~For the essence of evil dwells in the deepest shadows of the mind and the gateway to revelation lies beyond the threshold of madness...~
~Joseph Vargo ~
Hello there, as promised the eight chapter of The Forgotten. Some of you may have noticed the revised/edited version of chapter 2, "Awakening", is up and running. Perhaps it could be a good idea to go through it again…
Anyway, sorry it took me so long to show up again but I had important exams that I didn't want to fuck up and so became a recluse for a month to study. We all have priorities, after all.
Okay, as always, thank you all for the favs, follows and the like. Thanks to pucfleck, TheGreatBubbaJ (awesome avatar, man!), FireKing500, Kira (Guest), Fallen-Ryu, ArthurB, Lio117, Blackholelord, sidestory, ex-ellent, Ahlerot, Jose19, Igornerd, ShadowWulf00, Raxychaz, tim223, Beserkians fury, Deus Swiftblade, Kasumi lynne, LoneFox123, Ronin Kenshin, Dragonfan91, Silver Heart11DOOM and brawd316 for taking some of their time to review my story.
I just want to answer to two guests, since I can't send them a PM.
To Alexander: Wow, man, a thousand thanks for the kind words. Reviews such as yours are what give authors the motivation to keep writing! That, and their own desire to see their work through, of course. Again, many thanks for the encouragement and I hope to see you more in future chapters.
To Guest (you know who you are): Although I doubt you will read this, since you said you would stop reading this story, I want to tell you that I hope you find the fic you're looking for, no hard feelings. However, I do find a bit unfair your reasoning. My fic is not fast-paced and I try to put in character development/thoughts about different topics. Changes still have not had the opportunity to happen. As it is, we're only a week and half or so of in-game time since Naruto's liberation, two weeks at most. A massive change can't happen in that short timespan. But I'm already ranting so I'll stop here.
However to everyone else, it should be obvious by now this is a relatively slow-moving fic, so you shouldn't expect blood-pumping moments the eighty percent of every chapter I write.
But anyway, we just went from 10 to 25 reviews! Wow thanks for the response guys, I hope you all stick around and even more people decide to stop by and leave a review.
I have to say, though it's been more than a month, I have never left this fic in my mind and I have come up with several ideas that will be developed through the fic. Trust me, there's a lot coming ahead and I have many expectations for the surprises I have prepared. As it is, I have had to start another datapad document to keep up all the ideas and the little details that I will use, in case I forget them.
Just a hint for you all though. I have been scrounging the net for fantasy female pictures in search of a good looking, female-oriented armor/ceremonial robes meant for a very important OC. Make with that what you want ;). Fear not though, it won't be a Mary Sue.
Warning: Sexual innuendos in this chapter mostly. I'm already considering bumping this fic into M rated territory.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age: Origins nor Naruto.
~For the essence of evil dwells in the deepest shadows of the mind and the gateway to revelation lies beyond the threshold of madness...~
~Joseph Vargo ~
Chapter eight
The Tower of Magi
"We're fucking losing this war, dammit! Our troops are better trained and have tactics on their side but this blasted army of White Zetsus is just too big for us to defeat! We can only forestall them for so long until it all comes crashing down."
"Calm down, idiot. We're not dead yet and until then, we'll still fight for our freedom. Don't shame us all with your cowardice!" scolded Ē, the Raikage.
Shikaku soon took control before more quarreling could take place. "Anyway, as I was saying, Platoons 4 and 5 have been cut down to half, more or less. As their specialization is heavy-hitting attacks, we will combine their forces. However, this action will cause us to leave unprotected these positions," he said while pointing at a river and the nearby zone. "One of our supply lines is nearby, beyond that river, and we can't afford to lose it. Otherwise, the men at the other side will have to fend for themselves until we can get to them."
"Chief Strategist, what are the current estimations of the enemy's forces?" Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage, asked with a pensive look.
Taking a quick glance at his latest report, he answered with a grim look. "At the start of this war, an enemy count ranked their numbers at one hundred thousand white Zetsus, as well as the two dozen or so revived shinobi through Edo Tensei. After that, Kabuto and Madara himself. We started this war with about eighty thousand people, between shinobi and samurai alike. Now, after a year of constant fighting, they have around fifty thousand Zetsus available but, thankfully, most of the revived shinobis have been dealt with… not without heavy losses, though. Our alliance has lost sixty five percent of its former strength; we're around twenty eight heads or so."
"Considering we lost half of our men in a single day, I think it could've been worse. A lot worse, but this war is still the bloodiest I ever seen."
"That's understandable, Tsuchikage-dono. We're not fighting normal enemies, after all."
A field commander chose that moment to speak next, looking troubled. "Our numbers have held strong since that day but they're dropping each day and it doesn't seem they're going to stop." At this point, he adopted a resigned look. "If this goes on for much longer, it won't be long until we're forced to deploy our batches of gennin on the battlefield."
Several people shifted uneasily on their seats at his remark but no one commented on it. The life of a shinobi usually never had a rather long lifespan. It wouldn't be the first time they had sent children to the battlefield and if they survived this war, it certainly wouldn't be the last. Even if gennin were technically already adults in the eyes of society, they couldn't help but think that those who graduated in their first try as rookies were, for all intents and purposes, wet behind the ears wistful boys and girls.
Having grown tired of the argument, Naruto took his turn. They were getting nowhere. "Then we should attack the real threat, instead of letting ourselves lose our forces in these draining guerrilla tactics. We're too spread thin to cause real damages to the Zetsu army!" He then turned to Ē, who had a pensive look on his face. "You know I'm right, old man! If we don't take out Madara soon, the Zetsu army will just tire us out until he decides to come himself onto the battlefield again!"
"And what you do propose, Naruto-kun?" Mei asked with genuine curiosity. Having acted as commander of Platoon 2, she'd been Naruto's commanding officer and she had come to respect his fighting skills during the war. It also helped the fact they had saved each other's life more times than she remembered. Of course, the fact she took the time to interact with the shinobi under her command also helped her to get to know the infamous Naruto Uzumaki. Needless to say, she only had good things to say about him to anyone who bothered to ask.
"Cut off the head and the whole army will crumble. Most of the revived shinobi have been resealed and there are only a few left. Kabuto himself is missing but the most dangerous is Madara. After he managed to get Bee, only I can take him on, and that's thanks to the training I had to go through. I know I can defeat him! You've gotta believe me, old man!"
Tsunade slammed her hand on the table before her fellow Kage could get a word on edgewise. "Absolutely not! I won't allow you to throw away your life just like that! There are many more people powerful to form a united front when we confront Madara. I won't allow you to face him alone."
"You won't be able to escape it, Naruto Uzumaki."
