A/N: I'm going through tough times, and yesterday I was unable to post. Here's the new chapter.

Leave a review to tell me what you think.

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Credits:

Portuguese Beta: Rohh Lael

English Beta: wintryone

Artwork: goo. gl /I6hkK (without the spaces or check my profile).

Disclaimer: Dragon Age Universe belongs to Bioware.


Chapter 9

And then, my Pawn captured your Tower

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Kallian

Have you noticed how everything that was supposed to be easy is normally never that easy?

What was to be a simple task - climb three or four floors of a tower and light a damn beacon - turned into our own personal war. The tower had been taken by darkspawn, information which was given by a circle mage who came to us looking for help.

"Looks like we'll have to fight our way in," Alistair said. Oh, really?

Noah snorted, "There's always an obstacle! Always!" He growled, punching the tree beside him with such brute force that I still don't know how he didn't manage to break his hand. Or the tree. Or both.

I noticed that the bandages on his hand were turning red with his blood, but I don't think he cared at all.

And since I have a serious problem in keeping my mouth shut, I was already provoking him before my mind could assimilate that he was in no mood for it…

"If I remember correctly, it was you both who complained about the lack of action," I said. Noah took a deep breath, opened and closed his mouth several times, probably swallowing his words. His only reply was a very, very ugly look at me, before pulling his sword off his back and throwing himself at the first group of darkspawn that separated us from the tower.

It wasn't a large group of enemies. Actually, just a few Genlocks, guarding the entrance. The fight didn't take long, especially with the mage's help. I did not like the idea of having a mage with me, but what could I do? We had an entire tower to beat and we were just three. No way they would refuse the mage's help, which, by the way, was being quite useful.

However, I kept myself a few steps away from him, just in case.

Since Noah had experienced that turmoil of distinct emotions - sadness, pain and anger – before we reached the tower, he was more unbearable than ever.

Every time our gazes met, he gave me a sharp look, always with a scowl on his face. I always returned it to him in the same degree, which only worsened his mood. Our exchange of barbs had already reached alarming levels, and we both knew that we were nearing the limits of our patience. I got the impression that if I opened my mouth to speak what I was thinking, he would bite my head off. And I was more than certain that I would do the same, If the situation was reversed.

And it was with this heavy atmosphere that our group had invaded the first two floors of the tower.

"Wait," Noah said, before going into one of the large rooms on the third floor.

"Something wrong?" The mage asked. I think that was the first time I heard his voice since he had joined us.

"Barricades over there," He pointed to a huge pile of garbage - broken tables, chairs, bookcases – blocking the passage to the main room. He wasn't talking to me at all, so he didn't even dare to look at me. "Can you see the wheel marks on the floor? There's a ballista somewhere in that room. It's a trap, for sure."

"What will we do then?" Alistair asked, holding his shield defensively toward the door.

"We're going this way," he pointed to the opposite hallway. "We will follow this corridor and break in by the back door."

"I don't think this is wise," I said, lowering myself. I noticed some wet trails on the floor that led to he'd just shown us. I touched one of them with my fingertips and rubbed them, feeling its texture. "There's an emissary in that direction. And if this is oil," I paused, showing my wet fingers to them. "Which I am pretty sure that it is, then it will not as easy as it seems."

"You cannot risk our lives based on some random theory of yours," Noah said, furrowing his brow even more. Someone should create an honorary title just for him: The Mighty Champion of the Frown.

Nah, I didn't think he'd agree with me. I wouldn't if I were him. But he would if he could see his face now. Creepy.

"It's not just a theory. There's an Emissary at the end of this corridor!" I said with conviction. I could feel its disgusting aura since the moment we had entered the tower.

"How do you know?" The mage asked skeptically, looking down at me.

"I just know." I returned his gaze with the same intensity, angrily. If there was one thing I could not stand is being despised. Especially by a human. The fact that he was a mage didn't help either.

"Are you sure?" Noah asked me again and despite the anger in his voice, I had the impression that he just wanted a confirmation, as if he was consulting me instead of questioning me.

See? Bipolar.

