong map in the rookery, Lace. If you had tried to follow us to the temple of Mythal, you would have ran straight into the main darkspawn force."

 

"Still, it was an embarrassing mistake to make," Harding blushed lightly. "Though everyone has been kind enough not to remind me of it. Bull certainly won't, he seems to be in love with his new sword we found in the ruins."

 

"Does that mean he's been neglecting Sparkler?" Varric chuckled.

 

"I wouldn't say that," Harding winked back at her dwarven lover. "Anyway… we only barely managed to stay ahead of that dragon, so the attack will surely come very soon. You better tell me the plan."

 

"The plan?" Varric chuckled darkly. "Sure, Alistair has been putting on a brave face while trying to rally the troops, but this feels like what happened at Haven all over again. We're just trying to sell our lives for the highest price possible, all the while hoping for some kind of wonder or divine intervention to save us."

 

"Hey, the Herald has been good for wondrous last ditch escapes so far, right?" Harding grinned, refusing to give into despair. "Let's hope his luck continues."

 

"I'm pretty sure there are no secret passageways below Skyhold through which we could escape from under Corypheus' nose," Varric muttered.

 

"You never know, Varric… there's always that creepy magic mirror if things really do go all the way South," Harding smiled, but her carefree expression faded quickly when she noticed a large dark shape high up in the sky, the Elder One's pet dragon making a small exploratory circle, making its presence known even if it decided not to approach Skyhold directly yet. "Well, damn… Corypheus is determined not to give us even a moment of privacy."

 

"The sooner he gets here, the sooner we can dispose of him and get on with our lives, right?" Varric managed a brave smile, pulling Lace closer for one final kiss, then leading her across the courtyard to one of the guard towers atop the battlements, where they were expected to take their positions. Bells rang out and horns were being blown as the pair climbed up the stairs to the battlements, last signal for everyone defending Skyhold to prepare for the upcoming battle.

 

For a long while, everyone atop of the battlements were straining their eyes, trying to spot the approaching enemy, failing to locate any sign of them. Relief began to creep into the faces of some of the soldiers, and chatter picked up in strength about Corypheus getting cold feet and deciding to flee back to whatever hole he had crawled out of, but then the large black dot rose at the horizon yet again, the corrupted red lyrium dragon approaching Skyhold with purposeful flight, no longer merely circling around to size up its prey.

 

The catapults atop the towers by the main gate fired as soon as the dragon was in their range, but the great beast dodged the attacks with ease, even if one of the projectiles managed to knock off a pair of hurlocks riding on the dragon's back. The dragon flew past one of the towers and then unleashed a breath of red lightning that effectively cleared the top of the other tower, sending bits of the destroyed catapult along with the charred bodies of its four man crew crashing to the ground. The dragon then came in for a quick landing in the courtyard, shaking off the close to twenty darkspawn hanging on to its back, then taking to the air again to fly off and collect more troops.

 

The archers and the mages stationed on the battlements quickly switched their focus to take aim at the enemy suddenly behind them in the courtyard, desperate to put them down before the dragon returned with more reinforcements. Senior-Warden Ruth led a spirited Grey Warden charge from the barracks to try and rout the darkspawn as quickly as possible, but they failed just short of their objective when the red lyrium dragon returned, carrying even more darkspawn on its back. Before landing, the dragon flew in a straight line above the courtyard, breathing the deadly flow of red lightning on everyone below, caring little whether it struck the darkspawn or the Grey Wardens. When the cascade of red sparks dissipated, only Ruth and three more Wardens were left standing, having managed to dodge the lightning breath, but now they had to quickly retreat to the closest fortifications as at least two dozen darkspawn jumped off from the dragon to chase after them. The Inquisition mages and archers tried to focus their fire on the dragon, but it shrugged off all attacks with depressing impunity, appearing completely unaffected.

 

With the battle now switching to chaotic melee on the battlements, the dragon continuing to supply the darkspawn lines with a never-ending stream of reinforcements while taking out the catapults and their operating crews atop the towers at will, the situation began to look rather grim for the Inquisition as they could not dispatch the darkspawn as quickly and efficiently as the dragon continued to deliver them, the corrupted lackeys of Corypheus slowly starting to gain foothold on the battlements and pushing the brave defenders of Skyhold further and further back.

 

The fifth pack of darkspawn delivered by the red lyrium dragon contained two ogres amongst the numerous hurlocks and genlocks, and instead of charging to climb the battlements the massive beasts turned their attention to the main gate. The dragon first unleashed its deadly breath at the few hapless soldiers manning the gatehouse, bathing them in a shower of deadly sparks that quickly reduced them to charcoal. The pair of ogres then stormed the unprotected gate, and while they did not possess the intelligence to operate the system of wheels and levers, they simply used brute strength to smash the machinery to pieces and then grabbed the heavy chains of the portcullis and raised it with little effort. As if on cue, the main darkspawn force suddenly emerged from the mountain passes, gathering at the far end of the long bridge leading across the chasm to Skyhold, starting to move across now that entry into the fortress had been secured. The mages and archers switched over to try and deplete the darkspawn force exposed on the bridge, and while dozens and dozens were getting knocked to grim deaths in the miles deep crevice, more and more of the tainted creatures managed to reach the other side, their numbers starting to overwhelm the beleaguered defenders of Skyhold.

 

Meanwhile, the dragon continued to deliver more and more troops, dropping them off directly in the courtyard of Skyhold, nobody capable of doing any significant harm to the beast, especially now that they had lost all of their catapults in short order. A pair of slightly odd looking darkspawn emissaries had been among the darkspawn delivered in the latest group, and while the rank genlocks and hurlocks joined their fellows trying desperately to breach the sturdy gate to the inner keep, these two emissaries managed to slip away from the heat of the battle, retreating into the shadows behind the large stables, unnoticed by everyone.

 

Once the darkspawn had gained a sufficient amount of ground atop of the battlements, the red lyrium dragon finally delivered the main antagonists to decisively turn the tide of the battle, the ancient magister Corypheus himself, flanked by a small group of the surviving Red Templars led by Samson. Backed by the merciless corrupted templars, cutting down everything in their path, the ancient magister was finally free to unleash his unrestrained rage, raining destruction upon the hapless defenders on Skyhold, appearing to have all but sealed the fate of the Inquisition with this decisive and overwhelming attack.

 

~***~

 

"If they can't stop that dragon, then everything will be lost… and the Inquisition will be no more," Maythre spoke, standing next to her lover Cauthrien on a snowy mountain pass well away from the main darkspawn force, observing the unfolding battle from relative safety.

 

"I hope you're not thinking of doing something foolishly heroic," Cauthrien remarked with a worried expression on her face, watching as the red lyrium dragon took to its wings less than two hundred yards away, carrying a host of darkspawn on its back.

