Arcane Warrior

Chapter 1

Dream walker

Alim shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly, the bright flash caused by the lyrium having left him disoriented. Once his awareness returned to him and the ringing in his ears had ceased, he slowly opened his eyes to see he now stood atop a nebulous floating piece of land that resembled a plateau... Except for the fact that the ground seemed to shift and change from minute to minute.

The very air here was distorted, filled with energy and warping his view of everything. At least he thought it was air, he could still breath... although considering the fact that he was here as a dreamer and this was not his physical body, his 'body' must have simply been breathing out of habit.

Only doing so because he thought he needed to.

Massive grotesque statues dotted the area and the ground flowed randomly with grass, dirt, and stone. Glancing into the distance, Alim saw a series of floating islands in a reddish-brown sky as well as the one and constant sight in the Fade no matter who came here: the Black City, once home to the maker and now a grim reminder of humanity's hubris.

Alim snorted in derision. Whenever a mage was to visit the fade, no matter their purpose and whether they were actually human or not, the Templars would always remind them in no uncertain terms about how it was their brethren who was responsible for having corrupted the Golden City and caused the maker to turn his back on them all as well as having cursed Thedas with the Blight.

The elf shook his head and dragged himself back to his current situation, there was little point in dwelling on the past now that he was being put through a situation such as the Harrowing after all. He had a demon to find if he wanted to avoid being yet another unmarked grave at the shores of Lake Calenhad. He started walking in the direction he saw what could loosely be described as a path and sweeping his gaze out over the stretch of land he spotted a little ball of energy flitting around the base of a statue that looked rather like it was made of half melted wax.

'A wisp' he thought. These small collections of magic were the last remnants of a deceased spirit; they were pure reflections of the defining emotion of the spirit they were in 'life'. Of course, a spirit could not truly die as it was not alive, but rather it would reform elsewhere in the fade in a location where the defining emotion that made them was strong.

A "good" wisp, the remnants on a benevolent spirit, would often try to guide or protect dreamers. It would cling to them, floating harmlessly overhead, whispering helpful information into the dreamer's mind and shouting in warning when it sensed danger nearby. However, a wisp that came from a demon or malevolent spirit would generally attack on sight.

No one was quite certain whether they were unable to discern friend from foe or if they could and simply didn't care.

Alim prepared a spell as he approached the lazily floating bundle of energy, it was almost impossible to tell what type a wisp was from a distance and he didn't care to waste any spells on something like this when he had who knew what kind of demon or demons waiting for him at the end of this trial.

A wordless screech of rage echoed through the area as the wisp noticed him. Without hesitation, he launched a crescent shaped blast of energy before countering the wisp's lightning ball with a shield. Lacking any thoughts of self-preservation, the rage wisp died as Alim's spell tore through it.

Pushing on, Alim passed through an out of place canyon, noting with some mild amusement the upside-down trees and broken marble pillars, which brought to mind something he had once read about the environment of the fade only being a poor imitation of the physical world.

The principle was somewhat akin to having a grimoire written in ancient elven being translated into Tevene and then back into ancient elven. It would be the same book, but so much would have been lost to translation that it would be almost completely unrecognizable even so.

A few more of the wisps fell without much resistance before Alim found something interesting. A mouse… small and brown with the odd white streak and staring up at him with wide black eyes. Or perhaps this was another dreamer in disguise, a spirit taking on a form it had gleaned from his mind or even the demon he had come here to face doing the same and attempting to lull him into complacency by taking on a semblance he would in most circumstances know as harmless.

"Someone else thrown to the wolves, as fresh and unprepared as ever." Alim glanced down, idly wondering how such a human sounding voice came out of that off-shaped mouth. Well, if the demon, if that's indeed what it was, hoped to use this benign looking form to escape his notice only to strike when his back was turned it had failed.

"It isn't right that they do this, the templars. Not to you, me, anyone."

