Chapter Four
"Blessed are they who stand before
The corrupt and wicked and do not falter.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just."
-Canticle of Benedictions 4:10
Upon entering Ostagar, I felt some of the tension ease from the men. Getting out of the Korcari Wilds was certainly relieving and I was grateful that all four of us had made it out intact. I imagined Alistair was glad that he had gotten the scrolls and helped us achieve our mission as well. He was probably anxious to hear Duncan's approval.
Once inside the camp, we went to find Duncan. Along the way, Daveth stopped by the kennel to give the kennel master the flower he had asked for.
We found Duncan in the same place we had left him. He was standing by the fire with Zeke, who was awake now. When he saw me, he started wagging his tail and barking excitedly. It took all of his willpower not to tackle me and slobber all over my face.
"So, you have returned from the Wilds. Have you been successful?" Duncan asked.
"Indeed. We recovered the scrolls and they have acquired darkspawn blood, like you asked." Alistair said proudly.
"Good. I've had the Circle mages preparing. With the blood you have retrieved, we can begin the Joining immediately," Duncan said. "But before we begin, I must warn you: there is no turning back. You three were recruited into this order for a reason. You are not volunteers, so you don't get to object to what's to come. Do I make myself clear?" Duncan said.
"We have come this far. I want to see this through." I said.
"We Grey Wardens pay a heavy price to become what we are. Unfortunately, Fate may decree that you pay your price now, rather than later." Duncan said.
"Is that why the Joining is so secret?" Ser Jory inquired.
"If only such secrecy were unnecessary," Duncan murmured. "If only everyone understood the necessity of such sacrifice…sadly, that will never be so."
"Let's go then. I'm anxious to see this Joining now." Daveth said.
"I agree. Let's have it done." Ser Jory added quickly.
"Then let us begin," Duncan said. "Alistair, take them to the old temple."
"Right. Come this way." Alistair said.
Daveth, Ser Jory and I followed Alistair to the old temple. By now, the sun had already set so it was quite dark. The only source of light was bonfires and scones that were placed around Ostagar. The heavy clouds blotted out the moon and stars.
"The more I hear about this Joining, the less I like it." Ser Jory said, pacing around.
"Are you blubbering again?" Daveth asked.
"Why all these damned tests? Have I not earned my place already?" Ser Jory said.
"Maybe it's tradition. Or maybe they're just trying to annoy you." Daveth replied.
"There's nothing we can do about it. You heard Duncan: there's no turning back now. We can't object to what is to come." I said.
"My wife is in Highever with a child on the way. If they had warned me…it just doesn't seem fair." Ser Jory said.
"Would you have come if they had warned you? Maybe that's why they don't give you a warning, Ser Jory. The Grey Wardens do what they must." Daveth responded.
"So I guess that includes sacrificing us, then?" Ser Jory asked.
"I'd sacrifice a lot more if I knew it would end the Blight." Daveth said.
"You make a good point Daveth, but hopefully it won't have to come to that." I murmured.
"But you know as well as I do that it will. The Grey Wardens have saved the world from the darkspawn before. I'd say that they know better than anyone what it takes. Odds are, they have to sacrifice a lot to protect others from the darkspawn," Daveth said. "You all saw those darkspawn in the Wilds. Ser Jory, wouldn't you die to protect your pretty wife and unborn child from those fiends?"
"I…." Ser Jory spluttered. He looked conflicted.
"Maybe you'll die. Maybe I'll die. Maybe we'll all die, or maybe we won't. All I know is, if nobody stops the darkspawn, we will all die for sure." Daveth replied.
"I…I just haven't ever encountered a foe that I couldn't engage with my blade before." Ser Jory said.
At that moment, Duncan appeared. He walked up the stairs and came up to us, chalice in hand. It was filled with a bizarre, dark liquid. I began feeling uneasy. What was that hideous substance inside? Was he going to make us drink it?
"At last, we have come to the Joining," Duncan said. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. The first Grey Wardens that drank of darkspawn's blood and mastered their taint. Ever Grey Warden since then has done the same."
"We're…we're going to drink the blood of those creatures?" Ser Jory asked.
"Indeed. Just as the Grey Wardens before us did and as we did before you. This is the source of our power and our victory." Duncan replied.
"Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the archdemon." Alistair added.
"Those who survive?" I said. A hard lump rose in my throat. It all made sense now…the secrecy, the collecting of darkspawn blood…I had been right to be anxious all along.
