The descent was gradual, barely felt.
But they were clearly moving downwards.
Nathaniel was dimly aware of a growing tugging within his chest, a tug that, if he'd paid attention, would have been a fearsome pull.
He didn't though. Instead he let the Architect guide them, next to whom Lynn walked with wide strides, the pair purpose made flesh.
Behind them Sigrun and Justice came, the pair looking hesitant and unsure, heads alternating between looking around themselves in suspicion and eyeing the back of the tall emissary with hostility.
Trailing them Velanna and Nathaniel walked, the former still somewhat supported by the later, her tanned flesh still looking as pale as Lynn's as Nathaniel kept an arm around her waist, the other holding her hand as its arm lay draped over his shoulder.. Nathaniel's panic had settled though. Her eyes are open, she can talk, she's walking...she'll recover. Nathaniel shot a pained look at the back of the Commander and the Architect, at the darkness before them. If she survives...
The only positive thing was that there was no sign of Seranni, the creature having slunk off before Nathaniel and Velanna had even caught up with the others. For what nefarious purpose Nathaniel didn't know, perhaps simply to stay out of the way, but he was grateful for it. She doesn't need to see...to focus on it. He spoke even as he thought the thought, wanting to keep Velanna's attention: "Have you ever seen the Wending woods from the mountains? It's like a dark green patch in the distance...with the different fields and such around the ground looks like a quilt actually, very nice."
"Uh-hu..." Velanna muttered, eyes distant as she stared at the ground a few feet ahead of them, her mouth moved to say something else, but the words didn't really want to come, her throat moving as she swallowed.
Nathaniel's hold on her tightened, how many times he'd done that now he wasn't sure. "I used to go there in winters when I was much younger, would you believe my father loved to climb the mountains when he was younger? I always tried to beat him...heh...we only stopped the journeys after the time I actually beat him." Nathaniel managed a desperate smile. "Such a sore loser that one..."
"Hmmm..." Velanna looked away, her pale hair covering her face as she trembled against him, struggling to stand a little straighter. Good sign? Bad sign? Why won't she look at me...?
"Oh but I still managed to sneak off the next winter. Had a tent, a blanket and some food. Heh...thought I knew all about climbing by then, and that I had come well prepared. Funny how easy it is to forget oil for the lamp, pegs for the tent, an extra blanket, that you need more food then a few days of it..." Nathaniel shook his head in disbelief, a bit too eagerly to be honest. "Of course I knew I would be punished once I came back, so I decided upon the climb anyway. Heh...father's men found me half-dead a hundred feet from the top...boy did he let me have it once they dragged me before him! Always regretted I didn't manage those last feet...would have made it all-"
A finger on his lips, silencing him.
Looking down in surprise he found Velanna smiling weakly through a drape of pale hair. "You're babbling."
"I am? I didn't realise..." To his surprise Nathaniel found his face heat as he licked his lips. "...I just...well...I felt the need to distract you and didn't really know what else to..." She was standing on her own feet now, but held his hand around her waist still as she leant against his shoulder, breath brushing against his lips. "...do..."
A kiss, small and light...and Nathaniel found his knees wobble with relief.
Pulling back Velanna reluctantly pulled his arm off her waist as she straightened, her smile lingering, even with the shadow of pain nearly hidden in her eyes. "Thank you."
Clearing his throat Nathaniel pulled a hand over his forehead and through his hair, collecting himself. Dammit, I don't remember being so easily frazzled before... "Any time my lady, for you, any time..."
And the elf shot him a shy smile, the grief written on her face struggling to endure with the same heat as before...struggling...and losing.
He smiled back.
An annoyed growl from Lynn made them both snap out of the moment. Velanna with a grumble. Nathaniel with a sudden flare of worry as his focus shifted to the danger ahead.
Maker!
With his focus now on the surroundings he felt the horrible pull at his chest, as if there was a hook in him that was attached to a horse, a galloping horse.
