NOTE: This chapter took forever to write, but its finally here. Should finish up Legacy in one more chapter. A thanks to my friend who showed me how to do the firemen carry so I could research how it works. Even moreso when they agreed to carry me for a bit so I could see what it's like. You know you're lucky when you ask your friends to do some odd things and all they do is say 'sure, sounds fun'.
To answer a question from a friend, 'do Anders and Garrett have a theme song?'. The answer, no, they have a soundtrack. But if they did have to have one song, it would probably be Collide by Howie Day or Photograph by Ed Sheeran.
Also, some images of what our heroes look like. I very much like a mod for Anders in Dragon Age 2, Anders of the Anderfels. It's my favorite mod for him. / dragonage 2 / mods/ 3283 / ?
And Hawke looks like the generic male Hawke, only a bit younger with blue eyes rather than amber. This wallpaper is the best one that comes close.
Hdwallpapersfactory wild-animal /dragon – simple – background – hd – wallpaper - 1150117
Chapter 3. Lingering Spirits
"You're here, both brothers. You've come." The dwarf's voice boomed loudly off the stone walls, making everyone grasp their weapons in expectation of an attack.
"Is he referring to you and me?" Carver asked, feeling uneasy as he watched the dwarf's twitching eyes. It was unnatural, they looked more like a blind man's eyes with their empty spoilt milk colored irises. More dwarves began to appear as the sound echoed. Many of them heavily armed and displaying the same strange eyes.
"Everyone, they've come! The children of Malcolm Hawke. They've come to us." The Carta dwarves had completely surrounded them.
"What does my Father have to do with this?" Garrett was already grasping his staff. He could feel the darkness rising again as the bastards babbled on about his late Father.
"It began with him and ends with you. Blood for blood, that's what we were told." Garrett wondered if this was part of Janeka's orders. If so, why? Had Malcolm Hawke run afoul of the Wardens in his travels? Even then, that didn't explain the dwarves tainted states.
"Why, did our Father cross the Wardens?" Carver asked. Garrett raised his hand to silence his brother, he had a feeling the dwarves were more than a little insane from the taint and unlikely to provide the answers they wanted.
"You've come to us now, and that's all that matters."
"You tell me," Garrett unstrapped his staff, giving Freedom's Call a swing and slamming the end of it on the ground with a small shower of white sparks. "How could I refuse with such a lovely worded invitation?"
"You don't understand," the dwarf's voice rose in pitch, "we must have the blood."
"Right," Garrett snarled, "so much for conversation." He conjured a large fireball and threw it right into the dwarf's face. The dwarf screamed and called for the others to attack and take the blood. Garrett used a burst of kinetic energy and launched himself forward and knocked down two armored warriors carrying heavy axes. He landed in a crouched position and thrust his staff forward into the belly of the lead dwarf. The dwarf stopped clutching his burned face and glanced down at the long wooden pole protruding from his stomach. Garrett gave it a sharp twist to sever the inferior vena cava and retracted with a wet slipping sound. The dwarf dropped as he began to bleed out from his internal injury.
Carver covered his brother's exposed back, using his shield to knock down several rogues that attempted to jump Garrett from behind. Their smoke bombs worked against them. Rather than providing cover, it gave away their positions as Varric used Bianca to rain down a hail of bolts into the smoke.
Garrett charged ahead of his companions, throwing both physical and spiritual might behind his spells. The dwarves saw what he had done to his leader and ran ahead to avoid the same fate. It didn't stop the mage, he just cast a few well-placed bolts of lightning to slow them. The dwarves in the full metal armor were hit the hardest. The metal proved a good conductor for the electrical current. The lightning would strike the metal and slice through the nervous system and any exposed skin. Those that didn't drop dead of the electric overload could only moan and attempt to crawl away. They didn't get far before another wave of lightning hit and silenced their cries.
"Garrett!" Anders called as he watched the other mage run ahead. The dark haired mage was intent on cutting a swath through the Carta ranks and did not stop as his name was called. He watched as Garrett used the staff as both spear and conductor. The blade was wickedly sharp on both edges, easily cutting flesh down to the bone. The crystals gleamed as Garrett cast his signature lightning bolts. They glowed brighter and hotter than they ever had with Malcolm's staff. Any other time, Anders might have taken a second to appreciate the impressive display of primal magic. "Garrett! Wait!" The other mage continued to ignore him as he hurried down the decrepit path towards the gates just outside the hideout. Not wanting the other mage to get hurt due to recklessness, the blonde cast a spell of haste and took off. It left Carver and Varric behind, but the two were capably fending off the few remaining rogues. He thought he heard them call out his and Garrett's names, but he couldn't let the elder brother get too far out of his sight. Maker knows what would happen if he did.
Garrett was chasing down a heavily armored dwarf that had almost reached the gates when he was suddenly thrown off balance as an armored bronto knocked him aside. Garrett rolled and landed against one of the raised battlements. The beast turned on him and lowered its head to charge. He felt a flutter of panic as it's horns angled in the direction of his abdomen. His armor was strong, but a sharp point with hundreds of pounds of concentrated force could easily pierce the leather and metal to gore the soft skin underneath. The bronto started to run, but stopped as a sudden blue light engulfed it. The beast was frozen in stasis.