The voice, come from a random jounin's mouth cut through the voice and reached Naruto's ears, though no one seemed to have heard it. Turning to the one he thought had said it with a confused look; he asked "Sorry, what did you say?"
"I said that you're too valuable to lose to Madara, Uzumaki-san."
Blinking confusedly, he shook his head and turned to rebuke a Iwa commander too stubborn for his own good.
Soon enough, everyone was arguing with the person next to themselves about the best course of action, with things quickly spiraling out of control. However, Mifune still presented a very imposing appearance, despite lacking many of the shinobi's skills and forced order in the room.
"Enough! Seeing as we're not getting anywhere on the topic of what course we should take this war to, I'm declaring a recession to clear our minds a little before resuming it. However, I expect all of you to behave accordingly to your stations. This war is about our collective freedom as mankind and we can't allow such discord of opinions in the chain of command."
Everyone mumbled their agreement and started making their way out but Naruto was already gone, having stormed off just as Mifune started speaking.
He next found himself standing on a cliff near headquarters with a moody expression. He was too annoyed to even care he was brooding like a certain Uchiha he knew. Of course, in normal conditions he would be horrified of himself for doing such ridiculous thing but as it was, he really didn't care.
Didn't they see they weren't ready for Madara? They had already tried to kill him on the earlier stages of the war in what probably was the first time the five Kages of the Elemental Nations had fought together in battle against a common enemy. And yet, they still had lost. Hell, it was luck they all had come out of that fight alive.
He had to fight Madara himself. That was what he had trained to such lengths for. No one had Kurama sealed inside them, no one else could use Sage Mode and combine it with Kurama's chakra.
However, he was brought of his broody musings when he felt a pair of nimble arms sneak around him as a floral fragrance filled his nostrils. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the smile out of his face. "You're getting better; I didn't even sense you coming."
He almost could see the wry grin in her face. "Of course I did. I learnt from the best, after all," she said as she rested her face on his back. "Rough meeting again, huh?"
"Ugh, don't remind me. They're just too stubborn to accept I have the best chance at ending this war while more men and women alike die every day!"
However, his words only served to make her chuckle in amusement. "This coming from you, the famous knucklehead ninja of Konoha?"
"Hey, that's entirely different! And besides, I haven't been like that for long time, anyway…"
They were silent for a moment until she sighed with emotion constricting her voice. "No, I suppose not…" She tightened her arms around him. "… I'm worried for you, Naruto."
In such few words, she was able to convey everything she felt for her fellow blond. Words were unneeded when you were able to express so much with gestures and Naruto found himself lowering his gaze, fighting to keep his own composure. She was a proud kunoichi, regarded as one of the most powerful fighters in the Allied Shinobi Forces, partially thanks to her status as one like himself. However, her own skills, honed and tempered during many years, were matched by few. But even the most powerful of shinobi was, at the end of the day, a man or a woman with feelings impossible to mask for too long.
He would never be able to look at himself in a mirror if he ever lost her.
"Don't be, as soon as I convince the Kages, I'll be able to confront Madara and put an end to this war. And then, we'll be able to be together. For real."
"Hmm, that cozy home you told me about comes to mind, now."
He could almost see her smile.
"Hell yeah, just you wait. It's going to be freaking awesome!"
In that moment, her breath tickled his ear and his cheeks reddened and the sudden contact she was starting to initiate.
"And I'm sure we'll have all the time of the world to start reviving your clan, Naruto-kun..."
If possible, Naruto would have passed out already with that but his blood froze in his veins when she spoke next.
"You won't escape it, Naruto Uzumaki. You won't be able to run away forever. It has started. We're coming."
Her voice, usually so full of warmth when speaking to him, lacked something now. It was still warm and inviting but there was a hint of something else, something malicious. The hairs at the back of his neck all stood up.
"What the…!"
He whirled around as best as he could to look at her, with her arms still keeping their hold on him, and…
xxOOOOxx
The only indication he awoke from his dream was the slight quickening of his breath and the sudden opening of his bloodshot eyes as he kept his body stiffly tensed but he blinked confusedly as he slowly allowed his body to relax.
' What… just happened? Did I have… a nightmare?' It was already hard enough to remember the dream, already the details were merely a blurry mess of disjointed ideas. 'Was it there… a fragrance or something? And… and… an argument?'
Groaning at the uselessness of it all, he sat up with a sigh. They were well into the night and the fire they had set up was crackling merrily. Even if the fire itself was a possible weakness, they were confident in their own fighting skills in the case someone tried to sneak into their camp. Of course, if said someone managed to get past the Witch of the Wilds, the Qunari, the Chantry sister… (well, that one really didn't look that threatening), and a trained templar, they'd have to get past a very unamused shinobi.
Looking around, he could see Leliana already inside her tent but Sten was doing something along the lines of meditation, if the quiet muttering in a language he didn't understand at all was anything to go by.
Hell, for all he knew, he could be very well muttering his wet dreams!
Chuckling to himself, he went to Neria and Alistair, who were having a serious conversation between them and sat next to Alistair.
"Hey guys, trouble sleeping?"
"Something like that, yes. It's these dreams about the archdemon, it makes it all but impossible to sleep," answered Neria with a tired sigh. She had made it abundantly clear to Alistair that she wouldn't keep non-vital Warden information secret if someone from their group decided to ask.
"That must be rough, not being able to sleep."
"Well, it's not every single night, just many of them, but it's still manageable. Hopefully, it will stay that way," Alistair explained with shrug. "What about you?"
Naruto shrugged noncommittally. "I had a nightmare. I think. The details are already blurry and I can't be sure. Nothing to worry about, really." He assured but he still couldn't shake the feeling it was of great important. But why? "So, what were you talking about? That is, if it isn't Warden-related business," he added with a grin.
He didn't miss Alistair's discomfort when he posed the question but the former shinobi was surprised when it was the former templar trainee himself who spoke first.
"Neria here was… ah, apologizing for her words when we were at Soldier's Peak. She was just trying to explain why she said what she said." Turning to Neria, he gave her a small nod. "I won't deny it makes sense from a logical viewpoint but I was raised with Chantry beliefs and blood magic is just something I doubt I'll ever be comfortable with." At this point, Alistair gave Naruto a boyish, happy grin. "Besides, she bribed me with Antivan cheese! How could I not accept such generous and kind apology? Praised be the wonder that is cheese."
The three of them shared a low laugh at that. "Seriously now, there's really nothing to be forgiven. I get that everyone has their own opinion and I'm okay with that, but I'd be grateful if you didn't turn me into a mindless puppet. I'm pretty fond of my thoughts, even if Morrigan insists time and time again I don't have enough skill points to be capable of using human intelligence. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm with you in this. I see you as a good friend and I don't want to lose you just because of my prejudice."
