Chapter 53: The Joys of Shocking Reveals

"Remarkable"

"Kinda makes you wonder why we didn't do that in the first place"

"And then you come to your senses and realize what he's doing is simply ridiculous"

"He makes it look so easy, no?"

There was a chorus of agreements as we all just stood there and watched Duncan slid off the high dragon, twin swords ripping into her right wing on his way down. Puffs of white and ice crystals glistened in the wake of the damage, as Morrigan's Frost Weapons aided him in his impossible feat.

"Whoa"

I couldn't help but gasp as Duncan reached the end of the wing, pushed himself away from it and somehow twisted in mid-air to avoid the dragon's vengeful breath, landing perfectly on his feet, skidding to a stop outside the dragon's range.

Damn. Take notes, Riordan, that's how you ground a dragon.

Then I remembered we'd left him incarcerated back in Denerim.

Yikes, sorry man.

Breathing heavily and looking like an ancient hero from one of those spicy highlander novels, Duncan raised his voice without turning around "Perhaps you would all be kind enough to assist me now?"

Right. Of course.

The rest of us jumped into action. I called to Duncan over my shoulder as I passed by.

"Duncan, you're cool!"

He looked somewhere between amused and exasperated, but I thought I saw a ghost of a smile as I turned to face the dragon again. Might be wishful thinking, but I'd take it.

With the new arrivals, the fight went from nightmare to easy-mode. Even then, we also noticed the dragon taking more damage than before. Zevran must've done his job properly.

It seemed fitting to me that Duran took the final, oh-so typically heroic last hit on the dragon. He stabbed her heart, then rolled to the side as the bitch of a high dragon FINALLY dropped dead.

Timber, motherfucker.

Sigh, over at last.

We were busy farming the dragon and controlling the fire from spreading when Duran spoke up.

"Has anyone seen Zevran?"

The silence that followed was telling enough.

Change Party. Zevran.

Nothing happened.

…why? If I couldn't add Zev to my party roaster, did that mean…?

My blood ran cold.

"Ze–!"

BOOM!

I didn't have the chance to inform everyone of my inability to locate Zevran, or what it could mean, as a sudden explosion had us all turning as one. I saw some sort of projectile being hurled towards Alistair. Imagine my surprise when instead of dodging, he stood his ground, catching whatever it was in his arms and getting blown back along with it.

I cursed loudly, running towards where he'd landed in the middle of the field along with Wynne, Kallian and a few other members of our party.

"Al! What the frack!"

Oh, wait.

"You okay?" Yep, that was better.

The dust settled and I heard him cough something I didn't catch. Once I got close enough, I saw what he'd caught in his arms.

It was Zevran. A knocked out and heavily injured Zevran, at that.

Wynne took one look at the scene and started barking orders like the trained medic she was. She had Duran and Leliana delicately move Zevran off Alistair once she determined the extent of the damage, then began her treatment while I focused on Al.

I was so focused on my task I didn't notice the other party members had re-drawn their weapons and taken a defensive stance in front of us. Not until I heard the familiar voice myself.

"So you lot managed to beat the high dragon? And no one died? Ugh, all those healing spells for nothing"

My head shot up; I couldn't help but gape at the new arrival.

On the other side of the field, in the direction Zevran had been hurled from, stood a young man. His long, dark hair obscured his eyes somewhat, but there was no hiding the scornful blue gaze that regarded us from behind his bangs. He sported what looked like days old stubble, somewhat at odds with his youthful looking face.

In other words, not recognizable at all. I was sure I'd never met him in my life. Yet, why did he sound so familiar…?

No, but more important than any of that was his attire. He was wearing a pure black robe.

"I see. The dragon was indeed being healed" Duran observed mildly, his face placid as if fighting a dragon was just something he checked off his to-do list and not worth a second glance.

The long-haired guy gave him a side glance, dismissing his docile remark "Yeah, so what? You wanna fight?" He smirked arrogantly "I'll warn you now, my companions will be here soon, beating you all will be–!"

I almost jumped when a new figure dressed in black suddenly appeared out of thin air and wacked the young man behind the head. I swear, I didn't even blink. There was no one there, and then there was. It took me all of two startled seconds to figure out how they did it.

Stealth. That person was a rogue.

