ACT II: Rock Bottom
"Here, pass one over here." I held my hand out to take a torch. The entrance had led us to a hole in the ground with a rickety ladder as our only way down. Bull had gone down first to make sure the ladder would hold and was soon followed by Blackwall, Dorian, and myself. Bull had tossed the torches down first after Dorian had lit them, giving himself some field of vision before descending into the darkness.
"Remember to drop it if we find enemies." Bull chuckled. "Don't swing the torch at them."
"Aren't you the comedian." I snatched the torch from him with an amused snort. "I won't lose my toys, mom, promise."
"Look," Blackwall brought our attention to a sconce in the cave wall. "Think it will still light?"
"Veil fire won't be useful here," Dorian warned us, his own torch held at his side. "The light won't be strong enough, and considering the number of spirits, it might draw them out." The sentence was punctuated by a spirit wandering past him and further into the cave.
"Case in point." I answered with a laugh. "Right. Keep an eye out for those things, light them when you can." My crew nodded and held their torches aloft as we began to explore. I had never gone cave diving, as most of the ones near my home had been old mining shafts and too dangerous to wander alone. The cold breath of the deep cave greeted us as we trekked further, wooden planks slick on the floor and the roof dripping over us.
I shuddered in my armor, the rain from outside hadn't allowed us to enter dry and it made the experience a frigid one. The torch next to my face offered little in the way of warmth, but if I held it in front of me, I could pretended it was enough. There were crashed crates and busted bags all along the pathway, supplies had spilled out and food had rotted or molded into the rocks.
"Where's the water?" I quietly asked.
"The cave system may have an underground reservoir." Bull murmured behind me. "It would explain why the lake wasn't overflowing. Any excess must have drained in here and washed it all out."
"Huh. I hadn't thought of that." I glanced back at him. "I always thought caves were closed systems, y'know? That's why you couldn't go too deep without some circulation of air." Dorian peered at me curiously, watching the interaction with interest. It's been a hot minute since I've had to play the dumb orphan. Oh well. He's bound to figure it out sooner or later.
Bull shrugged with a side-eye at Dorian. "Sometimes. If this was one of those, the water wouldn't have drained when the lake was emptied."
"It would have remained right up to the ladder." Blackwall nodded. "But clearly it didn't, so it must've escaped somewhere else."
"That's not reassuring." Dorian entered the conversation with a low voice. "It means this cave can go on for leagues." The thought of getting lost in a cave was an alarming one. I would have to trust that lighting the sconces could work in leading us all the way back. Carefully I walked around stalagmites and stalactites and watched as streams of water drained from above onto the cave floor, flowing downward.
"Does anyone hear that?" Dorian reached out and snagged Blackwall's shoulder. We paused and listened. The cave dripped and moaned with an uneasy exhale, the streams of water echoed around us. I turned to Dorian and he held his finger up to his lips. I waited.
"Oh." I exhaled in surprise. The sound of a greater body of water rushing somewhere reached me. "Could it be… the reservoir?" Bull moved to the front and held his torch up to lead the way. His horns glittered in the torchlight like the stalagmites that rose from the floor. Soon light began to shine out to us from within the cave. The sound of rushing, crashing water grew until we were standing at the mouth of waterfall.
"Whoa…" I followed the planks of wood toward the edges where the cave gave way to the abyss and the walkway jerked down just beside the pouring water. The cave twinkled with the water and the light that came from above us and I peered around at the spectacle of it all. The air glittered like the inside of a snow-globe and danced as it drifted down. This looks so cool! I feel like I'm at a theme-park. It had gone quiet behind me and frightened that I had lost my companions, I hurriedly searched for them.
All three stood behind me, watching as I explored.
"What." I asked indignantly with the heat of embarrassment rushing to my ears. "I've never been in a cave before, lay off." Blackwall chuckled with a shake of his head. I stuck my tongue out at his back and made my way back to the safety of my group. Bull reached out and flicked my ear playfully, chuckling as I smacked his hand away. Jesus Christ, it's like being back with Caleb and Jacob. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, but I ignored it.
"There's a passage here." Blackwall pointed out a curve of the cave that went around the death trap of bridge that went down into the depths. "Perhaps we can find a way around that doesn't require a plummet."
