Chapter 168: The Final Blow
"She had done it!"
Morrigan had watched as Sereda met her end, she had watched as the Archdemon devoured her, yet that did not change the fact that the dwarf had found victory, even in death.
The witch smiled hungrily.
The dwarf had done it!
The Archdemon hissed and rolled around in agony, its remaining wing flapped helplessly. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the monster was in exquisite pain; clearly Sereda's blade had found its mark inside the monster's mouth.
It was hurt…badly.
The wardens' time had finally come
After the dwarf's sacrifice, the whole battle changed. The darkspawn broke off their attacks on the Ferelden defenders and tried to rush to their master's side. At first the witch thought that they were trying to protect it, but that was not it at all.
A large hurlock drove his blade into the Archdemon's neck, it howled, but did not snap or strike at its tormentor.
The witch's golden eyes narrowed.
What were they doing?
She found herself at Alim's side, the elf looked exhausted, his armor slick with black blood, his body covered with various wounds and bruises.
He looked on as the darkspawn swarmed their master, stabbing it, and slashing at its body.
The elf's expression went from disbelief, to horror, and then to fury!
"It wants them to kill it," he shouted, "It wants to be reborn in one of their bodies; it is trying to save itself!"
Morrigan gasped, realizing the elf spoke true.
"We have to stop it!" she shouted, "Tis are only chance!"
Alim was not listening; he was gritting his teeth, his hands raised. Morrigan felt the air change around her as the mage reached out once again to the forces of nature that had served him so well in the past.
The winds stopped, everything fell silent with the exception of the clang of swords as the defenders pushed back the few darkspawn trying to hold them back from their wounded master.
When Alim spoke again, his voice was as loud as thunder. Lightning split the sky as the elf unleashed the full power of the world against the tainted monster who was even now trying to cheat death.
"NO! YOU! DON'T!"
He thrust his hands forward, the winds swept past the wardens and their allies, turning from a gentle breeze into a gale.
The smaller darkspawn, the shrieks and genlocks were lifted up and tossed off the tower like so many leaves, they fell to their deaths squealing like pigs in a slaughter house, the more powerful hurlocks managed to hold their ground, just barely, but they were now struck by arrows guided by the warden elf's wind, those arrows tore through darkspawn armor like it wasn't even there. More spawn fell under the elf's assault.
Morrigan glanced around the battlefield, more darkspawn were flowing out of the entry ways, trying to reach their master. The Ferelden soldiers blocked their advance, forming a defensive line trying to block their approach.
AT her side Alim shuddered, his face shiny with sweat and magical exhaustion, but still the warden refused to fall he refused to quit.
He raised his sword above his head.
"WARDENS" he shouted, "To the monster, the battle is ours! ATTACK! ATTACK FOR FERELDEN, ATTACK FOR FERELDEN AND THE GREY WARDENS!"
He charged valiantly. All around him their remaining allies took up the call as well. Alistair in his blood stained kingly armor leapt forward, cutting down two hurlocks as he charged. Theron also advanced firing his bow, but switching to a sword and dagger as he got in close, pushing back any spawn who tried to block them. The girl Elissa also charged, she snarled like a wild animal as she struck viciously at her enemies. The savagery that she unleased was the equal to any darkspawn, not surprising considering that they were soulless monsters and the woman was a creature with the blackest of souls."
There remaining allies joined the fight as well. The golem, finally back on its feet moved in to try and disable the monster's remaining wing. The girl Solona directed their few remaining mages to batter the monster with spells while at the same time working to keep the darkspawn from reinforcing their dying master.
For Morrigan this moment had been a long time coming, she had sought it often in the last year, dreamed of standing right where she was now, and ready to take her mother's plan, now her plan, to the next level.
Strangely, the experience was not as sweet as it should have been.
Her eyes settled on Alistair, her fool, her sweet noble fool. She would not deny that she felt pangs of regret, for not going to him when she needed to carry out the ritual.
It was the wisest of choices, she knew, if she carried Alistair's child, he would never stop hunting her, she did not doubt that. He would worry for the rest of his days about his crown, and if her child would one day return and try to take it.
No, Alim had been the wiser choice.
She nodded at that thought.
Alim was far more pragmatic.
