"They never listen." The templar shook his head, eyes narrowed.
Lynn, who'd begun to move towards the stairs whirled about, anger flooding her. "I am not the one who'll listen. I am the one who will speak!" The templar had the galls to arch an eyebrow at her, making Lynn's hands curl into fists as she took a step towards the magical cage holding him. "And I will tell you what will happen here. I will go up there. I will rescue the first enchanter and the other prisoners. And I will rip out Uldreds eyes with my bare hands!" The man flinched at the last words, a grimace on his face. "So sit down and shut your mouth you useless guard!" The man visibly collapsed at the sentence, the words striking as true as intended.
Scoffing at the man Lynn turned back to the stairs, ignoring the odd look on Alistair's face and only hearing Wynne's whispered words because the old woman was so close. "Thank you..."
"I require no thanks." Lynn snorted, her anger fading back to a simmering mass of rage at the pit of her stomach.
She'd been violated! Her very memories twisted and warped to crush her spirit, her mind invaded by a foreign creature! She'd been reduced to a child! She'd been forced to relive things she'd pushed back to oblivion! She'd been back in an endless cycle of hopelessness and made to once again embrace strange men to survive, something she'd thought she'd been done with! She had never been ashamed for having done what she had done before, yet the demons had somehow drawn it out of her, shame...paralysed her with it.
That's because you actually feel ashamed for doing all that, it helped you survive, but what sort of life was it? Lynn shook her head, the realisation anything but welcome. I did not! I was proud to survive despite the odds! To perform my duty to my family and the alienage! The protest sounded hollow in her head, making her grimace. You use everything at your disposal as a weapon, even your pride is expended by you, what of it is left?
"Hey Lynn...you okay?"
"Shut up!" Lynn hissed, more at herself then the man at her back. Alistair was observant enough to notice the dream in the fade had troubled her, yet not as smart as Morrigan and Wynne who remained carefully silent.
Morrigan...she knows...she saw. Lynn suppressed the urge to glance back at the witch and try to see what she thought of their leader now. The fact that the witch now had a hold over her bothered her to no end...and Lynn knew she would have to do some damage control once all was over. She will not get power over me, I will not allow it! Clenching her hands so tightly it hurt she gritted her teeth, the rage within her boiling. I will allow no one to have that! Never again!
The door in front of her was closed, but not locked, giving Lynn the satisfaction of slamming it open and advancing up the final steps.
The top of the tower was all too similar to the tower of Ishal's. The domed ceiling, the painted windows, the large circular room... Instead of some rubble there was more of the filthy growths that plagued the tower...and instead of an ogre they were faced with a storm of eldritch lightning....but all in all it was too similar to her eyes.
And here I thought things couldn't get worse...
"Do you accept my offering?" Lynn watched, lips thin, as a mage suspended mid-air in the storm of lightning was hurled to the floor by some invisible force. The three men around him...no...one man and two of those filthy abominations...gestured down at the man, their movement choppy. "Accept my offering!"
With a cracking sound of breaking bones and tendons the mage begun to change, his robes splitting across the chest as the body beneath swelled and changed. His head cracked apart, revealing a second fleshy looking head growing out from beneath the broken skull. The sleeves of his robe ripped open, revealing bulging and deformed muscles, all ending in thin claws of skin-covered bone, as if the doughy skin refused to split before the sharp claws as it should.
Abomination. Lynn snorted, face twisted in a grimace of disgust.
"Irving!" Wynne cried out at her back, but Lynn didn't care about looking for the no doubt neutralized enchanter, all that mattered was him.
The man turned his head at the sound of the cry, a wicked smile on his lips as the third abomination rose to its feet, dead eyes focused on the new arrivals. "Well what do we have here? Guests!" The voice of the man was shrill, crazed.
"One who'll wring your scrawny little neck." Lynn replied, her anger quickly bubbling to the surface.
This is the dangerous Uldred!? He is thin, bald, looks sickly even without the crazy eyes...he's even as short as me! Of course he was a mage, and Lynn knew better then to judge a book by its covers, still...it was something deeply insulting with finding this to be her opponent!
