Daughter of Tethras
Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age
A/N:
Chapter 44 (Taking Down Corypheus)
Corypheus caused the walls in the area to collapse and made the ground tremble and rise as he announced his godhood and declared his triumph over all those before him. Scouts and soldiers fought with bravado until Bianca arrived with Varric, Cassandra and Solas. "That's enough," Bianca shouted as she pointed her axe at the tall figure. Corypheus glared at her and moved forward.
"You will fall here today," he declared, "We will see which of us is worthy of godhood." Bianca moved back a bit and huffed at him, her breathing came out as a growl and her eyes narrowed.
"I'm not making any claims of godhood." She came here to end him once and for all, and to do the right thing. They knew after Morrigan drank from the well that the secret in his extended life was the dragon that flew around as though his pet; and Morrigan would be taking the form of a dragon to help kill the beast and aid in their taking Corypheus out for good. "This ends now."
Corypheus scowled at her and moved forward. "I hear you have plans, Inquisitor. Thedas isn't good enough for you. Why then are you concerned about their fate?" Bianca slashed her axe down and raised a closed fist in front of her chest.
"Because it's the right thing to do. I refuse to leave Thedas with a monstrosity like you to destroy it!"
"So be it." The red lyrium dragon appeared from behind him, roaring loud against the wind and storm that surrounded them. As Bianca watched its approach, a broad smirk stretched across her face. Just as the dragon was about to blow a blast of fire onto them, Morrigan flew in and tackled it. Corypheus cried out in alarm, his eyes growing wide with disbelief. "You dare?"
He swung his arms forward and sent a blast towards her. Immediately she leapt out of the way, then the others scattered to avoid being struck by the blow. "You'll have to do better than that." She ran forward, put her foot on a rock and leapt into the air, raising her powerful axe above her head. Corypheus hissed at her and raised his arms just as she brought the axe down upon him.
Blood splashed against her armor and spilt from his forearms, but he didn't appear to flinch. Just as Bianca landed, Solas struck Corypheus with a blast of ice and Cassandra crashed into him with her large sword, knocking him back several feet. Varric aimed his crossbow and fired a powerful shot into the monster's back.
Glancing upwards, she watched the two dragons tussling in the air, tumbling and wrestling. Morrigan tore into its side with her claws, but the red lyrium dragon was just as strong, snapping its mighty jaws into her neck.
She returned her focus to Corypheus, deciding best to let Morrigan handle the situation. The group chased him up a flight of stairs and continued their direct assault, doing the best they could to keep him from performing any spells against them.
He fired a massive energy blast at her, to which Cassandra jumped in front of her and deflected the blow with her shield. Corypheus growled and threw his arms forward, sending another blow at them. Nearby, Solas raised his staff upwards and created a blizzard to surround them. The monster growled again and transported out of the cold, then proceeded to fire a blast of lightning their way.
Varric rushed forward, shooting several bolts into Corypheus's side. It seemed to be taking all they had just to take him out.
Bianca made a breathless charge towards him, swinging her axe as powerfully as possible into his side. He let out a howl and blood drenched down the faded robe that hung around his legs. He tried to reach for her with his scrawny arm and hand, but she ducked out of the way and rolled backwards. She sprang up and slashed at his back, causing him to flinch and jerk forward.
Just as he disappeared from view, Bianca heard her father shout a warning to her. She looked up in time to see one of the two dragons crashing down on top of her. Thinking fast, she bolted to the left, narrowly avoiding the falling dragon. Dust and rubble flew out and smoke filled the air, but when it cleared she saw Morrigan laying down some yards away.
"Morrigan!" Fear and panic rushed through her veins and she wanted to run and check on the woman; but a sudden roar caused a wave of dread to rush over and paralyze her. When she turned her eyes, she saw the Lyrium dragon pushing himself up. "No." She let out a sigh of exasperation as the dragon began to move towards her.
"We need to check on Morrigan," Cassandra said. Without flinching and staring the dragon in the eyes, Bianca turned down the woman's statement.
"There is a dragon that wants to kill us."
