"Why does it always have to be sewers?" Varric grumbled. "There's no imagination in it. There are clichés and then there are clichés".
"Oh, don't worry, Varric. The heroes in the stories never find what they're seeking in the sewers, just rats and snakes and such," Merrill said pleasantly, even the dark, the putrid water, and the horrendous stench not dampening her spirits. "Once we get out of here, we'll need to make our way through a crypt, and then a dungeon, and finally a great underground hall with many traps where we find the treasure".
"You forgot one thing, Daisy," the dwarf said fondly.
"What's that Varric? I'm always forgetting things, aren't I?"
"You forgot the monster guarding the treasure," he told her.
"I would rather face the greatest evil in the universe than spend one more moment in this revolting place!" Revan spat, moving gingerly to avoid splattering her robes with fetid wastewater. All her efforts were in vain though as dark stains covered much of the lower part of her cloak and robes.
"Well it was your idea in coming here and all," Hawke reminded the seething woman. "At least nothing's attacked us so far".
Revan glared at him through her expressionless mask but said nothing in return, continuing to step carefully through the labyrinth of sewers that tracked deep under Kirkwall like a maze. They had been walking for hours now, slowly descending through the winding paths, only the light of a few torches and Revan's night vision guiding them through the twisting corridors. As they descended further, the air grew cold and stale, the numerous vermin that infested the higher levels of the sewers dwindling to nothing. She could feel the darkness growing stronger as they descended into the black pit, driving anything living away.
The tunnels of the sewer were rough and unadorned, crudely hewn out of the black rock that the city rose from. There seemed to be little sense to how the tunnels were planned out, winding corridors circling around and abruptly ending into uncovered holes, the thick darkness obscuring how far they descended. Varric had tossed a torch down one of the pits, the bright fire slowly fading into nothingness as it fell forever, no sound ever emerging to indicate it eventually finding the bottom. Noxious air rose from the depths to poison the atmosphere around them, so they could not linger at the pits for very long.
After much grumbling and cursing as they picked their way through the labyrinth, Revan eventually spied a faint light glowing an ominous red and led the rest of the party toward it. What they found was a large, circular room with smooth walls of polished black stone and a tiled floor bearing the mosaic of several wicked looking glyphs. In the center of the room stood a spiked pedestal bearing a red crystal gripped in a sculpted fist. The dark side radiated from the crystal, and as they entered, whispered voices seemed to echo through the chamber, almost as it unseen watchers were observing them.
"The Veil is very thin here," Merrill said quietly. "I can feel power and something sinister, almost like the cave where the spirit was sealed on Sundermount. It feels...really creepy".
"A spirit? I think you mean to use the word demon," Sebastian chastised, the Chantry brother having insisted on accompanying Hawke to eliminate this alleged evil that supposedly lay beneath Kirkwall. "Is one sealed here?"
"No, I don't think so," Hawke answered, studying the pulsing crystal warily. "Is this what we were searching for down here? Seems kind of anticlimactic".
Revan approached the pedestal without a word and extended a hand, blue lightning striking the crystal with ferocious power. As several of her companions gasped, the crystal caught flame and glowed a brilliant blue, the tremendous energy produced spreading from the pedestal and crisscrossing the floor in intricate patterns of blue. The floor of the chamber suddenly groaned and began sinking, dropping them slowly as the clinking of chains and the grinding of gears filled the room.
Sebastian recovered first, eyeing the cloaked woman suspiciously. "I knew there was more to you than meets the eye, but a mage? I suppose you are an apostate then".
"Your Chantry labels everything it fails to understand as magic," Revan sighed, not bothering to look at the suspicious man. "That was a Kyber crystal, a gemstone that is particularly sensitive to the Force. It must serve as the power source for what lies below, and also as a convenient method to prevent those without the Force from stumbling upon it".
"I could shock it with lightning too. It wouldn't keep me out," Hawke insisted. "Seems kind of foolish to have a lock that any mage can open".
"That was no lightning, or at least not the natural phenomenon you are familiar with. That lightning was concentrated dark side energy, one of the most potent weapons a Force user can harness. That crystal was attuned to only allow those who possessed a mastery of the dark side to pass," she explained in a weary tone.
"I distinctly remember a certain person claiming that she battled against this so-called 'dark side of the Force,' and yet now the very same person admits to making use of it?" Fenris stated mockingly. "You cannot fight fire with fire and expect that no one around you will be burned".
"Certain techniques are aligned with the dark and the light, but the categories are next to meaningless. A master may claim that one technique is forbidden one day and the next insist that it is needed. Any technique that has offensive capability is labeled dark simply because it requires strong feelings to fuel it and an intention to attack, but it is no different for swinging a blade. These techniques are simply tools, as it is the disposition of the individual who makes use of them that matters. A good person will use their blade to protect others while an evil person will use it to murder. The Force is no different," she insisted, slightly annoyed at the accusation in the truculent elf's voice.
"Just like blood magic," Merrill piped up, causing Sebastian and Fenris to shake their heads.
"Apparently your Jedi Order disagrees," Fenris sneered. "Why else would they strip those who make use of it of their minds and powers?"
"Because they were afraid," Revan answered in an icy tone, "and fear leads to the dark side".
No one commented further as the platform finally reached its destination, ancient machinery screaming in protest as it came to a rest. With a series of pops, several lights sprung to life, bathing the dark chamber in dim red glow that hurt the eyes to look at. In front of them stood a pair of massive doors decorated with a stunning mural depicting the forces of the Republic on one side and the organic shapes of Sith warships on the other. In the center, the jet-black emblem of the Sith Empire seemed to feed off the weak source of light.
"What is this?" Hawke asked. "I've never seen anything like what's in this painting".
"It depicts a great war that occurred over a millennia ago with the forces of my nation on the left and our enemy on the right," Revan answered glibly. "The symbol in the center is the banner of our enemy, the great seal of the Sith Empire".
"Those look like stars, and I don't know what those other shapes are. Is this supposed to be an attempt at abstract art? I hope the artist wasn't paid in advance," Varric commented, his finger tracing the outline of a Republic cruiser in the throes of destruction.
"They were fighting with weapons you would not understand. All you need have knowledge of is that there was a war and the Sith were utterly defeated. I suspect that this is one of the many holes they crawled into to escape complete destruction," she explained, turning to a dark shape on the ground that looked like a rusted pile of bones.
When she approached, the bones suddenly sprang to life, eliciting several gasps and a high-pitched scream from Merrill as they leveled their weapons at it. Revan held up her hand to stop them, and approached the reactivated droid, its eyes glowing an otherworldly white. "Only the lords of the Sith may pass through these gates," it spoke in the barbaric tongue of the ancient Sith. "Speak your name if you be a master, and enter".
"What is that...thing saying?" Fenris growled, his greatsword still held out in a defensive stance. "It looks like a demon possessed corpse!"
Revan grimaced and reached out her hand toward the group behind her, forcing the knowledge of several languages into their minds. They all yelped in discomfort as Revan's invisible fingers reached deep into the recesses of their memory, implanting foreign thoughts within. "What did you do, demon?" Fenris yelled in a pained voice, barely able to level his weapon at her.
