Chapter 8: Shadow's Negotiation Class
Time: 05:00 Hours
Location: Outskirts of Lothering
Shadow slowly led all of the Warden recruits out into the distant outskirts of Lothering for their fighting lesson. In truth, it wasn't training as much as it was a mere sparring session so the Warden could size them all up. When they reached the clearing he stopped and turned to face the group, crossing his arms as his judging gaze crossed over each and every one of them. He was pitting them up against each other, but not in a wild free for all. Not yet, at least.
"Mahariel, Brosca, Aeducan, step forward." He ordered.
The dwarves quickly followed his order, whilst Lyna took a more cautious step forward. "Amell, Surana, step back." He ordered again and the mages did so quickly.
"Those of you who have stepped forward are going to be fighting each other. Not to the death, but to submission. Remember, submission is equal to death in this sparring session so make sure it's the last thing you do and only if you must." He informed them and the dwarves simply nodded. "Those who stepped back, the same thing applies. Though you get the luxury of an endurance test. I will not go easy on you, I want you to know that."
"We understand, Warden." Daylen said with a small smile, "We wouldn't have it any other way."
"Remember, there is no teaming up in this. We are in pairs of three, fighting each other. At least, the dwarves and elf will be. You and Neria will be doing something different with me. As I have said, I shall test your endurance, how many powerful spells you can cast and such." Shadow spoke has he crossed his arms. "Now, you two line up behind me. We are going to observe their fight first before we begin your trial."
Neria and Daylen made their way behind Shadow, turning to watch the fight that was about to go down. Lyna, Duran, and Natia were in a line with their weapons at the ready. They were waiting for their orders; how Shadow wanted them placed before they came to a collision. Both of the dwarves looked at Lyna with a rather confident expression on their faces, and the elf glared back. Sure, Shadow said that there'd be no real teaming up, but that didn't mean he would stop them if they tried. Part of being a Warden was temporarily aligning yourself with a group of people occasionally. Wardens couldn't always face their foes alone, and Lyna's discussion with Shadow the night before only told her that he saw this as an advantage and necessity to be taught.
"Get in a triangle formation, each of you forming a point. I want you spread out pretty far. Then when I order it, I want the sparring session to begin. Understood? Remember, it is imperative that you know that submission in this course means you have died in your fight against your foe. It is the last thing you want to do, even if you are bleeding or injured. If you are injured or bleeding, you have three mages at the ready to heal you." The Warden informed them once again.
"Three? There are only two mages here, lad." Duran said eyeing both Daylen and Neria.
"I am a mage as well, Duran." Shadow replied.
"Oh."
"Now, get into your positions recruits. We do not have all day; this is only one activity we will be performing and it will last until noon." The Warden said with a smirk behind his helmet.
The three of them got into the formation they were ordered to, and their signal was Shadow firing a bolt of electricity straight into the ground. Immediately the dwarves charged not for each other, but Lyna. The elf had seen that coming before it even had occurred. They made it painfully obvious what their intent was. She just hoped that they weren't foolish enough to assume that they had her by surprise. It required a special kind of skill to surprise an elf in combat, especially one of the Dalish. She charged forward as well, but right as they were about to clash she performed a flip over them and as she landed she pushed them both forward onto their faces. This enraged Duran, and he quickly got up to swing his axe wildly like a crazed maniac. Lyna, of course, avoided this but at the expense of focusing on Duran alone. That proved to be a problem, as Neria quickly tossed a knife that stabbed right into Lyna's thigh. The elf let out a sharp hiss before quickly finding an opening and kicking Duran square in the face. With an 'oof' the dwarf fell to the ground.
Lyna tore the knife out but not in time to stop Neria who had thrown her entire weight against the elf. This toppled the woman over onto her back and offered Duran the time needed to help pin her down and deliver a brutal beating to her. Well, that was if the elf hadn't slammed her head against Neria's, disorienting the dwarf just long enough to push her off.
"Damn it, Brosca!" Duran growled as he quickly moved to knock Lyna unconscious.
Instead, the elf quickly grabbed his arm and ripped him straight towards the slowly recovering Neria. The dwarves slammed together and Neria pushed Duran off of her. By the time she had gotten up, Lyna drew her bow and arrow firing two arrows in rapid succession to pin Duran, the most apparent threat, to the ground for the duration of the fight. Not to mention the dwarf noble required some time to recover. Since both he and Neria had teamed up, the act that had happened forced Shadow to allow him to stay in the fight. He had time to recover, unless of course Neria was rendered useless as well. The female dwarf roared and charged at Lyna, only to get pushed back by the impact of two arrows fired at the same time. The dwarf ignored this, however, and continued her attack. Soon Lyna was forced to drop her bow and draw her sword again. She quickly fought to defend herself, though the force of the Dwarf forced her to trip and fall. Duran who had recently freed himself from the arrows rushed up and placed his axe so the sharpened blade of it was pressing against Lyna's neck. Then he quickly bashed Neria off of the woman and did the same to her.