"I am," I answered truthfully. Even if I explained why I had the ability to feel magic, they still wouldn't understand me, much less would my explanation give them the assurance that they sought. Actually it would only make things even worse. I don't know why the lion gave me this power. Actually, I'm not even sure if it was his fault - I just know that this ability, just like all my problems, had started with this curse. But of course, no one wanted to know that the person travelling by their side has a demon inside her mind. No doubt that they would try to kill me, assuming that I would be a freaking abomination. And I would not blame them; I would probably do the same.

Anyway, I was not planning on explaining myself.

I would never explain. Nobody knew about the demon, and if it were up to me, no one would ever know.

"Okay," Noah said, rubbing his hand through his hair nervously.

"You're a rogue, right? Sneak into the ballista's room and report the situation to us. Thereafter, we will see what we can do."

Oops.

"Err ..." I gasped. There wasn't an easy way to say this.

Yep, now I would give him a good reason to be pissed.

"What's wrong now?" He asked, letting the last word ring longer than necessary, illustrating his impatience. He crossed his arms, starting to walk in small circles around his initial position.

"I can't stealth," I blurted out at once, looking away into the barricade's direction. Automatically, my eyes slightly closed, expecting his explosion.

When I realized that instead of shouting, there was a mortal silence reigning, I looked at him. His face was expressionless. I could see the mage throwing his hands up, rolling his eyes. Alistair wanted to say something, but not he or the mage said a word.

Noah blinked three times before opening his mouth.

"Repeat. Repeat it because I think I got it wrong." He said slowly. I think I'd rather he had shouted at me. I mean, I was used to his berserk attacks. I don't think I am able to handle this perplexed and strangely calm version of Noah.

"No stealth," I repeated, short and easy for his easier understanding.

"By the Maker, how can you call yourself a rogue when you don't know how to enter into fucking stealth?" he yelled, the muscles in his neck were throbbing dangerously.

I take back what I said about the shouting part.

"I just… can't, okay?" I replied, staring at the ground. This was another aspect of my life that I was not willing to explain. What could I say? That I was totally terrified of darkness because of a demon that haunts my dreams? No, thanks. I could even manage to use a little camouflage, sneak and such. But it was impossible for me to be completely invisible. For the last one to happen, I needed to completely embrace the shadows, and that was something that I just couldn't do. Although my mother always said that I was reckless, impatient and I made a lot of noise, I was getting the hang of it. I got the basics of the practice and I had almost completely perfected the technique. But after she died ... Well, I just gave up.

I just… couldn't do it anymore.

"When this is over, I will request a transfer. Preferably to somewhere far away from Ferelden," Noah said, slapping his own forehead.

"Useless knife-ear," The mage complained, rolling his eyes again. What a son of a bitch!

"Oi, Mage," Noah growled, pushing the mage's shoulder menacingly. "Watch your words," he said, puffing his chest and taking a step forward, his fists strongly clenched at his sides, probably to keep himself from punching him.

Is it just me or he had just defend me?

The mage, in turn, flinched, raising his hands defensively between them.

"You're crazy ..." I heard the mage muttering. Whispering, actually, looking away from Noah.

"What's the plan then?" Alistair asked, interrupting the discussion. Normally, by this time, I would have shown him what exactly a useless knife-ear could do. However, I must confess that I was still surprised by the last twist of events.

"You will go first," Noah said.

"And then?" Alistair asked, his eyes fixed on the barricade, analyzing the scenario cautiously, ready to create an attack strategy according to Noah's plan.

"Then we pray to the Maker for the best," Noah said, walking toward the barricade with his sword wielded, pushing Alistair with his other hand.

"Wait, wait! That's it?" Alistair asked, startled. "But ... If it's a trap, I can die as soon as I enter the room… right?"

"Yes, better you than me," he said, pushing Alistair down the aisle.

"What a wonderful plan…" the mage said sarcastically.

"Would you rather go first then, mage?" Noah growled, giving that 'if you open your mouth again I'll break my sword on your head' look that he did so well. The mage flinched again, apparently pissed, slowing his pace and falling behind the group on purpose.

Hah! Take that, idiot!

In the end, the room was really a trap. The ballista was pointed to the door, which was filled with debris scattered on the ground in front of three huge toppled tables, completely blocking the entrance. We could not pass without breaking the barricade first.

