Through The Fade
My dream that night was unusual to say the least. The landscape I traversed was foggy with random things appearing and then disappearing just as suddenly. The weirdest part was that this didn't feel like a dream. My thoughts were my own. I could go where I chose. For all intents and purposes I was here. Physically here. Wherever here was.
That's not to say I didn't have an idea but it couldn't be right. Could it? There was no way this was the Fade. Magic doesn't exist in our world. Right?
I continued walking though the foggy landscape while my thoughts plagued me. What could this possibly mean? Am I a mage? Do I actually have the ability to wield fire? I decided to try a little experiment since there was nothing better to do while I tried to navigate this place. Since I had no formal training of any kind I simply tried to picture fire in my hands. That worked as well as one might expect. No matter how hard or much I tried I couldn't produce a flame. As best I could figure I wasn't a mage or I was too attached to what I could and couldn't do.
Yeah, I really want to be a mage. Think about how cool it would be. It would certainly beat my own life back home where it seems like everything is out of my hands. Yeah, I'm definitely getting ahead of myself here. At this point, I didn't fully understand what was going on. For all I knew it was just a really cool dream.
As things turn out it wasn't a dream. Not in the conventional sense. No this was a sign of a drastic change to my life and everything it meant. This became more than apparent when I entered the domain of a Desire Demon. I froze in shock at the sight before me. I mean this was just so really lucid dream, right? For all my thoughts of being a mage and this possibly being the Fade I didn't truly believe it. Who would?
So as I stood frozen in disbelief the Demon took notice of me and glided over. She ran her hand up and down her body. Now let me tell you I never thought they were that beautiful when playing Dragon Age but here in front of me ... yeah she is drop-dead gorgeous. I think she is already toying with my mind to make me see what I want to see. Curves in all the right faces and purple fire that looked and acted like hair. Yeah, I was screwed.
"What's this? A mere mortal enters the domain of Caress," she spoke in a silky smooth voice dripping with lust.
Alarm bells where ringing in my head. Unfortunately I'm a young man so I really wasn't in charge.
"I ... I'm ... Sean," I managed to choke out of my suddenly dry mouth. Caress glided closer to me and gaze my shoulder a squeeze. My head was foggy with lust. My breath was coming out in loud gusts.
"What do you desire," She purred. Oh man. This was so not good. Normally I'd be able to tell you half a dozen things I desired at any given moment but right now that wasn't really an option. In fact it felt like I had no true control over my thoughts or my mouth for that matter.
"You," I managed to choke out. Caress' face lit up in a dazzling smile. I literally melted right there. Even hadn't I been so under her spell that would have tipped me over the edge anyway. At this point, it felt like I was locked inside my body. I was mentally hitting my head against the wall trying to regain myself to no avail. Caress, a desire demon, had me eating out of the palm of her hand. All she had to do was offer me a deal and I'd really be done for.
"Ah," she practically sighed and all pressure left me. Suddenly, I was me again. It was as if I had literally been caught in a spell. It was like a nightmare only much more pleasant on the surface.
"You dear sweet man. You need to be careful with your dealings in the Fade. There are those of my kind who would use your weakness against you. There are those who would use you to enter the world of man."
Caress was no longer a seductress instead she was a teacher. The really hot teacher that caused more juvenile male fantasies then the cover model for Swimsuit Illustrated. She was giving off this almost motherly vibe. A really sexy motherly vibe.
"But not you?"
She shook her head to inform me that she really had no designs on my body and soul ... and why am I somewhat disappointed by that revelation? It's like I'm not good enough for her or something. Oh it's probably because I don't have magic.
"You do." Oh, I do. Wait, what? I didn't voice that aloud. I know I didn't. She gives me a reassuring smile.
"We are in my realm and if you think as loudly as you have been I can hear you."
My face heats up as I am absolutely sure that if she heard anything from my thoughts then she definitely heard my perverse ones. Those were as good as shouted from the top of a mountain.
"Okay, so you can hear my thoughts," a nod in response. "And you said I have magic," again she nods. "So if I'm a mage why aren't you trying to offer me a deal? You could have had a more than willing host not 5 minutes ago when I was under your spell. Why let me out? And why am I even here? The Fade doesn't exist where I'm from. Not in this state anyway."