"Enough!" Shadow called out and the recruits all fell down to take a seat on the ground, especially the dwarves who were bleeding from their own foolish assault on Lyna.
He walked over and offered Lyna a hand up, which she took gratefully and sighed once she felt her weight supported on her legs. Her body was sore from the dwarves and exertion she put on herself to try and overcome them. The dwarves, well, they were exhausted from their own exertion and the fact they had gotten banged up by Lyna. Their egos were very sore due to getting tossed about by an elf of all things.
"You fought well," Shadow whispered to Lyna before releasing her hand and walking back to the mages. "You all fought well, though your strategies all were a bit flawed. Duran, in a fight against the Darkspawn you will not betray your allies. Though they may betray you. You will not fight with your enemy even if you share a common enemy, thus the damage you took was a risk that would have costed you your life by the time you got pinned to the dirt. Neria, your disregard to damage is admirable. The fact you went easy on Duran and didn't raise a hand to strike him, however, means that you costed yourself and anyone who happened to be following you their lives. Lyna, you were in close combat. Unless you are being aided by someone to keep them at bay, never draw your bow. It is too compromising. I believe you found that out here today." He scolded all of them.
"Understood, lad." Duran said with a loud sigh before falling onto his back.
Neria shook her head and did the same as Duran whilst Lyna remained silent, only a small smirk appearing on her face. "Now, Daylen and Natia, your first goal is to heal and rejuvenate them. Your second goal will to hold your strongest spell for as long as you can before you tire out, without hurting yourselves. Go."
With their orders having been laid out before them, the mages got to work under the supervision of Shadow. Whilst he was focusing on the mages and their abilities, Lyna was busy considering why Shadow was acting nice to her. Before he seemed rather careless, but ever since their discussion that lasted until midnight the night before he had seemingly softened in her presence. Perhaps he was showing her the last bit of kindness she'd see before the long battle against the Darkspawn in Ostagar began. Perhaps it was something more. Whatever his intentions, he caught her spacing out and immediately moved to make her regret it.
"Lyna, threeeeeee hundred in... two minutes. Go!" He said somewhat playfully, but mostly sternly.
She groaned out loud before dropping down to her hands and beginning her push-ups. There was no possible way she was going to pull of that many push-ups in two minutes. No way. Especially since he forced her to expel all of her air counting each one she performed.
The two minutes had passed and she only got to one hundred and seventy push-ups. Shadow laughed and clicked his tongue as he watched her collapse to the ground.
"Such a shame, I imagined since you just barely got the three hundred last night in three minutes you could accomplish such a task in two. I guess I was wrong." He teased.
She huffed and laid down on the ground, physically exhausted from her workout. Shadow looked up and saw the mages tiring out from their spellcasting and ended it with a dismissing shout.
"Enough, go back to the village and get some breakfast. Prepare for knowledge lessons. Lyna, come with me." Shadow ordered and the dwarves and mages let out sighs of relief.
The four grouped up and headed back towards Lothering whilst Shadow aided Lyna up once again. "Where to?" She asked.
"Just a longer walk back. I'd like to inform you of what you are about to face, but you have to keep the information I give to you to yourself. It's strictly forbidden to speak of the Joining to you before you pass it." Shadow said as he led her around the bend, which would make their trail into a long 'U'.
Lyna let out a soft sigh, looking up at the fully armored man with a look of curiosity displayed on her face. "So... you're breaking the rules to give me an advantage over the others?" She asked.
"It's no advantage. It's just giving you a heads up on what you will become. The Joining doesn't come without side effects all Wardens face. It isn't even about the first phase, it's about what comes after the Joining that I want you to know." Shadow told her with a sigh, "It's how we sense our foe coming, and can fight them without getting sick like you. How are you feeling, by the way?"
"Good... Though I've had a lot of nausea since we woke up." She replied. Shadow could tell as much, she was much more pale than normal.
He nodded slowly, "We may need to move south and perform the Joining before Duncan and the other recruits get here. I'm not going to risk your life needlessly under my watch." Shadow said as he continued looking forward at the distant village.
"How will the Joining even help me? What does it entail?" She asked.
"Blood magic. It's a ritual that could very well cost you your life. It tests your body, it tests your spirit. We give you a chalice that has been passed down from Warden to Warden, we fill it with the blood you will collect from the Darkspawn, mix it with lyrium and drop a single drop of blood from an Archdemon. Very few survive it, for obvious reasons, and if you do you will forever be tainted by the black blood. More or less, you will be doomed to die earlier rather than later. You see, the pros of it are the fact that we can sense them and that we are immune to further corruption. The cons, however, are the nightmares. You will have a desire to consume any and all food in your sight for at least two weeks, your fertility will drop and your lifespan significantly shortened down to thirty or so years." He informed her as they walked.