"MOVE!" Anders' voice broke the state of paralysis that had overtaken Garrett. He jumped to his feet and ran around the bronto to the other mage. Anders was shaking with the effort of his spell. The beast was still fighting him with all it's might and he couldn't hold it for long. Entropy had always been his weakest point. He excelled in Creation magic and the occasional fireball, but Entropy always left him drained. With a burst of effort, the bronto broke through the hex and whirled on them. The blonde dropped and landed hard on his side. Anders tried to use his staff to right himself, but he could barely move.
Garrett conjured a stone fist and hit the bronto in the right eye. The animal snarled and shook it's head as the socket dripped a mix of thick vitreous humour and blood. It let out a pained scream and attempted to run the mages down. Garrett grabbed the still immobile Anders and in one fluid move grabbed an arm and leg to swing him up and over his shoulder. Garrett was forced to drop his staff so he could keep a hold of Anders' knee and wrist, leaving both mages without a weapon.
The bronto's depth perception was destroyed by the loss of an eye, but even so it barely missed as it hurtled towards them. It only missed Garrett's leg by a hairsbreadth as the mage sprinted in retreat. Garrett could not see Carver or Varric and assumed they must still be dealing with the Carta dwarves. He panted as he climb the stairs of one of the erected battlements. The bronto couldn't follow them and began banging itself into the base as it attempted to knock them down. Garrett nearly lost his footing as the bronto continued to smash it's head into the base. The battlement wobbled and Garrett's knees buckled under him. He dropped hard and was barely able to hang onto the mage still slung around his shoulders. The blond had fallen unconscious from straining his magic and would not be able to defend himself if Garrett dropped him.
"Come on, come on," Garrett ground out as he prayed for backup to come. Where were they? One final charge broke down the battlement wall and pitched the two forward. Garrett lost his grasp and both went tumbling forward. Garrett landed flat on his stomach and let out a hard exhalation as the air was knocked from his lungs. "Anders," Garrett looked at the mage lying next to him, "wake up, now" he was about to shake him when he saw a trickle of blood coming from a gash on his temple, staining both skin and hair red. "No, no, no!" An angry grunt forced Garrett to turn and look at the bronto. He pushed himself on top of the unconscious blonde and tossed up a quick shield to protect them. The bronto hit the shield hard and nearly broke through. Garrett knew the shield wouldn't hold very long, he tightened his grip on Anders' neck and waist, trying to cover his vulnerable back if they were indeed to be trampled. "Maker, I'm sorry, this is my fault. So sorry." Garrett pleaded against the back of Anders' head, "please, wake up, I need you to wake up love." The bronto had backed up to give one last charge to tear down his shield and Garrett closed his eyes as he waited the inevitable death by bronto.
He heard the heavy feet pounding the ground and tensed. He waited for the flat feet to break his back and horns to gore him open, but then it stopped. No sound. Nothing. He opened one eye cautiously and saw the beast had stopped dead in it's tracks. Carver had rammed his sword through it's skull and was shaking as he pulled the blade out. The beast dropped and did not get up. Carver was breathing like a man who had been seconds away from drowning. He glared at his brother and wiped the bronto blood of his sword before sheathing it.
"You bloody bastard," Carver snapped as he stalked over to the two mages, "what the hell were you thinking? You almost got yourself killed!" Carver hauled his brother to his feet, "what the hell happened to Anders?"
"He exhausted himself with Entropy magic." This only made Carver turn redder. "I know, it's my fault. I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me that. Tell him when he comes to." Garrett felt terribly ashamed of his actions. He had given over to the darkness again and nearly gotten both him and Anders killed. If he had gotten Anders killed, he didn't know what the hell he would do. Garrett cradled the unconscious mage and waited for him to come round. As much as he wanted to use lyrium to speed up the process, their supply was too limited.
"Hawke," Varric said as he joined them. The dwarf now looked very concerned as he saw Garrett holding a passed out Anders, "what's wrong with Blondie?" Garrett didn't say anything, just ignored both his brother and his friend as he poured some of his magic into Anders. The gash on Anders' head closed as his natural healing ability kicked in. The only evidence was a small matting of dried brown-red blood clinging to a few strands of golden hair. The natural spring of mana inside the other was nearly drained and would take time to naturally replenish. Garrett's magic would have to suffice for both of them in the meantime.
"Love," Anders groaned as he came back. The last thing he remembered was Garrett pulling him into a carry before everything went black. His head throbbed a bit, but it was manageable. He could see Varric and Carver's worried expressions. "Did someone die?"
"You and me almost." Garrett said as he tightened his grip, "it's my fault. I'm so sorry," a tear escaped Garrett's eye, "please forgive me."
"Always." Anders wiped the tear away and gave a weak smile. Feeling his strength come back, he pushed himself up. He was a bit dizzy from the paralysis hex, but it was already fading as Garrett's magic mingled with his. "We shouldn't linger. There's probably more nearby."
"Blondie's right. The Carta was worse than a nug infestation. Where there's one, there's always a hundred."
"Great, because this day can't possibly get any worse." Carver sighed, still pissed at his brother for his earlier actions. He knew his brother would never intentionally harm his loved ones, but this new impulsive streak could get somebody killed. Next time, he might not be there to prevent it.
