Hello everyone, here is my second attempt at writing this fanfiction; I was stumped on how to proceed with the original story line so I deleted it to start again. It should be noted that there are some major plot differences between this story and the plot of DA 2:
Story takes place in the 21st century Thedas
Tevinter has taken over all of Thedas. Once independent countries such as Ferelden and Orlais are once again city states of the Imperium.
The Chantry is ruled by Magisters and is kept as a figure head to appease the general public. The rite of tranquility is only done on mages who pose as political threats to the Magisters' power.
Mages are trained to be scientists who are then scouted by various large corporations to work on different projects.
This story will not follow much of the original DA 2 story line
Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing at all (except my character and my imagination) and everything belongs to BioWare. There may also be references to 1984 so that also belongs to George. Orwell
Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Cheers
PS: occasional swearing and violence/gore(just a little) may be encountered
Agamorra put down her pen and stretched her aching back in a feline manner; she had been studying her spellcraft for more than 6 hours now and it was starting to take its toll on her. Four deep bells rang in the background reminding her that, in a few hours, she would be going for an important test created by the Senior Enchanter. Though, what the test entailed she had no idea as she had already passed her harrowing without a problem. What could they possibly want from me?
She stood and walked over to the lone window which lay in the middle of her dorm room. While she watched the cars drive by and the tiny dots of people rushing to and fro, she shook her head contemplating her situation. It felt like only yesterday that her parents had found out she possessed magic and sent her the circle academy, but in reality she had been there for 20 years and now she was one of the youngest educational enchanters in the entire Tevinter kingdom.
Ring…ring…ring, the shrill sound of her phone broke Agamorra out of her stupor, and in a hurry to catch the phone before it went to voice-mail, she tripped over her bags and crashed to the floor. Thankfully she got the call in time. The circle notoriously distrusted its students and faculty regularly calling students at their dorms to test if they were where they were supposed to be. If she had missed the call she would have to spend hours just trying to explain the exact reason for her missing it and hopefully convince the staff that she was adhering to the mandated curfew.
She gasped for breath, "Hello this is Agamorra Liospeth speaking,"
Before Tevinter had taken over all of Thedas, every mage had been forced to take the surname Amell, but since the take-over some things had been slackened, namely rules which concerned mages. Mages now could keep their last names and didn't have to live their whole lives in the circle academy. Though as a concession to the devout Andrastians, each mage was outfitted with a nano chip that gave the templar division of the imperial police access to the mages' constant whereabouts and strict curfew hours were placed on all mages under the age of 30.
"Oh good, I was worried I had called the wrong person," came the tired voice of Wynn. Agamorra rolled her eyes at the old secretary on the other line, "I was told to inform you that senior enchanter Irving has requested your presence in the boardroom.
"Thank you I will go immediately" she hung up the phone and raked her fingers through the thick black curls which covered her head.
Agamorra could not deny the fact that she was nervous, one only met in the boardroom when a serious offense had been committed against the school; that was where students got made tranquil or were transferred to the less savoury circle universities. As she pulled on her dark trousers and dark blue wrap-around high-collared blouse, Agamorra went through her actions she made in last couple of days. Nothing could be used against her; she had taught the young students basic casting and had been working on her thesis paper, nothing illegal.
A quick glance in her mirror made Agamorra frown; she had pale rosy skin and bright azure eyes, though what she really wanted was the beautiful exotic looks that made all the men turn and stare. Her best friend had been graced with high cheek bones and full lips, but Agamorra's face more resembled a porcelain doll's. Pretty in its own right, but common for Ferelden women.
She pulled her curls into a high pony and turned from the mirror. She grabbed her cell phone, her bag and her keys and in less than a minute she was riding in the elevator to the 21st floor of the circle academy, the knots in her stomach getting tighter and tighter.
Four men greeted her when she entered the cavernous room. To her surprise all the tables and chairs had been moved against the walls with only a solitary stool in the middle of the room. She hesitated and this hesitation of hers drew the attention of the first enchanter.
"Ahh… Agamorra I am glad you came, please have a seat." She walked forward and gave a nod to each of the men, it was better to be polite then to be dead. "You must be wondering why I called you up here, yes?"
Agamorra snuck a glance at the other three men. She didn't know any of them, and one definitely seemed to ooze a warped power source. Ah she thought, they must be from Tevinter. Even though all people were now "part of the imperium", each population still viewed themselves as civilians of their previous nation. Though no one openly voiced it, to be considered a citizen of Tevinter was almost as bad as being called a malificar-they were often synonymous as well.
