Alright, I'm pretty angry, so I'm just going to explain some stuff.
I should be allowed to take as much time as I need per chapter, and I don't need much, so I would rather put my heart into it than spit it out every two days.
Second, I haven't updated because I've been dealing with a family loss. I had an argument with an asshole who thought it was no reason to, and I quote, "Stop updating just cause some guy died."
To you, sir, and you know who you are, please take a long walk off of a short dock. Heartless prick.
I'll quit being a grump, and let you get to your reading. Have fun!
Following Lady Pentaghast, William realized just how close that he could have come to dead. Supposedly again, a prospect that he still failed to grasp. He didn't fear death, but after staring it in the face, he realized just how terrifying it was. He could only imagine what sort of thoughts were running through her head. Not ones that favored his innocence, surely. He wanted to move on, but he couldn't.
What was happening to him?
"Where are all of your soldiers?" William asked. The question was not without reason; though to take his mind from the recent happening, he had noticed no living garrison of troops nearby. The valley was barren, an area so quiet that it got under William's skin.
"At the forward camp, all fighting." Lady Pentaghast replied. "We are on our own, for now."
She said it with a certain tone in her voice. She clearly was uncomfortable, considering that the only other human - or anything remotely close - had just healed tissue before her eyes. This made him even more dangerous than he already was. William could not blame her, though she was barely scratching the surface. She obviously did not know exactly who he was. She had only heard his first name, spat out by Leliana, and it was not enough. He was glad for this; If she were told, she would not believe it in the slightest, and William had no proof that he was who he would claim himself to be.
The corpse of a Templar, still decked out in polished gear, lay in the snow ahead. He noticed that an enormous, bloody hole lay in the base of his spine, and, upon further inspection, William saw that the hole pieced all of the way through to the ground. Dark red snow lay under him, partially melted from the blood's warmth.
"Poor bastard." William said.
"This could have been you." Lady Pentaghast said. "I've no clue how you survived that... fatal injury... but I don't believe you to be responsible for your survival. Even the strongest healing magic could not have mended a wound like that."
"Then what could it have been?" He asked. "Why me, and not him?"
"Perhaps something else has a hand in this." She said.
"... what something?" He mumbled.
After a few seconds of silence, Lady Pentaghast took a step towards the corpse.
"We might as well search him for supplies." She said. "I am sure that he would have wanted someone to find them."
William nodded and keeled to the corpse. The shining steel armor glistened in the mellow light of the Breach. He had done this many times before, so he didn't hesitate to start his search. Opening the Templar's satchel, he expected there to be perhaps a few herbal remedies, as standard to most soldiers. He instead was greeted by a small chunk of red stone. Curious, he pulled it into the light.
As soon as he touched it, he had felt something click in his head, like he had realized something, but he hadn't. When he laid his eyes on it, his heart thumped heavily and the blood rushed to his head. His chest burned even greater.
"Is this... Lyrium?" He asked.
"I would advise that you put that down." Lady Pentaghast said. "That is Red Lyrium. It is incredibly addictive, and will drive you insane if you use too much."
That was as much convincing as he needed. He placed it back in the satchel and closed it. Instinctively, he wiped his hand off on his garments, even though the mineral left no residue.
Clearing his throat, he continued his search.
"What makes it red?" He asked.
"The Darkspawn taint." She replied. "I don't know if you have any experience with the taint, but it can be very deadly."
William nodded, not wanting to show any of his cards before he had to. "I've had... a bit of experience with it. Not fun." He mumbled. "But why would a templar have such a dangerous piece of Lyrium?"
She didn't answer him, but he knew that she had heard him.
He moved his hands to under the satchel, where the potion belt lay. On it were several healing potions. He had no place to store them, so he simply took the entire belt and attached it. It fit perfectly. He also removed the Templar's gloves and pulled them on. They were lined with wool, perfect for warming his freezing hands. He almost forgot to take his shield as well, but seeing it reminded him. He hefted the hip-high shield level to himself. Even just holding it, he knew that it was strong.
"Alright, lets go." William said.
"Perhaps you should take his helmet as well." Lady Pentaghast said. "Maker knows he won't need it anymore."
He looked towards the helmet. It looked intimidating, and powerful. He looked towards the eye holes. They were practically slits.
"No thanks. I don't do helmets." William said. With that, he picked up his pace, rushing towards the incline ahead.