"You could not understand, so I made you understand," she shrugged. "The power of the Force is the power to control the intricacies of the mind. You now have memories of learning languages that you never truly learned. Amazing, is it not?"
She heard the stretching of a bowstring and glanced to see an angry Sebastian pointing an arrow straight at her apparently unprotected neck. She could feel in the Force that he would at least let her explain her actions before he tried to kill her. "Amazing is not the word I would use to describe blood magic, Nox. I have tolerated maleficarum in my presence before if they harmed no one with their powers, but I cannot and will not allow you to use that sinful magic on anyone".
With a wave of her hand, Revan snapped his bow in two and ripped Fenris' sword from his hands for good measure. As Sebastian gaped at the kindling he now held in one hand, Fenris' tattoos ignited with blue fire as he charged at the cloaked woman still holding his sword suspended in the air. By this time, Revan had lost what little patience she had and so blasted the elf back with the Force and pinned him to the wall. When she spoke, her voice was cold and menacing, "I can sympathize enough with how you may feel about having a foreign presence in your mind that I can excuse this reaction. However, if you continue to interfere with my task here, I will strike you down without hesitation! Do not test me".
Temporarily distracted, Revan did not notice as Hawke and Merrill moved to either side of her brandishing their staves while Varric aimed his crossbow at her back. Fire crackling from his staff, Hawke growled, "Release him, Revan, or none of us will ever find out what's behind that door".
Revan glared at him from beneath her mask as Sebastian sputtered, "Revan! You let this demon walk amongst us and said nothing? What were you thinking? You should have alerted the templars immediately!"
"Me and the templars don't have the best of relationships, Sebastian," a furious Hawke reminded him. "I would never turn in a fellow mage to their kind, but neither will I let a rogue blood mage hurt my friends. So I say again, Revan, release Fenris".
"You must be a greater fool than I could ever have believed if you think you can stop me," Revan spat with contempt. She closed her hand into a loose fist as Fenris let out a strangled gasp, gripping his throat with wide, frightened eyes. "I could crush your friend's body into a bloody pulp with a thought, but I have better things to do than teach manners to children".
She opened her hand as Fenris fell to the ground, gulping down air in choked wheezes. Hawke looked like he wanted to rush to the fallen elf's side but he remained still, his weapon still pointed threateningly at the unrepentant Revan. "Smart choice. About what you did to our minds...is it dangerous?"
"For fools as unintelligent as you all are, I suppose knowledge could be a dangerous thing..." she trailed off, receiving several murderous looks in return. "I simply took my own memories and implanted them into your minds. I am sure you agree that it is easier and far faster than teaching. There is no danger in it. For what it is worth, I apologize. If it makes you feel better, I will ask permission in the future if I wish to use similar techniques. Does that set your minds at ease?"
"I can't tell you what a relief it is that you won't turn us into drooling morons without asking nicely. You're so courteous," Varric said dryly.
"Hawke, I told you we should have never trusted her!" Fenris croaked, still holding his throat. "Blood mages care nothing for those they destroy to get what they want!"
"Well what do you suppose we do, Fenris? We're stuck with her as far I can tell until we can get out of here," he reminded the furious elf.
While they were bickering back and forth, Revan turned to the watchful droid and spoke boldly in an ugly tongue, "I am Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith and Empress of the New Sith Empire. You will stand aside and grant me entry".
The droid was silent for a moment before answering, "My records contain no reference to a Darth Revan. You may not enter".
Revan was unperturbed with the droid's answer as she whispered, "I thought as much. It seems that everything must be difficult". She approached the droid and froze it with a burst of Force energy, her hand already reaching into a pouch at her hip for several fine tools.
The others looked on with interest as she opened up a panel on the skeletal machine's chest and began making adjustments, a few sparks and the smell of burnt wiring emerging from the rusted innards of the droid. "What are you doing there?" Sebastian asked suspiciously.
"It refused to let us enter, so I need to reprogram it," she answered with a grunt, her hands buried in a mess of wiring.
"I don't understand. Is that thing...alive? I've never seen anything like it, well...it's kind of like a sylvan, but only if its possessed by a spirit...oh, never mind," Merrill babbled.
"It is alive in a sense. A droid can think and perform the same tasks that a living being can, but it is not born but rather made. It is a machine, much like one of your golems. Among my people, we create them to serve various roles including simple manual labor, diplomacy, or as tools for war," she explained.
"And they don't object to this? They simply go along with it?" Hawke questioned, looking at the droid with something like sympathy before casting a quick glance at Fenris.
"They lack free will in most cases. They are programmed, that is created, with certain directives that prevent disobedience. Some of the more intelligent ones do go rogue on occasion, mostly those built as spies or assassins," she shrugged. "I always loved droids; building and taking them apart always fascinated me. I built a rather spirited one named HK-47 long ago, and he has always served me well, almost like a loyal friend. HK has nothing but contempt for living beings like us, believing that droids are far superior in every way. He delights in murder and mayhem, so it is good that he does not consider leaving my side".
"Yes, there's little more a master fears than having her slave rebel," Fenris sneered.
Before Revan could respond, Varric interrupted, "I couldn't help but notice that you called yourself lord of these 'Sith'. If you're going to tell a story, you should at least try to get it straight with everyone you tell it to".
"I happened to be a tad wild in my youth with a rather unhealthy amount of idealism," Revan said airily. "It led me to strange places, but that is a story for another time".
The droid's eyes glowed brightly as the hum of machinery brought it to life. It regarded those in front of it for a moment before saying respectfully, "Welcome Lord Revan. Would you like me to escort your lordship's slaves to the barracks?"
"No, they will be attending me," Revan spoke wryly, listening to the scoffs behind her.
"Very good, my lord," the droid nodded. "The way is open to you".
A deep rumble filled the cavernous room as the doors opened inwardly, revealing dozens of high columns, each with a base that dwarfed their entire party. They rose up into inky darkness, the ceiling of the massive chamber barely visible in the low red light. Around them, statues of fearsome warriors bearing blades forged from black glass stared down menacingly, their cruel eyes seeming to follow them as they walked past. "I see the Sith penchant for the ostentatious did not end with their defeat," Revan commented, brushing a hand against a relief sculpture depicting a kneeling Jedi begging for his life at the foot of an arrogant Sith Lord.
"It must have taken forever to carve this out of the black stone of Kirkwall," Varric said as he examined a particularly vicious-looking sculpture.
"Kirkwall was the center of the slave trade in the Imperium for a thousand years. I'm sure they had ample manpower and no lack of time," Hawke reminded his friend.
"The Sith have a love for the imposing structures and an intimidating design. They want visitors to feel small and unimportant while marveling at the strength and power of the Dark Lords," Revan spoke bitterly. "It only serves to reveal how small the builders of this place truly were, both of mind and body".
"Might not want to sing a similar tune around dwarves, Revan. If my brother was still around, he would have been in heaven walking through these halls," Varric laughed.
"I guess building in a grandiose way is how a small race compensates for their shortcomings," Hawke observed as his eyes tracked up the spine of a half-ruined column.
