Hey there, fellow Dragon Age fans. It is 1:39 AM right now, so let me apologize in advance for any errors that I may have made in the writing of this story. This is not my first attempt at a Dragon Age story, but I'm hoping it will be my most successful. By that, I mean that I hope I can actually put some more story out and finish it. I've been a colossal fan of Dragon Age: Origins since I put the disc in my 360. I love Morrigan in ways that are probably illegal in certain countries, and therefore drive myself crazy thinking about what happens after the story of the game. This is just one of the scenarios I've come up with.
Enjoy.
The situation was not pretty.
His eyes darted to the left, narrowing as a quartet of Rage Demons appeared from the shadows, their orange burning claws ripping at the ground around them as they rose, their fury directed not merely in his direction, but at him directly.
With a quick shift to the right, his eyes caught sight of another quartet forming. They, he noted, were substantially different than the enflamed demons of Rage. Sloth. Not only did their power dwarf that of the Rage, their intelligence made them significant threats.
A set of eight demons was a chore, at best. Life-threatening? No, not at all. At least, not for him. Of course, that was only if there were just the eight. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case.
Between the two groups, rising from a pair of pools, swirling pink with their energy, came two embodiments of Desire. If Rage demons were Dragonlings, and Sloth demons were the Drakes, then Desire could be the equivalent of the full-blown egg laying, treasure guarding, fire spitting Dragons themselves.
Raising an eyebrow as the pair twirled around each other, cupping their breasts as they clung together lightly and defied gravy itself, even he had to admit there was one thing other than their power that made them so dangerous.
It was how easily they could read the minds of man, twisting their images into anything advantageous, anything they thought could distract or tempt the heart of their target. Most often they chose sultry, seductive forms with which they whispered sweet nothings, awaiting an opportunity.
But this was not his first adventure into the Fade. Besides, he knew the consequences better than anyone of those who fall prey to Desire.
Still, the scene had not yet completed itself.
With a roar, one final addition to the execution squad announced its presence. Pummeling forth, breaking the two Desire Demons away from one another, it stood front and center as if to announce itself their leader, their commander.
Pride, the strongest of all.
"Of course..." he sighed, fatigue showing through his tired eyes and sluggish movements.
But now wasn't the time to rest.
"One mere dreamer, Traveler of the Fade, dare steps foot into the Black City alone?!" it demanded, its inhuman voice booming outward twisted with hints of amusement, pure exultation, and even a bit of a somewhat admiring undertone.
"You are my kind of dreamer, Traveler." it continued with a heavy chuckle.
'Oh, I get it. My pride.'
As his eyes panned the area once more, taking in the rest of the scene and seeing exactly how deep he was in, the demon continued with its monologue.
Demons always wanted one of two things when it came to mortals. The first was forcefully wrestle control of the mortal's body and once establishing dominance, use it as their vessel to navigate the outside world. Whether it was to feed or satisfy their curiosity or some other unknown reason, the result was always the same.
An abomination.
Option B, however, was simply to devour the soul of the hapless Fade wanderer with no intentions of escape. Well, he had heard that mortal's were best when seasoned with the isolation, fear, and distress that they felt inside the Fade.
Seeing as there were way too many working in tandem, it was highly unlikely they all planned on fitting within his own body. Perhaps they trusted that the first to get out would provide vessels for the rest?
On the other hand, maybe he was a delectable treat, and each had already divvied his soul up. That didn't sound all that pleasant.
"But I digress. Know that it was your own hubris that allowed you to foolishly believe you could step foot within the Black City! And know that that very same hubris ushered forth your demise!"
Wait, wha-
His thoughts were silenced as, apparently, "demise" seemed to be the code word for go. Both Rage and Sloth flanked him, the Desire Demons standing firm already mid-cast.
Damn.
Within a split second, crystals of ice formed around a pair of the Rage Demons, their bodies immobilized as they connected and solidified. The other two burst forth a mixture of flames and lava, splashing over a barrier of the arcane that formed around the traveler in the nick of time.
Arcane bolts and the dark, twisted claws of the Sloth Demons reached forth with intent to shred his spiritual form as it stand.
Twisting his torso to the side, the bolts shot past, a wave of psychokinetic energy exploding outward, shredding Sloth Demons and tearing them asunder.
His foot slammed to the ground, launching him forward into a burst towards the Desire Demons, both palms aiming backwards as he chanted the spell inwardly.
Calling out in curse, the two free Rage Demons howled as a wave of freezing air blasted them, the moisture within instantly entombing them in their own shells of ice. That took care of the low levels, at least.
An entire volley of arcane energy descended forth from the steps that lead into the city. More Desire Demons did not improve the situation and, blinded from the sheer number of bolts, he couldn't even count the number of reinforcements.
