Chapter 47; Tool of the gods; part 1
Characters of the chapter
Iledia, Agent of the Inquisition, advisor in matters of the arcane in the court of Queen Daenerys
Jaqen H'gar A faceless man
Lyanna Mormont, Lady of Bear Island
Meera Reed Lady of Greywater Watch
Ser Caleb Threestones, Knight of Westeros,Second to Lyanna Mormont
Varric Tethras, Viscount of Kirkwall, businessman and storyteller
Tallis Ben Hassrath operative
The Iron Bull Leader of the Bull's Chargers mercenary group, former Ben Hassrath operative, Agent of the Inquisition
"Come on, where is he? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Caleb grumbled after some time had passed.
"It's not an easy task he was given. He has to go alone through a restricted area without being spotted, and convincingly make his way back here to let us in. And with a place this big even that last part could be trickier than it sounds. The mark helps, but even then it might take him a bit to locate us again. So I say give him some time." Lyanna replied.
"Ok, fair enough. Still, I hope it won't take him too much longer. There is no telling when a Tevi patrol might stumble on us." He said.
"I might even welcome a chance for a bit of mayhem. But I suppose now is not the time for that." Iron Bull commented.
"Suppose he doesn't show… what would be our next move?" Tallis asked.
"I suppose in that case we will need to find another way in. Someplace that hasn't been properly secured or guarded. But who knows how long that might take. Or even if there is an unsecured entrance to find. Another option would be to just break through this door by force. But that's risky too. That would create a whole lot of noise. And without Jaqen there is no way to know what might be waiting on the other side of the door.
"So in short none of the other options are terribly good?" Meera said.
"No. So let's just hope that…" She began to say before the door began rattling. In an instant everyone had their weapons in their hands, pointed at the door. The door swung open, and out stepped a Tevinter soldier, who quickly brought his hand to his face. That face was pulled away like a piece of cloth, revealing Jaqen.
"Be at ease. It is only I." He said, as calm as ever. "The way is open, as requested."
"So I see. Well done." Iledia said, lowering her staff.
She followed Jaqen through the door. Right as she stepped past the threshold her foot landed on a pool of blood. There was a woman in peasant's clothes on the ground, her throat slit.
"What in…" Iledia gasped.
"That one was a servant that happened to be awake then the Man got here." He explained.
"Did you need to kill her?" She asked dryly as others started entering through the door, witnessing the.
"A man thought it better than to risk her telling someone. Opening the door in the middle of the night and letting in strangers would have looked suspicious." He replied.
"I suppose it would have. Still…" She said.
"All casualties are acceptable, so long as the mission is a success. Was this not what you said?"
Iledia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes. Yes I did. Well, no way to hide that kill. Too much blood. Let's just hope it isn't noticed too soon. Let's move on."
Along the corridors of the pyramid they went, letting Iledia's ability to sense the orb guide them to their target. Shortly they arrived at a T-intersection with a large set of barred doors on one wall. Four sets of armor were standing in the corners. Iledia might have dismissed them as some sort of decorations had there not been a strange magical aura about them. Before she had a chance to think about it further there were marching steps and muffled sounds of a conversation. A light was emanating from beyond the intersection, growing steadily brighter.
"Damn."She snarled a curse under her breath and motioned for the others to retreat around the corner.
The light drew nearer, the sounds growing stronger, and Iledia knew they would not be able to hide. The corridor was largely bare, with nothing to hide behind. Once whoever were approaching made it around the corner, there was no way they would not be spotted. She nodded to the others, who began readying their weapons.
"Four… no, six people. Armored. Soldiers then. Relaxed, not expecting trouble." She heard Tallis whispering to herself.
The group approaching them was a group of soldiers on patrol inside the pyramid. Six of them, just like Tallis had guessed. As soon as the Tevinters spotted them they stopped in their tracks, for a spit second unsure of how to respond. That ended up costing them as Lyanna and Caleb darted forward, both spearing an imperial soldier on their blades. Varric shot a third, then Bull rushed forward, decapitating a fourth. The fifth traded a pair of sword blows with Meera before Tallis sneaked in from behind him, sinking a dagger to his armpit. The final one had just brought his hand to the hilt of his sword when Jaqen was suddenly right in front of him, slitting his throat with a thin dagger Jaqen slipped out of his sleeve. Iledia had been preparing a spell, but with all the commotion she could not get a line of sight before the soldiers were all dead, so she dismissed it.