Noah acted fast - he threw his sword against the Ballista, hitting and locking its gear launch.

I wanted to know how he did that. That sword seems to be so heavy...

Alistair defended against the arrows with his shield. At a glance I could see six darkspawn - three Hurlocks, two archers and something trying to fix the ballista. Without much success, I might add.

While Alistair was defending us, the mage started to shoot what seemed like fire spears from his hands against the archers. Noah was kicking the tables, trying to break the barricade while dodging the blows of Hurlocks coming from the other side.

I waited until the moment when the arrow rain would give me a break. Of course, the archers would have to reload at some point. And when I got the chance, I ran, as fast as I could, giving a strong push to one of the tables. I managed to jump over the barricade and the Hurlocks, landing right inside the room.

The distraction was enough for the mage to kill one of the archers, but it turned all eyes to me – the flying elf alone inside the enemies' cage.

One of the Hurlocks came to attack me. I blocked its assault with my dagger, locking its blade with mine. With the other dagger, I'd impaled its head upwards. I grabbed its sword before letting the body fall lifeless.

The boys were still trying to take down the barricade. I took a quick look around the place and saw that the tables that created the barrier were being held by stakes that were strongly fixed into the ground.

"Noah!" I yelled, throwing the sword to him. At the same time, I kicked one of the stakes, destabilizing the barricade.

Noah caught the sword in the air, and with a quick spin of his body, cut off the head of the second Hurlock.

He could be an ogre sometimes, but I have to admit that he is good. Very good.

He and Alistair gave a strong push and overthrew the barricade at once, opening the way with a loud noise. My little distraction in aiding my teammates almost cost me an arrow in my leg. On that leg.

I jumped just in time to get just a scratch on my tight.

Lightning does not hit the same spot twice my ass!

What I was wondering was why the hell the archer was still alive. Andraste's ass, we're talking about a fucking mage in a one-to-one duel. Either he was blind or stupid. Or...

I looked at him. He was wearing the most disappointed expression I'd ever seen in all my life. His face was all contorted in disgust, rage and something else. When our gazes met, he broke the contact immediately, confirming my suspects.

He was holding himself on purpose.

Wretched mage!

Noah ran to the ballista, in time to stop the darkspawn from firing it. Alistair turned his attention to the archer, hiding behind his shield until he got close enough to finish it. The last Hurlock alive attempted to attack him, but I stabbed it in the back before he could lay a finger on Alistair.

He gave me bright smile, grateful for the help. I would have smiled back, but my mind was focused on another matter.

With the room cleared and my bloody daggers still in my hands, I start to stride to the other side of the room, to have a little talk with my mage friend.

"You left me to die!" I yelled, shaking my daggers toward his face.

"You were the one who jumped in, knife-ear, don't blame me for your own recklessness," the mage replied, taking a step forward. I did the same, pressing my dagger against his neck.

"You know what I'm talking about!" I said, not feeling intimidated by him. A loud crack of wood breaking made me believe that Noah had to retrieve his sword from the ballista - or what was left of it. The noise alarmed us a little, but it wasn't enough to interrupt our discussion.

"Don't point those at me, knife-ear, or else -!"

"Or what?" I said, pressing the dagger a little more against his skin. I could see a thick red line rolling down his neck. He gasped when he felt the cut getting deeper.

In a heartbeat, his hands lit on fire, burning really fast at his palm. I could feel that energy ball exploding in my face in anticipation. But what I felt was a strong hand gripping my arm and pulling me back, followed by the heat of the flames spreading around me and the loud gasp of the mage.

Alistair had held my arm, pulling me behind him and his shield. He recited something very softly, with an open hand toward the mage. Within seconds, the fire disappeared altogether.

"Don't force me to do this," Alistair said, still with one hand extended to the mage and the other stretched out in front of me, keeping me behind him.

" How dare you drain me, bloody Templar?" The mage said, taking two steps backwards. He wanted to keep his tone of authority, but he was clearly affected by the recent turn of events. I had heard about the Templars – the mighty soldiers of the Chantry, who hunted apostates and drained their power. I would never have imagined that Alistair was one of them. I wondered if this was the power to dispel magic that everyone talks about…

"I didn't drain you. Yet. But I will if you don't calm down," he said firmly, frowning at him.

