Dragon Age Origins: A Grey Wardens Tale.

Chapter 15: Fall of The Grey Wardens

Tower of Ishal: Top Floor.

Though prepared themselves for the imminent battle against The Ogre; nothing prepared Alistair nor Aeden for The Ogre's Charge, the beast breaking into a run and charging straight through the pair of Wardens who'd not even barely managed to sidestep the charge and sent crashing into the floor whilst The Ogre smashed through The Pyre and overturning it before looking back at the group with a malicious grin before a knife embedded itself in its shoulder.

Kallian stood with Neria behind her; three knives held between her fingers as she wound back another throw as Neria took the opportunity to fire off a bolt of sky-blue lightning from her Staff, the bolt forking through the air as being drawn by the metallic knife in The Ogre's shoulder this electrocuting the monster.

Struggling to his feet; Alistair stabbed his Templar Knightsword into the floor whilst The Ogre bellowed a threatening roar as the electrocution from Neria's Lightning Bolt had done little damage except some whisps of smoke from burnt hair, The Ogre turning its attention to Alistair as he'd charged with his weapon held aloft and catch The Ogre in the chest and cut a gash across the beast's broad pectorals.

"Damn… not deep enough!" Alistair cursed himself as he was met with the palm of The Ogre's left hand as he was swatted to one side just as Aeden had also attacked; bringing his weapon down on The Ogre's right hand and successfully slicing off a finger, The Ogre merely grunting as the appendage was severed before backhanding Aeden across the room.

"Alistair… what if we strike at the same spot together?" Aeden spoke; pointing to his chest and tracing the location of his heart with an X then pointing towards The Ogre as the beast staggered as Neria fired off a second Lightning Bolt to keep it at bay.

"That… might work" Alistair admitted; attacking separately was clearly not working and Aeden admittedly had the right idea of striking for the heart together; his right hand gripping his Templar Knightsword and Templar Shield in his left hand thus making him armed for their next attempt at slaying The Ogre.

The Ogre bellowed as two more Knives were buried in its freshly burnt flesh as Kallian threw her weapons leaving her with one left as well as her own Dagger whilst Neria kept her back against the wall due to being tired from their ascent and the high number of Spells she'd had to cast leaving her mana depleted.

Kallian watched The Ogre carefully as the monster again charged though Kallian having watched leapt and rolled past The Ogre's charge as its head collided with the stone wall, the impact causing a tremor throughout the chamber; dazed after striking its head into a stone wall and indirectly giving the two Warrior's their chance.

Running towards The Ogre with their swords primed; Aeden and Alistair leapt into the air as much as their armour would allow, each driving their weapon into The Ogre's chest drawing its black blood from the fresh wounds before dragging their blades down The Ogre's chest forming a bleeding X-shaped wound in its torso; pulling their weapons free and backstepping away just as The Ogre grabbed wildly at the pair as Aeden and Alistair countered by slashing their swords at The Ogre's horns halting its attack though The Ogre's superior strength knocked the two Warrior's onto their backs.

Staggered by the joint attack and wildly waving its huge hands in the air and kicking its feet in anger, The Ogre let out a roar of rage as its fists came down on top of both Aeden and Alistair's Shields with such strength that the metal dented under the weight of The Ogre's highly powerful fist, gasping for breath as The Ogre wound back for another punch granting the two Warriors an opponent to change their defence before the punch came; shifting their chests to cover their faces and chests moments before the next punch came.

Gritting their teeth so tightly that their gums bled from grit; Aeden and Alistair both defended Neria's chanting as The Ogre bellowed loudly as its huge fists struck the pair of Shields only to be lifted off their feet by the enormous strength of The Ogre and sent crashing down into an overturned bookcase that splintered in thousands of pieces on impact.

Frantic with how effortlessly The Ogre was beating Alistair and Aeden; Neria resolutely gripped her Staff before her chanting could be finished, sweat dripping from her forehead as she cast her second Lightning Bolt Spell only for the sky-blue bolt to fork through the air and strike the ceiling thus blowing a hole straight through and into the sky but missing her target entirely.