After a moment of confusion, Lady Pentaghast followed.
Why in the Maker's name would he refuse a helmet in this chaos?
In a few short moments, the body of the Templar was out of view, and into view came more corpses - a Templar here, a soldier there - and the familiar movements of a Shade, hunched over a lifeless corpse, fiendishly ripping out the soldier's insides. Several more Shades slid across the icy lake, hovering just above the surface. Lady Pentaghast slowed her step, taking a quick look at the field of ice before making an attack plan.
William had seen terrible things like this many times before, and the mutilation of corpses was, unfortunately, to be expected in a war with demons. Still, the brutality of the overkill wrenched his gut.
He looked around the area as well, looking for anything that would give them an advantage. They didn't exactly have numbers. He noticed that at the end of the ridge there was a short drop, maybe three or four feet. It would be the perfect spot to initiate a flanking attack; it was the demons' blind spot.
"We should get the drop on them." She said, drawing her sword and aiming the tip of it in the direction of the demons, a clear path of steel leading sharply towards their common enemy. "If we flank them, we may gain the advantage."
"I was going to say the same." William said in approval. She was a decent strategist. Good to know.
The jogged towards the drop, the snow muddling their footsteps. William kept an eye on the Shades while he ran, making sure that they did not take notice. Fortunately, they were both fast runners, and wore little gear. When one of the Shades finally turned to face them, they were no longer there.
They had no chance of using stealth through the entire encounter - they would likely only be able to kill one or two demons before they were spotted - but it would be enough to tip the scales if they weren't seen. Lady Pentaghast dropped off of the edge of the ridge, and William followed. He had his eye on the one who was tearing up the unlucky soldier.
A bright flash, green fire, shot down in front of William's feet, melting the snow. He looked up towards the source of the shot, startled. Following with his eyes a faint trail of smoke, he located the attacker up on the hill ahead.
It appeared to be a green wisp, a wraith of some kind. Regardless, it saw them, and it was firing projectiles their way.
More fireballs hit the snow, and the Shades took notice, turning almost immediately. The Shade that was tearing up the corpse stopped suddenly, whipping around and roaring madly as it extended its bloody claws in the air.
"So much for flanking them!" William said. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and charged, dashing out of the way of an incoming fireball.
Lady Pentaghast followed, stopping to smash her shield against a Shade. It fell into the strike, and crumpled down. She grabbed her sword with both hands and drove the blade through the Shade's head, killing it.
William went directly for the Shade with the bloody claws, feigning a shield hit and going for a low strike. The demon fell, but before he could finish it off, a fireball hit the sword out of his hand. He expected it to burn, but instead of lighting his glove on fire it made his hand underneath it numb. The third shade suddenly lurched forward towards him, and he raised his shield just in time to catch the strike against his shield. The Shade smashed against his shield with enough force to knock him back. Scrambling to get to his feet, he grabbed his fallen sword and held the shield up again with impeccable timing, once again catching the Shade in the middle of its strike. He found a foothold in the ice and pushed against the demon's force, sending it backwards. He ran forward and slid on the ice, sword pointed outwards at the Shade's chest, and he drove the steel through. It wailed before he ripped it out and flourished in a spin, beheading the beast.
Two fireballs shot toward William, and Lady Pentaghast jumped in front of him, shield raised. The shots impacted her shield and she landed on the ground in a roll.
"Deal with the Wraiths!" She shouted, facing the bloody clawed Shade. "I can handle this!"
William nodded and turned back towards the Wraith. There were more than one, now, and they were aiming at him. He ran with his shield up towards them, and he blocked several fireballs as he charged.
An enormous explosion smashed into the ice a few meters to his left. He covered his left side and looked towards the impact. The ice cracked, and from the area rose a Wraith. He quickly darted his eyes up to the Breach and back towards the Wraith in under half a second.
"They're falling from the Breach!" William shouted. Several more demons, both Shades and Wraiths alike, were borne from the melted ice and glowing flame of every blast. With every meteor that hit nearby, the mark on his hand belted loose a violent pulse, causing his whole arm to shake from the unexpected vibrations. The pain was almost a commonality to him now, but still he winced.
A Wraith got a bit too close, and he ripped his sword through its form twice, cutting the wisp like heated butter. He looked back to Lady Pentaghast, and saw that she was, indeed, handling the situation. The body of the bloody clawed Shade lay dead at her feet, disintegrating, as she slashed precisely and quickly through the body of another. She was in her element, and the demons were not welcome.