Even if he were able to, Naruto didn't bother hiding his smile as Neria's sea-green eyes misted over, even as she tried blinking to prevent any tears from falling. "T-thanks Alistair. You're a great friend as well, no matter what Morrigan says. And don't worry, I would never resort to blood magic. You're alright the way you are."
Chuckling softly at Alistair's muffled "Why, thanks", Naruto couldn't pass the opportunity to get a dig at Alistair. "Why, Alistair, didn't take you for the serious type. Been practicing much, huh? If I didn't know better, I'd say you had been raised by an actual human instead of dogs," he teased with a grin.
"Hush Naruto, do you want her to hear you? And I'll have you know I was raised by the rowdiest pack of dogs you'd ever know," Alistair whispered him with a matching grin.
Neria herself couldn't help the laugh she let out, which she quickly silenced for fear of waking up the ones sleeping. It was already past midnight, after all.
"So, what do you think of Marcus and Liryan?" Their de facto leader asked. "I want to know your opinions because everybody else is… well, Sten would just look at me with that stare that makes you want to run away and hide behind a rock. Morrigan would just say that as long as they don't get in their way, she couldn't care less and Leliana… I don't think I want to know what she would say. I'm sure she'd manage to put something about flowers in her explanation. Or stylish shoes."
Alistair found himself agreeing with Neria's analysis of their companions, letting out a low snort. "Well, I doubt they are up to something or what not. Marcus is still injured from those wounds he got in the wilderness and Liryan looks as unthreatening as you can get. They're alright if you ask me."
"Well, you'd be surprised, Alistair. Some people are professional enough to harm themselves just to get in good graces with their targets. But on this one, I'm with him, Neria. I doubt they are spies or assassins. Trust me on this, they aren't either and that's coming from one who did this kind of things. " He assured her as they stared at the tent their most recent additions to their group of misfits shared.
Naruto, Neria and Shaevra had found them almost by chance when they were returning to Soldier's Peak. It had actually been thanks to Fang they'd found them and that was only because Marcus was the proud owner of a female mabari called Brina. It had been –and still was- pretty amusing to see her spurning Fang's shows of affection without as much as a glance at his direction. When asked on the unusual name, Marcus had merely smiled fondly at his mabari and said it meant 'protector' in an ancient language. It had not been easy to break the ice between the two groups, as Liryan reacted violently to every move she deemed as threatening towards Marcus, who was incapacitated due to injuries in his toe and arm but it proved easier after the episode with the mabaris.
Marcus himself, they learnt, was Marcus Cousland. The name really didn't mean anything to Naruto but Neria did remember his family as part of the higher nobility, just a step down from the position of king itself, as Lord Cousland held in his (or Lady Cousland's, of course) power a teyrnir. However, if the dead and dulled eyes of Marcus when she commented on it were anything to go by, something truly worrying had happened, that much was obvious.
Liryan, for her part, was an elf living in the Denerim Alienage. She was supposed to get married several months ago but a 'cocky noble with more money than brains', as she herself had eloquently put it, had crashed her wedding. Something happened then –Liryan was reluctant to tell what it was- and she soon found herself on the run. It was easy to form several educated guesses about what had transpired; more so if one paid attention to the different gossips flying around in Denerim.
Liryan had found Marcus out in the wilderness, half-starved and with a bloody toe and an arm horribly bent at a hideous angle, guarded by his loyal Brina. After reassuring Marcus' mabari she meant no harm to her master, she started tending to his wounds. They lived in the forest, waiting for Marcus' injuries to heal, until they were found by an overly enthusiast mabari who was all over their canine protector.
Of course, since Neria couldn't let someone in such a situation to fend for themselves in good consciousness, she used what little amount of healing spells she knew to speed up the process as much as she could. It was a surprise that Marcus wanted to accompany them on their quest. He might be injured but his mind was still as sharp as ever, he assured them with a grin. It was obvious he figured out the fact they were Grey Wardens –or rather, Neria was-, thanks to the different rumors Liryan heard during her forays into Denerim. The news of the Blight were spreading fast and he saw it his duty to help a stop to it.
And so, two new additions had been added to their group.
On a side note, Neria used the chance to inform Levi that Shaevra would be a guest in the fortress but told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn't allowed to leave the place. Not that there was any chance of that happening, since they had covered her eyes and ears with a fabric and soil to avoid any kind of help if she ever tried to orientate herself in the labyrinth that were the abandoned mines. She also told Avernus to use his skills and find a way to track her wherever she goes. Better to be thorough than to lament it at a later date.
Neria had also asked Levi to bring the armor she'd found earlier with Avernus to Wade when he got the time to do so. Obviously, he knew he would have to keep the armor hidden in case anyone tried anything funny but she wanted her order done by the time she came back to the Grey Warden fortress.
"Well, let's just hope we can find a good healer to take a look at those wounds of Marcus. We should also make sure Leliana's properly healed. She's still feeling those broken ribs."
"We should get all the rest we can get, then. We will have to set up a fast pace if we want to reach the Tower within the week," Alistair commented when he saw Neria yawn, already starting to doze off.
Murmuring their good nights, the three of them retired to their tents to get some sleep. However, while he waited for sleep to come, Alistair still couldn't get a certain thought out of his head.
"But what the hell is a skill point?" he grumbled.
xxOOOOxx
"Boss, I've got juicy info already."
The Dark Wolf leaned on his chair, examining an important report on their latest bribes to guards and several nobles for information. "Do you, now? Tell me, what task were you assigned to?"
"The Warden one, boss!"
"Mm, what do you have for me, then?" The elusive information broker asked his underling with sudden interest in his gray eyes.
"Well, I got lucky and I found a pretty elf that matched the description that you gave me near the city's main gate just as I was leaving. Smallish, blonde hair, pretty eyes. Hard to check it though, she wore full armor but luckily she didn't carry a helmet. She had a mabari with her too, and another elf was nearby. Probably she was with the Warden, looked kind of tense, though I suppose one would be in their situation."
"Alright, get on with it. I assume you gave the message to the Warden without complications?"
"That I did, boss. She got the message alright, thanked me even and wrote down the answer in the same parchment. Was very nice and all, that girl. Hard to believe she's an actual, honest to the Maker Grey Warden though."
"Appearances can be deceiving, Thomas. The most dangerous of evils are those that hid behind a pretty smile or kind words. Nonetheless, you did well. Leave the parchment on my desk and go to the kitchens. Tell that blasted woman to give you a drink or two. I expect you to come tomorrow morning for another assignment."
"Got it, boss!"