 

"No, that would simply get us both killed, and I have no desire to see that happening," Maythre replied. "Still, I feel as if I should do something."

 

"Are you worried about your sister?" Cauthrien asked, more softly.

 

"I'm sure that Morrigan will be alright… though I do worry a little," Maythre replied. "It surprises me that Flemeth is nowhere to be seen, and I wholly believed that this confrontation would be something that would force mother to reveal herself. I did not expect her to stand by and allow the Inquisition to fall against Corypheus."

 

"Perhaps even the mighty Flemeth knows her limitations," Cauthrien shrugged.

 

"Maybe… or maybe not… look!" Maythre suddenly exclaimed, grinning broadly as she pointed at a dark blotch in the sky above, another large creature approaching, all but falling out of the skies, a very familiar massive reddish brown dragon that Maythre had already slain once at Morrigan's request, the beast crashing into the red lyrium dragon from above and knocking all the darkspawn it carried off its back, sending them toppling to their deaths. The two drakes entwined one another, snapping, biting, clawing at each other desperately, spurts of blood showering everywhere as they went down together, crashing in a clearing behind a small hillock that hid them from the eyes of Maythre and Cauthrien.

 

"What should we do?" Cauthrien turned towards her lover with uncertainty in her eyes.

 

"Let's go," Maythre urged, starting to run towards the clearing, Cauthrien following her. "Flemeth might be badly injured. This could be the chance I've been waiting for to deal with her!"

 

"Just don't forget that there's another dragon, not only your mother," Cauthrien warned as the pair quickly ran down the mountain pass, rounding the hillock and then pushing through the thick and thorny shrubbery to emerge in a wide clearing where an unpleasant surprise awaited them. "Wait… there's only one of them!" Cauthrien exclaimed, readying her sword, watching at how the red lyrium dragon slowly struggled to its feet, clearly badly injured. "Where's Flemeth?"

 

"Obviously not here," Maythre replied curtly. "That was foolish of me… to expect her to be caught at a disadvantage." The corrupted red lyrium dragon had by now slowly managed to rise back up to its feet, turning around to face them, its eyes angry, narrow slits, glowing with malevolent red as it opened its maw, ready to breathe lightning at them. "And looks like we have another dragon to kill first, anyway," she exclaimed, dodging to the side, Cauthrien doing the same as the stream of red lightning burst past them.

 

With a cry of determination, Cauthrien charged the injured and slowed dragon, evading the blows of its mighty claws, her sword finding purchase as she slid underneath the dragon, carving the beast's soft underbelly open, guts and gore escaping as the mighty creature staggered on its feet, letting out a roar of pain as Maythre's spell struck the freshly opened wound, searing the exposed flesh. Cauthrien continued to eviscerate the dying dragon from underneath, while Maythre continued to drain its life force with her entropy spells, hoping to kill the beast quickly, but their foe still had one final card of defiance to play before death took it.

 

With Cauthrien still under it, the dragon simply toppled on top of the former queen's general, squishing her with its tremendous weight. Maythre cried out in anger and despair, turning to her blood magic to attack the dragon with, and the roaring beast did indeed rise, but only to lift its hind leg and then smash the staggering Cauthrien with it, the woman visibly crumpling before Maythre's eyes, the elven mage having to watch in helpless disbelief as the red lyrium dragon's tail came around and sent the fatally wounded Cauthrien flying across the clearing to the other side where she collapsed and lay still. Maythre screamed and struck the dragon with yet another spell that made the beast howl in agony, but when it recovered to breathe lightning at her yet again, Maythre was not fast enough to dodge it, the deadly stream of red energy striking her below midriff and making the former queen pass out from the intolerable pain.

 

~***~

 

"Fuck this!" the Iron Bull yelled, decapitating yet another hurlock on the battlements, but the glance he cast at the bridge across to Skyhold's gates, covered with darkspawn pushing to breach the fortress painted a grizzly and unpleasant picture. "There's no end to these bastards!"

 

"We need to stop the flow of reinforcements," Krem nodded, wiping sweat from his forehead during a short break in the fighting. "At least we haven't seen that fucking dragon in a while… wonder what happened to it."

 

"Well, we didn't kill it, so it'll probably return just when we really don't want it to return," Bull sighed, readying himself as a new wave of the darkspawn was forming to try and storm the battlements to the right of the main gate. "Besides, now that the gate is open, the dragon isn't the biggest problem when it comes to the reinforcements," he added, the Sulevin Blade sweeping in a wide arc and beheading a curious genlock, the other darkspawn immediately falling back a little at the sight.

 

"Then we need to take out the bridge!" Krem exclaimed, turning to look at Dalish, the elven mage working feverishly to make sure all the Chargers in her vicinity were protected by the arcane barriers. "Dalish, can you do something about it?"

 

"Sure, how many years can you give me?" the blonde elf rolled her eyes, ignoring the shallow wound atop of her head that was making her hair matted with blood, mixing with perspiration and getting into her eyes.

 

"I have a better idea than taking out the bridge, boss," Rocky spoke up nearby, the explosives expert quickly tinkering with something behind their backs. "Let me take care of it. You just stand by and watch!" the dwarf exclaimed, surprising everyone by vaulting across the parapet and making a successful landing on the ground below, throwing a stun grenade at the nearby darkspawn which allowed him to dart by unscathed.

 

"Rocky! What the fuck is he doing?" Bull shouted after the brave dwarf, running towards the gatehouse as fast as his stubbly legs allowed him. "What the fuck is that mad dwarf doing?" the qunari exclaimed, looking over at Krem next to him, but the Tevinter soldier merely shrugged in response.

 

Meanwhile, Rocky had almost reached the gates where the two ogres stood guard to make sure that any counteroffensive of the Inquisition would meet a swift end. One of the ogres raised a curious eyebrow at the tiny dwarf charging at them, wondering whether to even bother attacking, but then lazily deciding to crush Rocky with its massive club. Having expected the attack, Rocky dove through the ogre's legs in a somersault before throwing another grenade that filled the gatehouse with thick, acrid smoke. With the packs of darkspawn surrounding him temporarily stunned, the dwarven explosives expert grinned madly at himself as he quickly retrieved an explosive rune and attached it to his leather armor, under which rows and rows of similar explosive runes had been hidden well before the start of the battle. With a final prayer to the Ancestors on his lips, the eerily giggling dwarf activated the explosive rune, causing a chain reaction of explosions that echoed throughout Skyhold.

