And here we go - the two chapters were too small, so I put them together for one final one.
They sure are taking their time, bringing a piece of the mirror out of there.
I take another sniff – dunno what a mirror even smells like, but the only scent down here is stale air. And spider piss, I guess.
Mistress emerges from the room first, squinting at me. "Max, what are you doing?"
What? You think I'm gonna go into a room where a cursed mirror that makes people sick was smashed into pieces, with its little cursed fragments everywhere? Either buy me special dog boots, or get fucked.
Flower Boy walks past us, carrying a rather nasty looking shard. See? Look at that damn thing. If I stepped on that, my foot's gone. Even without any curses. It's probably been soaked in spider piss, too. He better wash his hands after.
"Well, we've got a shard and the Lights of Arlathan. I should be able to scry for an unbroken Eluvian." Okay, great. Let's give it a scry.
"Oh, you're going to do it here?" Ari asks. "Should we maybe go somewhere less... haunted seeming?"
Oh. Shit. Yeah, good point. Let's get back to... and he's already started. You better not fucking sum- Never mind. He summoned smoke blobs. I silently echo Mistress and Ari's groans, as we keep them away from Flower Boy. While he squirms in place and waves his hands around like a big idiot. They call it magic, I call it interpretative dance.
The last one falls down... and so does he, complaining about blood on his robes.
"Really?" Ari frowns. "What happened to Gimme blood, Ariane. So what if it hurts?"
Mistress helps him up, as he pokes at a hole in his robe. "Yeah, but now it's my blood..."
Hey, you needed Ari's blood for the ghostlights so clearly hers is more important.
"Any luck?" Mistress asks, as he heals up the tiny scratch he was bleeding from. You fucking wimp.
"Yes!" he proudly announces. "I saw a desolate landscape, covered in dragon skeletons."
Guess we're going to Nevarra.
"So, Nevarra?" Ari questions.
"Or the Dragonbone Wastes" Mistress muses.
Sorry, 2 against 1. We're going to Nevarra... I always wanted to see if their mausoleums are as fancy as they say.
"I'd imagine it's the Wastes, yeah" Flower Boy interjects. You shut up. I pause, and try to picture a map. Which place is closer. Okay, fine. We can check out the Wastes first, on our way north to Nevarra. I guess.
Mistress goes to gather up her backpack, while Ari looks down at Flower Boy's hand. "... You should probably put down the cursed shard, now."
Yeah, before you stab yourself with that shit.
"Hmm? No, I might need it later, for more scrying. What happened to all the other bits, though?" he ponders.
I guess whoever broke it swept up after themselves. Or the spiders stole it all. According to Braids, spiders stole his wife's notes out in the Deep Roads. Team Mistress spent most of a day retrieving them, to find the lunatic woman.
The important thing is that the mirror's gone. Never to cause trouble for anyone, ever again. Yes.
For some reason, I feel like squinting suspiciously after saying that.
Flower Boy stares back into the big room. "It must have been a sight to see, before it was corrupted. Even the framework is impressive."
"Another of our relics lost" Ari remarks. On the bright side, at least the Dalish got to smash this one?
We get back outside, where Mistress and Ari scan the sky. "Well, we won't get to a village before nightfall" Mistress notes.
"No, but we passed a decent Aravel clearing on the way in here" Ari replies. "It's only a little overgrown."
Hey, it sure beats a creepy ruin full of ghosts. Hopefully that Architect arsehole's ghost doesn't jump out at us, when we stop at the Wastes. That sure would be a waste of time. Get it, Flower Boy?
He doesn't react. No? Too dumb to get jokes? Figures.
Suddenly, he glances down at me. "Dog!"
Yeah, what?
"In what is a tree covered?" he asks. A riddle? Trivia? Hmm – well, Old Man Aldous said it was... vascular tissue. I think. Something like that. Or is he actually trying to make a joke? Trees, trees... wood. Oh, I get it!
I 'woof' in response.
