Here is the next chapter! It has been awesome hearing from so many of you guys! I appreciate all the reviews and pms from you all. Glad to hear everyone is still enjoying the story.
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Damien decided to keep what happened to him in the left passage a secret from the rest of the group. The last thing that any of them need to worry about now was him or his mental health. The whole ordeal had happened to him and he was not completely sure if he was sane. The other would likely just think he had a mental break down from the stress of their situation.
Fighting through the guards ended up being simple enough. They were two bit soldiers with no combat experience, while most of his company were trained warriors with at least one battle under their belt. The battle ended as quickly as it began with no wounded in Damien's party.
"Check them for keys, maps, and anything else that could help us find our way through the ruins to the Urn," Damien stated kneeling beside one of the dead and opening the man's satchel.
"I've got a ring of keys over here. Six different keys," Alistair reported holding the ring up.
"Someone give him a cookie," Alyssa teased as she rolled a body over to search it.
Damien smirked. Apparently, everyone was starting to get comfortable with each other and reading everyone else's movements. It seemed incredible that such a diverse group was starting to work together so well. Without planning, they were able to dance around each other and fight at their best without getting in each others' way.
"I've got a map!" Daylen shouted waving a rolled parchment over his head.
"Perfect," Damien said taking the small bag of coins from the body he was inspecting and slipping it into his bag.
The young mage unrolled the paper on the floor so Damien could see it. The commander knelt down next to his companion and ran his fingers over the image on the map squinting to try and make out the sloppy handwriting. It was hard enough for him to read documents with decent penmanship. This chicken scratch was near illegible. Maybe someone that had grown up knowing how to read might be able to figure it out.
"I can't read any of this. What's it say?" Damien asked pointing to a few of the lines.
"Let's see. This is says demon trap, but that doesn't make much sense. Why would there be demons guarding the Urn?" Daylen asked looking over at Damien.
"Bet you a sovereign that those demon traps were summoned by mages belonging to the cult we're fighting," Damien said finding their current position on the map and tapping it with his finger.
"That would make more sense but it still makes me wonder. Why would the Urn, the most sacred artifact in Thedas be guarded by a cult like this,?" Daylen asked.
"I get the feeling that they were not always a cult. I'll bet they were once devout followers," Damien said glancing at the door leading to the rest of the ruins. Judging from the map, it looked like the ruined fed into a system of caves and tunnels leading to a valley known as Mountain Top. If the map was to scale, the entire mission should not take more than two days and a third for the return trip to the entrance if they were lucky and they eliminated all resistance on the to the Urn which was not mentioned on the map at all. There did look like there was a small structure on the far side of Mountain Top from the cave exit. Maybe that was where the Urn was?
"Alright, Daylen, keep that map close at hand so we don't get lost. Everyone else, shields keep the mages and archer safe. Sten, you're vanguard with me. Kalli, rearguard," Damien ordered lifting his hand so that Alistair would throw him the keys.
Alistair tossed the key ring to him quickly. It took a couple tries but he finally found the right key to open the door and the party moved forward.
As they moved through the rooms, Damien could feel dark magic all around them like a cloud in the night sky blocking out the light of the moon. The energy radiated from chest scattered around the room surrounded by barrels of mead, food, and trunks of silks and cloth. A very cunning trap if the person passing through could not sense magic.
"Hey, Damien. There's probably twenty sovereigns worth of goods around here. We should probably make a point to come back here and gather it up when this is over," Alyssa stated as the group moved past the booby-trapped loot.
"Considering there's a demon hiding in that chest right there," Damien stated pointing at a rather ordinary looking chest. "I would say let's leave it be, but its up to you." Damien looked over his shoulder at the girl as her eyes widened and she looked back at the chest he had pointed at.
"You were able to sense that?" Daylen asked.
"Yep," Damien responded.
"I couldn't even feel it at all," the youth replied causing Damien to glance back at him. Why was he able to sense things that a trained mage was not. Could it be his fight with the pride demon earlier? Or was be becoming more sensitive... or attuned? Morrigan's presence along with Neria and Daylen should have felt heavy on him like when he was around Flemeth. Yet they felt exactly the same as before. What was going on with him?
"Let's keep moving," Damien said trying to ignore the curious looks that had started clawing at his back.
The group made it through the ruins to the caves with little resistance. A few groups of cultists tried to attack them but were immediately and brutally put down. However, once in the caves, the entire atmosphere around them changed.
Standing in a large caravan, covered by stalagmites and stalactites, the group froze seeing one of the cultists feeding a drake. On the far left, Damien could see a next of eggs with a small dragon standing over the massive eggs.
"Andraste's soiled knickers... these bastards are raising dragons..." Damien marveled completely slack jawed.