It was the first time I had seen Alistair frowning, too.

"What is happening here?" Noah asked while approaching us, accommodating his giant sword on his back. He brought the Darkspawn blade tied on his waist.

"Apparently, our friend here decided that to burn us up is more important than defending the tower," Alistair said, letting one of his arms to fall to his side. Despite that he had relaxed a little, I could see the muscles of his arms and neck tightly contracted. His tension was palpable – he was clearly ready to do that trick again if needed.

"Look Mage, if you do not want to do this, get your fucking ass out of our way and leave," Noah said, taking the magician by the collar with one hand and slamming him against the wall. He could feel the floor disappearing beneath his feet.

"By the Maker, It's a fucking knife-ear! You, Wardens, will never regain your former glory if you keep accepting that rabble in your ranks!"

"Say that again to my face you bastard son of -" I growled, ready to make him swallow his tongue, literally. Alistair, however, put his hand on my shoulder, stopping me. I looked at him angrily, questioning him, but he just shook his head, seriously.

"You will shut your mouth and do what must be done. And most importantly: You will stop testing my patience," Noah said, his face contorted with rage just inches from him. "If I hear one more peep out of you, if you look at my face again and remind me that you're alive, Maker forgive me, but I will kill you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Don't underestimate me, Warden. You do not know what I'm capable of..."

"No, Mage. You do not know what I am capable of." Noah dropped the mage's collar and quickly replaced his hand with his forearm on his neck.

The mage was gasping and coughing for air, and I could feel him channeling his energy in his hands. Alistair realized that too, and before the waves of electricity got stronger, he began to drain it again- or dispel it, whatever it's called.

"Don't drain him," Noah said, pressing his neck tightly enough to transform his breathing in a painful process.

"If it was not for that Templar, you'd be dead, you bastard," The mage said between coughs, panting heavily.

"Your head would be halfway to the circle before you even raise your hand," Noah growled, forcing his own body slightly forward. The mage gave a little moan of pain, closing his eyes tightly. I had not realized it until now that Noah was wielding the Darkspawn sword with his other hand, pressing it firmly against the mage's stomach.

"What you going to do, kill me?" The mage asked, starting to show desperation in his voice.

"I'll light the beacon," Noah said, dropping the mage. He fell sitting on the floor, rubbing his neck. His robe was slightly stained with blood where the sword was. "And if you want to go home alive, stay out of my way." Noah sheathed the blade back to his waist and turned around, walking up the stairs at the end of the room that lead to the last floor of the tower.

I just watched him. Rather than climb the stairs alone, he went inside a room that I did not know existed, in the opposite of the stairs. I turned my gaze to Alistair, who still held his hand stretched, separating me from the mage. He noticed that I was staring at him and returned to his normal self, stroking his hair with a weak smile.

"Come on, we have to give the signal as soon as possible," Alistair said, pointing up the stairs with his head.

"Okay," I said, giving a last look at the mage, who was lying on the ground, still rubbing his neck. He looked at the ground as soon as our eyes met.

I don't know why they defended me, but I was grateful. Truth be told, I would be dead if Alistair had not interfered. I just didn't know why he risked himself to save me.

Anyway, I made a mental note to thank him later. I'm not a savage after all, neither did I wish to sound ungrateful.

We walked together toward the stairs, leaving the magician behind. If he would flee or meet us later, it did not matter. I still think that we would be better without him.

"Alistair," I called, almost at the foot of the stairs.

"Hmm?" He made a sound in his throat, looking at me from corner of his eye.

"Why you did that?" I asked, stopping in front of him, frowning at him. It was not like Noah's bad frowning; I was just curious.

Surprised by my attitude, he blinked two or three times before answering, "Well, is not smart to provoke a mage," he said scratching his nape.

"Many of the choices I make aren't the smartest ones, but that does not mean that you have the right to interfere," I said, crossing my arms. Oh, great, now I sounded ungrateful. Damn Kallian; you and your big mouth.