"No, it isn't right at all. But I will succeed, right or not." Alim stated with confidence, crouching down to get a better look, discreetly tracing an Arcane Shield behind his back should the thing prove hostile. The mouse pulled himself out of his hole and spoke with a scoff "you say that now. So have many others before you. Look at me, look at what can happen." Alim narrowed his eyes at the pathetic creature's rather futile attempts to break his spirit, if that was indeed what it was attempting.

Or perhaps it wasn't attempting anything, and he was just being paranoid.

The mouse sighed "it's always the same. But it's not your fault, you're in the same boat that I was, aren't you?" the mouse asked rhetorically as it started to glow with a yellow light, its form flowing upwards. Alim used the noise of its transformation to disguise him snapping his fingers and casting the Arcane Shield he had prepared immediately, but the mouse, now a human in form, ignored the magical wall between them and continued sardonically "allow me to welcome you to the Fade. You can call me, well, Mouse."

"You were an apprentice then?" Alim asked causing Mouse to nod solemnly.

He kept up the shield separating them, wary of the so-called apprentice who happened to be wearing the robes of a senior enchanter, but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. One could change their appearance on a whim here, it was entirely possible that he simply changed his robes to make himself seem more intimidating.

Its appearance was hardly awe inspiring aside from the robes. Short brown hair, slouched shoulders and a hunched back. It was almost as if the creature was carrying a tremendous burden.

"It's fuzzy, that time before. They wake you up in the middle of the night and drag you to the Harrowing chamber, and then..." Mouse paused, making Alim suspicious, "the templars kill you if you take too long, you see" he hissed with renewed ardor. "They figure you failed, and don't want something getting out." The creature started pacing angrily, his voice dropped to a frustrated mutter, "that's what they did to me I think, I have no body to reclaim.

"And you don't have much time before you end up the same." He finished, and Alim arched an eyebrow. He seemed to be in a hurry, but there was no concept of time here, it was truly impossible to tell how long it had been since he first arrived here.

Alim shrugged and crossed his arms before his chest "I already knew they were out to get us, so I'm not surprised. I am sorry about what happened to you, for what it's worth... Mouse." Mouse sighed again.

"Don't waste time with that talk, you don't want to end up like-" he gestured towards himself in a broad sweeping gesture "-this." He looked around for a moment before focusing back on Alim and continuing. "There's a creature here, contained, just for an apprentice like you. You have to face the creature, a demon, and resist it if you can.

"That's your way out. Or your opponent's, if the templars wouldn't kill you. A test for you, a tease for the creatures of the fade." Mouse once again finished his long-winded speech with a long drawl, drawing out his last words.

Alim crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow "anything can die. I doubt it's as simple as that." He said confidently, having engaged many of his instructors and fellow apprentices in magic duels, and even the few templars willing to engage a mage in melee combat.

It was no boast to admit that he had won most of the magic duels he had taken part in, especially as he grew older, and his knowledge of magic increased. But only against his fellow apprentices however, against his instructors there were only a few he was certain that he could defeat with any degree of reliability, and many more that he could potentially best with a great deal of effort.

But against Irving? Never even once had he managed to claim a victory over his old master.

The templars, however? Upon Irving agreeing to instruct him in the ways of the Knight Enchanter, there had been a few Templars who had taken to instructing him in the way of the sword. Even though he had eventually gotten to the point where he could claim to be fairly good at it, he always had the sneaking suspicion that they were withholding certain things from him.

Certain techniques or instructions that could lead to him managing to defeat a more experienced Templar in single combat.

But even as it was, he was fairly certain that he could take most of the younger and less seasoned knights, although the results of a challenge against the likes of Gregoir were rather the same as a challenge against Irving.

Albeit with considerably with more bruises.

But that was all neither here nor there in his current situation, as he was fairly certain about his chances here where willpower mattered more than strength, or spell knowledge or even raw power, to a somewhat lesser extent, and therefore a mage like him had every advantage.