"Hear, hear, my good man." Dorian agreed and kept his torch up as he followed. It was a minute or so before we were on the other side of the waterfall, the bridge across from us and looking just as dangerous as before. Dorian and Blackwall inspected the drop from the other side, neither was keen to explore the depths (not as keen as I was, at least).
I wandered away from them, my torch raised above my head to clear my footing. There was another sconce that I could see, embedded into the ground. It was another small cave mouth, but I could feel no air coming from it. A dead end, maybe? My torch lowered to light the sconce and I looked inside.
My scream ripped through the cave like a torrent.
Bull was at my side in an instant, his arm wrapped around my collarbone and shoulders, dragging me back. Blackwall had manifested in front of us, his shield at the ready, his hatchet steady at his side and free of its sheath. It was a hot minute before everyone relaxed as they focused on what had startled me. A poor, bloated body hung from the ceiling, strung up by the neck in a noose.
"Oh my god," I coughed roughly, my hands reaching up to hold onto Bull's forearm. "Shit, I'm sorry, I just — wasn't expecting to see a face in the darkness. Fuck, I'm so sorry." My crew relaxed a fraction more and Blackwall lowered his shield to have the tip rest against the ground. Dorian exhaled roughly, running a hand over his head. Bull didn't release me until I patted his arm; I'm sorry, I'm okay.
Just in time, too, as the bodies under the one that hung in the cave rattled and yanked themselves up into life.
"No, you don't." Dorian commanded firmly, his staff hammered the cave floor and his magic swam between our feet, swallowing the bodies of the dead and locking them in place. Their limbs and ribs rattled with the effort to move, their skulls swung listlessly and their jaws hung from their hinges. Blackwall winced and smacked both of them across the neck, decapitating them. Something behind them caught my eye and I slipped away from Bull to inspect it.
"That's…" I hesitated and moved to the fallen bodies. I was no osteologist, I couldn't tell male from female, I couldn't tell much on timing of death aside from cause. None of that mattered when it came to the size of the body, though.
"It's a child." Blackwall spat darkly. The tiny body was nestled against the broken crates, there was a hole cracked into the top of their skull. Blunt force trauma?
"Blackwall. Let me have the hatchet." I asked with my hand held out behind me. The hilt of his weapon materialised in my palm and with some care, I brought the pommel up to the little skull and compared the size. They fit.
"We don't know if it happened before or after the flooding." Dorian's anger slid through his words like venom. "But I hope to the Maker that the poor creature died swiftly." My shoulders hunched and I stood to hand Blackwall his weapon. The Warden's eyes were on the bodies, lingering on the child and the one that hung from the ceiling.
"Did they know what was coming?" Blackwall asked the silence, his words trembling.
"Why are they here?" I asked sadly. The cave was small, there wasn't much in the way of protection and the crates were damaged that anything inside of them had been flushed away by the waters. Bull moved into the cave and his gaze sharpened as he investigated. It's been ten years, I don't know what we could find without some sort of medical science or forensic science.
"They might have been moved into the cave due to the Blight." Bull explained softly, his gaze shifting from the hanging body to the skeletons at our feet. "The clues would add up to that."
"What do you mean?" Blackwall asked, startled. "That they came in here willingly?"
"Or forced." Bull added with a nod to the bodies. "If we speculate, the Blight came with the darkspawn when the refugees arrived. But what if someone was already dying from it?"
"Can that happen?" I asked sharply, and then turned to Blackwall. "Can the Blight be passed on from person to person? Then… are darkspawn people?"
"Former." Bull corrected me with a pointed finger in my direction. "We don't know how it happens, the Wardens have that knowledge, and no one survives long enough to write it down."
"So if they're found out to be infected, people may have quarantined them." I glanced down at the child's skeleton, huddle in the shadows. "To stop it from spreading."
"Which could also mean that someone did decide to flood old Crestwood to stop the Blight from killing everyone." Blackwall muttered angrily. My gaze stayed on the small form and my heart sank to my knees. Is that why they have the blow to their head? Did someone knock the kid out so they wouldn't suffer? My hand came up to my mouth and exhaled through my fingers, I am so glad I don't have Cole here.