Caress looked amused as I rambled on. "See this is why you interest me so. Your desire for knowledge. You seek to know all about the world you interact with. I watched you as you walked the Fade. I saw your previous attempts at magic. Had you been born in Thedas you would have been able to cast fireballs about. As for why I am not offering you a deal it is because I have no desire to leave my realm. I am content in the Fade unlike some of my brethren. As for why you are here, suffice it to say there are some that would meddle with things beyond their grasp. You have been plucked from your realm by those that desire the power born in you. You have the potential to do much in Thedas. Some would prefer to guide you down the path they desire."
That is sick. Some bastard wants me in Thedas to control me. I'll never understand that. I could never understand how people could use others like that. Slavery is wrong, period. Most likely this was another demon at work or blood mages. Hell it could be that Caress is actually the one who dragged me here against my will. I doubt it but I'd still have to be careful.
"Somebody wants the power I could potentially wield. You know I've always hated that word. Potential is unrealized and needs to be formed. Without proper training I'm a sitting duck. I suspect whoever wants my power is going to be actively seeking me out and that means I have a giant target on my back with no way of protecting myself."
Caress tilts her head at my assessment with an amused smile on her face.
"I have no intention of leaving you without protection. The world is at the precipice of change. Many fear the inevitable change despite the fact that it is needed. Very soon you will come face to face with the precipice and when the time comes do not hesitate to leap."
"Yeah, that's not very reassuring. In fact, that's almost the exact thing that Flemeth says to Hawke. I don't think it was reassuring then and it certainly isn't now. Look I'm just a man. Destiny and all that doesn't mean much to me. I believe in free will. To me destiny is just slavery by another name."
Caress laughs deeply at this. I'm so very glad she finds me so amusing. It takes several moments before she gets her laughter under control and is able to respond.
"My dear boy, you always have a choice. There is no destiny but that what you make. Whether you choose is up to you. However, I would not see you unarmed for the coming conflict. You need the skills to be able to survive in this world where your foreknowledge will serve you greatly."
I nod in agreement at this. I am woefully unprepared for what I'm getting into. I also need to know if I can ever get home. It surprises me a bit that it took this long to get to that point but I think it has to do with the fact that I'm still in the Fade and it hasn't really hit home yet. I'm sure when I'm next deep in trouble I'll really wish I was home. What will my parents think? My sister? My friends? These thoughts sadden me. I really will miss everybody and that kind of makes me hate whoever did this.
"Give up thoughts of home. They do you no service and, in all likelihood, you will never see your home again. The amount of power it took to get you here would pale in comparison to the amount it will take to send you home. Your magic would have acted like a beacon there but here your magic would need to be siphoned from the rest."
That kind of makes sense. I mean in my world I would have been rare but in Thedas magic is everywhere. It permeates the very soil. So home is put on the backburner. I won't give up entirely but it needs to be set aside for the moment.
"Alright so where does that leave us?"
Caress nods in respect to how quickly I came to grasp the situation.
"As I said I have no intention of seeing you without protection. I will give you two things to help you. First I offer my domain as sanctuary to you when you come to the Fade. I have your essence and will pull you to me. In this way, the entity that drew you here will be unable to touch you. Only a fool would seek to challenge me where my power is at its strongest."
I really hope she is honest about not possessing me because if she's not I'll literally be at her mercy. The only thing that makes me trust her is that she already had me. She literally had me worshipping her and all it would have taken was a little nudge and she'd have what she wants. So her offer has to be genuine or her plan is far more insidious and tangled then I could ever devise.
"And the second thing?" I asked.
"I will give you the knowledge to access your power," She holds up a finger to forestall anything I might say in response before continuing on. "This knowledge is not however enough to unlock your potential. I will give you the knowledge to use your power. It is up to you to train and truly command your power."
At this I nod as again she makes sense. Knowing how to do something doesn't mean you can actually do it. It actually reminds me of auto shop. I got the theory and the book work part but actually put me in front of a car and I couldn't tell you what was wrong or how to fix it if my life depended on it. I really hope this isn't like other skilled trades. I hope simply knowing how to do something and constant practice will do the trick otherwise I am as good as dead. Still I had to be sure this was all genuine.
