Okay, so this is chapter 2. In case you don't know what the chapter title means... look it up. I hope you enjoy it!~
Chapter 2: Adumbration
How did he wind up like this?
Anders had nearly gotten out of Ferelden, being that he was so close to Amaranthine, and thus a ticket out of this Maker-forsaken Blight land. Instead, he's trudging along behind a Grey Warden who just got beat up by a talking darkspawn, a dwarf with a drinking problem, a deepstalker and a woman who looked like she'd spent every day of her life day dreaming about the Wardens. At least the woman was cute.
I should run. Anders kept saying in his head, over and over again. He had a chance after the templars and darkspawn that held him captive were dead, but he wasted it. Why did I come back?
It was because he was curious, always curious. When Darius let him go, all Anders could think about was coming back. All he wanted was to find out what had happened, and so he did. Fat lot of luck that did him.
Run now, Anders. He thought, but he couldn't. Something made him want to stay, want to keep following the strange Warden he had run in to. Suddenly, sounds starting ringing into the air, filling previously silent night with noise.
Anders looked up, surprised at what he was hearing. A trumpet played, followed by marching and the clanking of metal plates. Anders looked towards the exit of Vigil's Keep's courtyard as a battalion of soldiers marched through, headed by a man in brilliant golden armor and an unpleasantly familiar templar.
"Ho there, friend!" The man in gold said, clasping hands with Darius in a strong handshake. Anders sidled up next to the Warden-Commander, staring down Ser Rylock. She looked at him hatefully, but all Anders could do is wait and gloat silently. Soon enough she'd be dragging him back to the circle anyway.
"King Alistair? I hadn't expected this." Darius said, smiling.
"Well, I hap-" King Alistair started, only to be interrupted by the damnable templar. Ser Rylock pointed a shaky, metal plated finger at Anders.
"Your majesty! Back away, please! This man is highly dangerous!" Ser Rylock drew her sword, pointing it at Anders. He backed away a step, his hands going up in the air as Ser Rylock approached, her sword resting at his neck.
"Yeah, sure. Blame the mage for everything." Anders rolled his eyes, having been in this situation before. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before he was chained up and hauled off. "You templars never give me credit for trying. Always so stoic and serious."
"Silence, murderer!" Ser Rylock shrieked. The King, Darius and his companions all turned to look at Anders, who smiled sheepishly.
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't do it? No? Then what's the point?" Anders cursed his luck, knowing the deaths of the two templars would come back to haunt him. "I actually tried to save the Templars, you know. Or... what was left of them. The darkspawn are fairly vicious, aren't they?"
"Stay your blade, woman." Anders chuckled, amused that Darius had addressed Ser Rylock as woman. She wouldn't respond to that well. "This mage didn't kill those Templars. The darkspawn got to them before he could."
"The mage has deluded you, then." Ser Rylock pressed her sword further, poking at Anders' neck. "He must be punished. Men! Bring the chains! We'll drag him back to the Tower to await execution."
"E-Execution?" Anders couldn't believe what he was hearing! They were going to kill him! "You can't do that to me? I'm still young and handsome! I have a life to lead!"
"Justice will be done, mage." Ser Rylock said as two templars approached, ball and chain in hands. "There is no darkness without light, and the Maker shall take your soul eagerly to cast it into the darkness."
"I said hold, woman!" Darius shouted. Before Anders realized what was happening, Darius had drawn his own sword, knocking Rylock's out of her hand. King Alistair looked at the exchange dumbly while everything went silent, still, waiting for something, anything, to happen next.
"You dare strike at a templar, Warden? I'll have your head!" Rylock shrieked. She did that a lot, Anders thought ruefully.
"I hereby conscript Anders into the Grey Wardens, where he shall serve until his dying breath." Darius said calmly, collected. Rylock's eyes widened in horror.
"You can't! The Divine will not stand for this!" Rylock picked up her sword, sheathing it. "Anders life is mine! King Alistair, you can't possibly accept this sort of blasphemy!"
"I... will allow it." King Alistair said slowly. "The Wardens need recruits, and they have never discriminated in that regard. No matter Anders past, he is welcome among the Wardens."
"The Divine will hear of this! Your authority is not unlimited, king. You should learn that." And she turned, briskly walking away, templars in tow. Alistair sighed, as did Anders.
"We need to clear the Vigil of any more darkspawn, my liege." Darius pointed out, gesturing to Oghren and Mhairi. "Send those two, along with your soldiers, your majesty."
"R-Right!" Anders noted the nervousness of Alistair. He was uncertain in his rule, which seemed odd. King Alistair was a famous warrior king, so why would he seem ill at ease?
