AN: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, but here's the new chapter! Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! EkoCentric, I tried your suggestion out in this chapter; let me know if it reads better. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Tower Climb

Chaos reigned down on the bridge once they reached it. The soldiers had gathered in the valley beneath them, facing off against the shadowy forms in the tree line of the wilds. Trebuchets launched from behind enemy lines, flinging large, molten rocks into the Ferelden forces. Several collided with the bridge, making the stones and mortar shake.

"If we're going to cross, we better do it now!" Braden exclaimed over the din.

Nuala nodded and began to charge ahead of them, Braden following closely behind. Guin took off after them, glancing to her side to be sure Ares was running with her. Alistair took up the rear, the five of them sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them across the white stone.

An explosion of stone to Guin's right knocked her off her feet, body twisting to avoid the large flying debris. She rolled to the quaking stones under her feet, but didn't quite make it back to standing on them. Alistair lifted her up from behind as he caught up to her, getting her feet under her before they both set off running again.

"That was close!" Guin exclaimed.

"A little too close, if you ask me!" Alistair replied.

Miraculously, they made it the rest of the way without further incident and they paused on the other side to catch their breath. Guin looked out upon the field below them and frowned. The darkspawn were charging from the woods, their numbers great. The King stood off to the side of his forces, facing the monsters. At his command, the archers fired their arrows into the charging lines of darkspawn. Several were felled, but not nearly enough, still a huge number rushed toward the King's army. Another command let the mabari loose, and they sprinted across the field at the darkspawn, their baying and growling filling the air.

"The battle has started. We need to be at the top of the tower when they give the signal. Let's get going," Nuala stated, turning from the fighting armies and toward the large stone tower. The rest followed suit, jogging up the path leading to the Tower of Ishal.

"Help!" called a mage at the gate to the tower, running up to them, a soldier just behind him. "You are the grey wardens, yes? The tower's been taken!"

"What do you mean, man? Taken how?" Alistair demanded.

"Darkspawn! They came up out of the ground! There's no one left inside!" the soldier answered, eyes wide and panicked.

Braden groaned, "it's never easy, is it?"

"We have to get to the beacon," Nuala growled, glaring at the top of the tower. With a scowl on her face, she unsheathed her sword and donned her shield. "We have no choice."

"We'll come with you! It's as you said, the beacon must be lit," the mage stated, eyes hard with determination.

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Guin answered, removing the Cousland family sword and her dagger from her back. Flames sprang to life along the blade of her family sword as soon as she pulled it out of its scabbard. She noticed her companions eye the sword in both surprise and appreciation.

Nuala nodded gravely before stating, "be mindful of their blood. Do not, under any circumstances, allow it to get into your mouths." Then, she turned and led the way through the gate.

Darkspawn had spilled into the courtyard from the tower, fighting what was left of the soldiers Loghain had stationed there. Nuala and Alistair rushed forward to engage the monsters, followed by the soldier they'd met at the gate. Braden and the other mage began casting spells, shooting fire balls and lightening into the enemies. Guin stopped in her tracks when she got a good look at them. They were the most revolting, horrid creatures she'd ever laid her eyes on. Ares whined beside her, nudging her forward. Guin nodded, steeling her nerves and roiling stomach, grinding her teeth against the nausea. She couldn't freeze up here, not now, not when so much was riding on their little group to succeed. Without further ado, they joined the fray.

After the first moment of disgust wore off, Guin found herself lost in the battle haze again. Nothing mattered except the next monster being felled by her blades. She heeded Nuala's words of course, not wanting to come down with blight sickness. The beasts went down easily enough and soon there wasn't a single darkspawn alive in the courtyard.

"That's the last of them," Alistair stated, wiping his blade off in the grass.

"Out here at least, there's supposed to be more inside," Nuala replied, frowning up at the Tower of Ishal. It was certainly imposing, standing several stories in the air.

Guin sighed, staring at the top of the tower with a small frown. They'd definitely have to fight their way to the top of the stone structure and there was no telling how many enemies they'd face. "Well, let's not keep them waiting," she stated, tightening her grip on her sword and dagger and stepping toward the entrance to the tower. This needed to be done, and quickly. The battle below depended on them.