"You're welcome," he made a mocking little bow. "You know, for saving your life."

"I had everything under control," It was not entirely a lie. I was, to some extent. Actually I was relieved that he didn't take it personally.

"To me, it seemed like you had a few problems," he said with a half-smile.

"I was not in trouble," Which was not entirely a lie, again. I'd be in trouble if that fireball had hit me.

Well, anyway, he was right.

But would I want to admit it aloud? Even more to a human?

I wouldn't. At least not now that he was mocking me.

He laughed, "Believe me, it was better that way. He wanted to kill you, remember?"

"He wanted to kill Noah, too, but I didn't see you manifesting yourself," I told him, lifting an eyebrow.

"Your friend can take care of himself," he replied.

"Are you implying that I can't take care of myself?" I asked, slightly losing the rest of my good mood.

"You provoked a magician. It's the same thing as putting your hand inside the mouth of a dragon," he said in a playful tone that I only noticed later, well after the blood stopped pulsing in my ears. I was starting to think that he was despising me just like the mage, which make me regret believing in his good intentions. "Believe me, this kind of thing does not give you much credit."

I was about to tell him to put his opinion and his credits in a certain place, but a mabari bark interrupted me.

Twenty mabaris came rushing by us, avoiding the mage - who was walking slowly toward us - and left the hall, following the opposite way we came. Noah appeared after their stampede, with a leash in his hand.

"They will take care of the remaining Darkspawn in the tower," Noah explained, seeing our confusion. "This room was full of them, still caged. Probably the guards didn't have time to free them when the Darkspawn invaded the tower," he said, throwing the leash and a small vial at me. I caught them from the air and looked closely. The leash was dark-blue, made of a very thick leather and carefully stitched with white threads. The dark liquid smelled a bit, but otherwise seemed like an ordinary ink to me.

Before I could open my mouth to ask, he cut me off, "I found them inside one of the lockers. If you're going to have a dog, it's wise to have that equipment."

I looked at the leash in my hand again and I put it inside my bag carefully. Before I opened my mouth to thank him, he gave me his back and climbed the stairs.


Noah disappeared from their sight, entering the last floor alone. The rest of the group was not far behind, near the middle of the stairs.

As he was the first one to enter, he was also the first to leave.

With a strong bang, Noah was thrown back, slamming hard against Alistair, rolling down the stairs.

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" Kallian shouted, going a few steps down to see them better. Alistair was standing half dazed but apparently well. Noah was lying on the ground, with his hand holding his bloodied forehead.

"I've been better," Noah said between coughs, squirming slightly from the effort.

The mage, in turn, launched a beam of blue energy through his hands toward the warriors. Within seconds, Noah's wounds closed completely, leaving no scar or mark in his skin.

Alistair extended his hand to Noah, who reluctantly accepted the Templar's help. Soon, both were climbing the stairs again.

"What happened?" Kallian asked when they reached her.

"I have no idea," Noah confessed, taking a deep breath. "Something hit me before I could react."

"We have to be careful then," Alistair said.

"Don't tell me," Noah said, rolling his eyes. "Go ahead, Alistair."

"You were serious when you said that I was the bait, huh?"

"You're the one carrying the shield," Noah said when we reached the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall. "Use it."

"Okay," he replied apprehensively, wielding the shield with determination and fear.

Noah looked at Alistair and then Kallian. She nodded, confirming that she was ready. Upon entering the room, the first thing they saw was the remains of wooden furniture scattered through the entrance.

"Looks like I got hit by a shelf," Noah said, kicking one of several books that were scattered on the ground.

"But what the hell is that?" Kallian asked.

In the middle of the room was a creature of almost four meters high, whose long and strong arms were smeared with blood. He stared at the group, beating his chest and snarling.

"It's an ogre. A stronger kind of darkspawn," Alistair said, shifting his feet, anxiously. "I have never seen one of them that close ..."

"It might be huge, but it's not immortal," Noah said, pulling his two-handed sword off his back. The others did the same with their weapons. The ogre roared ominously, leaning forward and lowering his head.

"Spread out! NOW!" Kallian yelled realizing the imminent onslaught of the beast, who crashed hard against the portal.

