Hey everyone, here's the next chapter of Warden in Rags. I know the last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger so forgive me, but everyone likes some good suspense right? Anyway, thanks so much to my beta and my wife for helping to keep me on track an meet my deadline and to everyone how has been reviewing. Your feedback helps keep me motivated and driving the story forward. Looking forward to hearing what you guys think of the next chapter. Enjoy!
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Crimson claws descended on him as time all but stopped. He had fought guards, bandits, darkspawn, trained soldiers, demons, undead, and blood mages. He even managed to keep the number of people he killed to a minimum even while fighting for his life. Now, to have his life end at the hands of a blood mage, it honestly scared him. He hadn't done everything he needed to do.
Suddenly, time was moving again as an arrow cut through the hand and continued out of sight. Nice try Lyna, but arrows won't dispel magic, Damien thought. No sooner than he had finished the sentence in his mind when the blood splashed down on him. He rolled to the side and used his tunic sleeve to wipe the blood from his eyes enough to see and found all the remaining corpses they had been fighting were crumpling to the ground. He turned to look at Lyna as she stood completely out of breath near the door before turning to look in the direction of where she had shot. On the floor with a trail of blood leading to where he had been laying was a mage with an arrow protruding from his chest. The projectile had obviously pierced his heart cutting off the magic to the corpses and the hand that was trying to kill Damien.
"I'm not sure about the score, but I think I owe you one," Damien said taking a small drink from his canteen and rinsing his mouth. He spat the water onto the floor before looking back to Lyna. "Or a dozen."
Lyna approached him slowly before throwing herself into his arms. "I can't lose anyone else, Damien. Dread Wolf take you, don't scare me like that," she screamed gripping him tightly.
Damien smiled as he stroked her hair and hugged her back. "As long as you have my back, I'm not going anywhere," Damien said softly giving her a final embrace before jogging over to Niall's body.
The version of Niall in the Fade had been right. His body was already starting to decompose. He must have been stuck in the Fade for several days. It made Damien wonder if his heart might have stopped beating while Sloth had had him in his clutches. Damien found the Litany and slipped it into his bag before looking over at the demon next to Niall. He recognized the wounds in the beast's chest as the attacks he had inflicted on Sloth in the Fade. The damage he had done to the demon in the Fade had carried over to the real world. That was good to know.
"What do we do now?" Lyna asked.
"I'm gonna wash my face and wait for Alistair and the others to catch up," Damien said standing and searching through the rubble to find something to use as a wash basin.
"But you said that we'd meet them at the stairs," Lyna said crossing her arms.
Damien chuckled as he pulled a small stone bowl from the rubble and set it on a chair. Pouring a decent amount of his water into the bowl, he started splashing the clean water on his face and pulled off his scarf. The dark grey cloth did not show too much of the blood, but he still wanted to try and wash the crimson color out.
"Damien, if we don't meet them, they might worry," Lyna said glancing back at the door behind her leading to the next section.
"Do you think my scarf will be safe enough here if I try to dry it?" Damien asked as he dunked the cloth in the water and started to wring out the blood.
"Damien, will you focus for a second?" Lyna scolded.
"Okay, okay, go and meet them. I'll keep an eye on the door. Besides, I need to find a good place to hang this," Damien said looking around the room.
"By the Dread Wolf, you are hopeless," Lyna stated before heading back the way they came.
Damien sighed and turned back to the door leading to the rest of the tower. He had been feeling something coming from that door for the past few minutes, a presence that he could only describe as menacing.
"Come on in, it's rude to hide in the shadows," Damien shouted as he hung his scarf on small hook sticking out of the wall and drawing one of his daggers.
A young girl peeked inside before stepping in meekly. Her robes were covered in blood and partially ripped apart. He could see her staff in one hand while she held her other against her side.
"My name is Damien, the Commander of the Grey," Damien said trying to angle his hood down over his face since his scarf no longer covered his nose and mouth.
"I'm Karralina, Circle mage," the girl responded.
Damien could see she was wounded and would most likely die very soon. She seemed to even be beyond healing magic or potions and herbalism.
"You don't look like you're in very good shape," Damien said approaching slowly.