Once she realized that Tevinter mages where in her presence, Agamorra decided right then and there to present herself as more of a malleable pupil, rather that the confident woman she knew she was. She would not be weak in magical abilities, but she would not be too independent or witty, the Tevinters liked it when people bent to their will. So she sat there with a rigid back, but with her hands folded on her lap, and her eyes cast down.
She quickly turned her head towards one of the men when he produced a large kinetic ball in his hands. Irving decided to speak then, "Now, these men here would like to see what your mental stamina and mana reserve is like. I told them already you were skilled," She rolled her eyes, the man had been saying she was skilled since she was seven yet he never gave her challenging jobs, "But they would like tangible proof".
"Yes tangible is what we deal in, not rumours and lies, so young lady…"An old man with grey hair and a long sharp face started to address Agamorra, "Levitate this ball about 12 feet in the air, I want you to keep it at that precise level for as long as you possibly can" his words felt like greasy fingers sliding across her skull. Each sound he made was filled with knowledge and power.
Agamorra looked at the ball and lifted it with her mind, momentarily startled that it caused her more effort than it should have. It must be enchanted, she thought as she bought the ball to the man's desired height. She kept it there and started to wonder why he would make her do such a pointless task, if need be she could do this all day. However about an hour into the exercise the ball seemed to double in weight, but not only that, it seemed to have gained a will of its own. She could feel it resist her magic and every couple of seconds she would get a jolt of extreme force along her brow.
Sweat started to drip down her neck as she clenched her fists in frustration. No one had said she was to battle against the wills of two other mages! She was not sure of course, since she knew if she looked at the other men she would lose concentration and fail, but she suspected that the two men behind the tall old man who had spoken with her were muttering spells against her hold on the ball. Grinding her teeth at the unfairness of her situation, Agamorra pressed on.
The hours dragged by like a slug on the ground, and on several occasions she felt that she could not continue. Her need to excel and to beat every obstacle was the only thing that kept Agamorra going. She would not, could not fail.
A light touch on the shoulder alerted her that someone was speaking to her, "Enough child you may stop."
A sigh she tried to keep in, escaped her mouth as she let the kenetic ball crash to the floor and fizzle out into a hundreds of wisps. A rushing sensation filled her head and she felt dizzy, like the world was tipping to the left. Slow clapping made her look up at the old man across from her, but the head movement caused her nose to drip blood down her lip on onto her hands. Crap, Agamorra thought, I used too much mana!
The sharp-faced man walked up to her, eyed her face and then slowly reached out, using his thumb to drag it across the bottom of her nose. In the process of removing her blood, his fingers somehow grazed her chin and cheeks, making her shiver in revulsion. Agamorra was amazed that such a simple act could make her feel so…violated.
As the man removed his fingers he dropped his hand to his side and took a step back, "My name it Danarius, and I am a Magister from the Tevinter circle. I must say young lady that you showed great skill today and I would like to offer you a scholarship to our most prestigious of colleges; the college of Modern Evolution."
Agamorra just about fell off her seat; the college of Modern Evolution was a branch of the Chantry Academies strictly run by the most knowledgeable and powerful Magisters in all of Tevinter. They were generously funded by rulers from all over to create new medicine and new ways to combat illness.
She couldn't believe her luck, offers like this for a person as young as she were never heard of, but what the man said next blew her mind away, "Of course we are willing to accommodate you through traveling and living."
It took Agamorra less than a second to decide whether to go or not. "I…I would be honoured…when do I have to leave for the Kirkwall campus?" she was nervous and excited; she had never left Ferelden before.
Danarius looked at her and smiled, "We leave tomorrow, you should take the time to pack and prepare. Kirkwall has the…uncanny ability to destroy those who are not prepared for the city." He nodded to the Enchanter and then to her as he made his way out the large wooden doors.
Agamorra wasted no time with idle conversations and raced down to her room. She was unsurprised to see her best friend, Saltina, sitting on her bed reading one of her journals. The dark skinned woman jumped up the moment Agamorra slammed her door open and rushed into her closet.
"It's nice to see you too Morra," said Saltina as she put the book down and leaned on the wall. The old nick name made her smile and Agamorra stopped her crazed packing, jumping up to grab her startled friend by the wrist.
"You won't believe what just happened to me, amannamedDenariusgavemea fullridscholarshipt the-college-of-Modern-Evolution, he is even paying for me to get there."
"WOA-WOA slow down a minute Morra…talk like a normal person." Saltina forced Agamorra down onto her bed, "Who is this man Danarius?"