"Oh how delightful! One with spirit!" The man clapped his hands together, his face alight with glee, uncaring of the drawn weapons of the four opposing him.
"Don't talk to me about spirits!" Lynn snapped, hands tightly wound around her sword and dagger. "I've already met your spirits and demons and whatever other filth you've thrown at me!"
"Ah yes, my servants, it's good that you killed them, they were not worthy to live my side, too weak!" The man laughed, a high pitched sound, digging into the very last of Lynn's nerves. "But you...you killed them all, without my improvements even! You could become worthy by accepting my offering!"
Lynn took a step forward and ignored Wynne trying to whisper a warning as she growled: "You can take your offerings and shove them! In fact I intend to do that for you!"
"Oh such a mouth...we really ought to do something about that." The man smirked, eyes glowing with a now doubt wicked idea.
"Silence shem!" Lynn felt her body grow warm as she nearly screamed at the man. "Your servant violated me! Entered my mind! The filthy creature made me dance to its tune! It was your creature! And I ripped it apart! And now I intend to do the same to you! I'll rip your fucking eyes out and feed them to the fishes!"
The man chuckled, actually chuckled! "Resist if you must, the outcome will be the same..." The man cracked his neck with a wide grin on his face...an impossibly wide grin.
"Remember the litany we have, with it we can win this fight!" Wynne hissed at her back even as Alistair and Morrigan both fanned out to each side of the group with cautious steps.
Lynn grabbed the rolled up paper from where it was stuck in her belt and roughly shoved it into the chest of the circle mage. "You take care of that, I will be busy." Before her Uldred warped into something different, his skin turning blue and purple...and expanding to impossible size. It was with an odd mix of rage and satisfaction that Lynn found herself craning her neck to look up at the new shape the man had assumed. "Much better!"
The abomination Uldred was larger than an ogre. His skin had turned to dark purple scales, many jutting out like spikes on some sort of cruel armour. His arms were taller then even Alistair, both ending in five blackened claws, strange growths had shot out from the forearms and backwards past the elbows, resembling black scythes. His legs were now the size of trunks, ending in clawed feet. His horned skull resembled that of some sort of hunting beast, the snout covered with sharp teeth, reminding Lynn of a wolf. He had seven eyes, three on each side of the skull, a single one in between them, in the centre of his forehead, all glowing darkly blue, all mockingly looking down at her.
The abomination chuckled.
"Alistair! Get his friends!" Lynn hurled herself forward, barely aware of herself shouting the order as she watched the massive creature rear up at her. Yes, come you son of a...Lynn jumped forward, barely missing the sweeping claws coming at her even as she smashed her sword into the left knee of the creature.
Only to have the blade rebound off the thick scales with nary a mark.
"Do you accept the gift that I'm offering?" The voice was deep, dark...yet Lynn recognised Uldred's voice behind it. Jumping back before the abomination could smash his legs together and trap her, as with the ogre at the tower of Ishal, Lynn heard Wynne recite something behind her. Sure that the woman would do her best to keep Uldred's blood magic from winning him the fight Lynn concentrated on fighting the creature with a sense of glee.
This is for your dead supporters! Spinning Lynn drove her dagger into the calf of the abomination, succeeding in actually drawing dark blue blood from it. This is for the sloth demon! Spinning away she freed her dagger and at the same time dug her sword into the crotch of the creature, sending pieces of scale flying. And this is for me! She stabbed up at where her sword had struck, drawing fresh blood from the creature.
"Good! I will enjoy making you my own." Laughing Uldred took a wide step away from her and swept both arms at her. Lynn ran to meet the sweeping arms, jumped...and felt the rush of the two arms cleaving the air beneath her as she twisted around, deftly landing back onto her feet and facing Uldred's flank. "Impressive!"
Then you'll love this! Running forward she jumped once more...and landed awkwardly on the abomination's bent thigh as she stabbed her sword into the side of the creature, making blue blood pour out from the wound and drawing a growl from the creature as Uldred moved to swat away the small elf stuck to him. "Morrigan! Blast him!"
The bolt of lightning stuck the abomination square in the chest a moment later, making the creature reel back and giving Lynn enough time to pull her blade free and land back to the floor, teeth bared in a feral grin as she danced away from the late blow of the enemy. "Come now Uldred! Come fight me!"