It was a miracle he didn't fall over.
The cave was also widening, only slightly, but unmistakable, the slope too increasing, turning into wide stairs leading downwards.
Ahead there was a choir of growls, growls growing as they approached.
Feeling a sudden bout of panic as he realised just what danger they were in Nathaniel shot the two leading them a frightened look. But neither the Architect nor Lynn seemed to react to the growing hatred rolling against them, the pair calmly marching forth, as if they didn't even hear it.
Then there was a growing light ahead, making Nathaniel narrow his eyes as he stared ahead, fear squeezing his hear tightly as his eyes adapted to the light.
The cave ahead was large. Their path opening up into a massive chamber with a ceiling a mile high, circular in shape it was at least half a mile between one end of it to the other. The ground, or what little was visible of it under the black flesh of corruption and armoured boots, was stomped into flat dirt. There was only a single rise in the ground, a corruption-covered rock jutting up at the centre of the chamber, a mere few feet high, a bed. Or a throne.
The chamber was filled with darkspawn, nothing but hurlocks in heavy armour, blades bared and mouths open in growls, revealing dark fangs dripping with hunger. There's thousands of them... Nathaniel swallowed, only walking forward because he didn't feel as if he fully controlled his body any more. We're going to die... He looked over at Velanna, finding the elf looking back at him with her staff in her hands. Her chin was held up, still proud...but there was fear in her eyes. Once I wouldn't have feared dying...I would have accepted it, as something I couldn't change once it came...but now...
He saw Velanna offer a brave smile, the hands around her staff turning white as she held it close...and felt pride swelling within him. Very well, if I must feel fear now at the end because of you...it was a good trade. As if reading his thought she nodded, offering him a small smirk.
At the centre of the chamber their target lay. A broodmother, her filthy growth resting upon the bed of stone black and undulating, her upper body was ghostly white and far more spindly then those they had fought before, almost looking starved, her arms thin bony things ending in black claws, her mouth black lips with a strange vertical wound across them.
And her eyes...blood red and focused on the pair with a mad glint in them, making the dozen tentacles rising from around her body sway and shake.
Yet the group advanced, the closest hurlocks baying at them, lunging where they stood, eyes afire with hatred. We're just going to...?
"Step aside." The Architect's voice was still soft, yet carried a hint of steel in it.
The hurlocks growled, lunged at the emissary soon within their reach, reminding Nathaniel of dogs tugging at their leashes.
The staff in the Architect's hand wasn't raised for anything but for him to support himself on as he continued to walk, not even trying to cast a spell as he came within the creature's reach...
And the darkspawn parted.
Line after line of hurlocks pushed backwards, pressing against their comrades to keep their distance from the Architect as they continued to growl and bay, lunging at their strange kin, yet not attacking. If they were dogs he was the biggest among them...and they feared him too much to do anything but bark in defiance as they moved aside.
And the Warden's followed.
Nathaniel felt his spine tickle as he looked left and right, finding hurlocks all around them as they moved into the sea of filth. All of the creatures were glaring at him in bestial hatred, lunging, growing, baying...yet never crossing that invisible threshold that would bring them too close to the Architect. Their hatred washed over him, but it was an impotent hatred, raging as much at him as of the unseen bars keeping them away from him.
This is madness...
And then they were before the broodmother, the obscene thing looking down at them with a big grin on its black lips. "So the Father returns!" Its voice was shrill and cackling, the madness within it bubbling with each word. "The Mother is pleased!"
"I am not the Father." The emissary replied, a tone of weariness in his tone. "I have told you this many times."
"No matter Father!" The broodmother cackled, head turning left and right, swaying, as if unable to stay still. "You want to stop the song! Yes, yes, the song! We need the song! My children need the song!"
"I did not set you free for you to choose slavery once more..." The Architect muttered, sounding unsure...Nathaniel got the feeling that the darkspawn wasn't so much protesting its choice as he didn't understand it, as if any choice but his own was far too confusing to comprehend. That can't be good... "I am sorry, but you must be destroyed, the old gods must not be awakened."