"Uncalled for, Hawke, but true...at least for some of us," Varric chastised as they entered a smaller chamber carved in an oval shape from polished onyx. The walls sparkled from the dim light given off by the small ball of flame held in Merrill's hand, the fire soon becoming the only light source as the opening sealed behind them.
"Well it seems we've walked into a trap. How didn't we see this coming?" Hawke quipped, drawing his staff from the sling on his back.
"It wouldn't be exciting if the explorers searching the ancient ruins didn't encounter some traps. Isn't that right, Varric?" Merrill said a little too pleasantly considering the situation.
Before the dwarf could respond, Revan spoke softly, "No, this is not a trap. This room simply requires total darkness". She walked to the center of the room, beckoning with an open hand as a pulsing orb rose from the floor. As she touched it, the room came alive with millions of pinpricks of light, each shimmering as they rotated slowly around the room surrounded by clouds of white dust drifting along like streams of milk. The center glowed a brilliant gold, bathing the gaping onlookers in light.
"Oh...Creators; it's so beautiful, like a sea of diamonds!" Merrill cooed in an awed voice, her hand reaching out to grasp the twinkling gemstones.
Despite his aversion to magic, even Fenris looked appreciative of the beautiful display, his eyes following the flow of the dusty arms as they circled the glowing center. "What is this place?" he asked Revan, aware that she knew how to activate it.
"This is a map...a map of the galaxy. These points of light are the stars you see in the sky from the vantage point of a small speck of dust in a vast sea of light," Revan explained. "I suppose it is inevitable that you will learn the truth now. You saw those statues back there, the ones of a race who were not human, elven, dwarven, or any other race you have ever seen. They are not from this world. The Sith come from the planet Korriban". The galaxy map suddenly zoomed in, settling on a gray planet hanging in a black expanse.
She could feel their confusion as they looked upon the featureless sphere slowly rotating in the dark emptiness of the chamber. Even simple things like the existence of planets were new to them, and the possibility of travel through the vast sea of space still had not occurred to them. "I do not understand...the galaxy, planets, a race of Sith? If they live on a star in the sky...how did they travel here; how could they live in the sky?" Hawke asked.
"This place you inhabit, Kirkwall, the Free Marches, Thedas, is simply a part of your planet, a spherical mass of rock, water, and air that constantly rotates around that star you see in the sky. Because you are close to it, your star looks like a yellow circle, but all the other stars in the sky would look similar if you were closer to them. From another star in the sky, your star would appear as a tiny pinprick of light...such is the vastness of space," Revan explained in the simplest way possible, knowing that half of what she said would go over their heads and the other half not believed. "My people long ago discovered a way to travel from star to star in ships that sail through the darkness of the heavens much like your wooden ones sail through the ocean".
"And I thought I spun tall tales," Varric joked. "I assume you'll now tell us you aren't from here either...or that you're the Maker".
"Indeed...display Coruscant," Revan commanded. The map returned to a wide view of the galaxy before hurtling into the glowing center, revealing a dark world crisscrossed with a grid of orange light. "The capital of the Republic, Coruscant, so called because it glitters from space like a corusca gem. It is covered by an endless city, the lights from the spires and towers forever staving off night. There are others: Tython, the ruined world of Ossus, Dantooine, all Jedi worlds. Display the Republic". The map cycled through each of her requests before highlighting a wide swath of stars in blue.
"A nation made up of stars. Isn't it amazing, Hawke?" Merrill spoke softly, wonder in her eyes. Revan looked at the young elf girl for a long moment, surprised at how easy she accepted this admittedly crazy, at least for the denizens of this world, story. Brushing her mind with the Force, she decided it was not so hard to believe, as this girl wanted it to be true. The fact that there was more in life than a dangerous world filled with people who hated and despised her race comforted her, and the hope that she could one day lead her people to a restored way of life, perhaps far away from this terrible place, awoke within.
"If it's true, it'd be pretty incredible, I admit," Hawke said dubiously. "Is the Republic a human nation? I mean, you're human and all. Are there other races out there?"
"Ooh, I wanted to ask that! Are there elves?" Merrill asked excitedly, waiting expectantly like a puppy eyeing a treat.
Revan chuckled with that knowing laugh, causing the others to bristle in anger. When she spoke, her tone was equally mocking. "Oh? You think humans originated on this backwater world? Think again".
"We are the Maker's second children. This world was created for us after the Fade proved a failure in His eyes. You speak nonsense," Sebastian stated with certainty.
"Such arrogance!" Revan laughed cruelly. "I suppose you think you are the chosen race then? I can see why the elves and dwarves are persecuted then since they lack such auspicious beginnings as children of an all-powerful deity".
"Elves and Dwarves are children of the Maker just as we are, they simply lack..." Sebastian began before Revan cut him off.
"Faith? What a reason to look down on someone...because they do not believe something you cannot prove nor could anyone," she scoffed. "Let me tell you a story about these 'children of the Maker'. Display Tatooine".
A brown and tan world with a blue corona appeared at her command as all eyes turned to it. "The human homeworld is unknown, lost to time as we spread out and colonized new worlds, but there are legends I have come across. A powerful race called the Rakata once ruled the galaxy tens of millennia ago, their ships powered by the dark side of the Force. They had such a mastery of the dark side that no race could oppose them, their technology far beyond that of even the most advanced races, allowing them to build an infinite fleet of ships to spread across their Infinite Empire," Revan recalled. "One planet was the birthplace of a race more advanced than most, and instead of surrendering in the face of the mighty Rakata, they fought for their freedom. They were, of course, utterly defeated, and the Rakata failed to look kindly on their defiance".
She was silent for a moment, letting her companions realize inevitable conclusion of the tale. "This planet, Tatooine, is a desert wasteland with a surface twin suns bake endlessly. The punishment the Rakata devised for the intrepid race that dared to stand against them was to turn their planet into this," she gestured to the hologram. "They scorched the surface so rock and dirt melted into glass and split the sun so nothing would again grow on a once lush world...the survivors they took as slaves. Like most who foolishly believe they can command the Force, the Rakata were undone by their faith in the dark side. They fell to war and lost their connection to the Force. The slaves they kept on countless worlds rebelled and took their masters' technology for themselves. Among them were slaves from Coruscant, survivors of the murder of their planet...humans".
Revan let the point sink in before beginning again, "You think you are somehow special, oh slave of the Chantry, that your race is exalted above all others by some absentee god? You are the descendent of a slave race, a descendant of a race whose world was bathed in fire so long ago that the knowledge has been lost. A pitiful, defeated race indeed".
Fenris was unimpressed by her speech, his eyes alive with disdain. "You are quite fond of pointing out the flaws in others with hat holier-than-thou attitude...perhaps you should listen to the ego-driven drivel you spout off, and maybe then you would realize how self-absorbed you sound. I suppose someone who already considers herself a god has no use for the deities of us lesser mortals".
Revan bristled, but before she could retort, Sebastian interrupted, "You misjudge me along with all those who believe in the Maker. I pity you, Revan, so blinded by hatred that everything beautiful, good, and worthy is twisted in your eyes. If you are so sure that you are right, and I am truly a mindless slave of an evil lie, why not consider my point of view instead of denying everything you do not agree with? Are you afraid you might be wrong? Maybe you are right, and I am arrogant and closed minded, but from what I have seen, you are no better".