"Please, help me," girl pleaded before falling to her knees. Damien had to fight the urge to rush to her aid. He could still feel that magic coming from her, tainted with blood. There was no doubting this feeling now, not after being in the tower and around Morrigan. Blood magic had such a different feel than normal magic that Damien was starting to be able to tell the difference immediately.
Damien approached slowly as he sheathed his dagger, but drew a throwing knife from his back, hiding it in his palm. The less threatening he seemed, the closer he could get. Even if she meant him no harm, the Templars would kill her if he didn't. Besides, there was no way that he could trust her not to attack him or his allies from behind. He knelt next to her and moved her hand so he could examine her side. As he moved her hand, he could see several fresh cuts across her palm as well as a few on her wrist.
"I'm sorry," Damien said softly before flipping the knife in his hand and stabbing the girl in the back of the head severing the spinal cord completely. The girl's eyes went blank quickly as tears ran down her face. "I can't let you live. Not after all of this," Damien said retracting the blade and wiping it off on her robes.
Brutality had never suited him, not even when dealing with animals, but he couldn't help feeling horrible about the girl. She was a blood mage, but still human. He knew Morrigan was a blood mage but he put up with it for the sake of the mission. This girl, however, had been part of the rebellion. He needed to end this now. Just like Lyna said. They were ending this blood shed now. They could not afford to lose anymore mages to this pointless fight.
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The last set of floors yielded very little resistance. They had even found the First Enchanter's office where Damien had spotted a large black grimoire. When he opened it, hoping to find anything that might help them against blood mages, he found it had belonged to Flemeth. He smirked and slipped it into his bag before anyone else could see. Morrigan would be able to read through it and maybe learn some new spells. There could even be something that could help him hone his magic and defeat the Blight. Every little bit would help.
As they made it to the 49th floor, Damien felt a horrible pressure in his chest like an ice-cold fist had started crushing his lungs and heart. There was a misery in the air that he could feel in his bones.
"Damien, there's something very wrong here," Daylen said holding his hand out in front of him.
"He's right. I can sense a very powerful barrier made with blood magic nearby," Neria added supporting herself with her staff.
"In that case, Wynne, Neria, and Daylen, be ready to break through the barrier if it blocks our path to the First Enchanter. Lyna and Leliana will provide cover while Sten, Alistair, and I clear the room. This is the last obstacle before we get to the top. Let's make this quick. I don't know about all of you, but I'm dying for an ale," Damien jested smiling back at the group.
"I'm with you there, but you're buying right?" Alistair added.
"I'd prefer wine," Wynne stated. Damien stopped with his mouth agape and looked back at the older woman. True, he had expected her liquor choice to be more refined, but to jump into an immature and playful conversation like that made him think she had just as much playfulness in her as serious, magical power. After a good two or three seconds of everyone staring at the elder mage, Damien couldn't hold in his laughter anymore and let out a heartfelt, booming laugh. The others quickly joined in despite the insistent shushing from Wynne.
"Wow Wynne, I figured you for a wine drinker but I never thought you would freely admit it," Damien stated starting forward.
"Keep your voice down. Uldred is right above us," Wynne scolded.
"Good, we can lure him down here and away from any traps he might have set and any survivors," Damien said tapping his dagger against the wall.
"You are six kinds of crazy," Alistair stated getting a nod of agreement from Leliana and Lyna. Damien smiled and lowered his gaze. He had to admit, he was a little on the insane side if he really thought about it.
"All joking aside, that barrier is going to be a problem if it's blocking the way. From the feeling I'm getting, I'd say it's amazingly strong," Neria said rubbing the back of her head.
"Well, no reason to waste time," Damien stated jogging forward with the rest of his team hot on his trail.
The group burst into the central chamber that held the staircase leading to the last floor and their final opponent. In the center of the room was a ring of magic encircling a lone Templar while two dozen other knights and mages lay dead around him.
"This is the preparation chamber where we got ready for our joining," Daylen said looking around the room.
"Cullen!" Neria screamed trying to push past Damien to get to the barrier before them, but Damien caught her around the middle.