"And what do you get out of this?"
A warm smile found its way onto Caress' face. "A friend. Is it so strange to find that demons get lonely? I will give you what you need, all I ask is that you get to know me and not what Chantry dogma says about me and my kind."
"Hmm... You know that actually makes sense. I never believed in religion before. I thought it was pretty damn presumptuous of man to believe that they knew what God or the Maker said. I will give you a chance, Caress. Just as you have given me."
Caress places a hand on my shoulder and looks genuinely relieved. "Thank you, mortal. You have no idea how much this means to me." She then gets serious and I can see that whatever is about to happen may not be the most pleasant thing in the world.
"This may be uncomfortable but I will try to make you as comfortable as possible." She tapped her chin as she thought to herself. "Now how does that go again? Ah yes. Open your mind to the universe. Embrace Eternity!"
Really, Caress? I think we may get along just fine. I smirked slightly at that line anyway. Then I was hit with ... I don't really know how to explain it. It was like this vortex and it was sucking into my head. Things I had never thought where suddenly in my mind like something long forgotten. Everything I ever needed to know about being a mage was deposited into my mind.
Sounds great, right? Wrong! It's like my brain went into overload. My entire body was sent into seizure as my brain was fire off my synapses left and right. It was like a bad muscle spasm except everywhere. I heard a rather unmanly scream and at first I wonder if this hurt Caress as much as me. The scratchy ache in my throat told me otherwise. I was the one with the girly scream. Hopefully Caress doesn't hold this against me. I mean right now she is the only one I can trust. How strange is that. A desire demon is the one person I can trust. Yeah, lock me up now. Put me in the loony bin and throw away the key.
After what seemed like hours the pain finally subsided and I was actually able to look deep into myself and feel the mana pooled within. I conjured up images on how to manipulate it to do whatever I wanted. I caught a glimpse of something else that made me pause in surprise.
"I'm an arcane warrior? I was under the impression that had to directly passed down from one trained in the art."
"Ah, it is very refreshing to see such a keen mind. Yes, you are an arcane warrior. It is an innate talent. You need to posses what is needed to become one. Where that knowledge came from ... we will need to discuss that at another time. It is a deeply personal issue and will require some time to explain. Time which is dwindling."
"Fair enough, Caress. It's really surprising though. It's like the best of both worlds. The ability to wield magic and use a sword."
"Too many mages rely solely on their magic to their detriment. How many times has a mage died because a templar drained his mana. It is a sad end that does not need to be and I do not wish to see you among them."
"Thanks. I'd rather not be run through." I look around at the Fade and notice it is getting fuzzy. "Ah ... I'm assuming this is good bye for now."
"Yes. Your time in the Fade is drawing to an end. Remain vigilant upon waking. I fear you may be in danger."
"That really doesn't surprise me at this point. Something tells me my life just got a whole lot more interesting then it was before I went to bed."
"Yes, I suspect it is. Until we meet again, my friend."
My eyes shot open and all thoughts of it being a dream where shattered. I wasn't at home in bed. I was on the ground in a tent. I rubbed at my eyes almost hoping that I was still seeing things but no matter how much I did nothing changed. I sighed in resignation and took an inventory of what I had. It was better than nothing. I had the important things to survive. I had leather armor that one typically associated with rogues and also a sword that greatly resembled Spellweaver from Origins.
After a few minutes and much swearing I finally donned my leather armor. It was time to explore so I grabbed my sword and stepped outside. I could instantly feel the hum from the sword. It was singing to my very soul. This sword flat out belonged to me. I could also feel which spells it would help improve. Cold spells were definitely it's strength. I always liked the effectiveness of those spells. Then a thought struck me. This wasn't actually Spellweaver but one similar suited for a particular type of mage. I held the sword out in front of me and touched my forehead to the flat of the blade.
"I think I'll call you Frost Bite." I swear the damn thing hummed it's approval at that. Is this how the Qunari feel? Do their swords talk to them, as mine appears to be doing?
A guttural scream drew me out of my musings. Things were about to get serious. Cresting a hill was about a dozen Darkspawn and they were advancing on me. It looks like I'm out of the frying pan and into the fire.