"How are we supposed to put down an army of dragons and cultists?" Kalli asked from behind him.
"Hope the dragons are really hungry and choke on the cultist," Damien responded clearing his throat and smiling back at the group.
"What's plan B?" Alistair asked still staring in utter shock as a pack of a half dozen dragonlings romped across the room.
"You won't like plan B," Damien responded.
"Why not?" Alistair asked.
"Plan B is to feed you to the dragons and run," Damien teased.
"I like plan B," Morrigan interjected.
"I don't. What's plan C?" Alistair protested.
"Kill them as efficiently as possible and try not to look too appetizing," Damien responded waving them forward as he started to weave his way down toward the open area. The last thing they needed was to get caught up in the rocks where they could not move, even if they would give them cover against the dragon's firebreath.
"Go for the eyes!" Damien shouted throwing one of his knives at the massive lizard's eye. If they blinded the beasts then maybe they would have a fighting chance and could even turn the dragon's ferocity on the cultists.
Leliana, Daylen, and Neria launched their attacks at the dragon's head while Sten, Kalli, Alistair, and Alyssa engaged the cultists. They needed to deal with the dragon or the cultists quickly so they could concentrate on the other. If the pack of dragonlings turned around and came back, they would overwhelm the wardens and their company.
Drawing both his blades, Damien charged the dragon. Using his magic to empower his jump, the youth landed on the dragon's back trying to bury both daggers at the base of the creatures neck, but the skin of the beast could not be cut and the attack did nothing except anger the beast. It turned its head and breathed a bright yellow flame at him. Withdrawing his daggers, Damien flipped backward but the flames licked the bottom of his boots, informing him he was not moving fast enough.
"Damien! Go for the back of the head!" Daylen shouted launching an ice spell at the dragon's open maw.
Damien nodded and jumped again stabbing both daggers down into the back of the dragon's head where its skull met the spine. Damien had to put every ounce of his strength behind the attack as well as his magic. If he had hit a human with this much magic and power, his blade and arm, all the way up to his shoulder would have punched straight through them armor and all. It this strike did not break the dragon's hide, they would need to find a new method of attack.
Damien nearly howled in triumph as the daggers split the skin and plunged into the dragon all the way to the hilt. The dragon screamed for a moment before collapsing. As the long neck crashed to the floor, the motion flung Damien across the room and crashing down onto the eggs in the massive nest. His landing crushed several of the eggs covering him in the dragon egg yoke. Groaning, Damien slowly rose to his feet flinging the slimy mess off of his arms before jogging back over to the dragon to reclaim his daggers.
"You look like the dragon sneezed on you," Kalli stated wiping the blood from her blades. All of the cultists that had opposed them were now on the floor in pools of their own blood.
"I would rather it be anything but dragon egg. This smell is going to announce that we killed their unborn children. Every dragon in this place is going to see me as an enemy just from the scent," Damien replied sighing and sheathing his blades.
"You are definitely going to need a bath after this," Alistair said mockingly waving his hand in front of his nose.
"Says the guy who has not bathed since Ostagar," Damien responded with a smirk. "I can still smell the Wilds swamp water on you."
"I have to... in Redcliffe," Alistair responded.
"Getting pushed into the lake by me does not count," Alyssa interjected giving the former templar a playful push with her shield.
"We should be cautious. A high dragon has likely mothered these young ones," Sten stated briefly. Everyone froze in place.
High dragons were by far the most feared of the entire dragon species, second only to an archdemon, although that tainted monster would not be considered a true dragon. Unlike an archdemon, high dragons limited intelligence and were still essentially animals while the archdemon showed both organization and military tactics with the darkspawn. However, facing either at that moment in time would likely end with most, if not all of Damien's companions dead. They were not ready for a fight like that. Not yet.
"Alright, then we need to stay on high alert. Watch the ceiling for openings so we don't get unexpected guests dropping in on us," Damien stated looking around. He spotted the passage the dragonlings had vanished down and waved the troop forward.
"Hey Sten, how do you know about dragons?" Daylen asked falling in step next to the Qunari.
"I have fought many enemies. One such foe was a high dragon. Many of the Qunari honored the Qun with their lives to defeat it," Sten replied.
"Maker's breath... would we even have a chance against a high dragon?" Alistair asked looking around the group.
"It depends on how intelligently we fight the beast, therefore, you are doomed for sure," Morrigan teased.
"Alright, alright, I enjoy an Alistair insult marathon as much as the Warden, but we have company," Damien stated drawing his daggers again and pointing the blades down the narrow hallway. A hundred yards or so in front of them, the pack of dragonlings was headed back toward them at breakneck speeds. "Shields to the front! Sten, support the shields and strike down anything that tries to jump over them. Mages, you know the deal, enhancement spells and long range attacks. Leliana, pick off the stronger looking ones. Kalli take the right flank, I've got the left."
