Obligatory Chapter Heading:
Chapter 21:
The darkspawn led us along the coast for an hour or two before coming to a stop just in front of a cave.
An entrance to the Deep Roads.
Curiously, no one stands guard, and we pass through about fifteen feet of the cavernous hall unopposed. No signs of life, except…
"Where is my sister?" An elf steps out of the shadows, a curious look on her pale face.
"She is defending the Keep." I answered, moving toward her as she approaches. "What are you doing with the Architect?" The last she'd been seen was in the presence of him. Did that mean we were heading in to his lair? I kept my expression blank, to hide my doubts of the situation.
"He is kind to me, and tender, and he has told me his plan. The darkspawn are just like us." We stand a foot apart, staring each other down. This close, I can see she'd transitioning in to being a ghoul. She sounds like a sycophant. "The Architect has freed them, and they search for a place in this world, just like the Dalish are searching. Everything he's done, he's done to help his people." The turn of this conversation, and her tone, are starting to make me feel uncomfortable. Especially when she asks, "You can respect that, can't you?"
"His darkspawn killed your clan. Your friends. You and your sister are the only ones that survived their attack." By now, my arms are crossed, to keep me from grabbing my blades and stabbing her. The only reason I haven't walked away is because she's Velanna's sister.
"They didn't understand. That is why I must help them. They are like children-come in to this world with no understanding of what is good and fair." It sounds like someone feeding her lines to spout off if questioned. "They have a bestial nature, but I've seen them overcome it. They just need to be shown how."
I wasn't going to be able to talk her out of this, not in one conversation. If ever, actually. But I couldn't let her go without speaking to her sister. "Come with us, then."
The others stirred behind me for the first time, but neither of them said a word.
"No, I have work to do." A glazed look entered her gray eyes. "The Architect is waiting for me, and for you. He will explain everything. You will see as I have seen." Taking a step back, the shadows crawl out to cover her, and she's gone.
Whirling, I spat at the Messenger. "You were supposed to take us to the Mother, not the Architect." Not waiting for him to give another lie, I started walking down the corridor again.
Coming upon some darkspawn on a long spiral staircase leading down, I growled. "You lay a hand on me, and you will die."
They paused, looking at each other.
"If you're with the Architect, the Father, then get out of our damn way."
Standing against the wall, they let us pass, their eyes following us the whole way down. At the bottom, an ogre waits. Simply stands and waits. Makes no move to attack us.
There's a tense moment of silence as we get closer to it. I half expect it to talk, as well, unsure if it even can. Haven't heard one talk yet.
Taking stock of the area, I notice there's two paths. One is another staircase, leading up. The other is what looks like a knocked-over pillar that acts as a bridge across a chasm. Looking over at the stairs, I see the Architect coming from wherever it leads.
"We meet again." It wasn't really meeting, if we didn't speak and I only got a glance of you right before you left, sir. There's a dwarf with him, who pulls out her sword. "No, Utha. That is not how this must begin. I owe you an apology, Commander."
Oh, this I have to hear.
"When last we met, I had intended to explain myself. Fate, however, intervened." He stepped off the ledge, using magic to float himself down to our level.
"So explain now." I crossed my arms, tapping a foot.
"I wanted to capture you all, to restrain you to prevent the misunderstanding that occurred with the rest of your order."
"Oh, yeah. The sort that end in everybody dying. I get those all the time." Anders snarked.
"I sent the Withered to ask for the Grey Wardens' help." The Father continued as if he hadn't spoken. Probably a wise choice. I'd ignore Anders, too, in this situation. "I should have anticipated that you might view our approach as an attack. I admit, I am rarely able to judge how your kind will react. It was most unfortunate."
"You came from our cellars. Of course they'd consider it an attack." I shot back, frowning. Honestly. "Wouldn't you? Besides, you took Grey Wardens."
"The ones brought back to me were already dead." He explained in a rush, trying to placate me. "I took their blood just as I took theirs, because I had little choice. Things have not gone as I planned."
Something in me snapped, and I lunged. He wasn't quick enough to get out of the way, and I slammed him against the wall the staircase was built in to.
My voice sounded strange-louder and as if there was more than one person speaking. "You took their blood? Why?"
He shook his head, signaling for the dwarf and darkspawn to stand down, his words sounding rehearsed. "My kind has ever been driven to seek out the Old Gods. This is our nature. When we find one, a Blight is begun." My rage only grew as he spoke, impatience growing. "Each time, we attack your surface lands, and you fight back until we are defeated. To break the cycle, my brethren must be freed of their compulsion. For that, I need Grey Warden blood."
"Get to the point." I growled out, the air around us getting thicker.
"In order to become what you are, you drink the blood of my kind. To transform. Similarly, we must transform. I have created a version of your Joining that uses the blood of Grey Wardens."
"How do you know about the Joining?" Wasn't that supposed to be a secret? How did the darkspawn, of all things, find out?
