What's up everyone. Here is my chapter for you all! Enjoy!
Chapter 14
Walking through the narrow cavern, the group was soon met with an end to the path they followed and found themselves standing near a cliff edge. With the light from the lava illuminating the entire cavern the group moved forward and the soon came face to face with a female redheaded dwarf wearing armour with the House of Branka who was watching them. As the group stopped just in front of her, Harry looked at the area around them and was shocked to see many dead dwarves and Darkspawn lying around scattered throughout the area, but the most being at the mouth of a narrow pathway.
Harry turned back to the dwarf and simply asked. "Paragon Branka?"
"I am her, yes. Let me be blunt with you. After all this time, my tolerance for social grace is fairly limited. That doesn't bother you I hope." The dwarf now known as Branka asked.
Yet before Harry could answer, Oghren cut in. "Branka, is that you?!" He exclaimed. "Well shave my back and call me an elf! By the Stone I barely recognized you."
Here Harry had to bite back a chuckle as he saw the horrified and disgusted visage which turned into indignation and fury, of his wife as she glared daggers at Oghren in cold fury. If looks could kill, Oghren would be six feet under with a hundred arrows sticking out of him like a pincushion.
"Oghren. It figures that you'll eventually find your way here, hopefully you can find your way back more easily." Branka stated in an almost bored tone before turning her attention to the rest of the group. "And who are you to come so far into the Deep Roads? Hired thug of the latest lordling to come looking for me? Or just the only one who doesn't mind Oghren's ale breath."
"Be respectful woman! You're talking to the Gravewalker and his allies the Grey Wardens!" Oghren shouted at his wife.
"Ah, so an important errand boy then. I suppose something serious has happened to Endrin then. Is he dead? He was on the old and wheezy side last I saw of him." Branka commented, uncaring of her former king's passing.
"I am here to recruit the dwarves to fight the Darkspawn. There is a Blight, and if left unchecked and unchallenged then the dwarves of Orzammar would be destroyed." Harry answered.
"A king won't defeat a Blight." Branka stated. "We've had forty generations of kings and lost everything. I don't care if the Assembly puts a drunken monkey on the throne. Because our protector. Our great invention, the thing that once made our armies the envy of the world is lost to the very Darkspawn it should be fighting. The Anvil of the Void. The means by which the ancients forged their armies of golems and held off the first Archdemon ever to rise! It's here, so close I could almost taste." Branka ranted.
"What has this place done to you woman!" Ohgren exclaimed. "I remember a woman who loved the smith work that she did and would never have committed the atrocities that has been done to our House!"
"I will not barter words with you Oghren. Your friend however interests me." Branka said, staring at Harry with this insane glint in her eyes. "The tales that I have heard about you Gravewalker speak of your ability to face impossible odds and still come out on top. I would ask this of you, go forth and find me the Anvil of the Void and in reward I will craft you a crown for the new king." she proposed.
Harry narrowed his eyes at the woman, not trusting her in the slightest. Despite their need for her to help decide who the next king would be, something about her made him wary of her. Was it the fact that she had pretty much allowed her house to be slaughtered like cattle? Perhaps. But there was something else at work here, of that Harry was sure. Some greater power, oppressive and secretive. Hiding in the shadow.
"Well? What say you?" Branka asked, stirring Harry from his thoughts.
"We accept." Harry replied.
"Good. Follow that path and it will lead you to what I assume to be the Anvil of the Void. Be wary though, the many traps littered around have caused me to lose the trail." Branka stated, pointing at the narrow pathway.
Nodding his head, Harry began to lead the group towards the pathway. "Luna. Zevran. I want you to keep an eye out for Branka. I don't trust her and I want to make sure that we are not going to be caught unawares." Harry said quietly to them as they stood in front of the mouth of the narrow passage.
Suddenly there was a roar and from the pathway ran two ogres, heading straight for them. Behind said ogres was a whole company of twenty Darkspawn, all with their weapons raised. Not wanting to waste time, Harry slammed the butt of his staff onto the ground, causing a giant glyph of paralysis to activate under the two ogres and freezing them in place. Quickly using this opportunity Luna fired of two shots of her arrows at one of the ogre's head while Ogren simply threw one of his spare axes at the other Ogre causing the axe to be embedded into its skull. With the two ogres killed, Harry thrust his palm out, ending the glyph and sending the ogres flying back into the Darkspawn behind, crushing some of them.