For a moment it seemed like the fight had ended before it started, but unexpectedly the suits of armor began moving, each drawing a pair of swords.
"Look out!" She shouted a warning, unleashing a stream of fire against the nearest suit of armor. The suit of armor began shuddering, turning red from the heat. Then the metal started warping. The armor fell to its knees, its top half reduced to molten slag, and stopped. The armor was empty save for faintly glowing blue crystal, now blackened and cracked from the heat it had been exposed to.
While this was going on, the others were engaging the other suits of armor. Lyanna was being pressed hard barely able to parry the strikes that were coming faster and more precisely than any human could deliver. Caleb was at her side moments later managing to land a hit on the armor's wrist. The metal crumpled and cracked, the hand ripping off when the armor moved its arm back for another strike. But the armor just kept on fighting, striking with its remaining sword and flailing at the two with the stump where it hand had been. In another direction Meera and Tallis were dodging the attacks of another one, when Varric fired a shot, leaving an arrow stuck in its helmet but to no apparent avail.
"What in…? Why don't they die?" Caleb shouted, utterly confused.
"Go for the chest! Break the crystal inside! That's their weak point! Iledia advised.
She sent a jet of flame towards the one fighting Meera and Tallis, melting its foot and a portion of its leg. As it stumbled from that Meera shoved her shortsword through its chest, hitting the crystal inside. The armor gave one last shudder, then fell apart. Jagen meanwhile distracted another one, twisting and turning from its attacks until its back was turned to Iron Bull who hit it in the back with a diagonal slash, hitting it hard enough to cut it in half. Lyanna dealt with the last one, knocking aside its sword then running it through.
"What… what in the Seven hells were those things?" She gasped as sounds of the fighting ceased.
"Sentinels. An enchanted construct that defends an area from intruders. Some Circles of Magi had them before the Mage-Templar war, to protect repositories of dangerous items. And in Tevinter wealthy mages sometimes employ them to protect their homes." Iledia explained.
"Some fight. Good thing we made it through in one piece." Caleb said. "Hopefully no one heard the noise."
"Too late to start agonizing over that now. Let's just get this wrapped up quickly. We need to get through that door. I think the orb is right behind it." Iledia said.
"Lyanna, please activate the compass I gave you now." She added.
"Right. But we aren't done yet though?" Lyanna said.
"No. But I think it's best to alert her ahead of time, so our exit is seamless. She said she would stay close by, but she is unlikely to be in the city. It would be hard to tell how much time she would need to make it here." Iledia explained.
"Good thinking." Lyanna commented. Then she pressed a switch on the compass, making it glow. "There it's done."
"Good. Now let's get this door open." Iledia said.
Together they lifted off the heavy beam blocking the door and opened it. When they entered they found themselves in a vast circular hall, dotted here and there by stone intricately carved stone pillars. There were two pedestals as well, one halfway to the center, another right in the middle of it. What original purpose this hall might have served Iledia had no idea. It was obvious it had long since been transformed to another purpose, supplanted by the Imperium to meet their plans, like so much.
On the pedestal closer to them there was a curious block of semi-transparent material. And on the father…
"There. That is our target. The orb." Iledia said. There it was, green energy lazily swirling about it. It was muted, but even then there was unquestionably power. And a promise of so much more of it, sleeping just under the surface. The power to achieve her dreams, power to obtain all she wanted, power to shape her country into what she thought it should be while keeping it safe from danger.
She swiftly moved to push those dangerous thoughts away. She had sworn to herself not to seek this power, to instead to achieve her dreams the hard but honest way. She momentarily turned her eyes down to the mark on her wrist. That was her bond, her pledge, the shackle that would keep her from doing what she was tempted to do. It was beyond her now. It was strange, but in some ways that thought was comforting…
"Well, what are we standing here for? Let's go get it. There is no more danger here." Lyanna said, taking a step forward.
ledia barred her way with her arm. "…And that is exactly what we should be worried about."