"You know you should never say that." Anders grabbed his and Garrett's dropped staves, happy to find both undamaged, "that's just inviting trouble."
.1.1
"Varric, I know you said where there's one, there's a hundred, but this is just getting ridiculous." Carver groused as they descended the stairs into the Carta's lair. The ruined fortress above had been loaded with traps and suicidal dwarves screaming about someone named 'Corypheus'. Garrett had wondered if Corypheus was a Carta leader or a compatriot of Warden Janeka, but was unlikely to get any answers from the tainted crazed dwarves. Anders had said very little the entire time, seeming to become more and more withdrawn as they went deeper into the hideout. "My shield arm is getting tired from all the nutcases trying to bleed us."
"Someone has to watch your brother's back," Varric said as he and the younger Hawke walked behind the two mages. "And Blondie doesn't look like he's in any shape to do it." Anders was still moving stiffly, and seemed a bit green around the edges. Garrett kept casting worried looks his way, but Anders ignored it. He felt awful, his blood was burning inside him and it felt like someone was running sandpaper against his nerves. It was like being exposed to a massive horde of darkspawn and the Archdemon all in one go. He could only conclude that it was the taint inside the dwarves. They were little more than ghouls. If they had become resistant like himself, it would be more like a dull humming sensation than a throbbing pain. It made him shudder to think what the Commander had endured during the Battle of Denerim. The pain must have driven him in a berserker rage once he ascended to the top of Fort Drakon.
"Still with me?" Garrett asked as he placed a warm hand to the middle of Anders' back. "Love?" He repeated when Anders didn't answer.
"What? Oh, sorry I got a little lost in my head." He tried to smile reassuringly, but it came of more as a grimace. "It's the taint, I can feel it in them. It's distracting."
"It's hurting you, isn't it?" Garrett stopped, "what's going on?"
"It's nothing, just Warden senses acting up. I'll be fine, sweetheart." Garrett was not convinced. He was already regretting bringing Anders along on this trip. He would have left him in Kirkwall if the stubborn mage would actually stay there. Anders had refused to let him go without him and he was probably right to do so. Without him, Garrett didn't know if he would have made it without using blood magic.
"The moment you feel sick or need to stop, tell me." Garrett left no room for argument. "I can't let you get yourself killed because of me. I won't lose you. I can't." Can't survive without you, it hung in the air between them.
"Ok." The two mages looked back at the dwarf and Templar who had given them space, "hurry up you two, don't want you to get left behind."
"Just getting ideas for my next book" Varric said nonchalantly. Garrett laughed at that. Varric's last book, Griffon Riding, had somehow found itself on his bookshelf about a month before the Qunari had tried to take Kirkwall. He couldn't be sure if it Isabela or Varric had placed it there, but the expression on Anders face when he found it and skimmed through had been priceless. The mage had attempted to toss it into the hearth, but Garrett had managed to wrestle from his grip and read a few choice sentences before being tackled by the older mage. Garrett had landed on the couch with the blonde straddling his hip and both got rather distracted from there. The book disappeared after that, though Garrett thought he might have seen it in Orana's hands at one point. He couldn't be sure because she had rushed out of the kitchen so quickly, but she had burned bright pink for the next few days.
"Don't. Just don't." Anders shook his head. Varric had been telling more of his wild stories about the Champion and his Warden in the Hanged Man again. The last time he had been by to grab a pint and lose a few silvers in cards he was certain that each and every patron was whispering about him behind his back. The bright red cheeks of the serving girl had been all the confirmation he needed. There was also the matter of that missing book. He was certain Garrett was hiding it somewhere.
"It's not always about you two." Both mages snorted, "it's just mostly about you two. I toss in a broody elf and grouchy Templar every now and then. Don't look like that little Hawke, your face will get stuck." They entered a part of the Carta hideout that looked like an abandoned mine shaft. There were still carts and tracks, but they were all covered with layers and layers of dust and grime. It had been some time since they had been used. From one of the tunnel entrances a dwarf with two long daggers ran out.
"The Hawke's blood, the Master will rise. He will be free." Garrett was prepared to throw a bolt of lightning his way when Varric asked him to lower his weapon. He knew this dwarf, maybe he could speak some sense to him.
"Gerav?"
"Varric? No one told me you would be part of this. We were just going after the Hawke" The rogue now seemed a bit unsure of what to do next. His fingers flexed around the dagger handles as his eyes darted back and forth between Varric and the Hawke brothers.
"Why has the Carta been attacking my family?" Garrett demanded, wanting to conclude their business quickly and get out of there before more crazy people showed up. The dwarf began to shake violently when Garrett spoke and began pacing as he ranted.
"I can't say, the Master must be free." Gerav gesticulated wildly, his blades whining through the air and threatening to injure not only the Hawkes, but himself as well.
"Really Gerav? I thought better of you than this. I mean gutting the occasional competitor for fun and profit, that's the game, but what are you all even doing here? Worshipping demons?" Varric tried to calm his associate and keep things from getting out of hand.