Alistair shouted some orders, to which his soldiers immediately responded, rushing off towards the entrance to the Keep. Mhairi dismissed herself before departing, while Oghren belched, lumbering to the door slowly.
"So I'm going to be a Grey Warden?" Anders said slowly, now that he was alone with Darius, King Alistair and Tez. "Never expected that."
"You wi-" Darius started to respond, but was cut off when clapping started resounding through the air. Anders tried to find the source of the sound, but it seemed to radiate from everywhere, every direction.
"Bravo! Standing up to a templar! I like you already, Warden-Commander." Anders turned sharply, staring into the shadows beneath the wall behind him. A man leaned against the wall, his robes black enough to seem to melt into the shadows around him. A bright golden staff with a crystalline top was gripped in his left hand, with a vicious, jagged sword in the other.
"Who are you?" Darius shouted, drawing his blades. King Alistair raised his hand, blocking the Warden-Commander.
"Adrian?" Anders backed away, looking at both King Alistair and the new arrival, who approached slowly, smiling.
"I'm so glad to have not been forgotten, my king." Adrian spat out the last two words, as if in contempt. King Alistair bristled, drawing his own sword.
"You damned traitor!" Alistair shouted, catching Anders off guard. "You're supposed to be dead!"
Suddenly Anders recognized the newcomer. Adrian, the Hero of Ferelden, who had slain the Archdemon half a year prior. He was also the former Chancellor of Denerim, who had been ousted from power after a mysterious rebellion two months before. Rumors were abound that he was mentally unsound, and looking at him now, dressed all in black, openly baring arms at the king, Anders might have believed it.
"Harsh words! They cut me deep indeed!" Adrian laughed, twirling his staff around his hand once before slamming the end into the ground, imbedding it there. "You honestly believe it was me who threw Denerim into chaos? Such ignorance, as per your usual, Alistair."
"What has happened to you, Adrian?" Alistair asked suddenly, as Anders noticed the fire in the warrior king's eyes diminish slightly. If the stories were true, these two had been great friends in the time of the Blight, a templar and a mage ready to die in order to save the other.
"I have seen the truth." Adrian said simply. "My goal here is not violence, but to give your Warden-Commander some information, that which he may find useful."
"What information, mage?" Darius asked bluntly, lowering his swords slightly. Anders couldn't help but feel something odd around Adrian. He seemed... twisted in some way, though he could not tell how.
"There is more to this world than you are capable of knowing." Adrian smirked. "Wars arise from the north, the south, within every Ferelden citizen. This land will be torn apart, to become that which is unrecognizable. I have found The Maker, and I know him to be false, yet one name repeats itself again and again in my mind."
"And what name is that?"
"Hawke." Adrian smiled viciously, pointing his sword to the sky. "You are but the groundwork to the creation of something greater, as was I, yet I have become that which I used to retreat from. I have seen more than you mortals, and I have grown amused. Pay attention to the choices you make, Darius, for they will affect more than the lands you wish to protect. The darkspawn awaken, and your decision may change them forever."
"What the hell do you mean, mage? Why do you call us mortals?" Darius shouted, to which Adrian only backed away, shaking his head.
"You will suffer tragedy beyond knowing, Darius, and you shall become the cause. You will be an epitome of evil when this is over. That is unchanging." Adrian smirked. "You will kill more men than I. You will allow death. You will run in fear from it, but in the end, you will not be able to escape it."
"Explain yourself, Adrian. Why are you being so vague?" Alistair shouted, stepping forward threateningly. Anders saw Darius hadn't moved so much as an inch, and didn't seem perturbed by Adrians message in the slightest.
"But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it, friend?" Adrian spat the last word out, his extreme distaste evident. Anders could feel the other mage's emotion, he could sense his power, but it was beyond anything he had felt before. What was he?
"You're mad." Alistair said finally, sheathing his sword, his words breathless with surprise.
"No. Not mad." Adrian backed away, wrapping his pitch black cloak around himself. "Enlightened."
Adrian's form shimmered slightly before winking away, disappearing entirely. Anders stared in shock at where the mage had been just a moment before. He teleported? But that was impossible! You can't do such a thing with magic.
But the words the mage said still rung in Anders' ears, haunting him. He looked at Darius again, and suddenly the Warden-Commander seemed different. No longer was he a comforting authority presence, but now Anders wasn't sure what to think.
Darius is the epitome of evil?
ooo
"The Joining is a simple ritual for those that undertake it." Darius started, examining each of the three Warden recruits in turn. If Darius was disturbed by what Adrian had said, Anders couldn't see it. "But, unfortunately, it is much more complicated for those that prepare it. I will need a few hours before it is ready, so be patient until then."