Ser Jory's eyes were wild. "Does that mean that we're going to die?" He inquired, struggling to maintain his composure.
"Not all those who drink the blood will survive, I'm afraid. Those who do are forever changed. This is why the Joining is a secret. It is the price we pay," Duncan said. "We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Alistair, if you would."
Everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads. Everyone but Ser Jory, that is. I could feel his restlessness and anxiety. When I peeked at him, I saw that he was glancing at everyone. He kept eyeing the chalice that Duncan had. I could clearly see the terror in his eyes.
"Join us brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows were we stand vigilant. Join us in the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day, we shall join you." Alistair said.
"Daveth, step forwards." Duncan said.
Daveth did as told. Duncan handed him the chalice. Without hesitation, Daveth lifted the chalice to his lips and drank from it. Once he had taken his gulp, he handed the chalice back to Duncan.
As soon as he did, he started to howl in agony and claw at his throat, and dropped to his knees. I was frightened when I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head. His screams became strangled, gurgling sounds.
"Maker's breath!" Ser Jory cried.
"I am sorry Daveth." Duncan murmured.
Daveth convulsed a few times and then lied still. He was dead. Blood bubbled on his lips and leaked from the corners of his mouth. I was speechless.
"Step forward Jory." Duncan said.
At that moment, Ser Jory went ballistic. Apparently seeing Daveth's tragic death was the breaking point for him. He unsheathed his sword and started backing away from us.
"I have a wife and a child…had I known…." Ser Jory gasped.
"There's no turning back." Duncan said.
"No, you ask too much," Ser Jory said, backing up a couple more steps. "There is no glory in this!"
Duncan placed the chalice down on a nearby table and unsheathed his dagger. He approached Ser Jory.
I was absolutely astonished by how fast Duncan was. Ser Jory had a massive broadsword and Duncan had a dagger, but Duncan was able to kill Ser Jory swiftly. They traded blows briefly and then Duncan buried his dagger into Ser Jory's abdomen. Bright red blood streamed onto Duncan's hand. Ser Jory's face became twisted with pain and grief.
"I am sorry, Jory." Duncan murmured.
Duncan tore his dagger out of Ser Jory and let him drop to the ground. Seconds later, he died. Blood was already beginning to pool beneath his body. He lied inert on the ancient stone floor.
Alistair looked as horrified as I felt. However, neither of us said a word. Now it was pretty clear that Duncan was absolutely serious. It was either join the Grey Wardens and have a chance of dying right now, or try to flee and die for sure. I decided that I'd rather take the risk of joining the Grey Wardens. At least that posed a chance of survival for me. I still wanted to become a Grey Warden, despite what tragedy I had just witnessed before me.
"The Joining is not yet complete," Duncan said. "Aveline, you are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good."
Duncan handed me the chalice. I quickly drank my gulp, not thinking about it. When I was finished, I handed the chalice back to Duncan.
Within mere seconds, my entire body was consumed by an intense, burning pain. It felt like there was literally fire blazing in my veins, trying to incinerate me from the inside out. I felt my legs sway beneath me and I collapsed onto the ground. I felt the urge to vomit, but nothing ever came out. The blood I had swallowed was choking me and burning my throat at the same time. I'd never been in this much pain in my life!
"From this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden." Duncan said.
Despite my best efforts, I was unable to rise to my feet. The world around me slowly went black. I became engulfed in darkness.
XXXXXXXX
I opened my eyes and looked around. I had absolutely no idea where I was. I couldn't see much of anything. All I saw was a massive, twisted dragon before me, surrounded by swirling darkness. The dragon was red and black, and looked absolutely hideous. It had long sharp teeth and dagger like claws. Spiny growths protruded from its body. It looked right at me with beady white eyes and opened its maw, letting out a loud roar.
I awoke to myself screaming. I lied there for a moment, struggling to catch my breath. My heart was pounding and I was sweating profusely. When I realized that Duncan and Alistair were both knelt down beside of me and were staring at me, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I hadn't expected them to be at my side. I wondered if they had been there the entire time I was unconscious.
"It is finished," Duncan declared. "Welcome to the Grey Wardens."
I slowly sat up. There was a dull throbbing in my head and I felt dizzy. I was still lying on the cold stone floor of the old temple.
"That's two more deaths…in my Joining, only one of us died. But it was…horrible. I'm glad you made it through at least." Alistair murmured.