He knew when best to leave such things alone.
A genlock tried to attack her, but was met not by a mage, but by a powerful she-bear. She tackled the creature and used her large claws to rend the monster nearly in half. A shriek tried to come to its fallen ally's aid, only to die with an arrow through the face.
The bear glanced up to see Leliana; the girl nodded to her, and continued firing, keeping her distance from the Archdemon while favoring her leg.
Wise of her to stay back if she was injured, the witch thought.
The battle with the dragon was no place for the injured.
Seeing that Wynne and Solona seemed have all magical matters in hand, the witch bounded forward in her bear form. She would join Alistair and the others in this final battle with the Blight.
She could almost hear her mother's voice in the back of her head, berating her choice, reminding her that the plan should take precedence, and that her daughter would be wise to keep back.
Morrigan ignored that voice.
Caution was well and good, but she had been a part of this journey since finding the wardens in Wilds all those months ago.
She would be damned if she did not see this final battle through to its conclusion.
My Alistair needs help.
She roared a challenge as she charged.
Tis time, she realized.
The end was finally here.
IOI
The Archdemon may have been wounded, probably fatally so, but that did not mean that it was helpless.
It continued to snap and claw at it's would be slayers. Carver, now recovered from his flight, joined Alistair, Elissa, and Shayle in harrying the Archdemon, lending their blades to the monster's injuries. Theron struck more surgically, the Dalish was quick, picking his shots as he did his part to keep the beast contained, to keep the darkspawn back and unable to aid their master.
Alim used both spell and blade to aid the warriors where ever he could. The Archdemon was so close now, so badly wounded, he could hear its commands through the taint, its cries for aid, and for the darkspawn to slay it, to save it from being killed at warden hands.
He smiled slyly.
Clearly the beast understood what was at stake. For the first time he did not try to resist the song, he let it carry him forward, just as it likely did the darkspawn.
"KILL ME!" the song repeated over and over again.
KILL ME!
KILL ME!
OBEY!
Alim almost laughed.
In this he would take an order from the Archdemon.
He would slay it with a smile on his face.
As he avoided the monster's claws, and sent another blast of lightning into its body. He found himself thinking of the fallen, all that they had lost, not just today, but during the course of their journey.
He thought of Seri, who had died giving them this chance. He thought of his poor Bandit, and of Jowan, who had died a hero, in the end. He thought of Zevran taken so quickly from them. He thought of Belle who had died so bravely trying to save her own people. He thought of Duncan and the other wardens, their brothers who had died at Ostagar. No doubt Duncan would have liked to have been here, to see this threat end.
He may not be here, the elf knew, but he has not been forgotten.
We can honor his memory today. We can…
The Archdemon roared. Somehow it found the strength to regain its feet. It gestured with one might forepaw, and a blast of magical energy rippled out from its tainted body, throwing the wardens and their allies back!
Alim flew through the air, drawing on his magic to shield him from the fall. Yet, still he struck hard and hand the wind knocked out of him.
For the briefest of moments, he lay there struggling to find both his breath and his feet.
Somehow, he was the first of their party to regain his feet.
The sight that greeted him…was surprising.
The Archdemon lay on the ground, its chest rising and falling erratically. Its remaining wing bent at an odd angle, clearly no longer was it able to flap. Black blood and burning blood and saliva leaked from the monster's jaws, its pale eyes no longer blazed with madness, no longer pulsed with power.
He took a deep breath, and shook his head.
It looks beaten. It has taken too much damage.
It is dying.
His eyes narrowed his elven ears lay back against his head.
It was not dying fast enough.
He intended to speed it on its way.
He had lost both spell binder and his staff in the fall, but that was okay.
There were plenty of weapons lying around up here.
He somehow managed walk, and then he was running, and then sprinting! He tore a great sword out of the body of a fallen darkspawn, it should have been too heavy for him to lift, but in that moment, it felt as light as a feather.
His sprint became a charge, a mad dash! The Archdemon's head began to turn; finally the beast noticed his approach.
It did not have the strength for either magic or fire, but that did not mean that it did not try to protect itself.
Two hurlocks ran towards him, the first was tossed aside by a mighty wind, the second died with an arrow, through its eye; he did not need to look to know who fired it.
