It was a series of bloody battles, even with the fade forms the being taught him. No, it wasn't a battle, it was a hit and run. More than once, he remembered just outrunning his enemies while on fire, send a fireball when far enough to knock them down, then blasting them with fire as they scramble to their feet. It's not a dignified way to fight, but it gets the job done.
He had to kill the desire demon, the pride demon, the fear demon and the sloth demon, changing from mouse, to burning corpse, to arcane horror, then a golem, changing and healing between transformations. Along the way, he saved trapped mages and trapped templars, who were too pathetic to fight for themselves. All this and more. He had to save his companions. Alone.
He saved Leliana first. She was praying while a sister intoned over her. He never had any patience for these self-righteous hypocrites but he needed her and so convinced her gently, feeling every moment an urge to bite his tongue, that her faith wouldn't want her to succumb to false illusions brought by magic. The sister didn't like this at all, changed into a demon, only to fall later to their combined attacks. When Leliana suddenly vanished, he thought good riddance. Someone who cannot tell reality from fantasy has no business being with them.
Sten was next. At least he had the presence of mind not to be fooled by apparitions of his followers. They cut down his soldiers without any more arguing. The whining is becoming unbearable, anyway.
Wynne was surrounded by dead apprentices, mourning that she couldn't save them. It was hard trying to convince her, but then one of the corpses came alive and told her to stay. Big mistake. It should have stayed dead. So they made sure it stayed dead.
Then he got to Thorin. He was drinking with two other dwarfs. Those two were fair haired, fair skinned and their eyes were as blue as the sky unlike Thorin who was dark and had eyes shaded like sapphires. If it wasn't for the ridiculous ears, he wouldn't have known them as his brothers.
They were laughing. Amadeus never saw Thorin laugh like that before, his voice deep and rumbling like an echo of the mountains. The youngest was telling a story about when they were young, they stole a whole roasted nug and ate themselves sick. They had to confess the crime to their mother. They were bickering about who should tell about their crime but the projectile vomiting settled it. The spanking certainly made them unable to sit for days.
"Thorin," he called. Fortunately, Thorin recognized him. "Atrast vala," he greeted warmly. "Come, meet my brothers. We were just talking about our various escapades when we were young. Funny how the time flies."
"Thorin. They are not real. This is the Fade. This is an illusion," Amadeus repeated, wearily, for the fourth time.
Thorin looked at Amadeus, puzzled. "Of course they're real. I held them and spoke with them. They are flesh and blood, my flesh and blood."
It seems he can't be convinced by truth alone. "Thorin, don't you remember? We have a Blight to stop."
"Nonsense. There is no Blight. Come, brother. I have more tales to tell," said the youngest.
"Thorin, there is always darkspawn. We are fighting darkspawn."
"Oh, it can wait. But this can't wait," said the eldest, raising a tankard.
Amadeus said the only thing he knew Thorin will heed, regardless of anything. "You cannot abandon your duty."
Thorin looked at his brothers longingly for a while, then he shrugged. "Save some for me," he said, as he handed his mug to Bhelen and moved to follow Amadeus.
"No! You cannot go! You belong to us!" said Bhelen, his voice becoming demonic. He drew out his mace and attacked.
Thorin looked surprised for a moment, then he said "Oh, this I remember." He blocked the stroke with his shield, drawing his ax, while Amadeus casted a glyph at the other dwarf. He shrugged it off, so Amadeus turned into a dog and bowled him over. Before Trian could stand back up, Thorin rolled to him, swinging down his ax on the head. He felt it split open, then by instinct, put up his shield to block Bhelen's mace coming down for him. The dog sprang from behind him and closed its jaws on the Bhelen's neck. He tried to pry the animal off, but Thorin swept his ax against his legs and he fell. Thorin kicked away the mace and quartered him, while the dog tore a chunk off the neck. They watched, silent, hearing only the sounds of blood spurting from the gaping neck, until everything became still.
Thorin flicked his ax to get the blood off, but Trian's body caught his attention. "And this is what I was supposed to have done. At least I get to have the satisfaction of actually doing it."
"Are you done going mad?" Amadeus asked, human once more.
Thorin put away his ax and walked to him. "Nice work. Is this where you surfacers go when you sleep?"
Amadeus nodded.
"Hm. I couldn't imagine how you can even sleep. This place is unnerving."
"That from a veteran?"
"I have seen worse things. The only thing worse than that is having to relive them all over again."
Amadeus looked at the bodies of the fake brothers and murmured "You don't look much like your brothers."
Thorin shrugged and said "I take after my mother."
They started to walk towards the hill when the dwarf vanished. Amadeus sighed.
He was alone. Again.
He reached the last demon, where his companions reappeared beside him, each of them pissed that they were tricked. It seems the demon's little stunt to separate them had only made them unite even more strongly, even if it was hate that bound them together.
"I made you happy and safe. I gave you peace. I did my best for you and you say you want to leave?" It had the gall to ask.
Amadeus pointed at their faces. "Does this look happy to you? And what you gave was an illusion, not the real thing. We don't like being swindled."
"Can't you think for someone other than yourself? I'm hurt, so very, very hurt," it said, with mock-disappointment. When it didn't work, it switched to threatening. "You want to fight me? So be it." He transformed into an ogre.