The Ogre glared at the hole then back to Neria; a spark of recognition in its black eyes as the monster knew Magic when it saw it, ignoring the two Warriors as they struggled to get back to their feet as The Ogre stomped towards Neria with the intention of killing The Mage first.

Scared out of her mind for her failed attack; Neria tripped over one of the tipped over bookcases before The Ogre loomed over her with bloody murder in its ugly face and black eyes moments before it roared in pain as Neria saw Aeden driving his Family Sword into its lower back as black blood spurted from the wound as Aeden pulled his weapon free only to follow up with an upwards slash aimed for The Ogre's spine whilst Kallian approached with her last Knife and her Dagger.

The Ogre roared with great pain as Aeden hacked and slashed at its back with his weapon; black blood leaking from the slashes in its back before kicking backwards and sending Aeden crashing to his back and following up by slapping Kallian so hard she flew off her feet and into a group of barrels, the barrels rolling in all directions with one resting on top of Kallian's feet.

Kallian struggled to her feet as she held onto her last Knife; the others still embedded in the right arm and her weapons lost in her flight, helplessly on the ground as she struggled to free her feet out from under the barrels of the same flammable liquid from the lower floors only freeing herself by stabbing the barrel with her Knife and lifting it just enough to free her feet but allowing the liquid to slowly leak from the barrel and onto the floor.

Leaning against a wall with heavy breaths as Neria had drawn on too much of her mana during their ascent to The Top Floor though watching her friends fight a losing battle in which she could do little to help pained her greatly, turning her gaze to her Elm Staff and the green jewel set into the head allowed her to think clearly that there was one spell that might allow them to stop The Ogre and light The Pyre: The Fireball Spell.

"Guys; I have an idea!" Neria called out; waving her arms and pointing to her Staff in a vague gesture that she intended to cast a powerful spell though Alistair nor Aeden or Kallian understood what she meant.

"Then do it! We don't have much time to spare!" Alistair shouted back as he narrowly dodged a hammering fist from The Ogre; countering with a simple cut across the beast's forearm but cut too shallow due to poor footing as Alistair staggered backwards only to be struck by a following knuckle-drag from The Ogre.

Neria wordlessly nodded; holding out her Staff and begun chanting, the jewel glowing red as she drew on what little mana she had restored with her deep breathing whilst Kallian hurled her last Knife which stabbed The Ogre in the chest thus drawing the beast's attention to her as well as Aeden and Alistair whilst Neria chanted her Spell.

"I'm ready! Get out the way!" Neria called excitedly; spreading her feet apart as she struck the floor with the hilt of her Elm Staff as flames poured from the glowing red jewel with the imminent release of her strongest Primal Spell.

Neria grit her teeth as Aeden, Alistair and Kallian had all cleared from her assumed range giving her line of sight a clear shot towards her target; The Ogre's gigantic, muscular body stomping closer to the point of looming over her as its large right hand reached to pick her up in one hand with the intention of crushing her to death whilst her Elm Staff's green jewel glowed a brilliant blazing red glow as crimson flames burst from her staff directly in-between Neria herself and The Ogre.

"Try me on for size! Fireball!" Neria screamed with all the breath she had in her; her crimson flames focussing into a single point at the core of The Ogre's right palm before exploding outwards with such ferocious force that both Neria and The Ogre were blown backwards by her own Spell's might.

The explosive force of Neria's Fireball Spell shook The Tower of Ishal down to its own foundations as flames burst out though the window-like openings as the entire Fourth Floor was in flames as not only was The Ogre on fire but The Pyre had been ignited as some quickly spread through the air and into the open night sky.

Field of Battle.

Gazing up at the plumes of smoke rising from the magical bombardment conjured by Mages on both sides; Duncan looked to the horizon for his compatriots and the second wave of troops that would march into the battle only to find that none were coming as only a single bird flew overhead: a black crow with yellow eyes cawed as it turned with the direction of a gust of wind and flew back the way it came, having suffered a cut to his forehead as blood streamed down his face and blinded his left eye though he felt the air part as if a heavy blade was coming towards him.