"What the fu–!"

"Quiet" the newcomer growled at the young man "You've done enough. We must retreat"

The young man scoffed, but the rogue interrupted him before he had the chance to speak "You overestimate yourself. You will not win if you go up against them, even tired as they are right now"

The rogue turned to us, giving us a glimpse of the face from beneath the hood.

The golden-brown eyes of a beautiful woman stared back at us. She didn't glare, yet somehow, it felt like her gaze burned brighter than the remnants of the fire surrounding us. They made such an impression on me, I had to stop myself from audibly gasping when her sweeping eyes landed on mine.

The woman shifted, and, as if to mock my thoughts, the flames shone on a large burn scar that began on the left side of her jaw, down her collarbone, and disappeared somewhere beneath her clothes.

While I was busy dealing with the sudden bout of gay panic, Duncan managed to keep his wits about him, widening his stance protectively in front of us.

He wasn't the only one, either. The next second, Duran and Natia were flanking him, providing a reliable buffer between the black robes and the injured Alistair and Zevran. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leliana reach for an arrow from her quiver, Morrigan grab her staff and Sten draw his sword. Shale remained perfectly still; I had to believe she was shimmering with barely contained violence underneath the surface.

By my side, Kallian whispered "Keep healing them"

A second that felt like eternity itself went by, then Duncan and the golden-eyed woman moved.

They both disappeared as if they'd teleported, only to reappear in the middle of the space between both parties with a deafening clash of blades.

The oddly deep voice of the young mage rang through the plateau "Protect Elissa!"

…Wait.

WAIT.

FULLSTOP.

I gaped as a flurry of magic rained on the battlefield. Magic of all types assailed both Duncan and my companions, who spurred into action as if on cue.

"Everyone, after the mages!" Kallian barked orders as she herself made to join the fight "Maya, keep healing"

I startled back into doing just that. My hands, which had stopped from the shock, went back to assessing Alistair's ribs. He had broken a few, which would usually only need accelerated healing before he was up and at them again. But I needed to make sure nothing was out of place first. That nothing was punctured and that the broken parts would heal right.

As luck would have it, my magic tentacles found a piece of bone broken from all four points, completely separating itself from the ribcage. It was sort of, just… floating in place, moving up and down as Al breathed.

Jesus, that had to hurt like a son of a bitch.

Alistair withstood the pain admirably, as I concentrated in gently nudging the broken piece back in its place and mended the bone. Once the hard part was done, I poured my magic into accelerating his natural healing abilities.

While everyone fought and my magic moved in the way Wynne taught me, my mind alone was abuzz with the new information.

Elissa? Elissa?

There was no way… and yet, this was a game world. When had these kind of things been mere coincidences?

Holy shit.

As soon as I finished treating Al, my eyes went straight back to Duncan and the rogue– Elissa. They were still locked in their deadly dance, coming together in a flurry of movement, then breaking apart, over and over again. They were all but a blur, surrounded by the ironically beautiful lights of the enemy spellcasters. With each encounter of their blades, Elissa came away bloodier. It was clear who had the upper hand on that encounter.

Without taking her eyes off Duncan, Elissa raised her voice "Maxwell get out of here!"

The young mage, Maxwell, hesitated, but at Elissa's insistence he finally turned away, the scowl never leaving his face.

Once that was done, Elissa looked as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She threw herself once again against Duncan. This time though, instead of the usual dance, she fought dirty.

As in, Dirty Fighting.

Maybe he was truly tired from fighting the dragon, but Duncan couldn't evade and got a mouthful of dirt, causing him to stagger back.

My heart stopped and I surged forward, thinking Elissa would take advantage of the opportunity to deliver a deadly blow.

She didn't.

Instead, she turned tail and ran.

Realizing this, Duncan gave chase. And off I went after them both, virtually ignoring the random spells in my direction, courtesy of my crazy defences.

Now, let me say this. I'm not as slow as I used to be. But there was no way I could catch up with either of the rogues' speed. By the time I made it to them, they were once again engaged in combat, right on the border of a precipice, marking the end of the mountain's plateau.

So cliché.