"Let's keep going." I murmured through the silence. "We'll deal with repercussions later." The men were silent as they followed me back around the small curve through the cave. The rocks were too slick to try and go the full way around, and I wasn't about to test my nerve with any more decaying bodies. Something about the water and the depths of the cave made the presence of bodies all the more disturbing.
Back to the planked pathway brought us under a few streams from the waterfall. We avoided them as best we could without tumbling off the edge. It was slow going as the wood had rotted in some places, bent in others, and toward the first low landing, it warped into a weird turn against the cave walls.
My heart shot into my throat as I lost my footing. The slick wood was hard to grip even with sturdy boots. My heel slipped from under me and the crack of wood under my ass startled me enough to get me flat on my back. This is it. Death. I slid a handful of feet like driftwood on the tide, sliding past a stream of water as a dead fish would. I hadn't heard the men shout, but their echoes had ricocheted throughout the cave. Blackwall and Bull pulled up after Dorian did, the mage knelt down by my prone form.
"Darling?" Dorian reached over to pat my check. I was staring up at the open ceiling of the cave, the water sparkling in the air as it came down on us. My terror slowly receded.
"I just saw my life flash before my eyes." I muttered, reaching up to rub the heels of my palms into my eyes. "I should have died ages ago."
Bull snorted a chuckle. "You're being dramatic. Your ass take a hit so hard you can't get up?"
"My ass is made of steel, thank you." I thoughtlessly retorted, swinging myself up onto my knees with Dorian's help. My maul had slipped and skittered away into the darker area of the bridge. Dorian moved toward a sconce nailed to the drooping railing and it burst to light with his torch. I shook out my head and took a moment to holster my weapon and started to braid my hair again as Dorian led us down.
The bridge met cave wall and off to our right a mouth opened further into the cave and drove through nearly a quarter mile of claustrophobic dripping walls and stabbing stalactites. Even with the torches glowing against the wet stones and rocks, I could feel the Mark's pulse drum through my head. My temples grew warm from the sensation and the moisture was doing nothing to help the sickness that rumbled in me.
"We might have demons ahead." I muttered in annoyance. I held my head. "One or two, feels like."
"Is it the rift?" Blackwall readied his shield and hatchet.
I shook my head with a wince. "No. Doesn't feel that big. Just demons."
"Just demons, she says." Dorian teased and shift to allow the warriors through. I imagine holding a staff and torchlight proved difficult when one also wanted to cast magic. "I fear for your sanity when demons become normal occurrence for you, my love."
"You and me both, dandelion." I answered tiredly. My maul unhooked from behind me and swung into my grip. Bull and Blackwall carefully approached, their torches high over their heads. Soon light from lit sconces greeted us and the cave yawned open into a bitingly cold massive cavern that climbed up over our heads. Habitation could be seen, with more crates and bridges made for passage.
The demon was swirling around the center. A few skeletons stood and swayed to no breeze around another, a blue-glow bundle of misery that hoarded the skeletons to it. A Despair demon. I hadn't seen many of them, the Sloths and Rage were more common when it came to finding wandering, listless packs of demons. Blackwall and Bull circled the demon as best as they could given the jutting, awkward surroundings we were in. Dorian waited until they were in position before his staff struck the ground.
From the rear, I charged forward as the dark purple magic hissed along the slick rock and bloomed under the Despair. The demon shrieked with surprise and its hands soared up, the mists of ice forming around its clawed hands. Blackwall and Bull were ready. The Warden hooked his chain to the hatchet he held and let it fly from his hand, catching one of the demon's arms.
Bull charged in with me and the skeletons were knocked together. They were jettisoned with the edge of my maul and into the incoming swing of Bull's hammer. They rocketed between the blows, ping-ponging violently and shattering into the air. The Despair demon howled viciously, distraught at the sight and yanked at the chain and hatchet wrapped around its wrists, trying to swipe at us as we decimated its little collection of skeletons.
Thankfully the demon wasn't smart enough to lower its arm and let the chain drop. Bull caught my eye and dropped the head of his hammer to the ground near my foot. With a grin, I bounced with one foot to it and planted the other on the head. He lifted the hammer as soon as my foot was on it and I jumped from my foot with my left hand outstretched. The Mark flared enough to blind us as I snagged the demon's leg and dragged it down. The howls of pain died out as the Despair faded in my grip, its inhuman cries turning into soft sobs before it blinked out.