The cackle from the broodmother rose and fell at that, its upper body twisting, rolling backwards, the massive tentacles sprouting from the ground swaying. "The Father says such things! The Father wants me not to awaken the song! The Father who did it himself!"
Suddenly Lynn, who had stood silent at the exchange, weapons drawn, flinched, her head cocking to the side: "What?"
"You don't know?" The broodmother went still, looking down at the elf with a small grin, a grin widening as its gaze darted to the shifting Architect. "You didn't tell her! Hahahahaha! You didn't tell her!" The cackle rose and fell, the creature's spindly arms coming up in a vain attempt to hold back the mirth. "The Father is such a trickster! Yes, yes...such a trickster!"
There was a hint of worry in the Architect's dry voice: "Mother.."
The broodmother cackle tore at them as she pointed a clawed hand at the emissary. "It was he who awakened the song! He who tried to stop it awakened the song! The song you..." It pointed its clawed finger at Lynn, grinning madly. "...stopped..." And then let the finger return to point at the Architect. "...was his doing!"
Maker...
Lynn turned still, a statue in armour.
And the Mother laughed.
"That revelation was...unfortunate..." The Architect muttered, turning his shaking head towards Lynn as he said: "Another mistake I assure you, I did not intend to start the blight, I am much thankful that you-"
"You..." Lynn's voice was but a whisper, her helmeted head turning slowly to regard the emissary. "...started the blight?"
"I did, it was my intention to free the creature, or kill it if need be..." The Architect bowed its head. "...I failed."
"Failed?" Lynn repeated, the word echoing in the chamber as the growls of the hurlocks around them went silent. "Failed?" She turned towards the emissary, her body shaking. "Failed!"
The Architect took a step back. "Now remember, we have a common goal, let not your kin's emotions get the better of-"
"FAILED!" Lynn's voice broke, the word as much a roar as it was a shriek as her sword swung forth.
With an explosion of green light the Architect's staff snapped in two as the creature moved it forth to block the weapon. A shriek arose from him as dark blood welled from the stump that was his left arm, the limb twitching as it dropped to the ground.
Lynn moved to swing her axe...only for the Architect's right hand to be raised along with a word of power, making him disappear in a cloud of dust and smoke that Lynn's weapon uselessly swung through.
The Mother cackled in amusement, the hurlocks roared in rage.
Neither of which was anything compared to the howl of pain and frustration escaping the Commander.
Then everything happened at once.
The sea of darkspawn around them rushed forth from all sides, only for the first ranks to be tossed back by a circle of fire exploding up from the ground, the flames a dozen feet high and turning the corruption covering the floor into smouldered ash, Velanna's staff already spinning as she moved to cast another spell
Several tentacles shot up from the ground, only for one to be felled like a tree trunk by the swing of a charging Justice, the undead warrior crashing shield first into the lower body of the Mother.
Those tentacles already sprouted rushing forth, swinging down at the group, only for Sigrun to leap upon them like a circus performer before jumping towards the broodmother, her swinging axes almost striking its throat before its clawed hands caught the dwarf by the wrists with a cackle.
A large Alpha hurlock rushing through the flames, swinging a massive broadsword after the running Lynn, only to drop prone as Nathaniel's bow sang, putting an arrow in the gap underneath its horned helmet.
The bulk of the tentacles coming out of the ground went for the running elf...who danced through them as if they were nothing, her darting weapons leaving black blood and torn ligaments in their wake as she leapt forth, her weapons gouging two deep wounds at the base of the broodmother's upper body and down the front of its lower body.
Blood flooded out, pouring over the elf.
And the broodmother cackled even louder, her mouth opening, the vertical slit across her mouth suddenly widening, making her cheeks open like a flower, revealing a wide mouth underneath, exposed to the blackened gums, fangs the size of daggers.
