I am so sorry that this took so long and I am not back completely. I will post as often as I can and I hope that there are still some people out there that want to read the rest of the stories. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this fic even after such a long break.
On another note, I hope everyone is doing alright with everything that is going on in the world.
Enjoy!
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The rest of the gauntlet was nothing but a puzzle that ensured that no one could stand before the Urn alone leading into the main chamber. The walls towered over them as light poured in through windows that still held firm even after all this time. A pedestal with a plaque stood not but a few steps inside the massive room with a wall of fire behind it. Damien could feel that the blaze was no ordinary flame, but one comprised almost entirely of magic. He could see the Urn up a narrow staircase on the other side of the room, high up on a platform. It felt more like bait.
"There it is!" Daylen shouted holding up his staff.
"Wait, that fire won't go out from any spell any one mage can summon," Neria protested grabbing hold of Daylen's shoulder.
"Neria's right. This has to be another trial for the gauntlet," Damien agreed placing a hand on the pedestal. There was an inscription on the plaque, but Damien was having a hard time reading it.
"It says, 'Cast off the trappings of worldly life and cloak yourself in the goodness of the spirit. King and slave, lord and beggar, be born anew in the Maker's sight.' Rather pretty, no?" Leliana read off.
"This has to be the key for getting through the fire," Alyssa said touching the engraving gingerly.
"Cast off… trappings...spirit...born anew… I think I get it," Damien said rubbing his chin. Maker above, either he was completely wrong and they were about to die, or he was right and and the girls were about to kill him.
"Well, what's the answer?" Daylen asked.
Damien sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "One brake, that's all I asked for," Damien said before starting to remove his weapons.
"So, is that the answer? Leave our weapons behind," Alyssa asked.
"No, just wait. If I'm wrong, I'd rather not die of embarrassment before burning to death," Damien responded removing his hood and scarf before starting on the ties of his armor.
"I think I get it," Neria stated quickly turning her back to Damien as the tips of her ears turned bright red.
"Judging from that reaction, I think you do," Damien responded fighting off a shiver as he removed his armor. Daylen must have gotten it next because he laughed before leaning on his staff. Maybe he was enjoying watching Damien gradually get colder as the layers of clothes came off.
"Maker's breath," Alyssa exclaimed as Damien slipped off his shirt revealing the scars that tattooed his skin. Damien realized that this was the first time they had seen him so scantily clad. He rubbed the scars around his wrists remembering the sting of the whips on his back and frigid iron shackles against his skin. He never wanted to go back to that place, or to any dungeon for that matter.
"Hey commander, any good stories to go with any of those?" Daylen asked.
"With time, all stories end up good," Leli stated.
"And not enough time has passed for most of these," Damien responded as he removed his britches. He could feel eyes still on him as he removed his pendants and set them tenderly on his scarf. "You know I can tell you're still watching."
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Leli stated.
"Just turn around already," Damien snarled stripping the last of his clothes off and stepping toward the wall of fire. If he was wrong and the riddle meant something else, not only would be burn to death, but he'd burn to death naked in front of his companions. Maker, and on top of that, it was really cold...
The flames licked his skin, but the heat penetrated him and seared him on the inside. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt. His blood felt as if it boiled in his veins causing the heat to run like a poison through his body. He grimaced and wavered slightly under the bombardment but continued through the wall of fire.
As he emerged from the fire, his blood calmed down and he examined himself to see if the flames had actually hurt him in any way, but all he saw was steam rising from his skin. He could not even feel the frigid cold of the air around him anymore.
"Are you okay, Commander?" Daylen shouted.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I don't know why but that actually hurt, but I'm not burned anywhere," Damien reported examining himself a bit more closely, ensuring all the important parts were indeed unscathed.
"So, what now?" Daylen asked.
"I guess I'll go get the ashes. You can either strip and follow or wait here for me," Damien responded taking a step toward the urn.
"I do not want to miss the opportunity to stand before the ashes," Leli piped up. "Wait for a moment."
"Oh Maker, fine. Wait for me too," Alyssa shouted. Damien could hear her shield being set down against the wall.
"Daylen, overt your eyes if you don't want them to cut them out," Damien cautioned.
He heard the young mage laugh, but said nothing back. Damien wondered if the youth was so enthralled by what he saw that he could not speak.
Damien chuckled to himself before crossing his arms and looking back to the urn. He was curious as to why his blood had reacted that way to the fire. Was it the taint in his blood that reacted? Maybe… the inscription said something about being purified, but then , would Alyssa feel the same pain? Well, he would find out soon enough.
Damien heard a thud from behind him and quickly looked to make sure it was not the burnt corpse of any of his team, but it was his clothes along with Daylen's clothes. That was certainly a good idea. Just because they could not wear it through the fire, it did not mean that they could not toss it through. He quickly grabbed his small clothes, pendants, and scarf and threw them on. The rest of his clothes followed, but he left the armor off for the moment since it would take some extra time to lace up all the pieces. Wrapping his cloak around him, he hoped it would chase some of the chill that had soaked into him away as he headed toward the Urn.
"You have passed through the Gauntlet and have earned the right to approach the Urn and take a pinch of the ashes for yourself," the guardian stated appearing like a light from a thick fog.
"Each of us gets a pinch, or just one?" Damien asked glancing back at his team. He immediately turned back around upon spotting the bare skin of both Alyssa and Leli. If he had not warmed up enough inside his cloak, he was certainly heating up now.
"You each have passed through the gauntlet. Therefore you may all take a small pinch each," the guardian responded.
Damien smirked. With a few extra pinches of ashes, if anyone were gravely wounded they might be saved easily. Who knows, the ashes might come in handy for something else too.
