Dragon Age: Origins
Levyn
Chapter Eleven – Gwaren, The Unexpected Archer
Somewhere in the Deep Roads
The Scholar paused his movement over the boiling cauldron and glanced sideways. The crease on his forehead deepened. He slowly lowered his arms and stepped down from the stool where he was standing and paced over to the other side of the cavern. The room was illuminated by a huge pool of lava, which swirled and bubbled in the fainting heat, and a large basket full of raw lyrium. The unprocessed minerals hummed with a low vibrating noise, causing anyone near them a migraine before even touching them.
He stopped near one of the stone golem guards near the door, tilted his head up and stared at the hewn stone creature thoughtfully for quite some time, before he began quartering the cave again.
"Something's wrong, my love," the infant voice once again squeaked from the shadows. This time, it trembled slightly, uneasy.
"Indeed," the Scholar grunted. "They have not returned, and I just sensed the gate has just been reopened."
"The Keykeeper has returned." The voice began to shake.
"Do not fear, my love," the Scholar tried to comfort the infant voice. "The defense is strong here. They will not penetrate that easily."
"We need that girl!" the voice once again screeched and started throwing a tantrum. "We need that girl!"
"Hush, my love," said the Scholar in a patient tone. "We still have troops under our command. We can try again."
"Is the girl with the Keykeeper?" queried the infant voice.
"No, I do not sense she's with them," the Scholar replied. "Humph…."
"What are you planning to do, my love?" The voice sounded calmer.
"Do not worry, my sweet dear." The Scholar stopped and came to a halt. "I will cook up something. They will not know what hit them."
"Gladys? Hey, Gladys!" Tabi's voice repeatedly shouted next to the Chasind girl's ears several times to finally got her attention.
"Yes, Tabi?" Gladys blinked, and slowly turned her head away from the empty mug in front of her and toward the Chasind woman's direction. "What is it?"
"Didn't you hear me?" Tabi sighed. The poor girl had been like this since the expedition group departed to the Deep Roads a few days ago. She strongly suspected it was because of Levyn, judging by that kiss they all witnessed in front of Zac's house. Something was definitely going on between these two. "I need you to mind Boo a bit tonight; Jethro and I must patrol the Wall."
"What?" The Chasind girl felt herself frozen from top to toe. "But…. I…."
"It will be fine." Tabi patted Gladys' shoulder, her tone reassuring. "It's been quiet for several days now. I believe tonight will not be much different. Besides, we've already talked this through: Jethro had opened a small hatch in the kitchen, and so you no longer have to exit the house around back. It's hidden under that dirty rug. If there is anything happening, go straight to our underground passage and to the docks. Ser Ciaren's arranged for a ship to wait there."
Ser Ciaren and the Revered Mother had arranged to have a ship harbored at the docks. Should the darkspawn attacked and they could not hold the city, all remaining people would board the ship and head straight to Denerim up north. One of the knights would go with them and report the situation to King Alistair.
"But I'm…" Gladys sounded worried. "You trust I can protect Boo?"
"With our life," replied Tabi sternly. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine, dear."
Gladys had a chest full of questions as she tilted her head, listening to the Chasind logger's wife moving about the house, grabbing things here and there before heading to the door. "Be… be careful out there, Tabi." She didn't ask any of those questions at the end.
"Aren't I always?" The Chasind woman sounded like she was smiling. "Well, see you later, aye?"
Gladys managed to force a smile as she followed the sound of Tabi tugging the door open and stepping out into the alleyway. It had been four days since Levyn had left for the Deep Roads; she felt part of her went with him. She could not sleep well, eat well, or talk sensibly. There were quite a few times when people had to repeat the same thing three times when speaking to her, each time louder than the last, in order to get her attention. Some of them actually thought the taint in her blood was getting worse; the Revered Mother herself actually came to visit her once and expressed the willingness to pray for her. Jethro nearly laughed his socks off when she left the house.