"You would be a fool to just attack everything you see," Mouse boomed disdainfully "what you face is not only powerful but cunning as well." Alim sighed, he didn't expect this test to be easy, but...

Alim moved around Mouse and continued down the path, hearing the supposed former apprentice transform back into his smaller and less noticeable form behind him. A few seconds later, Alim realized that there was the telltale echo of tiny feet behind him. Turning, he saw that Mouse was following him.

Alim kept the shield separating them active but invisible. He was not willing to trust anything here, even after a few 'well meaning' words of advice. Or perhaps especially so, as some of the more intelligent and cunning demons would in theory try to manipulate him by getting on his good side. From what he had read about such underhanded tactics, the hesitation brought about by a sudden betrayal by one you thought a friend was just enough time a demon, if sufficiently cunning, needed to get what it wanted.

Mouse preemptively answered the question that was written on the elf's face "I think I'll follow you for a while. My time was long ago, but you might have a chance. I would like to help in any way I can, such as telling you a spirit is currently residing on a hill just beyond this canyon." Alim raised his eyebrow and thanked Mouse again, still suspicious of his helpfulness before the two moved on, Alim destroying another wisp without effort.

Proceeding cautiously, Mouse was as much help as he thought he would be when he encountered several minor, hostile spirits. His whiskers stood on end, and he was gone in a flash into the nearest hole, shadow, or any other cover he could find. It was no more than he expected, and he found himself missing Jowan. He was always nearby when he needed him, and he wouldn't have run off like a coward when the glowing balls of light attacked.

The small victories over the wisps gave him an uneasy sense of self confidence. Although painful experience had taught him that too much confidence could be as much of a curse as anything else, it carried him through several more encounters of the same type.

He wound his way through the blurred, ever shifting landscape, not bothering to look for Mouse any time one of the wisps appeared. To be fair to the creature this was Alim's test and not his, but if he was always so worthless in a fight it was hardly a wonder, he was stuck here without a body to return to.

But perhaps that was not fair of him. Alim had always had a disdain for weaklings and cowards. As a child he had dreamed of being a knight, having grown up on his grandfather's stories of his time in service under General Loghain in the war with Orlais and under the strict physical training regimen of his harsh taskmaster of an aunt. Under the two of them he gained a sort of knightly bearing, his every action one of chivalry and honor.

Even after his magic was discovered and he was carted off to the tower, the honor and valor his family had taught him had not gone away as he had always tried to keep their teachings in mind no matter what. In time he would only cement this attitude in himself as he picked up every book about knighthood he could over his years at the tower, no matter what the other mages said of his admittedly rather strange fixation given his life's path.

The one thing Mouse did seem to be good at though was his fits of warning squeaks whenever a hostile spirit came near. Not that the elven mage didn't detect them first, but if anything, the rodent would be useful as a warning alarm if that ever changed.

In spite of his urgent warnings about taking too long and the templars lurking with a sword ready to fall upon his neck, he didn't rush.

The probability of getting killed here was simply too high to allow himself to get careless and rush through his trial. If he didn't manage to keep his skin whole in the dream world, it wasn't going to matter what the templars did. Although he didn't know for certain, he assumed that should he die in the dream realm, his body would subsequently waste away to death at the top of the tower, having no soul to inhabit it.

Well... Either that or he would live on as a Tranquil. He wasn't quite certain.

"There is another spirit this way. It never seemed equal to its name to me," Mouse's mutterings behind him went largely ignored. This was the first time he had spoken up about any of the spirits they came across, instantly drawing his curiosity.

The pair left the canyon and made their way up the hill, Mouse falling behind as Alim beheld the new spirit. It was armored from head to toe and carried an arming sword and kite shield with a lion head emblazoned on the face strapped to its arm, it was surrounded by piles and racks of every weapon imaginable with the center of the clearing taken up by what looked to be a double helix of swords rising from the ground straight upward towards the sky.