I glanced at my palm and stretched my fingers. Am I getting better at this, or is the Mark getting stronger?
"Everything okay, Boss?" Bull came up behind me and placed a hand on my head.
"I think so." I said honestly, my left hand gripped into a gentle fist. It fell to my side as I looked up at him, dislodging his hand. "Philosophical dispute with myself."
"Are we debating whether the demons deserve that kind of reckless treatment?" Dorian peeped from around Bull. "I wouldn't think that was up for debate, darling."
"No, not that." I chuckled. "Just. The Mark. Thinking about how it's growing stronger."
"Ah, yes." Blackwall grumped from beside us. "As you are so keen to remind us that it's going to kill you one day."
"Yeah," I shot him an amused look, morbidly humorous about the whole thing. "I was just wondering how I was going to go. You know? Like am I going to die like the demons do, or in my sleep, or is it just going to swallow me one day?"
"Goodness, my darling. What brackish thoughts you have." Dorian murmured, taking my arm in his and leading me to where he had dropped his torch. "None of that. We'll plan for it when it comes." I laughed and nodded. It's a weird thing to bring up, but I guess I won't mentioned the time I asked about where my soul goes when I finally die out here.
I ignored Bull's extremely pointed look. Guess I'm not the only one that recalls that conversation.
"This looks spacious. I don't see any signs of rehoming, though." I let my voice ring through the cavern, the notes carrying up toward the spotlight above us.
"They might not have come this far." Blackwall said thoughtfully. He shared a look with our Qunari. "But then that wouldn't make sense, if it was a good portion of the population that was infected."
"They went deeper." Bull nodded off toward another bridge of planks that delved deeper into the cave. No water dripped down into the cavern below us, but it looked just as treacherous. "This area is too open and too cold. Wet as it is, you couldn't make a fire and expect it to keep you warm here."
"These poor souls." Dorian hummed deeply. "What horrendous living conditions. No one deserves this."
"I'll say." The next bridge that tumbled down into the cave's belly tilted horribly to one side, held up by Maker-only-knows what and it was sketchy as fuck, let me tell you. There was a railing on the left that looked unstable, but it was no better than the railing on the right side that hung on by a board or two.
"Considering that it's been underwater for ten years, it's in remarkably good condition." Dorian said cheerily. I turned to glare at him with playful pinch of my mouth.
"How about you go first, then, if you're so trusting?" I teased with a flap of my hand toward the bridge.
"Absolutely not." Dorian replied happily, a hand on his slender hip. "Have your Qunari pet go first." I could see the mischievous smile on his lips, daring me to play along, to admit to some speculation he had formulated in his thoughts. Alright, motherfucker, let's play.
I bucked up my wits and turned to Bull, "Here, boy!"
The priceless look of utter disbelief that shot across Blackwall's face and Dorian's rolling, barking laughter warmed my soul and paid for my sins. The grin that plastered across my face grew wider as Bull lifted his chin up, fighting a grin of his own, and marched down the rickety bridge. My snickers were met with Blackwall's long-suffering sigh as he followed the Qunari down the way.
Dorian teased me with a pinch to my chin and we hurried to catch up to our other halves.
-0-
"Lord Jesus." I exhaled reverently. At the bottom of the cavern had come a warm, deep red glow. Curiosity spurred me on, wiggling past my guard detail and into the depths. Columns rose over my head, sturdy stonework braced against a carved ceiling with shimmering gems inlaid against a glowing source of light that swam through the walls. The ground leveled out into tile work, with gold and copper filling the sharp lines of detail. Straight out of Lord of the Rings. Could Moria have looked like this, in its hay-day?
"What is this?" I asked wondrously. My attention had shifted from the ceiling to the floor and then to the walls. Hurriedly, I bounced over to one of the shimmering windows and reached out for it with a nervous hand. The tips of my fingers brushed the gems that filled the windowpane and I could feel the warmth of a heat source through it.
"Whaaaaat the hell!" My excitement bubbled up. "It's warm!"
"Goodness, I can't handle this." Dorian laughed, walking over toward me. He held the torchlight away from us, close to the ground as he settled to my right. "Dwarves are very clever with their creations. Gemstones that have been enchanted to produce light and heat."