 

"Damn it… what did he just do?" Bull exclaimed, watching the massive gate of Skyhold shuddering and then collapsing in on itself, burying all the darkspawn trying to pass through, killing everyone who hadn't already perished in the explosion caused by Rocky. The left gate watchtower housing Alistair's quarters remained standing, at least for the moment, but having lost the support structure of the gate, the tower slowly began to tilt before crashing on top of the destroyed gate, ruining Alistair's private quarters and also creating an insurmountable barrier in the path of the darkspawn trying to breach the fortifications of Skyhold. "Why did he have to go and do that?" Bull asked, speaking mostly to himself, lamenting the death of one of his most loyal companions.

 

"To give us all a fighting chance of surviving this," Krem replied, his voice also overcome by emotion.

 

"In that case… press the attack, Chargers! Let's push these miserable fuckers back! For Rocky!" Bull roared, leading his forces forward.

 

"For Rocky!" the rest of the Chargers roared back, step-by-step starting to push the darkspawn back.

 

~***~

 

Maythre opened her eyes to immediately release a grunt of pain, almost wishing that she had not regained her consciousness, her body wracked with terrible pain. The elven mage was amazed that she was even alive to wake up, but by rearing her head and looking around, Maythre quickly discovered that the badly wounded lyrium dragon had collapsed and expired just before managing to reach her, the beast's massive head resting in the grass mere yards away from her feet, the angry red light having gone out in its beady eyes.

 

The elven mage's heart jerked painfully when she made the painful effort to turn and look over at where Cauthrien lay, finding her beloved resting still and unmoving, her torso and lower body twisted in angles that were all wrong and did not bode well for Cauthrien's survival… not that Maythre had much hopes for making out of this encounter alive herself. She did not dare to look at her legs where she had been struck by the dragon's breath, unable to feel anything below her midriff. Her head was spinning and pounding with angry thuds, her breath short and ragged, and then there was pain, the horrible pain coursing through her, making her wish for blissful unconsciousness, or even passing away.

 

Summoning all of her fading strength, the elven mage reached out and clutched at the clumps of grass, beginning to pull herself towards Cauthrien's limp form, screaming at the effort it was costing her. When after almost a quarter of an hour of exhausting struggle Maythre finally pulled herself up against Cauthrien's side, wrapping her arms around her dead lover, she was close to passing out herself, dark spots swimming before her eyes as she stared in the sky, the spots dancing, swirling and then flooding all into one big blotch that grew bigger and bigger, Maythre letting out a blissful sigh as the wind created by the landing dragon's wings washed over her.

 

The fatally injured elven mage just about managed to rear her head and look over at where the dragon made its descent, immediately changing its shape, but to Maythre's immense surprise, it did not transform into Flemeth, but into a much younger woman, a tall and beautiful dark-haired mage, her appearance a little reminiscent of Morrigan's, but not quite. "Well, well, well…" the woman said, shaking her head and clicking her tongue in a disapproving manner that very much reminded Maythre of her mother. "That didn't work out all that well for you, now did it?"

 

"Who… who are you?" Maythre croaked, balancing on the edge of consciousness.

 

"I am disappointed that you would be unable to guess," the woman shook her head. "Then again, those injuries don't look well at all, so I suppose I can forgive and indulge you," she added with a small smile. "My name is Yavana, and I used to be your and Morrigan's sister… before I became something more."

 

"You mean before you became Mythal," Maythre managed, watching how Yavana's eyes widened at her words.

 

"And now you have surprised me," she smiled, looking far more approving. "I wonder what made you stumble upon this truth."

 

"I used a resurrection ritual from your grimoire," Maythre replied. "It should have worked only on someone related to Mythal."

 

"Ah yes, of course," Yavana nodded. "You never considered that there might be a third sister aside from you and Morrigan, did you?" Maythre weakly shook her head in reply. "Yes, that was your mistake. That has always been my way, however… a more careful study of my grimoire would have revealed that I am a strong believer of all good things coming in batches of three. You and Morrigan have not been the only rebellious daughters I have had to put up with over the years… but with three daughters, there is a good chance that at least one of them will appreciate the gift of carrying my divine spark. Now that Yavana's beautiful body is mine, the circle will begin again, and you and Morrigan would have no longer been of any use to me, and thus in no danger from me."

 

"Such a relief to know now," Maythre breathed out, rolling her eyes.

 

"I couldn't have told you even if I had wanted to," Yavana shrugged. "After all, you decided to pretend to be dead and work against me from the shadows, yes?"

 

"And what about Morrigan?" Maythre asked. "Will you tell her?"

 

"I don't know… should I?" Yavana mused playfully. "No, I think I will leave her in the dark, at least for a while. I have many reasons to be irritated with her, after all."

 

"Well… in a matter of moments I'm going to be free of you," Maythre whispered. "I'll take some comfort in that, at least…"

 

"Indeed," Yavana remarked thoughtfully. "You should know that very few things do not play out the way I have intended them to play out… and me standing here over my dying daughter was one of the things I did not intend. I had always thought that you would be the one to carry my divine legacy forward… either you or Morrigan, not Yavana."

 

"I could almost sense regret there…" Maythre managed, her eyes starting to cloud, making it hard for her to even see Yavana, standing directly over her. "I wonder if I could make one last request."

 

"Speak, daughter," Yavana said, in a kinder voice than before.

 

"Please… bury us… bury us side by side…" Maythre managed her final words before light faded from her eyes, head lolling weakly to the side as life left her battered frame, the dragon's breath having burned flesh from her legs, but this time there would be no more clever rituals of Mythal that would bring the former queen of Ferelden back from the dead.

 

"Of course, daughter," Yavana nodded with a sad smile on her beautiful face. "That is one request I will gladly honor."

 

~***~

 

Despite the Bull's Chargers launching a spirited counteroffensive on the right flank, the Inquisition defenses on the battlements to the left of the collapsed gate were close to getting overwhelmed, Evangeline together with the surviving templars holding one final section of the fortifications, the last barrier standing between the enemy and the poorly protected archers and mages down in the courtyard. Corypheus himself stood tall and proud atop of the fortifications, appearing untouchable to their attacks, throwing one deadly spell after another at the defenders of Skyhold, over a dozen of the Inquisition mages doing everything within their powers to try and contain the damage the ancient magister would unleash upon them. With the red lyrium dragon no longer bringing in reinforcements, and the collapsed gate leaving the main darkspawn force stranded out on the bridge, it seemed as if the Inquisition now at least stood a fighting chance, but only if they could deal with Corypheus himself, not to mention that the enemy numbers inside Skyhold's walls were still significant.

 

The most dangerous of their foes after Corypheus himself were easily the Red Templars. Led by Samson himself, the red lyrium shard grafted into his breastplate glowing with malevolent red, the corrupted templars seemed unstoppable as they charged the positions of their former fellows who had refused to participate in the madness that was consuming red lyrium. While Samson himself seemed to be somehow protected from the worst of the corruption, perhaps by the armor he wore, the passage of time had turned most of his fellow Red Templars into grotesque, drooling lunatics, not quite as deranged as the horrifying behemoths, but still all of them had their faces and the rest of their bodies deformed by disgusting red lyrium outgrowths which also seemed to give them strength and endurance far above what was normal.

