Disclaimor: I don't own Dragon Age Origins.

A/N: Less comedy in this chapter and more action. Next chapter will probably be a lot funnier. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and the first two parts of this chapter takes place between Chapter 1 and 2. The second part takes place after chapter 2. Just keep that in mind.


Chapter 3: Spirit Magic

After what happened it took me hours to finally asleep. I had feared that I'd stay awake all the way to my turn on watch. It was so bad that I nearly yelped for joy when I found myself in the fade. I was more than a little happy to see that she finally found some clothes to wear. Nothing extravagant, just a red and white version of the Circle Mage's robe.

She acknowledged my presence with a small smile, "You have returned."

"I have", I replied, keeping my answer short and precise. A moment passed and neither of us said anything, so I figured I might as well be the one to break the ice. "I'm sure you saw what happened." Spirits were supposed to be able to look through Mage's eyes right?

"With the one that is like you. You feared your moment of Lust would…revert me into what I was before."

"Her name is Morrigan, and the people like us are called Mages. But no, I actually wanted to talk about what Wynne said. Wynne's another mage by the way." I stared hard at her. "Out of all my companions, I thought she'd be the first to demand I evict you from my mind." That had actually shocked me quite a bit. Wynne was…didn't seem like she would be very open minded in this respect. Yet she seemed willing to give the Spirit a chance. There was just the one question she asked, one that had me wondering, "A few of us think you might still be a Desire Demon…using this disguise. A demon turning into a demon is…not something most of us mortals know of."

She looked away from me, as if I had just struck her. "I did horrible things. I exploited a child's love for his father. All the mortals I killed, left behind many who loved them. I'm…" She looked down and seemed to be…crying? Do spirits Cry? I've heard a lot about Spirits during my apprenticeship at the Circle, but the first time I actually met one was during my Harrowing. Valor didn't seem to be the type to cry. In fact he seemed to be the type to stab things that upset him. The fact that he looked like he wore Templar armor was not lost on me. I didn't get any proof that the Spirit before me wasn't still a Desire Demon, but if she was a demon I had to commend her acting abilities. I was starting to believe her.

"Let's back up to the thing with Morrigan. Will something like that cause you to transform back into a demon?"

She looked back at me with a sad expression. "I don't know. I've never known of a Spirit that's like I am now."

I frowned at that I wasn't getting any clear answers. "Do you know what I'm doing right now…Love?"

"You're fighting those creatures you call Darkspawn. They are terrorizing your country. They're destroying families." She looked down, "Destroying those that love each other."

I nodded at her, "Yea. I'm doing something very important…something very dangerous. And the last thing I need is for a Demon to make a grab for my body the second I have drop my guard down. I need a clear answer if you want to stay."

Once again she looked down. "I don't have a clear answer for you. I am…I still feel weak. I've only been like this for a short while. I do know that what you are trying to achieve is Just…" She looked at me, fire in her eyes. "Those creatures…those who attack and shatter families need to be halted. I would like to be with you. To make sure you are able to do so. Perhaps I can make myself useful to you."

I raised an eyebrow at that last part, "How could you be useful?"

"Perhaps if you face another demon trying to attack you." Left unsaid was that I thought it was just as likely that she'd revert back to her original form and help the demon kill me. "But I don't want to return to the Fade. It's nothing like your realm. There's no warmth, no song…no love." I was beginning to understand why Spirits of Love weren't common. Sighing I resigned myself to her presence.

"Very well."

-xXx-

Our next destination was Denerim. We hadn't heard anything regarding the Dalish Elves, the last Contract we had, so I thought it'd be best to look for Brother Genitivi. On our journey there, I finally found out why Wynne was okay with a spirit riding around in my body. She had one as well. She said it was a spirit of Faith. Back at the Circle she had defended one of her apprentices against a demon, at the cost of her life, but the spirit managed to save her life. It was also the only thing keeping her alive at the moment.

What was more impressive was the fact that she had actually called upon the spirit in battle. We had been ambushed by a group of Darkspawn. An Emissary's Fireball caught us off guard and the horde nearly killed us. Wynne called upon the power of the Spirit, which immediately disorientated the Darkspawn around us, and then began healing us. It was a grueling battle, but with Wynne at the top of her game we managed to overcome our ambushers.

After seeing her work, I immediately wondered if Love and I could pull off the same move. Unfortunately, according to Wynne, doing so meant that I had to completely open up to Love. Which meant that I needed to give a Spirit, whom I wasn't sure wasn't a demon, full access to my body and mind. I think my exact words were, "Why don't I just start spouting out a list of famous last words."

I nearly whacked Alistair when he started doing just that.

Unfortunately, I soon found myself in a bad position.

-xXx-

Bhelen told me that it would take a few months to get the army of dwarves ready for battle on the surface, but that he could mobilize a small expedition, within a few weeks, to prove and solidify our alliance. I showed him a map of the surface and pointed out Redcliffe in particular. I told him to wait for my message before send out his forces. I knew it was presumptuous of me to automatically assume Eamon would help us, but what can I say, I didn't know what else to tell him at the moment. Not like there was a class, at the Circle, for leading a ragtag army during a Civil War. I figured I could always send Bhelen a different location if things went south.