Ducking underneath the swing of a Black Steel Axe; Duncan drove his Dagger through the neck of the Hurlock whilst cutting down a second Hurlock coming at him with a second Axe with his own Longsword, the white blades carving through The Hurlock's scaley throat and chest cavity with ease as Hurlock after Genlock rushed to take Duncan's head only for their own to be liberated from their bodies in a haze of White Steel and black blood.

Glancing to his right-hand side; King Cailan smiled as brightly as a wide-eyed child as his own blade carved through Darkspawn: a black and gold infused blade that had once belonged to his father and Duncan's friend: King Maric who'd embedded Runes in the weapon so the blade would never lose its tempered and sharp edge.

"Ser Duncan; this mindless horde is nothing before our might!" Cailan yelled at the top of his lungs; his wide-eyed, big-smiled expression one of a warrior eager to claim victory as he plunged Maric's Sword into the head of a Hurlock only to withdraw the weapon and cut through the necks of two Genlocks rushing to attack him.

"I fear I must disagree; many of our troops are falling and I have not seen Sers Claude nor Dalila since this battle begun… I fear for their safety" Duncan answered back; his own weapons carving every Darkspawn that dared to near him or The King though the number of allies falling to the black weapons and magic of the enemy worried him as almost all of The Templars, Mages and many fellow Grey Wardens had fallen though The Kings Guard's finest men and women continued to fight strongly.

"Ser Duncan; those two are two of the three finest Grey Wardens amongst your ranks" Cailan spoke highly of his Warden comrades; watching as another array of arrows followed by a stream of tongues of flames arcing through the air which soon stuck their mark and igniting many dead trees in flames as the howls of burning Darkspawn filled the black, star-less sky above.

Duncan nodded; knowing that he was the third Cailan spoke so highly of, the battle raging around them as The Templar Knights courageously fought though The Knight Commander had been first to fall to the blade of a Hurlock wearing a skull-like mask, The Mages firing their spells at range alongside Archers though they too were falling under the fire of Darkspawn Archers and Mages.

Cailan laughed as he felled another Genlock with his Golden Shield; bludgeoning its head until the creature no longer moved, blind to the large rock flying towards his head before Duncan tackled The King to the ground.

"What in The Maker's name?!" Cailan screamed as he saw the source of the flying rock, an impossibly tall, purple-muscled Ogre adorned in bracers and leg guards of bones along with a headdress of bones circling its large black horns.

"An Alpha Ogre… My King; please stay behind me as we fell this formidable beast!" Duncan spoke with alarm as he'd been expecting The Archdemon but instead witnessed the terrifying slaughter of his allies as The Elite Hurlocks carved a path through anybody who dared to step into their path of destruction as The Alpha Ogre stared at the pair of Duncan and Cailan with amusement before beckoning them with a challenging gesture.

"Formidable beast?! Now that's the kind of foe that creates legends!" Cailan licked his lips in hunger in the face of the challenging gesture and forging his own legendary place in the history of The Fifth Blight; dropping his Shield into the mud as he kicked off the dirt and charged for The Alpha Ogre whilst bellowing a reckless battle cry.

"Cailan, No!" Duncan shouted moments before The Alpha Ogre moved with incredible speed considering its size as the monster's huge right hand grabbed Cailan's body and lifted him off the ground, The Alpha Ogre's hand big enough to hold Cailan by his lower body and keep him immobile whilst the man shouted in the beast's face.

"Release me foul beast of darkness! I King Cailan shall tear your head from your shoulders and carve my name into history!" Cailan shouted as he swung his weapon with all his might; the tip of the blade slicing through The Alpha Ogre's face and leaving a small would that barely produced any blood much less a reaction from the beast who merely stared at its prey with mild annoyance.

With Cailan's shouting and swinging of his black/gold blade; The Alpha Ogre suddenly tightened its grip on The King thus crushing Cailan's golden armour with its mighty strength, Cailan himself spitting up blood from his mouth as he died in The Alpha Ogre's hand by his own armour piercing his flesh and the destruction of all his vital organs at once.