There was a deep chuckle as the creature turned after her, his lumbering gait quickly catching up with her, teeth bared in a grin rivalling her own. "Funny little one! You will embrace eternity!"
Then a fist of solid rock arched through the air and struck the creature in the side of the head, followed by a stream of white light that froze the right leg of the abomination to ice. Shaking its massive skull it turned to look at the two mages to its right, all seven eyes narrowing. "Insects...you I shall simply devour." With a crack the muscles in the frozen leg twitched, making the ice covering it break apart and fall to the floor, exposing unharmed scales.
Uldred didn't manage more then a step towards the two when Alistair bowled into him. Covered in the gory remains of the now dead followers of Uldred the former templar's shield crashed into the hip of the creature, making it take half a step towards Lynn as the force of the impact drove it back. "Die maleficar!" The man landed heavily from his jump, then lunged forward with a grunt, driving his sword clean through the right thigh of the still stumbling creature.
With a growl the abomination swung at the templar. Striking Alistair's raised shield the black claws dug through the wood and steel rim as if it was nothing...and drew a cry from the man as it found the arm beneath before the force of the blow sent him flying to the ground.
Instantly the templar was bathed in white light as Wynne's healing was directed in his direction, but even as he got to one knee it would be no help, his sword still stuck in the abomination's leg the man was defenceless as the chuckling creature moved towards him, apparently unimpeeded by the blade in its thigh. The man still raised his shorn shield though, a defiant growl escaping him. "Another impressive one, how delightful..."
He's...ignoring me!? "We're not done yet!" Running forward Lynn leapt at the creature, or rather, up on the sword Alistair had stabbed into its thigh, the weapon a surprisingly solid perch. "Come here!" She pushed away with her legs, using the weapon as a launching pad, and was suddenly flying past Uldred's face as she swept her sword about.
Rolling with the impact as she landed on the floor next to Alistair Lynn looked back in time to see Uldred howl and take a step back, clawed hands coming up at the long wound that had been drawn across his snout, all the way to the mouth where it had knocked one of his teeth out. "Wow..."
"You've seen nothing yet!" Lynn growled back at Alistair, a grin on her lips. "He's mine!" Then she was rushing forth again, her blades a whirlwind of destruction aimed at the knees of the still stumbling creature.
Then she was flying, her lungs empty of all air, mind blank.
With a crash she struck the wall, fell to the floor...and rolled unto her back as her entire body begun to scream out in pain. She opened her mouth to scream, only to find herself unable to draw breath as a paralysing fire shot through her chest. "Ah..." The gasp was barely even that, just a sound, like that of a dying dog.
Then there was light, a strange prickling feeling, calm....air.
Blinking Lynn realised the pain was gone and looked up to see a shouting Alistair swing a freed blade at the retreating Uldred, the blade carving deep wounds in the scaled body of the creature. Behind Alistair Morrigan advanced, assisting him with bolts of lightning, streams of fire and ice...turning the scales of the creature black and cracked.
"Can you stand?" Wynne crouched down next to her, offering her hand.
Smirking Lynn arched her back, pushed her hands against the floor back behind her head, kicked out...and flew to her feet. "Of course." Ignoring the look the mage shot her she watched with narrowed eyes as Morrigan took a step back, the witch visibly trembling with the exertion of her feverish spell-casting... Then saw Alistair fly back as a kick of the growling Uldred crashed into his shield.
With a grin the creature advanced on the panting man struggling to get to his feet. "Wynne...punch him."
Running forward Lynn saw the fist of stone fly over her head and strike the abomination in the chest, making it take a step back to stop itself from falling over. "Alistair! Take a knee!" The man turned his head to look at her, the eyes in the dark slits of his helmet revealing how tired he was, barely able to comprehend her words.
He still dropped to one knee though, exposing himself to the now recovered abomination as it took a lumbering step towards him.
Lynn reached him first though, running full pelt she leapt up and forward, her right foot kicking off from the shoulder of her fellow warden....and sending her hurtling towards the face of the growling abomination with her blades drawn back to strike.
