Ch 9 Lost in Dreams

Sten berated me before about doing wide arc attacks, a habit I'm trying to change. The reason I do big movements like that is because of the enemies I faced in Lordan - if I don't put a lot of power into a strike, the hollows in Lordran will just "poise" through them. Since I have no fear of death in Lordran, I can take chances, and if I die, it's still a learning experience. But now I am fighting humans, and I only have one life, so I need to change a habit that I developed over the course of who knows how many years in Lordan. Ironically, my fighting style works well when fighting the darkspawn and those undead creatures in the tower of magi. And now with Wynne healing and companions backing me up, I can learn the enemies' attack patterns without dying.

What is this place? In front of me is a bonfire, I look around, Firelink Shrine? I've returned? When did I die?

"O Lord of Sunlight! You have returned to us!"

I turn and see the chainmail warrior walking towards me.

"O great Lord, it's good to have you back." the chainmail warior said with his arms in the air.

"Did you hit your head? Wait… didn't you turn hollow? I remember you'd attacked me and I killed you."

"O Lord, where have you been?" Said a female voice.

Reah! I remember you turning hollow too, and that I also killed you.

"To think that my apprentice would defeat Gwyn and become the new Lord of Sunlight."

Laurentius! You turned hollow too, and also, I killed you.

"Not bad, my boy, you're really moving up in the world."

Big hat Logan! Is there anyone here that I didn't kill? Then I saw him, kneeling before me, my good friend Solaire.

Solaire: "I have finally found my sun, O Lord of Sunlight."

"You have returned the sun to us!" yelled the chainmail warrior.

"My young pupil, you have accomplished more than I can ever imagine." Said my other pyromnacy teacher, Quelana.

More and more people I know appeared, Reah's bodyguards Nico and Vince, Griggs, Andre, Siegmeyer, Sieglinde, Ingward, Domhnall, Alvina, the Astora knight I met in the asylum, even Patches, and I could swore I saw Aedan too. I move pass the crowd and walk down the Firelink Shrine's stairs, there I saw Lautrec grabbing Anastacia's robe and preparing to kill her; I run forward, draw my sword and slash him from under his left armpit, he cries out and falls to the ground face first and disappears.

Anastacia opens the cage door and embraces me. "O Lord of Sunlight, I knew you would return!"

I look down at Anastacia as I put my left hand on her shoulders and push her away, I then pull out my sword and bury it into her abdomen.

"Why…?" Anastacia asked as she falls over.

Everyone from upstairs comes rushing down, weapons drawn.

"Why do you reject this perfect world?!" asked the chainmail warrior.

"Because it's not real."

As they charge at me, my left hand bursts into flames and I hit the ground with my burning fist. Crimson fire tempests shot off of the ground and burn everything. When the fire disperses, only I remain.

When I open my eyes again, I see my companions fighting some ugly creature.

"You're late, this is his fifth form now." said Alistair while blocking an ice bolt.

"You're the last one here." said Morrigan basically doing noting.

"So this ugly thing is responsible for all the shit I went through just now. " I said as I draw my sword.

"That is correct. This is the demon of sloth, it has trapped us here in this dream world." answered Wynne while casting healing magic at Aedan.

I walk pass Aedan as he is fighting the demon and bury my sword into the demon's foot, the demon screams.

"Is this amusing to you?" I asked as I grab its right arm with my burning hand and slowly melting it off.

"I am asking you, is this amusing to you?" I asked again as my left hand bursts into flames again and pierces the demon's chest.

"I only wanted to make you happy." Said the demon.

"Well you've failed, and now I'm pissed off." Crimson fire shot out of the demon's back, its mouth, eyes and ears. As I pull my hand from the demon, it crumbles into ash.

Fourth Floor

We are back in the waking world. I got a little carried away in the dream world, seeing my dead friends and killing them again clouded my judgment a little bit.

"It was a dream world, anything can happen, right?" Alistair said.

"You're a mage!" yelled Aedan.

"I'm not."

Aedan: "We all saw you, normal people can't light their hands on fire! You can't bullshit your way out of this one!"

Alistair: "I could have sworn I saw you shapeshifting into a burning man…"

Aedan glares at him and Alistair looks away.

"A mage is someone who spends his life studying, researching, and developing magic, I only use magic, at best I can only be called a magic user." Or pyromancy user, but that's just semantics.

"You can't use magic if you weren't born a mage." Said Wynne.

"In your land maybe, but where I come from anyone can use magic if they devote time and effort to the art." We're not born mages, we become mages.

"What?" asked Wynne surprised.

"Don't believe his Astorla bullshit, he is an apostate." Said Aedan.

"Astora."

"Astora?" asked Wynne.

Aedan: "Some nonexistent country he said he comes from. Now that I think about it, he never said where it is and how he got here…"

It's in another realm of existence and I teleported.

"Do we really have time to stand around talking, I thought the sheep… I mean the mages here are running out of time." said Morrigan.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Alistair made a face. "Morrigan's right. We're running out of time."

Aedan grins his teeth. "Let's go. The mages need our help."

Fifth Floor, Top of the Tower

When we reach the top of the tower, we found a templar trapped inside a magic barrier.

Templar: "You need to kill all the mages!"

The templar's words echo in my mind, he was imprisoned in a magic barrier and tortured, the other templars around him seems to have killed themselves. To be honest even though I felt some sympathy for him, I can't help but think they bought this on to themselves. One's demise is usually one's own making. This mage prison is a disaster waiting to happen.