Lyna's face fell into an expressionless, stone-like state. Well, her curiosity about why it was kept a secret was discovered now. She didn't have to be confused any longer.
"So, I'll only have thirty years to live after undergoing the Joining?" She asked, completely allowing the fact that he said she'd have to drink Darkspawn blood to pass over her head. "No real chance for children, no peaceful nights?" She asked coldly.
"Yes, not exactly, and it depends. Thirty years is the accepted maximum, not many make it past that. In fact, I've never heard of anyone who has. I said decreased fertility, not complete loss of hope for reproduction. Though, I'd worry about the child's state. As for no peaceful nights, occasionally we don't dream. Those are good days. Lately, however, every Warden has been having nightmares. Because of them, we believe that this is no simple Darkspawn raid. We think this is the beginning of a new Blight." He informed her as they walked, hoping to brighten her mood up a bit. "Around the thirty year mark, usually we get a warning or feeling that our time is about to pass. It is then when we head down into the Deep Roads to fight the Darkspawn 'til we die."
"How long... How long have you been tainted?" She asked.
"Half a year, now. I'm rather new, but strong. I've fought with the Wardens plenty of times before I accepted Duncan's request to join them. It's how he and I became friends, the years prior to my Joining we worked together a lot." Shadow told her with a smile. "He's a good man, his past is as scarred as mine. Used to live a life full of action, now he lives a life full of more dangerous action."
She smiled and looked up to see the village getting closer. In around five more minutes they'd be inside the inn they were staying at.
"If I survive the Joining..." She said, her body somewhat cold due to the thoughts of the future. "Will I be able to remain at your side? Or Duncan's? I... I don't want to be alone for thirty years."
Shadow nodded slowly, "Mahariel, I will be there when you undergo the Joining. I will still be there with you when you pass on. We've two other recruits down in Ostagar as well, we've acquired quite a few potential recruits. Oh, and know that when we arrive for the Joining, there is no turning back. When you get sent to collect the blood, you are stuck. Trying to leave will get you killed."
"As long as you are there, shem." She said with a soft sigh.
They arrived in the inn which they had cleared out all of the patrons with the Innkeeper's permission. He said they needed a day break anyway to clean and restock, however, he offered to go to the market first in order to give the Wardens some time alone to do whatever it was they had planned. Shadow thanked him and when all was clear, he called all of the recruits down to the main room of the village inn, making sure all were seated and able to look straight at him comfortably. Not that Shadow was a comfortable sight.
"All of you have proven your skills, and your expertise in those skills. Do not think that because you know what you are doing that you cannot improve, however. A mindset like that is a good way to get yourself killed. There is always more to learn." Shadow said in appraisal turned to warning. "Today's topic shall be the art of diplomacy, and negotiation."
Duran grumbled, "What the bleedin' hell do Wardens need those for? We fight an' we die, right? No need for pointless talkin' in tha' equation, laddie."
"Actually, there is need for talking, and it is far from pointless, Duran." Shadow replied, "There are times you will need to know what to say, as well as when and how to say it. No matter how strong you are, there is always going to be someone holding more power than you. As a Warden, unfortunately, you will be encountering a lot of those people. You can't negotiate with Darkspawn, not even the Logosha who are capable of speech and reasoning. But Darkspawn aren't our only enemies. Often times Lords and Ladies see the opportunity in capturing one of us. You will need to know how to prolong your life just long enough for either escape, or help to arrive."
The dwarf shifted in his seat and let out a soft sigh. As the son of the dwarvish king, he knew all about politics and wordplay. Sure, one could argue that the dwarves were a more brutal and combat oriented people, they were, and he wasn't going to try and deny that fact about his people. But, they also had their fair share of diplomacy among themselves and even other races such as the humans. Especially the humans. Orzammar was the last city of the dwarves, or so everyone had thought. Having been a prince of Orzammar, Duran knew that diplomacy with other races and even the Grey Wardens themselves proved most essential to their survival. Trading, negotiations, alliances, all of it had to be done in order to keep Orzammar from falling to the Darkspawn and still it was only a matter of time. The Blight may allow them to push into the Deep Roads and claim fallen territory, but the Darkspawn would be back. No matter the outcome of the Blight. That meant each foot of land they gained, was a foot of land they would lose again.
"I won't lie to you, diplomacy is hard to do when your captors want you dead or tortured. But, the art of diplomacy is to get them to have it your way. The art is there to make it so you live long enough, or you gain something of importance. All your parents have taught you when you were young to use some form of manners, use them when in the face of nobility. You are to address them not as equals but as their rank suggests. If they are a Teyrn, Your Lordship should suffice. If they are a Knight, Ser will do just fine." Shadow said.
"What do we call you?" Natia asked.
