Chapter 66: The Price of Rebellion
Each new room brought more questions than answers. Alim and his companions continued to push on, climbing the tower.
The warden mage could feel the fade pulling at him like a dog worrying a bone. Whatever had happened here all those years ago still haunted this place. It was hard to imagine that the demons that had risen here had been caused by a simple battle. Violence could tear the fade sure, he knew that, but this was something else entirely.
The wrongness of this place continued to haunt his mind.
The next room they entered seemed to be an old library of sorts; the smell of burning still hung in the air after all these years.
Once again the bodies rose, they should have turned to dust ages ago, but still they remained. Fire exploded from the dried flesh,
Alim and Wynne reached out with their magic.
Cold and ice assaulted the rage abominations, squeals of agony emerged from dead throats.
Leliana put an arrow through the mouth of the nearest one, it wore the tattered remains of warden robes, a mage perhaps…or a scholar.
The warriors swept the room clean of the creatures, as the last of the demon's fell the mist began to form anew.
Alim lowered his ears.
It seemed that the past wished to show itself again.
IOI
The room changed, becoming as it looked when it was still new, the robed figure that Leliana had slain appeared as he did in life, he scribbled hurriedly in a large leather bound book. The sound of banging on the heavy door sounded behind them.
Another spirit, this one in the form of a young mage girl cast a spell to hold the King's men back.
She sobbed pathetically as he magic faltered.
The door won't hold Archivist.
Almost done, the truth must be told.
The girl laughed fatalistically.
What does it matter now? We're dead. We're all dead.
The Archivist shook his head.
Our grand rebellion…it was so close, and now…to die here…a still birth!
We should never have done it! Wardens should not oppose Kings and Princes!
The old man turned to her, tears of sympathy and fear ran down his face.
Should we have just sat idly by while…
The door splintered. The King's men ran into the room!
The girl screamed. She raised her hand trying to cast.
A soldier ran her through.
Another spun on the Archivist.
The vision faded.
IOI
Alim shook his head, he…he was still trying to grasp what he had just heard.
What had the wardens been up to here? None of this made any sense.
Wardens should not oppose Kings and Princes.
Our grand rebellion?
This was sounding less and less like an unprovoked attack by the King.
Levi was digging through the remains of the old journal, but the pages had been destroyed long ago.
They crumbled to dust in his hands.
Levi Dryden swore.
"Damn it, If only the book weren't burned!"
Alim looked at the merchant, his mind filled with many questions.
"Did you know anything about this Grand Rebellion Levi?" he asked.
"No warden," he replied, "This is the first I've heard about any of this!"
Zevran smirked.
"I think the wardens of this place were up to something," he chuckled, "Seems like they had more on their mind than killing darkspawn, no?"
Alistair shook his head.
"Wardens do not do this kind of thing Lim? They don't attack the nobility!"
Levi was on his feet in seconds.
"We don't know what happened here yet," he said, "The wardens are heroes! I'm sure Sophia had her reasons!"
Alim shook his head, his ears twitched nervously.
"Attacking a king threatens our neutrality," he said thoughtfully, "I wasn't a warden for long, but Duncan made that abundantly clear to me. We have to stay out of politics, the darkspawn are a warden's only concern."
Levi gave him a puzzled look.
"How is that any different than what you are doing with Teyrn Loghain?"
The elf's ears lowered in anger, it was not the same…
"The Blight changes everything," Leliana said stepping between the wardens and the merchant. "From what I have seen, Teyrn Loghain shed the first blood trying to destroy the order at Ostagar. He weakens Ferelden against the Blight. He must be opposed if it is to be put to an end. Is that not right Alim?"
The elf's mouth snapped shut, he…he would not have said those words so eloquently, likely he would have simply told Levi to shut his gob, and leave Loghain and the Blight to them.
He had to admit, he liked Leli's explanation a lot better than anything he could have come up with.
"Well said sister," Gus said nodding.
Levi shook his head, it was clear that he was not completely convinced.
"You all live harder lives than I," he said, "Answers may yet lie ahead. Shall we continue?'
Alim snorted.
Yes, this was no longer simply about clearly Levi's family name.
The wardens needed to discover what had happened here.
What had Sophia Dryden been doing? What was all this talk about a grand rebellion?
They needed to find out.
IOI
The next room at the top of the stairs felt even worse than the others had.
The mages shuddered as they entered. Even Morrigan looked a little green.
Alim swayed slightly. Alistair took him by the shoulders to steady him.
"You okay Lim?"
The elf shot him a look.
"Do I look bloody okay?" the elf snorted, ""I'm…"
The sounds of battle filled the chamber!