"We drink the darkspawn blood. He calls us," Anders scowled. He had seen the effects of taint on injured soldiers when he had first arrived in Amaranthine. The person developed symptoms not unlike a terrible chest infection at first as each pain filled breath rattled them and the coughing eventually led to bruised and cracked ribs. Then the rest of their organs would start to rot as their minds deteriorated. It was a most unpleasant death. He couldn't imagine anyone voluntarily inflicting such torment on themselves.
"Why would you do that? Won't you just die?" Garrett was probably thinking similar thoughts, he had seen what it had done to Bethany and Wesley. The only reason Bethany still lived was because Fate had chosen to spare her that day.
"It's the only way to hear the music." Anders stiffened. He had heard such talk once before. The Mother had said almost the exact same thing when the Commander had fought her in the depths of Drake's Fall. He was glad the others were too preoccupied to notice his reaction. He wasn't in the mood to be coddled further, he was supposed to be keeping Garrett on the straight and narrow. He couldn't do that if Garrett was, literally and figuratively, holding his hand the entire time.
"Oh come one you nuglicker, snap out of it. There's no gold in hallucinating." Garrett could already sense that this was not going to get them anywhere.
"Manners, Varric. Introduce me to your lunatic friend." Anders gave him a sharp jab to the side with his elbow as if to say 'don't antagonize the looney.'
"Hawke, this is Gerav. Greedy, brilliant, bastard son of a nug from the Carta. Gerav, this is Hawke. The one whose blood you want to drink or bath in or whatever. But if you're after eternal youth, I gotta tell you he's no virgin." Garrett's cheeks reddened, "still blushes like one though." None of what Varric said seemed to seep in. His tainted state had already eaten away at his brain, leaving little more than an echo of what he had once been.
"The master is calling. He needs the blood." Gerav said and began to chant over and over like a mantra.
"Gerav, buddy, this isn't like you. Snap out of it." Varric unstrapped his crossbow and held it out so that the polished wood glinted in the low light of the lanterns. "Look, I've still got Bianca, never misfired a day in her life. You don't want her to see her papa like this do you?" The sight of the bow garnered no reaction from the dwarf.
"Varric, do you want to spare this bastard?" Garrett knew that neither option had a happy end for Gerav. He was just too far gone.
"Not if he's after you Hawke." Varric pulled back the string and there was the knocking sound of a bolt slotting into place. "Bianca, I think it's time to say goodbye." Gerav tossed down smoke grenade and attempted to run, but Garrett hit him with a slowing hex. Seeing he would not be able to outrun the four, Gerav gave a sharp whistle and two more Carta rogues appeared from the shadows. "Backup? You bastard!"
"I'm really getting sick of these guys." Carver groaned as he thrust his shield forward to push one of balance. Once the dwarf fell, Carver stabbed downwards with his sword and cut into the exposed neck. "One done, that's twenty for me."
"Still ahead, twenty three for me," Garrett tossed a fireball at Gerav's remaining backup. The dwarf went up in a quick column of blue flame. The crystals of his staff glowed hot and threatened to crack if he didn't give them time to cool. Garrett watched Anders from the corner of his eye. The other mage was using his Spirit magic to create a shield around himself as Gerav threw a pair of small daggers his way. It should have been an easy spell, but Anders already looked out of breath. "Varric!" The dwarf turned and saw the problem. He gave a short nod and finished off his former associate with three bolts to the back. Gerav gave short grunt before dropping dead.
"Gerav, you stupid bastard." Varric knelt down beside the body and closed the still open eyes. "I used to do business with the Carta. Back in the day. Gerav was a nutcase then to but in a good way. He was trying to design a new type of repeating crossbow. Bianca was the only one that ever worked. I can't believe he ended up like this."
"I'm sorry about your friend," Carver said, "but it's better this way. I saw what happened to Aveline's husband in Lothering. It wasn't pretty." He saw his brother checking Anders over, the Warden looked paler and he could have sworn for a brief second the veins around his eyes darkened. "Varric," Carver lowered his voice so that only the dwarf could hear him now and leaned down so as to appear he was searching Gerav's corpse, "I've got a bad feeling about Anders, I don't know if he can keep going."
"Nothing we can do about that. Can't just leave him here with all these nuglickers running around." Varric rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the two stood up. "Keep an eye on your brother too. I don't want to see what happens if someone gets a hand on Blondie. Could get ugly."
"Very ugly." Carver agreed. He watched Garrett wrap an arm around Anders' shoulder to steady him.
"Carver," Garrett looked back over his shoulder, "you and Varric should scout ahead. We'll catch up in a minute." Carver could see he wanted a moment of privacy with his partner.
"Sure. I was always the stealthier one, you stomp around like a blind ox." Garrett gave a small smile and didn't argue, "come on Varric, let's see if you can catch up. Only fifteen so far, right?"
"Seventeen, Little Hawke. I was holding back so you wouldn't feel bad." The two continued to banter as they went ahead. Garrett sat Anders down against one of the walls. After getting Anders to drink from his canteen, Garrett reached into his leather satchel to pull out a rejuvenation potion and a vial of lyrium.
"Here, and no you have to take them." Anders drained both and a bit of color returned to his face. The lyrium replenished his mana and the potion took the edge off the pain. "How's that?"
