A/N: Finally getting to some long-planned bits, so "Drama Ahead, next two miles." If you can't torture your would-be pet character, which character can you?
Honnleath
"Tread carefully, your Majesty – there may be more of these creatures lurking around" Wynne advised as they stepped over the remnants of several Shades.
"Right… hopefully he led everyone into a nest of them, running off like that."
"Foolish boy… far too temperamental."
Stepping through the door, Cailan stopped in surprise. "… What's with the cat?"
"Remain up there, Sire" Wynne ordered as she warily approached. "This is no cat…"
"I am a cat, really" it replied.
"Of course you are" Alistair muttered, slowly circling it. "You can't walk through the Denerim market without a talking cat trying to sell you something; they're so wide-spread..."
"Look kid, just step away from your little friend for a minute… we need to have a talk about… a Mabari, and I don't want it getting freaked out by all the dog-talk" Kallian offered, trying to pull Amalia away.
"Not without Kitty – she's clever enough to handle it, she's so smart! She even has a special plan for us."
"You see? Nothing you say can change her mind" it gloated.
"I don't know" Leliana started, "she must be easily swayed if she thinks you're clever. Let me guess, possession? You really think you're going to see much of our world in her? Even if you don't drop from exhaustion, trying to walk between towns, people will be constantly stopping you to find out why an unattended child is wandering about…"
"We shall see… unless you have an alternative, since you seem to think you're smarter?"
Snorting, Aedan pulled out his dagger while glaring down at it. "I've seen rocks smarter than you - living in a dream-world you can shape at your whim isn't enough, and you'd rather come to our stupid realm? Oh, you'll enjoy it so much! Between monsters trying to wipe all out life, and someone I've known all my life deciding to butcher my entire town… you have no idea how lucky you actually are, being on the other side. I'd much prefer the Fade…"
Staring up with a smirk, the demon's eyes flashed a brighter hue of purple as Aedan fell to his knees. "If you insist… now, it seems the rest of you have more reason to unlock these restraining devices."
Panicking, Alistair looked back. "Wynne?"
"Wait…" she cautioned, tracing a sigil with her staff. "Let me examine this first."
"That's Wynne for you" Aedan muttered. "Also happier as the teacher."
"Aedan? Can you hear us?" Kallian asked, grabbing his shoulder.
"Ah yes… Kallian, wasn't it? I'm sorry I missed the wedding party, sounded like a lot of fun" he replied absently.
Smacking him across the face, Alistair snarled "Snap out of it!"
"Oh, that's not going to help either of you" Kitty purred, walking past. "In fact, that just shook his little resistance attempt. Now he's much closer to accepting…"
"Some resistance, turning on us so quickly. I should have known he was no better than Eamon…"
"That's what I like about you, Alistair. You always have a joke…" Aedan muttered, clumsily turning his head to watch the demon as it walked back to the large device at the centre of the room. "And your optimism, obviously."
"Now then – ready to begin?" it asked, staring at the flames in one corner.
"Only if you let go of him" Cailan demanded, joining the others.
"Perhaps…"
"Perhaps nothing, demon!" Wynne hissed. "Your little illusion is taking what remains of your power, and the device is shielded from your influence."
"You see? You've no grounds to argue" Cailan smirked.
"Very well – I shall release the boy once the barrier is lifted."
"Typical Cailan – always with the dramatics, unless he gets his way" came from behind them, softly.
"Let's just be on with it" Leliana said, staring at the device. "Wynne, any ideas?"
"… Leliana? What's she doing here?" Aedan muttered in deeper confusion.
Once they finished re-shuffling the device's components, the group surrounded Kitty with weapons drawn. "Any further tricks and we'll cut you down…" Cailan warned.
"… Well, it seems you were right about my power, old one. I'm unable to force him out from his illusion."
After whispering something had no effect, beyond hushed whimpering from the young man, Wynne knelt down next to Aedan. "I know how to break a hold upon someone" she declared, opening a vial of lyrium. "I shall retrieve him."
"… It seems you may have to – the poor boy is unwilling to follow through on your brutal advice."
After a few tense minutes, Wynne snapped awake and spun around to watch Aedan slowly stir. Slumping forward with a shudder, he burst into tears while Kitty began changing into a Desire demon. "… I am sorry, poor boy. Your friends insisted you would somehow be happier in this world. I'd be glad to send you back, if you-"
Letting out an anguished growl, he drove his dagger up through the demon's chest. "Damn you to hell…" he choked out as it fell backwards and collapsed to the ground. Trying to wrench out the curved knife, his jerky efforts snapped the blade off as the hilt came loose.
"That… shouldn't have happened" Alistair said, kicking at the body. "Aren't these things meant to have squishy flesh, from forming out of thin air? Isn't that why they fall apart after death?" he asked as Wynne approached.
