Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age, that's owned by Bioware and they are the most amazing people and gaming developer ever.
Trudging along the dark caves was a difficult task for Carver. He was starting to feel woozy after half an hour had passed since they started heading to the surface. Stroud and Ike had to stop once in a while to let Carver recover some of his strength before they began walking. They gave him more of the disgusting poultice and a lesser stamina draught to keep him moving at a steady pace. Once he wasn't seeing double they continued their way out.
It was quiet the whole time; the two Wardens often spoke to each other about how they were going to keep Carver alive until they reached Vigil's Keep. Carver only half listened to their conversation because his mind was in another place. He kept thinking about his farewell to his brother. It didn't completely sink in; the thought of never seeing his brother again. He remembered feeling like that when he enlisted in King Cailan's army in Ostagar during the Blight.
He also thought about the rest of the "band of misfits"-what his brother liked to call them. Aveline, now Captain of the Guard, had threatened both Carver and Garrett to behave with each other in the Deep Roads since she wasn't there to watch over them. "Or else" she warned them in her authoritative voice. The two of them knew better than to question her after all the times they had prodded her. Isabella had made them promise that if they returned with enough riches they would buy her an exquisite boat and she would "show gratitude" when they returned. This caused Carver to feel flustered and slightly disturbed since he knew what she was talking about. Isabella kissed him in the cheek, seeing his embarrassed expression and gave him a teasing wink before sauntering away from him.
The broody elf-excuse him- Fenris came as well, albeit awkwardly and trying not show his disapproval of the expedition because Fenris agreed to help them as repayment for helping him confront his old master, Danarius, whom he ran away from in Tevinter. Carver tolerated Fenris, shockingly, even though there were some things they disagreed on. It surprised, and amused, both Carver and Garrett to see Fenris stumbling through words as he wished them both luck and success.
Merill said her farewells to him and told him that she'll be praying for Minrall or Mythal, something among the lines of it, to watch over him and his brother. He may not know much about Dalish history but he could tell that Merill was worried for him-correction him and his brother- and her sincerity made him feel light. That feeling expanded when her tiny arms circled around his chest in an embrace. It wasn't a secret that he came to grow feelings for the sweet, bumbling Dalish elf. If he had known that it was the last time he'd seen her…well, there was no point in thinking like that.
It wouldn't be much of a farewell without his mother trying to hold back sobs as she wrapped him in a tight embrace. His mother never approved of him going into the Deep Roads and it was a constant argument since he and Garrett signed up for the expedition.
'This is too dangerous, you could get killed!'
"Mother, I was in Ostagar. Ostagar! What will a few dark tunnels do to me?"
"It's worse that my eldest is already going there. Do you know how this pains me to know you want to go as well?"
"This expedition could change things! We can leave this damned hovel and get away from that bastard Gamlen!"
"You and your brother have done so much already; you don't have to keep sacrificing for our family! Once we get the estate back-"
"Oh yes, the 'great' Amell estate! Those greedy nobles won't just give it to you! You need money and status to have it back. You want the estate so badly; the expedition is the only way."
"There's got to be another way, something that doesn't involve you two risking your lives! We already lost Bethany to the darkspawn; I don't want to find out that my sons died down there the same way."
"Mother…"
"Carver, I'm begging you. Please, don't go…"
"I can't stay here and do nothing. I'm going, mother, and that's that…"
When their group departed to the nearest entrance of the Deep Roads he never thought that it would be the last time he'd see everyone. Now he wasn't sure if he'll ever see them again.
"We're getting close to the surface," Ike's deep voice reached his ears and broke his train of thought. He nodded his head absentmindedly as he looked ahead of the path. He saw wisps of sunlight the more they moved and that made him feel relieved. How long ago was it since they left the surface? A fortnight ago, maybe more? Whatever it was, it felt like an eternity to him.
Carver turned his head to Ike and asked, "What's going to happen next?" His voice sounded hoarse and he winced inwardly from the prickle of pain in his throat.
"We're going to plan our next moves with the rest of our squad," Ike explained, keeping his squinted eyes forward. "Jayden should be informing them, for the most part. Then we wait for Stroud to give out the orders."
Carver furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "And what about me?" he asked.
Ike glanced at from the corner of his eyes, "We can't make you a Grey Warden yet." Before Carver got the chance to open his mouth, Ike cut him off. "You have to go through the Joining but we can't perform it here. You need to be in Vigil's Keep with the Warden-Commander's presence."
"Wait, isn't Vigil's Keep in Amaranthine?" he asked, remembering the woman, Sophia he believed, who asked him and his brother to find any Amaranthine noblemen plotting against the Warden-Commander. "That's a long way to go…" His voice wavered slightly. It's been five days since he was tainted, he would be dead before they could ever reach him there.
Ike apparently heard the panic in his tone and quietly assured him, "It is quite a journey but Stroud and I have an idea to get there faster. A shortcut, if you will."
