A massive, blood red river of magma ran beside Asleena. She stood beside the charred bank, feeling the heat suffuse her body. A giant of such huge proportions obscured her view so that she could not truly guess what it was. It swung an enormous head down to her level. Its teeth were as long as Asleena's arm was and its eye was purple, knowing. It roared so loudly that Asleena was sure she would be deaf after this encounter. It lifted a taloned paw and caught her up in its claws, even as she tried to run. The sharp edges of its scales dug into her as she struggled against its oppressive foot.
Warden… it thought inside her head. Then Asleena saw and felt only what this purple beast saw and felt. A burning hatred, hotter and more intense than the magma river beside them, directed at the Wardens she so loathed. She smelt blood on the air, giving her a perverted pleasure. She saw a sky, black and starless. She realised she was underground. The stale air burned her lungs. She wanted the fresh air of the surface. She was going to come, and destroy all in her path. She was in her own body again. The thing brought her closer to its maw, spewing forth blue flame and closing its teeth around her vulnerable body, yet she felt no pain. As blood seeped into her lungs, she realised what the colossus was.
A dragon.
"Wake child. We have need of you." Duncan's voice roused Asleena. She was back in Ostagar. She truly didn't understand what was happening; she saw only the dragon and heard only its roar of fury. She took a pendant filled with blood from Alistair with numb hands. Then both men departed, leaving her unsure of what to do. She looked around her. The fortress was hushed, as if sensing the upcoming battle. Beautiful white ruins surrounded her. Green grass and star spangled sky. It would have been a perfect, tranquil scene were it not for the sense of awareness and tenseness that hung in the air like a bad smell.
Seeing Duncan beckoning, she walked over to a long wooden table, where stood the King, his General- Logan…Loghain…something like that- and Duncan. The men were participating in heated conversation, it so appeared, and Asleena approached them cautiously, aware of the shouting match being battled before her. It was almost as vicious as the Darkspawn in the Korcari Wilds had been, yet less savage.
"What? I won't be in the battle?" Alistair demanded of her when she came to tell him what their orders were. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. This was so not what she needed right now.
"Alistair, we've got no choice, so suck it up. Orders are orders." She snapped when he attempted to disobey. He jumped away from her, stung, not used to her temper being so short. He looked at her as if she had just eaten his pet nug and she sighed again.
"Okay, I'm sorry," he grunted in response, but ceased talking. She spun on her heel and marched toward the bridge that led to the Tower of Ishal, Alistair following only grudgingly.
When the pair arrived at the precarious bridge, the battle had already begun. Massive balls of flame were hurled at the soldiers on the bridge, blowing ballistae to pieces and killing men. A stray fireball thwacked Asleena, and she went flying, whacking her back into the other side of the stone bridge. Arrows rained down upon her, but she was too dizzy and disoriented to do anything to stop them.
Failing already… she thought. No, I refuse to fail. I will fight for my people and I will do what I must to bring an end to this destruction.
Alistair slid along the brickwork to land beside her, quickly hefting his shield above the both of them so that neither would be killed by wicked, twisted, black arrows.
Alistair was acutely aware of how close she was to him and the heaving of her chest as she attempted to regain her breath. Not that he was looking at her chest-
Maker.
All too soon, she was up and running again and the two of them made their way toward the other side. Asleena and Alistair fought genlocks and hurlocks, until they were met by a mage and a knight.
"You two! You're Grey Wardens, aren't you?" and so the two became four. Asleena was still not as good as she desired to be, and more than once she had fallen in battle, but Alistair had always managed to heal her wounds. Asleena honed her spells and fighting style until she was satisfied it would be more effective against the Darkspawn.
I don't like staves. Never have. I might try a sword… later, perhaps, she thought as once again, the oversized wand failed her and she was forced to stab a hurlock through the gut. The enchanted wood was stained with gore and she realised with some sadness that it would never be the same again.
They battled their way through countless Darkspawn until they found the door to the Tower of Ishal, but it was being guarded by a vicious looking emissary. The four danced around it, stabbing and blocking and casting and parrying. The first knight fell and the two mages were not far behind. Gritting his teeth, Alistair performed a Holy Smite. Asleena cried out as her body was drained of mana and left her depleted, without any energy left.
"You… you're a templar!" She gasped to Alistair as she fled from the fight, next to useless that close and without magic. He stabbed the emissary a final time and it convulsed once and was still.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, perfect face white even in the torchlight.
"I was afraid you wouldn't trust me," he responded. "He kicked himself mentally at her crestfallen face. "No time for talking now, we've got to light that beacon!" He said, shoving open the metal door and entering without so much as a backward glance. Biting back a frustrated tear, Asleena revived the rest of the party and slipped through the narrow crack in the doors to follow her fellow Warden.