With the path clear, Sten and Zevran rushed forward and killed any stragglers any left. Once they were done, Harry led the group through the path and soon came into a large cavern. Within said cavern was a large group of Darkspawn and ogres, all fighting against stone and metal golems. The group watched as the golems crushed the Darkspwan with their fists or threw boulders at them. Those not engaged with the Darkspawn went head to head against the ogres as some of them were caught in a deadlock as they tried to gain the upper hand against their opponent. Knowing that with such a large battle going on, the group carefully made their way around the fighting and managed to sneak around the battlefield and into the other side of the cavern.
Upon reaching the other side, the group was ambushed by another group of golems. Slamming the butt of his staff onto the ground, Harry encased all of the golem in ice and proceeded to send out a wave of his magic, shattering all of the golems. With that problem done, Harry and the others proceeded forward.
"You certainly make things much easier Harry." Alistair stated.
"Just because I make things easier, does not mean that I am invincible Alistair." Harry said. "I am just as infallible as anyone else here, perhaps even more so with the power I wield."
"And why do you say that my friend." Zevran asked.
"Because the more power a person has, whether that be political or magic, a higher expectation is set upon them to not abuse that power. After all, power corrupts and absolute power, corrupts absolutely." Harry explained.
"So what you're saying is to always be cautious of power?" Alistair asked.
Harry turned around to face the group and shook his head. "No, power comes in many ways. Some more obvious than others. All I am saying is that, just because you can use the power, does not mean you should. My father once told me that with great power, there must also come great responsibility." Harry stated, staring at each of the others. "Keep yourself in check, and also have others do so as well. Dark and difficult times lie ahead and soon we must all make the decision, between what is right, and what is easy." Harry finished, looking at everyone in their eyes, before turning around walking forwards.
"Did anyone just get a sense of foreboding from Harry?" Alistair asked, glancing at the others and then back at Harry's retreating back.
As everyone managed to pull themselves from their thoughts and continued forwards, Zevran clapped Alistair on the shoulder. "I believe that, my dear Alistair is something for us to think about."
As they continued through the pass, they did not come across anymore golems or Darkspawn. They eventually came into a large cavern. Within the cavern were many outcrops of lyrium jutting out of the ground. To the side was a large stone slab and a the end of the cavern there sat a large anvil surrounded by four pillars, while beyond that was a sheer drop in to a river of lave as seen from the light off of the rocks. Within the cavern were a total of thirteen golems, each different than each other, with some being made of rock while others of metal. However in the middle was a golem larger than the other twelve. Whereas a normal golem would stand at about seven foot, this golem was standing at nine foot with a dull golden colour.
"Greetings stranger. If you have found this place, please pay heed to my tale before continuing forward." The large golem spoke in a deep voice.
"And who are you Mr Golem sir?" Luna asked.
"My name is Caridin, young elf. Many, many centuries ago I was a Paragon to my people. I was known throughout the kingdom for my craftsmanship, but I rose to fame from a single invention." Caridin spoke.
"The Anvil of the Void." Harry said nodding.
"Correct. It gave me the ability to craft a man of steel or stone as flexible as any soldier. This however came at a price, a price I told no one of." Caridin continued. "No mere smith, no matter how skilled they may be, can create life. To create my golems, I had to take a life."
"You murdered people to create golems?" Harry asked, eyes darkening with that thought.
"NO!" Caradin boomed, before calming down. "I only took volunteers, those who wanted to make more of themselves than what they had."
"Does the name Shale mean anything?" Luna asked.
"Shayle still lives!?" Caridin asked, nodding soon after. "Yes I knew Shayle, she was one of the many volunteers from the House of Cadesh. She was the most loyal of all those who I fashioned." Caridin spoke, with a hint of a longing in his voice before shaking his large head.
"What changed?" Alistair asked.