Quickly, the group made their way up the steps and through the big double doors. Once inside, the rank odor of burnt and decaying flesh hit their nostrils and Guin just about gagged. The darkspawn alone smelled bad enough, but adding burnt flesh to list of aromas would cause anyone to be dizzy. Both Alistair and Braden wrinkled their nose, the latter coughing into his sleeves.

"Well, the beasts certainly didn't waste any time destroying the place," Nuala muttered, fist clenching the hilt of her sword tightly.

"Darkspawn!" Alistair hissed, moving into the tower. Nuala and the soldier followed closely behind, swords and shields raised and ready. Guin moved into the room after them only to have to jump back behind the burning rubble and corpses in order to dodge some sort of magical darkspawn attack. Ares bounded past her and engaged one of the monsters, growls joining the cadence of battle. Steeling herself, she ran back into the room, going after one of the big darkspawn that was hounding Nuala. It toppled over not long after she joined the fight, black ichor oozing onto the tiled floor from its many cuts and stab wounds. Turning, she noticed Alistair and Braden tag-teaming the mage darkspawn, while the other mage fought to keep two more darkspawn at bay. Guin and Nuala rushed to assist the mage, blades engaging the monsters and killing them within minutes.

Finally, the fight was over and Guin was able to take a bit of a breath. She cleaned her blades on the skirt of her armor but didn't sheath them. A nagging feeling that she would need them again soon kept her from putting them away. But, it wasn't long before they were moving on to the next room. There, they met more resistance, but Guin culled them down a bit by firing the already primed ballistae.

"Nice thinking," Nuala called as she ran headlong into a cluster of darkspawn, Alistair at her heels. Guin spared a smile before joining the fighting, working to dodge blades as well as spells launched at the darkspawn by the mages. She could feel herself – her mind anyway – pull away from the fighting, focusing solely on her opponent. After whittling the beast down, she found an opening and was able to plant her dagger in the hellspawn's belly and swung her sword in a broad stroke to decapitate it. As she stood straight once more, she turned to Alistair and Nuala, both finishing off their opponents. Nuala knocked her opponent back with her shield before stabbing the little monster through the chest. Alistair blocked a hit with his shield and rammed his sword up through the darkspawn's head.

The ex-templar sighed as he pulled the blade from the monster's head, watching it fall to the ground in disinterest and wiping his blade off on the thing once it lay still on the tiled floor. He lifted a forearm to his face, attempting to wipe the arterial blood spray from his tanned skin. He really was handsome – even splattered with the blood of darkspawn – and fought with ferocity.

"Alright, let's get moving. We need to reach the top of the tower," Nuala stated, breaking Guin from her staring.

"I hope we can find some stairs soon… it'd be nice to actually start making progress up the tower," Braden remarked. Alistair chuckled and nodded before following Nuala into the next room.

Instead of more darkspawn – as Guin had expected – the majority of the floor was broken apart with a massive tunnel leading into the ground. It smelled of rot and damp earth and felt cold.

"Well, now we know where all the darkspawn came from," Braden commented dryly, standing at the edge of the massive tunnel in the floor and staring into the darkness.

"What are they doing here though? There wasn't supposed to be any resistance in the tower," Alistair groused, scratching his head.

"We could always tell them they're in the wrong place," Guin offered, smiling.

"Ah, yes, of course! Excuse me, Mr. Darkspawn, but you were not invited to this soiree. There is a large party going on in the field that you did RSVP to and it's rude to stand them up," Braden added, smartly.

Alistair snorted before replying, "I dare you to tell them that."

"I'm just glad we get to see a little fighting. Besides, Alistair, I thought you wanted to kill darkspawn?" Nuala needled, small smirk playing on her lips.

"Honestly, I could have done without the darkspawn. They stink," Guin frowned, wrinkling her nose. They weren't nice to look at either, but the smell of death and rot made her want to throw up.

"This is your first time fighting them, right?" Braden asked as they moved to the next door – that hopefully lead to some stairs.

