Warning: Torture scene ahead

Chapter 34 Games and Schemes

Rendon Howe's room

I kick open the door, and take a quick glance: Six soldiers, one mage, that one is our target.

"Howe…" Said Darrian, staring at the old man in black leather armor in the middle, with his eyes glowing red.

"Well, well. The Grey Warden. I must say I'm surprised Eamon would condone you invading my castle and murdering my men." Said the man I presume to be our second target, Howe. Yes, I remember him, he was with Loghain when he came to greet us.

Howe: "Is he losing faith in-"

"Shut the fuck up and die." Said Darrian as he launch an arrow at Howe, Howe manages to dodge the arrow, Darrian immediately drops his bow and charges at him.

"You deal with the mage." I said to Jowen as I run pass him.

Jowen: "What? But I don't even have my staff!"

"Then stall him!"

I face a soldier with a sword and shield - he immediately raises his shield when he sees me approaching, I respond by thrusting my sword right into his foot and penetrating his leather boot. As he screams from the pain, I strike his face with my shield, and then cut his throat. I look around, Darrian is dealing with Howe. Zevran is fighting a soldier and is wining. The nobleman we rescued, Oswyn, and the Gray Warden Riordan are having some trouble, but that's to be expected giving their condition. Kitsune threw one of her star shaped throwing knives at the enemy archer - when the archer was stunned from the attack, she moves in with incredible speed and cut the archer's bow in half. I look to Jowen, just in time to see him flying through the air and landing on his butt in front of me.

"My hip… I think it's broken…" Said Jowen… lying on the ground.

"I'll take it from here." I replied.

I walk up to the mage. "Look around, it's over. Give up. Don't make me kill you. You only get one shot at life." Unlike me.

Rejoice. I would never talk to any opponents in Lordran, regardless if they had a thinking mind or not.

"Die!" Responds the mage, and then shoots fire at me - a pity. I shake my head.

Just because I use pyromancy doesn't mean fire doesn't hurt me, but ever since my "fiery" resurrection, my fire resistance has increased, to the point that the flame that the mage threw at me simply feels like a hot breeze. Walking up to the mage, I put my hand on his barrier, summoning my own fire, and blast through his magic wall with a burst of flames, sending the mage flying to the wall. The mage, sitting on the floor, begins to shake his hand and head, but I run him through with my sword before he could say anything. I already gave you a chance, and in this world, you don't take chances with a mage… shit… is that how a Templar thinks?

After I made sure the mage is dead, I look around again - the battle is over, and only Howe is still alive, on the ground with an injured leg.

"Maker spit on you… I deserved… More… Aaaugggh!" Screamed Howe as Darrian pokes out Howe's right eye with his longsword.

"I'll give you what you deserve. I'm going to send you to the Maker in pieces." Said Darrian in both a cold and happy voice.

"What are you doing? We don't have the time…" Said Riordan.

Darrian responded by picking up Howe's axe and chopping down on his right leg. Luckily(?) for Howe, his boots protected his leg from being completely chopped off, it only went in half the way.

"ARGHHH!, STOP!" Screams Howe as he's grabbing his almost decapitated leg.

"Hey, is his eyes glowing?" Asked Oswyn of Dragon's Peak.

I look over to Darrian's eyes. Yes, indeed, his eyes are glowing in a red light.

"Did you stop when the elves in the Alienage begged you?" Said Darrian as he pulls the axe out of Howe's leg and then step on Howe's right hand and crush some of his fingers.

Howe: "OWWWW!"

"Did you smell that?" Asked Oswyn.

"I think the good Arl just shitted himself." Said Zevran with a smile.

Darrian turns to Jowen. "Jowen, heal him, stop the bleeding."

"What? I don't understand?" Said Jowen, confused.

Darrian: "We need information. He is more useful to us alive."

Jowen nods and casts a healing spell on Howe. When the bleeding stopped, Darrian pulls off Howe's left boots.

"No… please… no more…" Begged Howe.

Darrian ignored him and lifts his axe, Howe turns around on his bully and begins to crawl away using his elbows, but Darrian just steps on his left leg and hacks down at his left foot again and again with the back of the axe.

"Rrraaahhh! Please! I'm sorry! Stop!"

"Should you not ask questions first? The pain usually comes after the person refuses to cooperate." Asked Zevran, nonchalantly.

Darrian ignored Zevran and continue to hack down at Howe's left foot until it finally separated from his body. He could had done it with one swing, but Darrian purposely drew out the process.

"Enough! We don't have time for this." Said Riordan.

