I am so sorry that this has taken so long. I have started a brand new job and my writing time has been cut down by... well... a lot. I want to keep posting but I am probably going to have to put this fic on hold for a little while until all the hype and new guy stuff at work dies down and I can get back into a routine that includes writing. I am so sorry. Therefore, at least for a little while, this will be the last chapter. Hope you enjoy it!
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The ruins felt different from anywhere else Damien had ever ventured before. There was so much magic in the air even though the veil to the Fade was still solid. Damien wondered if the Urn was producing the immense magic power that was strong enough to rattle his bones. The room before them looked very much like the ruins that had led them to the valley. Large stone columns lined both walls and at the far end was a large, wooden door. Judging from the feeling that Damien was getting from the structure, the door was enchanted. On top of that, a tall man clad in silver armor stood sentinel in front of the door resting his hands on the pommel of a massive sword. Damien doubted that even Sten would have been able to wield the blade.
"I bid you welcome, pilgrim," the guard stated. Damien could see the man...no not a man… Damien was not even sure the being before them was a mortal being. He could see the guardian's mouth move but the voice not only reach his ears but seemed to resonate inside his head.
"Who are you?" Alyssa asked. She seemed partially in awe but the rest scared. Damien wondered if she could tell just how strong this being before them was.
"I am the Guardian, the protector of the Urn of Sacred Ashes," the armor clad guardian responded. After pausing for a brief moment he spoke again. "I have waited many years for this."
"You were expecting us?" Daylen asked. Damien doubted that was the case. More likely, since he had called them pilgrims when they approached, he had been waiting for someone to make it through the cultists to the ruins. But if that was true, how long had he stood guard?
"It has been my duty, my life, to protect the Urn and prepare the way for the faithful who come to revere Andraste, as it seems that you have," the guardian responded. "For years beyond counting have I been here, and shall I remain until my task is done and the Imperium has crumbled into the sea."
Damien rubbed the back of his head pulling his hood back slightly. He felt a little sorry for the man, or immortal...whatever he was. To spend so long in the same place with the same duty, things must have been very boring for him.
"The Imperium is not as strong as it once was," reported Alyssa. As true as that statement was, the Imperium was still powerful. Tevinter slave traders were everywhere and the magisters of the Imperium were some of the most feared beings in the world other than demons and maleficar.
"Is it not? Then perhaps this is the beginning of the end," the guardian responded.
"I have a question," Neria piped up. "Who were the people we had to fight to get here?"
"When my brethren and I carried Andraste from Tevinter to this sanctuary, we vowed to forever revere her memory and guard her. I watched as my brethren's descendants took up their fathers' mantle for centuries with joy and unwavering faith. But now, they have lost their way. They have forgotten Andraste and their promise." The sorrow in the guardian's voice silenced the group for a moment. Damien guessed it would have been like watching his own children turn their backs on their faith and abandon everything they once stood for.
"That must have been hard and I'm sorry for the hardships that you have faced, but we need to get to the Urn so we can save a man's life. Only the ashes of Andraste can save him now," Damien stated.
"Then, you have come to honor Andraste, and you shall, if you prove yourself worth," the guardian responded.
"And if we can't prove ourselves worthy?" Leli asked.
"Then you will not come to the ashes," the guardian answered shortly.
"Just that simple, huh? Alright, so am I worthy?" Damien asked taking a step toward the guardian.
"It is not my place to decide you worthiness. The Gauntlet does that," the guardian responded.
"You couldn't cut us any slack here could you?" Damien mumbled looking up. "Alright, what's the Gauntlet?"
"It is the path to the Urn. If you are found worthy, you will be allowed to take a small pinch of the ashes for yourself, if not…" the guardian stopped.
"If not then what?" Neria asked.
"Then we die, most likely," Damien responded tapping the grips of his daggers with his fingernail. He let out a sigh with a slow nod. If something like this managed to kill him, it would be embarrassing. He was a thief after all. "Alright, let's do it."
"Before you go, there is something I must ask. I see the path that led you here was not easy. There is suffering in your past, yours and that of others. By the time your returned to Henness, Lockey, and Griggs, they had all been murdered, and in the battle, nearly everyone who followed you was killed. Since then you have set yourself in the light when you once hid in the shadows, is this due to the guilty you feel over the loss of so many lives?" the guardian asked.
Damien stood dumbfounded for a moment. This being did not only see his past, but he knew the names of his friends. How? What was this man?
"I'm not guilty for their deaths. Howe and his men killed my friends and Loghain killed everyone on that battle field when he betrayed the king. Both will get what's coming to them. But all of that has nothing to do with why I've stepped forward. We needed a leader, and everyone was looking to me. As a leader, I decided to take on the danger myself rather than endangering the people I have left," Damien responded, but the second the words left his lips, he realized that all those deaths that led up to that moment had been influencing his decisions. He was risking his life to defend his companions because he had lost so many already and did not want to lose any more.
"You place blame where it is due, but relying only on yourself will lead to a very lonely existence. You must trust those around you more," the guardian advised.