"Better. It's not so bad with my magic restored, dampens the taint a bit." Anders ran a hand through his slightly disheveled blonde hair that had fallen free of it's tie. Garrett tugged the small strip of leather that held the remaining bound hair to tumble down just past Anders' shoulders. "Love, what are you…"
"Hold still." Garrett gathered the strands together and tucked them back into the tie, "there. Can't let those Carta thugs get the jump on us because your hair got in your eyes. Remember Evet's Marauders on the Wounded Coast, you nearly blasted Aveline's arm clean off because you couldn't see." The bandits had been terrorizing the coast line for months before the city guard found them just outside Kirkwall. The guard had been pinned down by the blood mage Fell Orden and might have been killed if not for the timely arrival of backup. The skirmish went with little bloodshed on the part of the guard, all of Fell Orden's people and the blood mage himself perished. One rogue however had gotten the jump on Anders and had attempted to strangle the mage with his bare hands. A burst of magic had dislodged the would be assassin. The rogue had gotten a handful of blonde hair and pulled the tie free. Anders had been temporarily blinded by his hair getting in his eyes and accidently shot of a bolt of arcane energy in a moment of panic. The bolt had hit one of Fell Orden's archers, but had barely avoided Aveline's right arm. The red head had threatened to kill the Warden herself if he ever did something so stupid again. Garrett could only shake his head and pray that he could keep a straight face.
"That only happened once." Garrett pulled the blonde to his feet. "You're never going to let it go are you?"
"Nope," Anders rolled his eyes, "if it makes you feel better, you can lord it over me when I nearly kill someone with a stray spell." That got a chuckle from Anders. "We should catch up with Carver and Varric. We're outnumbered five to one when we're all together. I don't want to see them take on every madman in this hole alone."
"Would make a good story for Varric though."
"At least it would give him something to write about other than us." Hawke laughed as they walked through the tunnels to catch up with the Templar and dwarf.
They didn't get far before the saw Carver and Varric completely surrounded by Carta rogues. All the rogues had their bows drawn tight and aimed at the two. Garrett was able to throw up a shield of pulsing kinetic energy before the rogues realized they were there. As soon as the shield was up, all the dwarves began to panic and release the taut bowstrings. The arrows bounced of the shield, leaving Carver and Varric unharmed. Garrett lowered the shield when the Carta were left temporarily vulnerable as they tried to reload or pull out their melee weapons. Garrett had a fireball in hand when he heard someone ordering the dwarves to sheath their weapons. The dwarves , despite the number of pointy objects and arcane power aimed their way, obeyed. It was enough to Garrett pause, but not extinguish his fireball.
"Hawke, they told me you were going to be trouble. And look, how generous of you, you brought family. I swore to Corypheus we would bring him Malcolm Hawke's blood. One way or the other." Varric recognized the dwarf. His name was Rhatigan and he had until recently been the leader of the surface Carta dwarves in Kirkwall. He had vanished almost a year ago with a large number of his people after taking a contract up in Ansburg. No one had heard from him since and had assumed him dead. They were partially right. The dwarf had been tainted and was turning into a ghoul.
"What does this have to do with Father?" Garrett demanded, still not sure why his Father was so important.
"The Master wants you. I don't ask why."
"So it's this Corypheus after me, then." He could only assume that Corypheus was perhaps a blood mage or high ranking member of the Carta. Though, given the taint and ritualistic insanity, he was betting on the former.
"What the Master wants, he gets." The Carta dwarf remained unhelpful, only spewing more cult rhetoric.
"So he wants blood? Sure, just let me open a vein. How about a kidney too?"
"Corypheus we have done as you ask. Your sacrifice is here. You will walk in the light once more." Rhatigan called his men to arms, ordering them to kill everyone but the Hawke brothers. Garrett summoned a bolt of lightning and stuck Rhatigan right in the head. The dwarf keeled over before the electricity had fully left his body.
"You want to hurt my friends and family?" Garrett said as the remaining Carta dwarves looked down at their fallen leader, "you'll have to get through me first."
After dealing with the few dwarves that didn't flee at the sight of Garrett's magic, they checked Rhatigan's body for any clues to Corypheus' identity. There wasn't much, just a letter he had received back reporting the failure to capture the Hawke siblings. It mentioned Corypheus, but only as 'the Master'. Again, it brought forth images of blood magic being used to control people. Perhaps this Corypheus was even using Wardens to do his work. It would explain the use of an abandoned Warden fortress. There was also something odd on the body.
It looked like an ancient stave that might have been popular in the time of the first age before mages begun truly dedicating themselves to the art of enchantment. It was large and ugly, with a blood red crystal that glowed faintly in the shadows. When Garrett picked it up, the staff reacted. It burned a bright yellow and seemed to burn itself into every blood vessel on his body. Garrett let out a pained gasp as the dark magic tried to crawl inside him.
"What…what's happening, what is this?" Garrett managed to croak out before the light dimmed.
"That staff," Anders stared at the artifact that had now dimmed and seemed to give off a dark aura, "it reacted to, to your blood."
"It's more than a staff, it seems like it has a unique power. It feels very old, maybe as old as the fortress." From the outside, it didn't appear more than a few hundred years. But the deeper they went, the age of the place became more evident. It had been around since the second Blight at least. Before they could spend more time contemplating the bizarre staff, a pair of Carta dwarves ran out from shadows and ran down a passage way. Garrett took off after them, still determined to get some answers on Corypheus and his Father. He could hear the others running behind him and telling him to stop or slow down, but he was focused only on his targets.