The situation was not pretty.
As one of the two original Desire Demons opened its mouth, a bright light lit the area and left whatever its words were to be, unspoken. Thunder cracked as the lightning struck into it, running its course before jumping to its companion. As luck would have it, the chain did not stop there, choosing to make several round trips.
Ducking, tucking and rolling, dodging whatever of the now periodic volleys he could, the traveler leapt forward channeling Haste as he navigated the waves. Only mere seconds left before- Yes! Arriving at their stunned, briefly immobilized bodies, he placed his hands on each of their faces.
"Don't let me down!" he cried, wishing for luck as dark magic flowed forth, saturating their bodies with its foul energy. Fortune appeared on his side as, seconds later, the two collapsed to the ground.
A sigh of relief escaped his jaw in the midst of what had now become heavy breathing. Entropy was not his best school, and if it weren't for the lessons that she had insisted on him taking, he was sure that the hexes employed seconds ago would have failed.
Lifting his head, the sudden silence and absence of attack had worried him. The embodiment of Pride, standing mere yards away watched wordlessly, his onyx eyes reflecting the defeat of ten demons of various rank before him.
Standing behind him was what appeared to be eleven, now wait... ten, thank the Maker, Desire Demons. Each one had a look of utter arousal as they stared back at him. Was it truly that exciting for them to watch their own comrades fall?
Or perhaps it made him seem that more appetizing.
"Impressive." growled Pride, its monstrous, jagged arms unfolding in admiration. "But your journey ends here. My appreciation of your ability ends at these gates."
Lifting its hand, it appeared to point towards the sky, but in an instant, the entire arm vanished, a blast of wind almost knocking the traveler back down the stairs. Pride's arm now hovered closely across its chest.
'A swipe?!' the traveler asked incredulously.
Oh, come on... This was too much.
His eyes rose hesitantly, landing once more on the squad of Desire Demons waiting atop the staircase leading into the Black City. They weren't attacking, so...
"A one-on-one, is it?" he warily asked Pride, his breathing beginning to stabilize.
"Even with your ability, I alone am enough."
Well, that must be why they called them the representation of Pride.
Wordlessly, they stared each other down. If he wanted to make his escape, now would definitely be the time to do it. The only question was if such a move would cause the Desire Demons to continue their rain of arcane. Even he didn't have eyes in the back of his head.
But in that hesitation, the Pride Demon found an opening. It's arm screaming through the air once more, it made contact with his barrier, and with the swipe sent the traveler flying to the right.
'D-damn!'
Correcting himself mid-air, he landed as gracefully as possible, feeling more winded than ever. It was a real pain getting this far. Sure, he had expected there to be some extremely powerful and ancient demons inhabiting the city, what he hadn't counted on was the hordes he had to eradicate to even get to the stairs leading towards the gate.
A bolt of colorless lightning erupted from his fingertips, slicing the air of the Fade as it connected with the Pride Demon's spiked shell. But it wasn't enough! As the Pride Demon fought through it, closing the gap, it reared its arms back for what appeared to be a hammer blow.
"Don't think so!" the traveler announced, his hands encased in an aura of purple energy. Throwing them forward palm first, his psychokinetic energy burst forth and collided with the demon, staggering it backwards a few feet.
It was enough.
"Come on!" he yelled, a swirling mass of magic twisting and turning inwards with him at the very center. As the magic converged, a multi-colored aura of light formed around him.
Attuning himself to the elements was clever, as now he could call forth their true and terrifying power, but it wouldn't be sufficient for taking down the armored behemoth. That much he was sure of.
As the Pride Demon regained its composure, it bore forward only to be met with a force of fire, ice, earth, and lightning. Each one collided with him, crashing harshly into his shell which was having a harder and harder time mitigating the damage.
CRACK!
The sound of thunder echoed through the air as an especially powerful bolt of lightning crashed square into its chest, shattering the armor in that spot. With an opening, the multitude of elemental energies constantly pouring forth from the Mage flowed in wrecking the demon's body.
Now was his chance!
It was fortunate the demon was that of the Pride variety. Although that meant that it was a step above the rest, it also gave for the most exploitable of weaknesses. The demon had underestimated him. Tired though he may be, he was still a Hero. More than that, he was a Hero whose abilities had grown exponentially time and again.
He was a much different person than he was a few years ago in the face of the Blight.
But still, this demon was especially resilient. It was going to take full contact for him to end this without wasting any more of his mana, which grew lower and lower by the second. Leaping forward once more, he redirected his focus to the barrier surrounding him just as the Pride demon found his footing once more and sent a powerful arm into it.