William reached the top of the hill and closed in on the trio of wraiths that stood there. fireballs were being sent this way, but they impacted differently against his shield this time, like actual fire. He felt the heat of them from the other side of his shield.
He rolled, dodging yet another fireball, and came up in a slash, decimating one of the Wraiths and destroying it instantly. The other two shot large amounts of fire towards him, which he blocked with some difficulty. His forearm burned from the heat of the metal, but still he held his own.
He dashed forward when he saw a chance and slashed four times at the closest demon, causing it to explode into dust as the others did. He span, closing his distance on the final wisp, and brought his sword down in a powerful slash that could be heard traveling through the air. The Wraith dissipated, and now all that remained were a pair of Shades, being handled by Lady Pentaghast.
Watching her fight was a very interesting sight. She fought like no one he had ever seen, though perhaps this was due to her training as a Seeker. It was strong, yet quick, very much like his own fighting style, but there was a certain bit of finesse that carried with it that he simply didn't have. She carved her blade through the torso of the first demon, then span around to impale the second. Her motions flowed like water, a mellifluous fashion.
Both Shades hit the ground and disintegrated, and Lady Pentaghast sheathed her sword, her chest falling as she let go of a breath held during battle. William jogged Down the hill and met her halfway as she continued her advance.
"Nicely done." William said.
"We aren't out of the woods yet." She said. "We're getting close to the rift. You can hear the fighting."
She was right. Demons roared, and the familiar sound of a crossbow rang unnaturally loud through the air.
"Who is fighting?" William inquired.
"You will see soon enough." She replied.
They jogged up the hill to a staircase that was laid in the side of the next incline. As he climbed each step, the fighting grew louder, and he could hear the sounds of spells being cast side by side the crossbow. They reached the top, and the first thing that drew his gaze was the bright green rift floating at least a dozen feet above him.
It was similar to the Breach, a tear in the air that glowed a furious green, electricity racing over it. The center was a crystalline core, each chunk of demonic gem sliding and locking around each other. It was... enticing.
"We have to help them." Lady Pentaghast said, pushing him forward. He moved his eyes to the demons ahead.
A ginger-haired Dwarf with an enormous crossbow was emptying bolt after bolt into Shades and Wraiths, fighting at the side of a bald Elven mage with a rather peculiar stave. The Dwarf wore a dark coat with the top opened, showing off a forest of ginger chest hair. The Elf donned a green set of robes, intricately sewn and made. The light reflected off of the silk.
Springing into action, William and Lady Pentaghast charged towards the demons with swords raised. As a bolt buried itself into a nearby Shade's shoulder, William pierced its head with his sword and twisted the blade, tearing it out and slicing again. The demon dropped, and the Dwarf grinned.
"Cavalry's here!" He said.
Turning around and slicing a Wraith, William heard a fireball fly past his head. Behind him, a Shade snuck up, aiming to kill. The Elf launched a flurry of frost and electricity in the sneaking demon's direction, freezing it in place and electrocuting it to death. It shattered where it stood.
The Dwarf emptied a seemingly infinite amount of bolts into demons across the area, killing two Shades and a Wraith that was getting ready to fire at Lady Pentaghast. She was carving away at demons as quickly and efficiently as she could, killing three in under ten seconds.
When the last demon fell, the Elven man grabbed William by the wrist.
"Quickly!" The Elf shouted, ripping off William's glove and clutching his wrist in a death grip "Before more come through!"
Before he could question what the Elf was talking about, he raised William's hand up to the rift, and the mark on his hand glowed intensely.
The pain in his hand came back in full force as an enormous arc of green electricity and light shot into the rift's heart. The gems in the rift's core smashed together, and crystalline shrapnel shot outwards, scattering like sugar in the wind. The rift exploded in a flash of light, blinding him.
A few seconds later, William's vision returned, and the rift was gone. He looked down to his hand, then at the Elf.
"What did you just do?" William asked, incredulous.
The Elf looked rather proud. "I did nothing." He said, warmly. "The credit is yours."
He was confused. He looked to his hand. "You mean..." He began. The Mark on his hand flickered with electricity. "... the Mark did that?"
He nodded. "Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky must have also placed that mark on your hand. I theorized that the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake." He said. "...and it seems that I was correct."