"Another mortal thrown into the flames and left to burn, I see" the spirit announced in a booming voice, turning to look at him. "Your mages have devised a cowardly test. Better you should be pitted against each other to prove your mettle, than to be sent unarmed against a demon."

"I agree with you spirit, but I didn't have much choice in the matter you see." Alim said, choosing to ignore the fact that it was the templars, who's armor the spirit before him bore, who had probably come up with the Harrowing in the first place. He had read that when spirits appeared before mortals, they chose to take a form that the mortal in question most closely associated with the specific trait they embodied.

"Indeed, the choice, and the fault, lies with the mages who sent you here." Valor said and Alim nodded in agreement. Even though it had been both mages and templars who had sent him here, he quickly moved past it to focus on the here and now.

"What kind of spirit are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I am Valor, a warrior spirit." Valor responded and Alim hummed in thought, so this meant that he most closely associated the Templars with valor in his mind despite everything.

Interesting.

"My purpose is to seek perfection, creating the ultimate weapon for the pursuit of valor."

"Hmm, do you think it is possible for me to borrow a staff to fight the demon with? I would return it to you afterwards of course" Alim asked. Valor folded his arms thoughtfully.

"I will give you one… if you agree to duel me. Valor will test your mettle as it should be tested."

"Very well Valor, I humbly accept your challenge." Alim agreed, ignoring Mouse's warning that he didn't have much time, not trusting the opinions of such a coward.

For whatever reason Mouse seemed to believe that it was only the templars watching him, and not the First Enchanter whose words held much wait among the knights of the Chantry who posed a threat to him should he fail his trial.

"We shall continue until I am satisfied that you are of sufficient strength to face your demon. If you are unable to meet my standards, I shall slay you. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes" Alim said concisely, preparing his magic. Valor drew his sword with a flourish, looking impressed that Alim had agreed so quickly.

"Very well! Fight with Valor!" He yelled, crouching into a stance, readying himself to fight.

Alim immediately conjured a sword made entirely of spirit energy in his left hand, a Knight Enchanter's go-to offensive spell. Under normal circumstances he would've required a medium to summon his spirit blade. A specially crafted hilt that all Knight Enchanters are taught how to create when they begin study of this path. Here in the fade however he faced no such restriction, and indeed he could attempt to face his demon even without a staff if he wished, but he would prefer not to go unarmed in case the demon proved too much for what he could do without his power amplified by a staff.

He probably could have willed one into existence, but he had never attempted it before and would rather borrow one than attempt something so complex in the midst of such an important trial.

He could see the approval and excitement in Valor's eyes at the sight of his blade, and Alim rushed forward, swinging his sword in swift swings he had all but perfected in his duels against Cullen.

With his sword in his left hand, and right hand (which would normally be wielding a staff) free to throw magic spells, Knight Enchanters like himself were a force to be reckoned with, something that became evident in his dual with the spirit of Valor. He parried the spirit's sword and blew the shield away with an Arcane Bolt and struck Valor's breastplate with his palm, following up the seemingly useless martial art attack with a wave of spirit energy that sent Valor back a few feet.

"Ah yes! I have faced your kind before, magic knight. They have always proved themselves worthy and formidable adversaries, and you do not disappoint in that regard. Although you still have a long way to go yet. Your blade work and your spell work both have many areas to improve on before you can provide me with the challenge I seek" Valor said, complimenting his abilities but pointing out his flaws.

"I thank you Valor, I shall act on your advice and endeavor to be greater in the future." Alim answered, his tone even and confidant. "You are a most worthy adversary yourself; may we meet again in the future and challenge each other once more."

"A fine attitude to have, warrior." Valor stated as he rushed forward again. Alim answered his thrust with a parry, and as the sword came in again from his right, he conjured an Arcane Shield and struck with his own spirit sword, but Valor blocked it with his shield, only for the spirit energy to lose its cohesion and become a blast that exploded out at the spirit warrior.