"Calm down, Neria. He's still alive and looks physically unharmed. We can't waste any time trying to break that barrier to get him out. I promise, once Uldred is dealt with we'll come back and save him. You have my word as the Warden Commander," Damien said holding on tight as the girl fought to get free.
"No, I have to… I have to… help…Cullen!" Neria screamed. Daylen jumped in front of her and hugged her tight.
"Damien's right Neria. Come on. Cullen will be fine. That barrier is just to keep his powers contained. We'll break it once we finish off Uldred," Daylen said as he stroked her hair.
"I… I can't… I can't leave him… I can't…" Neria begged gripping his sleeves and sobbing into his chest.
"If she's not in any shape to fight, leave her here, but I can't spare anyone else to help keep her safe," Damien ordered coldly. Everyone turned to look at him as he released his hold around Neria.
"Damien, we-" Leliana started.
"If she's not ready to fight, she'll just die. We've cleared all the other floors so the only enemies left are up there. She's safe enough here," Damien snapped interrupting her. He didn't mean to sound as much like an ass as he did, but he was exhausted and pissed. They did not have the option of stopping to rest now though.
"Although, if we kill Uldred, that should bring the barrier down," Wynne said examining the barrier.
Neria immediately stopped sobbing and looked over at the elder mage, her eyes puffy and red. Damien could see the light coming back to her eyes and slowly turning into a fire. Her fight was coming back to her. Revenge was apparently her trigger.
"Let her go, Daylen. She's ready to fight now," Damien said smirking before turning and heading for the stairs.
"Are you sure?" Lyna asked as he passed her.
"Positive," Damien responded.
The group assembled as they passed the glowing barrier and headed up the stairs. Damien could see the Templar praying on his knees desperate for some kind of relief from his torture. He didn't like the idea of leaving a torture victim in that hell, but they couldn't waste the time to try and figure the barrier out.
"Do you think Uldred knows we're here yet?" Daylen asked as they approached the door at the top of the stairs.
"If he doesn't, he's about to," Damien announced kicking the door open and immediately charging forward, but he stopped short confronted by a horrifying scene.
In the center of the room, a mage stood with three abominations all torturing another mage they had encircled. Blood spilled from the victim's mouth as electricity surged through his body. Damien could see several separate pools of blood on the floor. Uldred must have been torturing the mages ever since the rebellion began. He was surprised that any of them had held out. As he continued to scan the room, he spotted no less than a dozen other abominations lining the walls guarding at least a dozen senior mages. Every one of the mages had their hands bound. Damien could feel that their power was very weak, they must have been drained of their magic power.
"By your presence, I assume my minions have been defeated?" the mage with the abominations said stepping away from his victim. Damien reached into his pouch and handed the Litany to Wynne before stepping forward.
"Slaughtered actually. It took almost two days but we cleared every floor except this one," Damien stated drawing his daggers as he advanced.
"And the Warden Commander never leaves a job unfinished," Daylen added. Damien nodded. He liked this mage. He had a real fire in his belly that came through in how he fought. Most of the mages at Ostagar had used small motions with their staffs to send spells out to fight the darkspawn, but Daylen was far more physical. He treated his staff like a spear or a catapult arm firing spells with far more speed than Damien had ever seen. The young mage definitely had a warrior's spirit behind his magic.
"Just like the kid said, I always finish what I start, but I do want to know why. Why did you do this? The majority of the people you killed were fellow mages," Damien said. He honestly didn't care what the answer was. He just needed time for his team to spread out enough so that one massive spell wouldn't stop them. He moved his arms and his daggers as subtly as he could trying to tell everyone to scatter.
"To free us from the tyranny of the Chantry. Loghain promised he would let us be if I went along with his plan at Ostagar," Uldred said smiling and laughing like a madman.
Damien's heart started to pound as his breath turned scorching hot in his throat. "You mean to tell me, you were part of Loghain's betrayal at Ostagar?" Damien's voice had turned from his usual jester tone to one that he barely recognized.
"Now you've done it,." Alistair shouted from behind him. From the direction of his voice, Damien could tell the team had done what he wanted and put space between them. That was good, now he could move in and take the fight to this traitor.
"Done what?" Uldred taunted still laughing.