"The ones that cross over without possessing a host, yes. This one, however, has been in our world long enough for the ectoplasm to sufficiently harden. "
"Kitty really was a monster?" Amalia finally voiced up.
"I'm afraid so, child… come along; your father is waiting for us."
Slowing turning, Aedan looked over at them. "Wynne… can you make it come back? That other thing?"
"Not outside the Fade, no…"
"What was all of that?" Cailan asked, before Wynne lightly pulled him aside and whispered her answer. "What do you mean, everyone?" was met with another hushed response, causing him to pale. "Oh…"
"Let's just get her back to the others" Aedan deliberately spoke over the King as he turned to say something.
The Korcari Wilds
Diving underneath the wildly swinging tail, Zevran spun back and leapt onto the Dragon's back. 'So much for their simple plan… now, where exactly do I stab this form in the spine?'
Hissing at Surana and Anders as they peppered her face with blasts, Flemeth scattered them with a burst of flame from her maw. Ignoring the darting Mabari as it barked furiously, she kicked Carver aside mid-charge. 'Where has that Warden vanished to? I'm sure I didn't hurl him that far into the swamp' she mused, as the volley of Spirit Bolts started up again. Ducking down between the wings as they flung up in an attempt to crush him, the Crow poured out a vial of acid onto the stem of one. With a deafening screech, the Dragon's head came with inches of snatching him with the razor-sharp jaws. Leaping to the ground, he looked up to see it coming towards him again. Garahel slammed into the assassin, rolling both of them out of reach as Carver returned. Narrowly connecting, his swing sliced away a large section of scales on that side of her face.
Glaring at her new target, Flemeth failed to notice the rushing hound as it jumped and latched onto the exposed flesh. With Carver's greatsword blocking her attempts to kick away the beast with the nearest foot, she barely noticed the movement by the water as Theron finally launched an arrow during her moment of immobility. Screeching as it plunged through an eye, she unleashed another blast of fire, sending the Elf into a panicked race to shore as the swamp-water boiled into a mass of steam.
Struggling to remain upright as Surana called down lightning onto the exposed arrow and caused the damaged eye to burst, Flemeth managed to look to one side as Zevran carefully positioned himself. Striking downward, his poisoned blades punctured the remaining eye as she caught a last glimpse of Carver warily run behind a foot. Slicing the greatsword through a large portion of underbelly, he raced out the other side just before the massive body collapsed. As she faded away, she was faintly aware of more blasts of lightning while Anders reached out to feel her waning life-force. "One more should do it, just for luck."
'For now, little ones. For now…'
Near Bownammar
"Is that it? It's got to be dead, surely" Brosca asked, eying the nearest tentacle.
"It looks pretty dead to me, Warden… and don't call me Shirley" Varric muttered, carefully stepping around another tentacle.
"They don't get much deader" Oghren sneered, pulling his axe loose from the Broodmother's stomach. "I heard rumours of these things, but nobody back home put much stock into it… looks like her reinforcements have stopped swarming. Still, let's keep moving – we can't be far now." Surveying the area, he nodded to where Aveline had slumped to one knee. "We better get her up, first."
Looking up from his quiet scrutiny of her, Sten waved them away. "She just requires a moment, and air to recover from the creature's stench. We shall join you shortly."
As the Dwarves filed away to the entrance, Aveline stood. "… It wasn't the stench" she finally whispered.
"So I expected – I said that to get them moving."
"This… what happened to her. How many others went through it… its unfathomable…"
"Agreed."
Pointing up to where Hespith had stood, she grimaced. "And what she was babbling… if we find this woman – will it be another of these nightmares, or something worse?"
"Worse?"
"If it's true she meant for all of this… her mind must be much fouler than any Darkspawn."
Pausing in thought, the Qunari finally nodded. "She willingly abandoned her soul, whereas they operate from mere instinct… either way, we shall strike down what we find."
"We?"
"Your tactics won that fight. They shall do so again."
Offering a forced grin, she shouldered her shield. "So – does that mean I am a fighter?"
With the slightest ghost of a smile, he looked at her blade. "Not with your weapon coated in their filth…" he murmured, throwing over a rag. "Beyond that… perhaps anything is possible."
Wiping down the sword, she shrugged. "Why thank you – I think I love you, too."
Groaning, he gestured toward the mouth of the cave. "We shouldn't allow them to wander without us…"
Finally got to do more of the other reason Merrill got shelved - originally had an idea about Sten being stuck with her, but it was feeling too similar to her DA2 dialogue with Fenris. Sten having Aveline to play off his 'eww, cooties' mentality felt much more interesting, and so Mr. Terminally Serious Duncan eventually got Merrill's enthusiasm dumped on him instead.
And yes, the Airplane/Flying High reference was necessary. A: Needed some levity while writing this page. B: Is there a bad time to quote it?