The group spread around the room, each to a different corner, surrounding the ogre with caution. The mage began to recklessly throw his spells - fire and lightning danced in the air as if it were something natural. At the same time it hurt the ogre, his fireworks also profoundly irritated it. It didn't take long for the beast to turn its attention to the mage, running angrily toward him.

Alistair ran, trying to cut its leg, but as soon as his sword touched its knee, the ogre reacted with a strong punch, hitting the Templar's shield. Kallian and Noah ran as well, but they didn't arrive in time to prevent the mage from being grabbed by the waist and lifted into the air.

Just like she had done earlier, Kallian used the rubble as an lever and jumped high, brandishing her daggers in the back of the ogre. Her blade sank deep into its back, causing it to howl in pain. However, it was not enough to make the beast drop the mage.

Irritated, the ogre threw its own back against the wall, pressing the elf painfully against the jagged and icy rock wall.

Kallian coughed strongly, feeling the air fleeing out of her lungs from the force. For a moment, her vision dimmed and she felt her hands slip from her daggers. However, her near unconsciousness did not last long. A strong wave of electricity struck her, burning the tips of her fingers and spreading throughout her body.

The discharge has spread quickly, whipping every one of her nerves mercilessly. Her hands closed around the dagger's hilt tightly, without her consent. After much effort, she managed to open her eyes and looked around.

The mage had his hands firmly placed on the pulse of the beast. His fingers were flashing with blue sparkles where their skin was touching.

Mage ... bastard! She thought as her body began to writhe on its own because of the intensity of the electric discharge. It was not enough to kill a normal person, but was strong enough to bother a lot. For Kallian, however, it was like she was embracing the storm itself.

Instead of forcing the ogre to release the mage, as probably was his initial plan, the shock only served to irritate it even more. The beast raised the mage in the air and clenched his fist at once, ending the life of the poor mage with a loud and painful snap, followed by a rain of blood.

The beast then stepped forward, moving away from the wall. Kallian fell on her back, hitting the hard floor loudly. The ogre then threw the lifeless body against Noah, who was just a few steps from them.

With Noah on the floor, the ogre turned around, punching the ground where Kallian was. She stood quickly and ran beneath the ogre's legs before the blow could hit her. Once on its back, she spun around quickly, unsheathing the small dagger from her thigh and digging hard into the back of its knee. The ogre roared, turning to try to hit her again, just as it had done before. She rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Before the ogre could stabilize, Alistair approached from behind and plunged his sword in its other leg, making the beast fall to its knees.

Noah, who was standing again, came to them quickly, striking down ogre's arm, intercepting successfully a punch that would hit Alistair.

Noah positioned himself and plunged his sword into the hand of the beast, impaling it on the floor. In one swift motion, he spun around, drawing the sword from his waist and making a deep cut between its ribs.

Kallian came around, getting next to Alistair. She motioned with her head pointing at her daggers, which were still on the ogre's back.

Understanding the message, Alistair gave a charge, throwing the weight of his body against the other ogre's arm, causing him to fall flat with its face into the ground.

Now, with its back closer to the ground, Kallian jumped onto the ogre again, climbing up until she reached her daggers and withdrew them, going up toward its nape. With a quick and accurate move, she nailed both daggers deep into the protruding veins of his neck, tearing them apart as her angle allowed. The beast slowly agonized, coughing and choking with the blood that was gushing inside its lungs. Noah finished him carving his one-handed sword into the beast's head.

After making sure that the ogre was really dead, the group gathered their weapons back from its body.

Kallian sheathed her daggers and leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor. Without adrenaline, her body began to respond to the damage suffered by the fight.

Her palm of both hands were deeply burned by the electricity, all her bones were aching and her legs had involuntary spasms because of the extreme effort. She could still feel the buzz in her ears.

She took a deep breath, hugging her knees and lowering her head.

Alistair ran to one of the windows and looked outside, searching for the sign. Seeing the fire in one of the towers, he quickly took a torch from the wall and set fire to a pile of straw and furniture near the exit to the balcony.

"The signal was given," Alistair said, satisfied. "Now we can join them into the battle with the others!"