Guin nodded, "yeah, and this is only my second time in real combat. I'm more used to battling for sport."

"Well, you handle yourself better than many 'seasoned' warriors I know," Nuala remarked.

Guin just shrugged, adding, "Duncan had wanted to recruit me, but my father wouldn't allow it. He didn't want me in this war…" She trailed off and no one asked her to elaborate, thankfully. She could feel the grief well up in her chest and it took all her willpower to beat it back. A battlefield was definitely not the place to become emotional.

They reached the door and Alistair pushed it open. The heavy wood scraped the stone floor and drew the attention of the darkspawn inside. Alistair rushed forward with a battle cry, Nuala just behind him, both with swords and shields raised. Loghain's soldier would not be outdone, following the two wardens into the fray. Ares bounded after them, tackling one of the short darkspawn to the ground and mauling it with his massive paws. Guin immediately rushed after him, family sword and dagger at the ready. The monsters were dispatched quickly, the last falling to one of Braden's fireball spells.

"Oh hey, stairs!" Alistair exclaimed after a quick sweep of the room.

"I guess we can finally start climbing this damned tower, then," Nuala sighed before ascending the stone stairs.

Alistair was relieved to finally be moving upward, but the higher into the tower they climbed, the more resistance they encountered. Loghain's soldier had been killed on the third floor and the mage on the fifth. So far though, those two were the only casualties – Maker willing. Alistair expected Nuala and Braden to perform well, they had in the wilds after all. He was not expecting Guin to be as formidable as she was or to possess an impressive flaming sword and her mabari was a force of nature.

Now, they were on the sixth floor, with a pack of mabari that they had unleased on their enemies. He suspected they were over halfway to the top of the tower – or he hoped they were. The ex-templar was getting tired of climbing and fighting. He had a pretty eventful day and had been up for probably close to twenty-four hours now. Well… maybe twenty hours anyway.

A thud against his shield broke his train of thought and he turned, eying a genlock archer in distaste. He spun his sword in his hand and charged the beast, bellowing a cry. He didn't have to look to know Nuala and Ares were at his side with Guin just behind them, Braden staying back and launching spells left and right. His blade engaged the genlock, swiping across the beast's midsection and causing it to leap back in order to dodge.

Another genlock appeared to his right in a cloud of smoke with a grim chuckle, dagger thrust toward the weak points in his armor. The ex-templar spun away from the two, avoiding the blade. A second later, both genlocks charged him, both holding daggers and ready for stabbing strikes. Alistair deflected one enemy with a shield bash, sending the monster crashing to the ground while he swung his sword in a great arch, aiming for the neck of the second genlock. The monster ducked and rolled away with an inhuman growl. Alistair felt a huff of annoyance tumble from his lips before spinning to the other genlock, swinging his sword and catching the beast off guard. The blade slashed across the genlock's side under an arm raised with a dagger poised and ready to strike. Black ichor burst from the wound in the monster's side, but before Alistair could finish it off the second genlock appeared, daggers swinging in a flurry of strikes.

The ex-templar was forced to temporarily hide behind his shield, heels pressing into the stone tiles of the floor so he wouldn't give up ground. With a growl, he pushed on his shield, shoving the monster back. The genlock's daggers had been knocked from its grasp and Alistair took his chance, thrusting his sword through the monster's chest.

Out of nowhere, Guin appeared in a flurry of twirling, blazing blades, stabbing the last genlock through the chest and decapitating it in two easy swings. As she stood, she wiped at her sweaty brow and shook her head slightly, attempting to shake the dark strands of hair that escaped from the braid out of her face. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, out of breath from the fighting. Her mabari – Ares – trotted up next to her. The hound had been careful throughout the climb up the tower to only use his claws during the fights against darkspawn. Now wherever he went, he tracked the black ichor of the monsters.

Braden approached from the entrance to the room, chugging down a lyrium potion they had found in a chest a few floors below. He was sweaty and pale, obviously exhausted from the all the magic he'd been throwing around. Nuala wasn't faring much better, but she hid her fatigue well. Her brow glistened in the torchlight from sweat and her sword arm sagged.