Thomas left not too long after that, leaving the Dark Wolf alone with his musings, eyeing the parchment as if it would give him the answers to the meaning of life.
'What should I do, I wonder? If I went to Loghain with this I could easily get a nice sum of sovereigns out of it. There's someone high enough on the social ladder to be in the know of an assassination plan targeting the Warden yet they are basically conspiring to foil such plan. I doubt he'd tolerate such a thing. It could solve many problems for me and my boys…' he pondered as he played with a glass of wine.
'But Loghain has been a thorn on my side lately, trying to shut down my network and different operations. Not that he'll ever get close to do so, of course, but it's getting on my nerves, really, and I have better things to do than be checking on my different business just to make sure everything runs smoothly.. I probably should get out of the country before the darkspawn get to Denerim… but perhaps if I take a side on this conflict, the Warden may have higher odds to end this Blight on her favor. I don't like the idea of leaving all my carefully laid work just for it to crumble to ashes in less than a year, anyway.'
"Loghain, you're such a fool…" he sneered in disgust as he threw the glass to a wall, smashing it.
"Well, that's an opinion I completely share, dear." The sudden female voice e startled him, even if a mere twitch of his shoulder was the only indication of that. However, they both knew she'd seen it.
He hated it when she could sneak up on him without making the faintest of noises.
"Thalia, you've returned sooner than expected." He acknowledged but she only laughed.
"Of course I did. Nothing can keep me apart from you too long, after all." Thalia chirped as she sat on his lap, ignoring whatever feeble protests he gave her in case one of his men walked in on them and started nibbling on his ear.
"What are you going to do? With the Warden business, I mean." She asked with a low moan.
"You know I don't like it when you eavesdrop on my business conversations, Thalia," he told her with a glare that didn't contain any real animosity as he idly started playing with a lock of her red hair. Gods, he was starting to feel bothered in his clothes already and Thalia's smirk told him she knew it as well. "And I'll probably pick the Warden's side, just to get back at Loghain.
Thalia simply snorted in his ear, rather amusedly. "We both know you love it, dear. It gives you an excuse to… "punish" me on the bed. And what punishments…" She purred.
The Dark Wolf smirked at her remark but didn't comment on it. He had enough on his plate by restraining himself and not ravishing her on the spot. "I really don't want to start from scratch in another country. We do have safe houses and a network in them but it's just not the same as in here. Besides, as I said, Loghain is getting annoying. All the better if my… unknown assistance can help in getting rid of him. He's fucking with us and we can't have that now, can't we?"
"Oh, indeed. Only I get dibs on your mighty spear." Thalia nodded with a grin as she resumed nibbling his ear. However, this time the motion revealed a slash mark still red and sore on her arm, catching her lover's attention immediately.
"And pray, tell me, what's that Thalia?" He asked with a deceptively soft voice, their previous foreplay all but forgotten.
Glancing at her wound, Thalia didn't spoke for several moments. "You already know, Garret. I summoned a demon yesterday; I needed to ask it a few questions."
"Thalia, just because you're a blood mage doesn't mean you have to be constantly summoning demons! What if you fuck up once and get possessed because of it?! And don't call me by my name again, the walls have ears!" He always was paranoid of someone finding his real identity but she could see it was mostly because of his worry for her.
"… I won't slip, trust me."
"Of course you won't, I'm forbidding you from ever doing stupid shit like that!" He growled almost feral. He just couldn't understand how she could have done something so utterly idiotic and reckless.
"Agh, enough of this! You'll get your chance to scold me later, now fuck me, you stupid man!" she hissed before smashing her lips on his, cutting off his rant before it could even start properly.
He just knew he was in for another sleep-deprived night. Curse Orlesian blood mages and their sexual drive!
xxOOOOxx
"You're making no sense, Bas Sareebas. A female, like you are, has no place in the battlefield," Sten remarked.
They had started another day well-rested and were well on their way towards the Tower. However, Sten had finally spoken his mind about Neria's leadership or even her place as a warrior.
"Just because I am a female that doesn't mean I should be forbidden from fighting! Look at the armies from different countries: they have female fighters in them." She regretted jumping up at his statements already; their argument was only giving her a headache.
"Your argument is flawed and illogical. Females are not meant to be soldiers, only males are. Females are farmers, scholars, priests or shopkeepers. Soldiers are males, why would you wish to be a male?"
"But being female doesn't mean you can't fight."
"Wrong. Qunari who fights are males. However, you are a Warden and that is what I still can't understand."
Neria liked to think of herself as a gifted mind. It really was no arrogance for her part but her prowess in the magical arts, greater even than some of the more experienced Senior Enchanters, had to come from somewhere.
Yet her talks with Sten about what was roughly philosophy of one's position and other topics left her as if fumbling in the dark, a feeling she certainly did not like yet couldn't do much to remedy it.
The Qun, the not-quite-religion-slash-philospohy of the Qunari, was something she had difficulty at understanding. The cultural gap was perhaps too much of a hurdle to ever fully understand the Qunari's complex culture of guidelines bound by something resembling honor. Moreover, this difficulty would be greater if such information was scarce at best and your only source was a Qunari. Of course, by principle, a Qunari will see a non-Qunari individual as part of the kabethari, that is, the simple ones.
'Basically, all the races, seen as unenlightened by the Qunari' Neria thought with a roll of her eyes.
However, that single fact would be counterproductive, as he wouldn't feel inclined to fully explain with clarity the Qun. When asked, he had merely stated it was not his role to do so, as he was simply Sten of the Beresaad, a division of the Antaam, the military part of Qunari society. This was divided in three parts, symbolized as body, mind and soul (which were represented in a triumvirate formed by the Arishok, the Arigena and the Ariqun).
That much she had managed to gather from snippets and several of Sten's remarks. The Arishok himself symbolized the body of the Qun and was the leader of the military, of which Sten was part of. Even his own name was a mere designation of his position in the army, equivalent roughly to calling someone from an army Lieutenant all the time. Needless to say, it was certainly a very different thing from what she was accustomed to.
However, she may not understand completely Sten's culture but she was willing to put an effort to it. She didn't miss the fact that was perhaps the reason he wasn't nearly as curt and abrupt when she asked about it.
It still didn't negate that she still found it hard to understand.
"How so?"
"You're a Grey Warden. Therefore, it follows that you can't be a woman."
"That absolutely makes no sense… at least to me. Is it perhaps another rule of the Qun?"
"Humans, dwarves, elves… they are all born as such without choice, just as they didn't have a choice to be clever or foolish, whether they wanted to have brown or blond hair. One doesn't simply choose to be, he already is. As such, a male's role might be to be a soldier yet a female's role will never be to be a soldier. One can't be a female and be skilled at war at the same time. Such thing would imply the female is really a male, and therefore, that the Tamassrans made a grave mistake in selecting his role."