Leliana, he thought.
His dear sweet Leliana.
He grinned savagely.
"I love you, lady, never forget that."
He doubted that she could hear his words, but that was okay.
She knew.
The Archdemon looked away; it tried to rise again, to pull its neck out of his reach.
It did not make it.
The sword came down hard where the monsters skull met its neck. The blade went through like a hot knife through butter. The monster did not even cry out as the blade struck.
A column of white light blasted free of the wound, blinding Alim, and sending the taint in his blood screaming.
This was the moment he knew, this was the time.
He looked down into the blinding light, sensing the Archdemon's presence inside of it.
He snarled with fury.
This is how you die, he thought.
This is how you die!
IOI
Far below on the battlefield, all looked up as the column of light blazed from atop Fort Drakon. Battles ceased as all eyes were drawn to the strange and all-consuming sight.
The darkspawn stopped, they all turned to the distant tower, snarling in fury, or crying out in terror and disbelief.
Through the taint they could feel their master's pain, its dying cries as the warden sword continued to cut deeper into its neck.
The song became disjointed, an endless stream of noise!
The darkspawn found themselves rudderless; no direction came from either the Archdemon or their commanders.
The horde was lost and confused.
At the gates of Denerim, Sten still held his ground, defending the badly wounded Oghren. The dwarf still clung to life, but had the battle gone on any longer, he likely would have gone to join his ancestors in death.
Elsewhere, Fergus and Kally were making their final stand, the noble and the elf were surrounded by darkspawn, but then the light blazed from the top of Fort Drakon.
Their attackers became confused, some tried to assault the two lovers while others turned on each other, it was no longer battle between the darkspawn horde and the defenders, but a riot that now ran out of control!
Darkspawn fought darkspawn. Vanguard directed their men to attack ogres that who…until a few moments ago were their allies.
Seizing an opportunity, Bann Teagan and his brother directed their forces to take advantage of the chaos, they attacked.
The darkspawn horde, the seemingly invincible juggernaut that had menaced Ferelden for so long fell apart. The spawn scattered in all directions breaking into smaller groups. Ghouls wandered aimlessly around the battlefield, easy prey for the Ferelden archers.
Bann Teagan cut down a hurlock vanguard as the battle turned. He looked up at distant Fort Drakon in both joy and disbelief!
The wardens had done it, he knew. They had…
BOOM!
The air shook as the light finally broke, pulsed outward, an explosion unlike any man living had heard before. Several of the retreating spawn dropped, driven mad by the sudden silence as the song ended in one final pained scream!
They writhed on the ground until Ferelden soldiers approached and ended their lives.
Teagan saw Fergus and his elf emerging from the chaos, he embraced his fellow noble. They were grateful to be both alive and victorious.
"VICTORY!"
"WE HAVE VICTORY!"
Across the field many cries went up, cheers and celebrations began as the remaining darkspawn scattered in all directions.
Fergus and Teagan laughed as they broke their embrace, atop Fort Drakon, a large column of black smoke rose into the heavens, but beyond that, the sky seemed to change.
No longer did rainbow lightning dance across the heavens, the red clouds that followed in the horde's wake began to dissipate, the night sky appeared as stars broke through and a gentle wind pushed back the tainted sky.
No one could doubt in that moment what had happened.
The Archdemon was dead.
The Blight…was over!
"They did it," Teagan gasped, tears of joy streaming down his face."
"The wardens did it."
Fergus embraced Kally; the two shared a kiss, but it clear the she elf's mind was elsewhere.
Her eyes were focused on Fort Drakon, and the smoke rising from its summit.
"It is over," she agreed.
"But at what cost?"
Both nobles realizing that she was correct nodded grimly.
They had no word yet on what had happened, no news of the king or the other wardens.
The monster was dead.
The only question now was who was dead with it?
A/N: Hello everyone! About one more chapter and this monster will finally be finished; it has been a long strange ride for me. Let me tell you that. I suspected and expected this to be the work of years, but even I never guessed…never mind. Thank you for your reviews and your support, it means a lot. I hope to see you all back for the conclusion, I intend to tie up all that need to be, and will return to my other Stormbreaker verse stories, until then dear readers.
DG