The group took turns ascending the stairs to the golden urn. All of them had spent a few short moments in prayer in front of the sacred item before taking a small pinch of the ashes and storing it in small glass vials.
"You may take this path back," the guardian stated waving his hand and a section of the wall opened revealing a hidden path.
"Thank the Maker," Alyssa stated retrieving her weapons and armor from the floor and hoisting it on to her back.
"We'll set up camp in the valley before starting back down the mountain tomorrow morning," Damien stated retrieving his own armor and loosely hanging it over him. No point in lacing up the armor if he was just going to take it off again upon reaching the camp.
000
The group spent an extra few hours harvesting teeth, claws, scales, and skin from the high dragon. They could easily have a blacksmith make the pieces into first-rate weapons and armor or sell them for more money than Damien had ever seen in his life. It would have taken another two days to return to Wynne and Lyna, but they found a shortcut that took them back to the entrance in half a day.
Damien managed to sneak up on Wynne and Lyna while they were cooking up their lunch. He could see scratches on wall where someone had been counting days. Brother Genitivi looked to be doing much better. His leg looked to be nearly healed and his color appeared much more healthy.
Signaling to the others behind them to stay put and quiet, a mischievous grin crept across his lips. Silent as a shadow, Damien slid along the wall until he was behind the two women. Smirking, the young rogue sat down next to them as casually as he could and dipped himself up a bowl of soup. Lyna seemed to be completely oblivious to his presence until he dropped the ladle back into the pot. She nearly screamed upon seeing him. Damien did his best to act surprised but burst out laughing instead.
"Damien! Ma harellan! Don't scare me like that!" Lyna scolded swatting his arm and nearly spilling his soup.
Damien calmed his laughter as much as he could as the others joined them around the fire. "Did you just call me a trickster?" Damien asked taking a sip of the soup.
"Maker save you, Damien. I'm certainly not going to stop her from beating you senseless," Alistair jested serving himself a bowl
"I completely agree," Alyssa added serving herself a bowl as well.
"Were you successful?" Wynne asked.
"Not only did we get the ashes, but we also fought and killed a high dragon. We got a mountain of supplies that we can make some top notch equipment out of once we get back to Redcliffe or Denerim," Damien reported. Motioning back to the makeshift packs of dragon's teeth, claws, scales, and skins.
"Druast etunash? You fought a dragon!?" Lyna exclaimed.
"Lyna, language," Damien scolded playfully. "But yeah, it was pretty tough though. I wasn't sure that we'd beat it without loosing a few people."
"Of course you would know curse words in elvish," Lyna said rubbing her forehead.
"What? The Dalish I met on the road didn't exactly speak to me in a kind way. I had only learned what I was able to hear over and over again," Damien replied.
"If you want to learn more, I can teach you," Lyna offered.
"Thanks, I might take you up on that. Once, we get back to Redcliffe, we'll have a decision to make," Damien stated looking around the group as they gathered around the fire.
"Whether to head to Orzammar or find the Dalish, right?" Alistair asked.
"Right. We'll also need to find supplies and funds for the army. Any villages or towns that we can get to ally with us would be helpful," Damien replied.
"An army marches on its belly. At least that is what I had heard my father say before," Alyssa added.
"Hunger can defeat an army faster than any other enemy. However, even if we do get help from other villages and towns, we would need troops and patrols to secure the supply lines against Loghain's men and the darkspawn, not to mention bandits that are taking advantage of the civil war," Damien stated finishing off his soup.
"So I guess the plan now is to meet up with Bodan in Rainsfere and head back to Recliffe, right? Those nobles that came to meet you before we left would probably pledge their support and supplies to you," Alistair said looking over at Damien.
Damien took a slow breath and retrieved the small pouch of ashes from his pocket. They needed to get the ashes to Arl Eamon, but the letter he had gotten from White Fox about the job. The weapon would definitely be useful if it was as powerful as the letter hinted.
"Well, actually, I want our group to split up. I got a letter about a village to the south that could have something very useful to us and I want to check it out, but the Arl needs the ashes as fast as possible. I think Lyna, Leliana, Daylen, and Neria should come with me. Everyone else travel with the carts and Bodan to Redcliffe as fast as possible to deliver the ashes. The five of us should be able to meet up with you there a week or so after you arrive," Damien stated getting up and pacing while rubbing his chin between his fingers.
"Isn't the south infested with darkspawn?" Alistair asked.
"Maybe, but the village we are headed to is in the foothills of the Frostbacks. If there is a darkspawn presence there, it should be minimal. That's more than a week's forced march from Ostagar over rough terrain. I'll wager if there are darkspawn there, it will be a small raiding party at most, which is why I am taking the other four with me rather than going alone," Damien responded seeing the worried looks on his companions faces, well except for Sten who still showed all the emotions of a brick.
"I guess we can't talk you out of this, huh?" Kalli asked crossing her arms.
"What? Were you wanting to come with us?" Damien teased.
"Actually, yes," Kalli replied.
Damien chuckled to himself and looked around the group. "Tell you what. The next mission, you can come along. I want as small a group as possible for this one," Damien replied.
"Fine," Kalli sighed.
"Alright, let's pack up and get moving," Damien said gathering up his pack.
"We might want to find a sled or a cart to carry all of our supplies down the mountain, especially with all the dragon parts you all found," Wynne suggested.
"We'll buy one, or maybe I should say commondier one, in Haven," Damien answered.
The group gathered their supplies and helped Brother Genitivi to his feet before heading out of the ruins and down the mountain. The villagers in Haven refused to business with them but did not attack. Damien assumed that it was because of the dragon parts they were carrying. A group that can kill a dragon must have been pretty intimidating to a village that worshiped a dragon. However, cult worshipers like them might try to take vengeance, no matter how hopelessly outmatched they were.