I struggled to my feet. Alistair tried to help me up, but I stubbornly refused. I didn't feel like being assisted right now.
"How do you feel?" Duncan asked.
"Well…it's over with now. I'm fine." I said.
"Did you have any dreams? I had terrible dreams after my Joining." Alistair said.
"Such dreams come when you begin to sense the darkspawn, as we all do," Duncan replied. "That and many other things will be explained in the months to come."
"Before I forget, there is one last part to your Joining. We take some of the darkspawn blood that we collect and put it in a pendant. It's something to remind us of those who didn't make it this far." Alistair said.
Alistair handed me a small pendant. I took it from him and I put it around my neck.
"Take a little time to recover. When you are ready, I would like for you to accompany me to a meeting with the king." Duncan said.
"Very well." I responded.
"The meeting is to the west, down the stairs. Please attend as soon as you are able." Duncan said.
Duncan and Alistair then left. I stood there for a moment staring at the sunset on the horizon, trying to collect my thoughts. I was struggling to comprehend was had happened.
One day, I am in Highever with my family and Dairren confesses his love for me. Then my father's own friend decides to attack us and kill everyone. If it wasn't for Duncan, I wouldn't be alive right now. I thought. All this is so odd…I'm all the way in Ostagar now and I got to meet the king personally. I also got to meet some darkspawn and a pair of mages in the Korcari Wilds. And now, I'm a Grey Warden. Well…I never would've imagined that this was how my life was going to turn out. No family, no friends, and a member of the Grey Wardens. I don't know whether to be happy or depressed. Is it appropriate to feel both?
I looked at Zeke. He was sitting by my feet, staring up at me. His tail started wagging happily.
"At least I still have you." I said.
He barked happily and he licked my hand. I patted him on the head.
"I suppose we might as well go attend that meeting. I can't keep them waiting." I sighed.
Zeke followed me as I walked away from the old temple and down the small flight of stairs. I found Duncan and the others standing in the middle of a clearing, around a massive wooden table and that had a map sprawled across it. King Cailan and an older man with long, dark hair and heavy silver armor were talking to each other. Duncan and Alistair were standing on the other side of the table, alongside a Chantry priestess and a Circle mage.
"…my decision is final Loghain. I will stand by the Grey Wardens in this assault." King Cailan was saying.
"The darkspawn horde is too dangerous for you to be playing hero on the front lines." The dark haired man said.
I assumed he was the one named Loghain. By the looks of him, he had to be in his fifties at least. He had dark circles under his eyes and had a commanding air about him. It seemed he was a seasoned warrior, who had fought and led many battles over the years. His demeanor was rather abrasive; similar to Arl Howe. That alone made me uneasy.
"If that's the case, perhaps we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us after all." King Cailan replied.
"I must repeat my protest to your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves." Loghain said.
"It is not a fool notion! Our quarrels with the Orlesians are a thing of the past. And you will do well to remember who is king, Loghain." King Cailan said sharply.
"How fortunate Maric was to not have seen his son so ready to hand over Ferelden to those who enslaved us for a century!" Loghain exclaimed.
"Then our current forces will have to suffice, now won't they?" King Cailan remarked.
King Cailan turned away from Loghain, who was still livid, and looked at Duncan.
"Duncan, are your men ready for battle?" King Cailan asked.
"Yes, your Majesty." Duncan said.
When King Cailan looked at me, I felt my face grow hot. It was difficult to hold his gaze. I felt so miniscule and insignificant in his presence. I hadn't ever had that problem before. Of course, I'd never been in the presence of such a powerful or beautiful person before. For the majority of my life, the most powerful person I'd been around was my own father. As far as attractive people went…well, they had been far and few between. Dairren had been attractive in his own right, but he paled in comparison to King Cailan.
"And this is the lady from Highever I met yesterday?" King Cailan said. "I understand that congratulations are in order?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I said. I hoped that my voice didn't some out squeaky. If I embarrassed myself in front of the King of Ferelden, I'd never be able to live with myself.
"Every Grey Warden is needed now. You should be honored to join their ranks." King Cailan said, smiled warmly at me.
I smiled back at him, trying my best not to blush like some idiot.
"Your fascination with legends and glory will be your undoing, Cailan. We must attend to reality!" Loghain growled.
"Fine, let's speak of strategy then," King Cailan sighed. He leaned forwards and looked at the map. "The Grey Wardens and I will draw the darkspawns into charging our lines. And then...?"