It couldn't stop him, though. Reaching forward through the hole in the shell, placing his hand directly on the flesh hidden beneath, his magic let up all in an instant. All except his attunement to the elements.
With a resounding call, magical energy flooded forth from his hand engulfing the demon, leaving it utterly helpless. A familiar hard grey color began from the point of contact, spreading outwards at an astonishing rate. Earth wasn't his favorite Primal school, but damn if Petrify wasn't effective.
Within seconds, the demon's existence had ceased to be. What had been the embodiment of Pride was now nothing more than a statue, an eternal shame upon it. It's wound, its death, everything was set in stone and forever preserved for the eyes of the Fade's inhabitants.
Silence hung around in the air as the traveler panted, his energy seemingly gone. He could go no further. He hadn't the energy. But just as he prepared to make his escape, his eyes caught an unfortunate sight. The ten Desire Demons parted as three more Pride Demons stepped forth, stopping to gaze down at the invader.
"You... You have GOT to be kidding me..."
Each shouting forth their own speech and slowly descending the stairs, behind them the Desire Demons began to channel their own magic energy. Realization set in that all bets were off. It was all or nothing now, and if he wanted to escape... he was going to have to do something he'd much rather not.
But there was no other choice.
Life returned to his eyes as the fatigue vanished, his body straightening. Light burst forth from his eyes, his mouth, his very being as he was bathed in it. Everything about him seemed to change, his very essence becoming more like the demons themselves.
The very Fade itself became his mana, his energy, his life force. And with that, he became something that could no longer be defined as a simple Human. Channeling the Fade within himself, his magic became power. What he had learned as Arcane Warrior from a forgotten being had become something much more.
He was as unstoppable as the Maker himself.
Two emerald eyes shot open, taking in the physical world around them. To the left, he glanced. To the right, he gazed. The Fade was no longer what filled his sight, but instead he saw the mortal world protected by the Veil.
"Damn... That's always so draining..." he sighed in relief. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary to maintain that form. It had become necessary almost six years ago.
Lifting himself from the ground slowly, Amell's fingers rose to comb his goatee back into order, it having become unruly as he thrashed around in his meditation. His long, dark hair also needed a bit of a combing. And maybe a haircut, now that he thought about it. It didn't used to fall beneath his shoulders.
Smoothing his robes, he heard a voice call out to him.
An elf stepped forth, extending him a helpful hand, one which he gladly took. It was almost sad that he needed assistance getting back up, but after surviving what would have killed any other Mage he'd ever met, he felt confident enough that a little help wouldn't hurt his pride.
"We could feel your energy resonating in the Beyond from here, Grey Warden." she announced, her eyes filled with concern and, rightly enough, suspicion.
"I had to... take some very, very emergency measures, Keeper. It was... a real challenge." he admitted with a slight laugh.
Her eyes stared back into his own, as if probing. He wasn't sure how, but Amell felt very certain the Keeper was searching his very soul, making absolute sure that what came back was the man who entered the Fade, or the Beyond as the Dalish had traditionally called it.
"The Beyond is a world full of wonder and danger. It is not wise to take it lightly, Grey Warden. Even you should tread carefully there. But since you took such great risk, I would hope you would have come back with something."
Ah, yes. This Keeper, although respectful of his status as a Grey Warden and as friend of the Dalish, was not one to simply let him do as he pleased without gaining some sort of knowledge from it. That made her somewhat different to those who acted as a guide.
"At first I thought the demons were inhabiting the Black City, and came in response to my presence looking for a meal or a ticket across the Veil." he paused, unsure of the validity of what he was about to tell her, "But towards the end, it struck me as something else. It seemed much more like they were... guarding it."
There it was. The Keeper raised a perplexed expression to mirror his own. It was unheard of for demons to protect anything. In fact, it was their actions and attempts to do the exact opposite that made them so feared.
Feared enough to where the threat of them had started a war across the world. One between Mages and Templar.
"Guarding... what?"
The Warden couldn't answer her. He didn't get far enough in. Hell, in the months that he had lived alongside this particular Dalish clan, it had taken him this long just to find a path to the Black City. Even now that he had, it took everything he had to fight his way to it, not to mention reaching the gate that marked the entrance.
If only Morrigan were still with him, he'd feel more confident about making it in the city. But he understood. She had to remain in hiding. From the Templar, from the world.
From Flemeth.
And hiding she would have to remain, at least until he could discover what it was hidden away in the Black City that would answer his questions and hers. Even if it meant blazing a trail of fire and ice through the heart of the city to the very throne of the Maker, he would find the key they needed.
He would see his love and their child again.
There we go, that wasn't too bad. I hope you enjoyed it. Fingers crossed. I plan on getting the next chapter out soon.