"Meaning that it could also close the breach itself?" Lady Pentaghast asked eagerly.
"Possibly." The Elf answered. He looked back to William with a rather hopeful look on his face. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."
Over to his right, William heard chuckling. He looked over. The Dwarf was adjusting his glove and smirking.
"Good to know." He said optimistically. "And here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever."
Lady Pentaghast sighed audibly. It was obvious that she knew the Dwarf.
"Varric Tethras." He said, extending his hand. William shook it. "Rogue, storyteller, and, occasionally, unwelcome tagalong."
He winked at Lady Pentaghast. She scowled in return.
Noticing the tension, William decided to change the subject.
"So... are you with the chantry?" He asked.
The Elven man chuckled. "Was that a serious question?"
"It was." He responded.
Varric let out an amused breath. "Thats funny. Well, technically, I'm a prisoner." He said. "Just like you."
"I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine. Clearly, that is no longer necessary." Lady Pentaghast said. She held her heavy scowl.
He raised his eyebrows, unsurprised. Here we go again, they said. "Yet here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events." He replied.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Varric." William said.
"You may... reconsider that stance, in time." The elf said.
Varric smirked, looking at the Elf. "I'm sure that we'll become good friends in the valley, Chuckles."
"Absolutely not." Lady Pentaghast said immediately. "Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"
"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore." Varric said pointedly. He tapped himself on his hairy chest. "You need me."
She sighed, obviously not approving of his want to help. They obviously had a history. William noticed in the way Varric spoke that he was very persuasive as well, a favorable trait in a rogue.
"Ugh." She grunted, still scowling.
"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions." The Elf said. "I am pleased to see that you still live."
"He means 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'" Varric said, crossing his arms and smirking.
"...From what you've said so far, you seem to know a great deal about it." William said. "How?"
"The reason that he knows so much is because he is an Apostate Mage." Lady Pentaghast said.
Solas gave a half smile. "Technically, all mages are now apostates, Cassandra." He stated.
So that was her name. Cassandra. He had heard Leliana say it before she tried to cut him open, but he couldn't remember it afterwards. Just thinking about the incident distressed him greatly. Cassandra Pentaghast, her name was then. Strange. He could have sworn that he had heard that name before, but he knew not where.
"My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade, far beyond the experience of any circle mage." Solas said, crossing his fingers over each other. "I came to offer whatever help I can give with the breach. If it is not closed, then we are all doomed... regardless of our origin."
"If I can close this rift, then I can close the Breach." William responded. "And if I can close the Breach, you can believe that I will."
"Cassandra, you should know..." Solas said. "...The magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. Your prisoner is certainly no mage, but I still cannot imagine any mage having such power."
Cassandra looked back at William, narrowing her eyes. She held a small amount of trust for him now, but she still was not going to fall for any tricks. She was trying to figure him out, find out who - or what - he was. What his motives were. It was hard to read someone when their cards were glued to the table.
Regardless of what she speculated or believed, William was going to hide behind the rise that he was nothing more than a prisoner for as long as he could. His only concerns at the moment were Leliana and the Breach... and as much as he hated to admit it, the incident with his love would have to wait. Until the Breach was sealed.
"Understood." Cassandra said, nodding. "We must get to the forward camp quickly."
A Seeker of Truth with a killing scowl, an Apostate, and a silver tongued Dwarf with a giant crossbow. Good Maker above, he almost felt at ease.
Cassandra and Solas begun the march forward into the valley. William looked at Varric with a sideways look. The Dwarf grabbed his crossbow from off of his back and hefted it to his shoulder, looking down the sights to check if they were focused.
"Well..." He began, lowering the crossbow and donning a smirked as he patted the stock. "Bianca's excited!"
I decided to style the way that I wrote this one a little differently. It wont be different for you guys in the long run, but essentially what I did was I wrote down the dialogue and actions, then filled in details later. The paragraph near the beginning, where William begins to tolerate the pain that the Mark has been dishing out originally looked like this:
"Crazy Breach demon bombs falling from sky. Every demon that hits ground hurts Will's hand. Will quits being a bitch and takes the pain like a man, then kicks some ass."
I think its not only a hilarious and fun way to write in your own words what they do and then adjust it, it sets a rough plan that you can very easily change.
Anywho, have a nice day!
~Husky