 

Still, under Evangeline's calm leadership and precise orders, her templars appeared to be keeping their corrupted foes in check and even started to push them back… at least until Samson himself abandoned the side of Corypheus and rushed to help his minions, sensing that their charge was starting to peter out. Knight-Templar Lysette and Knight-Lieutenant duBois had just put down one of the Red Templar horrors, when Samson rushed them with supernatural speed. Bolstered by the gifts of his corrupted master, it appeared that the Red Templar general could rein powerful blows at a rate that most mortal men simply could not cope with. Samson's sword met the blade of Knight-Lieutenant duBois, driving it downwards with several repeated swings, and duBois failed to raise his weapon in time to block yet another blow, Samson's sword cleaving off his hand at the wrist. As the injured templar lieutenant screamed in pain, Samson used the moment to ram his sword through the man's visor, removing it with a crunching sound followed by a spatter of blood and a twitching body hitting the ground a moment later.

 

Lysette was desperate to use the moment to her advantage, trying to flank Samson to attack his exposed side, but the Red Templar general regrouped very quickly, raising his shield to easily absorb Lysette's attack. It didn't take long for Samson to launch an overwhelming counterattack, pushing Lysette back step by step, until one particularly heavy blow dislocated the shoulder of the woman's shield arm, forcing her to drop the shield. The moment she had done so, making herself defenseless, Samson took a pair of lightning fast steps and ran her through with his sword, Lysette collapsing at the Red Templar general's feet with a weak sigh, Samson stepping over the dying woman on his unstoppable path forward as all the uncorrupted templar defenders backed away with fear written all over their faces… all save for two of them, Knight-Lieutenant Fletcher and his commander, Evangeline de Brassard.

 

Knowing full well that they could not yield an inch further to Samson, Fletcher and Evangeline exchanged grim stares, but the Knight-Lieutenant seemed to have misinterpreted Evangeline's meaning because contrary to the intentions of his commander to hold their ground and wait for Samson to come at them, Fletcher suddenly charged at the Red Templar leader. This turned to be an extremely poor decision as Samson easily deflected Fletcher's blade with his sword and then stunned the man with a powerful blow of a shield to the face. As the Knight-Lieutenant staggered back, Samson's blade cut deep into Fletcher's neck and nearly beheaded him. With a disgusted expression on his face, Samson withdrew his sword with a squelching sound, then grabbing the badly injured templar and pushing him over the parapet, Fletcher falling to his death deep below.

 

Even though she was gripped by terrible fear, Evangeline assumed her battle stance, determined to stand her ground as Samson came at her, sword raised, eyes glowing in blazing red just like the shard embedded in his chest. Evangeline bit the inside of her cheek to avoid screaming out as the first swing landed and nearly dislocated her sword arm. Despite the pain, she held the blade firm and high, absorbing the second blow, but when the third swing landed it shattered her enchanted sword to pieces and made her stagger backwards. Still, Evangeline was quick enough to bring up her heavy shield, blocking the next pair of quick blows, shouting at one of her templars to toss her a replacement weapon, but everyone around her behaved as if frozen, watching the battle mesmerized and failing to act. More and more blows rained down upon her, eventually driving the Orlesian to her knees, desperately raising the shield above her head to protect herself. Still, the shield could not hold out for long and splintered after a particularly heavy blow, the blade cutting down and slicing across Evangeline's torso starting from the right shoulder down to her stomach, sending shards of wood and metal of the ruined shield flying through the air together with heavy spurts of blood.

 

"Evangeline!" Alistair cried, already on his way up the stairs to the top of the battlements when he saw whom his beloved was facing, but having seen her go down, possibly very badly injured, had filled the Grey Warden with blazing, murderous rage, that made him forget his intention to always remain close to Corypheus, waiting on an opportunity for the killing blow. Consumed by the need to save his beloved from certain death, Alistair rushed up the stairs and charged at Samson, ignoring someone who was trying to catch up with him, calling him by name and trying to attract his attention.

 

His initial charge might have pushed Samson back, but the momentum did not last and the Red Templar general soon began to drive Alistair back, the pair locked in a deadly duel over Evangeline's rapidly bleeding out frame. The Grey Warden was breathing heavily, trying desperately to keep up with Samson's unnatural strength, when someone else arrived at the top of the battlements, shouting his name in an excited voice. "Commander Alistair! Commander Alistair, it's ready! The rune is ready!" Alistair did not have the time to turn his head and look behind him, but he recognized Dagna's voice instantly.

 

"What are you doing here, Dagna?" he exclaimed, grunting as Samson landed a particularly heavy blow against his gryphon-decorated shield. "Get to safety, quickly!"

 

"But I can help you, Commander!" Dagna did not relent. "The rune is ready! Here, you'll see!" There was a bright flash behind Alistair's back, something glowing bright red as a burst of energy struck the red lyrium shard in Samson's chest, shattering it and knocking the Red Templar leader backwards.

 

"Argh! What… what did you do?" Samson shouted, the red glow within him starting to fade and leaving him visibly deflated. "What did you do!" he screamed in a voice full of disbelief.

 

"I broke his armor, Commander," Dagna hastily explained behind Alistair. "It can no longer grant him the strength and speed that he possessed."

 

"Perfect," Alistair growled menacingly, quickly moving to resume his attacks. While at first Samson was meeting him swing for swing, without the enchanted armor the Red Templar general was tiring fast. Samson was starting to carefully retreat, trying to fall back to the remaining Red Templars, but sensing that the tide of the battle had shifted, Evangeline's troops rallied to Alistair's aid, overwhelming the remaining Red Templars. Fittingly, Samson was the last man standing, but outnumbered five to one, his demise was inevitable. After Alistair had finally disarmed him and then immediately hurried back to Evangeline's side, the remaining templars each took their turns to bury their swords in Samson's gut, a symbolic repayment for all the templar lives he had taken either in battle or through the corruption of red lyrium.

 

Still, as Samson quickly bled out to his death at the feet of his just murderers, it was of little consolation to Alistair as the Grey Warden sat by the side of his injured lover, desperately trying to detect a pulse… and failing.

 

~***~

 

"So what exactly is our plan to kill Corypheus?" Inquisitor Maxime Trevelyan wondered, crouching behind an overturned vendor stall in the middle of Skyhold's courtyard, seeking shelter together with Riona Hawke, Nathaniel Howe and Solas while Corypheus let loose with an array of deadly spells from the top of the fortifications directly above them. "Do we even have a plan?" he asked with obvious frustration creeping into his voice.

