It was a stormy night. Rain beat down from the heavens in a never ending downpour. To go out side was foolish, not to mention dangerous. So it was with suspicion that the innkeeper looked at the rain-soaked group of travelers asking for two rooms for the night. But it wasn't his job to interrogate his customers, even if they were all cloaked and hooded.
"It'll be sixty silvers. Dinner was served just an hour ago, but there might be something left in the kitchens," The innkeeper said in a gravelly voice. The leader nodded his thanks as he handed over the silver. The innkeeper shook his head as he continued to wipe beer mugs. Strange things were more common place everyday now.
"Wynne, Leliana, is it alright if you two take the room down the hall?" Daiscus asked, lowering his rain soaked hood.
"Yes, that's alright with me," Wynne replied, looking at Leliana. She nodded, shivering.
"Kay, see you guys in the morning. We need to be at camp by noon," the Grey warden said. Alistair was already in their room. Daiscus entered and closed the door behind him. The room was bigger than he had expected, and the wash tub was full of clean water. A bed was in the corner opposite it.
"Ah, finally, shelter. I was pretty sure that storm would kill us," Alistair said, setting down his pack in the corner.
"You're telling me? You didn't almost slip into Lake Calenhad. I was this close to having a stone cold bath. Not that I didn't get one, mind you. Blasted rain," Daiscus said, dropping his pack next to Alistair's.
"Speaking of baths, do you mind if…?" Alistair asked questioningly.
"Go for it, though you might want to see how warm the water is first," Daiscus said.
"Got it," he replied, walking over to test the water. He dipped his fingers into it before pulling it out quickly. "Great, stone cold."
Daiscus chuckled as he went to stand before the tub. He put his hand over the water and concentrated his magic on it. His hand glowed bright orange for a moment before he pulled back.
"There you go, one hat bath ready," Daiscus said. Alistair looked positively delighted.
"Next time I have a complaint about a mage, remind me that not all of them are bad," Alistair said, taking off his plate armor. He didn't see the look of hurt and pain that passed over Daiscus' face. He turned around as Alistair finished removing his armor, then his small clothes. He heard his contented sigh as Alistair lowered himself into the hot bath.
"I'd forgotten what this feels like. Almost makes me forget we have a blight to stop," Alistair said, eyes closed. Daiscus removed his rain soaked cloak. His clothes hadn't faired much better, sopping wet.
"If you want anything dried, tell me now," Daiscus said, removing his robe and boots.
"If you would be so kind, my cloak. And maybe my clothes too. I don't want to seem a bother though."
"No, it's fine. I've got nothing better to do at the moment," Daiscus said. He tied a rope from one end of the room to the other, and then hung all their clothes on it. Then he removed his small clothes and wrapped himself in a towel, hanging them up also. Then, concentrating mana into his hand, he made the air heat up around it, then sent the air forward. He moved his hand around their clothes, drying them. Alistair propped an eye open.
"You know, I haven't noticed that much before, but now that I think about it, you use magic a lot. Even for simple things, like heating up water and drying clothes. I thought the circle taught against such things," Alistair said. Daiscus kept his bare back to him.
"That is what the circle taught, yes. But I am no longer bound by their rules," Daiscus said quietly, thoughtfully. "I hated the tower. I hated almost everything it stood for. Slaves to the Chantry. No move is made that is not watched by the Templars. It is a prison, and every waking moment is torture. I was glad to escape from there. I was even glad to help Jowan to escape from there."
"Jowan, the blood mage?" Alistair said questioningly.
"Yes."
"I guess I can see where you're coming from. I didn't have the happiest life either. But nothing compared to what you say you had," Alistair said, sinking back into the tub.
Daiscus finished drying their clothes, slightly drained from the constant use of magic. Soon afterwards, Alistair hopped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around himself. Daiscus was sitting on the bed, and Alistair sat down next to him.
"If it makes any difference, I'd like to say thank you. You've made some hard choices, but they've always turned out for the better. You're a good person. You found my mother's amulet… I can't remember the last time I've had a real friend. Even when I told you I was Maric's bastard, you treated me just the same. Just, thanks for everything," Alistair said. Daiscus looked at his friend curiously.
"You know Alistair, you're not too hard to get along with. Unless, off course, you're Morrigan," Daiscus said, grinning.
"No arguing with that," Alistair replied, glad to have the fuzzy moment done with. He stood up to find his small clothes. Daiscus walked over to the tub and reheated it, purifying it as he did so. Then he removed the towel and settled into the steaming warmth of the tub. Alistair was quite right; one could forget that they had a blight to stop.
"So, do you want the bed, or the nice and dry bedroll on the floor?" Alistair asked.
"Whatever you don't want," came the reply.
"Right then, I'll flip a silver, heads, you win, tails, I win." Alistair pulled the coin and flipped it into the air. He caught it. Tails. "Tough luck, my friend."
Daiscus barely acknowledged. He was lost in memories.
"I've done so many stupid things, let down so many people. I just want to do something good for once," Jowan said earnestly, looking through the cell bars at Daiscus and his companions.