Iledia raised up her hand, using her scanning spell again. And lo and behold, blue magical marks appeared on the floor where she was scanning.
"More mines?" Tallis guessed.
"More mines." Iledia confirmed. "Only these explode on contact."
"Hmm. there has to be a way to get past them. They need to have a way to retrieve the orb when they have need of it." She mused, circling the edge of the mines, scanning all the while.
"Ah. As I thought. There is a path here." She said then.
"Alright, listen to me closely. The path I can see is a narrow one, and there is no way to detect it without my magic to guide you. We'll need to move forward in a single file. I'll go first, to chart our route for us. Follow me as close as you can and walk where I walk. Deviate from the path and that might be the end of us." She told them.
She received a chorus of nods from the others and off they went. She walked slowly, measured step by measured step, scanning all the while. The path twisted and turned, slowing their progression. Even as she dared not to look back at the expressions of his companions she could sense the palatable tension in the air. The only way the others could know where the path went was by where the person in front of them was going. They dreaded each step, fearing that it might be their last. And of course there was the fact they had by now caused a lot of noise and a lot of bodies. There was a growing risk they would be discovered shortly. And if their enemy happened upon them here they would be defenseless, unable to flee or effectively fight back as they were picked apart at range.
There was also the issue of Fenris and the operation he was leading in their support. How long would he be able to avoid being discovered himself? How long before he was forced to initiate combat, for the alarm to be raised and for their mission to become a whole lot harder?
"No. Focus. Don't wallow on the longer term issues now. What matters is the next few seconds." She told herself.
"Looks like the mines are coming to an end here. But wait a moment, I'll double check." She said after some time had passed. She took a step forward, then began walking back and forth in a widening circle, continuing to scan.
"It's clear. There are no more mines past this point." She said finally. She continued to scan the end of the path so the placement of the mines would be clear to the others. Pretty soon all of them had gathered into the safe area.
Now that they were in the clear their attention was drawn to the second pedestal in the room. Now that they were able to see it properly they noticed something was encased inside the block of semi-translucent material. The block itself was entirely smooth, no chip marks, air bubble of faults anywhere to be seen.
"What is that stuff. Ice? Glass? Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen." Meera asked.
"Some fade crafted material I reckon. There is definitely some kind of magical aura about it. But I don't think it's dangerous." Iledia said.
"I'm more curious about what that thin inside it is. The Vints would not leave something like this here just for looks. It has to be important somehow." Iron Bull commented.
"It think you're right. Still, I'm not sure how are we supposed to get through this. It looks completely solid." Iledia commented. She sent a small stream of fire from her thumb towards the block. But the fire simply disappeared before even touching it.
"Damn." She cursed. "Magic is no good. This stuff is repelling it somehow."
"Ok. Then we'll try a more direct approach." Caleb said, then swung at the block with his sword. There was a loud clang and some sparks.
"Shit! It's rock hard." He cursed in turn. "Blast. Damaged my blade too." He snarled, noting how the edge had bent around the point of impact.
"Maybe we should just leave this be. Out target is right there. Let's just go get it." He suggested.
"I just don't get it. Is this just a hoax, to make us waste time? Why would they just leave something like this in the open only for there to be no way to… woah…" Lyanna began to say before stopping in amazement. She had placed her hand against the surface of the block, only for her hand to pass through and into the material.
"What…?" Iledia gasped, putting her hand on the block as well. But her hand was stopped right at the edge.
"Why is this solid for me? Why does your hand go through but not mine?" She wondered.
"Your guess is as good as mine, and I haven't a clue." Lyanna replied. She reached further in and pulled out the object at the center.
"It's… and amulet of some sort." She said, showing it to the others.
"I wonder why something like that was there, behind such a defense no less." Iledia wondered. "Hold on to it. We may need it later." She told Lyanna.
"Now we have talked away more than enough time. Let's get this done." She said then.