 

"I wonder about that orb he's carrying," Riona mused thoughtfully, casting an arcane barrier to protect herself and then leaning out from behind the barricade to glance at the ancient magister. "It seems to be glowing brighter and brighter as he continues to cast his spells."

 

"The orb helps him channel his power from the Fade, much in a way any mage's staff would," Solas explained. "Though I would imagine that it is probably far more effective than any staff and provides the Elder One with a considerable increase to his power."

 

"Well, then maybe we shouldn't aim for him but go for that orb instead," Nathaniel suggested. "Corypheus appears impenetrable to my arrows, but perhaps my arrows could destroy the orb and deprive him of his power?"

 

"I'm not sure about that idea…" Riona frowned, not appearing happy. "You'd have to get much closer to make sure you hit the orb, yes?"

 

"I already have a path planned," Nathaniel smiled confidently. "I can easily make it to the wall by the stables while Corypheus is distracted. From there, I can climb the creepers all the way to the parapet. I've tested the vines and they can easily hold a man's weight. And from the parapet, I'll only need to take a few more steps to get into position."

 

"I don't approve of this plan," Solas said, shaking his head, prompting Maxime to give him a deeply surprised stare. "Destroying the orb might only enrage Corypheus further. There should be other ways to deal with him… in fact, an idea has just occurred to me."

 

"Tell us, Solas," Riona urged, desperate for a suggestion that did not involve Nathaniel risking his life.

 

"Inquisitor, I believe that you hold in your hands the weapon that can destroy Corypheus," Solas said, nodding at Maxime's left hand. "The Anchor. If you could get close enough to the Elder One and use the magic of the mark to open a Fade rift inside of Corypheus… it would tear his mortal body apart."

 

"Wouldn't he just possess another darkspawn and come back right away?" Maxime shrugged. "In case you hadn't noticed, there are a lot of darkspawn around us."

 

"We just don't know what might happen, Inquisitor," Solas replied. "It is possible that the essence of Corypheus would be pulled through the Veil before it can jump to any nearby darkspawn."

 

"That's a lot of 'ifs' in a plan that makes me literally stand face to face with that ancient bastard," Maxime shook his head. "No, I won't do it. Not unless Nathaniel first weakens the Elder One by shattering that orb."

 

"Fine by me," Nathaniel grinned, looking determined and confident.

 

"You're making a big mistake, Inquisitor," Solas warned, but Maxime would not listen, nodding at Nathaniel to proceed.

 

"Please be careful, love," Riona smiled nervously as Nathaniel blew her a kiss, then when Corypheus was distracted by hurling his magic at a company of Chargers trying to sneak closer to the battlements, Nathaniel quickly dashed across the courtyard and flung himself at the wall, taking a moment to breathe and regain his composure, then starting to nimbly climb the literal rope ladder formed by the thick creeper vines.

 

Less than a minute later, Nathaniel reached the top of the fortifications, crouching on one knee to make sure that Corypheus could not see him yet, then turning back to face Riona with a smile on his face, giving her thumbs up to reassure his lover. Mere moments later, however, the smile on his face turned to an expression of horror and Riona's mouth parted to let out an anguished scream as an unseen force seemed to suddenly slam into Nathaniel, throwing him from the top of the fortifications to a deadly fall into the rocky gorge.

 

In the heat of the moment, nobody had noticed the gentle wave of Solas' staff, the elven mage casting a subtle spell that sent Nathaniel plummeting to his death, conflicted expression of determination and regret on the face of the enigmatic elven mage.


Edited by Theodur, 24 June 2017 - 08:10 AM.

The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold


#2 Nimloth

Posted 24 June 2017 - 04:29 PM

Quote: This left Harding alone in the courtyard of Skyhold, rushing forward when she spotted Varric descending down the stairway from the main keep, almost tackling the spymaster on the hard stone stairs as she pounced upon him, the couple not having seen each other for nearly two months. "Damn it, this is so unfair!" Lace exclaimed, all the while smothering the nobly enduring Varric with heated kisses.

 

Hehe, poor Varric, having to endure all those kisses from his lovely girlfriend...it must be so hard for him! *grin*

 

 

Quote: "The plan?" Varric chuckled darkly. "Sure, Alistair has been putting on a brave face while trying to rally the troops, but this feels like what happened at Haven all over again. We're just trying to sell our lives for the highest price possible, all the while hoping for some kind of wonder or divine intervention to save us."

 

Not a bad plan, all things considered

 

 

Quote: Once the darkspawn had gained a sufficient amount of ground atop of the battlements, the red lyrium dragon finally delivered the main antagonists to decisively turn the tide of the battle, the ancient magister Corypheus himself, flanked by a small group of the surviving Red Templars led by Samson.

 

Corypheus knows how to make a showy entrance, that's for sure!

 

 

Quote: "I hope you're not thinking of doing something foolishly heroic," Cauthrien remarked with a worried expression on her face, watching as the red lyrium dragon took to its wings less than two hundred yards away, carrying a host of darkspawn on its back.

 

"No, that would simply get us both killed, and I have no desire to see that happening," Maythre replied.

 

That's a smart girl ;-)

 

 

Quote: With the packs of darkspawn surrounding him temporarily stunned, the dwarven explosives expert grinned madly at himself as he quickly retrieved an explosive rune and attached it to his leather armor, under which rows and rows of similar explosive runes had been hidden well before the start of the battle. With a final prayer to the Ancestors on his lips, the eerily giggling dwarf activated the explosive rune, causing a chain reaction of explosions that echoed throughout Skyhold.

 

May Ilmater watch over his soul

 

 

Quote: "Argh! What… what did you do?" Samson shouted, the red glow within him starting to fade and leaving him visibly deflated. "What did you do!" he screamed in a voice full of disbelief.

 

"I broke his armor, Commander," Dagna hastily explained behind Alistair. "It can no longer grant him the strength and speed that he possessed."

 

Excellent job! *high fives Dagna*

 

 

Quote: Mere moments later, however, the smile on his face turned to an expression of horror and Riona's mouth parted to let out an anguished scream as an unseen force seemed to suddenly slam into Nathaniel, throwing him from the top of the fortifications to a deadly fall into the rocky gorge.

 

In the heat of the moment, nobody had noticed the gentle wave of Solas' staff, the elven mage casting a subtle spell that sent Nathaniel plummeting to his death, conflicted expression of determination and regret on the face of the enigmatic elven mage.

 

Bad Solas! Bad! *hits Solas on the head with a war hammer* Poor Nathaniel...

Very nice chapter, the battle description was absolutely great!



#3 Theodur

Posted 26 June 2017 - 08:44 AM

Quote: This left Harding alone in the courtyard of Skyhold, rushing forward when she spotted Varric descending down the stairway from the main keep, almost tackling the spymaster on the hard stone stairs as she pounced upon him, the couple not having seen each other for nearly two months. "Damn it, this is so unfair!" Lace exclaimed, all the while smothering the nobly enduring Varric with heated kisses.