Carver wasn't reassured by this but he kept his mouth shut before he said anything. A few minutes passed by until they finally stepped out of the tunnel. Carver winced as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. He blinked rapidly and his vision came to. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the wind caressed his face. He felt like he hadn't seen the outside world in years. Although the sun was only a few hours away from setting, it was comforting to see the cerulean sky above him again.
They began to move again, walking carefully down a steep hill. Carver saw six pitched tents; forming a circle at the bottom of the hill. They were surrounded by thick trees to keep them from sight. There was a fire pit right in the middle but it wasn't lit yet. Carver saw a small figure sitting near the fire pit holding something but he couldn't make it out. Once they enter the camp, Stroud called out for Jayden.
There wasn't any response for a moment until a cheery voice filled the air, "About time!" There was a rustling noise within one of the trees and before Carver knew it Jayden jumped down from a tree and landed gracefully in front of him. He still had his bow strapped on and a moronic grin on his face.
"Took the scenic route, did ya?" Jayden asked in a sarcastic tone as he crossed his arms together. Carver rolled his eyes; Jayden reminded him of his brother and if he's anything like Garrett, he wondered how long he'd be able to stand Jayden.
"Have you informed everyone?" Stroud asked, completely ignoring Jayden's question. Jayden sighed dramatically and nodded his head in response. "Good."
Jayden turned towards Carver and smiled encouragingly at him, "Cora's got something whipped up for you. I'm supposed to take you to her once you arrived."
Carver raised his eyebrow and stared at Jayden warily, "And what is it exactly?"
"It's something to suppress the taint in you, in a way. I won't go into much detail since it's too long and too complicated," Jayden answered as he rolled his eyes. "Cora likes to go overboard with facts and details. I'm afraid you'll learn it the hard way."
"If you are done, Jayden," Ike interrupted with a hint of a smile, "You should do as you were told; lest you want to anger her."
Jayden scoffed, "It doesn't matter; it wouldn't be the first time. Besides, I love seeing her all flustered in anger." With that, Stroud and Ike passed Carver over to Jayden to carry. Jayden had placed his bow near a tent, presumably his, so that he could support Carver better. After a few adjustments and shifting, Jayden had a hold on Carver. "What are you two going to do?" Jayden asked.
"We will be going over a few things and plan our next move before we head out," Stroud answered promptly, "Make sure that he's taken care of." Jayden nodded his head without a word and started help Carver move forward.
They passed by the small figure who sat near an unlit fire pit. Upon close inspection the small figure was actually a dwarf. On an even closer inspection the dwarf was a woman. She was polishing her dark brown maul with a piece of cloth and didn't seem to notice them as they passed by. She blew a piece of her sandy blond hair out of her eyes and turned her gaze at them. Carver's eyes met with her wide brown eyes who stared back curiously. Her hair was in two low ponytails and her short messy hair framed her young face. She had a tattoo on her left cheek- one being a half rectangular, a long rectangle beneath the first, and a small rectangle below the second one- and two square tattoos on each eyebrow. There was a tiny smile on her lips and she nodded her head in greetings.
Jayden threw her a wink to which the dwarf rolled her eyes. Jayden laughed softly and called out to her, "You can't resist me forever!" The dwarf continued to polish her maul and ignored the inane prodding of the cheerful Warden.
Carver looked at Jayden and raised an eyebrow, "I'm almost afraid of asking."
Jayden chuckle, "That's Nurren; she doesn't want to admit she has feelings for me but I'm a patient person. Soon though, very soon." Carver couldn't tell if Jayden was joking or telling the truth. He put it out is mind, coming to a conclusion that he didn't even care to find out.
They stopped outside of a tent and Jayden used his free hand to tap on the flap. There was some movement from inside and a short woman came out of the tent. It didn't take Carver long enough to notice the long pointy ears sticking out of her long dark auburn hair. She flashed a smiled at Jayden then looked at Carver with her hazel eyes. She looked only a year or two older than Carver but her eyes told a different story.
Her worried expression surprised Carver and spoke out quietly, "You must be Carver, correct?" When he nodded his head in response she gave him a small smile, "Greetings, my name's Kallian Tabris."
Carver noticed that she was wearing a medium armor, which made her appear smaller than she truly seemed. She didn't have a weapon on her but the empty sheath on her side told that she wielded a sword. Kallian stepped to the side to let Jayden and Carver enter the tent. It was a small tent but it was slightly spacious on the inside. Kallian came in last and helped Jayden with setting Carver on the floor.
A blonde curly haired girl was sitting on her knees and had her back turned to them. She also wore a medium armor and Carver could see a strange looking sword lying on the floor next to her. Carver saw numerous books scattered around and there were also a couple of vials filled with different colored liquid inside each of them. She turned around and her stormy grey eyes were staring intently at the flask of light green liquid in her hands. Despite her eyebrows furrowed deeply in concentration she couldn't be any older than him.