"Oh, by the Spirit of the Forest!" he said as he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. "I know it's not a funny matter, but…oh man, my tummy's killing me!"
She remembered Tabi nearly beat the crap out of the poor Chasind with a cushion, which sent Boo into an excited frenzy, as he thought his mummy and daddy were having a pillow fight.
Despite herself, the corner of her mouth curled up a little.
She finally learned the reason why Levyn left the Tower. And what a terrible reason that was! Yes, she thought, rules were made for people to follow, but they were made by men – surely, they could be bent. Whatever made Levyn decide to use blood magic in the first place, he certainly did not deserve to suffer that much. Gladys' chest tightened whenever she thought about how the poor mage had carried the burden all by himself for all this time. Such a terrible weight! No wonder he could not stand still when telling her these things, no wonder he broke down in tears!
What else had he been carrying? the Chasind girl couldn't help herself from wondering. Was that the sole reason why he stayed distant from everyone he had encountered? If that was the case, what made her so special that he decided to let go and tell her something about his past?
And he let her kiss him.
And he kissed her back.
Gladys' face blushed at the memory. She remembered how Levyn jolted as her lips pressed against his, yet he did not push her away. His features felt surprisingly statuesque and prickled as her fingertips brushed past his face. His lips were soft and gentle. His hands, large, slightly rough but slender and elegant, were surprisingly strong when grasping around her hands. His breath smelled of herbs and red wines.
She found herself drawn to him from the start, and was falling in love with him deeper and faster than she had anticipated. This had never happened to her before. A man, a mage, made her heart leap with joy whenever she heard his voice, and yet, her chest tightened and grasped for more air at the same time. A mage, an apostate, had saved her from the claws of the darkspawn. A mage, a maleficar, which she still found hard to believe, defended her, and the city she was in, more than once, when the sinister creatures tried to take her again. A mage, the nicest man she had ever known, returned her affection.
What did he see in her? She was a Chasind girl with no sight who could not even step out of her bed without a walking stick. She could barely read, or write, and knew nothing about the Chantry Chant. She did not even consider herself beautiful, before or after the darkspawn pawed out her eyes. Why would someone be attracted to her?
The candlelight flickered and made a series of poof sounds. Gladys stood up and approached Boo's bed. From the even breathing that echoed quietly in the corner, the boy was probably sound asleep. She rummaged around the bed a little, found another, larger blanket and covered him up. The little Chasind boy mumbled something inaudible, turned around and went back to the dreamland again. The Chasind girl grinned, gently tucking the coverlet around his neck.
The wind outside started to blow harder, and she reasoned that it was going to be one of those windy nights. Gladys cocked her head sideways, contemplating if she should shut the window, when her chest suddenly tightened. Feeling the familiar heat rush up from her throat, fast and burning, the Chasind girl nearly fell under the table. Hands crunched into fists, she felt the blood rush past her eardrums, throbbing and threatening to burst.
It only meant one thing.
"NO…" Gladys shook her head.
"'Ladys?" Boo stirred. His tiny voice rose from the blanket, sounding half-awake.
The air in the room rapidly turned stale and filled with the stench of rotten meat. The Chasind girl jerked her head toward the door, her ears hearing a gushing sound as it surged from the small gap beneath. She quickly turned around, gathered Boo up in her arms and stumbled to the kitchen door.
Something began to rattle and snarl by the door, the blood throb in her ears beat even faster. Her heart nearly stopped. Several times she almost dropped the Chasind boy. Gladys gritted her teeth, trying her hardest not to scream. The boy, now awoke, wiggled in her arms, trying to see what the commotion was by the main entrance. He waved off her hand and looked over her shoulder. His body went stiff, before trembling like a falling leaf.
It was Boo who screamed first.
The spider, as large as a round dining table, draped from the web-infested ceiling, snarling at Levyn and Lanaya. Its pincers waved angrily toward its prey, threatening to slash their throats. The Dalish Keeper threw her eyes upward and waved her staff. Several purple Arcane Bolts flew from the tip of the Ironbark magic weapon toward the giant creature and slam into them hard. The thing's eight eyes still stared ahead with disbelief as its lifeless body dropped on the ground.