Asleena entered the shadowy tower, flicking suspicious eyes from side to side, evaluating what she saw. There was a fire in the middle of the chamber they stood in, built from broken chests barrels and other useless debris. Alistair was already making his way around the circular room, sticking the wall, in shadow. Asleena was dimly aware of some similarity between this and the Circle Tower, giving her a strange comfort though she was in great peril. Together, the group slew more Darkspawn than she could count, making their way up the levels. On the second level, Asleena set loose a pack of mabari, and for the rest of the level, they followed her around, fighting with a cold efficiency, no mercy given. On the third level, Alistair revealed some more Templar talents, and Asleena learnt not to care what he was doing, to focus on her battles. Torchlight was the only illumination in the dank tower, casting eerie shadows onto every surface. After a long while fighting from room to room, looting corpses and gathering treasures, the party arrived at the final level.
Oh maker, Asleena thought with horror. The beast in front of her was large, about 3 Alistairs high and vicious. It had horns like wicked scythes and teeth that she knew could be more deadly than any jagged sword. It looked up from the corpse it was devouring, armour and all, and roared its displeasure at its meal being interrupted. The sound left Asleena's head ringing and disoriented. The 2 warriors converged upon the beast, drawing weapons and pouncing. Asleena and the other mage cast spells from a distance. The warrior soldier fell quickly, before Asleena could cast a spell of healing.
One down, three to go, she thought grimly. Alistair continued his furious pace of slashing, injuring the ogre but not wounding it terminally. Roaring in victory, in having killed one of its foes, the ogre charged at the two mages. The other mage fell as well, leaving Alistair and Asleena to butcher the thing alone. Alistair was a glorious warrior, in the prime of his strength but even he was felled before the end. Asleena stared at the unconscious people on the ground, cursing them for leaving her to battle it out by herself. The ogre lowered its head and charged at her. Its horns pierced her robes and cut into her vulnerable flesh. She hissed and cast a spell of healing, wincing as she stood up while her magic knit her flesh back together. She cast winter's grasp on the thing, smiling with triumph as it froze into a block. Before she could do much damage, it broke out of its ice casing and picked her up in a grizzled hand. It lifted her to his maw and bellowed, leaving stars swimming before her eyes. Barely able to move to cast a spell, Asleena exhausted the last of her lyrium on a stonefist. The ogre was down, not quite dead though. He dropped her and roared in pain. She dizzily got up and ran to the other side of the chamber before it could recover.
Where's my staff? She wondered. It was gone from her hand and holster. This is not good… she whimpered as it approached, anger flaming in its soulless eyes. Her hands flew to her utility belt, desperate hands searching for lyrium potions. She found none. Her mana regenerated little by little, until she had enough to cast an arcane bolt. The ogre was almost upon her now. She cast. She prayed. She closed her eyes, waiting to get her jugular torn open. Then she opened them. The ogre had snapped her staff. It was breathing heavily on the ground, gasping for air that would not come. In a final burst of strength, it started to heave itself up. She gazed, fear dawning on her features as it tried to lift its head.
"Asleena," a weak voice croaked. "Here…" suddenly, Alistair tossed her his sword, hilt first. His aim was off as he was on the ground, dizzy and fading into unconsciousness. She caught it with difficulty, tiny mageling body unaccustomed to holding such weights. With a battle cry worthy of the ogre itself, she brought the blade down into the ogre's chest. Relief flood through Alistair as she healed him. He pushed himself upright, and helped the other two to their feet as well. They had not contributed much to any conversation, and had been next to useless in battle, but still, Alistair was glad of their company if it meant he would not have to be alone with Asleena, who looked at him as though he had betrayed her somehow.
"Now, we have to light that beacon." He said. Prying a torch from its bracket, Asleena held it to the kindling, setting the beacon alight. All of a sudden, before anyone could do anything, the doors to the room were thrown open, and they were overrun with Darkspawn. They swarmed around her, arrows striking her chest before she could as much as whimper,
"Help." Her vision flickered and she sank to the ground. She saw Alistair and the other two falling with her, arrows protruding from various places in their bodies. She stared at the arrows in disbelief. As she sank into blissful oblivion, she saw a massive bird descend upon the tower. Then she knew no more.
Thank you faithful readers and reviewers. I love you all! Red roses of Awesomeness to all reviewers. I was planning on making the Tower of Ishal a separate chapter, but I found I didn't have much to say about it. ^_^ Tell me what you want to happen in coming chapters. Review! PS. Zoe Whiteraven, ILY! Thank you for awesome reviews.