Taken by surprise at the sudden turn, he could do nothing but be repulsed and knocked into the air, regaining his bearings he gracefully flipped in midair and landed near one of the weapon racks.

"Enough! Your strength is sufficient to the task, the staff is yours." Valor said, sheathing his weapons and reaching into the nearest pile to grab a beautiful staff, which he tossed to Alim who gratefully took it and leaned on it, his chest rising and falling faster than normal, winded from the battle with the spirit. "May you find success in all your accomplishments Mortal." The spirit saluted Alim with a respectful bow before turning away and presumably returning to his work.

"Thank you, Valor." Alim said with a respectful bow.

"That was incredible Alim!" Mouse cried as they met at the bottom of the hill. "You're the first apprentice I've seen who was able to hit Valor hard enough to impress him, and I've never seen anything like that energy blade before!"

"I thought you didn't remember anything from before." Alim said as he idly destroyed a spirit wolf that was rushing towards him.

"I… don't." Mouse said slowly "But I'm sure that I would recall something as incredible as that. Apprentices usually don't have that kind of control."

"I've always had a close affinity with blades and spirit magic." Alim said, and then changed the subject. "So, Mouse... Why did you take the form you did?"

"Well, after the templars killed me, I was left all alone in the Fade." Mouse said bitterly. "I was scared, and so I hid from everything. Eventually, I took the form of a mouse, so that I could hide more effectively. Finally, the mouse in me swamped the human, and I became Mouse. That's the way that the Fade works."

"Interesting" Alim said thoughtfully. The two continued on in silence for a while, passing through the strange and undulating forest as Alim defeated any hostile beings that approached.

He had to limit his spell use, so he kept to simply using his blade and only sent small bursts of spirit energy from his staff. He couldn't be sure, but should he show any of his more powerful spells here, it was probable that the demon chasing him would bear witness and adapt to his strengths, using its knowledge of his combat abilities to gain an advantage.

Suddenly Mouse stopped short once again, choosing to speak up a second time to warn him about yet another denizen of the fade, though this one would prove to be somewhat less benevolent.

"There is a demon nearby. Not the one hunting you, but still… we should be careful." Alim nodded and slowly moved around a completely arbitrary cliff face into a small clearing. At first, nothing stuck out, but then he realized that the odd pile of thorns off to one side was breathing.

With a subtle hand gesture, he stretched and expanded the barrier separating Mouse from him around himself until it protected him from attacks on all sides.

It looked like a bear, if one accepted that bears had rotting reddish skin with the odd patch of fur here and there with spikes sticking out. The creature was also massive, easily taller at its shoulders than Alim himself. Its steady breathing indicated that it was asleep.

"It's a Sloth demon. Let us sneak by quietly," Mouse whispered and he agreed, sloth was relatively high on the demon hierarchy, the two slowly started to pass the demon.

If this was not the demon he would need to face for his trial, then challenging it would be unwise.

"So, you are the mortal being hunted?" a slovenly voice rumbled through the clearing as two small, bloodshot eyes opened. Alim halted immediately as Mouse scampered behind him. "I might have been inclined to devour you myself, but that would take… too much effort."

"Wonderful, he isn't interested in us. Let's get moving before he changes his mind" Mouse hissed, but Alim was struck with a crazy idea.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind speaking with you for a moment."

"Hmm. I don't particularly want to talk but stopping you would require even more effort." Sloth murmured, his eyes switching from Mouse to Alim. "Speak, then, I may answer."

"Do you know why I'm here?" Alim asked, and the demon slowly nodded. "If you could offer any help, I would be very grateful."

"You have a very nice staff, mortal. What could you possibly need from me?" the demon yawned, his eyes drooping. "If that is all, go on and fight your demon. Be… valorous."

"He looks powerful." Mouse said quietly, transforming back to his human form. "It's possible that he could teach you to… be like him."