"He seems honest in his intention to redeem himself. I say let him," Leliana said, looking at Daiscus.
"He's your friend. You decide," Alistair added. Daiscus looked at Jowan. They had had so much in common, at the tower. Trapped in a prison, wanting to be free. And now, they had even more in common than anyone but Daiscus himself realized.
"Jowan, I understood your actions in the tower. You were able to have your freedom. But why didn't you make something of it?" Daiscus said, suddenly angry. "Why did you have to hurt more people? You said that once you were free of the tower, you would give up magic. I didn't believe it, but I thought that you would at least do something with your life."
Daiscus suddenly spun around, his back facing the cell. The other companions glanced at each other warily; they had never heard the full story of what lead to Daiscus's recruitment into the wardens. But more than that, they were witnessing a side of their leader that they had never seen before. He was usually calm and collected. Now, he was torn and confused.
"Please, if our friendship meant anything to you, let me out of this cell. I just want to make things right," Jowan pleaded, his eyes begging. Daiscus was silent for a moment.
"It did Jowan. Your friendship was all that kept me going at times," Daiscus said quietly. Then he turned and opened the cell, the key hanging on a hook far to the right.
Daiscus was jolted from his memory by Alistair, who was snoring. He chuckled slightly as he got up from the tub, drying off with the towel. Alistair was Daiscus' best friend, even if Alistair hadn't noticed it. He was simple and funny (most of the time), but deadly with a blade. And he cared about things, people. It was so different from the circle, where apprentices vied for favor of the enchanters, and always the struggle of Mage against Templar.
Daiscus put on his small clothes and a pair of sleeping shorts, and then spread his beadroll on a dry spot on the wooden floor. Curling up in, his last thoughts before sleep took him were of white flowers with red centers, and a beautiful Orliasian Bard smiling.
Daiscus' dreams were, as always, frightening. Could wardens never dream of anything but Darkspawn? It didn't seem possible. But this dream was worse. He could see the Archdemon, in all of its deadly majesty. Roaring, it looked directly at Daiscus. He could feel the power in its gaze. Daiscus awoke, covered in sweat. Why was he affected so by the dreams? Alistair had no problem sleeping, as he made apparent by the quiet snoring. But no more sleep would come this night. He left the room, not even bothering to grab a shirt.
Daiscus made his way quietly out of the inn, and onto a nearby hill. And there he sat, looking at the approaching sunrise, the cool morning air brushing against his bare chest and back. Breathing deeply, he let his troubles be swept away by the breeze. But a nagging secret that wouldn't be moved. And Daiscus didn't know what to do about it. How could he tell them?
He sought his mind for the answer. There was always just telling them right now. But that wouldn't work. He could see Alistair's betrayed expression, and Wynne's deadly glare. His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps. Light graceful ones. He turned to see Leliana coming toward him, dressed in her Drakeskin armor.
"Here you are. I knocked on your door, and heard only Alistair's snoring. So, I went in, and found your empty bedroll. And now I find you here, gazing at the sunrise, lost in thought. Ah, and you're not even properly dressed yet," she said in her Orlaisian accent. Daiscus's heart sped up just a tad at the sound of her voice.
"I couldn't sleep," he said evenly, turning his gaze back to the sunrise. Leliana sat down next to him, gazing into the coming dawn.
"So beautiful," she said softly. Daiscus didn't hesitate.
"Not as beautiful as you," he said, turning to look at her. Then, realizing what he had said, he blushed, turning away. Her gaze turned to him, eyes lingering on the finely toned muscles of his back.
"You're too sweet," she replied. She knew he liked her. And she liked him back. More than he new. But he didn't need to know that quite yet. He turned to look at her. He was once again seized by her beauty, the morning light accentuating every curve of her lips, the bright intelligence in her eyes, and the overall beauty of the woman before him.
"I-I need to go get ready," he mumbled, getting up and heading back to the inn. She smiled at him, and then watched the sunrise for a moment longer.
Daiscus arrived to find a still sleeping Alistair. He chuckled at the sight of his fellow Grey warden curled up in a blanket. But he would let him sleep, just a bit longer. Pulling on his custom Mage robes, Daiscus readied for their last few miles before they reached the happy smiling faces of Sten, Shale, and Zevran. Not. But camp was camp, and they had to get the supplies back to them.
"Alistair, time to get up," Daiscus said, shaking the sleeping man's shoulder. He didn't respond. The younger warden sighed. So be it. Ripping the blanket away from poor Alistair, Daiscus yelled just loud enough to wake him up, "Alistair, Darkspawn!" Alistair jumped up, hand reaching for a sword that wasn't there. Of course, he was still in his small clothes.
"Wha- where?" he said groggily. Daiscus was laughing merrily to himself. After a moment, Alistair saw that there were no Darkspawn.
"Oh, think you're funny do you?" He said half angrily.
"You wouldn't wake up, so I improvised. Worked quite well, wouldn't you say?" Daiscus said. But then he felt it; Alistair did too. A malevolent presence approaching.