Ari groans, while Flower Boy smirks at my response.
Get it, Ari? It's funny because woof sounds like wood.
"Yes, hound" she mutters. "You barked. Very good."
Wait, what? Ohh. BARK! Wow, the joke works on multiple levels. Good job, Flower Boy.
"You actually came here before?" Flower Boy asks, kicking a mound of dust. "... what the hell for?"
"Darkspawn hunt" Mistress replies, staring into the distance. "I can't sense any of them out there now."
"You say that like it's a bad thing" Ari points out, keeping a hand near her blades.
"Maybe, maybe not" is Mistress' response. I don't know... I've got a weird feeling. Or a weird smelling, on the wind, I guess. Something knows we're here – and it knows that my nose knows it knows.
"So what exactly did you see?" Mistress enquires, turning to Flower Boy.
"Ruins, underneath the moon."
Everything is underneath the moon, idiot. Be specific, so we know what to look for when the sun comes up tomorrow. Because we're not gonna be stupid enough to wander around here at night, right Mistress? … and she's already started walking. For fuck's sake.
"Please tell me you saw ruins last time, and we're not just guessing blindly?" Ari begs, moving over to watch our backs.
"Maybe I should try scrying again, now we're closer" Flower Boy offers. "Because I... hold on. I think I just felt some magic. That way" he points.
We walk for a little while, and some big shadows come into view. "Tevinter ruins" Mistress notes. "If they took the Eluvian, then this is probably the spot."
"How can you tell they're Tevinter?" Ari questions.
"Because of that gargoyle?" Flower Boy voices up.
"What gargoyle?" Mistress quickly cuts in.
"Over there, on the far left... pillar... climbing... down."
"Shit" Mistress grunts.
Shit
"Shit" Flower Boy and Ari concur, as something screeches from the blackness.
"It can't be!" Ari follows up. Great, go tell it it doesn't be. Piss off, you non-existent arsehole!
"What are we dealing with, Ariane? Quickly" Mistress demands.
"A varterral! But they're just legends..." she stammers. "Rock and wind, given form by the Elven gods to protect their people."
"It doesn't sound very protective!" Flower Boy remarks.
It finally steps into the light, and what the shit are you supposed to be? Wind and rock, my butt! Elven gods? Let me guess, that one idiot god?! The wolf guy? I ever meet him, he's getting another Mabari bite on his arse!
"Dragons.. dragons!" Flower Boy shouts. No, moron. A varrt... vaar... the thing she said! It leaps into the air, and as I turn to watch, I spot something. A couple of drakes. Ohhh... you meant those dragons.
Still screaming, it finally lands. Okay then. I'm gonna go fight the drakes. The rest of you, kill the var... Fart Barrel, and try not to let it jump on you.
Ari appears, to help me kill the drakes, when my hair suddenly rises up. Is someone about to blast lightning? Scruffy? Did he follow us? Could have used your help in the mirror cave, you dumb jerk!
A loud crack echoes out, and suddenly the Fart Barrel gets smashed into the ground by a pillar of light. It screeches, it sizzles... the lightning fades away, and Mistress rushes up to shove her sword through its throat. And another time for luck, I guess. Panting, she yanks the blade back out and looks around.
"Morrigan?" she calls. A bird warbles, from on top of the pillars, and loudly flies off to the west. I bolt off in the same direction, as Mistress starts to follow. I spot Morrie land on a slope, re-transform, and keep running towards her. Morrie! Morrie Morrie Morrie! Hello. I missed you.
She smiles, and kneels down. Please don't hit me... oh. She's rubbing my ear! I knew you loved me, because I love you too!
"Step no further" she suddenly commands. Mistress' armour clanks to a halt.
"Hello, Morrigan."
Instead of answering, Morrie stands and waves her hands about. Suddenly, purple light appears. Hey look, it's another mirror thing. I hope this one hasn't got ghosts in it!
"The eluvian! And it's glowing!" I hear Flower Boy exclaim from down the hill.