"As much as I enjoy all this patronizing talk, let's forget the childish squabbling for now. How did we get here if this isn't where humans are from?" Hawke asked in an effort to make peace.
"If you had been slaves of the Rakata, surely your society would have developed past the point it has, so that is not a possibility. This planet is far from any human controlled world, so colonization would seem to be out, but...I can really think of no other way. Perhaps your descendents were colonists onboard the sleeper ships that Corellia launched before the founding of the Republic. It would have taken thousands of years to travel here without a hyperdrive, and perhaps your knowledge of technology was lost a few lifetimes after arrival," she shrugged, giving the best explanation she could all the while glaring at both Fenris and Sebastian.
"What a sad story. It's almost like...what happened with Arlathan. We lost our homeland too. Maybe if the humans had remembered, they would not have attacked us," Merrill mused quietly, earning a glare from Revan.
"Stop dwelling on things you cannot change," she growled. "You have lost part of your history and culture, so what? Make new history; rebuild your culture! If the humans of this world persecute you, make it so they cannot. Fight them and build a new nation, one stronger than that of the past".
"If it were that easy. Words and ideals are well and good, but putting those words into action is something else entirely," Varric said with a knowing smirk.
"If freedom was easy to obtain, it would not be worth having," the masked woman said sagely, a quick gesture of her hand opening a hidden door on the opposite side of the room.
The others followed her through the opening to a labyrinth of passageways, the low ceilings of the tunnels giving the entire area a claustrophobic feel. Revan seemed to have no trouble navigating the twisting halls, leading the party with quiet confidence. Eventually, the reached an open area covered by a painted dome. Depicting Marka Ragnos witnessing the duel of his apprentices with leadership of the Sith at stake, the painting focused on a rather obscure figure of a scowling man hidden in the background, red eyes filled with jealousy and contempt. So stood the man who would become Emperor, almost hidden behind the crowd of Sith witnessing the duel and yet the main subject of the painting. It surprised Revan how the event that led to the Great Hyperspace War was depicted in the monumental artwork, unglamorous and not idealized, as usually the Sith tended toward the exaggerated and grandiose when depicting themselves. Or maybe that was the point of the painting, to mock the hallowed place the revered Dark Lords of the Golden Age held in Sith lore despite their spectacular failure. Only the Sith Emperor could see their folly, but he would go unheeded.
In the center of the chamber stood a giant figure draped in a blood-red cape over massive golden armor, bright flames reflected in its black visor. A huge claymore was held in its hand, the black Mandalorian iron casting a long shadow over the tiled floor. "I have been expecting you, Revan," the figure spoke in a familiar voice, heavily accented and synthesized by the electronics beneath that cruel mask. "Our fight is not yet over".
Revan did not answer the apparition of Mandalore the Ultimate, instead looking to the frightened girl next to her, quivering lips repeating two names like she was begging them for forgiveness. "Lyna, Tamlen, please..." she whispered, wide green eyes tearful.
The others were equally transfixed by the visions that appeared before them, whether simply haunted by specters of the past or confronted by long-dead loved ones Revan knew not. "Hey, anyone else see Bartrand in front of us, or am I going crazy?" Varric asked, one hand on his crossbow.
"Definitely going crazy, but don't worry, we seem to all be in the same boat here," Hawke remarked in a strangled voice, narrowed eyes looking out to some unknown shade of the past.
"Danarius," Fenris growled. "What foul magic is this...and who is that red-haired woman? I know her, and yet I don't".
"Pay no attention to these specters; they are just tricks of the mind. Places like this that are strong in the dark side often produce such visions, depicting memories from your past or events that have not yet come to pass," Revan spoke in an almost bored fashion, but disinterest quickly transformed into tension as her Force sense cut through the dark side fog obscuring her sight.
A red bar of light suddenly appeared in Revan's hand, surprising her companions, but even more shocking were the monsters that appeared before them as she dispelled the illusions created by the dark side. "Fierfek!" she swore. "Terentateks. I should have known that I would never be rid of these beasts!"
"Well here are your monsters, Daisy. Let's hope the heroes are equal to the task," Varric joked as he looked up at the twin towering masses of fangs and spikes.
"Stay back!" Revan snarled. "These are opponents you cannot hope to stand against!"
With a low rumble deep in the beast's throat, one of the hulking monsters charged, battering its head against Revan's lightsaber as it forced her back. The energy blade barely scratched the creature's cortosis armored hide, but Revan could not move the blade for fear of the Force-dead beast crushing her within its wide maw. Its hungry yellow eyes stared at her greedily, strings of saliva slowly pooling on the dusty floor from its long, black fangs.
She chanced a quick glance at the others now menaced by the other terentatek, seeing the surly elf take a swing at the beast with his huge greatsword only to have the dark metal fracture into a spider web of cracks. The monster turned to the elf then, annoyed at the blow, but Hawke drew its attention with a blast of fire that turned the air around them dry as a desert. Still the beast was unaffected, the flames not even scorching the tough, scaled skin. "Just stay away from it!" she shouted, straining to hold back her own opponent. "These things were made to resist all forms of energy attack, and physical blows will be even more useless!"
Despite her command, Hawke and Merrill continued to shower the Force-dead creature with fire and lightning, eventually irritating it enough that it attempted to shield its face with oversized claws. The Sith had designed these abominations to be virtually indestructible, but the greater part of their usefulness lay in their ability to intimidate. Without the ability to bring the Force to bear against an enemy, most Jedi were well out of their element and necessarily more prone to mistakes. Revan did not make mistakes, at least when it came to destroying an enemy.
Separating one side of her saberstaff from the other, she plunged the screaming blade into the terentatek's eye socket, boiling liquid leaking from the wound like repulsive tears. The creature roared and battered her into a wall, pinning her there as it tried desperately to remove the offending object from its skull. Her armor held under the beast's tremendous weight, but still the creature refused to die, its head thrashing about as bellows emerged from its wide mouth. She grimaced as the saber keeping its snapping jaws from biting her in two was pressed into her armor, the paint hissing as it faded away while the metal squealed in protest.
She deactivated the saber in her off hand and reignited it as she plunged it through the monster's remaining eye, shifting the blade to and fro like she was stirring some soup, all the while hoping she would do enough damage to its miniscule brain to finally kill it. With that thought, the creature's heavy body slumped over, still twitching occasionally as nerves sent messages to a nonexistent brain. As she turned to see how the others were faring, she saw that they had apparently had the same idea as to how to deal with these beasts, the stained wood of a crossbow quarrel sticking a few inches out of the creature's ruined eye. Black, tarlike blood leaked from that wound while the other eye socket was charred from the streams of fire arcing from Hawke's staff.
Even blind, the beast was just as dangerous, sensing its attackers through their presence in the Force. It swiped at Merrill with powerful claws, sundering her staff into splinters as bladelike talons raked across her chest. She fell as red dye began to stain the green of her simple garment, Hawke and Varric firing at the terentatek to distract it from the injured girl. Revan added her own strength to the mix, unleashing great currents of lightning that struck the monster with so much force that its head snapped back, charred scales exploding from its seared armor. Even with its Force immunity, the dark side energy still left a smoldering, black scar where it impacted, drawing the attention of the creature.