Duncan could only watch out of his one remaining eye as King Cailan was dropped into the ground; The Alpha Ogre stepping on The King's deceased body as every Knight, Warden and Mercenary around stared in shock as The King had been slain moments before black Steel Weapons deprived the shocked soldiers of their heads in the moment of distraction.

A hideous battle cry of victory roared from The Darkspawn as many of the men and women still alive dropped their weapons and ran away from the battle, deserting the file for their own lives only to be felled by a volley of the vicious barbed Death Arrows from Genlock and Hurlock Archer's

Amongst those fleeing for their lives stood Fergus; standing next to the dead bodies of the two Warden's he'd fought beside and who'd given their lives to protect him from the volley of Death Arrows; his left hand hanging uselessly by his side and the blood-smeared Silverite Sword he carried in his right, he stared out at the crowd of victorious Darkspawn before dropping his weapon to leave with only regret, dishonour and shame in his mind and heart.

Watching as the fleeing soldiers were picked off by arrows; those who survived the arrows deserting the field of battle without care that they'd be executed for abandoning a war zone, Duncan crawled to King Cailan's body while his own weapons were still buried in his own back; his bloodied hand reached for Cailan as the shadow of an Elite Hurlock wielding Ser Claude's own Battle Axe stepped into his view.

Duncan's sole eye stared in horror as he saw the heavy weapon; unable to so much as rise to his feet as two more Elite Hurlock's stepped towards Duncan, one in crimson robes and blood armour carrying Ser Dalila's Ironbark Staff while the other in imposing bone-like armour reached down only to tear Duncan's own White Steel Sword and Dagger out from Duncan's body whilst enjoying the dying, pained screams from Duncan himself before dying from extreme loss of blood and trauma leaving The Darkspawn to again roar in victory whilst The Three Elite's walked away with their prizes as the smoke signal would finally enter the skies over the battlefield from The Tower of Ishal.

Loghain's Army.

Standing in orderly lines with the blazing red battle on the horizon and The Tower of Ishal sitting high above the battlefield as a fiery blaze of flames of an explosion burst out through the openings soon followed by a prominent smoke signal rose from The Tower and into the night skies above for the whole back-up army to see though not a single soul had begun to march into battle.

A low whispering passed between the soldiers as to why they weren't marching when the smoke signal they'd been ordered to march onwards upon being sighted as visibly spreading across the skies though the light of flames remained atop The Tower.

Loghain stared up at the skies watching as the smoke spread further and further into the night; the sounds of battle echoing from afar, a grimace crossing his face as a victorious battle cry akin to a group of growling beasts could be heard to the ears of the troops; a shadow looming towards Loghain as a single figure walked out from the darkness.

Dressed in blood red armour and a horned helmet; as an Elite Hurlock armed with a single huge Black Steel Greatsword dripping with the scarlet blood of its victims as the fanged mouth of the monster could be only slightly seen from behind a skull-like mask; saliva and blood dripping from its misplaced and sharpened teeth as the monster grinned and laughed from behind its mask.

Loghain scowled violently as he dismounted his horse; looking out from the corner of his eyes as he saw the terrified expressions on his troops as they all stood frozen in fear as The Elite Hurlock stood before them raising its bloody weapon, wordlessly drawing his own weapon: a Longsword forged from Dragonbone in preparation to fight by making small calculated steps around The Elite Hurlock until forming a circle.

The Elite Hurlock growled through the skull-like mask it wore with the horned helmet; cautiously keeping pace with Loghain as he walked a circle for a one-on-one duel, raising its Black Steel Greatsword over its head and roaring for a death blow before Loghain's sword flashed faster than its eyes could see.

The Troops staring in amazement as The Elite Hurlock's hands were separated from its wrists as its own weapon cleaved through its own helmet and head, The Hurlock falling dead at Loghain's feet as he cleaned the black blood from his weapon.

"Did you ensure that the stairway to The Signal Pyre was locked?" Loghain spoke lowly as he pulled the Black Steel Greatsword free from the head of The Elite Hurlock; his tone grim as his eyes narrowed whilst staring up at The Tower's Top Floor, the sounds of a monster's roar echoing far and wide.