Varric hurried to her side and fired a bolt between the dragon's eyes, causing it to reel back it's head and roar. Bianca took the opportunity to lunge at its neck and slash her blade across the thick, scaly skin. Her blade seemed almost to bounce off, but she could see blood oozing from the mark, indicating that the skin was softened during the fight with Morrigan.
"It's weak! Let's take him down."
"Right," Solas said as he fired consecutive blasts of ice at the creature. Cassandra bashed her shield into the dragon's leg, then began to thrust her sword in multiple areas. Bianca joined Cassandra's side, hoping to cripple the beast. Soon, Varric and Solas were attacking the same spot until the beast cried out and fell onto its leg.
The creature thrashed its head about, its pained cries echoing in the sky. Bianca started to hack at its neck as one might a tree, pounding with all her might until the axe started to cut through. Eventually, the dragon was getting back up once more and jumping away from the group, but its movements were slow and blood was oozing from various points of its body.
"Keep going, we've almost got him." Sweat flung from her brow as she ran towards the end of the dragon and slashed her axe down on the creature's tail. Her gaze darted over as the dragon snapped his head in her direction and began to open its mouth. Just as it turned its attention on her, she smirked and watched as her father fired a bolt directly into its eye. The dragon howled in pain, brandishing its head as blood gushed from the eye. Cassandra leapt upwards and thrust her shield out, bashing it directly into the creature's head as it swung its head towards her.
Bianca stopped running for a moment and watched as the dragon staggered forward, its body shifting and sinking with each trembling step. She slung her axe onto her shoulder and moved towards the creature, watching as it reeled its head back. "Sorry, it beats being enslaved by that monster up there."
She grasped her haft with firm hands, lowered the axe towards the ground, and with a mighty yell she swung it upwards. The blade dug into the Dragon's neck and sliced deep. Blood spurt out and the dragon thrashed for a few seconds before collapsing onto the ground.
A strange energy lifted away from the dragon's lifeless corpse and into Corypheus, who was rising from the ground with an expression full of anger and disbelief. "It ends here," he said with a growl while clutching the mysterious orb. Magic flowed from the orb and from his hands, rising to the sky.
"The breach is getting bigger!" Solas exclaimed. Bianca looked to the sky in horror, watching as the hole in the sky appeared to grow wider. "We need to stop him now before he destroys everything."
Weary and exhausted from the battle up to this point, Bianca was ready to throw in the towel. It was a fierce fight and she didn't know how much more she could give. With a sigh of exasperation, she watched her companions run forward. "I really hope exploring the world outside of Thedas, I won't have to run into this kind of fight for a long ass time." She let out a terrific yell and ran after them, holding her axe at an downward angle. "Corypheus!"
She ran up the final set of stairs and watched as Solas summoned meteors to rain from the heavens and crash into the monster. Cassandra tried to dispel the magic and Varric fired a fully powered shot from his crossbow into Corypheus's chest.
The ancient magister remained standing, clearly it seemed the attacks were having little impact on him. All this, and Bianca had more than enough of the fight.
Her right foot slammed into the ground and her chest ached with each slamming of her heart. "A world without magic." She tilted her head to the right. "Magic corrupts. It beguiles people with a lust for power." She sneered and flipped the axe in her hands. "Makes them think they're all powerful, that they're fucking gods."
She took another step, growling as Corypheus turned his head and looked towards her with glowing red eyes. "Everything Thedas has plaguing it is because of magic, because of abusers like you." The others paused for a minute and turned their gazes onto her as she continued her slow march towards the man. "Even this infernal curse on my hand is because of magic and the lust for power."
Bianca opened the palm of her hand, revealing the flashing pulse of the anchor.
"I'd sooner be rid of it as Thedas would be rid of you. I am so sick of you, of magic, of demons and every bit of darkness that blots this entire continent." She clenched her fist and felt a powerful surge shoot through her hand. All of a sudden, the surge created a rift that zapped the power from the orb and knocked Corypheus to his knees. "I can't save Thedas from itself, or from a curse caused by magic; but I can certainly end you."