It opened its fanged mouth to roar at the cause of its wound only to swallow a spinning lightsaber that hissed and screeched as it cut through wet, soft flesh. The proud beast made one last futile attempt to charge at Revan only to fall before it had taken a few steps, the inside of its body shredded and burned. Blood poured from its mouth as it choked and spat, pathetically trying to draw breath from lungs now reduced to seared pulp. In a testament to its resilience, it lingered for a few moments more before finally joining its companion in death.
She reached forth and pulled her lightsaber from its body, wincing in disgust as she wiped gore from the silver hilt, the black mess refusing to be cleaned. Hawke was more concerned with Merrill who he now had sitting up, healing energy surrounding the bloody cuts in her chest. The girl still retained color in her cheeks, lacking the pale countenance indicative of extensive blood loss, and her Force presence was strong and unwavering. She was in no danger as far as Revan could tell.
"Don't do that again, Merrill. Going to give me a heart attack," Hawke chided, wrapping bandages around her naked torso after the wounds closed. "I do not want to be the one to tell Marethari that I got you killed on some foolhardy adventure".
"The Keeper can be scary at times, I admit," Merrill smiled weakly, "but you don't have to worry, Hawke. I'm not going to die so soon...well at least I'll try not to. Can never be sure about these things, you know!"
"Daisy, don't even joke about that. The last thing I want to do is tell that particular story, not about a sweet thing like you," Varric said as he ruffled the girl's braided hair.
It was rather disgusting how the two fussed over the elf girl, treating her as if she were a small child constantly in trouble, and even more so how she went along with it. This Merrill was not nearly as naïve as she let on. It was almost as if she knew how the others saw her and what they expected from her, and she filled that role. Perhaps it was not surprising given how afraid she was that they would abandon her, therefore losing the only friends she had in the world. She feared more than anything else being alone, and therefore was wary of showing her true nature to these people who regarded her as innocent and airheaded.
"You wield strange weapons, Revan. There were rumors that the demon fought with swords of fire, but seeing it firsthand...they are quite striking," Sebastian remarked, interrupting her thoughts.
"All Force users use lightsabers. When you declare yourself a knight, I suppose it helps to look the part," she shrugged, reconnecting one hilt to the other. "These creatures were made to be resistant to them to make it easier to kill the Jedi. I thought they had been eliminated for good, but apparently a few still remain in the lairs of the ancient Sith".
"Any chance we encounter any more of them...or something worse," Fenris asked pointedly, his broken sword still tightly gripped in one hand.
"Who can say? They cannot be sensed in the Force, so I am in the dark just as you are about what awaits us," she answered coolly. "We would be wise not to remain here any longer. Terentatek blood vaporizes into poisonous fume soon after their death".
They finally came to the end of the maze at a small, unassuming chamber, bare except for a rough-hewn pedestal with a black pyramid with faint red markings perched on top. The dark side was so strong there that even Hawke and the others could feel it, a deep cold penetrating them like they were drowning in icy water. With a swish of her cloak, Revan approached the pyramid and placed a hand over it, red light bursting forth as the three sides folded away. For a moment there was only static and a series of indecipherable images, but gradually the form of a miniature body was revealed, clad in opulent armor and dark robes. The image was of a Sith, the red face and strange tendrils leaving no doubt to the species, but as quickly as the hologram appeared, it came alive with wicked, sulfurous eyes opening to observe the companions.
"I see humans and the slave race before me...tell me, why have you sought out my holocron? Seek you power or perhaps wisdom? No...what you require is far simpler than that...merely answers," the Sith spoke to himself, long fingers like spiders legs stroking his chin in an imitation of the living.
"It is true that I have questions, and you will provide the answers," Revan spoke coldly, surprising everyone in that she did not immediately destroy the strange object.
"Oh will I, young one? Does this confidence stem from power or merely unchecked arrogance? It is you who needs information from me, I think, so how would such a situation affect our relative positions with regard to each other? If I may be so bold, I would suggest that you are the dependent one in this particular relationship," the hologram smirked.
Revan bristled but did not rise to the condescending jibe, instead continuing with her inquiry. "You were one of the Sith Lords who escaped destruction at the hands of the Republic, I believe. Your comrade," she said with just a hint of irony, "is proving a rather annoying irritant of mine. If you please, I would like to know more about the nature of his immortality...more specifically, how he can be destroyed".
The hologram chuckled cruelly, giving the masked woman before him an appraising look. "You speak of the self-proclaimed 'Emperor,' that betrayer and usurper who dared to claim the mantle he had no right to. Truly we were fooled, too blinded by our hated for the Jedi to see the snake in our midst, so drunk we were with visions of glory and victory. How many years have passed since then and yet we remain in exile, decaying flesh and bone far from the ancient tombs of our forefathers. I assume the fool has made no progress?"
"Other empires of the Sith have risen and fallen since the days of the Golden Age of the Sith, but the emperor still bides his time hidden away in the far places of the galaxy," Revan admitted.
"As befits a coward and a knave," the Sith spat in anger. "But tell me girl, why should I harm the cause of my fellow Sith and reveal to you the secrets of the usurper's power? At least in my restless slumber, I can take solace when Coruscant is reduced to blackened slag and the mindless pawns of the Jedi brought low".
"You will tell me because you are True Sith, not a fallen Jedi tainted by knowledge of the light and plagued with doubts over petty morality," Revan insisted, hoping to appeal to he Sith's ego, even if he was only a programmed personality in the holocron. "What does a Sith thirst for if not vengeance against their enemies. Let me be your instrument, and I will show the usurper the true wrath of the Sith!"
"So you offer to take up my cause? How can one so lacking in wisdom hope to confront even the weakest of the Sith, hmm?" he smirked, goading her with his mocking tone. "Indulge me if you will, girl, and answer this riddle. How can life exist without the Force?"
"It is a trick question," Revan answered with certainty. "The Force is life and all life gives birth to the Force".
"Indeed," the Sith nodded, his smirk growing ever wider. "Without the Force, there can be no life, but without life, there can be no death. You know of these wounds in the Force do you not? They can be harnessed and bestow terrible power on those who refuse to live as a slave to the whims of the dark side, and yet this power is imperfect, dangerous, and ultimately, useless. What if it could be perfected? What if one could become the perfect embodiment of the death of the Force? Without the Force as a hindrance, death will be long forgotten".
Revan was floored at the Sith's words, anger and disbelief rising in her mind as she sputtered in fury, "It cannot be that simple!"
"The simplest ideas are often those we understand the least," the grinning Sith lectured. "We labored for centuries on this accursed world, laboring to understand the most obvious and yet illusory of truths. Success proved to be our undoing, transforming a worthless puppet into Dark Lord".
"And how am I supposed to kill something outside the Force entirely," Revan interrogated, still not completely convinced of the Sith's truthfulness.
"A rhetorical question: how can you kill something that is not living? The answer, of course, is that you cannot. Only the living experience death, and life is the Force," he offered, waiting patiently for the inevitable conclusion.