"Yes I did; though I thought it fair to give those four young Grey Warden's a sporting chance and left the key behind" Cauthrien answered bluntly; revealing that she'd locked the door from The Third Floor to The Top Floor to prevent The Young Wardens from accomplishing their mission though it appeared they'd still succeeded by the smoke signal spreading into the night.

"That was unnecessary" Loghain gave a dismissive glance to his second; clearly annoyed by Cauthrien's sympathy for the newly recruited Grey Wardens who traversed The Tower of Ishal.

"I apologise Teryn Loghain, but what should we do about those fleeing the battle" Cauthrien spoke apologetically to her superior though she looked to him like he was a different man to the one she admired and respected.

"Ensure that all Chantries know that The Grey Wardens have betrayed Ferelden by slaying our noble King" Loghain gave his order; wishing to ensure that any Grey Wardens that might survive will not find a single soul willing to assist them and turn them over to The Templars at their local Chantry located in every town and village in Ferelden.

"Ser; may I ask why?" Cauthrien spoke as she was taken aback by his intention to ensure any survivors would not be able to so much a tred into any village, town or city in all the land.

"Call it a precaution in case any Grey Wardens survive this farce they call a Blight" Loghain spat as if speaking of The Grey Warden's fight against The Darkspawn causing him to be poisoned; disgracing the history of The Grey Wardens as he'd so easily slain one of The Elite Hurlocks whereas the united force had been very likely wiped out.

"Very well; it shall be done as we traverse the roads back to Denerim, word of this ill-fated battle will spread quickly" Cauthrien spoke as she bowed her head to Loghain as he re-mounted his horse, her eyes feeling itchy as tears welled up for those who'd lost their lives.

"What news has there been regarding our little assistant in Redcliffe? It has been three days since we sent the runaway to his assignment in Redcliffe" Loghan spoke carefully so not to be overheard; speaking on a matter that had only been known to himself and Cauthrien regarding a runaway Mage they'd stumbled upon during their trek to Ostagar.

"I believe the absence of any Redcliffe Knights nor Arl Eamon himself is proof enough of The Mage's success" Cauthrien spoke carefully; trying not to hide her dislike of Mages for their extreme and unrestrained powers over nature and the elements but the young man they'd encountered and ensured that Arl Eamon's own private militia had remained behind in the town of Redcliife.

"Are you going to pardon him after he'd fled from The Circle and Templars upon his return as promised?" Cauthrien asked in hushed tones; the promise made to The Young Mage was against all laws regarding Mages and Loghain was taking an enormous risk to honour such an agreement.

"There is no need, I believe it is safe to assume that he is dead" Loghain spoke curtly and emotionlessly; believing that The Young Mage would have been killed on the spot after accomplishing the task he'd been set.

High above the Thousand-Strong's heads atop The Tower of Ishal as a second explosion rocked The Tower's Top Floor that blew off the entire roof off The Tower's Top Floor, flames bursting out with billowing smoke into the open night skies.

"Not a single one of those four souls could survive an explosion like that" Loghain spoke to himself though Cauthrien glanced over at her superior as she'd overheard; casting her own eyes towards The Tower of Ishal as the structure burnt against the black skies before turning her attention to the thousand troops stood before her and Loghain.

"Soldiers! We shall march to return to our home: Denerim; this battle has been lost and I will not sacrifice your lives as The Grey Wardens have done to so many innocents on this day, countless souls have been lost to their vanity and claims that only they can defeat The Darkspawn! This sadly has included the life of our dear King Cailan who'd been intoxicated by the legends of the past and many others, we ride to inform the land that this battle is not a Blight but a convenience for The Grey Wardens to maintain their place in this land" Loghain raised his voice to speak to the thousand men and women stood in-mass before him, The Mage named Uldred held his Staff up and amplifying Loghain's voice so all could hear him with a satisfied expression while Wynne stood a few rows back from her comrade, her expression sad as she heard that all The Grey Wardens had been slain including Ser Dalila and the explosion atop The Tower led her to assume that Neria and her friends were also dead.