"Nasty little thing!" Lanaya panted.
"Tezpadam!" Zac barked from the front, heaving his battleaxe from a dead spider pinned against the stonewall. "Must have heard the commotion. Heading your way, people!"
Levyn jerked his head around just in time to see the strangest looking four-legged creatures, baring their teeth as they ran toward them. Sparks crackled between his fingers as he shot out several lightening bolts, zapping them into smoking charcoals. Nearby, Wolf sank his greatsword deep into the chest of another large spider, watching with tremendous satisfaction the creature twitched uncontrollably and died. Not very far from the Templar, two Dalish archers knocked their arrows, took aim at the Tezpadams that seemed to spring out of the rocks, and fired in fluid motions. A fireball broke out from Lanaya's hands and shot straight into another wave of Tezpadams ahead, promptly turning them into dust.
"Where… are those… damn…things… coming from?" She muttered.
Only one of Levyn's arcane bolts killed an opponent, before the blood mage switched to the Fireball spell. "Maker's breath, they are everywhere!"
"Haven't you heard of the Tezpadam?" Zac smashed his axe deep into a Tezpadam's skull. " 'A fool trusts his eyes. A wise man fears every rock is a deepstalker.' These are the deepstalkers!"
"So, these are the legendary creepy things?" The blood mage thought he was going to gag. "They certainly look different from the drawings shown in books!"
"Books? Hah!" The Keykeeper laughed. "Humans are unbelievable. How can you put something that you've barely seen on such a thin material? Whoopsie! More coming!"
"Can someone help me get rid of this sodding sticky web?" another Gwarenian dwarf cried. "Ancestors mercy! I hate spiders!"
It took them a while to clear off all the deepstalkers and the spiders in the tunnel. By the time they were done, the area was spattered with blood and unnamed gooey stuff that no one would dare to investigate. They silently cleaned themselves off the best they could before pressing on.
The group approached a huge gate. Giant Paragons were chiseled in fine detail on the stone columns on either side. Several large rocks partially obscured the walkway. Zac glared at the barriers with his bushy brows in knots – he seemed as though he was trying to figure out something from the distant past.
"This is where I laid the explosives last time." His roughened and scarred hands were on the rock boulders, scraping dirt from the burn marks. "Something, or someone, moved it."
"Darkspawn," Wolf spat.
"No, it's something else." The dwarf's heel swept the dusty floor, sending a small cloud of dirt around them. "There is no track mark. Even the cleverest darkspawn would leave tracks, but there is none here. Humph…. I don't like the look of this."
"Neither do we." Levyn grasped his magic staff tighter. "So, which thaig is this?"
"This one was in ruin way before I entered Old Gwaren for the first time. The Shapers in Orzammar probably have records, but I cannot recall it from the top of my head at this point and time." The dwarven weaponsmith shrugged. "Whatever this thaig was, there shouldn't be anybody here right now."
"Well, let's see who's been lock-picking, shall we?" Wolf carefully held up his sword and shield.
They continued on at a slower and more cautious speed. The thaig ruin was covered in spider webs, dust and grime. Most houses' elaborate and well-carved doors were either collapsed or locked up. Broken or empty chests could be see here and there, leaning against the walls of those houses or pillars. Half-burnt torches and blazers could be seen everywhere.
"Hey," Lanaya suddenly pointed out something in the distance, across a stone bridge. "There is light ahead. Someone's there!"
"Weapons up," said Wolf in a low voice.
Several Dalish scouts shot out from the group and went ahead to have a closer look. They returned a few minutes later, and the expression on their faces was the mixture of bewilderment and shock.
"What is it?" asked their keeper. "Is it darkspawn?"
"No, Lanaya." The scout looked very uneasy.
"What's wrong?" The Dalish mage frowned.
"Asha…." The other scout suddenly blurted out in Dalish. Her face went as white as wax. "Asha Vhenan'era!"