"You will alert the tower and light the beacon so that my men will know when to charge from cover." Loghain said.
"Yes, I remember now…this here is the Tower of Ishal in the ruins, yes? But who shall light the beacon?" King Cailan asked.
"I have a few men stationed there. It isn't a dangerous task, but it is vital." Loghain responded.
"Then we ought to send our best. I wish to send Alistair and Aveline to see that it is done." King Cailan said. He looked up from the map at me.
It delighted me that the king was so willing to directly include me in this battle, despite the fact that he hardly knew me.
"You can count on me, your Majesty." I said.
"You rely on these Grey Wardens too much. Is that truly wise?" Loghain asked.
"Enough of your conspiracy theories, Loghain," King Cailan said. "Grey Wardens battle the Blight no matter where they are from."
"Your Majesty, you should consider the possibility of an archdemon appearing." Duncan said.
"There have been no signs of dragons in the Wilds." Loghain said sharply.
"Isn't that what your men are here for, Duncan?" King Cailan asked.
"I…yes, Your Majesty." Duncan murmured.
I narrowed my eyes at Loghain. What in the name of Andraste is your problem, old fool? I thought. You're not the only one capable of coming up with ideas! I hope the archdemon does appear, just so you can be wrong!
When the Circle mage took a step towards King Cailan, I put my hands on the hilts of my blades. Mage or not, I would cut that cretin down where he stood!
"Your Majesty, the tower, and its beacon are unnecessary. The Circle of Magi —" The mage said.
"We will not trust any lives to your spells, mage. Save them for the darkspawn." The Chantry priestess hissed, cutting him off.
"Enough! This plan will suffice. The Grey Wardens will light the beacon." Loghain snapped.
"Thank you Loghain," King Cailan said. "I cannot wait for that glorious moment. The Grey Wardens will battle beside the King of Ferelden to stem the tide of evil!"
"Yes Cailan, it will be a glorious moment for us all." Loghain muttered darkly. He then walked off.
"May the Maker watch over you, Grey Wardens." King Cailan said.
"May the Maker watch over us all." Duncan replied.
King Cailan left, and so did the Circle mage and the Chantry priestess. When they did, Duncan turned to me and Alistair.
"You heard the plan. You two will go to the Tower of Ishal and ensure that the beacon is lit." Duncan said.
"What? I won't be in the battle?" Alistair asked. He looked rather disappointed.
"This is by the king's personal request, Alistair. If the beacon doesn't get lit, Teyrn Loghain's men won't know when to charge." Duncan responded.
"So he needs to Grey Wardens standing up there, holding the torch, just in case right?" Alistair said.
I ignored Alistair's remark. I was more concerned about the task at hand. I imagined that after we lit the beacon, we would be able to join the fight anyways, so I didn't understand why he was complaining. The fact that he was so eager to fight the fiendish darkspawns was odd to me. Well, I suppose it was exciting to kill those fiends and to purge them from the Earth, and then become heroes for doing so. But that seemed like an impossible task. If this was a Blight it was the fifth one this world had faced. If those before us couldn't eradicate the darkspawn, how could we?
"Where is the Tower of Ishal, exactly?" I asked.
"The tower is on the other side of the gorge from the king's camp; the way we came when we arrived. You will need to cross the gorge, go through to the gate and up to the tower entrance. From the top, you will be able to overlook the entire valley." Duncan answered.
"So, when do we light the beacon?" I inquired.
"We will signal you when the time is right. Alistair will know what to look for." Duncan said.
"Alright. You can count on us." I said.
"The battle is about to begin shortly. When I leave, I want the two of you to go to the Tower of Ishal immediately. You will need to get up there and light the beacon as soon as possible. Am I understood?" Duncan said.
"Yes sir." I said.
"Good. Now I must go. From here on, you two are alone. Remember, you are both Grey Wardens and I expect you to be worthy of that title." He said.
"Duncan, may the Maker watch over you." Alistair said.
"May He watch over us all." Duncan murmured.
Duncan left. Alistair, Zeke, and I headed off for the Tower of Ishal. I vaguely remembered seeing an imposing tower upon arrival to Ostagar yesterday morning, but that seemed like a lifetime away. So much had happened in just the course of a single day that my mind could scarcely keep track of it all. Perhaps the shock was what was muddling my mind.
As we walked, the rain began to pick up. I started to hear thunder in the distance. It seemed to only add to the terrible sense of foreboding I was beginning to feel.