For a moment Morra's face scrunched up in disgust, flashes of the man's lingering fingers on her face caused her to swallow, "He…He is a Tevinter Magister who tested my abilities and then offered me a spot at his college."
Saltina looked like she had been slapped, "Are you serious, a real Tevinter Magister?"
At Agamorra's nod, her friend's faced paled a little more, "You do realize that those men are dangerous," Saltina stood abruptly, "For Adrastate's sake Morra, they took over our country. How can you be so naive? What school did he offer you a spot at?"
Saltina's harsh question made Agamorra frown, "The colledge of Modern Evolution in Kirkwall" Agamorra winched when Saltina threw her hands in the air.
"WHAT! Suddenly this man from who-knows-where shows up at the Ferelden circle and becomes so amazed with a 22 year old's abilities that he pays for her one way ticket to the most prestigious school in all of Thedas." Saltina sat down on her bed and placed her head in her hands, "tell me you are not seriously considering this, you know as well as I do that the college is also well known for its other…less than legal research as well."
Agamorra left the bed and started to jam her clothing into her duffle bag with more force than necessary, the lights started to flicker in and out as she turned to her friend, "I am NOT being naïve, why can't you this once be happy for me? This is a great opportunity, one that will probably never come again. Do you realize what this could do for my academic position, what insights I could gain and use for my thesis paper? Anyway it's not like Danarius did anything to us!"
Saltina grabbed Agamorra by the arm, "Not like he…I can't believe what you saying! Listen to yourself, you already have some-sort of warped loyalty to the man and you just met him. What is wrong with you? His country men killed all our soldiers, and dismantled our government, replacing it with their depraved sense of diplomacy."
Twisting her arm away from her friend, Agamorra closed her bag, "Watch what you say Saltina, you know that they have Listeners everywhere. Talk like this could get you made tranquil." Her voice had become as light as air as she whispered her warning to her friend. Even though Morra agreed with much of her friend's prejudices against the Imperium, she had seen enough people made tranquil to understand that the threat of the Listeners was not an idle one. Besides, it did not look like Ferelden would be a free country anytime soon, she might as well make best of the situation she was in.
Taking one last look at her sparse room Agamorra picked up her duffle bag, put on her leather jacket and started to walk out her door. I can't leave my best friend like this, we have been through so much together, thought Morra as her steps stilled. Dropping her bag she turned quickly and pulled her petite friend into a fierce hug. They had grown up together, and Morra saw her as the sister she always wanted.
Kissing each cheek of the startled woman she said, "Keep safe my friend, you are the only family I have really ever had." With that she let her friend go and resumed the process of leaving.
"Wait!" came Saltina hasty shout. A small smile crept onto Morra's face as she turned to look at her friend's expression, expecting a guilty and happy face. However that was not what greeted her. Agamorra's smile quickly froze as she took in the thinned lip expression and the harsh glint of her Saltina's hazel eyes.
"If you leave…"Saltina's voice was calm and cold, cutting Morra to the core, "If YOU walk out THAT door today, don't you ever come back! You might as well consider yourself without family, because I won't allow myself to have a traitorous bitch as a sister."
It was a slap in the face and Agamorra held her chest. It was like her family all over again, yet again she was being coldly discarded for her abilities. Only this time it stung so much more than it had before because Saltina had promised to be her friend, her sister in all things. But here she was cutting Agamorra out of her life all because Morra had been given the chance of a lifetime.
"Fine." Was all Morra said as she stiffly turned her back on her friend. If Saltina hated her, then that was what she would have to deal with. Agamorra swore that one day she would come back to Ferelden a stronger mage and a stronger woman, and show just how wrong her friend had been.
Agamorra had often heard from her teachers that the destination was not important; rather how one got to where they were going was the thing that defined a person. As she sat in the plush purple chair at the bottom of the ocean liner headed for Kirkwall, Morra thought she would rather not experience this journey at all. The captain of the boat had assured her that the seas were calm and quiet, but she thought that every tiny wave that rocked the boat was as large as a house. She was never one for water, why swim when it was safer to walk on the hard earth?
"We should not be too far away from Kirkwall, Serrah, I do hope you are thoroughly excited." said Danarius as he flipped through an entertainment magazine.
Agamorra just nodded her head, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would spew all over her new mentor. She watched as Danarius made a face at an article he was reading as he threw the offending paper on the ebony table by his side.