Duncan had recovered the advantage, but Elissa was clearly an experienced fighter in her own right. I was contemplating what to do, when I felt a hostile presence nearby. I sent a Walking Bomb their way too late; I couldn't prevent the barrage of lighting from hitting Duncan, who missed a precious second of movement. It was enough.

Elissa raised her dagger.

Freaking–

"Cousland!"

Two things happened at the same time.

The spell that hit Duncan had done damage to the ground, causing it to tremble and break from the cliff where he and Elissa were fighting.

Elissa turned.

Then, they went down.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I darted forward, frantically reaching for Duncan. In the middle of the debris, I grasped a hand as I hit the ground.

A hand too small to be Duncan's.

Realizing my mistake immediately, I searched for my friend and watched in horror as he fell down the cliff.

Fu–

"Force Field!"

I felt the spell click, and Duncan was shrouded in my protective barrier. His eyes met mine before he disappeared from sight.

God, please let the barrier last until he hits the ground.

Having done what I could, I turned to the matter at hand.

Quite literally.

Golden eyes stared up at me.

I stared back. Opened my mouth–

And gritted my teeth upon getting hit by a spell on my backside.

Right. The mage.

I glanced side-ways as much as I could and caught the eye of the man in question.

Damn him, did he have to hit me in the butt? And had he no regard for who I assumed was their leader? What if I dropped her?

No, but this is bad.

I turned back to Elissa, desperately debating on what to do, when I heard a scream behind me.

"Hmph. How noble, to be willing to sacrifice one of your own to off an enemy"

That snide tone had never made me happier.

I felt more than saw the subtle presence of magic behind me as the two mages engaged in battle.

Go Morrigan!

"Argh"

The strangled noise from the woman dangling on the precipice demanded my attention once again.

I wasn't worried now, though. I was strong enough to pull her up. I just needed to back up a little and…

"Ack!"

Her hand slipped in mine. Not enough to lose my grip on her, but enough to make me realise her hand and arm were so bloodied that pulling her up would require more than just strength.

My eyes met Elissa's "Hang on, we just need to be smart about this…"

Maybe if I just moved this way… nope. Not it. Perhaps I can just shift my weight and reach out with my other hand… Oh God, she almost fell.

Okay, I needed help.

I was just about to yell at Morrigan to give me a hand as soon as she was done when Elissa's calm murmur made me turn back.

"Wha–?"

And then, she let go.

I screamed my protest too late. I saw who had to be potential warden Elissa Cousland plummeting into the abyss.

"Force Field!"

The spell built up… and fizzled out.

Shit, cooldown.

I watched hopelessly as Elissa fell further towards certain doom… until a bright cylinder of light materialised around her.

I looked up to find Morrigan lowering her staff.

She gave me a side glance.

"Hmph"

I hit her with my brightest smile "Morrigan, I love you"

Her responding scowl was full of love. I could tell.

We regrouped after the battle. Wounds were treated and information was shared. Unfortunately, any black-robed mage that hadn't managed to get away turned up dead, so there was no way for us to learn more through questioning, much to Leliana's chagrin.

Also unfortunate, we'd lost Duncan.

Of course, I informed them of the last-minute barrier I'd managed to cast on him, but the fact that he'd fallen off a precipice and ended up somewhere injured and alone didn't do anything for those worried about Duncan. Alistair was specially frustrated, as he'd had to sit this one out due to his broken ribs.

"The old chap is a sturdy one, yes? I'd wager he will meet up with us upon our next location with nary a scratch" said Zevran, who'd made a full recovery as well.

Kallian nodded "Zev is right. I'm concerned, but if it's Duncan, he'll make it back to us eventually"

Right… I mean, he did canonically die in Ostagar, so he wasn't invincible, but I decided against mentioning that little titbit.

"The Frostbacks stretch all the way to Gherlen's Pass" supplied Duran "If Orzammar is to be our next stop after getting the ashes to Arl Eamon, we will likely meet him there"

"…"

Having been unexpectedly attacked twice while hanging around this damn quest, the group decided to embark on our way down the temple despite the lack of sleep, betting we'd find less enemies on the way back.

I was tired, but honestly? I didn't think I'd be able to sleep in this place, anyway.

As we got ready to depart, I tentatively called out.

"Guys? There's something I need to tell you…"

"Will you be finally gracing us with useful information as to why I had to save that woman?"

