Ahhhhh, guys! I can't get Inquisition until Thanksgiving! :( So leave a review and make me happy lol.
"How much you wanna bet they're expecting a creepy glowing Warden?" Zevran asks.
"Can you be serious for all of five seconds?" Aedan snaps.
"How much you got?" I ask, turning and dropping back down.
"Oh no," Zev says, chuckling. "We all know that is what they are waiting for. I'd prefer not to lose my sovereigns to you."
I click my tongue. "Boring, Zev. Boring."
"So what's the plan?" Aedan asks, interrupting. I look at my twin, grinning. His eyes widen. "Oh no you don't."
"Try and catch me," I retort, releasing Hope. I turn and dash around the corner before he can so much as raise a finger.
"Damn it, Elissa!"
I look over my shoulder, shouting, "Go! I'll distract them!" With that, I flip my world sideways. I readjust my field of view, shifting what was the ground now to what's behind me, and the wall of Fort Drakon as the ground. I fall, slamming into it feet-first. The force of the impact makes my legs weaken, but I ignore it, and sprint twenty feet forward. Or up, depending on perspective. Mine says forward. Once I reach the edge of the wall, I jump, flipping around and changing down back to the normal spot, landing on my feet flawlessly. I immediately feel the toll of that spell as my mana drains, but I don't spend much more time than that on it. The guards are staring, mouths agape and wide-eyed.
"Evening!" I say, saluting. They just stare, so I roll my eyes, crossing my arms. "Do I have to spell it out for you? You don't have orders to arrest me?"
The nearest man blinks, shaking his head. "Oh. Right."
"There you go!"
I tense my muscles, dropping into a defensive stance, as they run at me from both ends of the ramparts.
Don't kill. Scare. Immobilize, I tell myself.
The first man hits me from my left, but I spin and bring my knee up into his chest, ducking beneath a sword that just barely misses my head. I straighten, grabbing the swordsman's wrist and twisting it back before jumping out of the fray. I drop over the inside of the wall, latching onto the ramparts at the last possible second. I don't waste anymore time to get inside the gates' controls, launching myself through the small slit. I hit a guard in the chest with both feet, but I roll off and back up, touching the wheel that raises the portcullis. I link it to the far wall and it starts spinning its own accord, opening for my friends. Then I bolt, hopping out to the courtyard below. Aedan and the others are sliding beneath the metal grate as it opens.
"That was..." Even Zevran seems at a loss for words.
"That was not enough!" I exclaim, upset. "I have way too much energy!"
"Then go waste some of it!" Aedan says.
"Good plan," I reply, nodding as I bounce back into a jog.
"Get those doors open," he says.
"On it," I say. "Just keep the guards off me." He nods, drawing his sword. The four of them make up a triangular formation, putting Leliana in the center while Aedan, Zevran, and Sten watch her flanks.
I sprint across the courtyard, somehow dodging all the arrows peppering the ground around me. The alarm bell blares, echoing in my ears, but I ignore it, searching the door for a weakness. Metal, so it's strong. Locked and barred, meaning I can't just dropkick it until I bust a hole or punch the lock off.
I snort in amusement. I'm thinking of some pretty weird things lately.
Why don't I do this the simple way?
I back up, summoning ice crystals on my right arm. I aim at the hinges before letting them freeze and once they are, I draw my bow, shattering them. The door creaks, shaking, and I roll out of the way as it slams into the ground with a solid thud. I look back at my companions, but they're already following, running from a small armada of guards.
"You're starting to scare me," Aedan says.
"Really? I already scare myself."
He sighs as they run past into the tower. "And I thought Zevran was a smartass."
"You've lived with me for everyday of your life, and you didn't know that already?" I shake my head. "For shame, Aedan!" My brother rolls his eyes.
"And you were worried about me not taking anything seriously!" Zevran says.
"I apologize to you," Aedan says.
I lead the way into the tower, not wasting any time in erecting a barrier over the door the same way Wynne did at the Circle. I hope they got something useful out of Genitivi. We won't be in Denerim long enough to talk to him after this. As I turn, I notice the scaffolds set up around the large antechamber, ballistae on each of the four. My eyes narrow and I shove Hope back, creeping into the room as quietly as possible.
It's too quiet.
I take another step, but Leliana and Zev both call out a warning too late, and the ground explodes. Tiles fly, soaring around the room as ten-pound projectiles that can kill. I cover my head with my arms, dropping to a knee. Smoke and dust fill the entire massive room, and when it clears, I'm still standing.
Boom shield.
"Boom shield!" I exclaim, pulling the necklace out to where I can see it. The rune is glowing silver. "It worked!"
"Uh...Elissa?"
"What?" Aedan opens his mouth to respond, but thinks better of it and shuts his mouth before any sound comes out. "Okay. There's going to be a hallway up ahead. You guys go right. Leliana, come with me."
Aedan doesn't look happy, but he says nothing as Leliana and I break off from the main group once we're in the hallway. She paces me from behind, arrow loaded to her bowstring. Her boots are far quieter than my own, but we make as little noise as possible as we jog along, checking every room we come upon.
"Strange," she says as she rejoins me from checking an office.
"I don't believe I drew all of them outside," I say. I push Hope back, drawing my bow.
"Someone had to be inside to close the door, Elissa," she says.
"That's my point," I mutter. "Come on. We still have that room to check." I point down the hall and she nods, eyes narrowed on the huge door.
"Perhaps they are all back there?"
"We're about to find out," I say, jogging down to it. She follows, stopping a few feet back. I don't know what all she's doing, but I get down on my hands and knees, peeking under the door. I see a wall far, far back with lit sconces, but they suddenly extinguish.