"A good question, though the answer is far from what you imagined it would be. I am not your superior, you will either call me Warden, Shadow, or whatever you wish to call me. Just know that I have more experience than all of you combined, and if you fail to listen to me you could very well end up suffering or dead." He said, slashing his hand through the air dismissively. "That is not a threat, that is a warning. Everything I tell you to do, you should do it. Everything I teach you, you should remember it. These things that I bring up to you have costed the lives of many good men and women, who died because of their ignorance."
Everyone kept on looking at him and nodded to signal that they understood what he was saying. He had seen it before, that much he hadn't lied about. Men and women acting as if it were just some kind of joke. His teachings were there to make sure that they all knew what they would be facing on a day to day basis. Shadow saw what was coming, and he knew that there would be no time for rest after they reached Ostagar. There would be no stopping, to stop even for a brief moment would mean they had risked the lives of everyone on Thedas. To stop only of necessity, and not out of temporary exhaustion. That would be their rule. That is why they needed to be ready.
"The next topic we are going to talk about is negotiations. With the art of diplomacy, the art of negotiation works well. However, negotiations are not always meant to be taken out in a calm and timely manner. There will come a time, of that I have no doubt, where each and every one of you are going to need something and you are going to need it right that instant. If you don't get it, then something bad surely will happen. This is one of the few occasions when it is alright to show some violent... insistence. Get them to realize that they need to act, or something bad will happen to them. Do not imply that you will harm them, but make sure they know that if they ignore you their lives will crumble." Shadow said, suddenly approaching the table and slamming his hands down onto it making almost all of them jump. The odd one out who didn't jump was Duran, and instead he just tensed up. "Don't be afraid to do that to get your audience's attention. It is effective, as each and every one of you can tell."
He then backed up and moved over to where he was prior to the outburst. "Always, and I mean always request meetings to be done not inside of their castle or headquarters when you are alone. Sometimes you cannot help it, but know that if you are in their territory you must play by their rules respectfully. Otherwise, you're going to get yourself thrown into the dungeons and you will be alone. We won't be able to help you without starting a diplomatic incident and getting our Order banned from Ferelden once again. So, just don't do it. Dismissed. Don't forget to train with your selected partner throughout the day. I don't care how experienced or capable you are, a blade is only good if it is kept sharp." He said just as the innkeeper got back.
He turned around and nodded at the man, "Thank you for allowing us to borrow your inn." Shadow said before walking outside to go get some more fresh air. Alone.
Lyna watched him and bit her lip, trying to think if she should follow the man or not. She decided that she had bothered him enough for one day, and walked up the stairs to their room to lay down. She wasn't feeling too good. Her body was numb due to being cold, but she was sweating as if she were burning up with a fever. If the young elf didn't know any better, she'd say her symptoms were a side effect of being exposed to the tainted blood of the Darkspawn. That didn't mean anything good. She shut the door and fell onto her bed, and just like that it was like lights-out for her. She saw nothing but darkness as she passed over into the realm known as the Fade, where dreams, spirits, and demons roamed.
Chapter 8.5: Not Now
Time: 02:34 Hours
Location: Various
Shadow sat at the desk in his and Lyna's room, writing a letter in the dim candlelight as he occasionally looked over at the elf. She was sweating pretty bad, but felt cold to the touch. He sighed and quickly finished his mug of honey mead, his writing now hastening.
Duncan,
I know you have requested that I gather the recruits to train and watch over them in this village. However, Lyna's condition has worsened in the few days that we've been here, and I fear that if I do not get her down to Ostagar for her joining immediately that she will not make it another day. I've been observing her throughout the day, she passed out after our noon lessons and has been asleep ever since. Her vitals appear to be fine, and her body functioning as it should. I've already prepared our things, I am going to carry her all the way to Ostagar tonight. I'm leaving this letter with Daylen, as he's the only one that is awake in the late hours of the night and I trust him a bit more than the others. I don't know why. I am forced to hurry for her, otherwise we will lose a recruit and I don't think we are in a position to risk that happening outside of the Joining itself. I will gather the items for all three of the recruits down there, and I will perform the Ritual. If you see me in Lothering by the time you arrive, it means I have failed and our recruits succumbed to the Joining. If you do not see me until Ostagar, it was a success. You know I would not do this unless absolutely necessary, but out of the lot, Lyna shows the most potential. At least in my eyes.
-Shadow
He quickly folded the letter and sealed it with candle wax before standing up and rushing out of the room and down the stairs to Daylen, handing the old man who was enjoying a glass of red wine the letter. "This is important, hand it to Duncan upon his arrival. I'm forced to rush Lyna down into Ostagar for her Joining. Do not open the letter, no matter how bad your curiosity is. Oh, and you're in charge until Duncan arrives or I return." Shadow said hastily.
"No worries, young Warden. I will make sure that he receives this letter, and that only he receives it." Daylen replied with a small smile on his face.