So, after the events of Redcliffe, I sent Bhelen a message to send his forces. I also sent a message to the Circle, telling Irving to do the same. Luckily, Teagan was more than happy to lend me a few of his messengers. With that little issue over with, my group headed for Denerim. We didn't find brother Genitivi, but we did find where he was heading to, a small town in the mountains named Haven. After a few days at Denerim, mostly spent waiting for our equipment to be repaired, we left for Haven. I could safely say that Denerim was…just a very bad place. Definitely worse than the Circle. The only benefit, aside from getting our armor fixed, to going their was that I managed to find a First Enchanter's Robe on sale to replace my tattered Circle Mage's Robe. Sure, they smelled like an apothecary, but they were twice as good as what I had been wearing. Though, Wynne actually snorted when I first showed up wearing them. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves, are we?" she had said. My reply was to stuck my tongue out at her in reply. We left Denerim after Master Wade finished Leliana's daggers, the last pieces of equipment needing repair.

Passing by Redcliffe, we found that the expedition of Dwarves had arrived, led by a man named Frandlin Ivo. Most of the Dwarves, anyway. According to General Ivo, "A sodding group of dust brained, brontos' asses got separated on the trip over here." On our way from Redcliffe to Haven, I managed to find the group of Dwarves that he mentioned. Unfortunately…

I found the squad, three shy of a dozen, finishing off a group of Darkspawn, while an Ogre hurled boulders at them from a nearby hill. My eyes narrowed when I saw another dozen Darkspawn, led by a second Ogre, charging the Dwarves. "Help the Dwarves! Liam, with me!" I ran towards the first Ogre, with my trusty Mabari dog at my heels. I'd just need to take out the Ogre, and then I could shoot a volley of spells at the Darkspawn, from the same hill. I'd just need to take out the two ton Ogre. I'd just need to take out the two ton Ogre whom was currently hurling boulders twice my weight. Maker damn it!

I smacked it with a Mind Blast, just as it tried to pick up another boulder. While that happened, Liam charged the Ogre and started biting at it's heels. Unfortunately, my spell lasted only a second, which took us both by surprise, and the Ogre managed to sucker punch Liam away. "You bastard!" I yelled as I sent my right fist forward, firing a Stone Fist at the Ogre. Despite the fact that I nailed it in the face, the Ogre barely seemed to feel a thing. I activated Spell Might and extended my right arm out, hand open. Concentrating telekinetic energy out, I closed my right hand, casting a Crushing Prison around the Ogre. That managed to stop the Giant in it's tracks.

A quick glance in Liam's direction, to confirm he was still alive, before I looked back at Ogre in front of me. Green energy gathered around my right hand as I prepared to poison the fiend with a Walking Bomb. Unfortunately, I failed to notice the boulder that landed right next to me before it was too late. The shockwave sent me to my feet and my vision blurred when I hit my head. Looking down hill, I saw the other Ogre staring at me. The damn thing had actually acted to help it's fellow Ogre. I winced when I felt a hand wrap around me. The one I had been fighting, picked me up and brought me close to its face. I heard Liam barking as it ran in our direction, but the Ogre didn't pay him any attention. It just looked at me before roaring.

I'm not sure what happened next. A wide range of emotions swam through chest and numerous faces from my past flew through my mind's eye. The final face in my head was…it was…

I smiled…

Whether it was by instinct or by Love's interference I'm unsure, but the next thing I know an aura of purple energy engulfs me. And then the Ogre squeezed me as hard as it could. My skin became hard as rock as I instinctively activated my Rock Armor. After failing to crush me for several seconds, the Ogre finally gave up and decided to just roared at me again. Thinking up a different strategy, I raised my left arm, since my dominant hand was pinned to my body by the Ogre, and touched it to the Ogre's fist. Green energy surrounded my hand as my Walking Bomb spell took affect. The thing roared before letting me drop to the ground and clutching its hand. I could see the veins in his infect arm light up a pale green color, as my magical poison swam through its body. It was actually kinda funny to see a Darkspawn being poisoned…all things considered. The purple aura around me intensified as I, once again, activated Spell Might. Gathering telekinetic energy, I once again hit it with a Crushing Prison.

I wasn't done yet. I raised my right arm; fist closed up, and pointed it towards the sky above. The Ogre gasped as it was actually lifted off the ground, still being squeezed by the Crushing Prison. Glancing past it, I could see the second Ogre lifting another boulder, looking in my direction. So I threw the ensnared Ogre at it. The one I threw crashed into the second…and then the first one exploded, sending the second one, and it's boulder, flying back several yards. The first Ogre was finally dead, and the second one wasn't getting back up. It was at that moment when I noticed seventeen pairs of eyes staring at me, emotions ranging across the spectrum.

The glow receded, my armor deactivated, and I fell to my knees, my power drained. My breathing came out in ragged breaths. Liam trotted up next to me, cocking his head to the side, he whimpered at me.

My skin was on fire, my eyes were heavy, my throat felt like I swallowed glass, and I felt like I could sleep all the way through to my Calling. Still I managed to smile at him, "I'm fine boy…I'm fine…"


A/N: Already have plans for another chapter, which should be done by the weekend.

Pure action isn't really my thing, but I hope this chapter came out alright. Please let me know, the review button is right there.