"Darkspawn."
"Come out as soon as you can," Daiscus said. Alistair was already strapping on his armor.
"Wynne, Darkspawn!" he shouted as he flew out the door and into the hall. Wynne was right behind him as he hurried through the inn door. He ran up the hill he had just sat on, and then he saw them: Hurlocks with a heavily armored Alpha. Great he thought. Just when we don't have our melee fighter to take the charge, he thought. They were about twenty feet away. They spotted him, the sun glinting off the polished shaft of Daiscus' staff.
Gathering mana into his hands, he focused it into a raging ball of fire. He heard Wynne cast an affliction spell as he hurled his spell into the midst of the charging Darkspawn. Its concussive fire wave threw all but the alpha to the ground, who continued charging. Leliana appeared from behind a bush and quickly slashed the throats of two fallen Darkspawn, moving to the next couple as they started to get up.
Daiscus waited until the Alpha was in range before unleashing his next spell. A wave of ice spewed from his outstretched hands onto the Alpha, covering it completely. Wynne quickly followed it with a stonefist, shattering it.
Alistair was out of the in now, clad in silverite armor. He ran over to Leliana, who was facing two last Darkspawn. Charging from their blind side, Alistair bashed one over the head with his shield as he stabbed the other. Leliana quickly impaled the dazed Darkspawn with both her blades, finishing it.
"Is that the last of them?" Wynne asked from Daiscus's side. He glanced around, concentrating on his link to the Darkspawn. Then he spotted the two hunks of rock falling from the sky.
"Get down!" Daiscus shouted, throwing himself at Wynne, knocking her away. The boulder smashed right behind him, showering him in sharp pieces of rock. Daiscus looked over to Alistair and Leliana watching as the second boulder clipped Alistair's shoulder, sending him to the ground. It was then that Daiscus spotted two Ogres down the road, stalking ever closer. Leliana was the first to recover from the stone barrage, quickly getting to her feet. The ogres were about twenty feet apart.
Daiscus got to his feet, blood dripping from his temple. He pulled Wynne up. She immediately started to work on Alistair, healing spells surrounding him in a glowing nimbus.
The lead ogre bent down to rip up another boulder, but Daiscus was quicker. He quickly hurled a stonefist at it, hitting it squarely in the chest. It staggered back, and Leliana took her chance, rushing forward with both Duelist blades raised. But the Ogre spotted her before she could make her attack. With a swipe of its massive arm, Leliana was hurled back thirty feet into the Inn door. It shattered, and she was lost in its darkened depths.
Alistair heaved himself up. With a quick word, Daiscus sent his sword blazing. A battle cry rang through the air as Alistair charged the encroaching ogre, ducking under its initial sweep. He stabbed upward, impaling his blade deep into the massive forearm.. The beast howled in rage, swinging its stabbed arm. Alistair avoided the arm, but the hilt of his sword slammed into him, throwing him back.
Daiscus was ready, and so was Wynne. A bolt of lightning seared through the air, hitting the Ogre in it chest. It bellowed in rage, but Wynne quickly followed Daiscus's attack with an arcane bolt. The ogre swayed a moment, then quickly shrugged it off, then came toward the new threat, Alistair's sword still in its arm.
It was then that Daiscus learned of his soon to be fatal mistake: they had forgotten the second ogre. Daiscus could see Alistair being hurled through the air. Wynne had no warning as the silverite armored warrior slammed into her. Daiscus could hear something snap as they went to the ground.
This is bad. Really really bad, Daiscus thought as he turned to face the two Darkspawn. He was the only thing standing between his friends and the monsters. There was only one way out. It could mean Daiscus's death, but he would NOT let his friends be murdered by these fiends. He would not let darkness consume Leliana's smile, nor Alistair's jokes.
Daiscus quickly pulled out a concealed dagger. The ogre was only ten feet away now, and it snorted in amusement at the sight of the pitiful weapon. But Daiscus was not to be deterred: in one smooth motion, he cut down his forearm.
This was dangerous. Daiscus didn't have enough experience to perform this spell safely, but he knew how to cast it. Blood control was beyond his ability, but he would NOT let his friends die.
Blood splurted from the gash, and using the life essence in it, he sent his magic at the lead ogre. Daiscus could feel the ogre's weak will, and he crushed it. He could feel his life draining away, but he felt power fill him as he felt the blood in the ogre, and Daiscus's senses raced through the ogre's corrupted body. With a deft command, Daiscus sent the ogre back to its companion, assault in its small mind.
Daiscus's life essence flickered. He'd had no idea it would take so mush energy to sustain the spell. But he felt a deep and dark satisfaction as his ogre lowered its head and rammed its horns into the enemy Darkspawn. Ichor splattered as it roared. His ogre reached up and grabbed its enemy's horns, and with a great wrench, broke its neck.. Daiscus was falling now. With one last command, he made the remaining ogre break its own neck. The last thing he saw before darkness consumed him was Alistair's shocked and betrayed expression. Then he was gone.