"Heal the wound in the Force, and he will be vulnerable...but that is impossible," she whispered in response.
"Only those with closed-off minds speak of the impossible," he rebuked her. "With that level of resolve, perhaps you should return to your temple and leave this task for one without your weakness, my little Sorcha".
Revan felt a cold chill spread through her body at the mention of that name, a name that this artificial personality could not know unless this was not a holocron. As the thought emerged in her mind, the Sith had already turned his attention to the others in the party. "You, slave girl, you lament the loss of your history and culture, sitting in front of a shattered mirror endlessly, hoping that by some miracle a broken artifact from another time can restore what has been lost. What do you expect to accomplish?"
Merrill bristled at the condescending observation, her large eyes filled with fury from meeting one of the destroyers of Arlathan. "Revan said the Sith were destroyed by her Republic. Are you really any different from me, hiding away and searching for a way to restore your lost glory? I will not fail. I will save my people!" she spoke in a raised voice.
"You misunderstand me, girl," he purred, his yellow eyes flashing. "There are few alive that still remember the time before your enslavement. You stand before one yourself, and yet you still do not realize your fortune. Perhaps I could relate some of what I know...would that not make your task far easier, hmm?"
"You...you would do that for me?" Merrill asked hesitantly, taking an involuntary step forward toward the projection, her wide eyes not seeing the hunger in the yellow orbs of the ancient Sith Lord.
"No! Do not go near it!" Revan hissed, wrenching the elf back by her scarf and activating one side of her saberstaff. "Your assistance has been appreciated, but you have worn out your welcome".
The flickering image of the Sith Lord chuckled menacingly before answering, "No, I think not. I think...that I tire of this place while a weakened Republic and a shattered Jedi Order are ripe for the picking".
Revan tried to plunge her saber through the vibrating artifact but the cold touch of the dark side ripped through her mental shield and tightened its merciless fingers around her mind. She could only gasp as the world faded into nothingness.
Sorcha sighed as she walked through the bright halls of the Jedi Temple, glaring at a classroom full of younglings as she passed. They waved their training sabers around like they were swatting flies, no sense of grace or technique even beginning to penetrate their wild flailing. She bristled as their instructor smiled approvingly at their foolishness, complimenting each on how much they had improved. These stupid masters indulged these talentless rejects rather than actually trying to make them into warriors worthy of the name Jedi.
Earlier she had soundly defeated her training partner, an older boy named Lux she came to instantly dislike, managing to disarm him by smashing her training saber on his sword hand. Of course, that would not be a killing blow in real combat, so she proceeded to hit him with the low-powered blade in the neck for good measure. The Master observing them had lectured her incessantly after that, reprimanding her for not stopping after her opponent was defeated. She could not stop the tears from flowing as she yelled back, not understanding why she was the one being punished for winning and only doing what any Jedi would have done when faced with a dangerous enemy. She knew she was right, but her words had been dismissed as the product of a childish tantrum, and she was ordered back to her room. All the while Lux stood silently glaring at her, a hidden smirk gracing his lips. She wished she could have hit him again, masters or no masters.
As she brooded on the injustice of the whole situation, she bumped into another student and quickly opened her mouth to tell the fool off. The vindictive words died on her lips as she laid eyes on a tall boy with tousled brown hair bearing a wide smile. "I heard you got into trouble again, Sorcha. The younglings were talking about how Master Sunrider was complaining about that 'impossible girl' to the other masters. At least you didn't drag me into it this time".
"The masters are idiots, Alek. I'm so much better than everyone here, but all they do is lecture me. Be patient, Sorcha, don't attack in anger, Sorcha," she complained in a bratty tone. "It's not my fault half the other trainees are weak and useless. Why should I have to hold back? And then that Lux gets praised for being such a suck-up. I thought the masters could use the Force to tell what other people are thinking? Maybe they don't deserve to be masters. All the strong ones died in the war, and they left behind these idiots".
"Perhaps your poor attitude and contempt for your peers is what disturbs your teachers, young one," a familiar voice spoke and Sorcha cringed, slowly turning to the frowning face of Master Vrook Lamar.
"I'm sorry, Master Vrook...I didn't think..."
"That anyone was listening?" he finished for her, giving the girl a stern look.
"I'm sorry. I was just...angry about what happened. I won the match. Master Sunrider should have praised me, not fawned over poor Lux Vulnus. He wasn't even burned that badly!" she insisted, knowing that Master Vrook would have little sympathy for her.
"Your anger is what concerns us, young one...along with that ego you have developed. A Jedi does not seek accolades or recognition for their deeds. Serving others is the only reward a Jedi should ever need," he reminded her, disappointment in every word. "You will make amends to young Lux and Master Sunrider, and you will also clean the halls in the East Wing for the next week".
"But that's not fair!" both Sorcha and Alek exclaimed.
"You need to learn both discipline and the knowledge that actions have consequences. I will hear no more of your excuses. A Jedi accepts their duty and does what is required of them," he stated firmly before adding as an afterthought. "And you Alek will help her clean the East Wing".
Alek sputtered in protest as Sorcha cried in disbelief, "Alek didn't even do anything! Why is he getting punished too?"
"I am aware that the two of you are quite the double act. I have heard many reports of you two bullying students, disrespecting your instructors, and leaving the temple unsupervised, so from now on, you will share the other's punishment. Perhaps that will motivate you both to think more about your actions".
Both Sorcha and Alek were left speechless as the master walked away, Sorcha continuing to glare after him as he disappeared around a bend. "Someday I'll get that old bastard back," Sorcha spoke under her breath, causing Alek to gasp and Revan to blush at her use of such impolite language. "Well he is!"
"Better not let the other masters hear you say it though or we'll be in even more trouble. They'll have us scrubbing down the whole temple!" he said gravely and Sorcha looked away.
"Sorry...if I hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have punished you. You must hate me," she murmured sadly.
Alek laughed at her, his mouth set in a wide smile as he said playfully, "Well I can't say that I'm not mad at you for this, but at least we'll be together. I'm sure we can make it fun...somehow".
Sorcha smiled back at him as she spoke excitedly, "You know what? Let's get out of here! We can go explore the city for a while before curfew. That'll show the old grouch!"
"Then we'll just get into more trouble," Alek groaned, but seeing Sorcha's disappointed face, he immediately relented. "As long as we don't go too far, I guess. Remember what happened when we snuck into the Senate Chamber last time?"
"Force, Alek," she rolled her eyes, "no one would have missed the Senator from Kuat anyway. Her relatives might have even thanked us".
"I'm just saying..." he sighed, almost falling on his face as Sorcha grabbed his arm and pulled.
It was dark when the pair returned, the lights of thousands of speeders replacing the stars they had never seen on the city planet. For all the wars the Jedi had fought throughout their history and the numerous enemies they had cultivated, security was surprisingly lax. Perhaps the lack of caution was due to the Jedi relying more on feeling hostile intent through the Force than on conventional measures against intruders. Sorcha and Alek made their way through an air duct that deposited them near the student dorms, the need for quiet not enough to prevent them from giggling through their hands, the stifled laughter echoing through the columned halls of the temple. Unfortunately for the mischievous duo, their absence had not gone unnoticed.