"I can't believe the stupidity of people sometimes." He said in a low menacing voice, which quickly changed when he looked at Agamorra. He pointed at the newspaper, "believe it or not, the Kirkwall Chantry has the audacity to ask the Imperium for help dealing with all the low-lives living in their slums." He took a quick breath, "they state, and I quote 'since the Imperium has taken control of Kikwall they should be prepared to meet the demands of their new citizens.'"
Morra kept her mouth shut and let Danarius continue ranting, it was never wise to talk about politics these days.
"The Chantry has stepped too far, thinking that they still maintain power. The only things they influence are the ignorant fools that follow the church. Even in that, the Imperium keeps a close eye on all those who worship." Danarius fixed his cold gaze on Agamorra again, "tell me something" he leaned in closer to her, "before your country was incorporate into the Imperium, did you believe in Andrastate and her foolish ideas?"
Agamorra lowered her gaze and mumbled, "Of course not, didn't she preach that mages were to be servants rather than independent people?"
She hoped that Danarius had not spotted her lie. Agamorra had been brought up in an orthodox Andrastian family, and even though the Chantry did think lowly of mages, Morra still followed the religion. She thought that the message of Andrastate was pure and that often the Chantry miss interpreted its meaning. When Agamorra had free time at the circle she would sit and pray to Andrastate; the religion brought peace and hope in her life.
Since Tevinter took over, all mages were expected to throw away their beliefs; there was no room for such idle fancies. She had played her roll well, saying all the right things about the Imperium, and swearing that she never once believed in the nonsense that was the Chantry. Yet in her private mind she still prayed for hope and relief from the ever present fear the Listeners posed.
Danarius leaned back again, pleased with Agamorra's denial, "That is good. Charity and piety are far too overrated. Knowledge, power, now that is where true higher understanding lies." After a pause Danarius addressed her again, "Do you know what else is vital to any strong nation, Agamorra?"
"No, what?"
"Fear, my dear girl. If fear can drive a single man to the brink of his abilities, can you imagine what it could make a population do? The possibilities are endless" said Danarius in a dreamy voice.
Stepping off of the boat and on to the shores of Kirkwall was somewhat of an experience for Agamorra. The sights and smells were so foreign to her. She soaked in the yells from the various peddlers, the salty smell of the sea air; she even stared at the children running between men hauling large silver fetch out of the green waters.
However behind the busy atmosphere lay a feeling that made the hairs on the back of Agamorra's neck rise. The once opulent orange and yellow flags that represented Kirkwall were nowhere to be seen. Instead each boat and each high-rise apartment was adorned with a black flag containing a bright red rose in the middle of it. It was the symbol of Tevinter and her Imperium.
A non-descript black car pulled in front of her and Danarius opened the back door for her, motioning her to get inside. As soon as the door closed, the driver had sped off effortlessly joining the throng of early morning cars heading for work. Despite the cosy costal feel of where Agamorra first landed in Kirkwall, it only took a ten minute drive to reach the lower city center. She watched as the children became more and more dirty and less and less fed. It seemed in order to get to where her new school was they had to pass through the city slums.
As if reading her thoughts, Danarius leaned into the driver and asked, "Why have we gone through this way, the University is in Hightown is. It. NOT?" his tone was irritated.
The driver, who wore a black suit and a blank expression said, "Sorry serrah, but highway 10 has been blocked off due to an accident, all traffic is being funnelled through Low Town today.
A grunt was Danarius's only reply as he looked back out the window.
By the time Agamorra was shown to her room and given a basic tour of the Kirkwall campus, she was exhausted both mentally and physically. The minute Danarius had walked into the school, his lab assistant named Hadrianna had taken over the duty of showing Morra her place in the school. The woman's fake smile and pale pretty looks were soon shown to be false by the way she acted towards the janitorial staff. One poor elf had accidentally dumped her bucket of water in the hallway and got a swift kick to her back. Soon after that aggressive display, Hadriana had confessed that the two of them would both be working under Danarius.
What a joy, thought Agamorra.
However she would not be put in the lab until the next evening, after all her transfer paperwork was still unfinished, so she had been given free license to wander around the university grounds. Agamorra pulled off her old outfit and replaced it with tailored white pants and a white button up shirt that had a square neck line and sleeves that went down to her wrists. Finally she put on her white lab coat with the blood- rose insignia of Tevinter on the back. Personally she thought the whole ensemble was a little much, but it was school policy that all faculty and students wore this outfit at all times. The only variation allowed was a skirt or a short top in the summer. It even had a nickname in Kirk wall, she had heard some of the janitorial staff referring to the students as the 'White Coats ' and not once was is said with any reverence.
