Chapter 107: Gauntlet part 2
A pair of arrows whizzed past Alim's head, he could feel the tip of their feathers brush one of his elven ears. The warden mage tried to summon a wind to keep any others away, but was more than a little surprised when he was hit by gust of air that nearly sent him tumbling back.
The elf's eyes narrowed.
What in Andraste's tits was that?!
The next chamber was large and open, no mist filled this place, but he could hear the sound of many armored footfalls, voices barking orders and reports back and forth.
It seemed that the gauntlet was done being gentle with them.
Now…they had come to the fighting part.
A small part of him was pleased by that, no puzzles, just violence.
He could certainly do with a little bit of release.
His fellows tried to spread out, but quickly found themselves met by their attackers, it was dark, but the warriors slammed into a wall of defenders. Alistair, Fergus, Oghren and Kally were stopped in their tracks. He counted at least two archers and a pair of mages in the back.
He smiled grimly.
Even odds, that was good at least.
Leliana and Theron kept close to him and Wynne, offering the protection of their bows. Surprisingly, the attackers seemed to have the same idea. The shorter of the two mages was messing with his spells, somehow channeling the wind away from him, using it to drive his ally's shots harder and closer to Alim's friends.
The warden mage's ears twitched with curiosity.
Who were these guys?
One of the enemy warriors managed to breach their protectors; he managed to charge past Alistair and Fergus.
The warrior rushed the mages, a feral cry emerging from his lips.
Wynne caught him; a large hard stone appeared in the air before her hand, with a gentle push she sent it crashing into their attacker. The warrior had been so committed that he did not have time to dodge or shield himself.
The blow struck him hard in the chest, crushing his breast plate and sending him sprawling gasping for breath.
Alim was on him in a second, spellbinder was drawn ready to bring it down and end the attacker's life.
It was only then that he got a good look at the warrior's face.
He froze for a second, shocked by the sight.
Kally?
The warrior was Kally! It made no sense, Kally was upfront, trying to keep a man in Templar armor back, she…
The false Kally pulled a dagger from her boot, she moved with the same liquid grace and speed the original had shown the day they had rescued her from that crow cage.
"DIIIIIE!" the other Kally hissed.
Alim had almost no time to get out of the way.
An arrow pierced the attacker's eye. She was flung back, her body crumbled into ash.
The warden did not even have to glance up to know who had saved him, he had seen enough of Leliana's arrows by now to know them it a glance.
His elven eyes quickly adjusted to the shadows, now he understood the threat this part of the gauntlet had for them.
Us, he thought.
The threat is us.
Everyone who had accompanied him into the gauntlet was here! Alistair, Wynne, even Leliana and himself. He…
The elf shuddered.
No wonder his spells were not working right.
The other Alim was messing with them!
He spotted his doppelganger, shielded by a false Leliana and Theron, the other stormbreaker raised his hand, the air above them rumbled.
Alim's eyes widened with realization.
"MOVE!" he shouted.
They had barely had time to get out of the way. Then…
KRA-KOOM!
Lightning lit the chamber; the misty ceiling had been turned into a small storm cloud. Thunder rattled their eardrums, while the blinding flash of the lightning burned their eyes, leaving spots dancing in their vision.
Alim struggled to his feet, just managing to avoid the blade of the false Alistair. The doppelganger was clad in full Templar armor, his eyes flashed with fury and disdain.
Alim met his blow with his staff, sparks jumped as the warden mage was pushed back. The false Alistair pushed him back using his Templar abilities to drain the elf's mana.
The warden mage cursed.
He had no time to call for help; he needed all his skill to keep this latest challenge from cutting off his head. Their attackers were working as a team, surprise was on their side, and Alim's allies were divided.
Things did not look good.
A shield appeared out of nowhere.
Alim was shocked to see the real Alistair at his side. His fellow warden glared at his doppelganger.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size," he growled.
The other Alistair hissed and the battle was joined.