"Well my little Sorcha, it seems Master Vrook's words fell on deaf ears," a bemused voice spoke from behind her, causing Revan to jump and quickly turn. A beautiful woman in pale gray robes stood there with arms crossed over her chest, her expression mixed between disapproval and affection.
"Master Kae!" Sorcha sputtered, her mind torn between denying everything and making up an excuse. She decided on feigning ignorance. "What do you mean? I would never disobey Master Vrook".
As Sorcha looked into those kind eyes, she though she saw a flash of anger appear just for a second, the master's beautiful face contorting into something ugly and wicked, but it passed so quickly that the young girl thought she had imagined it. "Lying is unbecoming of a Jedi, Sorcha. Are you such a coward that you would dissemble and use deceit to avoid facing the consequences of your actions?"
Sorcha blushed and could not bring herself to look at the woman before her. She heard a quiet squeak escape her lips, forming a single word: "No".
"Then why are you hiding like a coward?" Arren Kae questioned sharply as the blushing girl recoiled.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be m...mad. I don't...I don't want to disappoint you," Sorcha admitted.
"Speak properly! If I wanted to be spoken to by a half-witted gutter rat, I would think to try the Undercity, not these hallowed halls and by a trainee no less!" Master Kae snapped, her mouth curling into a sneer.
Sorcha gaped at the woman who had been like a mother to her, the loathing and cruelty in her voice evident even to a child's ears. Master Kae could be stern, but more often she laughed off the precocious trainee's high jinks and dismissed any trouble she got in as the silly games children were wont to play. Sorcha had never seen her like this, so angry and mean, and wondered if perhaps she had gone too far this time. "I disobeyed Master Vrook and left the temple. I was being immature and my conduct shames me. I will never do something so childish ever again, I swear," she resolved, hoping that an admission of guilt and a semi-sincere promise would satisfy her.
Instead, her words just seemed to make Arren Kae angrier. Her eyes grew darker and breath left her mouth like the growl of an enraged animal as her hand lashed out to grasp Sorcha's thin wrist. "Perhaps the masters on the Council were right about you. You scarcely deserve the honor of being a Jedi Knight. There is no place among us for the craven".
Sorcha tried to pull away from Master Kae but her hand was like a vice clamped around her aching wrist. Terror began to rise in her as she turned to Alek for support, only to find a huge man with pale, gray skin and dark, cruel eyes staring down at her with contempt. A metal plate wrapping around to cover his ears hid his mouth, and when he spoke, the sound he produced was inhuman, sounding more like a droid than anything living. "Ever the disappointment, Revan. Always running from the truth, never standing firm in the face of your fears. Behind that mask you wear is nothing but weakness and the mind of a scared, little girl reliant on others for protection," he stated in a cold, pitiless voice.
Sorcha had never seen this monstrous man before, but she felt strangely familiar with him. This strange feeling was quickly forgotten as the icy touch of fear threatened to overtake her, dark thoughts clawing at her mind and twisting what she perceived. "Master Kae, please...please help me!" she begged, trying futilely to wrench the woman's hand from her numb arm. This could only be a nightmare, she thought, a terror that would quickly be dispelled once she awakened, but the Force told her that what was happening was all too real.
Arren Kae cackled at her pleas, once warm eyes now colored a devilish yellow. "Oh my foolish child, now you ask for help? I thought Revan had no need of anyone; why else would she abandon her comrades and embark on a lonely journey to destroy the Sith? Perhaps you should have heeded the lessons of your masters and controlled the arrogance within you. Now that baseless pride of yours will prove your undoing".
"I don't know who Revan is!" Sorcha insisted, tears obscuring her vision. "Master Kae, please...please don't..."
The towering man behind her activated a red-bladed lightsaber and Sorcha gasped, redoubling her efforts to break free from this false master's grip. The gray-robed woman refused to let go, the skin around her hand now shrunken and gray so that it looked skeletal. As Sorcha looked into her face, she saw nothing of the woman she knew, only a demonic visage with sunken, yellow eyes ringed with black, festering cracks in her skin bubbling with frothy blood as her lipless mouth curled into a yellow-toothed grin. She could not look at that face, and so shut her eyes tight, hoping and begging that this was only a terrible dream, one she would wake up from and laugh about with Alek later on.
As she sobbed, a harsh voice cut through her racing thoughts, filled with disapproval. "I once told you that I had nothing more to teach you, but it seems my lessons have been forgotten or at least misplaced for the moment".
She turned to the source of the voice, laying eyes on an old woman, regal and noble in bearing, her thin mouth looking as if a smile never graced it. A brown hood hid her eyes, but Sorcha could feel her gaze on her, like that of a mother finding her child in the midst of some mischief. "Well are you going to stand there staring dumbly, or are you going to explain yourself, Revan?" she asked in an annoyed fashion.
"Why are you all calling me that? It's not my name!" she insisted, a small spark of the fire that had been snuffed out by terror beginning to burn again.
"Stop hiding, Revan. All the time I have known you, you avoided unpleasant truths, blamed others for your own failures, and been willfully blind to the faults others could plainly see within you. You are no longer a child," the old woman spoke. "Stop acting like one".
Sorcha opened her mouth to deny the name again, but a strong voice overwhelmed her own, speaking words in her own voice but older and filled with sadness. A dark figure placed a hand on her shoulder, warding away the two fiends that hissed at her presence. When she looked into the dark woman's face, she first saw a sorrowful smile and then an expression of regret etched in her pale, scarred face, a face she knew very well. When she spoke, her words were soft and bittersweet, like someone saying goodbye to a friend for the final time. "You are right as always, Kreia. In the end, I could not become the Jedi you wished me to be. I could not cope with such a staggering failure, so I denied it, locked it deep within me where it festered, like a cancer of my spirit".
"The lies we tell ourselves are far more harmful than the lies we tell others. They weigh us down like heavy chains, and inevitably comes the day when we can no longer drag such a burden," this Kreia nodded sagely, looking past Sorcha to the dark figure. "Have you decided to free yourself now after years of denial?"
"I buried my past when I took up Revan's mask for the second time. There was too much pain there...more than I could bear. I sought to do away with what I once was, calling it a lie, a meaningless existence as the slave of those far weaker than I, but in reality, I was too weak to confront it, too fearful to know all I had lost, too cowardly to own all I had done," the dark figure admitted, squeezing Sorcha's shoulder as she did so. Sorcha looked up at her and was surprised when the dark figure addressed her. "I abandoned you, and I was wrong to. You were the best part of me, the part of me that loved, had values and ideals, and threw everything away to fight in a hopeless crusade. Forgive me".
Sorcha frowned at the scarred woman, but took her hand when she offered it, grasping it tightly. They both looked to Kreia then, the old woman wearing a bemused smile as she said affectionately, "And what, pray tell, will you do now, my little fool of an apprentice?"
Revan looked at her, bearing a brash grin that made her look much younger. She scoffed at the question, saying airily without any trace of her typical formality, "What I've always done, master: exactly what I want to do".