They ran down a corridor that was in better condition than the rest of the fortress. There were a number of lit torches along the wall the illuminated the dust covered stone, though they were lit with magic instead of real fire. Once they had reached a different passage, Garrett felt the tingle of strong magic at his back. Turning around, he saw the way back had been blocked with barrier.
Garrett touched the shimmering shield with the end of his staff. There was a brief hissing noise before the shield unleashed a pulse of energy that tossed Garrett backwards and sent him sprawling to the floor.
"Ok." Garrett stood up and had to lean on his staff for balance, as the magic had hit him with all the force of a charging warhorse. "I think we can rule that as a way out."
"Wonderful. Just wonderful," Carver sighed, "you just had to go after the dwarves didn't you?"
"Yes, Carver," Garrett snapped, "I had to go after them. How was I to know they had a magic trap set up? Dwarves are not normally magically inclined." Garrett knew he shouldn't have been so reckless, but he couldn't let the Carta dwarves just get away. What if they could give him answers about Janeka or this Corypheus, or maybe what in the Void his Father had to do with any of this.
"That's not an excuse," Carver countered, his voice steadily rising as he crowded in on his brother's space, "you've nearly gotten us killed at least twice on this little adventure already by taking off without thinking. I don't know what is going on with you, but it ends now."
"Carver, Garrett stop…"Anders attempted to intervene and stop the Hawke brothers before they ripped each other to shreds, but Garrett just looked at him with a cold, empty expression. The temperature seemed to drop as Garrett raised his staff just once and tapped the end on the ground. A small burst of light appeared at their feet and a glyph took form. Anders saw a soft glow of light floating in front of him. He tried to touch it, but it repelled him. Garrett had raised a force field around them. They couldn't get out and nothing could get in.
"I'm going to finish this." Garrett said in a monotone, "I'll be back as soon I deal with Janeka. Stay."
"Garrett, love, let us out," Anders called at the retreating back as Garrett continued down the stone corridor alone. The mage didn't stop as his name was called over and over. He just continued till he rounded a corner and was gone. "Damn it. Garrett, come back!"
"He's gone mad," Carver said as his eyes widened, "Maker, he's lost his mind."
"No, he's not." Anders countered as he attempted to find a weak point in the field he might be able to use to disrupt the energy. "He's just not himself. It's this place, it's bringing out something in him." Anders scowled, he couldn't feel any soft spots in the shield. He should have known he wouldn't. Garrett was one of the most gifted mages he had ever seen. Even when he wasn't fully present mentally, he could still cast with more precision than most senior enchanters. Anders would have to break down the shield from inside with a few carefully placed glyphs of his own to hopefully counter the energy without blowing them up. "Can't you sense it, the dark magicks that fill this place? The blood magic has been soaked into the stone itself. Things like that can affect those sensitive to magic. Not to mention that artifact Garett picked up from Rhatigan's body. You saw what it did when he touched it. You're a Templar, surely you felt something was wrong the moment Garrett found the key."
"It does feel…dirty." Carver acknowledged. "A bit like that bloodmage's lair in the sewers, but older. Like rotten meat that's been disposed of, but the smell still lingers." Carver's face drained with color, "Maker, the blood magic. Garrett's being affected by it because he's used it before."
"Looks that way." Anders knelt down to start drawing a few glyphs with a small piece of chalk, "how much lyrium do you have? This is going to take a lot power."
(Sashamiri's Floor)
Garrett had found the dwarves, but a small band of darkspawn had gotten to them first. He felt a spike of rage as he watched the foul creatures tear apart his quarry. A white hot fireball burned the monsters to ashes in seconds. It was deeply satisfying to see such disgusting beasts face their end at his hands. He tried not to think about the reactions his traveling companions would have if they had seen the dark look of predatory glee on his face when he killed the darkspawn. Fear and anxiety were the most likely options. Calling on an old skill he hadn't used since his Father had died, he put a thick mental wall around his emotions and continued deeper into the prison.
The prison was a large, multi-leveled tower carved from brown stone that had likely once been a shining white. It had seen better centuries if the crumbling Tevinter style columns and archways were any indication. In it's heyday, it might have held hundreds of people. The decaying blue tapestries and large black griffon statues gave indication to it's previous occupants. There didn't appear to be any Wardens left, as Garrett had yet to encounter another living being besides the darkspawn. The Wardens had probably abandoned the place once it became indefensible and left it to the spawn. Garrett could see roving bands of the creatures in the lower levels when he looked down from one of the bridges. He would have to be careful, he was on his own from this point on. Garrett's spine straightened when he heard the sound of shuffling feet. He whirled around expecting to see a darkspawn, but instead found himself face to face with a man. Well, perhaps the term 'man' was being generous. It had been a man a one point, but had begun the full downward spiral into a ghoul.