"To whom do you follow?" Cauthrien bellowed out with the help of Uldred's Magic; her voice reaching to all one thousand troops; speaking with the authority of being Loghain's right-hand comrade resonating in her voice.

"TERYN LOGHAIN!" roared the thousand soldiers though Wynne stood silent alongside several other Soldiers bearing crests of prestigious families who stood silent in the face of Loghain's actions and chosen words; standing alone amongst the cheering men who were praising Loghain's name.

The roars of the soldiers echoed as they began marching in the opposite direction of The Battlefield; Loghain and Cauthrien heading the thousand soldiers as the dirt trail laid ahead of them where their homes and families awaited their safe return though the glory of battle would not go with them.

"I shall confess; it was impressive that The Young Wardens made it to the top of that Tower and succeed in their mission, it was a pity they chose to join The Grey Wardens" Loghain spoke to Cauthrien; his tone bitter and disappointed as he glanced back at the burning tower as he considered the four to be dead in light of the terrible explosion.

"I would dare say that those four young Wardens a likely dead now too… a shameful waste of life" Cauthrien muttered quietly to herself as she looked back to the blazing fire atop The Tower of Ishal out of the corner of her eyes, returning her attention to her steed as she alongside a mournfully quiet Loghain led their troops back onto the dirt trail that led them to the village of Lothering and soon onto Denerim.

As a cold wind blew over the battlefield leaving the last of the dying voices to fall silent; a still silence fell over The Kocari Wilds as the dark night sky wore only a red moon for its only light, not a single living soul remained on the field of battle for The Darkspawn had retreated and the corpses of Darkspawn, Elf, Man and Women alike littering the blood-drenched soil leaving only a single black crow with yellow eyes to perch atop a tree to break the silence with a caw from its beak.

The Tower of Ishal: Top Floor.

The Ogre roared with its booming voice; the pained cry resonating through the smoke caused by Neria's Fireball Spell being parted as The Ogre tore through the screen of smoke revealing that the beast's entire right arm had been incinerated from fingers to the shoulder leaving third-degree burns from the burnt stump to the creature's muscular neck before The Ogre slumped and fell to the floor.

"I did good… right?" Neria muttered as she too slumped down to her knees as her Elm Staff had also been burnt away by the backlash of her own Spell having destroyed the head and jewel from her weapon; though she quickly fell to her right side having passed out from exhaustion and having drained all of her mana.

Alistair and Aeden both struggled to rise to their feet as they saw that both The Top Floor and The Pyre had been ignited by Neria's powerful Fireball; both smiling to themselves as they assumed Loghain would have begun his march to turn the tide of battle and save King Cailan as well as The Grey Wardens though their own situation seemed dire.

The flames consuming everything in their path; burning up The Prye and sending out the smoke signal into the skies, the sign that they'd accomplished their mission brought a proud smile to the faces of Alistair, Aeden and Kallian, all three-bearing damage to their outfits and armour as well as minor wounds but they were all alive after Neria's spell.

"Yeah… Neria… you did good" Alistair spoke though he didn't mean what he'd said as flames burnt at everything in the chamber; dropping his Shield to the floor near Aeden but kept his Knightsword in-hand as he approached The Ogre.

The Ogre seeming dead before grabbing Alistair by the upper-body and tightening its grip so much that Alistair's Splintmail broke under the force, howling as the Splintmail pierced The Ogre's own hand upon breaking and threw Alistair's body to the floor.

Gasping as the air was knocked from his lungs; Alistair was thrown backwards by the sudden grabbing squeeze from The Ogre only to crash into the plinth that The Prye had once sat upon before The Ogre knocked it down, his Splintmail audibly breaking upon his hard landing.

Crumbling into a heap of shattered metal and blood; Alistair laid still on the floor as his own blood seeped from his wounds and his Templar Knightsword lay just out of his hands reach as Alistair struggled to keep his eyes open from being tired by the ascent up The Tower, battling a horde of Genlocks and now facing a formidable Ogre only to be swatted aside like an annoying fly.