Darrian just turns to Jowen and gestures with his hand to heal Howe again.

"Please… It was Loghain, he's the one who ordered me to purge the Alienage-" Pleaded Howe.

"And you obeyed like a good little soldier." Said Darrian as he shoves his boot right into Howe's mouth, knocking off all of his front teeth, and breaking his jaw.

"Gah….!" Howe can't even scream properly anymore, just rolling around on the ground.

Darrian: "Don't worry, your master will get what's coming to him. Him and all the SHEM!"

Jowen, Riordan and Oswyn all turn their head towards Darrian when they heard that.

"For now, I'm going to knock the rest of your teeth out, even if I have to cut open your mouth." Said Darrian as his eyes glows brighter.

"I thought this was an interrogation."

Darrian ignores me, grabs Hown's jaw and cuts open his mouth, and then walks over to a mace on the wall.

The people here (aside for Jowen, who is puking in the corner) are surprisingly fine with this pointless torture, only objecting because of the time. I walk up to Howe, hold my hand out, and set him on fire.

"HOOO!"

Howe lets out a horrifying scream with his broken jaw, while rolling on the ground. Moments later, he stops moving. But I keep burning him until he turns into a pile of ash.

"What are you doing?" Asked Darrian, coming back, holding a mace and an iron hook, staring at me with his red glowing eyes.

"We really don't have time. Howe still has at least fifty soldiers in this castle." I am surprisingly fine with this pointless torture too. Maybe because I already knew Howe was a piece a shit.

Darrian: "So?"

"You really want to fight fifty soldiers? And I didn't give Howe a quick and painless death."

He just stakes at me for a while and then turns around and leaves. I knew there was a fury inside of him, and from what I heard from Morrigan, the dragon blood is only making it worse.

"Why wastes energy on magic? Why not just decapitate him?" Asked Kitsune.

"I didn't want to leave behind any signs of torture."

Would Aedan had handled this differently? I heard from Alistair that Howe was the one who attacked and killed his parents. I thought as I step on and crush Howe's charred remains.

Back of the room

"Alfstanna… Is that you. Little sister? No… I don't know you… Do I? Are you real?" Said a man in the cell.

We search the room, and found two more cells in the back. In one of them is a Templar, a Templar suffering from lyrium withdrawal. How do we know he's a Templar? Because he was one of the Templars sent to hunt down Jowen, and Jowen kept hiding behind us, and trying to be as small as possible.

"So Loghain saved you from him?" I asked Jowen. He says nothing while trying to hide his eyes by pulling down his soldier's helmet.

"I… I'm Irminric, knight-lieutenant of the Denerim chantry. You… aren't one of Tyern's men?" Asked the Templar.

"Nobles don't have authority over Templars. If the grand cleric finds out…" Said Riordan.

"Wait… So if a Templar commits a crime, who'll judges him?" I asked them.

"The Chantry of course." Said Riordan, in a matter-of-fact way.

"Do you not see the problem with this?" It's the same in Astora. Even if a cleric commits a crime, they would just let the church deal with them.

"We are letting you out. We're taking you back to the Chantry." Said Darrian as he opens the cell door.

Irminric: "No… Give this ring… to my sister, Alfstanna. Tell her…"

Darrian: "Tell her yourself. You're coming with us."

Darrian grabs the Templar and pulls him out of the cell.

Darrian: "There are some uniforms in the next room. Put them on."

"Are you sure we should take him with us? He is clearly not well." Asked Zevran.

Darrian: "I am not leaving him here."

What a change. Just a few moments ago he seemed to want all humans dead. It's almost like there are two Darrians.

"It's like before with Howe never happened." I thought out loud.

"What?" Asked Jowen.

"Nothing." I replied.

In front of the guest room

After wiping the blood off our disguises, we return to Erlina. When she opens the door, a tall, dignified woman, in full armor, identical to ours, comes out.

"Another set of disguises? How did you steal so many?" I asks Anora's handmaid Erlina.

The elf just smiles.

"So this is what my rescuer looks like." Said the woman.

"And this is the Gray Warden, your highness." Said Erlina, gesturing to Darrian.

"The queen? Truly?" asked Oswyn, surprised.

"So that's what you are here for." Said Riordan.

"Queen Anora, you are more beautiful than the rumors describe." Said Zevran as he takes a bow.

"Why, thank you. But we really must be leaving." Said queen Anora, giving a small nod to Zevran.

"Yes, of course, your highness." Said Darrian.