Despite being tired, Agamorra left her room and walked down the old cobble stone path that led to the city. She watched as the evening sun set the trees on fire with its red glow. Here and there she would see other members of her school dressed in white walking around the campus with books in hand. Not a single one of them acknowledged her, they were so focused in their own little world. When Agamorra spotted a pub across the street she just about let out a whop of joy, Excellent she thought, on days like these a drink is definitely what the doctor ordered.
However her happy mood was destroyed the minute she walked into the Hanged man pub. Every single person in the front room turned and looked at her, mostly with stern or scared expressions. Whispers of white coats and outsider floated in her ears making her uncomfortable. The only noise being heard was that of the radio playing in the background. Agamorra was not to be denied though, so she stood up straighter and marched to the counter and leaned into the bartender.
"Hey could I get a cold beer here please?"
The bartender was a small woman with mousy brown hair, and when she looked at Agamorra she had an icy stare, "Don't you think ya be in the wrong establishment, all those college kids go to the bar on campus" the woman could not have been more unwelcoming.
"Well, I am new here, and I don't see any reason why I can't drink in THIS pub." a silence stretched after Agamorra spoke and then finally a cold beer was slid on the counter towards her. Inclining her head in thanks, Agamorra walked over to an empty table in the corner of the bar, wishing that she could just disappear. Once she unzipped her lab coat and folded it on her lap, she could almost hear a sigh from the people in the bar. Not long after that normal conversation started up once again.
"Well aren't you a tasty treat…" the comment forcing Agamorra to look behind her. A woman dressed in a tight tub top and short brown shorts had pulled up a chair next to Morra. The piercing in the womans's lip caused the low light of the pub to bounce off of it.
"No thanks, not interested" said Agamorra. She thought the woman looked like a prostitute and thus she was probably being propositioned.
"That's a smart choice girl you would probably catch a disease from Isabella…say what is your name." yet another person had pulled up a chair at her table, making Agamorra frown. The man was short, obviously a dwarf, yet he lack a beard. The woman beside her, Isabella, scoffed at the dwarfs comment.
"I don't mean to be rude, but why are you both here?" asked Agamorra.
The dwarf chuckled as he sipped his beer, "Well little lady I just happened to notice your white coat there and wanted to talk to you about the school you go to. As for Isabella, I am guessing she just wanted to have…ah some fun."
"Can't blame a girl for trying," pouted Isabella crossing her arms.
It was strange, what did this man want from her? "What do you want to know?"
"I was just curious, you see, wondering what all those Tevinters are doing in that school. They don't let any of the media in."
Morra started at the man's last words, he was from the press, and judging from his dress, from one of the few free press companies left. Quickly Agamorra threw on her jacket and started to leave her table. Looking around quickly she watched each person trying to determine if any of them where Listeners.
The man, seeing her panic grabbed her arm and pulled Agamorra back into her seat, "There is no need to worry, I have made precautions to insure that none of those Listeners come into the Hanged man."
His assurances did nothing to calm Agamorra, just my luck she thought, my first day in Kirkwall and I get confronted by the free press.!
"Here take this" the dwarf handed her a white business card, "My name is Varric by the way. And all I want is a moment of your time, to swap stories is all." Agamorra frowned, the man probably wanted information on the projects going on at the school. Well he would not be getting it; as soon as she got back to her room she planned on setting the card on fire.
"Think about my offer, and when you want to meet up with me, just let Isabella over here know, she is always here playing Wicked Grace." Morra looked back over at the woman and received a wink.
This time when she made to leave no one tried to stop her, actually no one even looked at her. Maybe Varric was able to control what went on in the pub, but he presented the risk of being made tranquil, and Agamorra would not let that happen to her. The sun was totally gone and she walked back to her room and being surrounded by darkness calmed her somewhat. And once she was safely in her room, the threat of the Listeners was all but forgotten.
Agamorra took her jacket off and looked at the business card in her hand and without a moments hesitation threw in into the garbage can under her desk. A pale envelope caught her attention and she walked over to her bed picking it up gingerly. Her name was printed in a black writing across the top. As she opened the envelope four papers slipped out; they detailed various lab procedures and plans for the experiment she would be starting with Danarius the next day. However the last piece of paper was what caused her earlier unease to triple and made Agamorra feel like a ton of bricks had fallen into her stomach.