"Let's go, then." Noah suddenly stopped near where Kallian sat. "Elf?"

"Hey, are you okay?" Alistair asked, approaching her. Noah did the same.

"I need a minute," she replied, looking at him.

"Are you hurt?" Alistair asked worriedly. He knelt beside her, putting his shield on the floor.

"I'm just catching my breath," she lied, pulling a lock of hair off her face. Noah grabbed her wrist before she could embrace her knees again, turning the palm of his hand so he could inspect it.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at the burning marks.

She sighed heavily, "The mage used electricity while I was on the ogre's back. If he wasn't so restricted physically, he would have killed me," she said, doing her best to not tremble before them.

She could feel the discharge running through her body as if the mage was still alive, sustaining the magic.

"Here," Alistair said, pulling a potion off his backpack. "Give me your hand."

Kallian looked suspiciously at him for a moment, but reached out as he requested.

He put his hand underneath hers gently, spilling the liquid slowly in her palm. She protested with a grimace, but he did not care and did the same with her other hand.

She also felt his dispelling magic nullifying the remaining traces of magic from her body.

"Drink the rest and you'll feel better." Alistair gave the bottle with half the liquid to her. Kallian drank it without complaint.

Gradually the tremors were calming and the burning sensation in her hands, relieving.

She stared at him, looking deeply into her light-brown eyes for the first time since she had met him. His worrying was being replaced by a curious look, mixed with traces of kindness that surprised her.

Finally she understood that he was just joking when he saved her. Alistair did not despise her, he was just joking, like he always did since they had met.

Alistair raised his eyebrows in surprise, but did not look away. His response was a lopsided smile, simple and sincere.

Kallian frowned, not sure about what she should do. She didn't expect this reaction. Usually a sharp, deep look was enough to drop the mask of the weak-minded people. For her, most people reveal their dirty intentions by simple gestures and expressions. One needed only to know how to identify the signs. But there, in that moment, it was just what it was - a kind gesture without second intentions. Or at least so it seemed.

After watching her reaction, Alistair extended his hand, offering her help to get up. She went to take his hand, but he grabbed her wrist, avoiding her burnings, putting her back on her feet.

"You know," Alistair said, leaning against the wall, with the smile still on his lips. "Since you will not thank me for earlier, you could do it that now. Because of the helping hand to get up."

"Dream on, human." She said on impulse, then repented. After all, he had not given her any reasons for such aggression. Still. Anyway, it was not fair.

While she had met several disgusting and despicable humans since she had left Denerim, she also met some nice and polite ones. Despite that she didn't want to admit it, humans could have another side. Deep inside, perhaps.

"Ouch! You are a pretty hard person, you know that?" he asked, feigning hurt. Luckily, he had led in the game, which meant that an apology was not necessary.

Alistair was amused. His new companions were closed people, reluctant to talk, but among them, Kallian was more flexible. At least she answered when he spoke to her. Not to mention that she over-reacted in some situations, which allow him to mock her a bit.

Noah also had overreactions - but not in a healthy way. A joke about his hair wouldn't compensate for the pain of having that giant sword in his stomach.

"Alistair, I'm sorr—" Before she had a chance to finish it, a bang attracted their attention. A huge group of Darkspawn invaded the floor, attacking the group with ferocity.

Arrows flew in all directions. Alistair protected Kallian with his shield and Noah took three of them, two in one leg and one arm.

With the adrenaline pulsing in his veins, Noah pulled the sword from his back, throwing himself against the Hurlock wave coming toward them.

"Noah!" Kallian shouted, leaving Alistair's protection. She didn't think at all - just felt the desperate urge to help him, even though they were outnumbered. Noah killed four Hurlocks alone before the second wave of the arrows hit him. This time, he took one in his shoulder and two in his chest. He brandished his sword one last time, killing two hurlocks before falling.

Alistair and Kallian fought until they could reach Noah. Defending themselves became almost impossible when Alistair got hit by two arrows in his arm. Without his shield, another wave of arrows nailed his chest, piercing the rebar, while an ice spear summoned by an emissary pierced the stomach of the little elf.

I failed…. I'm sorry, father, mother… Noah thought before his vision darkened completely.