For nearly two days, the party trudged through the dragon nests killing everything that came against them. The distance they covered would not take more than a day to trace back to the entrance, but the multiple dead ends, dragon nests, and enemies they kept meeting slowed their progress to a crawl. It also seemed that the cultists were getting more skilled the deeper the group ventured. Perhaps their elite warriors were the ones guarding the Urn. If that were the case, strategy suggested that the group rest for at least a night before trying to push on, however, every time they tried to set up a camp, cultist would launch an attack. The group was showing signs of serious fatigue.
"We'll take cover in that hallway over there. Set up wards and traps to hold anything or anyone that tries to attack us," Damien stated. They could have a decent meal and sit for a while, maybe even catch a few hours of that illusive sleep, although Damien, Alistair, and Alyssa would likely not get restful sleep even if they did manage to drift off.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Alistair and Alyssa laughing together and smiling in a way that he had not seen them smile since... as a matter of fact, he had never seen either of them smile like that. Somehow those smiles made him think of Bethany and the rest of the Hawke family across the sea in Kirkwall. He hoped that once they returned to Redcliffe, there might be a letter waiting for him from her. Maker only knew how many were already waiting for him from the Fereldan lords and nobles who opposed Loghain.
"Eat and drink what you can, then get some rest. Leliana and Sten are on first watch. Wake me in a couple hours so you can rest too," Damien ordered settling back against the wall and pulling his hood down low to cover his eyes. Letting out a sigh, Damien prayed but only in the comfort of his own thoughts.
If the Maker, Andraste, or any of you Elven gods can hear me, let us rest. Give us a chance recover our strength. I have no doubt our enemies are praying for their victory too, but if whoever they are praying to can hear me... Ignore those murdering bastards so we can send them to the Void quick and easy. He would probably have gotten smacked by a chantry sister if they had heard a prayer like that out loud, but Damien did not care. He believed in a higher power and he found Leliana's beliefs that the Maker still loved his children both beautiful and inspiring. It made him want to be more than just a thief turned warden. Maybe he could be a leader that his team would be proud to follow, even to the darkest depths of the Fade. Perhaps, rather than trying to deny it, he needed to embrace it completely and pour everything he had into looking out for his companions and making sure they made it through not only the blight, but the stupid civil war that raged across the Bannorn.
For the first time since the joining, Damien managed to sleep without hearing the bellowing of a dragon over his head nor feeling the cold iron of shackles around his wrists. Instead, he found himself in a familiar clump of trees. If his memory served him right, this was where he had first met Henness, Lockey, and Griggs. He could feel the sunlight on his face and smell of the trees and grass as the wind whispered through the leaves. This tranquility, he missed it.
It seemed that he had only rested in the clearing for a few moments when a hand shook him from the pleasant dream and back into the dragon infested caves. Daylen was standing over him, apparently the culprit who ruined the first peaceful sleep he had enjoyed in weeks.
"My turn on watch?" Damien asked stretching the pushing himself up onto his feet.
"Actually, we decided to let you sleep. We are ready to move out," Daylen stated.
"What? How long was I out?" Damien asked looking around at the group.
"Six hours. Maybe a bit longer," Neria answered leaning on her staff and smiling.
"Why? I told all of you to get some rest," Damien asked adjusting his daggers and checking the hallway in both directions.
"You fell asleep before you ate anything. For a warden, that's a big deal. We assumed you needed the rest," Alyssa replied handing Damien and apple and some cheese.
Damien sighed realizing that there was no changing the decision now and nodded. They were right. He needed the rest and for a warden to skip a meal... well that was simply unheard of. "Fine, but next time wake me up. Too much beauty rest and your ladies won't be able to keep your hands off me," Damien joked putting his arm around Neria and grinning from ear to ear. Everyone laughed as they scarfed down their rations and began moving forward again.
Although the break was necessary to keep everyone in fighting shape, Damien feared that it might have given too much time to the enemy and allowed them to regroup.
The tunnel opened up into a large area with a visible doorway on the other side. Even from across the enormous cavern, Damien could see sunlight from the passage. This had to be the way to the Urn. However, a large open area deep in the mountains made him wary of what Sten had mentioned about there being a high dragon that mothered the dragons they had just slaughtered.
"Halt intruders! Only the true disciples may approach Andraste! Turn back!" a large man shouted. He stood in the center of the room with nearly two dozen armed men around him. Most of them wore high quality armor and carried well-made and strong weapons. These were not like the others. This group were the honor guards, well trained and completely crazy.