Shadow nodded and rushed back upstairs to retrieve their backpacks and Lyna herself. After that he rushed down the stairs, carefully so he didn't trip with her in his arms. The bartender opened the door for him on his way outside and in the cover of the night he rushed over to the stables which had only one horse in them. He quickly sat her on the back of the horse and tied the bags onto it as well before taking a coinpurse and dropping it on the ground. He got up onto the horse's back and immediately rushed off. Thievery, yes. Necessary, yes. Sure, whoever owned the horse had just lost it, but at least in its place was five hundred gold coins. Unless someone stole it sometime later, which was fairly likely. Oh well. Shadow had no intent on returning to Lothering, and even if he had to the man doubted anyone would have seen him take off with the horse.
The journey down to Ostagar was long, but quicker than it would have been with all of the other recruits. What only took them the rest of the night would have taken until at least noon the next day had he woken up everyone and told them to move south. Thankfully it was only early morning. He was slow on his approach to Ostagar, knowing that if he moved too quickly the guards there that watched for any hostiles would be forced to take immediate action and gauge whether or not he was friend or foe. He didn't want to take that chance. The horse trotted up to the ruins and immediately he was greeted by ten soldiers, with their hands on their weapons to prepare for anything.
"Halt! You are approaching the Ostagar ruins. State your business." One of them ordered and Shadow nodded before looking at the man.
"See my armor? I am a Grey Warden, and I'm here on Grey Warden business. I've brought a recruit, that is all you need to know at this time." Shadow said quickly, he had no time to waste. Lyna was still unconscious.
"Never in my life have I seen a Warden wear black armor, but fair enough. Move on in, don't get into trouble. If you are a Warden you will know where your people are based." The leading soldier said before signalling for his men to make way.
Shadow rode fast again, annoyed by the brief stop. They all knew that he was a Warden, they all had seen he and Duncan together before. They were Loghain's men, though, and that meant that they were bound to be irritating bastards. Eventually he made it to the Grey Warden camp which was just outside of the ruins where the main army camp was. He quickly got off of the horse and grabbed Lyna as Daveth, Jory, and a few other Wardens watched. He quickly moved inside of the large Grey Warden tent that was filled with bedrolls and tables, equipment and just about anything else they needed. He sat her down on one of the bedrolls and called over to one of their mages, Ser Tyrtafel. An elf of Circle origin.
"What seems to be the issue, Shadow?" The elderly elf asked as he examined Lyna.
"The corruption is getting to her, and I need to act fast or else we lose her. I've wasted enough time as it is, and I was hoping that you could keep her holding on for just long enough for me to get the ingredients for the Joining." He said, his voice betraying how tired he was from the sleepless night.
"I can. Though, you must hurry. Containing something such as the Blight is not something anyone can do for long. It's nearly impossible, though you and I both know the impossible isn't actually a thing." The mage said before placing a hand on Lyna's forehead. "Now, go. I will make sure our future Warden is ready."
Shadow nodded and gave brief thanks before rushing out of the tent, grabbing Ser Jory and Daveth by the shoulders and yanking them forward as he walked. "Come on. You two are with me. We've got little time, you are taking your Joining today."
"Shadow? What's this about?" Jory asked as they walked hastily into the Ostagar ruins again.
Daveth huffed, "I don't see why you should care, Ser Knight, we're going to become Wardens sooner than we had anticipated!"
"Your friend is right, don't worry about it. All you need to know is that your Joining is going to be today, so prepare for it." Shadow hissed.
Navigating the camp that was inside the ruins was like going through a maze. There were so many people there doing so many different things, and whilst there was plenty of room to walk or run in, it still felt cramped with everything the King needed relatively close to him. Eventually they found themselves standing at the gate to the Korcari Wilds, guarded by one man and his Mabari hound. Shadow quickly nodded at the man whilst stating who he was, and the guard allowed the three of them through into the Wilds with a friendly word of caution.
The smell seemed to change in an instant. The ruins smelled normal, but as soon as they made their way into the Wilds it just smelled like mold and fish as well as what you'd smell in a swamp. The mist that seemed to cover the Wilds also made it a bit hard to see, but not by much. The sounds of various animals and insects were heard. Though Shadow sensed something much darker in these Wilds than he would ever admit to the two accompanying him. They were not ready for such news. It would terrify them and no doubt make them run away.
"What are we here in the Wilds for, if I may ask?" Daveth asked somewhat worriedly, the thief as well as the knight had both heard the stories of the Korcari Wilds and the Witches of the Wilds.
Shadow sighed, "Harvesting Darkspawn blood. That's what the Joining requires. I've got vials to fill up with their blood."
"Darkspawn blood? What would we possibly need that for?" Jory asked.
"You'll find out." Shadow replied.
"How many of those vials will we need to fill?"
Shadow shrugged as they continued on, so far not encountering any life. "Three, but I'm going to get four just in case. You never know when extras may come in handy."