"Well," he heard their Alistair grunt, "this is not disturbing in the least, is it?"
If he had not been out of breath, he might have laughed.
No, this was not disturbing at all.
Alim staggered back, his fellow warden had given him a little time to catch his breath, and inspect the battlefield.
Leliana's early victory over the false Kally had saved their lives. It had freed him up to try and help the others.
He saw no sign of the other Fergus; perhaps that attacker had been dealt with already. Both the nobleman and the elf were trying to cut their way through to the archers and mages in the back, but were having trouble with the false Oghren, and the other Alim's winds. Their Oghren staggered across the battlefield, his armor blackened in several places, cracked in others.
It seemed that the other Wynne had been focusing her attacks on him.
Alim decided to come to his aid.
Normally his powers did not work indoors; normally he was only able to draw on what was available to him.
Yet his double had managed to summon true lightning here.
It was clear that this place was far from normal.
Alim seized control of the winds and sent them spinning at the false Wynne; she flew back before the enemy Alim had a chance to counter him.
The false Wynne hit the wall…hard.
She might have cried out, he wasn't quite sure. Another arrow whizzed towards him, he caught it with his magic, and sent it flying back…
…Straight at the false Wynne. It struck her in the chest. She tried to summon magic to heal, but the real Alistair was there, his Templar abilities drained the mana from the air.
The false Wynne turned to dust.
Alim raised his staff, gathering his strength even as it flowed back into him.
He almost smiled.
Things were starting to look up.
He could already feel his strength returning, no doubt bolstered by the real Wynne, he had sought to deny their enemies the same advantage, and by killing the other Wynne he had accomplished that goal. Now, if he could force his own double to focus on keeping his allies alive, maybe he could deny their opponents the doppelganger's Stormbreaker abilities, that would aid their chances by quite a bit.
It might be just what they needed to end this fight quickly, before anyone else was hurt.
Alim heard a tortured howl! Oghren, the real Oghren charged the false Theron's position, the Dalish's double fired an arrow into the dwarf's shoulder but that did not slow him. The false Theron tried to backpedal, but he was too slow.
Far too slow.
Oghren was on him in an eye blink, the dwarf's eyes flashed with uncontrolled rage. He raised his battle-axe high overhead.
"NUUUUUUGHUMPERRRRR!" the dwarven berserker roared.
He brought his ax down hard.
Alim did not have time to see the result. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, just a flash really but noticeable.
He rolled forward, avoiding the sword that would have taken his head. He whirled to his feet ready to attack.
He froze at the sight before him, not that anyone could blame him.
If this was death come for him, it could not have chosen a more exquisite form.
The false Leliana stood before him, her eyes cold and full of savage glee.
The sight took his breath away.
This was not the gentle sister they had met in Lothering, or the hardened bard that he had come to call friend and lover over the last few months. They wore the same armor but that was all.
The girl before him was night to his Leliana's day.
Her red hair was long, pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her cheeks were pink from the heat of the battle; her breath came in excited gasps. She carried herself with the air of a pure predator.
It was both arousing and terrifying at the same time.
She smirked cruelly at him.
"What is this," the doppelganger sneered, "A little elf who fancies himself a man?"
Alim felt all those old insecurities starting to rise. Old fears he had thought long dead.
She will realize one day that she is better than you, he heard his conscience chide.
Then…she will leave you, brokenhearted and alone. What could such an exquisite woman want with a too short elf with too big ears?
You are a plaything, nothing more.
Never forget that.
Never.
Those fears made him shrink back; the doppelganger of his lover seemed to sense his fear.
She laughed cruelly.
"You are unworthy of me knife-ear," she spat, "You were a convenient amusement but now I…URK!"
The real Leliana was there, her eyes flashing with anger, her double had never heard her approach, so great was her pleasure at torturing him.
Leliana, his Leliana had buried her dagger deep into the side of her shadow. The false Leliana's eyes widened with shock and surprise.