Main Hall

"Warden! In the name of the regent, I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Rendon Howe and his men-at-arms."

The moment we enter the main hall, We were surrounded by soldiers, and leading them, the female knight we met at Arl Eamon's Estate with Loghain. I looked around, they had blocked every path of escape.

"Fascinating, it's almost like they were waiting for us. Waiting for us to kill Howe and then arrest us." Said Zevran, rubbing his chin.

"Surrender, and you may be shown mercy." Said the female knight.

Darrian: "We're here to free the queen, who was held captive-."

"Ser Cauthrien! Praise the Maker you're here… This brigand tried to kidnap me!" Said Anora to the female knight.

"WHAT!?" Said Jowen, surprised.

"Shem bitch…" Said Darrian angrily, turning to Anora.

So this was a trap all along. Color me surprised…

"Unbelievable… Bring them down! Loghain wants the Warden dead or alive." Said Cauthrien.

"Stand down."

I turn to the voice. Kitsune had twisted Anora's right arm behind her back, and has a sword to her throat.

"Stop." Commanded Cauthrien with her arms out, stopping her men from moving forward.

"Let me go." Said Anora with the dignity of a queen, despite the hostage situation.

"Throw your weapons on the ground in front of me, and lay down on the ground. And the mage, hands up. If I even see a tiny movement from you, the queen dies."

"Let the queen go." Said Cauthrien as she moves closer.

Kitsune: "Take another step and you will bathe in her blood."

"You wouldn't dare. If anything happens to me, you're all dead." Said Anora calmly with a smirk.

Blood, dripping along the side of Kitsune's sword and onto the flood. Everyone in the room turns to Kitsune with wide eyes, stunned.

Cauthrien: "Y-you…"

"You really cut…" Said Oswyn.

"It's just a scratch." Answered Kitsune.

A scratch that drew enough blood to drip down on the floor.

"You don't understand." Whispers Anora as she slowly raises her right hand.

"Don't even think about it." Said Kitsune to Anora with a cold voice while looking straight into Anora's eye. "I can tell, you had training. But whatever you training you may had, a small cut from my sword and you are dead."

Anora drops her hand. "You are ruining everything! You don't even understand what is going on! I'm trying to help you."

Cauthrien: "Let go of the queen, we only want the Warden."

"What? So in Ferelden, accomplices to murder can go free?" I asked.

"I don't think so. This is a setup from the beginning." Zevran looks towards the soldiers. "If I have to guess, Loghain wanted Howe dead, for whatever reason, and used us to kill him, so he could arrest the Wardens. Two birds with one stone." He said out loud.

"So we are just pawns in some game you and your father are playing." Said Darrian, looking at Anora.

"That's not true!" Denies Anora.

"Stop right there long ears." Said Kitsune suddenly.

I look over to Erlina and saw that she had drew her knife. I don't think elves like being called that.

I look around and sigh. "Let's just call it a draw." I said to the Queen. "You tried to trap and frame us, and Kitsune scratched your neck a little. Let's call it even."

Cauthrien: "Scoundrel! First you killed Howe, and now you take the queen hostage-"

"Did you even check if Howe is really dead or not?"

The look on Cauthiren's face when she heard that was priceless.

"Howe probably also figured out you people wanted him dead, and has already escaped by now."

"You have no idea what's going on here." Said Anara.

"Then please, "queen", enlighten us." Said Darrian.

Anora went silent.

"If you move now, you might still be able to catch him."

Kitsune: "I will let her go after my companions leave. I will stay."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Kitsune: "One way or another, I'll escape."

The Darksign.

"let's go."

"Are we really going to just leave her?" Asked Jowen.

"She volunteered."

"Well?" Asked Kitsune, to Cauthrien.

Cauthiren grinned her teeth so loud that I can hear it. "Fine, leave."

Outside Arl Rendon Howe's Estate

After we had left the estate, the first thing I noticed was that the protesters were gone.

"So were the protesters fake too?"

"No, but someone probably organized them to come." Said Zevran.

"Isn't that too much speculation?" Said Jowen.

Zevran: "Unless someone provides me with evidence that proves otherwise, I'm going to assume that the queen is working with her father."

"Why did you say Howe was alive? They'll know immediately after they see his remains." Asked Jowen.

"No. I crushed his remains. They can guess, but will never be completely sure. Howe will forever be a phantom to them."

"That's quite diabolical." Said Zevran. "Now they will always worry about Howe's retribution."

"Thanks. I just thought of it on the spot."

To be continued

Too much conspiracy theory?