"We hear things." That wasn't ominous. "You take the taint in to yourself. What we take is your resistance. That is how my brethren are freed. In your blood lies the key to their immunity against the call of the Old Gods."
"I like my blood where it is. In my veins." Anders frowned, shifting behind me.
Releasing him, I took a step back, trying to calm myself. One thought on my mind. "How do the darkspawn change afterward?"
"You can't be serious!" The mage shouted.
"Once they are freed, the darkspawn think for themselves, they speak, they act. Some, however, have reacted poorly." Just like our recruits. Most live, some… react poorly. "They are flawed, and they rage against me. The Mother gathers them to stop me… as she seeks to stop you." Shaking his head, seemingly sad. "I cannot defeat the Mother alone, and I cannot free the darkspawn unless she is defeated. Our goals are the same."
I absolutely could not believe I was considering this. An ally… Amongst the darkspawn…
"Help me kill the Mother, and after it is done, I will leave to continue my work."
"What is the Mother?" I asked, hedging to buy myself more time to think it over.
He looked down, voice soft. "My most flawed creation. Freedom drove her mad, and she has poisoned the minds of the others. She has influence with the ones who have not been freed, and she gathers them as an army." A sweep of his arm. "I do not seek to rule my brethren. I only seek to release them from their chains."
To end the fight against the darkspawn. Wasn't that a big reason why the Grey Wardens were created? If none of them woke up an old god, there would be no more blights. Which would mean no more Wardens would have to sacrifice themselves to end said blight. The only thing would be the corruption darkspawn carry within them. Maybe, with their help, mages and alchemists could find a cure. Or even just an antidote. Something other than becoming a Grey Warden if you're tainted. There was just one thing…
"How did you get free? If you're the one who started the freeing."
There was some shuffling behind me, and I'm pretty sure Nathaniel was covering Anders mouth, judging by the muffled raised voice I heard. Either that or it was Sigrun, but I didn't know how she'd reach up that high. The image almost made me smile.
"I was born as I am, an outsider amongst my kind. Why? I do not know." The Architect sounded thoughtful. "Why do some of your kind become Grey Wardens? Why do some possess magic? I have no answers."
"You have an ally." I heard myself saying.
More movement from the others, and I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Anders try to punch Nate in the face. When the rogue dodged, the mage leaped out of his reach.
"What if he's wrong? What if this doesn't stop the Blight, but makes something worse?"
"No… No!" Sigrun shouted suddenly. "This is a monster! I can't let you do this."
"We could stop the Blights, once and for all." I said quietly. "Don't you want that?"
"I do, but…" She looked at a loss, sighing. "I hope you know what you're doing."
You and me both.
My eyes flicked over to Nathaniel. What was his take on this?
"Darkspawn or no, he has a good point. Do we really want to keep killing each other forever?"
Anders didn't argue, pouting. Even he could see the benefits, if it was true. If not, I could always track him down and kill him.
"My thoughts, exactly." Facing the Architect again.
"Thank you, Commander." He bowed his head. "I realize what a leap of faith this is for you. I hope that I prove worthy of your trust. The Mother lies ahead, Warden. I cannot approach her physically-her Children protect her from my power. But when you reach her, I will do whatever I can to help you. You have my promise."
"It wasn't nice," I fixed my gaze on the Messenger. "to lead us here, knowing the Architect would be waiting. That's something you tell the ones you're expecting to trust you."
"Would you have come?" The Architect challenged.
"Yes." I didn't even hesitate. "I would have been prepared to listen, rather than almost killing you. But that doesn't matter, I guess. For the last time… Where is the Mother?"
"She is deep in the earth." He gestures toward the pillar-bridge. "Protected by crystals."
"Break them? Drain them? Light them up?" I waved my hand in a circular motion to hurry him up. "What are we dealing with, here?"
"Collect them."
"Got it. What do they do?"
"By themselves, nothing." He was testing my patience, dragging this out. The longer he talked, the longer the fight at Vigil's Keep raged. "There are four towers. I am unsure what they do, exactly, but-"
"If you don't know, then we don't have to it." Turning on my heel, I steeled myself to walk across the chasm, praying I didn't look down or pass out. Or both, which would be very bad.
The Architect didn't follow, neither did his dwarf friend.
"If we find these crystals and towers, we can decide whether or not to use them. If we have the time, that is. If everything moves too fast, fuck it." Giving a shrug as more darkspawn come in to view.
These don't hesitate to attack.
The closer we got, the more of the beasts we had to wade through.
"Okay. You two didn't get a good look at the broodmother in the Hills, so…" I shuddered. "It never gets easier. They're ugly. Especially after you know why they exist. I have a feeling this one will be different, but I'm unsure how. Just… keep in mind that she'll be gross-looking."
The tunnel we were in gave way to a large cavern, and a flash of a thought flitted through my head. How deep in the earth were we? Before us stood… er, sat?… was a broodmother. A very human-like broodmother.