They managed to take a several steps towards the orb. But then Iledia groaned, her face twisting in discomfort. She doubled over, holding her head.
"Hey, are you ok?" Tallis asked, moving to the mage's side.
"There is… something wrong. The power… it's too much. I can't… control. The voices… I can't… I need… I need to…" Iledia said through clenched teeth. Tallis could see she was in great pain.
"GYAAAAAH!" Iledia suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, stumbling, nearly falling to her knees.
"WHAT THE SHIT!?" Varric shouted, startled by the sudden commotion.
"Silence her! They'll hear us!" Jaqen ordered sharply.
Lyanna jumped in, clamping her hand over Iledia's mouth only to then scream as Iledia bit her. Lyanna was wearing her gauntlets, but where Iledia bit there was only leather, and her teeth sank right through that. Lyanna managed to get herself free, retreating away while clutching her bloodied hand.
"Lyanna!" Caleb shouted, and without thinking, charged at Iledia with his weapon ready to strike.
"No! Stay away from me!" Iledia screeched, blasting Caleb with energy. He was knocked back into one of the pillars nearby, left stunned by the force of the impact. Tallis had an opportunity to see the mage's eyes then. They were wild, crazed. Whatever she was doing now she was not herself.
Jaqen and Iron Bull rushed at Iledia in an attempt to contain her (or kill her if that was the only option). Varric meanwhile went to help Caleb along with Lyanna. Meera meanwhile was still hovering uncertainly, trying to process what was unfolding before her eyes.
Iledia caused stone to erupt from the ground, surrounding Jaqen, leaving him trapped. Iron Bull was almost on her when she called forth an enormous translucent hand that grabbed him, hoisting him into the air, his arms pinned to his sides. Unfortunately her crazed state seemed to have done nothing to dampen her magical talents.
The tip of Iledia's staff touched the ground. Flamed erupted, the floor awash with a torrent of flame. Jaqen was thankfully shielded by the stone surrounding him, and Bull by how high he had been lifted. Lyanna and Varric managed to drag Caleb behind the pillar he had hit just before the fire reached them. Tallis also shoved Meera into cover just in time, and the two cowered behind another stone pillar as the flames slammed into it, the air almost too hot to breathe.
Eventually the flames abated, enough for Tallis to risk a peek around the corner. Iledia was still in under the influence of whatever had affected her, her attention now drawn to Iron Bull. The giant magical hand she was controlling was slowly squeezing him to death, his armor already crumpled at places. Looking towards the other column she could see the trio huddled there were alright, but currently unwilling to do anything except huddle in cover.
At that point she also noted Meera, who had reluctantly taken out her blowpipe, placing a fresh dart in it.
"Wait. Let me try something first. I think… I think there might be a way for me to reason with her. We might not need to take her life." Tallis whispered to her.
Meera looked hesitant for a while, but silently nodded.
Talllis returned the nod and was about to step out from behind the pillar when she took a step back. "Oh, and for the record if she kills me this was not a good idea on my part."
After that quip she cautiously stepped out of cover. Iledia's back was turned to her, so she did not notice Tallis initially.
Tallis gulped, feeling the knots in the pit of her stomach. "Iledia." She then called out quietly. Instantly Iledia turned around with a snarl, her staff pointed at the elf. There was anger in the mage's eyes, but also fear, confusion… and pain. A great deal of pain.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." Tallis said, keeping her voice as calm as possible given the circumstances.
"You know me. I'm Tallis. We're on the same side. We are all here on a mission remember?" She continued. She could detect a twitch of comprehension in the mage's eyes. She was getting through to her. She was also slowly moving closer to her, each step taken with care so as to not provoke the mage.
"I know you're hurting right now, but we are not the enemy here. So please, let him go." Tallis pleaded, motioning towards Iron Bull, still suspended in the air.
Iledia looked at Iron Bull, then at Tallis, then back at Iron Bull. She hesitated for a time, after which Iron Bull fell to the ground with a thump.
"Help me." Iledia then pleaded, becoming teary eyed. "The voices. They hurt so much. Please, make them stop talking in my mind."
"I will." Tallis promised, now right in front of the mage.
"Sorry." She apologized.