Daveth chuckled, "True that. I've felt that way all me life."
"You were a thief." Jory butted in only to receive a glare from Daveth.
"Enough. Let's get a move on." Shadow ordered before heading into the Wilds, the two reluctantly following closely behind.
The Wilds; a place unpleasant before the Darkspawn started appearing on the surface. Now, with those tainted creatures plaguing the land, the Wilds were made worse than they already were. Something many thought impossible. To Shadow, they had an overwhelming presence within the Wilds though he knew that was not entirely true. At least, not in the part of the Wilds he and the two recruits were in. Not yet, anyway. It was only a matter of time before the Darkspawn completely overran that place, and because of that time restraint the battle was situated sooner rather than later. The Darkspawn were already on the march, though, so any time that was made it was not intentional on the King's part. They would arrive in a few days now, and everyone had to be ready to fight to the death. Shadow knew this, and that is why he mentally scolded himself for allowing a friendship to just begin with he and the Dalish girl. She, like so many others, would more than likely die in battle. Hell, it wasn't even up for debate. There would be losses, and literally everyone and everything he knew was doomed to die in battle with the Darkspawn. All because no one else could, or would.
"You know," Jory began, "...for a place called the 'Korcari Wilds,' there is surprisingly little wildlife."
"That, Ser Jory, is because the Darkspawn presence forces even animals to run, hide, or risk becoming corrupted by the Blight." Shadow said as they wandered through the Wilds. They were not the quietest group in this, either. They probably were gathering notice of anything near their vicinity. He himself had plate armor, and Jory had chainmail. The quietest of the lot was Daveth who wore hardened leather.
The Knight nodded, "So, we're here to collect four vials of blood? Where are the Darkspawn?"
Shadow shook his head, "Information on a need-to-know basis, Ser Knight. All you need to know is that I know where they are at all times, and you should be ready for anything. Just because I am here with you does not mean that this is not a test. You will get a taste of battle with the Darkspawn today. You will be changed by it, forever."
"Changed how?" Jory asked.
"Again, need-to-know basis. You'll find out eventually. It's nothing too serious, I assure you." Shadow said before quickly drawing his sword. "Darkspawn, around the bend. Brace yourselves, they are charging."
The two men immediately reacted, not wanting to lose their lives so early in their Grey Warden careers. Four Hurlocks ran around the corner and stopped at the sight of the humans. They let out loud, chilling laughs before continuing their charge forward. Daveth quickly shot one of them in the head with an arrow, killing it mid-sprint. Before he could load another arrow, however, the three others were on top of Shadow and Jory. It was as if they knew who was the Warden and who was not, as two went after Jory whilst the other one seemed to act merely as a distraction. Shadow skillfully broke free from the vicious assault of the Darkspawn and decapitated it, rushing over to the knight just in time to see a sword pierce his gut. The second Darkspawn smirked before going to slash his throat, only getting stopped by Shadow who charged directly into the creature's side. Jory's vision blurred, accompanied by a wave of dizziness before he fell backwards.
Shadow fought with the Darkspawn for a few moments before burying his sword deep into its gut. Unfortunately, this allowed the final Hurlock to close in on Shadow. By then, however, Daveth had readied another arrow and released it. The iron-tipped arrow sped through the air and dug itself deep into the Hurlock's skull. With a final hiss the creature fell backwards onto the cold hard ground. Shadow sensed Darkspawn, but they were not close enough to them to pose danger yet. That was the key word: yet.
"Daveth, take these vials and fill them with the blood. I'll tend to Jory to the best of my abilities until we get back to Ostagar." Shadow said as he walked over and handed the thief four empty glass vials.
The man took the items after he shouldered his bow, looking down at the Darkspawn corpses. "So... I just..."
"You make a wound on their corpses, and you take the blood that pours from them and fill those vials with said blood. It's simple." Shadow responded with a soft sigh, beginning to channel some basic healing spells into Jory's body.
No matter what Shadow did there in the field, it wouldn't last long. Jory had been stabbed by a Darkspawn blade, not only did that mean he sustained an abnormal sword wound, but also that he was more than likely afflicted by the exact same thing Lyna was. That's how the Darkspawn worked. So much as a scratch by them or their weapons and your life was in peril. Daveth did as he was told and slowly knelt before one of the Hurlocks, it was the last one to fall that died by an arrow to the forehead. It was the best option to get blood in the thief's eyes, as the blood loss was kept to a minimum due to the fact the arrow was still in its head and the wound was located in his head rather than any other part of his body. The latter was probably just Daveth overthinking the situation, but all that mattered was that there would be enough blood to fill most of the vials if not all of them. Five minutes had passed and the vials were completely filled and Shadow's healing spells had done all they could for Jory to prepare him for the trek back. They were half an hour into the Wilds, and whilst time had passed rather quickly before, Shadow knew that it would not be the case this time around. Things were a bit more serious than they had been going in. One of the recruits were downed, and the only other recruit he had at his side was one that did not have enough strength to carry Ser Jory.