"But it still doesn't make sense. A female, no matter what if she fights, will still be biologically a female!"
"The biological implications are left to the Tamassrans, as it's their role. Socially, he would be a male, regardless of appearance. Wardens are regarded as fearsome warriors of unmatched skill, thus my confusion. A female can't be a Warden."
"But one can decide what to be. He or she can't decide which species is born as or the gender, but they can choose their role."
"Can they? We'll see…"
"Besides, you're trying to apply your philosophical guidelines to cultures completely different to yours.
"Parshaara! We're supposed to fight the darkspawn not chatter until they grow bored and leave!"
Suffice to say, Neria was even more confused whenever he got snappish and ended their discussions, leaving her with unfinished questions.
Frustrating, to say the least but she should feel lucky he'd talked as much as he did that time. Normally his vocabulary didn't expand to more than monosyllabic words or just mere grunts.
Thankfully though, their philosophy arguments were not the only highlight of their travel.
Naruto, Alistair and Sten had taken to spar whenever they had a chance. It certainly was a good idea. Sten was basically a heavy hitter, he would catch you by surprise if you underestimated him by his size but he dealt mainly with pure strength. A well connected hit from his great sword and you would be a gonner for sure. Alistair was a well rounded fighter, without overspecializing. Then there was Naruto… he was a special case, alright. In the spars, it was obvious to her –and to Sten and Alistair as well- that he was holding back, quite so.
However, even like this, Naruto was basically an army by himself. He could hit hard and fast and be at many places at the same time, literally, but in the spars he mainly used his speed to fight. The spars by themselves would make them get used to the others' fighting styles, allowing for more coordination in the battlefield. Marcus sadly couldn't participate in them as his arm was still trying to fix itself and the feet that used to be a bloody thing still felt on fire, as he'd told her. Morrigan surprisingly gave him a medicine that lessened the sensation and when asked, she merely stated it was a salve she learnt from her "mother".
Still, whenever Neria saw an especially hard combination of strikes between two of the sparring fighters, from which neither was really bruised, she couldn't help the giddy feeling that they were getting somewhere. That they were making real progress. Sometimes, even the bickering between Alistair and Morrigan seemed to lessen, something that Leliana delightedly pointed out to her.
Leliana… she had apologized to her as well. Admittedly, Naruto's words had probably helped a lot to allow her to cool off enough to see the point and actually apologize to the redhead. She had blown thing out of proportion, in no small part due to her annoyance at the Chantry sister for her religious propaganda and treated her harshly because of that. That's not to say Leliana's moral views were right or wrong, they just were, but for the sake of the mission, there couldn't be real animosity between the members of the group.
And so, she had swallowed her pride and the thoughts she was in the right and apologized for her words at Soldier's and explained part of the reason she had exploded as well. Leliana was not a bad person, quite the contrary. She was rather bubbly and happy most of the time, it was just that she could be greatly annoying at times, especially when she started talking about religion… Maker this, Maker that…
Still she was confident they would be able to regain some sort of their former friendship.
Liryan for her part had been pretty forthcoming when Alistair had asked her for her story, even though she had been reluctant at first. She had scolded him for being so tactless but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't interested in Lyrian's story either. Thankfully, she had taken no offense, waving it off, and gave Alistair a more detailed narration of her past months than what she had told Naruto and her.
Her story only served to cement the thought that most of the ruling class thought themselves superior to mere peasants, no to say elves, which were seen even lower than that. However, Liryan reacted badly when something could be harmful to Marcus' well-being, be it physical or mental, as proved when Leliana, interest piqued, had asked him about his own story. She had done so tactfully but Lyrian had immediately jumped in, acting all defensive, seeing as Marcus had quieted down so much that it was almost scary.
Neria though, did her best to hide her smiles. It was really obvious how very protective Lyrian was of Marcus but she wouldn't have seen past it if Leliana hadn't commented at one point she was already waiting for those two to realize their feelings. Or at least, Lyrian's. Although the squeals after that, she could do without.
However, Marcus quickly defused the stand-off and agreed to explain some of his story. Turns out a friend of his father had betrayed them in a cowardly manner and used their trust in him to launch a surprise attack when their castle was at its lowest in regards to numbers of soldiers to ensure that his power grab would be successful. None survived, not the servant, not the stationed guards, not his father, not his mother… no one except him and his mabari. For just a single moment, Neria was able to see the fury and hate in his eyes, hidden behind that veil of dead emotion.
"I am going to hunt him down and when I do, I will make him pay for every soldier, every child, every good man and woman that died for his lust for power. For Oriana. For Oren. For Father and Mother. He will beg for mercy but he won't get it, just as my people didn't receive mercy from his soldiers. I will make him wish he were dead and when he begs for death, I will give him none."
No one spoke after that but Neria didn't doubt the sincerity of his words for even a second as she suppressed a shiver of fear. In Marcus' mind, Howe's fate was already decided, a certainty. It was merely a matter of time.
It had been a surprise to discover Marcus' family friend was the same Rendon Howe Shaevra had been complaining about in Denerim but with all the crazy things that had already happened, she found herself shrugging it off rather easily. However, she didn't tell Marcus anything about it, he was crippled and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and hopefully, he wouldn't find out about Howe's current location.
He would confront his family's killer in time, but only when he was ready.
And so, with the feeling they knew each other a little more, the group finally reached Kinloch Hold.
xxOOOOxx
Kinloch Hold was certainly a beautiful place. During the day, the sun shimmers on the water of Lake Calenhad, bringing out perhaps some of the most beautiful reflections on it. Around the shore of the lake, the water doesn't go deep and it has a lovely shade of pale green. The different birds in the forest around the small settlement near the shore-line are always chirping about, lifting, if only slightly, the spirits of whoever listens to them. There's a certain calm breeze around the place, not quite warm yet not quite cold, that the inhabitants swear is a byproduct of so much magic around. They can't agree whether this is a bad or a good thing, though they all agree it makes for a certainly stable and warm weather all year. Basically, Kinloch Hold is a sight to behold during the day.
Too bad the group arrived at night.
One would assume that the pale moon gazing at them could be considered a beautiful sight, but the still silence permeating the air painted a slightly foreboding feeling and everyone in the group shifted a little, feeling suddenly apprehensive.
No one was out -probably sleeping already- except a lone templar standing guard in the docks. He kept throwing worried glances at the imposing figure of the Tower.
Having held a vote, the quick and unanimous decision was to spend the night at the Tower, just to enjoy for a night a nice, warm bed and not the rough soil. Of course, securing the alliance of the mages came in close second place, but since Neria herself was the pride of the First Enchanter, they expected to get it fairly quick.