"What makes you think were aren't true disciples?" Damien asked tapping the grips of his daggers with his fingers. There were at least two mages among the enemy ranks. He could sense them and their magic, but they were not normal mages. They were summoners and likely had lured the demon near the entrance of the ruins as a trap. If they were not careful, they could easily turn from maleficar to abominations very easily. These people no true followers of Andraste, so what did they mean by true disciples?
"You spill her children's blood and slaughter her followers. There is no greater heresy against the Beloved," the man announced as if preaching to a massive crowd.
"Her children? What are you talking about?" Damien asked holding his position. If he played his cards right on this, he might be able to get some good information out of the man before they continued on.
"Our lady Andraste has risen and taken a most powerful form. Soon the day will come when she is ready, and she will descend upon nation in fiery splendor," the man proclaimed.
"Okay, am I crazy or is this guy a few beads short of a bracelet? It sounds like he thinks Andraste came back as a dragon or something," Alistair whispered to Damien.
"I think that is exactly what he believes," Damien whispered back before taking a step forward. "If that is the case and Andraste has truly returned, then we ask that you allow us to bend a knee before her." Damien knew that this would likely never work, and even if by some chance the zealot did let him pass, it would still be under guard.
"Perhaps there could be a way for you to atone for your transgression. Andraste's greatest foe turned to her strongest ally," the man stated stroking his goate. Damien raised an eyebrow. Were these people so desperate to gain more followers that they would believe anything? That really was the only explanation for his bluff actually working.
"What might that be?"
"Beyond that door and across the valley, the Ashes you seek rest upon the mountain, guarded by an immortal guardian who refuses to accept the risen lady," the man stated stepping forward. One of the men with him reached out they and stop him calling him Father Kolgrim. Much to Damien's relief the preachy fighter paid him no mind. "Those Ashes are the only thing that are keeping the Lady from reaching her true form. They are a link to her past incarnation. While they still exist, she can not move forward. If she can reclaim them as her own, she could be whole again. A single drop of her blood is all it would take."
Damien raised an eyebrow again. The whole rant just confirmed for him that the entire cult was completely out of their minds. Although, what would adding a drop of dragon blood to the ashes even do to them? Well, that did not matter now. Damien had the information he wanted. The Urn's location was through the door and across the valley. He and his company would deal with this immortal guardian when they got there.
"As interesting as that sounds," Damien began slowly closing the gap between the two groups. He was almost within striking distance. With his magic, he could be on top of his enemies before they had the chance to react, but after the initial attack, it would leave him surrounded by enemies. He needed to use his trowing knives and eliminate the mages first then take on this Father Kolgrim guy. "I think this will be my answer."
Damien immediately ripped two knives from his pouch and hurled them into the heads of both mages. The action seemed to stun a few of the men but the majority immediately pulled their weapons and attacked. It only took a moment for Damien's companions to jump into the melee and they began ripping the cultists to shreds.
As Damien ripped his blades from one of the guards' chests, he started to wonder exactly when it was that the taking of human lives had become so easy. Back in Highever, his stomach turned when he killed the blood mage in Arl Howe's ranks, yet killing the bandit on the highway outside of Lothering did not seem to bother him at all. Now with these cultists, he wanted to kill them. Not because they were in his way, but because he honestly believed they deserved to die.
The last of the guards fell only a few minutes after the fighting had begun with only minor wounds among Damien's company. Only Father Kolgrim remained, his arm broken and bloody, the man could no longer lift his maul. He backed away toward the door behind him before retreating through it.
"Kalli, Leliana, with me. Don't let him get away!" Damien shouted sprinting after the crippled man.
"We'll follow soon!" Alyssa announced as Kalli and Leliana followed close behind him.
"Good!" Damien shouted back as he burst through the door.
Leliana loosed an arrow the moment she was through the door and caught the escaping enemy in the leg. As the man collapsed, Damien noticed he was trying to get to a large gong that stood a few yards ahead of him. What on earth was he trying to do? Anyone who could oppose Damien and his group was already dead. Who was Kolgrim signaling for help?
"The Lady will dine on your flesh," Kolgrim snarled before slamming his fist into the gong. The sound reverberated through the entire valley as Damien plunged his dagger through the man's chest.
"What did he mean by that?" Kalli asked stepping to Damien's side.
Before the Warden could answer, a deep, bellowing roar responded to the gong's echo and a massive pair of purple and black wings appeared on top of a ledge in front of them. The high dragon's head lifted up into view and Damien could feel the beast's eyes burrowing into him with lethal intent.
Damien took a small step back from Kolgrim's body before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Shit."