"You mean that rogue that was fighting Duncan?"

"Ah, yes. I thought I saw Maya particularly taken by her… But I don't blame her, she had a unique kind of beauty, no?"

Kallian glared at Leliana "You think so, huh?"

"Wait, what? Maya, she…? Or were you…?"

I don't know whose jealousy was cuter, pouty Kallian or jumpy Alistair.

I raised my hands placatingly "Okay, yes, it's about that woman, Elissa" I realised most of the party wasn't aware of the potential origins in the game "I'm gonna have to explain a few things first. You guys might wanna sit down"

Once they got comfortable and after an encouraging nod from Kallian -bless her soul- I started my practiced spiel. I repeated a basic explanation of the 'play-like story' I'd witnessed in my own world, and moved on to the various possible paths said story could take.

"The first and one of the most… game-changing decisions" Heh "is who Duncan chooses as a recruit. He has a few options, such as a skilled city elf who impresses the hell out of him by storming a castle" All gazes went to where Kallian perched on a low rock. She gave them her sweetest serial killer smile.

Shudder.

I cleared my throat "Other options include…" I gave a pointed glance in Duran's direction "The exiled prince or princess of Orzammar, renowned for his or her prowess, and…" Switched to Natia "A casteless dwarf that destroyed the competition during the provings"

"You–"

"Natia, I swear to God if you call me a lying nug-humper one more time I'm gonna hurl something at you" I helplessly threw my hands up "I've never even seen a nug before"

Natia rolled her eyes "I was going to say, you said something about that to Duncan before, didn't you? That's how he found us"

Oh "Ah, yes"

Natia scoffed something about nugs and idiot children I didn't quiet catch.

Okay, so I jumped the gun. Can hardly blame me, given past experiences with that particular dwarf. Still, I was glad it seemed like we were making progress.

Conversely, Duran reacted more or less how I expected him to.

"What you are talking about would imply the existence of several realities. Where the warden Duncan chose to recruit before arriving at Ostagar would change the course of history"

He settled those gunmetal eyes of his on me; one of the rare times he showed such single-minded focus and a stark contrast to his usual wispy demeanour.

"Er… yes. More or less. It actually doesn't change the overall plot. Whoever Duncan chose would still need to rally the mages," or templars, cough "the Dalish, the dwarfs at Orzammar and Arl Eamon against the Archdemon. But it does affect some things here and there" I added, hoping I didn't make it sound like they were interchangeable.

Duran frowned "Minute changes should make differences, however. Large differences like myself being born female should be notable. This is fascinating…"

Right. What can I say? Game logic.

"You don't look too surprised. Did you perhaps already know about this?"

Kallian gave Leliana a one shoulder shrug "Maya and I tell each other everything"

At my side, Alistair gave me a side glance.

I leaned over to whisper in his ear "Not everything"

I heard him choke on nothing. His ears were tinted red. Cute.

"You mentioned options. I assume there are more than three. And, I assume you are bringing it up for a reason" cut in Sten impatiently, likely wanting to get the conversation back on track so we could move on.

I cleared my throat "Yes. So, that woman from before? The rogue?" I hooked a thumb to in the direction of the cliff "She's apparently Elissa Cousland, a potential warden recruit and supposedly someone who died alongside her family in Arl Howe's bloody trap, who, by the way, is in cahoots with Loghain"

Silence.

I recalled what she said before falling.

"Ah, and she told me to meet her in Jader. Anyone knows where that's at?"

Aaaand… all hell broke loose.

I sighed pleasantly between the questions and debates that formed around me.

Hah, I do live for these moments. Thank the universe my major source of entertainment hadn't completely run dry.

...hi. So, umm, I know it's been a while. Because of where we are in the story, I needed to set up the stage for the new arc. But because I changed things from my original plan while writing I had to rethink a big chunk of what's coming next. That's half of my excuse. The other half isn't an excuse so much as me needing time to recharge and taking it easy. I think its gonna get easier to write from here on but we'll see.

Thank you so much to the people who commented, followed and favorited after I posted the last chapter. Also, Saria Skye, you made me feel so validated, seriously, thanks. Aaand thank you Eiris for your help in polishing things out for this and the chapters to come :)

As always, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!