"What?" Iledia asked, frowning.
Then Tallis hit her as hard as she could, knocking her out cold. Tallis caught her before she hit the ground, gently lowering her down.
As Bull picked himself up from the floor, bruised but mostly ok, the stone trapping Jaqen crumbled to dust. The others also dared to come out of cover Caleb having recovered somewhat from the hit he had taken.
Tallis noticed Jaqen approaching with his dagger drawn, intent in his eyes.
"Don't." Tallis warned, placing herself between him and Iledia.
"She turned on us. She needs to be dealt with." Jaqen stated.
"She was not being herself. It's not her fault. And all of us are still alive, aren't we?" She countered.
"No thanks to her." Lyanna said, still clutching her wounded hand. "And even if what you say is true, what's to stop her from attacking us when she comes to?"
"I think it has something to do with proximity to the orb. She was fine when we were close to that second pedestal. So we can just move her back there and she should be fine. And just in case you can watch her for a bit while we get the orb." Tallis said.
"Why me?" Lyanna asked.
"You're injured. And since you are not at your best guard duty is the perfect fit for you." Tallis explained.
"Are we sure this is a good idea? Because I'm not. We were five seconds away from being murdered by her." Caleb opinioned.
"We need her alive. Otherwise we'll never get out of this room. Remember the mines." Varric pointed out.
"Urgh. Fine. I'll watch her. Just make this quick." Lyanna grumbled.
Their decision made, they dragged Iledia back placing her back against the pedestal.
"Alright. Attempt two." Tallis said, and they started towards the orb again. Shortly after Iledia began stirring. Her eyes opened, and she rubbed her jaw.
"Damn… it feels like I was kicked by a mule or something… why does it…what? Why am I back here?" She wondered. "And what happened to you?" She asked, noting her injured hand.
"What do you meant what happened?" Lyanna asked, incredulous. "Your pearly whites are what happened, that's what."
"What? Whatever do you mean?" Iledia asked.
"You bit me you crazy bitch!" Lyanna snapped.
"I did? No." She said before pinching the bridge of her nose. "I guess I don't remember…"
"You don't?" Lyanna asked, frowning.
Iledia shook her head to clear away the lingering mist. "No… I was walking towards the orb with the rest of you and then…. I don't know. It's all a haze. I think something bad did happen."
"You could say that. You damn near killed us. If Tallis had not managed to knock you out cold who knows what might have happened." Lyanna said.
"Oh shit. That bad? I… I'm so sorry. I'd never have done that if was of sound mind." Iledia said.
"I can heal that wound for you." She said, reaching out with her hand.
"Get your hands off me!" Lyanna said, slapping the hand away.
"I'm just trying to help…" Iledia said, trying again.
"I said hands off! You've done enough." Lyanna said, once more batting the hand aside.
Before their exchange could continue any further they were interrupted by a loud crackling noise, followed by screams of pain from the others.
Jumping to her feet, Iledia saw that the rest of their team was now wreathed in streams of golden light emanating from the orb. The energy seemed to be holding in them in place as they continued to scream.
"Caleb…" Lyanna breathed
"DON'T! You'll just get caught in it too!" Iledia shouted in warning, grabbing the other woman's wrist.
"Let go of me! I have to help him! CALEB!" Lyanna shouted, pulling herself free.
"Dammit…" Iledia snarled as Lyanna rushed towards the others. After the briefest of hesitations she pulled a knife from her belt and cut across her palm. She concentrated, feeling the power rise from the blood.
"STOP!" She then shouted, her voice now carrying an otherworldly authority. Lyanna halted in her tracks, turning to face the mage. Iledia could see the fear and confusion in her eyes because of the body that was suddenly rebelling against her.
"Return." Iledia commanded, and Lyanna walked back to her. Her step was ungainly, isolated twitches and tremors all over her body as she tried to resist the spell. But nothing she could do could overcome Iledia's magic.
"Now then, how to help them?" Iledia wondered, as Lyanna was standing next to her. Looking around she noted a sigil of some sort in the ceiling. One that at a glance looked to be designed to siphon away a great deal of energy.