"So you know what this is" Morrie comments. "When I use it, you will not be able to follow."
"You waited, so you must want to talk first" is Mistress' response. True.
"I waited, because the sudden screeching of that beast did ruin my concentration. The eluvian requires focus to start. And yes, I wanted to see if it was you. I needed to know."
"That's not all you need to know" Mistress warns. "I got word. From Kirkwall. Alistair."
That makes Morrie stop. "Indeed? And what could his foolishness matter to either of us, now?"
"Flemeth. She's alive alive. And apparently much more powerful."
Chuckling, Morrie shakes her head. "I did tell you."
"And now I've told you."
"Why else did you come? Truly?"
"A few reasons, honestly. To warn you, and there's something I need to know" Mistress motions to something behind Morrie. "I'm fairly certain, now, but can I..." she makes a gesture with her hands. You want to dance? Or are you pretending to bounce something?
Sighing, Morrie picks the bundle up and approaches. Oh! It's a little human puppy! Morrie, you had a kid?! … Did you name it after me?
Cautiously looking down, Mistress moves some cloth away from its head. "I can't sense anything at all. And I've seen no sign of Darkspawn tracking you. He really is normal."
"Also like I told you" Morrie jokingly chides. "His name is Kieran, if you're curious."
Mistress slowly pokes a finger towards him, and a chubby little hand grabs onto it. "Hello, Kieran. I guess I'm kind of your aunt."
Snorting, Morrie shrugs. "The closest thing he'll have to one, if that pleases you."
"Actually, yes" Mistress smiles, getting her finger loose. "I suppose that's that. Safe travels, Morrigan."
"... What?"
"What?"
Morrie lets out an annoyed sigh. "You came all this way, and fought a Varterral, only to want that? Peculiar, even for you. I didn't have to skulk around Amaranthine, waiting for you to ride south, after all?!"
"... Hiding under my nose. Figures" Mistress grins.
"Second last thing you would have expected. And I needed to find a nurse close by, while I prepared. The wastes are no place for my son, until I was ready."
"Second last? Okay, so what would have been the very last?"
"To march into your castle and ask for a room, naturally" Morrie smirks.
"Fair point... checking on Kieran, and warning you about Flemeth is what I had to do. What I wanted to do?" Mistress comments. "Honestly? Remember when we first met? You said something about my 'proper greeting'."
"That sounds right" Morrie agrees, looking confused.
"I guess I wanted a proper farewell. Just once, with someone. And to thank you for saving my life after Fort Drakon. Wynne and everyone told me you returned, instead of just vanishing once the battle was done" Mistress holds her hands out, palms up. "It wasn't always good, but you're my friend. So thank you, for everything."
"Such sentimental nonsense..." Morrie frowns, and wipes at one of her eyes. "A fool, to the end."
"Always" Mistress nods. "Good luck, wherever this thing takes you."
"... Live well, my friend" Morrie tearily beams, adjusting the baby sling over a shoulder. "Max? You better keep watching out for her." Well, yeah. Somebody has to. Later days, Morrie. And Kirrie. She glances down behind us. "Tell the Dalish girl her Clan's book is in that tree" she points. "And to apologise to the Elder, for me... if she likes."
She steps forward, and vanishes into the light. Then the light is also gone.
Rolling her shoulders, Mistress lets out a loud exhale. "And then... it was over" she utters. You shouldn't even know that quote, in context!
While Ari's started poking around the tree, Mistress lowers herself down and motions for Flower Boy to sit as well. "Good work, Finn" she tells him. Yeah, I suppose you weren't too useless.
"So what now?" he asks.
"We get some rest, until first light. And then, I'm going back to Amaranthine." As Ari joins us, carrying a book, Mistress smiles. "You should both come with me."
"What for?" Ari asks.
"Well, first of all, a huge breakfast at my table. We've earned it."
We sit silently for a moment, before everyone's stomach rumbles at the thought.
Sounds good to me. Closure is better on a full gullet.