"If that Warden glows, we'll be able to see her."
I get to my feet, nodding at Leliana.
"Stay behind the wall until I'm inside," I whisper. Leliana nods, bracing up against the wall opposite the way the door opens. I let Hope out, inhaling slowly, before slamming it open with my shoulder. Traps around the foot of the door explode, shaking the room, but I pick out the ones that are less...explosive, and avoid them, using the dust as cover.
They saw what they wanted. Now it's time to take that luxury away from them.
Hope lets me throw her back again as I roll out of the way. Leliana follows me in a moment later, hiding somewhere in the dark. Light flows in from the hallway, but it's not nearly enough to light the whole room, and the guards shout at each other to get messages across. As I sneak around behind what appears to be a large mass of them, someone calls out about intruders. I whip an arrow out, throwing it in his general direction to silence him. And it works. I hear the arrowhead slam into something fleshy, followed by gurgling noises, and then a body slumps to the floor.
"Where are you?!"
It's not my arrow that shuts him up.
Alistair starts when he hears the alarm bell ringing. He's confused at first, wondering what could make Fort Drakon ring their bell. He was hoping Leliana would manage to get in without alerting the guards, but no one is perfect. He shrugs to himself.
He sits in his cell, twiddling his thumbs. The prison is quiet for a long time, but then something explodes, shaking the entire building. It felt like it was coming from the main room. Leliana wouldn't be reckless enough to set off a trap. Would she? Sten might, but with Zevran and Leliana there, he's not so sure.
That's also when the bulk of the guards pour into the antechamber with Cyrus and his' cells, slamming and barricading the door behind them. What are they running from?
"Did you see where the Warden went?"
"The opposite direction, ser. We should be safe here."
The door shakes and booms, causing all of the guards to yelp. Alistair gets to his feet, going up to the bars by the door to his cell. He strains his ears to hear what's going on out in the hallway.
"Hit it again!" Aedan shouts, voice muffled by the five-inch thick metal. The door rumbles on its hinges, but stays strong. The guards let out a sigh of relief until it happens again, and then they draw their weapons, hiding behind them. "Again!"
"Archers!" The guards move in response, drawing their bowstrings back and taking aim at the door as it rattles again. They crouch just behind the first row of defenders, aiming up the stairs.
Alistair's eyes widen as the door actually breaks free, and he barely has the thought, let alone the chance, to cover his ears as it slams into the floor. The guards yelp as one, and Aedan leads the charge down the stairs, his two companions on his heels. Alistair raises an eyebrow. Where's Leliana?
Damn it, he thinks.
"Woah!" Aedan exclaims, sliding to a stop. "Holy-"
"Down!" Sten interrupts, shoving the Warden out of the way. The Qunari leaps after his leader, barely avoiding the first barrage of arrows.
"Zev! Get them out!"
The Antivan doesn't reply, instead opting to sheath his daggers in favor of a combustion grenade.
Explains how they got the door open, Alistair thinks.
The elf whips it into the row before sprinting around past, picking the lock on Alistair's lock so fast his hands are a blur.
"Thanks."
"My pleasure," the elf purrs.
"Oh, could you not?"
"No," he replies, chuckling before he moves off to Cyrus' cell. Alistair rolls his eyes, huffing.
"Aedan! Where's Elissa?"
Another explosion, much farther off, booms across the room. "Probably wherever that came from!" the Warden replies. "Get out of here! We've got Cyrus! Go!"
"Run, damn it!" I snap, firing an arrow over my shoulder.
"Good plan!" Leliana replies.
"I'll cover you! Get moving!" She leaps to her feet, disregarding the men below lobbing grenades and arrows up the stairs at us. She had hidden behind a wooden bench that only suffered a few scorch marks and looks no worse for the wear. I ended up hiding behind pillars, shifting positions every few minutes so I wouldn't have to keep popping out.
I glance over my shoulder as a sergeant starts to shout an order to focus on my friend. I pop out, firing an arrow into the man's uncovered neck, sending him tumbling back into his men. I check to make sure Leliana's at a safe distance before bolting after her, barely pausing to kick the door shut. I have the semblance of mind to hit it with the flat of my foot instead of breaking my toes on it. We make eye contact before silently agreeing to go find the guys, running off at s sprint. We don't get very far; the door slams open behind us and we are forced to hide in alcoves on opposite sides of the hall.
Leliana's breathing as hard as I am; I can see the rise and fall of her chest from here. "You have to."
"Doesn't mean I'm happy about it," I retort, pulling my bow over my shoulder. I peek out as the group of guards searches the rooms. "As soon as they're distracted, run." She nods, squeezing her eyes shut and doing her best to catch her breath while she has the chance. I do the same, breathing through my nose. "Ready?"
"As I will ever be."
I take a deep breath, dropping control to Hope again. The spirit floods my mind, my desires, my worries, everything, until the only part of me that's left is my body. I give her everything, and she takes it, following through with my end of the deal. Leliana bolts the instant it is safe to while Hope throws arrows and fireballs down the hall like she's hunting. With her there instead of me, the guards drop much faster, and quickly enough, the hallway is clear.
"Leliana?" Hope calls.
"Here," the Orlesian replies, stepping out into view from down the hall. "You are not...?"
"I am not," Hope says stiffly.
"Oh. Uh...good."
"Do not lie, mortal," the spirit snaps as she pushes past the bard. "I know what you think of me, of Elissa. Whether or not she chooses to, now that's something different." Leliana just looks confused. "You think of me as a monster that your friend cannot control. You think I use her. You think I murder people. You think we are an abomination."
"I do not!" Leliana snaps furiously.
"Which part?" Hope asks softly, freezing. "Tell me that the next time we get to talk."