"You shouldn't have brought up Ostagar. You see, several of us were there. That's a bit of a sore topic," Alistair began, but Damien took over.
"You left us there to die. You and that traitorous bastard, Loghain. Thousands of people are dead because of you. Now hundreds more. I won't forget that and I don't forgive! You will pay for killing my comrades and betraying your own. I swear it on these blades. I swear before the hour is up, I will have your throat under my blade and I will not spare you," Damien snarled throwing off his hood. He didn't give a damn if his enemies saw him now. None of them were going to leave this place alive. He would make doubly sure of that.
"Bold words, but consider this," Uldred said standing as if he was about to give a lecture, but Damien had no intention of listening. He allowed his magic to flow through every muscle and bone in his body as he shot forward directing his blade straight at Uldred. An abomination jumped in the way taking the blade straight through its chest. Damien used the momentum to somersault over the corpse and land back on his feet and he continued his charge.
"Kill them all!" Damien roared. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that the team did not need to be told. They had already engaged the abominations along the perimeter.
Damien turned and hurled his left blade into the chest of another approaching abomination before turning his right on Uldred, but as he did, Uldred's body became enveloped in light. Damien stumbled backward using his arm to block his eyes.
"Damien! Get out of there!" Lyna screamed as an arrow whizzed past his head.
"That thing's massive!" Alistair exclaimed.
Damien moved his arm and looked back to his opponent, but instead of the mage he had formerly been fighting he found a pride demon that was twice the size of the ogre he had fought at Ostagar. Its dark magic pressed down on him even with his drained magical power. This beast was powerful.
The creature let out a roaring laugh as electricity shot between his hands. "You don't stand a chance against me at my full power," Uldred's voice boomed.
Damien's eyes went wide. Had that blood mage become a pride demon? Was that even possible? Damien spun his blade in his hand and drew two throwing blades from his pack. The rest of the team was fighting the abominations and defending the mages. If he didn't take down Uldred, no one else would be safe.
He hurled the throwing blades trying to hit the demon's eyes but the beast slapped them away like they were nothing. Damien set his jaw and charged once more. He slid between the demon's legs using his blade to try and slice through the beast's legs but it did very little, only piercing the top few layers of the beast's skin which quickly healed back up.
Andraste's ass, what do I have to do to kill this thing? Magic maybe? No, the demons we've fought so far haven't been effected by anything that was similar to their type of magic and this beast's skin is so thick it wouldn't penetrate. Damien jumped to his feet and took a few steps back. He had an idea now of what to do, but it was certainly crazy. But, since when was he opposed to crazy ideas?
"Daylen, Wynne, Neria, I need enchantments on my dagger! Any destruction magic magic enchantments you know," Damien shouted jumping to the side to avoid Uldred's massive arm.
"Pride demons are immune to magic!" Daylen protested.
"Just do it!" Damien ordered slicing through an abomination.
He could feel magic start pouring into his dagger. First chills, then heat, then the pain of a slight electric shock flowed through his hand. He hoped it would be enough for what he had in mind.
Sprinting around Uldred's massive body, Damien found his way to the of the beast and put half his energy into his right arm as he hurled the dagger as hard as he could. The blade buried itself in the creature's chest, but it did not penetrate any more than an inch or two. He shook his head and sighed.
"This is gonna hurt," Damien told himself putting all the energy he had into his legs and sprinting forward with everything he had. He leapt up has high as he could. Rotating his body, he managed to angle himself so that he could use his weight to accomplish his goal. His side hit the grip of the blade driving it in all the way to the hilt as Damien felt pain shoot through his body, knocking the wind from his lungs.
He crumpled to the floor as he gasped for air. Damien tried to clear his vision as he managed to pull another throwing knife from his pack. The vibrations of Uldred collapsing were unmistakable. Oh, how he wished he could have seen that monster go down, but he was grateful the monster had not landed on top of him. He was having a hard enough time breathing already.
"Damien! Are you alright? Damien, answer me!" Leliana screamed. He couldn't tell where she was, but he could tell she wasn't close. If there were any enemies close by, he would have to defend himself, but every breath felt like he was getting stabbed in the side and his vision was steadily getting darker and darker, until finally the young warden slipped from consciousness.