Such a thing would not have been an issue if he were with another Warden, unfortunately Daveth, like all of the other recruits, had not gone through the Joining to be able to prove useful. Shadow was the only one able to sense the Darkspawn should any draw uncomfortably close, and with Ser Jory hanging over his shoulder a fight was the last thing he wanted. It wasn't as if he could simply drop the knight and engage in combat. That made a question appear in his mind; how in the name of the Maker does a knight fall so quickly to Darkspawn? It had to have been fear. He feared for when Jory is to go under the Joining ritual. Something told him that it would end badly.
"Come on, we need to get moving if we're to make it back in time. Leave the corpses where they are, the scouting parties sent out by the King or Loghain will tend to them." Shadow said as he picked Jory up and held him over his shoulder, beginning to walk.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Daveth said before he followed close behind, looking all around to make sure nothing got brave enough to sneak up on them. Not that his unaided senses would help much against Darkspawn unless it was something like an Ogre, or pathetic grunt of either of the different types.
Shadow thought to himself in silence as they made their return trip to Ostagar. He made certain to also keep his mind alert to any change in the Darkspawn and the way he sensed them. If they drew near, he'd know right away.
Something isn't right. The Darkspawn are drawing too close to Ostagar, meaning they are getting bolder. They're planning something, but what could it be? The King is holding out well against them, and we are prepared for another attack. We know they are gathering numbers each second we leave them unattended, but they still draw near. They're planning another massive assault, but why? The King will know when they move and ready his men, there would be no possible way that those corrupt bastards gain any footing. Not unless they bring something that no one is ready for, but, there is no way an Archdemon would show itself this early on. If this is a true Blight... Wait. What if there's something in the Wilds they're after? Perhaps Ostagar isn't their target.
Logosha? No. Those Hurlocks were nothing more than the common rabble seen in the Deep Roads. If the Logosha don't have an interest in it, why would the common Darkspawn have an interest? There's only one way to get the answers I seek, and we do not have the damned manpower to achieve them. There's no way the King would lend me that many men so that I could comb the Korcari Wilds and find what I'm looking for. Nay, what they're looking for. I'll just have to tell Cailan about the possible threat to our safety these Darkspawn scouts pose. He should believe me, I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid of Loghain butting his ugly head into things like he always does. The man hates the Wardens, and unfortunately Cailan usually runs everything by him before acting. That's what a 'Hero of Ferelden' gets, I suppose. That just complicates my life. No matter, Shadow, you have one job and one job only. Fix Lyna, heal and fix Jory, and while doing both of those at the same time also make Daveth a Warden. Everything else can come later.
By the time his thoughts had finished running rampant, they had finally reached the gates of Ostagar and requested entry. The soldiers allowed them inside and without stopping or acknowledging anything else, Shadow made his way through the camp once again. He needed to get to Tyrtafel. Whilst Lyna was important, she was more than likely stable by now. That was more than could be said for Ser Jory, who Shadow could feel was losing strength and a grasp on life rapidly. His magic was wearing off, and soon the knight would be in the hands of his Maker. Like before, it hadn't taken him that long to get back to the Warden camp and inside the tent where the healer was. He sat Jory down on a bedroll and immediately the elf mage sighed.
"You really need to stop bringing me damaged recruits, Shadow. Not only does it kill our reputation, it exhausts me." The healer teased.
Shadow chuckled before looking over at Lyna. "That so? Well, I'll make it easier on you. Whilst you tend to Jory, I'll go prepare the Joining. Daveth, carry Lyna over to the ruins of the old temple where Duncan said the Joining will take place."
"You won't hear an argument from me." Daveth said with a smirk, looking at the unconscious and rather pale Lyna.
Shadow growled, "No funny business, and I mean it. You're to be a Warden, act like it." He warned before walking out of the tent.
Half an hour had passed since Daveth took Lyna and moved to the specified location to take the Joining. It was an isolated spot, something that the Joining required so that no one may know the secretive ritual aside from those that were to be a part of it. It wasn't as grand as was promised due to the urgency of it. None of the other Wardens were really alerted to it as Shadow had to act fast in order to save Lyna's life. In fact, the only real reason Daveth and Jory were alerted to it in the first place was because they were right there in the tent when he was talking to Tyrtafel. Not only that, but he needed the extra hands during the gathering of blood. Well, not exactly. In truth, he just figured it'd be easier to do all three at once rather than one and then a large group later. Had the two been in Lothering like the rest, well, this would have gone a bit quicker.
Daveth simply looked at Lyna who was slowly starting to wake up. Though, she hadn't opened her eyes or really made a sound yet. Her illness had to have affected her strongly as she still retained that visage of warmed over death. Before the thief could think another thought of the elf's condition, Shadow walked in holding a silver chalice.