"So that how to disable it. But I need to be closer. How, though? I can't just go there. I might just end up going nuts like before.
"There has to be a way. Think. Dammit, what do I need to do? What…?" She mumbled to herself, anxiously pacing back and forth. Then her eyes widened in surprise.
"The amulet! Give it to me, quickly!" She told Lyanna, motioning with her hand.
Meanwhile Tallis stood frozen in place, her body wracked by the golden energy emanating from the orb. She could not move and could barely even think from the pain. With supreme effort she managed to raise her hand nearly touching the orb. But it was all too much and her hand was soon forced back.
It was the same for all of them. They could only stand there, unable to move tormented by the trap they had been caught in.
"Is this it? Is this how we die? Is this the end?" Tallis thought as the energy continued to tear at her, slowly taking her life.
Without warning the energy changed course, heading past them. No longer held in place by the energy, they collapsed into heaps on the floor. Looking up, Tallis could see the energy being diverted to Iledia's staff. Then the mage pointed her weapon towards the roof and the energy changed course yet again, pouring into the sigil Tallis only now noticed there. Moments later a wave of blue light washed over them, closing their wounds and restoring a lot of their strength.
"Good… good call keeping her alive. That would have been the end of us otherwise." Iron Bull commented, standing up.
"How were you able to come here?" Tallis asked, likewise rising to her feet. The mage was now well past the point where she had gone crazy earlier.
Iledia tapped the amulet she was now wearing around her neck. "This thing turns out to have been the key. I think the reason I lost my mind was because the orb is currently generating a lot of excess magical energy. To someone as sensitive as a mage it's too much to handle. But this amulet… it dampens the effects somewhat, enough for me to retain control."
"I wonder how did the Tevinters come to think of this defense? Or the way to overcome it? Did they design it specifically for this?" Tallis asked.
"Somehow I don't think so. Looking at this thing I get the feeling there might have been some original design behind this. One tweaked for this purpose. What its original purpose might have been I can't even guess.
"What's wrong with Lyanna? What did you do to her?" Caled suddenly demanded, having recovered himself enough to take note of her condition. Lyanna was standing nearby, her eyes still glossed over.
"Huh? Oh crap. I forgot about that in all this commotion." Iledia said, then waved a hand at Lyanna. Lyanna blinked and shook her head, her vision swimming back into focus. Then, her eyes on Iledia, her face twisted in anger.
"Look, I'm sorry that I…" Iledia tried before being cut off by Lyanna punching her across the mouth.
"Fuck!" Iledia cursed, doubled over, holding her face. "I guess I deserved that." She admitted.
"Never, EVER do that to me again. Do you hear me?" Lyanna spat.
"Got it. Augh. You hit really hard, did you know that?" Iledia said.
"Remember that." Lyanna warned.
"That power… you're a blood mage aren't you?" Meera asked.
"I have… dabbled in such arts." Iledia admitted after a pause. "I'm not a very active blood mage mind you. I use it very rarely. But I have thought it best to not deny myself that capacity. Better to have it and not need it, no?
"That's what all of them say. At first. Blood magic changes people. Corrupts them." Tallis accused.
"So they say. But I have never taken that to be a literal corruption of the body or mind. Blood magic is corrupting in the same sense all power is corrupting: Because it gives one the license to do what they wish. I'd like to think I have taken steps to safeguard myself against that." Iledia countered.
"And in any event I think this time you ought to be grateful I have this capacity. We might not be having this conversation if that were not the case." She added.
Lyanna scoffed.
"You may not approve of what I did to you. And I don't blame you at all for that. I might be just as upset in your place. And I don't blame you for reacting to Caleb's distress as you did. Nonetheless it was an irrational action that might have endangered you as well. If you had I could not have gotten the amulet. And without it I would have had no way to help you." Iledia told her.
"We can debate this subject later. Our task is still to be completed." Jaqen cut in.
"Yeah, but how to do it now? That energy is still emanating from that orb. I don't think we want to touch that after what happened. And I don't think this thing is about to run out of juice anytime soon." Varric pointed out.