"Are we there yet?" Braden asked after swallowing the last bit of lyrium potion.

"If only…" Guin stated after catching her breath.

"Just a few more floors," Nuala remarked, moving on to the next room. Guin moved to follow her, Ares perpetually at her side. Alistair moved quickly to walk with her, falling into step at her side.

"Thank you, for taking out that genlock," he said quietly, offering a small smile.

Guin smiled back before replying, "of course! You were being teamed up on, it was the least I could do."

"For a noble lady, you fight well," he remarked, still smiling. Guin raised an eyebrow at him with a small frown turning the corners of her lips down and he realized how that may have sounded. "Uh… not that you being a noble or a lady has anything to do with your fighting prowess."

"And this is surprising?" Guin inquired.

"Ah… only that you're one of the few rogues I've met at your skill level. Admittedly, I don't know that many rogues," Alistair replied. Maker, he did not need her to think he was a misogynist!

"Hmm," was her reply and she turned to face forward, picking up her pace to follow Nuala a little faster.

"Damn…" he muttered, shoulders drooping. He'd gone and made a fool of himself.

"No luck, huh?" Braden stated, materializing at Alistair's side, causing the ex-templar to jump. The mage had a small knowing smile plastered to his face that made Alistair quite annoyed.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one who failed trying to talk to women today, so you can stop smiling at me like that," the junior warden groused.

"Actually, our sojourn into the wilds was technically yesterday, so you are the only one to fail today, my friend," Braden replied, smile only growing.

Alistair huffed before stating, "then, the day is still young." Braden laughed, nodding.

"Touché," he answered, before picking up his pace to rejoin Guin and Nuala.

Over the next twenty minutes or so – he'd actually lost track of time by this point – they had cleared out the seventh floor and were about to ascend to the eighth. The four of them were exhausted, taking a minute at the base of the stairs to catch their breath and take a drag or two from their health poultices. The mabari they had let loose stayed on the sixth floor, making sure if anything came up behind them that it would not be easy to follow. Ares had plopped himself at Guin's feet, ears up and eyes alert.

Alistair's head had been pounding the entire climb of the tower, and with them nearing the top, he had hoped it would lessen – especially with the majority of the darkspawn within the tower killed. The tension in his head could be from the horde outside, but it was also highly possible for it to be caused by whatever was left for them in the tower. Frowning, he glanced up at the ceiling, faintly hearing footfalls through the stone, claws scraping at its surface.

"Something big is up there," he remarked, quietly. Nuala frowned, lifting her head to stare at the ceiling as well.

"How can you tell?" she asked, glancing back over to him.

Alistair sighed, still staring at the ceiling. "I've been a warden a few months longer than you have been… You can partially sense the darkspawn, that pounding in your head?" he paused, waiting to hear an affirmative noise from both Nuala and Braden, who was also listening intently now. "Well, my head has been aching since we entered the building, and the higher we go, the more the tension increases – like I'm being pulled upward and not just to the battlefield. If we had killed all the darkspawn, I wouldn't be sensing anything but the horde outside right now." He lowered his gaze from the ceiling, grim eyes set on the other two wardens. He wasn't supposed to talk about warden business with outsiders, especially with Guin sitting here… but how could he keep quiet? "I don't know what's up there, but it's definitely big, so be prepared."

"Big… like an ogre?" Nuala asked, face paling slightly but features remaining in the grim, determined look she always had.

"I've never fought one before, but… maybe," Alistair replied.

They were quiet for several moments, trying to gather some of their strength back. If he was right – and he dearly hoped he wasn't – then they would need as much strength as they could muster. Ogres were notoriously tough, large brutes that stood over ten feet tall. He had heard stories from groups of Wardens that had ventured into the Deep Roads of how they had taken out entire squads of dwarves by themselves. But, the had to face the music eventually. Afterall, the beacon had to be lit.