"I'll be honest with you Daveth, and Lyna if you are conscious to hear this. Usually there's a whole ceremony and true ritual pulled off during this, but I don't have the time. If you want to see what you missed out on, survive this and stick around for when Duncan does the rest of the recruits." Shadow said briefly as he sat the chalice down on the table. "You're going to be drinking their blood, and it's going to be physically and spiritually demanding. This means it is going to hurt, a lot. There are two outcomes, and you can only get one. You're either going to be painfully fine and live, or you're going to die a very agonizing death. Through their blood we get our power. With it flowing through our veins we can kill the Archdemon."
Daveth simply remained silent, what would normally have scared someone like him off, well, it didn't really have the same affect on him. He had nothing to live for, and it was better he became a Warden or died trying. He knew a lot of people out there were going to need help, and every Warden that was able to give that help would mean another child could live happily in the world. It would ensure their safety. Not to mention the Wardens were heroes.
"I'll speak the words of the first, and the words I had spoken to me during my own Joining. Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand, vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you. Daveth, step forward." Shadow ordered as he held the chalice out in front of him.
Daveth did as he was asked and slowly took the silver chalice from Shadow. He looked at its contents and braced himself not just for the effects, but the taste. The blood of those foul creatures could not have been good. Eventually he lifted it to his lips and took a good gulp of the blood. Shadow recovered the chalice right after and soon after that Daveth felt the affects of the blood hit him. Shadow wasn't lying, it was like drinking acid. His entire body clenched up and he let out loud groans of pain whilst he choked, collapsing to his knees as the pain slowly became more and more unbearable. His clenched eyes shot open to reveal them be completely white before he fell flat on his face. Shadow simply looked down at the man. He had lived, though only by a narrow margin judging by the reaction he had to it. Shadow then walked over to Lyna and let out a soft sigh as he aided her in drinking the blood. She had a much more calm reaction to it than Daveth, but the pain that it caused her was still evident until she passed out herself. She too had survived.
Slowly they both woke up, and whilst Daveth gathered himself quickly and stood up, Lyna was a bit more groggy. "How long... was I out for?" Daveth asked as he rubbed his head, "Damn that hurt like hell..."
"You both passed out for five minutes, but, pretty much all of us do." Shadow said with a sigh, looking at Lyna. "How are you feeling, girl? You've been unconscious for the last... hell, I don't even know. You've been out of it half of yesterday, all night, and until now, the afternoon."
Her body was aching, her head throbbing, and her throat feeling as if it had been lit on fire. "I'm fine." She stated in a rather normal tone.
"Mhm." Shadow said in an unbelieving tone. "Well, if that's the case you can get up and walk to the Warden tents and get some rest. Both of you. The Joining is a taxing ritual, and since you both have passed you are going to get slammed pretty hard by exhaustion. Take a nap. Sleep this day away. Come tomorrow you'll be feeling like you could lift an entire city onto your shoulders and eat all of the food on this planet. Oh, and before you two go..." He said before pulling out two necklaces with amulets filled with the Darkspawn blood in it. "Take these, wear them always to remember those who the Joining has taken from the world. They deserve it, and you owe it to them. We all do. Their sacrifices do not deserve to be forgotten."
Lyna and Daveth nodded before taking the necklaces and putting them on. Daveth didn't stay a moment longer after Shadow dismissed them, and walked away to head to the camp. He knew what Shadow was talking about when he said they'd be tired. He was exhausted in more ways than just physically. Everything that made Daveth himself was just exhausted from the event. He didn't like the brief nightmare he had, however, and hoped that it would not happen again. Though, having heard what the other Wardens had said... he had to expect it. Lyna slowly got off of the table and onto her feet, but collapsed. She would have hit the cold hard ground had Shadow not been there to catch her.
"Look, I know Darkspawn blood is strong stuff but it isn't an alcoholic beverage." He jested quietly to make sure no one heard him other than her.
Lyna groaned and simply allowed him to support her weight. "I didn't... need to know that I drank their blood, shem."
"What kind of man would I be if I didn't tell you what I put into your body? On top of it, I told you yesterday" Shadow asked with a rather serious tone.
"That's nasty." The elf replied.
"Yes, well, Daveth survived. You're going to have to get used to his dirty jokes, and I figured I'd get you started on getting used to them." Shadow stated with a smirk behind his helmet.
Lyna hissed before standing up on her own, though very weakly. "I hate you."
Shadow nodded, "I know. Now, go get some rest. The Warden camp is the first camp you'll run into on the way to the main army camp. Just look for an elf mage, Tyrtafel. He'll show you around and find you a bed to sleep in." With that having been said, Lyna slowly and rather sluggishly made her way over to the camp whilst Shadow cleaned up. Which really was rather simple, there would be no body to bury this time so all he had to do was take the chalice and empty it in a safe location.