Morrigan herself had a hard time deciding whether she preferred spending a night on the wilderness or with the close proximity of the templars. She'd lived all her life in the wilderness but the chance to enjoy accommodations far greater to what she was used to was a opportunity she wasn't going to pass, never mind the templars or the general populace of mages, who'd let themselves be foolishly caged.
With that in mind, the group marched towards the lone templar who raised an eyebrow at them.
"You! What do you want? The Towers is off limits to everyone right now!"
Neria, at the forefront of the group, raised an eyebrow. "I very much doubt that. I'm a mage from this same Circle and I have several people in need of the skill of a proficient healer spirit. Aside from that, I'm a Warden and I have the right to go to the Tower if I so choose to. I need to speak to Irving as quickly as possible."
"Grey Warden, you say? My snot-nosed cousin can tell better lies even when he's caught red-handed nicking cookies. Well, prove it, then. Do some Grey Warden shit or something."
A tic started to make its work on her eye. Was this guy for real? But then, she let out a devious smirk.
"I don't have to prove anything, especially to you. I remember you, Carroll. What would Greagoir say if he was told one certain templar nicked several more ounces of lyrium than he's allowed to?"
It was a feasible threat and they all knew it. Carroll too, if the sudden unhealthy shade of white of his face was anything to go by. The stuttering didn't help, either.
With a smirk, she soon accepted not telling Greagoir anything in exchange for Carroll bringing them to the Tower. Thankfully, the boat itself –which she recognized as Kester's- was pretty big in case of eventualities and they all managed to get onboard, though not without being a little cramped.
However, nothing could have ever prepared for what was expecting them at the Tower.
The Entrance Hall was a mess of templars running about, of broken and injured people, as several of the most uninjured-looking templars piled whatever they could find in front of the double-door gate that lead to the other parts of the Tower. It was pure, undiluted chaos. Greagoir himself was screaming at the templars to pick up the pace. The months since she had left the Tower had not been really kind to him, Neria noted, as she examined the heavy dark bags under his eyes.
"The doors… they are barring them but I don't see any mage here. What's going on?" Alistair wondered with a worried look.
Resolutely, Neria marched towards Greagoir, who soon noticed her and made an ugly face of shock and disgust. For their part, the templars all stopped whatever tasks they were doing and positioned themselves around the room, in case of any hostile actions. Leliana, Lyriana and Marcus (who was heavily leaning on his friend) didn't strike a very menacing aura but the most seasoned of the templars hadn't survived their encounters with apostates and blood mages for underestimating a possible hostile.
"Surana. You've got a lot of nerve to come here again after what happened last time. Where is Jowan now? Perhaps you've hidden him somewhere? What about his blood magic, heh?"
Neria gritted her teeth in anger at the jeering tone but managed to keep her composure, knowing every templar present was watching all her movements. She could feel the stares of her companions on her and she hoped Greagoir's rant wouldn't come back and bite her in the ass.
"Yet you seem to forget that Jowan never told me of his dabbling in blood magic."
The Knight-Commander merely snorted. "And I still think it's a very convenient excuse." Greagoir let out a weary sigh. "What does a Grey Warden want with the Circle anyway? We're in the middle of a crisis right now."
"That much is obvious…" Naruto's voice came from behind but Leliana shushed him.
"I came here looking for the Circle's help in order to defeat the Blight. The Circle is bound by ancient treaties to uphold its given word," Neria explained as she showed him the document. "And where are all the mages? Where… where is Irving?"
"… I shall speak plainly then. The Tower is no longer under our control. Demons and abominations run amok in the Tower halls. I don't know how it came to be."
"What?! Abominations in the Tower?!" Whatever the group was expecting, Neria certainly spoke for all of them in her reaction… well, most of them.
"The demons started to tear everyone apart, templars and mages alike. We couldn't defeat them and realizing this, I ordered my men to flee and form a defensive perimeter in order to contain the demonic outbreak."
"This is the reason why we sew the mouths of our mages shut." Sten merely stated but Neria was too shocked to even think of a rebuke. The Tower, overrun? It was almost ludicrous to even take it seriously but seeing the exhausted and fatigued faces of the templars made it all real.
"But… Irving! Tell me he's okay! He's the First Enchanter, he couldn't be possessed by a demon!"
"… We lost notice of Irving during the first stages of this madness. No mages arrived to our position and I couldn't let the abominations leave the Tower... We barred the way, leaving everyone else behind."
Everything seemed to freeze up for Neria, 'I couldn't let the abominations leave the Tower. I couldn't… I couldn't… abominations… everyone else behind...'
An aura of wild magic exploded around Neria and several tendrils swirled about around certain parts of Neria's body, creating a construct of magic suspiciously similar to what had happened in that tomb in the Brecilian forest, where they had found Naruto. Morrigan, who had been to one to see such thing back then, noticed the strange phenomena again and narrowed her eyes. First time is the surprise but the second time sets the pattern. Something fishy was going on with their de facto leader and she intended to find out just what, exactly.
Unfortunately for Neria, she never noticed this, drown in the hateful fury she currently was feeling. With a guttural scream, she flung herself at Greagoir.
"You bastard! You damned murdered! There were more than a hundred of children! CHILDREN! And you left them all to die! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! All the mages that could have survived, all the Senior Enchanters, you just left them to DIE! AND IRVING, YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY TO FIND HIM! You coward! You fucking templar! And you wonder why mages feel oppressed!"
Neria's furious outburst was so sudden it managed to catch them all off guard, even Naruto himself, but he quickly put his training as shinobi to use, even before everyone else began to move. He immediately appeared behind Neria and tried to restrain her but her own magic, aiding her mistress' wishes, wildly lashed out in the form of electric currents that coursed through his body.
Naruto grunted with a grimace as he tried to shrug off the pain. Neria's powers were stronger than he'd previously believed. He'd thought little could actually hurt him enough to pose a threat in this world but Neria's electrical discharge sure passed the criteria. He tightened his grasp on her as she violently tried to free herself from Naruto's hold.
"Let me go, Naruto! LET ME GO! I'll kill you, Greagoir! I'll kill YOU!" She wildly screamed as she struggled against Naruto.
Greagoir groaned as he was forced to shift his nose to its usual position. One of Neria's punches had definitely struck home and thoroughly broken it. It hurt like hell. All the templars had formed a defensive line in front of him, eyeing with wary gazes the struggling Neria, swords drawn, but Alistair and the others had put themselves as well between them, ready to act at a moment's notice. Many kept an eye on the two mabaris present in the hall, mindful of their tense bodies. They all knew the mabaris' renowned fame as indomitable warhounds.
