Chapter 3

Something Evil Lurks In This Place…

A/N: So, my readers, I know it has been a loooong time since I wrote a chapter, but here it is and I hope we are all ready for the Taint to attack our precious Warden I love Tamlen so much, and then he just goes and practically dies on me! Sometimes, I hate in-game relationships

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dragon Age series

Rue cannot help but feel slightly… off. The cave was dark and eerie and she knew that this was a bad place to be, her feet adapting to the tiled floor, she was crouched over slightly, with her bow drawn slightly, her eyes scowering the shadows: her eyes casting over Tamlen every now and again, she was getting worried. Tamlen had insisted they went into the cave; it was like some hidden force was pushing him along. Like the Maker himself was altering his courses, and Rue had a feeling it wouldn't end nicely. Tamlen was snapping twigs as he tried to attempt to sneak and Rue's nerves were on edge and she jumped every time he snapped a twig. Rue flinched as he stepped on another twig and before she could get a better control over her words she whispered

"Lethallin, Art u na'din if you snap another twig!" Tamlen turns around and grins and Rue just scowls at him, as he begins to reply a flicker of movement in front of Tamlen startles her and she pulls the drawstring back and lets the arrow fly, it impales something as a dying hiss follows the arrow,

"Ma serannas Lethallin, I would have laid with the dead Elvhen, if it were not for skill with a Bor'assan I would be dead" Rue rolls her eyes, Tamlen was always over dramatic when they were children and since he had this strange obsession with her that most people put down to adoration. Still, her body still poised for sneaking, Rue crept over to the creature she shot and not to her surprise it was a giant spider, she focused harder on it and she pulled a vial out from her pack,

Merrill would like this to study

Rue smiled at the thought of the hair brained elf, she was always doing a hundred different jobs for the Keeper it seemed, and Rue had no idea how she kept up with it all. Rue squeezed some venom from the front fangs and the acid green substance slowly began to fill the conical flask. Rue scrunched her nose as the smell was of decomposing animals and that was more than enough for the weak hearted: Rue sighed as it seemed she was going to get nothing more from the spider and she released the fang and corked the flask and then carefully removed the arrow out the spider's enlarged forehead, she smiled as the shaft and arrowhead remained unaffected by the poison and the kill, she and Tamlen were quick to proceed on and the air grew more and more stagnant and smelled more like dead bodies, she scrunched her nose and turned to Tamlen, who seemed unfazed by the smell, she shook her head and took off to the room on the right, she paused at the doorway checking for traps before taking the next steps, Tamlen walked past her and as soon as he tried to take a step into the room her arm went out grasp his light tunic, she looked up to him and he sent a confused and puzzled look from his hazel eyes, she pointed towards an obvious trip wire

"Oh" Rue rolled her eyes before going in and examining it, her eyes narrowed, the trap was a simple trip-wire connected to either side of the wall and as her eyes followed the line you could see explosive powder waiting to be ignited by an falling match, she sighed and her dexterous fingers began to undo the intricate knot that held the ropes together, she wound some of the rope around her hand as she made her way to the match waiting to be ignited, she picked up the match and studied it, there was no obvious ways of igniting the match, no sand paper, nothing for it to rub against, she frowned. Had she forgotten something? She turned the match over with her thumb and index finger.

By the Dread Wolf! Have I forgotten something?

Then she saw it as it caught the light, a faint slivery marking on it meaning it could only be magic, Rue smiled grimly as she pocketed the match

"What is wrong Da'assan?" Tamlen asked and she turned around to meet his worried glance,

"Nothing Lethallin, I just have some questions for the Keeper now" Rue says as she turns away from him and looks back into the room, it was bare apart from the grotty stone tiles and a chest in the far corner, Rue interest peeks and she warily makes her way towards the chest, she sheathes her bow and gets out a dagger, with one hand outstretched she reaches for the lock the other is held high ready for an oncoming attack

"Rue" Tamlen says in a warning tone and Rue just turns to him and frowns and sticks her tongue out

"Oh shush you! Let me have my fun and practise some more!" Tamlen lets out an agitated sigh and Rue smiles before going to her belt and picking out a lock pick, she studies the lock and she puts down the dagger and it grates on the stone; She rests her knees on the ground and with both hands she feels around for the right clicks after a few tense moments it pops open and Rue smiles

"And the Keeper keeps wondering where all of her things are going" Rue's smile broadens as she picks up a new short sword, this one is the shape of a wave which eventually ends in a razor sharp end, it is a golden colour and it has a noise around it, like a hum. Rue stands fascinated by it and her finger goes to hold the short sword in front of her but the tip cuts her finger and she winces as a drop of blood hits the floor, she grasps the handle and the room begins to shake.