While we passed through the camp, I could see people preparing for the battle. The camp was a bustle of activity now, but somehow it was eerily quiet. Everyone's faces were somber; some terrified, others determined. I couldn't blame people for being frightened. I had encountered small bands of darkspawn in the Korcari Wilds just yesterday, but it had been a disturbing experience. These poor people were preparing go face-to-face with an entire army of them. I could only imagine what was going through their minds right now. Even the war hounds seemed apprehensive.
Once we reached the massive bridge that sprawled across the gorge, I could see quite a few archers on the bridge, along with several ballistae. When I looked down into the valley below, I could see the king's army. In the distance, I saw what looked like a reddish-orange cloud that seemed to be engulfing the forest. I heard some strange, demonic whispering sound in my mind. At first I didn't know what the hell it was, but as it came closer and the whispering grew louder, I realized it was the darkspawn horde. My breath caught. There had to be thousands of those fiends!
"Maker's breath!" I gasped.
I felt my blood turn to ice as I heard the demonic howls and screeches of the darkspawn below. They were trying to intimidate us and I could tell that it was working on a good portion of the king's army. The terror in the air was palpable.
Zeke began to growl. He laid his ears flat against his head and his fur bristled.
I watched as the king's army and the darkspawn army collided. The chaos of battle was already starting to fill the valley. Darkspawn and human screeches, along with the yelps of mabari hounds and the booms of thunder filled the night air. The war had begun.
"Watch out!" Alistair yelped.
When I looked up, I saw a flaming mass of something flying right at me, but I was paralyzed by my fear. My feet felt heavier than stone.
Alistair grabbed my arm and yanked me back fiercely. Seconds later, the fireball crashed down where I had been standing. I was more amazed by the fact that the flaming mass was still ablaze in this torrential downpour, rather than the fact that it had been seconds away from incinerating me.
"Let's get to the tower." He said.
He helped me to my feet and we ran across the bridge. It was challenging to make it across. It was raining so hard that I could hardly see and I kept having to watch out for soaring fireballs. On top of that, the bridge was becoming slick with both rain and blood. With each fireball that landed on the bridge, substantial damage was done. We had to doge chunks of busted ballistae and stone as we ran.
I was relieved when we finally made it across. As soon as we made it to the other side, a mage and a warrior accosted us. They both looked horrified. They were haggard looking and were streaked with blood, both their own and darkspawn blood.
"You…you're Grey Wardens aren't you? You need to help us…the tower has been taken!" The warrior exclaimed.
"What are you talking about man?" Alistair asked. "How has it been taken?"
"The darkspawn came up through the lower chambers. They're everywhere! Most of our men are dead." The soldier said.
"Then we have to get to the beacon and light it ourselves." Alistair said.
"We will accompany you," The mage said. "We'll be safer if we band together."
I didn't protest and neither did Alistair. Together, we went up the flight of stairs and through the gate. As soon as we did, we were greeted by several darkspawn.
I unsheathed my family sword and dagger, and plunged them into an oncoming genlock. I kicked the darkspawn off my blades and stabbed the next closest on in the side. It howled in agony and swung its maul at me. I managed to dodge it just before it smacked into the side of my head. I stabbed the darkspawn in the leg with my left blade and in the abdomen with my right. Black blood sprayed onto my hands. I then jerked my blades out of the demonic creature and continued to fight my way through them.
Right when we finished off the first group, another came charging at us. The second batch was led by a large hurlock in elaborate, golden armor, who came charging right at me. It was completely encased in the heavy armor so I wasn't able to see its face, but I could see its two beady eyes glinting in the darkness.
The darkspawn swung its battle axe at me. I already knew there was no way I would be able to parry a blow like that; the force behind the swing was much too powerful. So I sidestepped to avoid it. Like I had predicted, the darkspawn put all its strength behind its blow, and it kept going. Its axe became lodged into the ground. I seized the opportunity and shoved my blades into its back. It howled and black blood spurted out at me, but somehow, it didn't die.
Right when it finally freed its blade from the ground, Zeke jumped on it and tackled it. Zeke furiously bit and clawed at its face. I couldn't tell if Zeke's claws and teeth were penetrating the darkspawn's armor or not, but I wasn't willing to wait and find out. I shoved my blades into the darkspawn's abdomen and twisted them. Judging the horrendous scream the darkspawn made, I knew I had hurt it pretty badly.
I left the darkspawn to die and I lunged at the nearest one. It had its back turned to me, so I jammed my blades into its back. I kicked it fiercely off my blades, and resumed fighting.