Greagoir spoke after a moment, a slightly muffled nasal tone in his due to his broken tone. "Despite what you may think of me, Surana, we would have helped the mages, had we been able to. As templars, we must think of Ferelden's safety before everything, however."
Greagoir took this certain secret to his grave, but the hateful glare Neria sent his way that moment was one of the most unsettling things he ever felt. Not even one second he ever thought of it as fear. He never admitted to himself the terror he felt in his bones when he looked at her eyes. He'd seen many things during his life but there was something in those eyes that gave him cold shivers.
Neria, for her part, had stopped struggling and now remained unnaturally quiet. Seeing this, Naruto nodded to himself. "Will you stop trying to kill this guy, Neria?" he asked softly to her. He really could understand her position but going on a rampage would certainly not help their case.
After a moment, she nodded mutely and Naruto relinquished her hold of her. All the templars tensed but she ignored them all together. Instead, she turned to her group.
"Prepare yourselves. We're going inside and we will find survivors," she curtly told them. With anticipation, they all set to do just as she said.
"Now, wait there Surana. You can't possibly think we're going to let you go in there, do you? In your emotional state, you're more of a menace to everyone than anything else. Don't think I haven't seen your apostate friend, either."
"You don't hold power over me, Greagoir," she replied, spitting the name as if it was a foul thing. "As a Grey Warden, it's my duty to do everything in my power to stop the Blight. If I have to go through you to get past those blasted doors, believe me, I will. I will find Irving, something you're all too coward to do yourself and I won't be stopped."
Greagoir hesitated for a moment but then he seemed to come to a decision. He stepped aside with a resigned look. However, he wasn't finished speaking.
"… I sent notice to the Grand Cleric for permission to invoke the Right of Annulment. That was a week ago, perhaps a little more. If you're going to do something, do it quick."
"... We will," she coldly stated.
She wasn't really surprised that permission for the Right of Annulment had been asked but it still was another brutal twisting of the knife in her heart. Her home, all the children, those few friends and acquaintances she had here, Irving… all in chaos, more than likely all dead. But she wouldn't allow herself to waver, she would fight her way to her mentor. Irving knew more tricks and had more magical knowledge than anyone else in the Tower. He was alive, of that she was sure. He had to be alive!
Several of her companions were understandably confused when the concept was brought up, as it really wasn't common knowledge. However, a templar explained it to them in hushed whispers when asked about it.
Neria though, went directly to the quartermaster. He looked downright terrified of her but she couldn't care less. The beautiful staff hanging in the wall, though… now, that was another thing. Nodding to herself, she grabbed it. The staff was powerful, much more so than Winter's Breath, even when the latter had a little boost due to the demonic energy left by the Desire demon. But this new staff felt even better than that. However, there was only one way to find out which was more potent.
Dislodging Winter's Breath, she left it leaning against the wall and strapped her new staff on the back. As she started moving to the gate, however, she was stopped by the quartermaster's flustered voice.
"Now you see here, you've gotta pay for that! You just can't waltz in and grab it just like that!"
Turning to face him, she challenged him. "I can and already have. If I'm going to risk my life inside the Tower, I need the best equipment and since you're obviously in no need for it, I'm claiming possession of it. We need everything useful against the Blight and this will certainly help. Really, how did you expect to sell this staff in a place where mages don't have the money to buy it? It will be more useful in the upcoming fight than gathering dust on the wall."
"Wha… but I…!"
"I'm curious, though. What's the staff's name?"
"I… I don't know! It's said it belonged to Magister Tlaxius, when Tevinter invaded Ferelden. Who knows the real name? But you have to pay me for it!"
Already ignoring the man, Neria left him in a sputtering mess as she joined her group in front of the doors. At least the templars worked quickly.
"Marcus," she called out as she approached the noble, who raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to stay here? You're the one worst off of us and no one would think badly of you if you chose to stay."
Marcus looked thoughtful for a second but then shook his head with a chuckle. "I did say I'd help you, Warden Surana, and I try to keep my promises. Besides, Lyrian would never let me live it down. The annoyance would be too much for me, I think." He joked.
"Damn straight I wouldn't!" said person exclaimed before punching him in the arm with a huff. "And I'm not an annoyance."
"No, you really aren't," Marcus sarcastically said, too low for Lyrian to hear.
"Surana, we will bar the doors after your entry and I won't open them until I hear Irving's voice assuring me everything is under control. I hope for you and your companions' sake that you know what you're getting into."
"Do what you will. We've wasted enough time," was the cold reply.
With those words, the group stepped into the demon-infested Tower, with the gates ominously closing behind them.
"Alright guys… Listen up, demons are nasty business but if you're careful enough we should be okay. It's possible that we may find demons who will try to lure you in with false promises in order to possess you. Before any of you asks me, I will say this. All of you are potentially capable of being possessed. However, while any demon possessing a weak mage is still dangerous, a possessed non-mage is only as strong as the demon possessing him or her. There's no known way to revert the process, so if anyone of you starts to show signs of possession or is unable to resist their promises, the others will have to cut him or her down before the possession fully takes effect. Did I forget anything of importance, Morrigan?"
Said woman hummed thoughtfully for a moment but shook her head. "I don't believe so, no."
"We can get possessed, too? You can't be serious…" Lyrian muttered with a worried expression with Brina rubbing herself against the elf's legs in an attempt to make her regain some confidence.
"Oh trust me, it happens more than you'd think," replied Morrigan easily enough with an amused smirk.
Neria nodded before turning to Naruto. "Right. Naruto, you think you could use that… jutsu of yours to create more you's and serve as scouts? They must collect everything of value they find and any document like journals or things like such that could give us… an idea about what happened here."
"I almost thought you had forgotten about it, honestly. Do you want them to take out any hostile they find?"
The unspoken question was there but she shook her head after a moment, hardening her eyes ever so slightly.
"… No, I… I must do this with my own hands. We're all together in this."
Nodding at her, he turned around to get as much as space as he could. He didn't allow Neria see the somber and slightly saddened look that briefly crossed his face. 'So much for trying to keep her innocence intact…' Sighing quietly, he formed the Ram seal more for reminiscence's sake than anything else. It just felt right.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Instantly, twenty clouds of smoke appeared in front of him, attracting the attention of everyone else. Naruto smirked at the indispensable gasps of surprise when twenty identical Narutos appeared from the collective smokescreen. He however couldn't help the tic in his forehead when one of his clones henged into a slightly buffer version of himself with shades, winking roguishly at the ladies present after removing the shades.
"Call me Uzumaki, ladies. Naruto Uzumaki. What can I do for you?"
He was promptly dispelled by a punch from real Naruto, who had a deadpan expression.