"Let me see if there is some solution to cut off the flow of energy." Iledia said.
She spent a lengthy while examining the pedestal, walking around it repeatedly. She paid particular attention to the runic inscriptions all over the pedestal.
"Should've guessed." She finally said.
"What is it?" Tallis asked.
"I'm starting to understand the design of the defenses here. I think the intent is for at least two people to enter here together. A mage and a non-mage, the non-mage more than likely a slave. The mage would find the way past the mines, after which the slave would help the mage get the amulet, which the mage would use to get close enough to disable the defense you lot ran into. And then… the slave would be sacrificed to retrieve the orb."
"Sacrificed?" Tallis repeated.
Iledia nodded. "These runes make it plain as day. To stop this flow of energy requires a blood sacrifice. A large one. Big enough to kill a person I think."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I understood there was a risk of death on this assignment, but I don't think I can accept bleeding someone to death over this." Meera protested.
"I'm not suggesting that at the moment. There is nothing to indicate the blood in the ritual must come only from a single person. So I think if all of us give some blood it might just be enough to do the job while keeping all of us alive." Iledia clarified.
"That would weaken us. Badly." Iron Bull pointed out.
"I know. But it's better than killing one of us. And it's necessary." Iledia said.
"Crazy is what it is." Lyanna muttered.
"There is no choice! We can't do our job without doing this." Iledia snapped.
"I'll be the first to give blood, since you are concerned." She then declared.
"No. A Man shall be the first." Jaqen spoke up.
"It's my spell. My responsibility." She argued.
"Yes. And because of that the Mage should be at her beast for as long as possible, to ensure her spell works. She should be the last of us to provide blood." He replied.
Iledia considered for a moment, then nodded, having heard reason. "Very well. We will do it your way."
"I guess it's a good thing we have a blood mage with us after all. Huh. Never thought I'd say that." Tallis commented before they began.
While Jaqen took out his dagger and opened his wrist Iledia concentrated, red light beginning to glow at the tip of her staff and in her free hand. Blood from Jaqen hovered in the air, slowly swirling around the pedestal, drawn into the runes in drops. That kept up for a time.
"Ok, that's good enough. Let's move on to the next one." Iledia finally said. Jaqen stepped back, holding his wrist to stem the bleeding, rendered somewhat groggy by the blood he had lost.
Tallis stepped up next. As Iledia was taking her blood the elf momentarily stumbled before steadying herself.
"You alright?" Iledia asked of her.
"Yes. It's a bit of a strain, but I'll manage. Don't worry about me." Tallis replied.
One by one the others followed suite, until only Lyanna was left. She was hesitant, clearly uneasy about participating in a ritual such as this. The others had seemed understandably reluctant, but Lyanna was on the cusp of refusing.
"Lyanna, please. We need you." Iledia told her.
"I…" Lyanna stammered.
"Lyanna, it's alright. I'm with you. It will be fine. She is not going to harm you. Neither of us would even let her." Caleb reassured, placing a hand on Lyanna's shoulder.
Lyanna looked at Caleb for several moments, then slowly nodded. She then raised her injured hand towards Iledia.
"Well you already put a hole in me. Might as well draw the blood from that." She stated.
"It will serve." Iledia said dryly. As before she took as much blood as she dared. Their effort was clearly having an effect. The energy emanating from the orb was starting to waver, the light dimming in a noticeable way. But it was still not quite enough. One more helping would be required. Iledia had already closed the wound in her palm when she had healed the others. But now she opened it for the second time that night, using the tip of her staff to cut into the flesh. Her blood flowed in turn, drawn into the runes. Iledia felt the strangest form of numbness where the blood was coming out. It was if her hand had been hollowed out and filled with cool air. Shortly she began feeling other effects of blood loss. First a thirst, followed by a sense of lightheadedness. After a while she even began feeling a chill due to the blood loss. She persevered, doing her best to set aside the discomfort.
"Come on, come on. Shut down, damn you." She whispered under her breath. She began to worry, concerned that she had made a mistake; that the blood so far shed would not be enough after all. But then the energy flickered and slowly faded away. The orb remained in place, still glowing softly with energy, but now it was weakened, muted, rendered dormant.