The creature opened its mouth, ready to catch her in its massive maw...
...then a deafening howl escaped it as Lynn's sword buried itself at the top of its skull.
Still howling the creature reeled back, nearly pulling the weapon out of Lynn's hands. She maintained her grip though, using the momentum of the movement of the abomination she swung herself upwards and around....and landed atop the skull of the creature. Wrapping her legs around the sword she gripped her dagger with both hands in a reversed grip, teeth bared in a wolfish grin.
"Die!" With a cry of delight she buried her dagger in one of the creature's left eyes, making blood explode from the wound and drawing a new howl from the creature as it stumbled sideways.
Both its hands came up towards her...only to shoot to the side in pain as Lynn quickly freed her dagger and buried it into one of the eyes to the right side of the skull and jerked it around, tearing apart all three eyes as the cutting blade dug sideways through scales and into the other eyes. "No!" The howl was pained, confused, the dark blue blood pouring from its skull blinding the creature and sticking to Lynn's legs.
"Yes!" Lynn screeched back and pulled her dagger free, sending a flood of blue blood streaming down over the floor. "Die!" With a final grunt she stabbed the dagger into the central eye.
The howl was deafening as the creature jerked, the force of the blood exploding from the fresh wound nearly knocking Lynn off the abomination while sending the slick dagger slipping from her fingers and flying away. The creature took a pair of stumbling steps backward, movements sluggish...then began to fall forward.
Rising up Lynn grasped her sword with both hands and kicked off, freeing the weapon from the skull of the creature in another explosion of blood and sending her flying away even as the beast loudly crashed to the floor.
She landed on her feet, slipped on the slick floor and landed heavily on her side, all energy suddenly leaving her.
Ouch...
"Wow..."
Looking up she managed a weak smile at Alistair as the man pulled off his helmet and stared at the dead abomination, then down at her. "T-told you you've seen nothing yet..." She coughed, head suddenly feeling thick, stuffed. "Maker...I'm tired..."
"I can understand that." Alistair nodded. Huh...I said that out loud? "Don't worry though, it's over, you get to rest now, you deserve it." He reached down, offering his arm.
Grasping the offered arm Lynn let herself be hoisted to her feet. "Thanks." Blinking she moved her free hand up to her face, feeling a thick sludge stuck to it only barely move under her fingers. "What the...?"
Alistair chuckled and gestured for his own face with a smirk. "You got a little...something...on your face."
Lynn laughed, her rage suddenly disappearing, as if a dam had broken. "Blue suits me?"
"Actually..." Alistair shot her a lopsided grin. "It kind of looks like you're choking."
She laughed again, the realisation that she was going to live another day hitting her like a wave, making her legs tremble as the tension that had kept her up disappeared. Gripping the arm of her fellow warden tighter she wavered and sheathed her sword, dimly realising that she was utterly covered in blue blood that had begun to crust into the cracks of her armour. "Right...bath first, rest second."
"Don't forget Irving and the whole circle thing." Alistair gestured at her back, making Lynn turn to see Wynne help an elderly man to his feet along with a couple of younger mages. A scowling Morrigan observing from a shadow.
Lynn couldn't help but groan. "Oh yes, forgot about that...great."
"Heeey...it'll be fun! We can take bets on whether Greagoir chooses to believe us or decides to try and kill us all for looking like demons!"
Lynn looked back, ready to snap at him. She was tired beyond words, the now dead blood mage's words still echoed in her skull, as did the memories the sloth demon had conjured up... Yet she couldn't bring herself to do it as she saw the sarcastic smirk of the man. "Heh...yes...I guess so."
"Oh right, your dagger." The man offered the weapon, grip first, the thing still covered in dark blue blood.
"Thanks." Lynn released Alistair's arm and took the dagger, the thing suddenly heavy in her weary arms. "Maker..." She shook her head, shoulders slumping as exhaustion made her waver. "...tired..."
"You want help?" The man stepped closer, the smirk gone as he looked down at her, the concern in his eyes painful to her.
Lynn shuddered and looked away. "No...no that's quite alright." Filthy shem...
*
Thanks to Abydos Jackson for the continuous help.