I'm in a bit of a predicament. I only played through my Aria character in DA:O up until I leave Lothering. Recently my dad has decided I'm a terrible person and was no longer worthy or responsible enough to be allowed to play any of our console games, including the ones that are personally mine because I paid for them and has taken all the games somewhere and packed up the consoles so I can no longer play them. Thus, I have no idea how I'm going to continue passed this point with other people's Mage origin play through's. And none of my actual in game choices.
I might have to put the continuation of this story on hold until I know dad didn't throw out ALL THE GAMES I PAID FOR (and his own). And who the hell knows when that will be because damn it he holds a grudge like no other person I know.
This might be the last chapter for a while...Unless I take coolgamers advice and buy a PC version.
Chapter 16
There was no sky, only sharp, jutting stalactites that she couldn't see, but knew were there. The molten heat and red glow that came from a cavernous drop only illuminated so much as she stood there. Or was she floating, Aria couldn't recall. She just knew she was in a place no sun could penetrate and there was nothing but stagnant, hot air and the deafening rumble of thousands and thousands of footsteps clad in crude metal footwear.
Flames ate at her arms as a roar so fierce shook the very walls that surrounded her. They were so far away, yet it still felt as if they were going to shift closer, closing in on her as she screamed in agony. Rocks stabbed into her knees as she fell, hands closed around her ears.
The roaring turned into a sickening mockery of song. A demonic melody that called out to her from inside the recesses of her mind that forced her eyes open, wide as the dry heat at her side burned her scared skin.
It was above her. A black god-like dragon with teeth protruding from its maw as it opened its massive jaw to sing its nightmarish tune. Notes disjointed and chaotic and hell on her ears. She screamed in resonance as she watched from her perch as the gods darkspawn children reveled deep within the earth.
Fire spread free from the corrupt dragon and melted stone. It face her and their eyes met in a horrendous show before the beast released its fire, burning Aria alive.
Aria wrenched the cloak she had been using as a second blanket off of her as she bolted up right. Her voice caught in her throat as her hands flew across her body, making sure nothing was missing, that nothing had been burned away into nothing. It was slow, painfully tense moment in time before her heavy breaths evened out and she groaned deeply before laying back in her makeshift bed.
Staring up at the night sky, Aria saw the very edges lightening as daybreak approached.
"Another dream?" came a voice near the dying fire. Aria turned her body on its side to face Alistair.
"More like a nightmare if you ask me." She groaned, whiping away the cold sweat at her brow. Once again she sat up, slower this time and faced Alistair as he prodded at the fire to try and get it stronger.
"If it makes you feel better, they should eventually die down in severity." He prompted, waving her over to sit by him. Aria wrapped up in her cloak and stepped over to him. Her muscles were sore from traveling for the last few days. Nothing but bandits and a few oddly placed darkspawn to add to the chaos of trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible.
Which honestly was kind of hard to do when there was a giant man amongst them who had a thing for attacking people who asked stupid questions.
Sten was certainly a man of few words and little patience and while it was intimidating Sten being who he was fascinated her more the more she asked about the qunari. It was a topic she had never read about, sure there were texts detailing their invasion so long ago, but nothing about the people culturally.
There were very few subjects Aria had taken a liking to while under the tutelage of the Circle Mages. History, mythology, the Fade, and culture, culture that she as an elf was only granted snippets of in the Alienage.
Sten had been more than a little disinterested in her own need to sate her curiosity but had given her enough to mull over as they stopped to build camp that night. It was one of those nights where the group could take a collective breather from all the fighting and rest their feet and sword arms. Each of them had dropped everything where they stood and simply set up their own personal space without a complaint until it was time to decide who would cook that night.
Morrigan had downright thrown a rock at Alistair for even thinking of picking up the ladel and Aria wasn't exactly sure it was safe to let her, who had never cooked something over the fire before, near their food for fear of burning it. Uthnehn had barked happily, but no one was sure if that was due to excitement over the prospect of food, or an offer to prepare it so Aria decided to let the others decided the food situation and took the mabari to the edge of camp to clean of the dried blood from his fur.
In the end Leliana cooked dinner and it was edible. Conversation was short and rare and none really knew what to talk about for too long. They were all more focused on what exactly they were getting themselves into.
Saving the whole of Ferelden with little to no actual plan other than some moldy treaties was still a hard concept to accept.
Aria stifled a yawn as she remembered she was up at some ungodly hour with her fellow Warden and turned to the blond man who was starting to doze, she smiled and poked his shoulder.
"Huh—wha? Where's the arched…" His tired gasp was interrupted by one of his own yawns and she pointed to his little slice of heaven, the blankets were thrown haphazardly as if he had woken up just as suddenly as she.
"Go back to sleep, I'm sure I can keep watch over the rest of you until the sun rises." She offered. Alistair looked up at her with thankful eyes; stumbling more than walking to his collection of blankets and snoring within the second. The elf snorted in amusement as she looked around the camp to check on the others.