"If any of you even so much thinks of doing shit like that again, you'll wish you weren't created at all in the first place. Is that understood, my cannon fodde… I mean, my minions?"
Needless to say, the others agreed pretty quickly.
"Good, you all know what to do. Gather everything you find of value here, in the entrance. If you find useful or vital information, dispel yourselves and let me know. Scour every floor but avoid any living being that looks hostile."
"Hostile, as in what?"
"How the heck should I know? Figure it out, that's what I'm sending you first."
With a grumble amongst the clones that closely resembled the words "cannon fodder", they were off.
"Holy shit, what was that?! He-he made copies of himself! Is he a mage too?!" a dumbfounded Marcus asked the others, who all except Neria looked mostly shocked by his technique though not to the extent of Marcus and Lyrian's surprise, who didn't know about his special abilities.
"Naruto here is not a mage. He's, in his own words, a shinobi. They deal with another kind of energy."
"Which is called chakra, a combination of physical and spiritual energy." He explained. "Those were clones of myself, created by splitting my chakra reserves in equal parts, and are especially useful in regards to information gathering as I receive their memories when they dispel."
"… That does sound useful, yes. It still looks pretty magical to me, though."
"Uzumaki, I hope for your sake your… clones don't get any ideas. That is, if you value your life." Morrigan threatened with a cold stare but Naruto pushed down the snort he was about to let out.
"You know I could snap your neck like a twig in a second, right?"
"I'd like to see you try."
"Nu-uh, just saying."
They moved as one towards the next section of the Tower as two clones were already looking for valuables in the apprentices' quarters. They weren't expecting to find survivors so soon though. Neria recognized immediately Wynne, Senior Enchanter. There were several mages with robes that signaled they'd passed their Harrowing but they were standing protectively in front of a dozen children.
Wynne herself was squaring off against a particularly vicious Rage demon but she was able to defeat it, even though she seemed really tired afterwards. The passage in front of her was blocked by a magical barrier though.
"Well, I honestly thought the old woman would fall to kill that demon," Morrigan muttered amusedly and Wynne quickly turned to them at the sound of her voice.
"Who are you? You are obviously not mage apprentices. Wait… I recognize you, Surana. You were at Ostagar… but I thought all Grey Wardens died that night."
"Well, obviously not, since I'm standing right here," was the snarky reply. She really never liked Wynne. She was always too stern and obsessed with rules. Well, it wasn't as much a matter of dislike as it was a matter of annoyance. Her attitude annoyed her.
"What are you doing here then, shouldn't you be dealing with the Blight?"
"That's exactly what we're doing. We need to raise an army from scratch, thanks to Loghain. The mages are needed for this war. We wanted to speak with Irving but we found this mess instead."
"… About that, I know how close you were to Irving. I'm sorry that-" Wynne said with a pitying glance at Neria but the young Warden cut her off with a sharp glare.
"Enough. We will find Irving."
"Very well, then. Let me come with you. Otherwise, I won't dispel the barrier."
"Neria, I hope we're not seriously considering doing this. Why should we help these fools? They let themselves be caged willingly. An individual who values not their freedom does not deserve our help. Let them enjoy the leash they allow themselves to be put on their necks," Morrigan urged, thoroughly irked by this place already. These mages completely disgusted her, so blind that they couldn't see beyond these damp, pale marble walls.
Sten muttered something in contradiction to Morrigan's words but Neria didn't notice, too engrossed in her own thoughts. She really didn't want Wynne to tag along but she couldn't deny the fact her healing abilities would be immensely useful in their task.
"It's not something that can be helped, Morrigan. We need their help to defeat the Blight. We know your opinion about the Circle but their abilities are invaluable against this kind of threat. Think of it as a necessary evil to reach our goal." She reasoned and Morrigan sighed despairingly.
"Next time we'll be helping old hags with their babies. Very well, if this is what you wish…"
"You would consort with apostates? The Circle does not abide to such thing. It will not stand for this," the 'I will not stand for this' went unspoken.
"You forget that I am not part of the Circle anymore, even if it was my home, Wynne. I don't expect you to understand but you will not attack Morrigan. She's one of my companions and as Grey Warden, my political immunity extends to her. The others as well." She added and Morrigan sent an extremely smug look at the old mage.
"... Very well. I will trust your judgment. Let us hope your trust is not misplaced."
That. That is what annoyed her the most. Wynne assuming automatically the moral high ground, as if saying, 'I could've done better than you. Chosen a wiser option.' Inhaling deeply, Neria forced herself to remain calm. She had enough on her plate already and she was still trying to completely calm down from her previous outburst.
"Before that, I have some of my friends injured. Since you're the best Healer around, I trust it won't be hard to mend their wounds."
And it wasn't. Leliana's ribcage was completely healed and she delightedly said she didn't have trouble breathing anymore. Alistair's injures were even smaller than Leliana's but Wynne sprayed him with a dose of Creation magic just in case. Marcus was a trickier thing but thankfully his arm and foot were completely healed. He however, would walk with a limp for a few days till his body got completely used to healing magic. Therefore, it was decided unanimously that since Wynne would come with them, Marcus and Brina would stay with the other mages as added protection to the children. Marcus quickly protested the decision but Lyrian instantly decided she would stay as well when she heard that and she made sure to shut Marcus up as quick as possible.
"Alright, I think we're all set. Wynne, lower the barrier. We've got some cleaning to do."
Author's notes: Well, well, well, I wonder what's going on that little complex head of Naruto's. For that matter, if you can't figure out who's with him in the second phase of Dream Sequence, then don't bother asking me about it. I left enough clues as it is.
Writing Sten and about the Qun is still perhaps one of the hardest things I've ever done. I spent the better part of an hour and half going through several pages just to understand the complexity of the Qun and its views about females. I got the idea alright, just that when I wanted to write about it or even expand it a little bit, I found staring blankly at my keyboard and screen, in that order.
However, I seriously hope, the Sten/Neria argument made some sort of sense, even if a part is borrowed dialogue from the game itself.
Looking for a celtic name for Marcus' mabari, I found the name of Andraste. I was pleasantly surprised to see it, shows that each day you learn a new thing: Andraste — "victory". British war goddess worshipped by Queen Boadicea (Gaelic Boudicca). Interesting history class for today. And yes, Brina is a female celtic name that means 'portector' or so the net says, you never know...
I'm not one hundred percent sure about the caps in Neria's outburst, however. I tried to make it as if she was punctuating her own words in those moments with a higher tone. At least, that's the explanation my brain gave me every time I tried to think why.
Let me know what you all think, people. See ya in next chapter, hopefully with more action than this one. And perhaps the introduction of a new character?