"Like me? No." Sloth rumbled, sounding mildly amused. "Mortals are far too attached to their forms to learn to change." His eyes switched to Mouse "You, on the other hand, have already abandoned your mortal body years ago. I could teach you."

"I wouldn't make a very good bear. How would I hide?"

"Hiding doesn't solve anything, Mouse" Alim said. "We have to face the world if we are to change it."

"Who said I wanted to change the world?" Mouse hissed furiously. "I have seen more in this Maker forsaken place than you could possibly imagine!" He shouted at the mage hopeful, but backed up, slightly intimidated at the composed look on the elf's face and took a deep breath, then slowly continued "but, through all that, I haven't done anything. I have existed, but not lived. I guess you're right, actually. Perhaps it is time to change. I'll try to be a bear." Mouse moved forward to stand beside Alim.

"That's nice" the demon huffed. "But I never said that I would actually do anything."

"Wha… I knew he wouldn't help us," Mouse groaned in frustration.

"You can't suggest something and then decide that you won't do it!" Alim snarled.

"I can't?" Sloth asked in amusement. "You have so much to learn about the Fade, little mortal."

"Mouse is willing to learn, teach him." Alim demanded with a look in his eyes that visibly frightened the Sloth Demon, and not so visibly frightened his ally of circumstance.

"Hmm, it seems I have become mildly interested in this whole affair. Let us make a deal, little mortal. If you can answer my three riddles, I will teach your friend. If you cannot, I will devour you both. What say you?"

"Very well, Sloth. I am rather fond of riddle games." The demon slowly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed avidly on Alim.

"My first riddle is this: I have seas with no water, coasts with without sand. Towns with no people, mountains without land. What am I?" Alim stared at Sloth for a few moments, and Mouse started backing up very slowly. Grabbing his companion's arm, Alim answered: "You are a map."

"Hmm, correct. Let's move on. My second riddle is this: I am seldom touched, but often held. If you have wit, you'll use me well. What am I?"

Alim's thoughts drifted back to a distant memory, and he answered with a sad smile, "tongue."

"Yes, your witty tongue." Sloth grumbled. "One more try: Often will I spin a tale; never will I charge a fee. I'll amuse you an entire eve. But alas, you won't remember me. What am I?"

"A dream." Alim answered promptly. "Very clever, I could think of three answers to that one. But with that specific wording, only one was the case" the Sloth demon preened under the praise, then sighed.

"You are correct. Rather apropos here in the Fade, no? But you've won my challenge and proven yourself an amusing distraction. Now, I shall teach your friend. To begin, you must…"

"Like this? Am I a bear? It feels, heavy" Mouse wondered aloud as he shuffled around in his new body. Black furred, about two thirds of Alim's height, it had taken a mere fifteen minutes for him to grasp. Fifteen minutes that had felt like an eternity to Alim, who remembered Mouse's dire warnings. How long did he have until Greagoir lost patience and decided to have him killed? Would Irving try to intervene, or just stand aside, reasoning that he had other apprentices to throw into the flames?

He could only hope that his grandfather figure would give him as long as necessary. That and silently reinforce the shield surrounding him into a full circle now.

"Hmm, close enough." Sloth said, laying down and turning back to Alim. "Go then and defeat your demon. It's that way" gesturing one of the paths out of the clearing "Now, leave me be. I grow weary of your prattling."

"Thank you, Ser Sloth." Alim said, walking off, followed by the now large Mouse. The two walked in silence, easily defeating a group of spirit wolves.

"Should I start calling you Bear now?" Alim jested.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Mouse grumbled, his voice slightly deeper through the bear form. "Are you sure you want to face the demon now? I could point you to another spirit…"

"No, I'm pretty sure I can do this." Alim said. "A few quick questions, though. What is the demon like?"