Still cackling she leant forward...and bit into Sigrun's head.
There was a shriek, the dwarf shaking in the broodmother's grip as the claws around her wrists tightened along with the teeth around her helmet.
And then an explosion of gore as Sigrun's body fell to the floor, her severed hands still holding their axes as they dropped next to the body, her neck twitching as the broodmother loudly chewed with a mad grin in its eyes.
Nathaniel felt cold.
"Foul beast!" Justice cried out, using a felled tentacle to leap up at the broodmother, his thrust hitting it in its left armpit, drawing dark blood as the weapon wedged into her torso.
A cough, followed by a cackle, and the broodmother's hand backhanded the spirit warrior across the helmet, sending both warrior and weapon flying back.
Advancing Nathaniel loosed an arrow, taking the creature in the chest, then another, and another.
The creature's cackle never faltered.
Maker it's...
Then Lynn jumped from the broodmother's lower body, her axe a glittering arch...
And the left arm of the broodmother was torn off , making the creature wail and swing wildly about, blood sprouting from the wound.
"Nathaniel!" He spun around, watching Justice stumble to his feet and slam his blade into the gut of an oncoming hurlock as the flames surrounding them died away.
The creature spewed blood into the face of the undead warrior, who pushed the creature off with a swing of his shield...only to be bowled over as the ones following it poured over him like a charging herd, knocking him onto his back, only for him to disappear beneath their stomping feet and swinging weapons.
Then fire, white, searing fire, struck them, like a blow from a giant, sending gutted and burning hurlocks flying.
Velanna's staff swung about...and another shot of white fire escaped the tip of it, smashing aside screaming hurlocks and sending their scorched and torn remains showering the horde closing the gap with them.
With a grunt Justice showed a burnt corpse aside, his movement slow as he picked himself up...
And then he was flying upward.
His hands and legs splayed wide as a tentacle smashed out from the ground and into his back and through his torso, blood flying from the gap and running down the gnarled tentacle.
Velanna howled in hatred, her staff swinging back, frost flowing from it, turning the base of the tentacle into ice.
Nathaniel pulled the string back taut...and his bow's song was accompanied by the crash of the loosed arrow smashing apart the frozen thing, toppling it over.
With a crash the tentacle came down, crashing into the sea of hurlocks around them, drawing cries of hatred and delight from the creatures as they leapt over it, jumping atop the still speared warrior now hidden from sight by the many hurlocks charging at them.
I have to...
Velanna's eyes glowed green as she looked at him, eyes wide, hand pointing over his shoulder: "No! Help her!" Then she turned back, her staff raised...and dozens of thin roots shot out from it, smashing into the charging ranks of the hurlocks, bowling them over where they didn't outright spear them.
Once more spinning around Nathaniel found Lynn struggling within the grip of the broodmother, a thick tentacle tightly wrapped around the Commander's arms and chest, squeezing tightly as it pulled her closer, the red eyes of the Mother glowing with mad glee.
Then Lynn went still, her head was still held high, moving to look at the broodmother pulling her up to its face, but there was no resistance, just...waiting.
With a cackle the broodmother's remaining hand came to grip Lynn's helmet as her mouth opened, fangs dripping with the blood of Sigrun coming closer...
No.
Nathaniel took a step forward, a hand coming to his quiver as he raised his bow.
There was a low crunch as Lynn's armour began to give to the crushing tightness of the tentacle.
Another step forward and Nathaniel had the arrow nocked, the string already being pulled back.
There was a low chuckle from the Mother as she leant forward, the claws of her hand digging holes into the helmet of the still not resisting Lynn, her mouth opening for the bite...
Nathaniel aimed...and the arrow flew.
With a screech or protesting metal the head of the arrow tore along the side of Lynn's helmet, sending sparks flying before pushing past the obstruction...to the nearly blocked target.
With a scream the Mother reared back, dropping Lynn onto the ground as her remaining arm flailed about, clawing madly at the arrow stuck in her left eye. "The song! The sooong!"