"The key! Did they find it? The dwarves, I heard them looking..digging. How do you bring it here?" The ghoul shuffled around Garrett in an uneven circle, it's rusted armor clinking as plates tapped together, no longer spaced out by bits of leather or links. Garrett could see the faded grey and blue cloth under the breast plate and pauldrons. This thing had once been a Warden. Oh, Maker, was this…was this what Anders and Bethany had to look forward to? The mental walls threatened to crack and crumble as thoughts of the blonde and his sister surged forward, but held as he focused on the fact that the ghoul recognized the artifact.
"One of the Carta had it. I took it from him." Garrett pulled out the artifact from the strap across his back, "how is thing a key?"
"Magic. Old magic. Magic from the blood."
"I came here looking for someone. Janeka or Corypheus. Who are they?" The ghoul began to shake and began to pound it's head in frustration.
"No, not, no…..traitor she is. Wants to free the beast from it's cage. Must not let her." Garrett pressed the ghoul for more information. "Do not say his name. He will hear you. Do not waken him!"
"Corypheus, what is he?" The ghoul let out a whining noise and tried to cover his ears, as if the very name was causing him pain. Garrett grabbed the former Warden by the breastplate and lifted him off the ground and pressed him up against a column. "Tell me! Tell me now or I swear…you'll wish I killed you."
"He's the one who calls. He called to the Wardens, to Janeka. He wants to walk in the light. To destroy the cage that holds him. He wants the Hawke. The blood is his binding." Garrett dropped him and stepped back. The ghoul suddenly realized something and jumped to his feet, leaning in like a dog and sniffing, "it's you, the Hawke. Yes, I can smell magic on you. Like lightning and blood."
"Let me guess, you want to drink my blood too." The ghoul snarled and stepped away.
"I am not them. I am not. No. But you…" the ghoul hobbled as an idea came to his befuddled brain, "you hold the key. The key to his death. Yes. I can take you to him. You can kill him before he wakes."
"How do I know this is not a trick?"
"You don't. But that ancient one must die. He has corrupted the minds of the Wardens. He must die." Garrett didn't like the sound of that. Corrupted the minds of the Wardens, was this Corypheus a blood mage? He couldn't think of anything else that might have such power. It also appeared that he had no choice, he couldn't go back and the only out seemed further down into the prison. "Come, I will show you the way out. Down and in. Down and in."
"Very well. Take me to him. But," Garrett let a sliver of his magic flow out of him and hit the ghoul. The creature was knocked over and had to scramble back to his feet. "if this is indeed a trick, I'll slit you from nose to navel."
"Malcolm Hawke's child, the resemblance is strong."
.1.1
Garrett had found a sealed demon on the first level of the prison. It had been bound behind a blood seal that had broken when touched with the key. The creature behind the barrier, a shade, attacked him once the barrier had faded. A few well-placed lightning bolts had disposed of the creature with little trouble. But as Garrett turned to follow the ghoul, Larius, he heard a familiar voice for the first time in almost ten years.
"Be bound here for eternity, hunger stilled, rage smothered, desire dampened, pride crushed. In the name of the maker, so let it be." That voice, that wonderful voice, his Father's voice.
"Father, oh Father," Garrett's voice cracked a bit as he recalled the last time he had heard his Father speak. The poor man had been dying of a wasting disease and had called his son aside to speak with him privately. The older man, a shrunken shadow of his former self, had been little more than a bag of bones at the end. But in those last moments with his eldest, his strength made a temporary return as he grasped Garrett's hands with an iron grip. I am so sorry…The burden I have given you….forgive me. Garrett had always assumed he meant the gift of magic. Now he wasn't so sure. "My father," he asked Larius, "why was he here? Why did he bind demons?"
"In trouble, Malcolm Hawke was. His bride carried a child conceived out of wedlock and the Amells would not allow her to leave Kirkwall. He came to us for help and we agreed to give it in return for services rendered." Garrett was aware that he had been born a short time after his parents wed, but he didn't know that he had been the reason for the union.
"So you had him use blood magic to seal the prison." Garrett sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Maker, Father why did you agree to this. Surely…there was a better way." His Father, a man that he had always strived to emulate, had done one of the worst sins a mage could commit. It was a sharp betrayal.
"The prison was failing. We needed new blood." Larius offered, "blood of a mage outside the Wardens."
"I just keep finding more reasons to hate your Order." Garrett shook his head, "we've wasted enough time, I want to find this creature and rip it's damned head off." Larius led him out of the maze like passage back to the center of the tower. There was a seal at the center that glowed a bright orange from the blood magic that had sealed it decades earlier. Four lanterns lit by purple mage fire burned in the dark, highlighting the stone Warden crest carved in the walls. "What do I do?"
"It is the blood. Your blood must spill. Use it on the seals. Only the Hawke can open it." Garrett nodded and removed one of the small knives he kept tucked on his person. He held up his left hand and prepared to cut the palm.
"Stop!" Garrett was stunned to see his brother running at him and hitting him a Smite. Garrett was tossed of his feet and slammed into the wall. He landed on his side with a thud and an 'uff', the key had been knocked out of his grasp and had fallen at the center of the seal. He was furious when he realized that his mana had been stripped away by his Templar brother.