 

Hehe, poor Varric, having to endure all those kisses from his lovely girlfriend...it must be so hard for him! *grin*

 

I know, right?

 

Quote: "The plan?" Varric chuckled darkly. "Sure, Alistair has been putting on a brave face while trying to rally the troops, but this feels like what happened at Haven all over again. We're just trying to sell our lives for the highest price possible, all the while hoping for some kind of wonder or divine intervention to save us."

 

Not a bad plan, all things considered

 

Counting on divine intervention? Yeah, I'd say at that point you're screwed.

 

Quote: Once the darkspawn had gained a sufficient amount of ground atop of the battlements, the red lyrium dragon finally delivered the main antagonists to decisively turn the tide of the battle, the ancient magister Corypheus himself, flanked by a small group of the surviving Red Templars led by Samson.

 

Corypheus knows how to make a showy entrance, that's for sure!

 

He's had like thousands of years to prepare!

 

Quote: "I hope you're not thinking of doing something foolishly heroic," Cauthrien remarked with a worried expression on her face, watching as the red lyrium dragon took to its wings less than two hundred yards away, carrying a host of darkspawn on its back.

 

"No, that would simply get us both killed, and I have no desire to see that happening," Maythre replied.

 

That's a smart girl ;-)

 

Too bad she failed to heed her own advice!

 

Quote: With the packs of darkspawn surrounding him temporarily stunned, the dwarven explosives expert grinned madly at himself as he quickly retrieved an explosive rune and attached it to his leather armor, under which rows and rows of similar explosive runes had been hidden well before the start of the battle. With a final prayer to the Ancestors on his lips, the eerily giggling dwarf activated the explosive rune, causing a chain reaction of explosions that echoed throughout Skyhold.

 

May Ilmater watch over his soul

 

Yes, it's okay to do this to the darkspawn.

 

Quote: "Argh! What… what did you do?" Samson shouted, the red glow within him starting to fade and leaving him visibly deflated. "What did you do!" he screamed in a voice full of disbelief.

 

"I broke his armor, Commander," Dagna hastily explained behind Alistair. "It can no longer grant him the strength and speed that he possessed."

 

Excellent job! *high fives Dagna*

 

She's a clever little insane genius, that one!

 

Quote: Mere moments later, however, the smile on his face turned to an expression of horror and Riona's mouth parted to let out an anguished scream as an unseen force seemed to suddenly slam into Nathaniel, throwing him from the top of the fortifications to a deadly fall into the rocky gorge.

 

In the heat of the moment, nobody had noticed the gentle wave of Solas' staff, the elven mage casting a subtle spell that sent Nathaniel plummeting to his death, conflicted expression of determination and regret on the face of the enigmatic elven mage.

 

Bad Solas! Bad! *hits Solas on the head with a war hammer* Poor Nathaniel...

 

He tried to warn them not to destroy the orb...

 

Very nice chapter, the battle description was absolutely great!

 

Thank you!


The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold


#4 Laufey

Posted 30 July 2017 - 02:07 PM

 

This left Harding alone in the courtyard of Skyhold, rushing forward when she spotted Varric descending down the stairway from the main keep, almost tackling the spymaster on the hard stone stairs as she pounced upon him, the couple not having seen each other for nearly two months. "Damn it, this is so unfair!" Lace exclaimed, all the while smothering the nobly enduring Varric with heated kisses. "We're finally back together in Skyhold, but I arrive on the eve of the decisive battle with Corypheus!"

​Yeah, you missed the hot sexy times!

 

Meanwhile, the dragon continued to deliver more and more troops, dropping them off directly in the courtyard of Skyhold, nobody capable of doing any significant harm to the beast, especially now that they had lost all of their catapults in short order. A pair of slightly odd looking darkspawn emissaries had been among the darkspawn delivered in the latest group, and while the rank genlocks and hurlocks joined their fellows trying desperately to breach the sturdy gate to the inner keep, these two emissaries managed to slip away from the heat of the battle, retreating into the shadows behind the large stables, unnoticed by everyone.

 

Once the darkspawn had gained a sufficient amount of ground atop of the battlements, the red lyrium dragon finally delivered the main antagonists to decisively turn the tide of the battle, the ancient magister Corypheus himself, flanked by a small group of the surviving Red Templars led by Samson. Backed by the merciless corrupted templars, cutting down everything in their path, the ancient magister was finally free to unleash his unrestrained rage, raining destruction upon the hapless defenders on Skyhold, appearing to have all but sealed the fate of the Inquisition with this decisive and overwhelming attack.

​You did a good job here of creating a sense of just how hopeless the battle feels, as it should be. 

 

 

With Cauthrien still under it, the dragon simply toppled on top of the former queen's general, squishing her with its tremendous weight. Maythre cried out in anger and despair, turning to her blood magic to attack the dragon with, and the roaring beast did indeed rise, but only to lift its hind leg and then smash the staggering Cauthrien with it, the woman visibly crumpling before Maythre's eyes, the elven mage having to watch in helpless disbelief as the red lyrium dragon's tail came around and sent the fatally wounded Cauthrien flying across the clearing to the other side where she collapsed and lay still. Maythre screamed and struck the dragon with yet another spell that made the beast howl in agony, but when it recovered to breathe lightning at her yet again, Maythre was not fast enough to dodge it, the deadly stream of red energy striking her below midriff and making the former queen pass out from the intolerable pain.

​Aw, I know this is sad and all, but I'm also reminded of Simple Cat killing flies by sitting on them. 

 

 

"Rocky! What the fuck is he doing?" Bull shouted after the brave dwarf, running towards the gatehouse as fast as his stubbly legs allowed him. "What the fuck is that mad dwarf doing?" the qunari exclaimed, looking over at Krem next to him, but the Tevinter soldier merely shrugged in response.

 

Meanwhile, Rocky had almost reached the gates where the two ogres stood guard to make sure that any counteroffensive of the Inquisition would meet a swift end. One of the ogres raised a curious eyebrow at the tiny dwarf charging at them, wondering whether to even bother attacking, but then lazily deciding to crush Rocky with its massive club. Having expected the attack, Rocky dove through the ogre's legs in a somersault before throwing another grenade that filled the gatehouse with thick, acrid smoke. With the packs of darkspawn surrounding him temporarily stunned, the dwarven explosives expert grinned madly at himself as he quickly retrieved an explosive rune and attached it to his leather armor, under which rows and rows of similar explosive runes had been hidden well before the start of the battle. With a final prayer to the Ancestors on his lips, the eerily giggling dwarf activated the explosive rune, causing a chain reaction of explosions that echoed throughout Skyhold.