Suddenly Nathaniel was flying, the ground under him having exploded as tentacles shot up all around, blindly trashing around, swinging and crashing, smashing charging hurlocks into a pulp, tearing at the ground, one nearly tearing Nathaniel's head off as he barely ducked in time.
Ahead of him Lynn was moving, animated once more, the elf a blur as she leapt upon a tentacle, using it to launch herself at the broodmother, tearing a wide gash across the creature's upper body before landing on the back of its lower body, her weapons swinging wildly, tearing great wounds in the bulbous body.
"No! The song!" The Mother howled, her body swaying as more tentacles shot up, swinging after the darting form of the Commander, smashing into the broodmother's lower body and smashing it open time and time again. "The song!"
Danger!
Nathaniel spun round on instinct, finding Velanna falling onto her back, her skin pale, smoke rising from her body from the intense spellcasting that had torn such great holes in the darkspawn around them.
Holes instantly swallowed as the roaring beasts charged forth...
Impossible to stop...
No!
Nathaniel took a step forth.
And the closest hurlock died, an arrow in its skull.
I will not accept it!
He leapt over a madly swinging tentacle even as his bow sung a second time.
And hurlock towering over the elf fell, the arrow in its shoulder making it spin around, the curved blade in its hand cutting the throat of another that strayed too close.
I will not let it happen!
Two tentacles came at him, in horizontal slashes.
And he jumped between them, rolled with the landing, came up...and sent a third arrow flying, the missile smashing through the breastplate of his target and making the beast stumble back with a gurgle of penetrated lungs.
I will not let hope die!
Three arrows, loosed at the same time, struck three separate targets, sending three clouds of iron dust exploding over the charging beasts...making all around them howl in pain as they clawed at their blinded eyes.
And Nathaniel was next to Velanna, scooping her up, pulling her back.
And falling as the tip of a blindly swinging tentacle clipped his ankle, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
He found his breath knocked out of his chest, found Velanna next to him, her face sweaty and completely exhausted...and sad. "I'm sorry..."
Nathaniel managed a smile. "Don't be."
Then the shadows of the roaring darkspawn fell over them and they found themselves looking up as the monsters swarmed around them, clawing at one another in their eagerness to be the one to land the killing blow.
Life's never fair...
The howl was deafening.
With a great cry the darkspawn dropped their weapons, many falling on their knees as their hands came up to grip their skulls, many ripping great chunks out of them as others dug their claws into themselves...
Blinking Nathaniel and Velanna both rolled over onto their sides to look up and back at the Mother.
The broodmother was trashing wildly, her lower body a gory mess of beaten flesh, her right arm now cut off as well as her upper body swung back and fort in panic.
But she couldn't swing away, not far enough from Lynn. The Commander's axe had been hooked into the broodmother's neck like reins, pulling her ever backwards as Lynn's sword again and again appeared out of the chest of the Mother, sending rivers of blood from the wounds down her torso.
The Mother howled, trying to tear her head free from the grip, only to have the axe come loose with a bloody chunk of her throat, turning the howl into a gurgle.
Then Lynn crashed into her back, the Commander's left arm wrapped itself around the torn throat of the broodmother as her right trust her sword thought the middle of the Mother's chest in an explosion of gore, making the creature jerk and manage a pitiful moan...
A twist of the blade, a crunch...and the broodmother went limp.
And everywhere the howling darkspawn fled.
Nathaniel blinked, disbelieving.
Looking around himself, disbelieving.
At the wide-eyed Velanna, disbelieving.
So much death...and they lived...
Such hopelessness...and they were still there...
Such odds...and hope endured.
He couldn't do anything but shake his head, disbelieving, his voice a mere mutter: "I guess you're right..."
And Velanna smiled.
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The outside was still a wasteland.
But there was an odd...energy to it...Velanna couldn't explain it...but it was as if there was suddenly a potential for life again.