"Carver. What the hell are you doing? How did you…"
"Shut it." Carver picked up the key and tossed it to Anders, "let's destroy this thing before it does more damage." It had taken them a while to break through the spell, but with the right combination of glyphs and a couple vials of lyrium, Anders had been able to disrupt the shield just long enough for the three to get through before it went back up. They had sprinted through the maze like floor to find the wayward mage, finding piles of darkspawn corpses and a lot of blood. None of it human, but it urged them to hurry.
"No!" Larius screamed and ran at Carver, "do not destroy it. It is the only way to kill him." Carver batted the ghoul aside with a bash of his shield.
"What is this thing?" Garrett had gotten to his feet and glared at his brother, "you better have a fantastic explanation as to why you tried to lock us up."
"You should have stayed put, brother. You're safer the further you are from me." Carver just shook his head and refused to listen. Anders handed the key to Varric and walked over to Garrett. He moved cautiously, like one might when confronted with a cornered dog.
"Garrett, love, this isn't you." Garrett snorted at him, "please, love, listen to me. It's this place, the artifact. They're drenched in blood magic and it's starting to affect you."
"What if you're wrong?" Garrett asked, "what if it's not this place. What if it is me? What will you do then?" There was a tinge of despair in voice, as if he weren't entirely certain himself.
"I'm not. I know you, sweetheart. Please, please trust me." Anders held up a hand that glowed with blue spirit energy. He had called on the fragment of the spirit of Justice inside him and hoped to use it to banish the influence the blood magic was having on Garrett. The Fade energy would probably be able to protect the dark haired mage from further blood magic, but it would leave Anders himself vulnerable. The light flowed over Garrett and seeped into his skin like a soft spring time rain. Garrett could feel the oppressive heaviness in his mind and body and dissipating as comforting spirit magic filled him. As the warmth found a home in his bones, he came back to himself fully.
"Anders," Garrett let out a trembling breath as the blonde cupped his face, "it's gone. Thank you."
"No need. I'm just happy to have you back." Carver gave a cough to prevent the two mages from becoming too sappy in his presence. Garrett looked a bit sheepish, but pulled his Warden close and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. "I see you made a ….friend?" Anders couldn't help but stare at Larius. He recognized the armor as befitting one who was a Commander of the Grey and could only assume the Warden had gone to his Calling only to remain alive as ghoul. Poor bastard, the taint had eaten away at what was once a proud leader.
"His name is Larius, a former Warden Commander and currently attempting to fulfill his Calling. Somehow." The darkspawn didn't seem to notice him and he didn't have the faculties to put up much of a fight, leaving him in a state of limbo. "He said he could take me to Corypheus so I can kill the bastard and put an end to all this." The ghoul nodded, "he said the only way to do it is to break the seals before Corypheus is awoken."
"So this Corypheus is some sort of sleeping demon?" Carver asked, still frowning at the ghoul. "You were going to use my brother to do some Warden dirty work?"
"No, no, no. The traitor Janeka wants it awake. Thinks she can control and study him. The ancient one could have answers. Perhaps she thinks the Blights could end if the old one were used. The old one, one of those who stained the Golden City."
"Stained the Golden City?" Carver repeated, "does he mean the ancient magisters who tried to overthrow the Maker?"
"That's just a story." Anders said in defiance, "it's just an allegory the Chantry uses to control people and turn them against mages. It isn't real."
"Real or not, there is something down there." Varric said, "and it looks like it's the only way out."
"We don't have a choice then." Garrett disentangled his arms from around Anders, "the key is the only way to break the barriers and kill Corypheus. The seals were created with blood magic, my Father's blood, and only mine will open them." Reluctantly, Varric gave the key back to Garrett. He didn't think it was a good idea to have an item of such dark magic anywhere near the mage, but Carver had no magical talent. If they were to open the barrier, it would have to be broken at Garrett's hand.
"Brother, I don't want you to do this. We need to find another way." Carver protested, "what if you lose yourself again?"
"Then you have permission to Smite me till I can't walk straight." Garrett took his place at the center of the seal, "alright, here goes nothing." He cut a small line across the palm of his left hand and let the blood hit the seal. There was a small flash of light that came from the four lanterns as the barrier went down.
"It worked, yes, the blood of the Hawke works." Larius went ahead of them as he started down the stairs to the next level. A gust of stagnant air had come up from the stairwell when Garrett had lifted the seal. It smelled of dust and mold and promised only more trouble to come.
"Yes, let's follow the tainted, crazy person. Because that always ends well." Carver went first with Varric at his heels.
"Here," Garrett gave Anders the key, "I want you to hold onto this for me. I'm not sure it's wise for me to have it." The artifact was just a piece of wood and stone in the hands of anyone other than Garrett. The dark power was muted when it was not in contact with the blood Malcolm Hawke or his children. Anders strapped the artifact to his back and followed Garrett as they climbed the stairs down to the next floor. As the neared the bottom, he could have sworn he heard someone whispering into his ear. It was faint and faraway, but distinctly malevolent. "Anders?" Garrett turned to look up at the Warden when he heard him stop, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing, just thought I heard something. Must be the wind hitting the stone." Garrett had a skeptic look, but didn't question him. "Let's go, I won't want to leave your brother and Varric alone with that…thing." Anders shuddered as he thought of poor Larius. He'd rather Garrett put an arrow through his head before letting him become like that.
"As you wish, love."