The Ogre raised its left foot to stamp the life out of Alistair's body; grinning in pleasure of murdering a Grey Warden before bringing its large and hairy foot down on Alistair only for the blow to be blocked as Aeden rushed in with both his own and Alistair's Shields, gritting his teeth against the extreme strength of The Ogre as it took all Aeden's own strength and will to push back The Ogre's foot.

The Ogre stared at Aeden; its angry black eyes peering down at Aeden like it was looking at a pest to be exterminated, ignoring the pain in its destroyed right arm as the beast roared in anger before slamming its fist down on top of Aeden's Dual-Shields causing Aeden to flinch her under the weight of The Ogre's fist and power; but feeling like something in his right arm snapped under the power in the blow.

Aeden backstepped away from Alistair as he faced The Ogre with only a pair of Shields though he planned on retrieving his Family Sword which lay close to The Flaming Prye though the flames crept towards the scattered barrels of oil which was direly worrisome; winching at the pains in his whole right arm from his formerly poisoned cuts to the weakness he felt in his right hand as The Ogre batted Alistair's Templar Shield out from Aeden's weakened right hand and kicked Aeden to the floor with its unwounded left foot.

Aeden grimaced as he laid on the ground; looking around to see Neria laying on the floor unconscious, Alistair lying face-down in his own blood, and Kallian remained as the only one other than himself still standing but unarmed after the loss of her Daggers and Knives, turning his attention back to The Ogre as the monster raised its left fist again only to slam its meaty fist down on top of Aeden's lone Family Shield.

Screaming out in pain as The Ogre's left fist came down on top of Aeden's Shield; the sheer force denting the metal as Aeden's own gloved right hand felt broken after the attack as The Ogre lifted its fist to attack again and deal a finishing blow.

The Ogre's ugly face contorting in a satisfied grin as its remaining arm reached its apex over the monster's head just as The Cousland Family Sword's blade pierced through the beast's flesh just under the ribs causing The Ogre to again roar in pain and agony as its black blood spilled out over the stone floor.

"Aeden! Are you still alive!" screamed Kallian's voice, The Elf having retrieved Aeden's weapon from The Prye and stabbed The Ogre under the ribs since she'd lost her own weapons; The Ogre roaring in pain as its blood gushed from the major wound though not nearly enough to end its life.

"Kallian? You saved me" Aeden spoke with surprise; having assumed that both Kallian and Neria were down and out after being defeated by force and power of The Darkspawn Ogre.

"I'm sure you'd do the same for me" Kallian answered; offering her beckoning hand to Aeden but not noticing the shadow of The Ogre rising back up behind her.

Before Aeden could answer or take Kallian's beckoning hand; Kallian was knocked off her feet by the huge sweeping hand of The Ogre only to fly through the air and crash into the thick walls, letting out a gasp as the air was knocked from her lungs before Kallian fell to the floor in an unconscious heap as blood trickled down her forehead.

Neria and Alistair both lay unconscious, the blood continuing to seem from his Alistair's wounds as he lay on The Plinth whilst Neria lay still on the floor as the spreading flames edged ever closer to her body; her robes starting to catch the flames as the hem of her sleeve caught fire.

Aeden grit his teeth as he saw his fallen comrades down on the floor; struggling to his feet with what felt like a broken right arm and his Family Shield held weakly in his left hand as The Ogre's menacing eyes stared down at the last remaining Warden standing moments before the painted ceiling began caving in and crashing down as an enormous, crimson-scaled claw came down on top of The Ogre, picking up the beast and flinging the monster out as the Tower to fall to its death.

Aeden fell to his knees again from exhaustion; dropping his Family Shield from his left hand as he moved to touch his injured right arm, swaying from the efforts of battle and trying to rise back to his feet as he passed out last; collapsing down to the floor just as the last thing his eyes could make out before everything turned dark was the body of a gigantic, crimson-scaled Dragon staring down at him and his comrades as the spreading flames engulfed the barrels of flammable liquids thus exploding and swallowing The Tower of Ishal in flames.