Rue feels something grasping at her ankle and she looks down to see a skeletal hand protruding out of the ground, Tamlen lets out a yelp and he runs out. Rue cuts the hand off by the wrist and see looks up to see skeletons pouring out from the floor, panic begins to rise her as more and more hands grasp at her and she draws the sword back and smashes it into the skull of the nearest skeleton, with a groan it crumbles and falls to the ground in a pile of dust. The noise created by the undead is massive and Rue winces at the sound of creaking bones and clicking joints. Rue dodges to the left in time as an arrow files through and pierces the skull of a skeleton

"Trust you to start this commotion Lethallin!" Tamlen yells and Rue just laughs as she begins to dart around their rusty blades, it was almost as if they were dancing as her new sword cuts easily through their bones, hacking limbs off as she dances around the room, flourishing them as she twisted and turned around them, as the last skeleton disintegrated, she turned to face Tamlen, who's eyes were wide as he just stares at him, her breathing slightly laboured as her chest moved up and down faster than normal, she was covered in a fine layer of bone meal from the skeletons and her new dagger glowed that strange golden colour as it hung loosely by her side, her eyes were her only distinguishable feature in this light

She truly is Otherworldly

Tamlen thought as she let out soft laughter.

"Tamlen, don't look so surprised, I am tougher than I look" Rue said as she smirked and walked swaying her hips as she went passed Tamlen and straight into a hallway. Then Rue saw it, a statue, of one of their god's, but it made no sense. This was a human place, not an elven one, Rue frowned and stood there as Tamlen came over and Rue could see the childish fascination

"How is this possible? I have never seen written Elvish before!" Tamlen exclaims and he takes out the stone which the humans gave him

"Yes I know Lethallin, but what does it say?" Rue says as she looks at Tamlen's face as he studies the statue and wording on the information card.

"I do not know, I cannot read Elvish, no one can." Then Rue felt it, the hair on her neck stood up to a point where it was almost painful, the pain was like the loss of something, Rue could feel the memories beginning to resurface and it felt she was drowning, flailing and she couldn't get out of it, she couldn't breathe as the loneliness swamped her. Rue grasped Tamlen's arm and pulled him to her and into his arms she went and she breathed him in as it felt like the oxygen was back, Tamlen arms tightened around her. That was one of Rue's favourite things about Tamlen, he never questioned her actions, he just took them in his stride and for some reason, and she felt like she was going to lose him, just like she lost her parents

"Don't leave me" She whispered out breathed in his forest smell and she could feel his lips in her hair

"I don't plan on going anywhere yet" He said and she nodded before letting go of him and she took a step back and looked him in the eye

"I ar'lath you Tamlen" Rue says simply and Tamlen smiles

"I ar'lath you too" he says and she draws out her blades as they approach a door, Rue sneaks towards it and she can hear soft growls emitting from the other side of the door, chills run down her spine, it was bad and she knew it. Tamlen creeps up beside her and she nods and Rue kicks the door in only just to be able to dodge the massive sloth demon that comes barrelling at them, with a cry Rue begins to stab into the neck of the sloth demon and it manages to clamp into her shoulder with its teeth tearing the flesh almost to the bone, Rue grits her teeth as she keeps stabbing and after a few stabs she manages to shake the beast off and Rue sits up watching a few arrows fly and the creature slumps down dead. Rue breathing is heavy and she cannot take her eyes off that monstrous beast, she had never seen one of those before, blood drips down her arm in a heavy flowing river but she doesn't stop it as her attention focuses on a mirror like object in front of them, Tamlen is already going up the steps, almost in a trance like way and the hairs on her neck begin to rise again, she whimpers as she can feel the evil around them, it is as if it is trying to smother them

"Tamlen, I think we should leave, we've got what we came here for" Rue says in a shaky voice

"Isn't it amazing? I think it is used for communication" Tamlen says as he extends his hand to it and Rue lets out a yelp and her gut is telling her to run and not to look back, so why isn't Tamlen sensing it?

"Tamlen don't touch it-"But it is too late he has his finger to it and it opens s dark purple ring and it hums

"I can see a castle, no a fort" Tamlen says and Rue cannot take it much more

"Tamlen stop! Do not make me come up there and drag you off it!" Rue yells and Tamlen touches it again and Rue begins to walk up the stairs when he begins to scream

"No, No! I don't want to see anymore! Rue! I can't look away!" Tamlen screams and Rue's heart beats frantically as she runs up the stairs, she has to reach him, she has to get them away from here, then she hears it, a sonic boom and she can feel herself getting propelled back and then it all goes dark.

A human's face appears in Rue's groggy vision and it is a well-aged face and his eyes are burning with sympathy

"I am so sorry" then it all goes dark again.

A/N: DUN DUN DUNNN! I know you guys know what is going to happen next and we all know how sad it is… But I shall try and write another one soon, but for now I am so tired it is unreal so I hope this chapter is okay. Please Read and Review! - Bexaday