"Is it supposed to look like that?" Jayden joked; a small smirk appeared on his face. The girl answered Jayden with a heated glare before moving closer to Carver.
Kallian jabbed her elbow at Jayden's side and said, "Leave Cora alone. You know that she does her best in herbalism." Jayden yelped in pain and rubbed his side with his hand. He pouted at Kallian but she merely rolled her eyes at him.
Carver watched her cautiously as she got near him then looked at the weird whatever it was in her hands then back to her. The girl, Cora, finally looked at him in the eye and bore no expression on her face. Her unmoving gaze was making Carver slightly nervous but he didn't want to show that he was intimidated by her so he stared back. Cora didn't do anything until she held out the flask to him and in a blunt tone said, "Drink it."
Carver raised an eye brow at her, "What?" he asked.
Cora nudged the flask closer to him and repeated, "Drink it. It's to immobilize the taint from spreading. I suggest you drink this now before you turn into a ghoul and all the trouble to keep you alive would've been in vain."
Carver glared at her, he didn't appreciate the last comment she made. "Well I'm sorry for 'all the trouble' I gave you," he replied sarcastically, "Next time a darkspawn comes running up to me, I'll just ask for it to slay me quickly. Make it fair and easy for everyone." He didn't know why he suddenly flared at her but after everything he's been through the past couple of days it seemed everything bothered him.
Cora glared back at him and she held the flask tighter. Carver saw her bite her lower lip in anger before she said, "If this is the kind of gratitude you show to those who help you, then I see no reason to give you the only thing that'll keep you alive."
They both continued to glare at each other, never breaking eye contact. Carver was holding back an insult but he was starting to lose his patience. A cough broke them off of their staring contest and both turned to Jayden who made the sound. Jayden scratched the back of his head nervously and looked at Kallian with pleading eyes. Kallian sighed and turned to face Carver and Cora.
"Cora, he didn't mean that," she said in a soothing tone, which surprised Carver who was used to hearing the harsh, cold elves in Kirkwall or those with a Dalish accent. Kallian continued, "The poor boy has been in the Deep Roads for far too long. Plus with the taint he must be exhausted. Give him the antidote and he'll feel better? Right, Carver?"
Kallian looked at him with eyes that said 'Agree with me or so help me…' Carver looked away from Kallian and stared at the floor. He was embarrassed and also annoyed at this point that he didn't bother to argue. He nodded his head and muttered, "Yes."
He didn't look up to see Cora's face. He saw her tapping her finger against the flask until she sighed in defeat. "My apologies," she said although it didn't sound sincere enough. She handed the flask again to Carver and said, "This will help you. The Warden-Commander herself made it and gave it to all mage Wardens to make."
Carver looked at Cora with a puzzled look, "You're a mage? You don't look like one."
Cora's lips twitched and answered coolly, "And what does one look like? Wearing intricate robes, bearing enchanting staffs, and lighting shooting out of their eyes? Maybe I should go around wearing a pointy hat?"
Carver hated to admit but he found that what Cora said was funny. Instead he smirked and grabbed the flask from her hands. He looked down and grimaced at the familiar revolting smell coming from the flask. He glanced back at Cora and asked, "Are you sure this will work?"
Cora rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes, yes! Now drink already." Carver huffed at her command and chugged the antidote to stop him from saying something rude. The taste was too strong and too disgusting and he started to choke. He made an effort to swallow and forced himself to not empty his stomach.
Jayden patted Carver's back and said, "If it helps, that's not the most repulsive drink that she's made. Trust me on this." A book was thrown at Jayden's head and he flew backwards. His groan was muffled by the book on his face and made no move to sit up. Kallian laughed softly and patted Jayden's stomach sympathetically while Cora had her arms crossed together and glared at Jayden. Carver couldn't help but to smile at the three Wardens, thinking that they were not such bad company.
There were footsteps approaching the tent and a tap alerted them of their presences. Ike poked his head inside and surveyed the scene in front of him. He glanced at the fallen Jayden and shook his head disapprovingly. He looked at the three of them and said, "Stroud is ready to make his announcement. If you are done tending to Carver, he wants you out here now."
Kallian and Cora nodded their head in understanding while Jayden gave a thumbs up. Ike looked at Carver and said, "Stroud understands if you want to rest for a while. We can brief you once you have recovered your strength."
Cora shook her head, "I don't think he should rest. The antidote won't start working quickly and he might not wake up."
"What?" Carver asked but he was ignored.
Ike nodded his head, "Very well then. Carver, you're welcome to join us if you are well."
Carver looked at each face inside of the tent (excluding Jayden's who was still covered by the book) and faced Ike with a determined face. "I am."
A/N: Woo! Second chapter over and done with! I hope you enjoyed this and I'll try to update more frequently. Reviews are appreciated and thank you to those who review and all the jazz. Bye!