She threw her axe forward, striking Corypheus's shoulder and causing him to flinch backwards and look up as she seemed to grow before him. "Do you really believe?" His words came with trembling breaths. "Leaving Thedas and the land of magic will truly end all of your troubles?"
"No." She was sure, she didn't know how, that she'd be trading one set of problems for another. "But you're just a reminder of how shitty things are. I know damn well how greed and power corrupt even those that don't use magic; but I would rather face them to face an idiot that believes themselves a god simply because they wield magical abilities."
She extended her hand and Corypheus's shoulders sank. "You wanted into the fade?" Suddenly his body twisted and he let out a pained scream as light spilled from the cracks forming from his body. Within seconds he exploded in place, and silence filled what little that remained.
Bianca stared down at the mark on her hand, breathing heavily as she gripped her wrist. "I want this gone. I want to live my life without having this curse on my hand."
She lowered her arm, slowly clenching her fist. Her gaze traveled to Solas, who was picking up the orb, now broken in half. A look of despair and grief came over him and Bianca made her approach. "Solas?"
He closed his eyes and turned his head away.
"Can it be fixed?"
"No…But that's not your fault." He slowly looked up, still turned away from her. "I want you to know, whatever happens, I will always have the greatest respect for you." Bianca furrowed her brow and watched as he slowly rose to his feet. "Wherever your journeys take you. Remember what you experienced here; but try not to remember all the bad things that happened here. All the pain and contempt." He sighed heavily and turned to face her, looking one last time in her eyes. "Remember the pleasant memories as well. Remember the friends that you leave behind. Remember traveling to the Emerald Graves with your father, or playing outside the castle with Sera and Cole."
"I will remember that, Solas."
"It's a different world out there. It has its own twists and turns, it has remarkable beauty, I'm sure. But never forget where you come from, because that is what makes you who you are and who you will become." She smiled at him and reached her hand out.
"I will never forget."
Solas shook her hand. "And I will never forget you." Her heart sank and she had to wonder what these words meant. She didn't want to think that he might be leaving as well; but if he was, then he'd be on a journey all his own.
Within a day Leliana confirmed it, that Solas had vanished. It was heartbreaking, because she wanted one more chance to say goodbye. The fight with Corypheus took so much out of her that she was still too exhausted to even think. Her muscles were so sore she felt as though piercing hot irons were being jabbed into every bit of her body.
Still, she was excited to prepare for the next big journey. Once she retired to her quarters from the party in the grand ball, she stood on her balcony and focused once more on the mark on her hand. Her father walked up behind her, speaking in a quiet tone. "Thought about what's going to happen with that thing once we hit the barrier?" She raised her head slowly.
"I want it gone."
"I don't think there's a lot of choice. It's magical, so it likely won't make it past the barrier." Varric walked up to the railing and placed his hands on it while gazing out at the setting sun. "It's been a hell of a ride, hasn't it?" Bianca nodded.
"Feels like it's not over yet."
"It isn't." He smiled at her and raised his shoulders. "A new chapter is just beginning. Corypheus is gone, Thedas has one less psychotic magister wanting to become a god, and we're about to set sail on a brand new adventure to see the world outside of Thedas."
He fell silent and there was a solemn expression on his face. "Are you really ready to leave it all behind?" Bianca looked over her shoulder, studying the room and then the door leading out into the grand ball. She was thinking of all her friends, and how she'd miss each and every one of them.
A tear fell from her eye as she mustered a smile. Her heart was ready to go; but not because of all the ills that she had. No, she wanted to go on this grand adventure with her father to see the world. She wanted to venture out into the unknown and get to know every inch of it.
"I'll miss everybody to death, but this is a journey worth taking." She hugged her father, catching him off guard. He let out a soft gasp and gently hugged her back. "I can't wait to get going."
An intense fight to say the least, but it isn't over yet. Corypheus may be gone, but there's still more lurking in the shadows. The New World begins soon, but we'll have to see the crew off first, and who else but the mother herself would want to have a chance to say goodbye...