Dragons and Thrones: Final War – Doom Upon All The World
Chapter 35 of my crossover story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin, Dragon Age belongs to Bioware.
Solas
Directing a force projectile at the nearest Shade, Solas narrowed his eyes as he turned for a moment to observe the battle in the skies. The Red Lyrium Dragon and the Guardian were locked in savage combat, clawing at each other, attempting to bite each other, their wings buffeting each other, neither dared use their breath yet.
As that battle raged, Solas turned to see Arya and Gendry working together flawlessly as usual; Gendry crushing any of the Shades with his war-hammer while Arya would dodge around several of them as they tried to attack her, thrusting Needle into them or using her dagger to strike at them, also killing as many as she could.
Varric meanwhile used his crossbow, Bianca, to great effect, shooting down any he aimed at while using the bayonet to kill any who got close.
'All the same, this is not over yet...Even if we defeat these Shades, we cannot defeat Corypheus yet.' He mused worriedly.
He quickly blasted a trio of Shades back with a Cone of Cold spell and then launched a Barrage spell. At that point Varric launched an explosive arrow which killed the Shade it struck and wounded the two others before Arya and Gendry finished them off. There were still more Shades to come, even as the roars of the battling dragons rocked the island itself.
As they grouped, ready to face the remaining Shades as they began to advance upon them, Solas shook his head.
"We face a problem here...We cannot kill Corypheus, not yet." He explained.
They looked quickly at him before focusing on the Shades again.
Arya was the one who replied. "What!?"
Solas gestured with his staff. "The Dragons still fight, he is still invulnerable, we must draw the battle out, despite how dangerous it may be for us...Until the Guardian kills Corypheus' dragon."
The others finally understood and nodded, while it wasn't an attractive option they knew they had no choice and as such, they prepared for the upcoming battle. Ready and, despite their fears, things looking bleak, they got ready for battle as the Shades closed in.
Wasting no time, Solas worked his magic, attacking any Shade getting closer to them, while Varric handled the long-range side of the battle. Meanwhile Arya and Gendry fought those that were close enough for direct combat.
"Wait, isn't prolonging the battle just as dangerous as trying to kill him too quickly!" Gendry called out. "If we wait too long, won't he be able to do...whatever he has planned here?"
Solas called back. "It's a risk we'll have to take, deal with these creatures and then keep him busy, so he can't finish his ritual!"
Varric then replied. "Well, no time like the present, eh?!"
As he said that, he fired a shot into the face of the final Shade, killing it. Solas nodded, this part of the battle was over.
Rushing onwards, ignoring the roaring of the battling dragons, they left the first rocky clearing and began to climb the mountain again, heading desperately for the summit where the last ruins of the Temple were, where Corypheus was planning his ritual.
"There were no Greater Shades in that attack." Solas noted aloud.
"What?" Gendry queried.
Arya however seemed to know what he meant. "That's true, why...those would've been?"
Solas nodded, remembering how Arya had been to Thedas and studied various things while there. Not to mention having been trapped in the Fade too.
"I wonder..." He began.
Varric raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind Chuckles?"
Solas sighed. "He is conserving his strength as much as possible, saving it for the ritual...to make it all the more powerful."
He couldn't let that happen, he needed to stop Corypheus, most importantly, he needed to retrieve the orb, to reclaim it once more. As they reached a second rocky clearing, the last before they would reach the summit altar, they stopped, tightening their grips on their weapons, Corypheus was waiting for them.
"So...you have come...I expected it." He remarked casually. "I knew that those Shades wouldn't be enough to stop you."
They remained tense; he was casually mocking them, he could see it.
He then gave a dark smile. "But it ends here...The fact you have failed to take the hint, shows your foolishness. Nevertheless, I will ensure you get an honourable end. You cannot have a more fitting death than being killed by a God."
It was then they knew, they were in for a real fight.
Corypheus immediately thrust his arm forwards, magic flaring around his hand. The rocks around him splintered into sharp fragments that launched through the air towards them.
"Quickly, now!" Solas cried out. 'This is our only chance, we must stop this.'
He raised a barrier to block the rocks and, as they were disintegrated, Varric opened fire on Corypheus. The twisted Magister easily deflected the attack, his expression mocking. While Solas tried to cover their advance with his own magic, Varric providing ranged back-up, Arya and Gendry charged in. They both tried to attack, Corypheus blasted them back with this magic however and then launched a more powerful wave of magical energy. Solas hissed as he staggered back, falling to one nee.
'No damn, he's more powerful than I thought...This will be harder than I thought.' He noted.
Getting back to his feet, he saw Varric have another shot deflected. But then, suddenly, Gendry was there. With a powerful swing he managed to strike. Corypheus growled as he staggered back, his left shoulder injured by the attack. But he remained calm.
"A hollow attempt." He remarked, blasting Gendry back. "You have already lost."
With that he looked up, smirking. Looking up, they froze.
"No..." Solas whispered.
For as they watched, the Red Lyrium Dragon, with a dangerous roar, struck at the Guardian, both were injured, having used everything, even their breath abilities upon each other. The Guardian however fell from the sky, striking the cliff on it's way down. It landed in a motionless heap at the base of the mountain.
That wasn't the only horror, when it struck the cliff, the cliff collapsed and buried a cave, a horribly familiar cave.
Arya immediately screamed. "BRAN!"
They all turned, but Corypheus merely smirked before turning to make his way up to the highest point of the island where the altar awaited him. At that moment, the Red Lyrium Dragon landed in the clearly and growled at them, clearly seeking to fight them. Now they found themselves facing a greater challenge than everything from before, battling a dragon.
End of chapter, things have taken a rather dramatic turn, read and review please.
A serious issue will arise in these next few chapters. Part of Solas' reasons for retrieving the orb can be, if enough readers want it, to undo the union of the worlds. Thus sparing Westeros and Essos from his plans (Dragon Age fans will know what those are, those that are not, suffice to say that his plans are not good, for anyone). To put people's minds at ease, a few points you should know.
Corypheus unleashed such magic accidentally, thus it happened all at once and was chaotic and dangerous. Solas' attempt to set things right and return the worlds to normal will be slower, more gradual and therefore less chaotic. Put simply, on the last normal chapter in this story, if Solas does attempt to undo the union, the worlds are still joined together, but by the Epilogue, the separation has happened.
Those with strong connections to worlds they are not from (Josephine to Westeros for instance) will end up staying in those worlds. Should the worlds stay together then, the lands of Westeros and Essos will face the same threat as Thedas does, even those like Bran and Meera's children.
So, should Solas get the orb, should he attempt to undo the union of the worlds? Answer in the reviews please or, if you don't want to/can't, PM me your answers, whichever answer gets the most people voting for it will be the option I use.