Revan opened her eyes, focusing on the snarling image of the Sith Lord flickering before her, his wicked eyes filled with fury and also a great deal of fear. "You filthy Jedi bitch! I will..." he began, but his tirade was quickly cut off by the thrum of a lightsaber. The top of the holocron spun in the air, black lightning arcing between it and the base as the red light of her saber cast the Sith's end in a fiery glow. She shielded her face as dark power exploded from the ruined artifact, a wave of terror and rage briefly sounding in the maelstrom of the Force.
The others around her stirred from their fitful slumber, the elven girl swaying and falling in a heap as Revan looked on in amusement. Hawke was the first to speak after the ordeal, "Maker, I feel like I got into another drinking contest with Isabella. I don't think the ground should be spinning like that".
"Hey, look on the bright side...we're alive, I think," Varric quipped as he shook his head vigorously.
"This was your doing, wasn't it?" Fenris growled, sending an icy glare toward an unconcerned Revan.
"It felt like I was being possessed," a shivering Merrill spoke fearfully. "I heard his voice in my head...calling to me and showing me...terrible things".
"I told you that I intended to find the source of evil in this place an destroy it, didn't I?" Revan sighed, hiding her discomfort with practiced skill. "What remained of the Sith Lord has been destroyed. You needn't trouble yourselves about it any further".
"If you planned to destroy it, why not do so immediately rather than put us all at risk?" Fenris snapped, clearly shaken by what he had seen. "I suppose like any mage, you found the allure of forbidden knowledge too strong to resist".
"I failed to destroy the artifact immediately because I did not think it posed any danger. I believed, wrongly it seems, that it was merely a holocron, a repository of knowledge with no spark of life within it," she explained patiently. "The Sith Lord bound his spirit to the holocron and sustained himself through the dark side for centuries, waiting for a chance to gain his freedom. I was taken unawares, I admit, due to my preoccupation with any information he might have held regarding my enemy, and he gained a small foothold in my mind. He proved to weak to control me fortunately, and any connection remaining to this world he might have had has been severed".
"How can we be sure though?" Sebastian questioned, his face pale. "I felt a foreign presence in my mind, and the demon evoked terrible memories. It might still be with us, lying dormant in our minds".
"He had little interest in the lot of you anyway. He desired a host with a strong connection to the Force. When I destroyed the artifact, I snuffed out what was left of his pathetic life. Trust me," she assured them, inwardly sighing but forgiving their justifiable paranoia.
"Well if I can accept that people flit around in little ships between the stars, I suppose I can give you the benefit of the doubt. I hope you realize how hard that is for me, so be grateful," Varric said dryly.
"How magnanimous of you, dwarf," Hawke observed.
"Don't be jealous of my sparkling personality, Hawke. Dwarves are just naturally lovable," he snarked in response.
"It's a shame though...that we could not uncover any knowledge about Arlathan," Merrill spoke morosely. "He knew of our ancient kingdom, even if he was one of those who destroyed it. I might never encounter such a chance again".
"Don't be a fool," Revan chastised. "The Sith are not in the habit of preserving the culture of those they destroy and enslave. Even if he wanted to tell you anything, he would know nothing worthwhile to you. Don't rely on others to carve a path forward for you, move forward on your own. If others hate and shun you for it, forget them and show the fools how wrong they are".
"I am sure encouraging the blood mage is of importance to you, Revan, but I think another matter is of greater import at the moment," Sebastian interrupted, casting a distrustful glance at the wide-eyed elf. "You are a murderer wanted by the Chantry, never mind where that power you wield comes from. It is my duty to report your presence to the Grand Cleric and assist with whatever efforts are made to subdue you. This is an obligation I cannot foreswear".
"So in other words, you are saying that your duty requires you to go tattle to your precious Chantry about me. You say this as an unarmed man, knowing that it would be a trifling task for me to kill you. I haven't the patience to try to persuade you otherwise...and death is a permanent solution to such a problem".
"Those who bask in the Maker's light need not fear evil. If I must die to serve His cause, then I am prepared," Sebastian declared without fear.
Hawke and the others looked uneasy as the standoff continued until the masked woman finally broke the long silence. "Then do as you will, I suppose," she grumbled with a halfhearted shrug. "If you wish to send your comrades to their deaths, then by all means, I will oblige. It matters little anyway...soon I will be off this forsaken rock and away from this nightmare".
"Sebastian, for the love of the Maker and His crazy bride, do not tell anyone about Revan being here! Do you want the Knight-Commander turning the rest of Kirkwall into a prison? I don't know about you, but I don't fancy becoming part of the lovely Gallows community. Think of the livelihoods at stake: honest traders, dishonest traders, thieves, whores! The Blooming Rose won't last a minute with Meredith in charge!" Varric pleaded dramatically, trying to disguise the wry grin on his face.
"You cannot convince me otherwise, Varric," Sebastian answered with finality.
"No, but Bianca can," the dwarf said under his breath.
"Enough of this," Revan snapped impatiently. "I tire of this wretched place. Time to leave".
"Your wish is my command, my lady," Hawke grinned. "You'll have to forgive me. I seem to have left the litter behind, so your ladyship will have to walk like the rest of us peons".
"And so ends another thrilling adventure of Hawke and company. I'm thinking a great end to this tale would be drinks at the Hanged Man," Varric announced as Revan frowned at the jibe.
"Seconded," Hawke laughed.
"Ooh, that sounds wonderful! Can I come too?" Merrill asked in a bright voice, running to catch up with the others.
"Sure thing, Daisy, but I'll be watching your consumption. Don't want you ending up in the Viscount's garden again," Varric called back fondly.
A/N: Sorry for the wait again. This was originally only supposed to be a short section of the next chapter, but it kind of got away from me. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Bugsquirt, I find Kreia one of the hardest characters to write given her manipulative nature. I would think that she would see that lie as necessary for her goal and as a sort of truth from a certain point of view given that she sees the Force as evil. Criticanon, I have read a bit about what Obsidian planned for the ending and other cut content for the game. It is a shame that Lucasarts rushed it and ended up with a butchered product. MrEmperor, thank you for the compliment. I like to think that Kallian was much different before becoming a Grey Warden, an experience that left her a bitter jerk most of the time, and that now she will mellow a little to what she used to be like. For the reviewers of my previous story, I thought Revan as a woman fit this story better, as I did not want any romantic implications in what was supposed to be a teacher/student relationship. KOTOR allowed players to play both as a man and woman no matter what canon says, and considering how fast and loose Star Wars plays with canon (especially the facepalm worthy additions to the original movies), I think its fine to write Revan as whatever gender is most right for that particular story. As for a darkside Revan not being interested in meaningless conversation, you are right, but Revan just killing everyone would not be interesting. Thank you for the review. IgnusDei, sorry you did not like the story. Characterization is always difficult to get down and I can see what you mean about Revan being stupid evil at times, but in my defense, I waffled over how dark side I wanted her and I envisioned her as having something of a split personality with an insane, sociopathic side. Kallian's fall is a little rushed, I agree, but I think anyone would lose it after seeing their father tortured and killed combined with the pressure of saving Ferelden. Thanks for reviewing.