"Please! Let us go."

"You know I can't do that."

"We've been friends for over ten years now, please! Baldwin!"

?! What was that?

Aedan: "Stop dozing off! We have good mages to save and evil mages to kill!"

I snap out of my… I don't even know what that was, but it's not important now, the enemy before me is.

The Harrowing Chamber

I look around the room, there are a few magas kneeling on the ground blinded, a bald mage standing in the middle, surrounded by abominations.

Bald mage: "Ah… look what we have here, an intruder. I bid you welcome. Care to join in our… revels?"

"Uldred I presume?" asked Aedan.

Finally, the ring leader, I summon chaos flame into my left hand….

"Oh. Very observant. I'm quite impressed you're still alive. Unfortunately, that must mean you killed my servants. Ah, well, they are probably better off dying in the service of their better than…"

And I throw a fire ball at Uldred, he lifts his hands to form a barrier to protect himself but the chaos fire destroys the barrier and melts his hands.

"AHHH!" he screams as he transforms into a large demon.

"Why did you throw a fire ball at him?" asked Alistair.

?

"I thought we were here to kill him."

"I don't know how things are done in the barbaric land you came from, but here in the civilized world, we always negotiate first." said Aedan.

"I will remember that next time." Another habit I need to change.

"I will distract the large demon, you and Alistair, kill the smaller demons first. Wynne, focus on supporting us. Morrigan… go and steal something." Aedan commanded.

That is discrimination against rogues, not all rogues are thieves.

"Remember to use the Litany of Adralla when I tell you to. That litany is the only item that can stand against the blood mage's mind control." Wynne said to Aedan.

I charge at an abomination and before it can finish a spell, cut off its fingers. As it cries in pain I cut open its belly and throw a fire ball at it. I turn to look for my next target and a fire skin abomination sprays fire at me. I raise my shield to block the fire and surprisingly couldn't feel any heat, I suspect it's because of Wynne's spell. I run up to the abomination, it tries to protect itself by shielding its face with its hands, but I just slash across its eyes, cutting off half of its hands. As the abomination screams, I pierce its body with my sword and gave it a good twist, I then kick the monster and push my sword out. The abomination was knocked onto the ground and I stab it again for good measure.

Alistair is fighting two abominations at once, blocking and parrying left and right, and with his templar's ability, he can cancel magic, making him perfect for fighting demons.

Aedan is distracting the large demon. He parries, blocks and evades its attacks, every time the demon looks away, he shouts at it.

"Uldred's trying something! Stop him!"

Aedan: "You!" He turns his head at me, "Distract It!" Said Aedan as he backs away slowly from the large demon.

I move in front of the large demon and try to cut its right leg, but the demon's skin is as hard as steel and my blade is deflected. The demon turns its attention towards me and swings its arm at me, I block it with my shield but it still sends me flying.

"You! Use another fire ball of yours!" commanded Aedan, after he was done with his task.

"I can only use that spell one more time, I need to make it count. Stop it from moving around." I answered.

Aedan: "You can only use it one more time? Why?"

"It's just how it is."

Aedan: "Drink a lyrium potion!"

"I really don't think now is the time to experiment…"

Lyrium potions restore something called a "mana", which before I came to this land I have never heard of before. Do I even have this "mana" to begin with? Do I even need mana to cast spells?

Before Aedan can response…

"Uldred's doing something to the mages, Use the litany!" shouts Wynne.

Aedan curses and walks towards the mages and Alistair is still fighting another abomination, leaving me alone against the demon. It flails its fins at me, I block and jump back at the same time. My shield can't last any longer, I actually value my Grass Crest Shield's special ability more than the shield itself. I put away my shield and just barely dodge another fin attack. I need it to stop moving, things would be so easy if I don't have to worry about dying.

"BUZZZZ"

Swarm of insects fly towards the demon, surrounding its head. The demon flails its arms around to try to get rid of them, but to no avail.

"O flames of chaos."

I use this chance to summon the chaos flame for the last time. Careful not to hit the insects, I throw the chaos fire ball at the demon's stomach. The demon cries out in pain and claws at its belly as the chaos fire melts a hole through its stomach. Aedan returns and rams his greatsword into the hole in the demon's belly and then immediately pulls his sword out - the demon let out a last roar and falls on the ground face first and dies.

We release all the bonded mages and escort first enchanter Irving to the templar commander Geagoir. The templar who was tortured by the mages insisted that all mages in the tower should be killed, but both first enchanter Irving and the templar commander Geagoir defended the mages.

First floor

Tortured Templar: "But they may have demons within them, lying dormant… lying in wait.!"

Templar commander Geagoir: "Enough! I have already made my decision."

The tortured Templar shakes his head: "No one ever listens, until it's far too late."

First enchanter Irving turns to us: "I'm in you debt, I know why you are here, we the mages will give our aid to the Blight. You have my word as the first enchanter." Said Irving.

"Thank you." Said Aedan happily.

"Irving, I have a request, I seek leave to follow the Grey Wardens." Wynne said suddenly.

"This young man is brave and good," Said Wynne while gesturing her hand toward Aedan. "and capable of great things. If he will accept my help, I will help him accomplish his goals."

It's getting really hard to put on a neutral face isn't it?

"I would be honored to have you join me, Wynne." reply Aedan while doing his best not to smirk.

As Wynne moves pass me and Morrigan, she turns her head at Morrigan and whispers: "Don't think I didn't see what you did, young lady."

To be continued