Again the mists of the fade formed images of the past. Flaming barricades burned around the rooms entrance, the last of the wardens stood defiantly against the King's men.
Sophia Dryden stood at their center, while the mage she had identified earlier as Avernus inscribed strange glyphs on the floor.
Again…the sound of doors breaking, again the King's men flowed into the chamber.
The Sophia shade glared at the advancing soldiers.
Make them pay for every inch men!
A lieutenant broke through the warden line; Sophia gutted him, and pushed the body back into his fellows. She shouted to her fellows, fire blazing in her eyes.
Hold the flank!
The remaining wardens surged forward.
Sophia looked over at the mage.
Avernus, we need you!
The mage gestured, the words that spilled from his mouth were a tongue that Alim did not know, but never the less, he could hear the malevolence in them.
The sigils the mage had drawn on the floor glowed. The light was a sickly green.
It was the color of fel fire, the color of demonic energies.
Sophia's eyes blazed in the light.
Press them, she shouted, press them now!
The sigils flared.
A shade rose from the light, it was followed by a rage demon, then another shade, and then another.
Sophia Dryden laughed triumphantly, as the first demon tore into the King's men.
She raised her sword in celebration.
More Avernus do whatever it takes!
Destroy the King's Men, the mage shouted at the demons, destroy them all!
The demon's swept forward; fire exploded burning the king's men.
A young warden archer slumped; days without food had made her weak.
A desire demon rose from the glyph, smiling wickedly.
It walked up to the girl, and...
It possessed her.
The demonic warden laughed, firing arrows at her own fellows.
NO! Avernus shouted.
A shade emerged from the glyph. It grabbed another warden mage and bashed his head against the wall.
Sophia turned her eyes wide with madness and horror.
Get control of them Avernus, we can still win this!
Avernus strode up to the possessed archer.
I command you, fight the king's men!
The girl laughed maniacally.
Fool, the demon hissed, the veil is torn now. So much violence, so much death, and yes…blood.
The demon seemed to look inside the warden mage, her sneer as cold as an arctic win.
Your soul is now mine Avernus!
The warden mage backed away in horror, he whimpered slightly.
He turned to his few remaining warden mages.
Acolytes…retreat now! The battle is lost!
The surviving mages fled up the stairs.
The demons overwhelmed the King's Men, and then slithered down the stairs, but still the demons came.
The new ones attacked the wardens.
Sophia Dryden was the last to fall. She died wailing Avernus's name, demanding that he save the battle for her.
The vision ended when a shadow swept over Sophia Dryden.
Her eyes glowed green as the demon devoured her soul.
Sophia Dryden laughed madly.
The mist faded, leaving that laugh echoing through the chamber.
In its wake shapes emerged from the glyphs.
Alim's eyes widened.
More demons had come through.
Alim blasted them with lightning.
The corpses rose here as well, some of the demons had lay in wait for so long…waiting to find fresh hosts.
They thought their time had come.
Alistair used his Templar abilities to weaken them.
Morrigan summoned fire and ice down on the creatures.
Wynne shielded the warriors and rogues the best she could.
Alim cast a spell he remembered from the Stormbreaker's memories.
A shade tried to gut him, its claws passed harmlessly through him. The elf called on the magic of the fade to increase his strength and speed. He cast a spell known to the greatest of the Stormbreakers, the arcane warriors that had stood among their ranks.
Demons wailed as they were attacked by a foe that drew on the fade as much as they did.
The elf also enchanted his fellow's weapons, making them even more lethal to demon kind.
Kally laughed as she spun and attacked, her sword cut through demonic flesh like a hot knife through butter.
Gus did what he could to cover the elf, even though she was likely doing more to defend him than the other way around.
A strange woman to say the least, he thought.
Zevran and Leliana stayed back covering the others with their bows.
Alistair managed to strike down a powerful desire abomination, perhaps the same archer who had been taken all those years ago, with her death, the other demons retreated back into the fade.
The room fell silent, only the heavy breathing of exhausted fighters remained.
Levi stepped out from his hiding place, the merchant looked, shocked…and extremely disappointed.
"The wardens," he almost whimpered, "they…they summoned demons, and my great grandmother…she knew…she was enjoying it."
Alim lowered his blade, he felt sorry for the man, but could find no words to make him feel better, to make light of all this.
"She was fighting for her life Levi," Leliana said.
"Besides," Morrigan snorted, "Wardens do not forbid blood magic. They do what they must to secure victory. You have to respect that."
Levi looked ill when he looked at the witch.
"I thought my family better than this…better than that!"
Alim said nothing, there was nothing to say. He had seen what had happened himself, and even he still not believe it.
A warden did what he must, but did even that old motto justify what he had just seen.