​Aww, heroic sacrifice. There aren't that many Chargers left now, are there? 

 

Maythre opened her eyes to immediately release a grunt of pain, almost wishing that she had not regained her consciousness, her body wracked with terrible pain. The elven mage was amazed that she was even alive to wake up, but by rearing her head and looking around, Maythre quickly discovered that the badly wounded lyrium dragon had collapsed and expired just before managing to reach her, the beast's massive head resting in the grass mere yards away from her feet, the angry red light having gone out in its beady eyes.

 

The elven mage's heart jerked painfully when she made the painful effort to turn and look over at where Cauthrien lay, finding her beloved resting still and unmoving, her torso and lower body twisted in angles that were all wrong and did not bode well for Cauthrien's survival… not that Maythre had much hopes for making out of this encounter alive herself. She did not dare to look at her legs where she had been struck by the dragon's breath, unable to feel anything below her midriff. Her head was spinning and pounding with angry thuds, her breath short and ragged, and then there was pain, the horrible pain coursing through her, making her wish for blissful unconsciousness, or even passing away.

​Um yeah, I think not looking is probably best right now. :(

 

"Who… who are you?" Maythre croaked, balancing on the edge of consciousness.

 

"I am disappointed that you would be unable to guess," the woman shook her head. "Then again, those injuries don't look well at all, so I suppose I can forgive and indulge you," she added with a small smile. "My name is Yavana, and I used to be your and Morrigan's sister… before I became something more."

​I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'd half forgotten about her! Well, I suppose it doesn't matter who she used to be, she's Mythal now. 

 

"Speak, daughter," Yavana said, in a kinder voice than before.

 

"Please… bury us… bury us side by side…" Maythre managed her final words before light faded from her eyes, head lolling weakly to the side as life left her battered frame, the dragon's breath having burned flesh from her legs, but this time there would be no more clever rituals of Mythal that would bring the former queen of Ferelden back from the dead.

 

"Of course, daughter," Yavana nodded with a sad smile on her beautiful face. "That is one request I will gladly honor."

​Given that I still haven't forgiven Maythre for poor Spot, the fact that you made me feel sad for her here says something. Well done!

 

Even though she was gripped by terrible fear, Evangeline assumed her battle stance, determined to stand her ground as Samson came at her, sword raised, eyes glowing in blazing red just like the shard embedded in his chest. Evangeline bit the inside of her cheek to avoid screaming out as the first swing landed and nearly dislocated her sword arm. Despite the pain, she held the blade firm and high, absorbing the second blow, but when the third swing landed it shattered her enchanted sword to pieces and made her stagger backwards. Still, Evangeline was quick enough to bring up her heavy shield, blocking the next pair of quick blows, shouting at one of her templars to toss her a replacement weapon, but everyone around her behaved as if frozen, watching the battle mesmerized and failing to act. More and more blows rained down upon her, eventually driving the Orlesian to her knees, desperately raising the shield above her head to protect herself. Still, the shield could not hold out for long and splintered after a particularly heavy blow, the blade cutting down and slicing across Evangeline's torso starting from the right shoulder down to her stomach, sending shards of wood and metal of the ruined shield flying through the air together with heavy spurts of blood.

​Oh dear, that doesn't look good. :( You're really going through the cast quickly in this chapter, aren't you? 

 

 

"You're making a big mistake, Inquisitor," Solas warned, but Maxime would not listen, nodding at Nathaniel to proceed.

 

"Please be careful, love," Riona smiled nervously as Nathaniel blew her a kiss, then when Corypheus was distracted by hurling his magic at a company of Chargers trying to sneak closer to the battlements, Nathaniel quickly dashed across the courtyard and flung himself at the wall, taking a moment to breathe and regain his composure, then starting to nimbly climb the literal rope ladder formed by the thick creeper vines.

 

Less than a minute later, Nathaniel reached the top of the fortifications, crouching on one knee to make sure that Corypheus could not see him yet, then turning back to face Riona with a smile on his face, giving her thumbs up to reassure his lover. Mere moments later, however, the smile on his face turned to an expression of horror and Riona's mouth parted to let out an anguished scream as an unseen force seemed to suddenly slam into Nathaniel, throwing him from the top of the fortifications to a deadly fall into the rocky gorge.

 

In the heat of the moment, nobody had noticed the gentle wave of Solas' staff, the elven mage casting a subtle spell that sent Nathaniel plummeting to his death, conflicted expression of determination and regret on the face of the enigmatic elven mage.

​Nooo! Nat. :( *twaps Solas with a bucket of fish heads* 


Rogues do it from behind.

#5 Theodur

Posted 31 July 2017 - 07:34 AM

 

 

This left Harding alone in the courtyard of Skyhold, rushing forward when she spotted Varric descending down the stairway from the main keep, almost tackling the spymaster on the hard stone stairs as she pounced upon him, the couple not having seen each other for nearly two months. "Damn it, this is so unfair!" Lace exclaimed, all the while smothering the nobly enduring Varric with heated kisses. "We're finally back together in Skyhold, but I arrive on the eve of the decisive battle with Corypheus!"

​Yeah, you missed the hot sexy times!

 

 

Good, because that chapter was already super long. :)

 

 

Meanwhile, the dragon continued to deliver more and more troops, dropping them off directly in the courtyard of Skyhold, nobody capable of doing any significant harm to the beast, especially now that they had lost all of their catapults in short order. A pair of slightly odd looking darkspawn emissaries had been among the darkspawn delivered in the latest group, and while the rank genlocks and hurlocks joined their fellows trying desperately to breach the sturdy gate to the inner keep, these two emissaries managed to slip away from the heat of the battle, retreating into the shadows behind the large stables, unnoticed by everyone.

 

Once the darkspawn had gained a sufficient amount of ground atop of the battlements, the red lyrium dragon finally delivered the main antagonists to decisively turn the tide of the battle, the ancient magister Corypheus himself, flanked by a small group of the surviving Red Templars led by Samson. Backed by the merciless corrupted templars, cutting down everything in their path, the ancient magister was finally free to unleash his unrestrained rage, raining destruction upon the hapless defenders on Skyhold, appearing to have all but sealed the fate of the Inquisition with this decisive and overwhelming attack.

​You did a good job here of creating a sense of just how hopeless the battle feels, as it should be. 

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

With Cauthrien still under it, the dragon simply toppled on top of the former queen's general, squishing her with its tremendous weight. Maythre cried out in anger and despair, turning to her blood magic to attack the dragon with, and the roaring beast did indeed rise, but only to lift its hind leg and then smash the staggering Cauthrien with it, the woman visibly crumpling before Maythre's eyes, the elven mage having to watch in helpless disbelief as the red lyrium dragon's tail came around and sent the fatally wounded Cauthrien flying across the clearing to the other side where she collapsed and lay still. Maythre screamed and struck the dragon with yet another spell that made the beast howl in agony, but when it recovered to breathe lightning at her yet again, Maythre was not fast enough to dodge it, the deadly stream of red energy striking her below midriff and making the former queen pass out from the intolerable pain.