"It's easy to say, but not as easy to do," Alyssa argued coming to Damien's defense.
"And what of those who follow you?" the guardian stated looking over at Alyssa. "You abandoned your mother and father, leaving them in the hands of Rendon Howe, knowing he would show them no mercy. Do you think you failed your parents?" the guardian asked.
"What in the Fade kind of question is that?" Damien snarled.
"I would have stayed, but they asked me to run. I would have failed them if I stayed," Alyssa answered as tears formed in her eyes. Neria quickly jumped to her side and started stroking her hair while the former noble girl cried into her shoulder.
"Then you do not dwell on past mistakes, yours or others," the guardian responded before turning to face Lelianna. "You… why do you say the Maker speaks to you, when all know the Maker has left? He spoke only to Andraste. Do you believe yourself her equal?"
"I never said that!" Lelianna protested.
"In Orlais you were someone, but in Lothering you feared you would lose yourself, become a drab sister, and disappear. When your brothers and sisters of the cloister criticized you for what you professed, it hurt but you reveled in it," the guardian continued. "It made you special. You enjoyed the attention, even if it was negative."
"Are you saying I made it up to get attention? I did not! I know what I believe," Lelianna snapped back. Damien had to admit, the way the chantry preached and talked about the Maker made him want Lelianna's beliefs to be right. However, he could see the guardian's argument as well. If he did not know Lelianna better he might have believed the guardian.
"And you young mage, Jowan was caught by the Templars thanks to your actions. Tell me, did you fail Jowan?" the guardian asked turning to Daylen.
"Jowan was my friend but what he did was wrong. He's a blood mage and escaped anyway. I didn't fail him, he betrayed everything a mage is supposed to stand for," Daylen responded.
"You do not hold yourself responsible for the actions of others," the guardian stated nodding. "Young one, you gave your heart to a man who you could not be with. Do you regret your feelings and your actions?"
Damien turned to look at Neria. He knew what his answer would have been to the question but Neria was timid. She may even decide not to answer as all.
"The feelings I have not just for him but for everyone around me is what makes me who I am. I wouldn't change that for anything," she stated softly. Her tone might have been extremely timid and soft spoken, but her words were strong and resolute. Damien was actually very impressed with her.
"Your heart is true and your spirit is strong. The way is open to you," the guardian said before vanishing in a flash of light.
Once their eyes had adjusted once again, the group could see the door standing open before them leading into a large room lined by ethereal figures. The magic in the room felt clean and pure to Damien, like drinking water from melted virgin snow, crisp and refreshing.
"What are we supposed to do?" Alyssa asked as Damien led them in.
"I doubt we can ask these guys for directions or anything," Damien jested. He could feel a large amount of magic coming from the door on the far side of the room. Likely an enchantment that they would have to unlock somehow. He let out a sigh and stretched the neck looking around the room.
Eight figures surrounded the room. They must have been there for a reason and the magic coming from felt similar to the enchantment on the door. Could they be the keys to the enchantment?
Each step echoed through the room as he approached a female figure. Damien felt more nervous about talking to these ethereal beings than he did sneaking back into Ostagar. He was only a few steps away from the figure when it began to speak.
"Echoes from a shadow realm, whispers of things yet to come. Thought's strange sister dwells in night, is swept away by dawning light. Of what do I speak?" the figure asked.
Damien raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms keeping silent for a moment. Looking the figure over he sighed and thought over her words. 'Echoes from a shadow realm' could refer to the Fade and 'whispers of things yet to come' would be referring to premonitions. 'Thought's strange sister dwells in night' seemed odd to him and 'is swept away by dawning light' did nothing to clarify. What tied it all together. The Fade… premonitions… thought's strange sister…
"Dreams," Damien guessed. It seemed like the only thing that tied it all together.
"A dream came upon me, as my daughter slept beneath my heart. It told of her life, and her betrayal and death. I am sorrow and regret. I am a mother weeping tears for a daughter she could not save," came the reply. In a flash of brilliant light, the being vanished into a cloud of white mist and swirled through the air to the door. The moment the mist made contact with the door, the enchantment weakened.
"I get it. The riddles are the keys to the door," Daylen said looking around the room.
"Looks like it, but I wonder what would happen if we got one wrong. A trap or something?" Alyssa speculated.
"Best not to get one wrong then," Damien responded.
"To hear to voice of Andraste's mother, it's… I'm not sure how to even begin to describe it," Lelianna stated.
"You can be in awe later. Preferably when we are in front of the Urn," Damien responded.
"But this is really amazing," Neria stated.
Damien nodded and looked around. All of these figures were people who knew Andraste personally and that truly was incredible to see. This was not a sermon or lesson from the Chantry, this was true history. No interpretation from the Revered Mother or any of the brothers or sisters of the cloister, just pure unfiltered truth.
Each figure gave a new riddle and unlocked the door with the groups answer. The figures included Andraste's childhood friend, the leader of her dalish allies, Andraste's husband and betrayer, as well as the wife of the magister that sentenced her to die.