"They're enchanted?" I asked, drawing my fingers over the grooves. "Don't those have to be replenished?"
Dorian grinned, pleased. "Clever creature. In most cases, yes. Weapons and tools will expel magic and enchantments would need to be replenished after a time. A long time, mind you, but still."
"So." I looked at the gems under my hands, shifting through the information I knew. "Is there a source of energy in the stones that's doing that?" I pressed my palms against the gemstones, the heat greeted my cold skin and soaked up through my arms.
"Yes." Dorian grinned. "Lyrium."
I stopped, confused. "But, lyrium is blue — unless. Oh. I'm stupid, the gemstones are changing the color." I laughed and drew my hands away from the windowpane, the immediate warmth drained from my limbs, but I wasn't shivering anymore.
"My love, I would hardly call you stupid." Dorian reached up and placed a warm palm against my cheek, holding my face gently. He smiled at me. "You show an aptitude for learning that you don't see in many peasants. It's charming." A hard snort escaped me, knowing that he meant well despite the compliment going a bit off the rails toward the end. Bull and Blackwall waited patiently with their focus on the hallway.
"Well. Thank you?" I settled graciously with a shrug. "I guess there's a liquid lyrium behind or inside the gemstones… so, waitaminute. The enchantment wouldn't be for light… would it be for movement? Like friction to create light?"
"Good girl." Dorian exclaimed with a pat to my shoulder. "You are correct. From what I understood from our merchants in Minrathous, the gems are infused with lyrium to generate a flow." He ran his hand down the windowpane, the magic through his palm making the gems glow brighter for a second.
"Then there's some amount of lyrium in a pocket behind the gemstones that's shifting around?" I asked curiously with my gaze focused on the mage's hand.
"Yes. When it comes into contact with the gemstones, it's moved, and lyrium is in itself its own source of energy, so it glows. Multiply that over a dozen or so, you achieve this! Ingenious, isn't it?"
"Totally." I breathed, excited at the information. It's like electricity! Taking one source of energy and focusing it into a point to produce a different form of energy. Goddamn. My grin was wide across my face and Dorian smiled at me gently, which gave me pause.
"... what?" I asked, worried.
"You make me remember how much I miss it." He laughed, but there was a tumble in his words that rattled him with sadness. "Teaching Felix these things, or anyone really."
"Oh." I said, unsure of my words. "I — yeah. I'm happy to learn, Dorian."
He smiled for me, "And I am overjoyed to have found you to teach, my love. Onwards, then, before our brutes become impatient." I snorted and pushed away from the wall, letting the moment between us flutter to a close. It was almost unnatural how easily I fell into tune with Dorian and his moods.
"I mean, are any of us eager to be back out in the rain?" My feet brought me back to the center of the hall. Bull naturally slotted himself to my right, on his blind side, and waited. Blackwall's eyes were on Dorian's back as the mage came to my left.
"Fuck no." Bull answered with a chuckle. "This is the first time I've been dry in days."
"Right?" I laughed and started our trek down the hall. "I got moss growing in places better forgotten."
"Lovely." Dorian snorted, amused. "It would explain the odor."
"Bite me, handsome — wait. What was that?" I had seen a brief shadow at the far end of the hallway. My Mark had twitched, but the pulse was faint. We're probably too far for me to pick up on it.
"The rage demon, most likely." Blackwall murmured from the rear. "If it chased the other spirit across the lake, it must've taken up territory by the rift."
"Time to end his patrol early." Bull readied his hammer and rested the head by his shin. With a nod, they followed behind me. The pull and pulse of my Mark grew as we came up toward the end, where the cave took over again and was breaking through in some places, others were left untouched for structural integrity. The rage demon had settled further inside.
Its back was facing us. Without a thought, I reached up and smacked Bull's arm and the Qunari shot forward, his hammer low and swinging up. Dorian swiftly swam past me and readied his staff with a spark of a spell at the end. Blackwall and I flanked our tank and came up on the sides with rapid steps. The rage turned a fraction to find Bull on its heels. Its mouth opened to scream, but Dorian's spell shrieked between all three of us and struck true.