The Mother, I assumed.
"Now the pieces fall in to place! The Grey Warden comes, the instrument of the Father!" She shrieks a laugh. "Oh, and the Father, he is but a shadow! Oh, how my children protect me! How they love me!"
The Architect appeared from a bright light beside me, his image ghost-like. Projection. "I have told you many times, Mother, I am not 'the Father.' I am simply the Architect."
He spoke like it was a title, not his chosen or given name. Interesting.
"It does not change what you are!" She raised her hands, gesturing wildly. "You took away that beautiful music! Left us with nothing!" Her tentacles began flailing about in her frustration.
"It was a mistake to free you." He said sadly, shaking his head a little. "It has left you with madness. I am truly sorry."
"Would the Warden like to hear how it was that the Father began the Blight?"
Uhm… What? I went completely still, and she knew she had my attention.
"You want the source of the archdemon, the one who brought all our kind to the surface?" She cackled like a Disney villain. "Here he is!"
She speaks the truth. I blinked, struggling to keep my expression in place, whatever it was. Barely breathing. I remember him.
And you waited until now to mention that?
You don't like it when I speak. The voice sounded like it was… pouting.
"We should never have trusted any darkspawn." Sigrun shuddered, taking a step back.
"What? Then… he began the Blight?" Nathaniel was horrified, shaking his head.
"Ouch. Score one for the Mother, huh?" Anders sounded like he was commenting on a movie.
"Ah. There it is, then." A sigh. "Unfortunate." He wasn't denying it… "I did find the Old God, Urthemiel. But I did not wish another Blight. I attempted my Joining ritual." Sweet Maker. "My hope was that this would free all darkspawn, unravel the curse from its source. Alas, I was unlucky."
"You…" I took a deep breath, counting to ten.
His bowed his head again. "Is it not the way of the Grey Wardens to do what must be done, in the name of combating the Blight?" Was it the same thing? Surely there were some things that wouldn't be done, lines even the Wardens wouldn't cross… "The Blight is a menace, both for your people and for mine. To end it requires sacrifice and risk."
"And how lonely the Father was." The Mother mock-wailed, recapturing my attention "How terrible to be the outcast, the outsider! He claims he wishes the darkspawn to be free. What he truly wants is to correct them!" The tentacles thrashed about again.
"However you feel about what I have done, the Mother is mad. She cannot be allowed to-"
"Begone, shadow!" She waved her arm, banishing the illusion of him. "You cannot harm the Mother any more than you already have! And now," Her voice grew louder, her laugh echoing back to us from every direction. "the hero is alone."
I wasn't-
Tendrils shot up from the ground beneath us, grabbing Anders and Sigrun before they could react. Nathaniel and I just barely managing to dodge out of the way. The offending appendages coiled, then tossed my companions to the far side of the cavern.
"No!" I screamed, throwing out my hands.
The magic rushed toward them, just in time to act as a barrier between them and the ground. The dwarf gave a groan as she struggled to sit up, her armor slightly dented from the force, the Mother having tried to crush them. Anders gives a weak thumbs up, but doesn't move otherwise. Other than letting his arm flop back down.
Exhaustion washes over me, and I stumble. Nathaniel grabs my arm and eyes me with concern.
"If we're going to survive this, then we need to get past the tentacles. We have to strike her body." I murmured to him. "Distract her with arrows. Anything. Just don't get grabbed."
With that, I sprinted toward the other two.
"Sigrun, how do you feel?" I hold out a hand to help her to her feet. "Anders?"
He just groans, eyes closed. She bounces on her feet, taking stock of her injuries.
"I'm okay."
"Anders, I'm serious." I reached down and yanked him up by the front of his robes.
This one wouldn't be as simple as the first broodmother I'd faced. She might be able to analyze the situation and respond as such, being she had consciousness.
What could it hurt to try, though?
"Hey!" I shouted, running at her.
"She's crazy." Anders said in disbelief.
"Isn't it great?" A laugh from Sigrun.
Dwarves were really something, weren't they? Vaguely, I recalled that being Oghren's reaction, too.
A tendril broke through the ground a couple of feet from me, whipping through the air, trying to grab me up too. While the long-rangers barraged the Mother with their attacks, more acting as annoyances than anything else, I used all the momentum I had to jump-dodge just in time for it to crash in to the ground where my feet had just been. Bouncing off the curve of the tentacle, I flew through the air to her. Pulling out the dagger midair.
With her distracted by the others, Sigrun now joining the fray, shouting her battlecry, she didn't see my continued approach until after it was too late. My blade sunk deep in to her chest, dragging downward through her torso with the help of gravity.
An unearthly scream left her, but her body slumped before I found purchase on the ground with my feet.
"I'm so done with Amaranthine." I grumbled, feeling like how the others looked. Exhausted.