In the corner of last page was the picture of a male elf with a shock of dark hair and thick dark eye brows. His experimental code name was Fenris and he was scheduled to be part of the genetic test she would be conducting tomorrow. Agamorra's mouth felt dry as she considered what this final paper was really telling her. Not only was she going to be meddling with blood magic, she was also going to be doing it on live subjects. Questions bombarded her: what were they going to be doing? Was the man even a willing participant? Doubts then started to bloom in her mind like flowers on a spring day.
Walking back over to her desk Agamorra bent down and picked up Varric's business card and reconsidered the man's proposal. Maybe there were things going on at the college that the public should be made aware of.
White walls and sterile silver table tops were the only other things in the lab room besides Agamorra and Hadrianna. Though Agamorra felt that she would have been far happier if she were alone in the cold room, it was better to be alone than the witch who was currently picking at her nails. The two of them had not become any closer since their first encounter.
The low hum of overhead lights made the room feel like one of those places where people were taken to be interrogated, it reminded her of all those spy movies she used to watch at the Circle. The comparison was made even greater when two men in black uniforms escorted a black haired elf into the room. Of course escort might be a polite way to address the aggressive manner in which the man was shoved into the room and strapped down onto the metal table. She saw the male elf shiver and then lay still.
Agamorra knew who the man was, or she at least she knew the code name he had been given was Fenris. She had actually learned a lot from the file folder that had been given to her the other night. This was the man's final experimental treatment; he had been regularly receiving lerium drought potions for the last two month. As she watched the man look at each of them in a calm detached manner, she again had doubts about whether or not he was a willing subject.
"We will start shortly Fenris, I assume you are ready to begin?" asked Danarius. Agamorra started, when had the older man entered the room? Looking up she saw her mentor walk towards the tied down elf in the same outfit she was wearing; white pants with a white lab coat.
Fenris, who had been staring at the ceiling, turned towards denarius, "Do as you wish." His voice was smooth and held a deep timber that was surprisingly regal and powerful for an elf. However the beauty of his voice was lessened by the venomous tone he used with Denarius.
Agamorra was well versed on her roll today, so she walked over to a cupboard and pulled out three syringes filled with antibiotics and painkillers. She walked over to Fenris's left arm and started to clean a small section were his lower arm met the upper part. He flexed as the sterilizing liquid met his skin, and for a brief moment Morra was distracted by the lean muscle exposed to her. Quickly she poked through the elf's tanned skin and pressed in the antibiotics and the next the two syringes worth of painkillers. She checked the elf's eyes, they were watching her; wary and resentful. Why is he so angry? She asked herself while she walked away from the man. Agamorra had heard it herself; the elf had volunteered for the experimental treatment.
"I-I am all done here, would you like me to start to create the serum you wanted?"
Danarius was fixated on Fenris, his eyes wide in excitement, "Yes-yes you know what I need… get to it."
She watched as he waved at her dismissively. Hadrianna sent her a smirk. Because of her rank as newest lab assistant, Agamorra was given the most mundane tasks, which today was brewing the lerium solution needed for the experiment. One last look over her shoulder and Agamorra left the room, a tight feeling coiling around her stomach.
The room where she would be creating the potion was simple and about the size of a closet with a stool in the middle of it facing a built in narrow desk. Pulling a key out of her pocket, Morra opened the locked cabinet at pulled out ten bright-blue veins of raw lerium. She could feel the power ripple through her body despite the fact that she wore protective latex gloves.
I just have to add three quarts water, then purple lily with the…Agamorra went through the list in her head. This was her chance to prove that she was serious about her education, and she would not mess it up by being forgetful.
Bringing up her magic, she focused her will and her mana on the objects in the flask creating a gentle rolling heat that melt the ingredients together. It was late into the night by the time Agamorra finished the amount of potion needed for the experiment. All she wanted to do was sit peacefully on the stool and take a nap, but her instructions had been to return to Danarius once her work was done. She now understood why he had tested her endurance so thoroughly back at the Ferelden circle; no average Joe could survive the amount of mana she had used.
Alright pull yourself together girl, she had to drag her body into an upright position so that she could bring the potion to Danarius. No one else but the three of them had the security pass to get through the metal doors and he had been adamant about keeping it that way. She stumbled past another mage in the hallway until she reached her destination and with a false smile on her now pale face, Agamorra trotted into the clean room with a confident gait.
When she opened the door the iron stench of blood filled her nose.
Holy hell!
What had once been pristine walls was now splattered with garishly red blood. Danarius who was holding a bloody scalpel, looked up at her stricken face and raised a brow as if saying, 'can I help you.'