The demon's face reared back with the blow. Bull's hammer swung up to miss the demon's body, reached peak over Bull's head and then dropped with gravity onto the demon's head. There was a crunch and a weird warble as the demon collapsed under the weight of the weapon. Blackwall shot off to the left and I took the right, slamming into the Sloths that had guarded the Rage.
Wicked ice shattered over the tile between my feet and captured the Sloth in an vicious grip. I shoved my shoulder into the Sloth's chest and timed it with a swing of my maul. My heel braced against the shards of ice and I swung my maul over my head, aiming for where the creature's knees would be. It howled in pain and its form shuddered, caught between the magic and my weapon.
The Sloth tried to rise with a hooked claw gripping the handle just under my maul's head. It yanked me forward and I brought my boot up to slam it down into the same place the maul had landed. It jerked away from me, but with my foot planted in its body, I drew the maul back like a nail gun and fired. The weapon broke into the Sloth's face and in a second, the body beneath me burst into green energy, flaring into the air and disappearing.
Bull had roughhoused the Rage away from our fights and cornered the creature up against a broken wall. Blackwall kept his shield up and traded blows with the Sloth, its long arms were just short enough to allow the Warden some cover and strike with a shield bash or two. My gaze caught Dorian behind me and I gestured swiftly to Blackwall, but my feet turned me to Bull.
The Qunari had cleaved his hammer in a one handed swing from his right to catch the demon's ribcage. Roaring, the Rage backhanded the hammer's head and ducked to Bull's blind side. The warrior flowed with the fight and geared his maul for another hit. I was ready for the demon's dodge and dove under Bull's left to come around with a spinning swing. It got the demon in the face and Bull took the opportunity to crush his hammer on the other side of its skull.
The demon burst like a bubble, blinding us with a flash of light as it disappeared. Inexplicably, laughter started to crawl up my throat and I smacked a hand over my mouth to mute it. Bull shook out his head before he noticed me and then tilted his head with a raised eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" He asked, a hint of teasing on his lips. The dilemma struck me of how insane I would sound at explaining a decapitation joke from my world to my Qunari. More secrets for a different time. I waved my hand at him instead, stifling the laugh.
"Nothing, sorry." I grinned at him with an apologetic shrug. "It's — I'll tell you later."
"You know that list keeps growing, right?" Bull teased with a wiggle of his brow. I gave him a snort and shoved past him, laughing as he flicked at my ear again. That's becoming a habit for him. Does he see that? Christ, he's making this too easy. Heat warmed around my heart in my chest, but I clamped down on the affectionate spurt that sputtered to life.
Get the fuck outta there, I scolded it.
"Hey, guys." I caught their attention and I raised my hands in a shrugging question. "Where's the rift?"
"Oh, fuck." Bull swore, glancing around.
"Don't tell me it goes further into the cave." Blackwall sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Holy fuck," I groaned, my shoulders slumping and my eyes rolling up toward the ceiling, "Maker's balls."
"Varric would be so proud." Blackwall chuckled, dropping his hand and adjusting his shield on his arm, his hatchet back in his hand. "You're starting to sound like you are, actually, an adult."
"I am twenty — something." I paused, blinking at him. "How old am I?"
"What?" Blackwall sputtered. "You're not serious, you forgot?"
"Yes." I replied honestly. "I showed up at twenty s — I'm twenty seven?"
"Wait." Bull turned to me in surprise. "You were twenty six when we met. How are you twenty seven?"
"Because… winter. The trial in Val Royeaux, and the Chargers… the horses." I was counting the months in my head, but each event scored another tally mark and quickened my heartbeat. Oh no. How did I forget? How — I lost track of time. "We're in the spring season… My birthday is just before that. Huh." Dorian looked at me with his mouth pinched at the corners and hand tight on his staff. Blackwall dropped his eyes to the ground and sighed.
"Well," Bull slapped me hard on the back, my vision going white for a moment, "remind me when we get home, we'll throw you a party."
I laughed through a cough, "Last time we celebrated something, we had a dragon shit on us."
"Good times." Bull nodded, grinning.
"Yeah, alright." I collected my maul and slung it up to my shoulder. "Let's deal with this hellhole of a place first and then start counting drinks, okay?"
"Aye, Boss."