​Aw, I know this is sad and all, but I'm also reminded of Simple Cat killing flies by sitting on them. 

 

 

It's not a bad comparison, because cats often act as if they are dragons and can do as they please!

 

 

 

"Rocky! What the fuck is he doing?" Bull shouted after the brave dwarf, running towards the gatehouse as fast as his stubbly legs allowed him. "What the fuck is that mad dwarf doing?" the qunari exclaimed, looking over at Krem next to him, but the Tevinter soldier merely shrugged in response.

 

Meanwhile, Rocky had almost reached the gates where the two ogres stood guard to make sure that any counteroffensive of the Inquisition would meet a swift end. One of the ogres raised a curious eyebrow at the tiny dwarf charging at them, wondering whether to even bother attacking, but then lazily deciding to crush Rocky with its massive club. Having expected the attack, Rocky dove through the ogre's legs in a somersault before throwing another grenade that filled the gatehouse with thick, acrid smoke. With the packs of darkspawn surrounding him temporarily stunned, the dwarven explosives expert grinned madly at himself as he quickly retrieved an explosive rune and attached it to his leather armor, under which rows and rows of similar explosive runes had been hidden well before the start of the battle. With a final prayer to the Ancestors on his lips, the eerily giggling dwarf activated the explosive rune, causing a chain reaction of explosions that echoed throughout Skyhold.

​Aww, heroic sacrifice. There aren't that many Chargers left now, are there? 

 

 

Only Dalish and Krem left after this...

 

 

Maythre opened her eyes to immediately release a grunt of pain, almost wishing that she had not regained her consciousness, her body wracked with terrible pain. The elven mage was amazed that she was even alive to wake up, but by rearing her head and looking around, Maythre quickly discovered that the badly wounded lyrium dragon had collapsed and expired just before managing to reach her, the beast's massive head resting in the grass mere yards away from her feet, the angry red light having gone out in its beady eyes.

 

The elven mage's heart jerked painfully when she made the painful effort to turn and look over at where Cauthrien lay, finding her beloved resting still and unmoving, her torso and lower body twisted in angles that were all wrong and did not bode well for Cauthrien's survival… not that Maythre had much hopes for making out of this encounter alive herself. She did not dare to look at her legs where she had been struck by the dragon's breath, unable to feel anything below her midriff. Her head was spinning and pounding with angry thuds, her breath short and ragged, and then there was pain, the horrible pain coursing through her, making her wish for blissful unconsciousness, or even passing away.

​Um yeah, I think not looking is probably best right now. :(

 

 

Afraid not.

 

"Who… who are you?" Maythre croaked, balancing on the edge of consciousness.

 

"I am disappointed that you would be unable to guess," the woman shook her head. "Then again, those injuries don't look well at all, so I suppose I can forgive and indulge you," she added with a small smile. "My name is Yavana, and I used to be your and Morrigan's sister… before I became something more."

​I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'd half forgotten about her! Well, I suppose it doesn't matter who she used to be, she's Mythal now. 

 

 

Yeah. And she kinda wants you for forget about her, so it worked. :)

 

 

"Speak, daughter," Yavana said, in a kinder voice than before.

 

"Please… bury us… bury us side by side…" Maythre managed her final words before light faded from her eyes, head lolling weakly to the side as life left her battered frame, the dragon's breath having burned flesh from her legs, but this time there would be no more clever rituals of Mythal that would bring the former queen of Ferelden back from the dead.

 

"Of course, daughter," Yavana nodded with a sad smile on her beautiful face. "That is one request I will gladly honor."

​Given that I still haven't forgiven Maythre for poor Spot, the fact that you made me feel sad for her here says something. Well done!

 

 

Thanks! I think there was something in her that was worth admiring. And she gave fighting Flemeth a good shot.

 

 

Even though she was gripped by terrible fear, Evangeline assumed her battle stance, determined to stand her ground as Samson came at her, sword raised, eyes glowing in blazing red just like the shard embedded in his chest. Evangeline bit the inside of her cheek to avoid screaming out as the first swing landed and nearly dislocated her sword arm. Despite the pain, she held the blade firm and high, absorbing the second blow, but when the third swing landed it shattered her enchanted sword to pieces and made her stagger backwards. Still, Evangeline was quick enough to bring up her heavy shield, blocking the next pair of quick blows, shouting at one of her templars to toss her a replacement weapon, but everyone around her behaved as if frozen, watching the battle mesmerized and failing to act. More and more blows rained down upon her, eventually driving the Orlesian to her knees, desperately raising the shield above her head to protect herself. Still, the shield could not hold out for long and splintered after a particularly heavy blow, the blade cutting down and slicing across Evangeline's torso starting from the right shoulder down to her stomach, sending shards of wood and metal of the ruined shield flying through the air together with heavy spurts of blood.

​Oh dear, that doesn't look good. :( You're really going through the cast quickly in this chapter, aren't you? 

 

 

In this story, if you think about it. This is partly because I hated how DA:I was just one big safe space for the characters. For me, it completely failed to instill any sort of danger.

 

 

"You're making a big mistake, Inquisitor," Solas warned, but Maxime would not listen, nodding at Nathaniel to proceed.

 

"Please be careful, love," Riona smiled nervously as Nathaniel blew her a kiss, then when Corypheus was distracted by hurling his magic at a company of Chargers trying to sneak closer to the battlements, Nathaniel quickly dashed across the courtyard and flung himself at the wall, taking a moment to breathe and regain his composure, then starting to nimbly climb the literal rope ladder formed by the thick creeper vines.

 

Less than a minute later, Nathaniel reached the top of the fortifications, crouching on one knee to make sure that Corypheus could not see him yet, then turning back to face Riona with a smile on his face, giving her thumbs up to reassure his lover. Mere moments later, however, the smile on his face turned to an expression of horror and Riona's mouth parted to let out an anguished scream as an unseen force seemed to suddenly slam into Nathaniel, throwing him from the top of the fortifications to a deadly fall into the rocky gorge.

 

In the heat of the moment, nobody had noticed the gentle wave of Solas' staff, the elven mage casting a subtle spell that sent Nathaniel plummeting to his death, conflicted expression of determination and regret on the face of the enigmatic elven mage.

​Nooo! Nat. :( *twaps Solas with a bucket of fish heads* 

 

I know. :( And then that idiot Maxime destroys the orb anyway, making this act especially pointless.

 


The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold





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