Braden was exhausted. Hell, he knew the others were, too. They'd fought through seven floors of darkspawn and were about to head up to the eighth. Once Alistair had mentioned something big on the floor above, the mage could hear the faint scratching and shuffling of large, clawed feet through the stone. They had taken some time at the base of the stairs to gather their stamina, but Braden couldn't figure out how they were supposed to face a damned ogre as tired as they were.

Face grim, Nuala stood and turned to the stairs. "Let's keep moving. The longer we wait, the more people die outside." Guin and Alistair stood as well, the latter offering a hand to Braden to help him stand. The mage took the offered hand gratefully, dusting off his robes once upright. Together, the group ascended the stairs.

Alistair pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and they were greeted by a grisly sight that sent Braden's stomach into his throat. A great, purple beast with huge twisted black horns crouched in the center of the large room, its back to them. There were several mutilated bodies surrounding it, blood staining the stones of the floor. As the door opened, the beast turned to face them, the headless body of some poor soul clutched in the ogre's hand. The damned darkspawn was chewing as it turned. It swallowed quickly when its eyes landed on them, then its mouth opened and a roar bellowed out.

Alistair responded in kind, sword and shield in his hands in a split second and charging the beast. Nuala was only a few steps behind the ex-templar, her sword and shield raised and yelling her own challenge. Guin charged after them with her mabari by her side, going after the beast's legs and using her speed to her advantage. Braden quickly whipped his staff off his back and began throwing spells, aiming them at the great big head of the ogre, well away from his companions, who did not reach the beast's chest.

The warriors continued to harass the monster, keeping its attention on them. Braden wasn't sure if that was the healthiest choice on their part, as the ogre's massive fists swung fast at the two of them. He tried to help them the best he could, sending more and more spells at the beast's head.

Somehow, one fireball hit the ogre in one of its black eyes. The monster angrily turned its attention to Braden, snarling and lips curling back to show massive, sharp teeth. It charged, ignoring the warriors desperately trying to keep its attention. All Braden saw were horns coming at him at a very fast clip.

"Braden, look out!" one of his companions screamed as he moved out of the path of the charging ogre. One of the horns missed him by inches, but the impact of the ogre on the wall and floor sent him stumbling, rolling along the floor with his momentum to get out of the monster's way.

He lay on the floor, dazed, for only a moment before someone pulled him upright. The ogre had gotten up as well, bellowing its anger at the group before charging again – this time at Guin, who had thrown several knives at the beast from her position in the chamber. She gracefully rolled out of the way and was on her feet, daggers swiping at the meaty legs of the beast as soon as she was on her feet again. Braden followed suit, standing with Nuala's help and firing more spells.

But then, the beast landed a blow. It happened as if in slow motion. A massive fist came swinging down and Guin hadn't noticed it coming for her. Alistair's shout of warning went unheard, but he made it to her in time, pushing her out of the way of the blow and taking it himself. The force of the hit sent him skidding across the floor, slamming into the wall on the opposite side of the chamber where he lay motionless.

"ALISTAIR!" Guin screamed, looking as if she may run to where he lay.

"GUIN NO! We have to finish this!" Nuala screamed, using her shield to bash at the monster's leg, drawing its ire. Guin nodded jumping back into the fray. Braden continued to throw spell after spell while moving over to the junior warden. When he made it to the unconscious (he hoped) man, he stood defensively in front of him.

"Why won't it sodding die?!" Nuala growled, ducking a massive fist and swinging her sword as high as she could reach – the beast's rib cage.

"You need to get at it higher!" Braden shouted back.

"Ah! I have an idea! Nuala, let me use your shield to jump up onto the damned thing!" Guin exclaimed as she swiped at the back of the beast's knees. Nuala shouted an affirmative and Guin spun away to a far enough distance to get a decent running start. Braden had no clue what the noble lady had planned but continued to fire spells at the ogre while she got set up.

Then he stood in transfixed awe as she sprinted at Nuala, who was crouched beneath her shield. Guin leaped, feet landing on Nuala's shield, who stood as Guin landed, creating a spring-board effect. The rogue flipped gracefully onto the back of the ogre, stabbing her daggers into the base of the ogre's neck. It roared in pain, hands lifting to try to dislodge the woman on its back. Nuala hacked at the back of a knee and the monster collapsed to its knees. Guin twisted her dagger deeper, causing the ogre to scream beneath her before falling face first on the stone, unmoving.