"It was only when I refused to create anymore golems from those that King Valtor forced. It was only when I felt the striking of the hammer from my own apprentices that I learned of the crimes that I had committed and the blood that was on my hands." Caridin explained. "A fitting punishment I suppose. To be trapped by the very thing I created. And so I ask you stranger, help me destroy that which I created, so that no one would ever make the same mistakes I've made."
"Why could you not have done so yourselves?" Harry asked.
"Because I created it, I also built in safety measures. One of those was that no golem could tamper with the Anvil." Caridin answered.
"NO!" A sudden cry came from behind them. Turning around, Harry and the others found that it was Branka. "No I will not allow for you to destroy that which could save our people!"
"Branka you nug-humping fool! Can you not see what you have already lost in search for this Anvil!" Oghren shouted, trying to knock some sense into his wife. "You sacrificed every single one of our house on the hope that you would find the Anvil, and it has turned you into something you are not."
"Look around Oghren." Branka asked. "Is THIS what our empire should look like? A bunch of tunnels filled with Darkspawn and ruins?"
"That does not justify your actions in trying to find the Anvil Branka." Luna stated.
"Branka." Oghren spoke softly. "Come home. Forget the Anvil and just come home." he pleaded.
Branka stared at Oghren for a full minute, her eyes betraying nothing. As Harry looked at Branka hoping that she would listen, he noticed her eyes turned into a cold and calculating stare before snarling. "No Oghren. I will not go back. I will not go with you, a disgusting, drunken pathetic waste of flesh that I never loved and forget the prize that is right in front of me."
Harry did not have to look at Oghren to know that he was devastated. Not only that but also heartbroken, as the very reason he came was to bring his wife home. To know that your own wife hated your guts was not something that he could fathom.
"And as for you GraveWalker." Branka sneered. "Why do you listen to him when your deal was with me? Give me the Anvil and I will give you an army of golems that will save your people from the Darkspawn menace."
Harry was torn on this decision. On one hand, Branka was right in that he had made a deal with her on getting the Anvil, but on the other hand he also knew that doing so would condemn any who became a golem. In many ways creating a golem was a reflection of Blood Magic. Despite the immense power it could give you, the risk of no longer being in control and trapped is something that gave you the power in the first place was something not many people would want. Yet despite this, Harry did not dismiss Brank's statement about an army of golems. Harry in some ways was similar to Loghain, in that they were both pragmatists. They could see the bigger picture, but where Loghain failed was that he believed that everyone would simply fall behind him without question, without consequences.
Harry could see the consequences of the decision of having an army of golems. The past was something to learn from and to not repeat the mistakes. Turning to face Branka, Harry looked down at the mad dwarf with a gleam in her eyes and gave his answer.
"No." He said.
Branaka's eyes narrowed and snarled angrily at him. "Fine! If you will not help me, then I will take it for myself. You're not the only master smith in here Caridin!" She exclaimed as she pulled out a control rod and held it above her head. "To me my golems, destroy Caridin, the Gravewalker and his allies!"
Immediately all twelve of the other golems fell under Branka's control and began to slowly lumber towards the group, prepared to attack. One of them threw a boulder at the group, to which Harry caught it with his magic and sent in flying back to the golem. Unfortunately with that distraction the other golems managed to close in on the group and started to attack the group in close quarters. Caridin was using sheer size to swat away his brethren as if they were flies. Unfortunately two of the metal golems decided to gang up on him and they began an all-out slug fest as each of them staggered from the others blows but did not yield.
Luna had decided to forego her bow and arrow and drew her short sword. While not as strong as someone like Sten, Luna was nimble enough to dodge every one of the golem's strikes and land hits at weak points of the armour. She struck hard and fast, first going at the joints swiping hard. Unfortunately the sword had no effect on the hard rock of the quickly to avoid the swipe to her head, Luna put as much distance as she could from the golem before sheathing her sword and grabbing her bow and arrow.
Sten had charged into the first stone golem that was closest and began to land as many strikes as he could with his full strength, hoping to at least chip away at the stone. With his large size and strength, Sten managed to only break his sword in two, leaving him without a weapon. Sten was suddenly grabbed by the golem and was proceeded to be thrown away like trash. Landing on his back, Sten groaned as he slowly got up and noticed a large Warhammer lying on the ground, well large to a dwarf, but just enough for Sten. Grabbing at the shaft of the weapon, Sten picked the weapon up and ran at the golem bringing the Warhammer up, ready to swing. Once he was close enough, Sten swung the hammer with all his strength and managed to knock the golems head clean off, causing it to sail in the air and land right into a hole.