We encountered a couple more groups of darkspawn as we made our way to the Tower of Ishal. Fortunately, everyone was still intact when we finally made it to the tower.
When we entered the tower, we found it in complete ruins and smelled fetid. Dead bodies and fires were everywhere. Blood ran in rivers and gore was strewn about. I swallowed hard to prevent myself from vomiting.
It didn't surprise me one bit to find darkspawns running amok inside the tower. On the first floor, we mostly encountered darkspawn warriors and archers, but we did come across one genlock emissary. I was frightened by the prospect that a darkspawn could wield magic. I had thought that only people could. Apparently, I underestimated darkspawn intelligence and abilities.
So these fiends do have some intelligence about them, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to launch such a cunning attack on us. It's like they knew exactly when and where to strike us…how has this happened?! How have darkspawn outsmarted us? I wondered. Perhaps we have let overconfidence cloud our judgment and make us blind to caution.
Not too far from the steps leading up to the second floor, I came across a massive hole, leading straight down to the underground.
We hurried upstairs to the second floor. If we were going to light the beacon in time, we'd need to get up to the top floor as soon as possible.
"Maker's breath! What are these darkspawn doing ahead of the horde? There wasn't supposed to be any resistance here." Alistair said.
"There's no point in moaning about it. We have fighting to do!" I responded.
"Good point. I need to stay focused. Kill first, ask questions later," He said. "At any rate, we need to hurry. We need to get to the top of the tower and light the signal fire in time. Teyrn Loghain will be waiting for the signal."
We continued on our trek up the Tower of Ishal. Along the way, we encountered plenty more darkspawn. There were so many of them! It seemed that no matter how many we killed, more would pop up and take the place of their fallen brethren.
By the time we made it to the top floor, I was fatigued. I was hoping to be able to light the signal fire and rest a little, but as soon as we got up to the top floor, I knew that wasn't going to happen.
Upon arrival, we came across the most massive darkspawn I'd seen yet. It had to have been at least eight feet tall. It had purple skin and enormous, twisted horns protruding from its head. It had its back to us and was feeding on the dead bodies of the men it had slain. I could hear it crunching on bone and slurping blood.
Holy Maker! I thought. What is that?
It must have sensed us behind it because it turned and looked at us. It let out a fearsome roar that shook me to my very core. While we were stunned, it started to charge at us.
"Maker help us!" The mage shrieked.
Terror seized my heart when I realized that the massive darkspawn was charging right at me. Right before it could stomp on me, I darted out of the way. I stabbed it in the leg with both of my blades as I sailed by. Zeke, Alistair and the other soldier took the opportunity to attack from the other side. The mage, of course, hurled spells at the darkspawn from a distance.
Unfortunately for the tower guard, he was unable to move out of the way in time. The darkspawn kicked him so hard that he was sent flying against a wall. When I heard the sickening sound of crunching bone, I knew the man had died upon impact. He plopped into the floor and didn't get back up. Blood was already pooling beneath him.
Seeing that had literally scared the piss out of me. I couldn't believe that one darkspawn had killed a seasoned warrior in one blow. But then again, this was no average darkspawn. This must be an ogre; I had heard stories of them, but never actually seen one. Not until now.
"Stay out of reach!" I yelled.
Alistair, Zeke, and I took turns lunging at the gargantuan ogre. One would feint at it and the other two would attack. The giant brute was too slow and clumsy to keep up with us. We were able to avoid its huge limbs with ease. I was glad it didn't have any weapons besides its fists and legs. Otherwise, fighting it wouldn't have been possible for us.
What happened next was heart-stopping. Time seemed to stand still as I watched Alistair leap onto the darkspawn and sink his blade right in its massive chest. Blood spurted forth and the ogre let out an agonized howl. It fell backwards with a mighty thud, causing the floor beneath us to shake. Alistair ripped his blade out and plunged it into the darkspawn's face. He wrest his blade free and leapt down.
"Light the beacon," Alistair ordered. "We most likely missed the signal already!"
The mage cast a fireball to light the beacon. I let out a sigh of relief and allowed my fatigue to wash over me. Perhaps now, the fighting would abate. Reinforcements would joining the fray now.
Just when I thought that we were going to be alright, I was proven wrong rather quickly. At least a dozen darkspawn poured into the chamber and attacked us. The last thing I saw was a darkspawn blade coming at me….