Braden immediately turned away from the dead ogre, kneeling beside Alistair – who still hadn't moved. He lowered his hands to hover above the ex-templar's body, a blue glow emanating from them. He wasn't a gifted healer as the school of elemental magic came to him easier – fire and electricity specifically. He thanked the maker for his foresight to learn some basic healing spells.

Alistair was in a bad state. He had a concussion, a broken ulna on the right arm, and a several broken ribs, not to mention all the scrapes and bruises. Braden did what he could for the man, healing the surface injuries, but the broken bones and concussion were beyond him – especially with such low reserves.

"Is he going be ok?" Guin asked, kneeling opposite Braden and gingerly taking Alistair's hand in hers. The mage's eyebrows shot up. Hadn't she snubbed the poor man earlier? What's this holding hands business about? Guin looked up at him, saw the raised eyebrows and blushed, gaze falling back to the man lying unconscious between them. "He… pushed me out of the way of that blow. It's my fault he's hurt, I should have paid better attention," she answered quietly, voice shuddering at the end. She frowned and coughed, but did not say more.

"We need to get him to a healer. I can't do much in my condition," Braden replied frowning as he lifted his hands away. He looked up around the room as he asked, "what about the beacon? Is it lit?"

"Yes! Teryn Loghain and his soldiers should be charging any moment now!" Nuala called, standing up from the fireplace where a roaring fire blazed. She turned away from the beacon and made her way over to them, concern in her eyes for their injured companion.

A sudden growl by the doors caused their attention to snap to the mabari, who was standing at the opening facing the stairs, head low and hackles raised. His lips curled away from his teeth, growl getting longer and lower.

"What is it, boy?" Guin asked, standing from her position by Alistair and making her way to her mabari. Ares responded by whining at her before continuing his growling. Guin frowned, worry creasing her brows. "There's something coming."

Not a moment later, they heard the inhuman shouts and growls echoing up the stairs from the floor below. Guin backed away from the door, reaching to unsheathe her daggers. Nuala joined her, sword and shield in hand. Braden stood from his position, but did not move away from the vulnerable junior warden. It was weird: only twenty-four hours ago, Braden was set to greatly dislike the man and now? Well, the darkspawn had another thing coming if they thought they'd get by him to finish off Alistair.

The shouts and growls got louder as the seconds ticked by and then suddenly, they were bursting through the doorway. Braden fired spell after spell at the horde of darkspawn, felling one only to have another take its place. Nuala and Guin were having the same problem, killing one only to find another to kill immediately after. There were so many!

Guin was the first of them to fall, an arrow piercing her in the shoulder. A Hurlock took advantage of the rogue's surprise and pain and moved to stab her through the belly. Guin moved at the last minute, but the blade still pierced her side and she dropped like a stone.

Nuala rushed to the rogue's side, defended her prone from, but she joined her on the ground not long after, two arrows protruding from her thigh. A shield bashed her head a second later and she lay motionless beside Guin.

Ares continued to cause havoc, flitting from one darkspawn to another, using his teeth this time. His master lying on the ground bleeding out sent the beast into a frenzy, but even he was eventually overwhelmed.

Braden didn't give up, even though he was the last one standing. Furiously, he threw more and more spells, staff whipping around and fire sizzling the air. Two arrows buried themselves in his body, one in his left bicep and other in his right thigh. He collapsed to the floor, the pain and exhaustion combined causing his muscles to fail completely. The back of his head collided with the stone floor, stars exploding in his eyes. He lay on the floor, dazed and staring up at the ceiling as the screams and shouts of the battle fell away, hoping he wasn't about to die.

So, when the roof of the tower was torn away and the head of a massive dragon took its place, Braden thought he may have been hallucinating. The next thing he knew – or did he really know anything at this point? Was he dreaming maybe? Or dead? – was that he was being lifted into the air and carried away into the night.