Well, he's not the only one who can do that. Amadeus transformed himself into a golem, fighting power with power. The others looked at him in wonder, but Thorin immediately took over and worked in tandem with him, using more offensive tactics while Amadeus bore the brunt of the ogre's attacks. The demon was enraged and tried to burn them all, but Amadeus changed into fire and continued pummeling it. It saw that this didn't work so it became an abomination then a shade, sensing that physical power isn't enough. It was easier for them, it being roughly the same size until at last, it turned into its true twisted form, an arcane horror, trying to freeze them if it can't pummel, burn or slash them into bits.
It was a dogfight, but then it was over. They were burned and scratched and pummeled and sometimes thrown across the room, but they were alive. Amadeus set to work, healing, when Thorin suddenly clapped him on the back. It would have been great were it not that his hand felt like it came from a golem. Amadeus winced slightly, but it's not something he can't heal.
Niall was startled to see them when they got back to the starting place. But not for long. He was genuinely happy to see them all back. "You defeated the demon…I never thought…I never expected you to get free, to free us all."
Amadeus narrowed his eyes. Thank you for that vote of confidence, you prick.
"When you return, take the Litanny of Adralla from my..body. It will protect you from the worst of blood magic."
"You're not coming with?" Thorin asked Niall.
The mage shook his head sadly. "No. I..won't have any body to return to."
Thorin looked at him for a moment then said "When we get back, we will make sure everyone at the tower know that you have saved the Circle. They will remember you and everything you have done for them."
"I...," Niall started to say, his eyes welling up, "Thank you...I don't know what to say... thank you." Amadeus just rolled his eyes. Typical for Thorin to make some awful speech. They didn't save the Circle yet.
They said goodbye quickly to Niall when the Fade shuddered around them, taking them back to their world.
They woke up, feeling they had awakened from a nightmare. But this was not the time to dwell on it so they picked themselves back up, retrieved the Litany from Niall's body and continued on their way. But before the door, a sight they had not seen the like made them pause. A Templar was huddled before a barrier, muttering nonsense.
Well, well, it must be his name day, as they found the templar was out of his wits. It appears the templars will also abandon their own, as they race towards safety.
"Is someone over there? I hope they're still alive," Lelianna said, skeptic now because of her experience in the Fade, unsure if it was really a Templar or another demon in disguise.
The templar heard her and said "This trick again? I know what you are. It won't work. I'll stay strong." What was his name? Carter? Colbien?
Wyne came closer to the barrier and examined him. "The boy is exhausted and this cage…I've never seen anything like it," she said to them after a while. To the templar she said "Rest easy…help is here."
"Enough visions! If anything in you is human..Kill me now and stop this game."
Amadeus stepped closer to the barrier and stared at the templar. Ah, Cullen.
"Don't touch me!" Cullen cried when he saw him. "Stay away! Sifting through my thoughts! Tempting me with the one thing I have always wanted but could never have. Using my shame against me…my ill-advised infatuation with her…A mage of all things."
"Well, do you now, you self-righteous prick. How do you like it, being tormented by demons because that's what happens when you sent mages into Harrowings!"
"Amadeus.." Thorin said, trying to intervene.
"We didn't come here to save this bag of shit," he answered the dwarf. He put his face closer to the sobbing templar. "Who's the mage you speak of?"
Cullen was silent.
Amadeus looked at him with contempt. "If I find her, I'll be sure to pass your affection for her along. I'm sure she would be gratified to know that you dream of possessing her like a…thing," he sneered.
"Amadeus, do not torment him further," Wynne said.
"Leave him be," seconded Thorin.
Amadeus looked back at them, dark with rage and pointed at the templar. "Leave him be? We mages have to fight demons all our life while he gets to cry like a baby at one! Tell me, is that fair?"
"He's already mad, Amadeus. There is nothing worse you can do to him. You'll only make yourself as mad as he is," Thorin replied. Amadeus bristled at his words and fought to stop himself from kicking the barrier.
"Silence! I won't listen to anything you say. Now begone," Cullen sobbed, while they watched him silently. After a moment, he looked up. "Still here? But that's always worked before. I close my eyes but you are still here when I open them. Look what they've done to it. They deserve to die. Looked for ways to break us-"
"Isn't that what you do to mages? And now you're crying when it's being done to you."
"-and to think I once thought we were too hard on you-"
"By the Stone, where is Irving?" Thorin demanded, cutting short Amadeus' burst of outrage.
"They are in the Harrowing chamber-" at once the group went up the stairs. "No! You can't save them! You don't know what they've become!"
"Duly noted. Now let's go!"
"Are you really saving anyone by this risk?" Cullen called out to them. "To ensure this horror is ended, to guarantee that no abominations or blood mages live…you must kill everyone up there."
Amadeus whirled around and stormed back to him. "Do you really think I would do that, you insufferable coward! You, who can't bear to see demons without pissing your breeches! You templars, bullying everyone but when trouble comes, are the first to start running! Whine here, if you will, because we mages," he glared hard at the templar "will set things right, as you should have done!"
Against Cullen's protest, the group went up and opened the door.