Her task finally complete, Iledia drew a shuddered breath and took a lyrium vial from her belt, downing it in one go. Then once again she cast her heling spell, closing their self-inflicted wounds, though even her spell could not do anything to replace the blood that had already been lost.
"…Is that really it? No more traps to worry about?" Meera asked with uncertainty.
"I… I think so." Iledia replied. Just in case she performed her scan one more time, then as a final test she poked the orb with the tip of her staff. Nothing happened in response.
Iledia smiled. "It's done. No more defenses."
She was about to continue when she was cut off by sound in the distance. The ringing of bells, muted by the stone walls all around them, but still clearly noticeable.
"Damn. Fenris's lot must have gotten themselves engaged." Iledia cursed. "Bull, take that thing out." She commanded.
Bull was already raising his weapon to strike when Varric interjected. "Wait! We don't know what destroying it might do! There are far too many people in this city. People who don't need to die. We should move the orb out of here first."
"We may not have that kind of luxury here…" Iledia tried to argue.
"You promised we would try to do this if it was at all possible. I think there is still a chance to do so. We should at last try." Varric countered, his tone demanding.
A second of hesitation.
"Well try to move the orb out of the city first." She then decided. "Grab it. Now let's go, quickly! We can't let them trap us here!"
Iron Bull took the orb and they rushed away from the scene. If it had been frustratingly slow and frightening to pass through the mines the first time around, it was three times more so now that the alarm had been sounded. It was a small miracle they managed to get through without incident.
As soon as they made it past the door they ran into an enemy team. Four, as before. They had likely been on patrol like the previous group when they had heard the alarm sounded, and then had stumbled onto the mess left behind from the first battle.
For a split second the two groups stared at each other. Iledia was the first of them to recover, unleashing a cone of flame, three of the four soldiers enveloped in flame, and charred to a crisp. The last one was badly burned, rendered defenseless before being cut down by Lyanna.
"Move it! Head for the harbor and don't stop for anything! Lyanna, you have the compass, so lead the way!" Iledia ordered sharply.
They fled onwards. Right as they reached the door leading out of the pyramid, Lyanna stepped back, motioning for everyone to quiet down.
"Running steps. A big group of people." Lyanna whispered sharply.
Varric and Iledia took aim at the door, while the others spread around the room, ready to attack anyone that tried to rush through. Shortly they could all hear what Lyanna had heard: Sound of a large group running forward, the sound of orders being shouted. "A platoon or company weight force." Iledia guessed in her mind as she listened the sounds getting closer.
The tension rose to an almost unbearable level when the footsteps were right behind the door, all of them anticipating the door flinging open and imperial soldiers flooding the room.
But instead they began to hear the running steps receding, until they could hear them no more. After a few moments of tense waiting Lyanna cautiously peeked through the door.
"They're gone. Were clear." She then declared. There was a collective sigh of relief in the room. Even with the chokepoint of the door and Iledia's magic aiding the battle, a fight against a force that large would have been difficult in the extreme. It would have been almost impossible to avoid taking at least a few casualties. And more importantly it would have stalled them at a time they really could not afford to be. In that situation Iledia might have even had to go back on her word and risk destroying the orb within the city.
"Let's go." Iledia said.
When they emerged outside they immediately noticed an orange glow in the distance, revealing the outlines of thick plumes of smoke.
"Woah. The Second Sons sure weren't kidding about their intentions." Meera commented.
"No time to stay and gawk. We need to go!" Iledia told her.
They moved along the smaller streets as before, avoiding larger groups of enemies as before. Fortunately most enemy units were heading away from them, towards the blaze. Their plan looked to be working for the moment.
Now and then they had to stop and fight smaller patrols, but those were won fairly easily through surprise and their superior skills. The blood they had lost was hampering them making the more sluggish than usual, but for the moment they managed. But even then their progress was slower than Iledia wished. Every moment lost increased their chances of being bogged down and wiped out. And since they had decided not to destroy the orb yet even their mission could still end up being a failure after all.
She only hoped Isabela would be ready and waiting for them.