Leliana was curled up with her bag being used as a pillow, Aria could see the faint glint of metal under it. A dagger perhaps. Sten leaned heavily against a dying tree and the elf was relieved to see his complexion was looking much less sallow than when she had first encountered him in that cage. Uthnehn was curled up at the qunari's side; for such a scary looking man he sure did seem to have a soft spot for their furry friend.
Morrigan, much like before their two new tag-a-longs, kept mostly to herself at a farther distance. She could see the witch's own bonfire as the cinders glowed, outlining the woman's figure wrapped up in her own furs.
Brushing her hand through her short locks to rid herself of bed head, Aria listened to the snores and even breathing of the others around her, even the ones from a couple dwarven merchants they had picked up along the way when they found them outnumbered by a group of darkspawn.
Bodahn and his son Sandal. They were nice, if a bit stingy with the prices of their wares despite their discount. Much to the displeasure of more than one person she agreed to let them follow them across Ferelden. In a rare moment of thinking ahead, Aria thought having a well established merchant by their side would at least get then a few perks that would be helpful. Like the large wagon and old horse used to pushed it. Bodahn was kind enough clear out a space of old wares to let them pack their own belongings so that the only things Aria and her group had to carry were the bare necessities.
It also helped that he promised to look into supplying them with actual bed rolls and warm furs like Morrigan. It was the least she could do since everyone has decided to dub her as their roundabout leader.
Aria scrunched up her nose at the greasy feel of her hair and sighed. Leaning back on her hands to look at the sky as the sun rose Aria wondered how much farther it would be until Alistair lead them into Redcliff.
It had taken longer than he originally planned to arrive in the dirty back alleys of Denirim to report in to his employer. He had made it a point to check up on the bloodied battle field where the Wardens and the fallen king had made their final stand. He then followed the trail given to him by the informant that had come with him, one of Teyrn Loghain's servants who was so easily replaceable if he was stuck with him until he did decide to finally make his presence known to the man in need of his talents.
He stayed only long enough to speck with the few lingering soldiers the informant educated him to be Loghain's men and then it was off to snag one of their horses to ride off towards the Arling of Denirim.
He was not charmed by the dank colors and dreary weather of Ferelden. It was cold and gloomy and the grey light the clouds gave off did nothing to make the pretty noble women walking the streets any more attractive. A shame really, so many looked positively bored and he was sure if given the chance he could certainly give them a grand time. Alas, there were too many of them and he did not have the time to enjoy them at all. He was here for business and that was it.
He entered throw a back entrance as instructed before being lead to a room much like a parlor by a quite servant elf with messy red hair. He gave them a sly grin as the servant left and a man by the name of Howe introduced himself.
Howe would certainly not be winning any fond regards from him. A man who was looking down his unattractive nose at the assassin he had asked for by letter in Antiva. He was use to these types, noblemen who believed he better than most, a man on his high horse who believed he could not be ousted for any crime he would commit to, but felt too entitled to carry it out himself.
Hence his presence in Ferelden.
"You are late, I expected you to arrive at a more appropriate time." Howe sniffed as the foreigner pulled down his hood, the room was much too hot with the fire place roaring and the torches illuminating the historical art pieces scattered across the stone walls.
"I felt the need to gather my own information on the matter before gracing you with my presence. It seems to be thought more than one person survived that little battle your would-be king decided to skip out on." He grinned; Howe frowned, but accepted the excuse and turned on his heel, the assassin took that as a sign to follow.
"It is for precisely that reason as to why you are here." The noble huffed in that unpleasantly nasally voice that made his impassive expression flicker once. He hated unpleasant sounds, they gave him headaches and grated on his nerves.
They stopped at a set of thick double doors and was told to wait until his presence was wanted.
Untying the cloak from his shoulders to reveal the well crafted leather armor underneath, the assassin sighed through his nose and leaned against the wall nearby to wait for his dramatic cue.
Meeting Teryn Loghain was much less exciting than Howe was probably making it out to be. Loghain was just a man, as was he and Howe. They could all be killed and they were both nothing but a pouch of gold coin and a trip out of Antiva for a while.
"The Antivan Crows send their regards." He greeted the man with his stern dark eyes, he was still in full armor which he thought was unnecessary at best; Loghain wasn't the one he was hired to kill after all. The teryns displeased expression only seemed to darken as he cast the other Fereldan a cross look as he grabbed at the studded goblet at the edge of the table between them.
"An assassin?" he spat.
"Against Grey Warden's we will need the very best, sire."
"And the most expensive." The assassin pointed out with a habitual sly gleam in his eye as he studies the men before him. Loghain, with all his pompous armor looked hardly a threat with his sunken eyes and half drunken goblet in hand.
Loghain shook his head and cast a side long glance his way, a scathing sort of look before he sighed agitatedly.
"Just get it done." It sound more reluctant than pleased, yet he didn't spend the time wondering about it as Howe sent him a pleased look.
The assassin sent no longer contemplating the two men's obvious difference in using him for their own gain and simply bowed his head before making his way out. He had some tracking to do and a trap to set.