She couldn't help the way her mouth formed into a shocked "oh", it was not like everyday a mage saw someone hacked to pieces on a metal table. Although hacked might be too strong a definition Agamorra soon found out as she headed toward Fenris's prone body. He was certainly covered in blood, but under the liquid where intricate patterns that swirled naturally with his muscle structure. She followed the lines from his upper chest all the way over his neck to his pointed chin. She took in the man's pale face and trembling lip. Green eyes looked at her with pain, fury, and vulnerability.
She jerked back from her examination, "He..he is awake Danarius!"
"I know serrah, isn't he beautiful?" Agamorra jumped when Danarius put a bloody hand on shoulder and with the other he swept it across the bloody body like he was showing a good for sale.
"He will be magnificent, something this school, nor this country has never seen before." Again the man's eye's held their far away dreamy look. Was it just her or did he also look a little crazy too.
"Give me the flask." Agamorra didn't really have a chance to deny Hadrianna, the woman had somehow reached across the table and grabbed the bottle out her hands before she even blinked.
Slowly ever so slowly, the Witch Bitch, as she liked to refer to Hadrianna as, began to pour the brilliantly blue liquid into the man's cuts causing the skin to hiss and turn an angry red. But the hissing was drowned out by the elf's pure and chilling cry of pain. The hairs on the back of Agamorra's neck stood on end as she beheld the man's agony.
Quickly she turned to grab another needle of pain killer, but was stopped cold when Danarius snatched it away from her. "What do you think you are doing?" he asked in a cool voice.
Morra had a hard time understanding Danarius over the screams, "The subject is awake, he can't possibly live through the pain!" she vigorously pointed to how red the man's face was becoming. His blood pressure must be through the roof.
Danarius poked her in the chest, hard. "You do what I tell you when I tell you." Every other word was accompanied by a sharp poke, "Do you or do you not want my tutelage?"
Agamorra quickly shook her head yes, she had wanted to be the best at everything, to gain knowledge like no other. If that meant locking up her morality for a little while then she would do it.
Danarius smiled, "Good. I need you to draw a casting circle around our subject and then summon a demon for me."
Agamorra couldn't stop herself, "You are using blood magic?" she had tried to make the inquiry sound as cavalier as possible, but she failed. Instead her voice wavered in fear and condemnation.
Again an ice cold stare awaited her when she gained the courage to look her mentor in the face.
Right. Morality out the door.
With shaking hands she took the red chalk from the counter and started the summoning circle. Though she detested blood magic and thought it was evil, since Tevinter had taken over, every mage had to learn its basic components. And calling a daemon was considered one of the basic components.
However learning about it and actually practicing it were two very different things. Mumbling the enchantment under her breath, Morra shivered as thin red tendrils weaved their way up her arms, accessing power from the blood covering the room's surface. At times she swore she could hear whispering voices above the constant screams of the elf.
Agamorra jerked into an upright position, sweat dripping down her back as she dropped the chalk. The other two were busy cutting and pouring and cutting and pouring, to even notice her resolve had dropped.
You wanted this, Agamorra told herself, just think of what you will get in return. Knowledge and lots of it. And this allure was what made her bend down again, pick up the chalk again, and start to summon the demon.
The whispered voices started to become more numerous, and more unintelligible until all that could be heard was a low rumble that had the glass beakers vibrating. The air became hotter and soon it forced not only Agamorra, but Hadrianna and Danarius out of the summoning circle. As soon as they left, hot bubbling flesh oozed out of the floor like blood from a wound. It rose and fire erupted from the creatures back, dripped from the demon's disgusting mouth.
"Rage…" Agamorra muttered in a scared whisper.
Like a bloodhound on the hunt, the rage demon swivelled its head towards her and smiled. It was a slow sensuous thing that made her skin crawl and her fear peaked despite her effort to calm herself. To show fear in the presence of a demon was to ask to be possessed.
Five long hooked flaming fingers shot out towards her face but were soon exploded by a strong force. Behind her she could hear Danarius chanting away in Tevinter, and as he spoke the daemon shrieked, bent in double and exploded all over Agamorra.
Blood dripped off her face and onto her lab coat. She had frozen when she should have been creating an attack to protect herself. However any chastising she was about to do was stopped by a sudden and dramatic spike in her mana and will reserve. She gasped loudly as she felt energy fill her from her toes all the way across her belly where it coiled and sprang into her chest. It made her feel antsy, full of life, and most importantly it made her feel invincible.