"I still remember this," she hissed, "How it felt the day that Marjolaine stuck a blade between my ribs. I remember the pain, the fear, and more…"
Her double coughed blood, she tried to turn.
"Wh…why?" she gasped.
The bard shook her head.
"Because I'm not you anymore," she sighed, "Because that side of me died years ago and…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"And you insulted my love, my life. I would never say those words to him; I would never hurt him like that. Never."
She flung the dying doppelganger to the floor.
"The past is dead, and now so are you."
The shadow of her past glared at her, but she was unmoved.
The bard glared at her.
"Be gone," she growled.
The other Leliana crumbled into dust.
Like the past, she was gone, only dust…
Only dust.
IOI
The fight was drawn out, but it slowly turned to their advantage, one by one their doubles fell.
Alim's own double held out the longest, he used the wind to keep them back, but between Oghren's harrying him with his ax, and Alistair's Templar abilities the fight was not in doubt for very long.
It came down to Alim fighting his double, their blades clanging, their staves flashing. The shadow spat tried to taunt him, accusing him of betraying his mother's memory.
"A chantry sister! Have you forgotten what they are like? They know nothing of love! She will betray you, and leave you broken!"
Alim had not listened. He struck down his doppelganger.
Once it was done, he felt strangely drained.
These…shades seemed to be their own anger and prejudices given form. Perhaps the gauntlet had demanded action as well as words. It was not enough to say the past was the past; they had needed to kill it, with their own bare hands.
He sighed heavily.
It seemed; they had done just that.
He and Wynne tended to Oghren's injuries, the dwarf had taken the bulk of the damage himself. He grumped about them trying to help him, but did not resist.
Alim gave his friend a grateful smile. The dwarf had been very brave to assault the mages and archers by himself, or perhaps he was simply the craziest one here, perhaps both.
Still he could not argue with Oghren's results.
Whether brave or crazy, he had helped them pass this test.
The next door opened.
It was time to move on.
IOI
Leliana hissed as she made her way through the next door, she flexed her right arm, her old self had managed to cut her forearm before she had tried to kill Alim.
The bard shook her head.
The wound wasn't bad, just a scratch really, but she had still made a point to check for poison. Old habits die hard; she remembered what kind of person she had been back then.
She almost sighed.
It had been like looking into a mirror, maybe that was the point. She was no longer proud of the person she had been back then.
She wished that Alim had not seen her.
Once again, they found themselves in another large chamber; a large gaping chasm separated them from the next door.
The bard glanced quickly around the room.
It seemed they would have to find the way across.
Alim leaning hard against his staff, snorted at the sight.
"Is anyone else getting sick of all these damn tests?" he said to no one at all.
Fergus approached the edge of the pit, he looked down. It was too dark to see the bottom…
…If there even was a bottom to be seen.
She could make out several large plates lining the edge of the pit, they did not go all the way around of course, and that likely would have made it too easy.
"Alim?" she heard Kally say, "Could you summon a wind, use that to help us jump across?"
Her lover snorted at that idea.
"I wouldn't attempt that," he shrugged, "Not in here."
He reached out with his staff, as soon as the tip was over the pit it was forced down by a strong blast of wind.
The elf shook his head.
He frowned at his staff.
"I think we're back to the mental tests again. I don't think this place would let us cheat."
Leliana leaned down inspecting the plates on the floor. They looked like pressure plates to her, but she saw no sign of the mechanism that made them work, what they were connected to.
Alim came up behind her.
"Any ideas, love?"
"Plenty," she answered, "But none of them good, magic was likely used here, and I can't see the point."
"Maybe we should step on these?"
The group turned. Alistair suddenly found himself the center of attention.
He bowed his head slightly.
"These…um…floor thingys, maybe we are meant to use them to get across?"
Leliana sighed.
"Alistair," she sighed, feeling a bit like a big sister at this moment, "Most people tend to avoid strange looking sections of floor, "Thingys" as you say, they tend to be traps."