"It's a rage demon, lowest on the hierarchy but still powerful." Mouse said, his bear-face scrunched up. "It manifests in an "arena" just over that way and has a fiery form. It also generally has a few wisps in attendance. Did I mention that it was strong?" He said, his voice wavering a bit on the last part

"Yes, Mouse, but so are we." Alim patted his 'friend' reassuringly. He figured that Mouse or Bear might be some demon in disguise, trying to get on his good side. He figured that the best thing to do here was to do the same himself, hopefully his own betrayal against it if he was indeed a demon should make it hesitate long enough for him to kill it.

"But..." He started, but Alim cut him off with a look, "I have a plan" Alim whispered as the two entered the arena.

In the middle, cracks appeared in the ground, fire emanating from them. Lava leaked from the cracks before it formed into a hand before it grabbed at the ground the ground. Another joined it, which then pulled the full body of the demon out of the ground. About Alim's height, it was indeed made entirely of lava, and had no facial structure except for two hate-filled glowing eyes.

"And so, it comes to me at last" Rage's voice echoed. "Soon I shall see the land of the living with your eyes, creature. You will be mine, body and soul." It said with a sweeping hand gesture.

"Even if you manage to defeat me demon, Templars will still kill you" Alim reasoned calmly, his tone cold but even as his magic flared up at his command. The demon emanated an aura of condescending superiority, and his own aura became noticeably more potent, challenging the vile aura of the demon.

"They are welcome to try!" Then, surprisingly, he turned to Mouse, who had transformed and moved to stand beside Alim. "So, this creature is your offering, Mouse, as per the terms our arrangement." Alim turned in surprise towards his companion, who was covering his face. 'So, my suspicions were true, though perhaps partially at the very least.' If the bear turned on him, there was no way that he could defeat the traitor as well as the demon and wisps that were now moving to surround him.

Well, he could if he were careful about it and chose his spells and tactics well, but it would no doubt make for a much more difficult and, well... Harrowing task.

"We don't have an arrangement! Not anymore!" Mouse cried, his eyes blazing as he raised his head. While the demon's face could not show any emotion, his next words more than made up for it.

"So, after all the wonderful meals we shared," he said in a voice that didn't even try to hide his simmering fury, "now suddenly the mouse is changing the rules."

'Shared...' "I'm not a mouse anymore." Mouse said proudly. "And soon I won't have to hide. I don't need to bargain with you."

"We shall see" the demon hissed, and then everything started happening at once.

"Distract it!" Alim cried, immediately blasting one wisp before turning to engage the ones behind him, his now visible spherical magic barrier rippling as his spell passed through it. Mouse complied, shifting into his bear form and charging Rage, who responded by engulfing him with a jet of fire.

The five wisps Alim faced might have been a threat but made the mistake of clumping a little too closely together. One virulent walking bomb spell eliminated the three instantly, and then Alim dispersed his sword and conjured a whip of arcane energy to take down another, he then moved his body to the side to evade their blasts of energy as he struck them down one by one with the whip. The lesser spirits delt with, he turned to help Mouse, who simply could not get close enough to Rage to attack.

"Pull back, Mouse, you've done your part." Alim shouted, and the bear gratefully complied, rolling to put out some of his flaming fur. The demon turned to face Alim instead.

"Foolish creature, I am a Demon of Wrath. Those pests were just a distraction, surrender and I will make your death quick and painful!"

Alim simply scoffed in response and summoned his spirit blade once again.

Saying nothing in response to the demon's taunts, Alim raised his staff and cast a spirit spell, the crystal tip of the staff tracing a pattern in the air before the same pattern beneath the demon's... feet, a bluish white glyph appeared there and paralyzed the demon.

Acting quickly before the glyph faded and its effects wore off, he poured energy into his blade and swung it at the demon's eyes and again at its chest, crescent shaped arcs of spirit energy leaving the tip of his blade and cutting into the demon. He did not know where a rage demon's weaknesses might lie, as the chantry forbade any study into demonology.