Smiling like an idiot, Morra turned to look at Danarius. He stood as he normally did apparently unaffected, but with a knowing smirk, "The first time feels amazing doesn't it?" he asked as he put a hand to his chest. "Can you feel the power buzzing beneath your fingers?"
Oh she could feel it alright; damn she could practically taste the magic flowing in her veins!
"Come, you should expel the power."
When had she started to bounce on her feet? Agamorra wasn't quiet sure, but she was suddenly very very excited to use her magic, more excited the she had ever been.
She watched as Danarius and Hadrianna each put their hands on one side of Fenris's body, motioning her to follow suit. Morra watched as her hands, now shaking with pent up energy, rose and placed themselves softly on either side of the man's head. She smiled despite her earlier wariness of performing blood magic, it was great it made he feel so alive. Casting a glance at her hands she frowned at the now dark red tendrils that swept across her hands and wrist, a side effect of that type of magic. With a shrug she turned her attention back to his face and was captivated by how green the elf's eyes were.
He had stopped screaming while they had harvested the power from the demon, and now he stared into Agamorra's face, silently pleading with her to let him go.
"P..ple..ase" the whisper was so faint that Agamorra had to bend down towards his mouth. "please sttt..opp." She slowly stood back up and regarded the man below her. Her stomach twisted and she had the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was forgetting something important.
Aha! She thought as she smirked, I am supposed to feel fear, and sympathy for this creature. But her revelation was short lived as the power in her body grew greater and greater, singing for some sort of release.
Looking back down at Fenris, Agamorra again shrugged her shoulders at his request. His pleas and his pain meant very little to her at the moment, all she could feel was the overwhelming high of power in her blood. Closing her eyes she let the power rush into Fenris as the others had done and she matched the chant of Danarius. Soon the experiment would be complete.
Bright green eyes flashed behind Agamorra's fluttering eyelids. They haunted her once dead slumber causing a mass of images to swirl in her mind. One after another she saw people she didn't know saying things she could not possibly understand, blood covered every surface and a man's screams filled the air.
And BAM, Morra was sitting upright in her bed sweating and breathing way too fast. She lifted a hand to her chest to slow her heart, but instead felt the sticky remains of gore covering her uniform. Quickly she looked down at herself in horror, what happened? And then it came to her just like that. The once mysterious dreamt images became sharp as she came to understand that they were memories of last night.
She gaged once, twice and then she bent over the side of her bead and heaved her last night's meal on to the floor. The experiment had been horrible, what was I thinking, I should have left the minute they used blood magic.
But even as her revulsion of last night's events crept along her skin, another sensation overpowered it. Total and utter exhaustion, the type that made her bones feel far too heavy for her muscles to lift. Sighing, Agamorra let her curly black hair fall around her in a heap when she fell back into her pillow. She closed her eyes, and the green elf's eyes lashed again.
ffuuuuuck.
The clock on her dresser said four thirty in the morning, and she wouldn't be needed for at least another six hours, but however hard she tried to slumber, Agamorra was unable to fall back to sleep. Stiffly she got out of her bed and stood up, swaying and then fell back to lean against the bed post waiting for the spots to leave her vision.
Bracing her body against the nightstand she heaved herself up yet again and made her way to her bathroom. Her eyes squinted against the start lighting as she turned on the light switch. Once she stepped into the shower it took a couple of minutes for her water to run warm, but she stood there shivering in her nakedness until the water was just right. Agamorra let loose a long sigh as the water beat against her sore body as she turned allowing it to cascade down her back. Her relaxation soon came to an abrupt end when she reached for her soap. Instead of seeing her pale arm reach across the shower, she was greeted with something different.
"Holy SHIT!" she yelled as angry red swirls came into her view.
They went from the base of her wrist all the way up to the crook of her elbow, fading into a dull pink. They were fine and were webbed between her large blue veins. Her breathing, once calm, became laboured and soon she was bracing herself on her knees while she tried to stop hyperventilating.
The water continued to pour down her back but it no longer brought relief, instead the memories of the demons voices from last night drowned out all other sensations. The whispers then started to become less of a memory and more real the longer she thought about them.
A low hum filled her washroom and foreign voices filled her mind, though she knew not what they said, the icy chill that crept up her spin alerted her to the very real danger she was in. Somehow she had started to channel the fade in her fear and daemons had come to taunt her. Standing up abruptly she whipped her black hair back and closed her eyes. As if a switch was flicked, the images and the voices came to a halt.
So the dangers of blood magic are true, it hasn't even been a full week and already demons taunt me, Agamorra thought as she pulled on her white uniform with shaking hands.