The group paused, unsure of what to do next. They needed to move forward of course, but…
That was when Oghren bounded onto the nearest pressure plate.
Everyone gasped, expecting the ceiling to start falling down or something like that.
A loud click filled the chamber, over the pit, a section of a bridge appeared, it did not look solid, but at least they could all see it.
Both Leliana and Alim glared at the dwarf.
He belched loudly.
"What?" he demanded, "We don't have all day do we? Someone had to test the soddening thing."
Leliana sighed.
It was not how she would have chosen to test the pressure plates, but at least now they knew what they did.
She stepped onto the one closest to her, another plate appeared, but was clearly not solid. She stepped onto the next one, the one that had appeared when she first moved vanished, but two more appeared neither appeared truly real.
It was then that Alim stepped onto the plate she had just vacated. There was a loud clicking sound.
A section of bridge appeared. It looked solid, but would still need to be tested.
Theron tapped it with the tip of his bow, it looked and sounded real, with a nervous sigh, the Dalish stepped up onto the bridge.
It held under his weight.
Leliana smiled.
It seemed that they had found their way across.
IOI
It took them a bit, but eventually they found the right plates to make the bridge both whole and solid.
Soon the group was on the other side, standing before the next door.
"Well that was fun," Alistair quipped, "I'm starting to think Andraste favored only the clever."
Alim chuckled at that.
That, or her disciples really did not want anyone making it this far. Still they had managed to make their way through, perhaps the worst was over and they…
The door to the next chamber opened. They went through and…
Alim frowned.
A large wall of flame stood between them; fire so thick that they could not see the other side.
The elf winced, remembering his encounter with the dragon outside.
Of course, it would be fire, he thought.
There was a pedestal sat before the flames, a small altar really. The words there said something about casting off ones earthly trappings…
Alim shook his head.
Now what, he thought.
He tried to reach out with his magic, summon a breeze to part the flames, but that just seemed to make them rise higher.
He cursed under his breath.
Of course that wouldn't have worked, that was the way a Tevinter mage would have tried to breach this trap.
The elf's brow furrowed.
How would one of Andraste's flock handle this?
Leliana walked up to the edge of the flames. Her brow furrowed cutely.
"Any thoughts?" he asked.
"Cast off your earthly trappings," she purred to herself, "Cast off, cast off…hm."
Suddenly, she smiled.
"I think I have it."
She removed her bow and daggers, she stripped off her leather vest and boots, she started to remove her skirt.
"Leli," Alim squeaked, "What are you doing?"
The bard smiled.
"Our prophet did not go to the flames armed and armored, dearest," she replied.
"True," he agreed, "But she also burned to death in those flames, remember."
"Actually the archon killed her," she reminded him, "But that is not the point, the chantry teaches that the flames cleansed Andraste of her mortal frailties. I think we have to trust that they will do the same for us."
Theron's ears twitched.
"You want us to undress?" he asked.
"Yes."
"You want to just walk into the fire?"
She gave him a wan smile.
"We have to have faith, Theron."
She turned to Alim; her expression was a bit sad.
"Perhaps I am wrong; one of us should try before the others step through."
Alim shook his head. He…he did not want to see her walk into those flames, what if she was wrong?
"I'll do it," he said starting to remove his cloak.
The bard shook her head.
"Better that I do this, Alim."
He gave her a worried look.
"Leli?"
She came up to him and kissed him fully on the lips. They stood there for a moment, lost in the sweet tenderness of the moment.
When they broke she gave him soft smile.
"I'll see you on the other side, dearest."
IOI
Leliana finished removing her skirt; she stood there in her smalls and a small silk shift.
She approached the flames, the heat felt blistering on her pale skin.
She swallowed hard.
If she was wrong about this…?
The bard shook her head.
…If she was wrong, she would not live long enough to care.
She sighed and mustered her courage.
She put her faith in Andraste and the Maker.
She gave herself to her faith.
Thy will be done," she thought.
She stepped into the flames.
The fire washed over her.