He did not think so.
IOI
The wardens followed the route that Avernus and his acolytes had, trying to discover where they had retreated to.
Alim was not happy.
He had tried to dispel the summoning circles that Avernus had drawn, but to no avail, even with Wynne and Morrigan helping him, it was for naught.
The elf shook his head.
He hoped that they might find some books or notes somewhere in this place. He had no desire to leave a door for demons to spill into the mortal world open. They had sufficient man-power to hold the beasts off.
Now he just needed the correct spells.
They discovered a door labeled, the commander's quarters. Alim hoped that Sophia might have kept some records of Avernus's research, something they could use.
Surprisingly this room actually looked lived in, no cobwebs covered anything, the books in the corner were free of cobwebs, and even a cheery fire burned in the hearth.
Alim tensed, something about this did not feel right.
"Come closer warden," a voice purred from the Commander's chair, it was faced away from the door.
This one…would propose a deal."
Alim glared at the chair, the voice did not sound like any natural occurring one, it echoed like the fade.
The figure in the chair rose.
Levi gasped in horror.
It was a woman, dressed in a set of warden commander armor, her black hair was still lustrous, even though her flesh was gray and dry, her eyes cloudy in death.
"Parshaara!" Sten spat.
Leliana's eyes widened in horror, a gasp fell from her lips.
Alim glared at the possessed form.
"Who are you?" he snarled.
The demon laughed.
"This one in the Dryden," the demon replied, it seemed very pleased with itself. "Commander, Sophia…all of these things we were, but she is now food for this one, no more, no less!"
Levi looked like he was going to be sick.
"Grandmother?" he whimpered.
The Sophia-thing grinned wickedly.
"This one has need of you," the demon purred, "We have tasted the Dryden's memories, it has revealed to us many interesting things. A task is required, and this one is willing to pay handsomely to have it done."
Alim glowered at the creature.
Demons, he thought…why was it always sodding demons?
He had had enough of them in the tower.
"Levi," he said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm afraid your great-great-grandmother is possessed."
Levi chuckled mirthlessly.
"Either that, or she has really let herself go," he replied.
Leliana moved in front of Alim, her eyes blazing with anger.
"We will not listen to your lies creature," she spat, "Go back to the shadows from which you came."
Sophia sneered at the bard.
"The warden's little mouse will be silent, subservient, quiet!" the demon smirked, "Yes that is an idea."
It gestured.
Leliana let out a squeak, and fell silent. She clawed at her face.
Alim looked in horror.
The demon had done more than silence the bard. It had closed up her nose as well.
She could not breathe!
SHE WAS GOING TO SUFFOCATE!
Alim roared in fury, the demon swatted him away easily, she drew her sword. Skeletons that had been lying in the shadows began to rise. They drew their weapons as well. Combat erupted again.
Alistair and Wynne were at Leliana's side, she was still struggling to open her sealed mouth, her face had gone as red as her hair.
Sophia grinned at the fallen elf. She advanced on him with her blade.
Alim was dazed; he could not even concentrate to summon a spell.
"Fool," the Sophia-thing spat, "This one will…"
A huge sword removed her head, sending it bouncing across the floor.
The body fell, but the head still continued to function, it glared at its attacker.
"This one will not fall so easy, this one was…"
"A massive Qunari boot crushed it like a melon.
Sten glared down at the mess.
"Foul creature," he growled, "You are like all other Basra, you talk too much."
The bodies the demon had raised fell.
A high pitch cry, which turned into a fit of coughs, came from where the bard had fallen.
Alim staggered to his feet, he pushed past Sten and ran to Leliana.
The bard was gasping for breath, the spell that nearly killed her ended with the demon's life.
"I…I…couldn't…couldn't… breathe," she gasped.
Alim was at her side in seconds.
"FOOL!" he said angrily, "What were you thinking?!"
She looked at him, her eyes shiny with tears.
He…he…he could not help it.
His heart broke at the sight.
He pulled her into a tight embrace.
She sobbed against his shoulder, gripping him tighter, holding on for dear life.
She had nearly been killed…again.
He was getting tired of seeing her injured or in trouble!
"Don't scare me like that again," he mumbled, he realized that he was crying now too, he tried to hide it, or to stop it, but he could not.
"Not ever," he whimpered.
She nodded, murmuring apologies.
Wynne tended to the injuries in the group, which were fortunately not many.
Alim stood, he still felt a little dizzy he had cracked his head when Sophia had hit him, but a quick rejuvenation spell restored him.
He looked at the ashes that had been Sophia Dryden; the body had turned to dust when the creature had died.
He snorted at it.
Good riddens, he thought.
May you rot in the void!