Even knowledge that might lead to fighting against them more effectively was forbidden for fear that mages would use this knowledge and learn to summon them. Nor did he know any ice magic, which would undoubtedly make this fight easier, what with its body composed of lava.

The demon charged Alim, unable to use its powers through the haze of pain. Alim gripped his staff and slammed the blunt end onto the ground, his Mind Blast causing a burst of energy to expel in all directions and knock the demon back before Alim backed off and cast two glyphs in quick succession, one of paralysis and one of repulsion right on top of it.

The magic power of a glyph derives from the purity of its shape. When two glyphs overlap and their lines become confused, particularly when the glyph's effects are directly opposed as with Glyph of Paralysis and Glyph of Repulsion, the magic has no choice but to dissipate instantly and explosively, instantly paralyzing all those nearby.

Not only would this paralysis last far longer, but it was also much more powerful. Now, even the lava that made up the demon was unmoving, and therefor cooling.

Alim calmly approached the slowly hardening lava monster, placing the tip of his blade between the demon's unmoving eyes. "Goodbye, Rage. You were an utterly uninteresting foe." Alim taunted as he stabbed it forward and sending a rush of energy into the blade, disrupting its cohesion and causing it to explode releasing the contained spirit energy into the demon's fiery body. The demon, once again free to move, convulsed in pain as the energy foreign energy tore through it before exploding into death.

"You did it!" Mouse cheered, as he transformed back to human form. "I was worried there, but I should have known an apprentice of your potential would have a surprise up their sleeve!"

"I noticed that the demon mentioned other "meals" before. Who were those unfortunate apprentices you deemed unworthy to live... Mouse?" Alim asked quietly, glaring at the cowardly creature with eyes that simmered with suspicion and hate. He had not put away his staff or dispelled the barrier, only strengthened it further until it was crackling with energy.

"What? They were not as promising as you. They wouldn't have survived anyways. I… don't even remember their names. I don't even remember my own name. It's the Fade, and the Templars killing me, like they were going to with you." Mouse said hurriedly, backing up a little.

'Like an animal' Alim thought in disgust, 'or worse' but let it go for the moment. "So, what is it that you want from me then, turncoat?"

"You've completed your test. Someday, you will be a master enchanter without equal. And there is hope in that for someone as small and… forgotten as me."

'There is no such thing as a master enchanter' Alim thought to himself, as the hierarchy only consisted of six tiers: those tiers being apprentice, mage, enchanter, junior enchanter, senior enchanter, first enchanter and grand enchanter.

"…What are you getting at?" Alim asked slowly. Mouse's face had adopted a calculating look.

"There may be a way for me to get a foothold outside. You just have to want to… let me in." Mouse said hopefully, but there was something… else.

Alim's blood chilled, 'so it was exactly as I had thought'. "The other demon wasn't my real test, was it?" he asked quietly, suddenly figuring out why Mouse was not wearing apprentice robes, but Senior Enchanter garments. He did not change his appearance to make himself seem more intimidating, undoubtedly the denizens of the fade would not be able to distinguish the differences between the color and design of mage robes, no he wore the robes of a high ranked mage because it had gleaned the information from his mind and wore them proudly...

It couldn't be.

"What? What else here could harm an apprentice of your potential?" Mouse asked, trying to sound offended. Alim simply glared at him, bringing his staff up again. Finally, Mouse smirked. "Oh, you are a smart one." His expression then changed to an ugly leer, his posture shifting from a tired slouch to an arrogant swagger.

"Smart enough to see through you, demon" Alim said, backing away and summoning another spirit sword.

"Simple killing is a warrior job." Mouse said, his voice deepening threateningly. "The real dangers of the Fade are preconceptions, careless trust... Pride." His body glowed again, and then rose upwards. Alim then understood. Mouse was a Pride Demon, the most dangerous creatures in the Fade. With a flash, the powerful monster vanished. "Keep your wits about you mage," its voice lingered as the world went white.

"True tests, never end."