Lanaya's face suddenly drained of color. "Setheneran? Andaran Setheneran?"
"No." Fear flickered in their eyes.
"Hello?" Levyn darted his glace between them. "Non-Dalish, arh…. Shemlen here? Anyone care translate what has just been said?"
"They just informed me," Lanaya took a deep breath, "that there was Asha Vhenan'era ahead."
"All right." The blood mage still looked puzzled. "I will take it that has nothing to do with the darkspawn."
"No," the keeper replied.
"So, what is it?" Wolf cast the other end of the bridge a wary look.
"Levyn, I understand the Tower tests the mage by sending them through the Fade at the end of their apprenticeships." Lanaya suddenly looked straight at him.
"Yes, it's called the Harrowing…" Suddenly his face turned white. "We have a itear /i ahead?"
"Doesn't look like it." The Dalish girl's voice was tight. "Which is quite strange."
"How so?" Zac arched his eyebrow.
"Because a Desire Demon cannot be far away from the Fade, alone, in the middle of the thaig ruin!" The Dalish keeper seemed terrified. "Not to mention she was alone with a Templar!"
"Aye?" Wolf's eyes were widened in shock.
"Bewitched." Levyn's fingers tapping his belt. "Bewitched Templars. It's the only explanation for why a Templar would follow a Desire Demon all the way here."
"But why is the Demon here?" asked the Templar.
"That's my concern as well." The blood mage chew his lips thoughtfully. "A Desire Demon will not venture out of the Fade very far. There is definitely a tear not very far from here."
"But where?" asked Lanaya.
"We can… ask her." Levyn shrugged, and cried when he saw the shock on his companion's faces. "What, do you have better idea to detect them, in the darkness and in the middle of nowhere?"
"He's right." Zac glanced over in the direction of the bridge. "We need to ask her."
"But Zac, you have no idea what this Demon is capable of…." Lanaya still seemed worried.
"I don't. Hey, I am a Dwarf." The Keykeeper laughed. "But you two have." He pointed at Levyn and the Dalish keeper.
"Well….I suppose you are right. Come on, we need to do this." Levyn began to walk toward the stone bridge. "Besides, there is only one Demon and two of us. Which side do you think will have better odds?"
Without waiting for Lanaya's reply, he crossed the bridge. Sure enough, by a burning blazer in the middle of what seemed to be the old market square, stood the purple-hued, horned creature. Her hands were wrapped around the neck of the Templar, her full lips were whispering next to his ear, and her body was pressing against his armor tightly.
"The children are outside, my love." The blood mage could hear the Demon as she spoke seductively as he walked near. "Shall we continue what we started this morning?"
To his surprise, the bewitched Templar beamed and giggled wickedly. "You read my mind, my sweet." His hands were stroking the Desire Demon's back gently. The Fade creature purred, her tail twitching with delight. "Now we are all alone…."
Suddenly the Desire Demon paused. Her gaze swept across the square and fixed on the blood mage. Her eyes seemed to narrow slightly, unhappy to be disturbed.
"Damn, someone is at the door again." She pouted. "This happens a lot, doesn't it?"
"Andraste's flaming knickers! It does indeed." The Templar frowned. "Do you want me to get rid of them?"
"Oh, there is no need. It must be the nosey neighbour, trying to borrow some sugar, or vinegar, or something." She kissed the Templar briefly, her deep purple tongue licking his lips. "I will go."
"Are you sure?" asked the bewitched Templar.
"My heart, I will be fine." The Desire Demon released the Templar, then half-turned her head toward Levyn and the expeditionary group. "Besides, you can always come save me if I am in trouble, can't you?"
"Of course, dear." The Templar tilted his head sideway and smiled vacantly.
"You are intruding upon a loving, intimate moment," The Desire Demon glared at them with the corner of her mouth curled upward. Her voice still as sweet as honey, and her lashes flickered like butterflies. "Goodness, here we are, all the way down here, and people still won't leave us alone!"