The door opened revealing several more figures, but Damien recognized most them almost immediately. Henness, Lockey, and Griggs stood together just like they always had before and after a job to split he earnings between the four of them. Next to them was Alyssa's father, Teyrn Cousland, but the next three, he did not recognize.
"Mom?" Daylen asked stepping forward and reaching out for one of the figures.
"Nedis!" Neria cried rushing toward a young male elf.
"Maker… Tug… Is that you?" Leliana asked.
"No, their spirits. Don't get to close," Damien said holding out his arm to try and stop everyone from rushing toward their loved ones.
"You all know that we are gone," Henness spoke softly.
"And all your prayers," Lockey added.
"All your wishes," Teyrn Cousland continued.
"Won't bring us back," Griggs stated.
"No more must you grieve," Daylen's mother added.
"Take the pain and guilt," Nedis said.
"Acknowledge it and let go," Tug stated.
"It is time," they all spoke together.
Damien found his fingers wrapped around the wooden pendant around his neck. As much as he tried to acknowledge that his friends were dead and gone, there were times that it still did not feel real. He could only imagine how loosing her parents must have felt for Alyssa. If Daylen's mother was there as well, did that mean she was dead as well? And who was Nedis? And Tug? He decided to ask everyone about it later. Now did not seem like the best time.
The group faded away until not even a shadow remained and Damien and his companions were left alone in the hall leading to another large room. A room that held yet another very strong aura of magic. He hoped there was another test like the riddles, but something told him this was going to be a much different trial than the first.
The group entered a large room only to see a mirror image of themselves on the far side of the room. Like ethereal shadows carrying matching weapons forged in black metal.
"Well, there's something you don't see… ever," Damien said watching his doppleganger draw his blades.
"What's the plan, commander?" Daylen asked.
"Everyone take on your own shadow. Hopefully Neria's copy over there will mirror her talents and just heal her comrades. That will give us an advantage. Neria, use an attack spell as strong as you can against her then back up Daylen once she's down. Everyone, don't risk injury for victory. If you have to, just defend and we will gang up on them one at a time once we have the numbers advantage," Damien ordered. The group nodded their understanding the split up taking on their clones.
Damien watched as his copy moved, exactly the way he always did in a fight. Keeping himself light on his feet. Studying his opponent and looking for a weakness to exploit. What were is weaknesses in combat? As far as fighting went, his style was unorthodox to say the least, but it worked for him. The flow… the flow of combat. That was his weakness. If the flow of combat changed suddenly like speeding up or an unexpected attack, it would throw him off. The problem was he was reckless by nature and that meant his flow was adaptable. Whatever he was going to do to throw his doppleganger off, it would have to be pretty drastic.
Damien could hear the fighting from his other companions. The clang of sword against shield had to be Alyssa while the knocking of wood against itself was either Lelianna or Daylen, but he could also feel spells being cast from two locations. The sooner he could finish up with his opponent, the better.
Charging forward, Damien faked in both directions before launching himself over his copy. The copy anticipated the move and ducked the strike and delivered a swipe of his own at Damien. The daggers connected with a sharp ping as Damien used his weapons to block the counterattack. Landing lightly, Damien decided that his usual tricks were not an option. Maybe, be needed to take his own advice and just stay on the defensive and wait for the others, but a sudden realization flashed through his mind. The others would have just as much trouble fighting their copies as he would. They were mirror images and knew every trick in their arsenal.
He had made a huge mistake. Rather than fighting their own double, he should have paired them with opponents that could not fight well against them, such as Alyssa's copy against him, or Lelianna's versus Alyssa. But who would be the best to hold him off?
"Daylen, freeze the other me!" Damien shouted. Less than a second later a chilling spell wrapped around Damien's opponent freezing him in place. It would not hold him for long but it would be enough time to turn the tide.
Without waiting a single beat, Damien turned and pounced on Alyssa's double and drove his daggers through her back and hurled a throwing knife into the Neria copy's head.
"Alyssa, help out Daylen and finish off his guy. Neria, pair up with Leli and do the same. Once you're done. All of you come and help me," Damien ordered before turning back to his own reflection.
The being had nearly broken free of the freezing, but Damien was not about to wait for that. It might have been a dishonorable and dirty way to fight, but Damien would exploit any weakness, take any advantage, and use any edge he could get in a fight.
Launching his attack, Damien managed to wound his doppelganger in the right shoulder before the being managed to get free of the spell. Hoping his opponent was feeling a bit sluggish, Damien dropped down and tried to use his leg to sweep him off his feet and end the fight quickly, but to no avail. The copy jumped back evading the attack. Using the momentum of the kick, Damien spun back up to his feet grabbing a handful of sand as he did. Hurling it into the being's face, he rushed forward and buried his daggers in its chest.
For a brief moment before the figure vanished into mist, Damien could have sworn he saw the being's mouth turn up into a smile and two words echoed in his mind. "Good luck."