Crouching she put her palm against the ground, her eyes closing momentarily as she felt it...water...deep beneath...welling...growing...washing away the foulness bellow them. With a small smile she sent a small trickle of energy down the palm of her hand...
When she straightened a single flower had sprouted, a mere seedling...but she knew it would blossom...as would the land. All wounds may be healed...
The grief tore at her, but only for a moment, the relief still too strong as she turned to regard Nathaniel. The man was tired, exhausted even, she could see that. Yet there was still life in him, more so then a few hours ago. While his head was bowed in respect before the two graves before him, one with a sword sticking out from the ground, another with a twin set of axes laid upon it...there was an unmistakable little smile on his lips.
Not disrespectful, just relieved, thankful...and Velanna could do nothing but smile at him, a smile the man softly returned in kind.
Lynn stood between them, with them, yet apart.
Her armour was stills whole, save three wide holes torn in the helmet still covering her head, a head slightly inclined as she looked at the flower Velanna had brought to life. There was something...strange with the other elf's stance, arms hanging to the side, shoulders slouching, leaning on one leg...
With a start Velanna realised their Commander was relaxed.
"Commander..." Nathaniel stepped closer to Velanna as he turned to face Lynn, his face serious save the small smile tugging at his lips, he bowed his head at the woman even as his hand came to find Velanna's, holding onto it tightly. "...you've done it...the land of Amaranthine is safe..." The smile turned almost amused for a moment. "...for all that I have disa-" He shook his head, a small laugh bubbling out of him, Velanna found herself grinning, echoing his relief as she squeezed his hand. "...no...just...thank you...you've saved...well...everything that I..." He swallowed, words failing.
Silence.
A comfortable, soothing, silence.
Then Lynn's arms moved up, clicking the clasps to her helmet open.
A small sigh...and she lifted the helmet off.
Her face was even paler then before, ghostly white, making the veins underneath her skin stand out like a blue spider-net.
Some of her hair had fallen out, the rest having turned white and thin, making her look ancient.
And she was smiling.
Velanna blinked.
The smile was nothing but genuine, relieved, calm...at peace. "The threat to Ferelden is over." It was a statement, pure and simple...and the elf's smile widened, her relief palpable. "Finally over."
Neither Nathaniel nor Velanna said anything, they couldn't, there was nothing to say.
A small laugh, coming from a mouth unfamiliar with uttering it, escaped the woman. "Finally over..."
"Yes Commander." Nathaniel spoke softly, eyes strangely curious as they eyed Lynn.
"No, not that..." Lynn's smile spoke of nothing but relief. "...never that again. I have done...all that can be asked of me...I am...at peace."
Velanna found herself smiling. It was true, the elf, for all her haggard look...truly looked at ease.
A step forward, and Lynn put her torn helmet in Nathaniel's hands, the smile never faltering. "Take good care of them..." A smirk. "..Commander Howe."
Nathaniel opened his mouth, hesitated, then nodded. "Yes C...Lynn."
A small laugh. "They're your problem now!"
Nathaniel shot Velanna a confused look, but Velanna could only smile as she kept her gaze upon their former Commander.
A glowing smile met her as Lynn turned her focus to her: "Take care of him..." A moment of hesitation, the elf moving a hand up to her lip, eyes distant for but a moment. Then the smile was back in full force. "...and yourself...always."
Velanna bowed her head. "Always."
Another small laugh bubbled out of Lynn, almost innocent in its awkwardness. "Good!"
The woman turned on her heel...and began to walk away.
Nathaniel couldn't help it, his words calling out, through the comfortable silence: "Where will you go?"
Lynn didn't turn around as she walked, only shrugged as she with another laugh replied: "To peace..."
And the pair could do nothing but hold each other's hands as they watched her head for the sunrise...
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Thanks to Abydos Jackson for her continued and much appreciated support.
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And yes, there will be an epilogue people, two in fact.