And that was how the game of golf was invented.
Zevran was having a hard time against his two metal golems as he was constantly on the defence as he had to quickly dodge their attacks. He was quickly running out of stamina, his weapons were not effective and he had no other weapon on him that could affect a golem. Quickly running through his head if he had anything useful, Zevran came across one. Two Freeze Bombs that exploded on contact, freezing all enemies within its radius. As he had only two, he knew he could not miss, despite the fact the the two golems in front of him were huge. Running towards them, Zevran threw one of the bombs ahead of him, hitting the two golems and freezing them entirely in a block of ice. It was at that point when they were frozen did Sten smash the golems into pieces with his hammer.
Oghren was using his axe with all his strength to damage the two metal golems that he was facing. Fortunately, dwarven made weapons were made to last and deal out significant damage to even the toughest of opponents. Ducking under a massive swing from one of the golems, Oghren quickly brought his axe down with all his might and managed to leave a large wound open from where his axe had connected. Using this opportunity, he quickly swung his axe at the chest of the metal golem and left a deep cut into the golem, killing it. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about his other opponent and was thus sent flying when the metal golem picked him up and threw him backwards. Groaning, Oghren stumbled back up and held his axe at the ready as he saw the golem come rushing at him. From the corner of his eye he saw Zevran running towards the golem, holding something in his hand. As the golem got closer, Zevran threw his last Freeze Bomb at the charging golem and, much like his earlier fight with his own golems, was frozen mid charge, giving Oghren the opportunity to smash the frozen golem into pieces.
Alistair meanwhile was fighting against Branka, and he was having a hard time hitting her due to her short stature. More often than not, both of them were either dodging or blocking each other's hits. When Alistair tried to swing his sword at Branka, she managed to catch it with her shield and proceed to try and smash his face with her mace, only for him to use his strength to knock her weapon away. Branka recovered quickly and punched Alistair in the jaw hard enough to daze him. As Branka made a mad grab for her mace, Alistair got his bearing together in time to feel Branka kick him in the knee hard enough to send him to one knee. She quickly capitalised on this and tried to smash his face in only for Alistair to block with his own shield, while he brought his sword above his head and swung it down, to which she caught it with her shield.
Stuck in this position as neither side wanted to give the other an opening, Alistair did not see something that Branka must have from the corner of her eye as she suddenly turned her head and shouted. "The staff! Destroy it!"
Harry was fighting the last six golems, who had decided to surround him. With Branka knowing that he was the most dangerous of the group, he knew that his options were limited as he did nt have the space to cast his spells. His wraith abilities, especially his Wraith Flash, would only stagger the golems, and he did not have the space to do so. Dodging another punch from one of the golems, he was about to cast a Bombarda spell to blast the golem away when his staff was suddenly grabbed from the front end. Looking up, Harry saw that it was another of the golem and unfortunately since the golem's fist was so large, it made wrenching his staff an impossible task. Unfortunately, his ability for a solution for his predicament could not be thought of as he was suddenly punched in the gut hard enough to knock the wind out of him, before being tossed away, losing his grip on the staff as he flew back.
"The staff! Destroy it!" Branka ordered.
Groaning as his body screamed in pain, Harry looked up when he heard Branka shout about his staff. He saw as the golem that had grabbed his staff was now holding at both ends of the staff and was slowly bending through sheer strength. It even managed to somehow slowly bypass the protections of it.
"That's impossible." Harry whispered.
Harry tried to get up, despite his body thinking otherwise, but was able to do so. He reached out with his hand and tried to summon his staff but it did not budge from the golem's grip. Unable to cast his magic with the pain taking up most of his mind, as evident as when he tried to send out a Bombarda and it only fizzling out halfway to his target.
Suddenly the sound of wood snapping could be heard.
I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Remember to leave a review as it helps me with my work. If you have a question, leave it in the review or send me a PM.
And Remember to have an Awesome day!