Darius turned and walked away, with Tez barking by his leg, leaving Mhairi, Anders and Oghren alone in the throne room.
Anders sighed heavily, sitting against a pillar. Oghren took a long swig from the pouch hanging from his belt, leaning back as he did so. The dwarf overbalanced, falling to the ground. When Anders checked him, the dwarf had passed out, too drunk to be cognizant of his surroundings.
"A foul dwarf, indeed." Mhairi scoffed, folding her arms and pacing. Anders looked up at her, feeling the twinges of boredom gnaw at him.
"Is there a particular reason you're pacing nervously, or-"
"We could die!" Mhairi stated suddenly, catching Anders off guard. "The Joining is dangerous, people undergo it and if they don't become Grey Wardens, they'll die. I don't know what Darius is going to make us do, but it changes people."
"You mean it makes them better?" Anders verbally poked, trying to gauge this Mhairi as a person. "Grey Wardens are renowned for their strength, so maybe this ritual is just about weeding out the weak? I don't much care, but I guess if you fail and die, then you weren't worthy of being a Warden in the first place."
"The Wardens must do what is necessary." Mhairi's voice seemed shaky, uncertain. "And if there was nobody willing to take the risk, then there would be no Grey Wardens, right?"
"It's better than going back to the Tower, I say." Anders smirked at her, before noticing that Mhairi seemed to be getting more and more agitated. "I just wish I could curl up and sleep, actually. Fighting for your life seems to do that to a person, I think."
"But what if I'm not worthy!" Anders was taken aback by Mhairi's sudden outburst. "What if I fail the Joining! I'll die!"
"Relax, Mhairi." Anders shook his head. "It's probably an exaggeration how dangerous it is. The Grey Wardens want us to freak out, I'll bet. It's like the templars. If they don scary masks and act intimidating, then innocent mages like myself wet our beds at night thinking about them. Not that I did, of course."
"I... I guess you're right." Mhairi took a deep breath, steadying herself. She sat a few feet away from Anders, placing her back against another pillar. "During the fight earlier, I was so scared, yet Darius was completely calm."
"He's been killing darkspawn a lot longer than you have, Mhairi." Anders tried to sound reassuring. Mhairi was cute after all, so it wouldn't hurt to earn a few points with her. "Likely he's been in more situations than either of us where his life has been in jeopardy."
"Hehe... Heh... What're you doing with that sword, purdy lady?" Anders looked over at Oghren, who had started mumbling in his drunken stupor. Anders stifled a laugh. "You like 'em like that, huh? All long and hard..."
"He's a thoroughly revolting creature, isn't he?" Mhairi sniffed, turning away from the drunken dwarf. "How low can the standards be for the Wardens if they are even recruiting his sort?"
"I think he's quite the charmer. Girls must be all over him." Anders smiled, standing. "A first rate flirt, that he is."
He walked over to the drunken dwarf, grabbing the satchel of alcohol from his belt. As soon as he tried to pull away, however, Oghren's hand reached out, grabbing Anders' wrist.
"Get yer hand off my junk. You ain't pretty enough..." Oghren trailed off, falling back into unconsciousness. Anders pulled the alcohol away anyway, retreating back towards Mhairi. He sat next to her, slowly unscrewing the top of the bottle.
"If we're going to undergo a dangerous ritual, why not get drunk first?" Anders laughed after he spoke, taking a long swig of the drink. It burned and tasted like cleaning solution, but Anders could feel the ridiculously high proof. Mhairi looked uncertain, her eyes darting from Anders to the flask.
"But... if we need to be in the best of shape for the Joining-"
"Drink!" Anders interrupted, pushing the flask into Mhairi's hand. She took it hesitantly, but finally downed a sip, before contorting her face in disgust and spitting it out.
"It's terrible!" Mhairi complained, before Anders lifted the flask from the bottom, putting it to her lips again. She slowly took another sip, then a gulp, assisted by Anders. Finally, he lowered it, letting her breathe.
"I-I think I'll... take another sip." Anders stumbled over his words, realizing just now how strong Oghren's private stash was. He took a long gulp, downing the liquid readily, before passing it back to Mhairi.
"I'll tear your stomach apart!" Oghren sat up suddenly, eyes glazed over as he stared at the wall. Slowly, he descended back to the ground, still unconscious. "Use your intestines as a condom... that I will..."
Anders and Mhairi burst out laughing, drunk as they were. For whatever reason, Oghren's brusque and violent demeanor suddenly seemed like comedy genius.
And when Darius finally came back, he shook his head, disapprovingly noting how all three of his recruits were passed out drunk.
ooo
Anders awoke suddenly when Tez's worm-head bit down into his calf. He arced his back in pain, awakening Mhairi, who had been resting on his shoulder.
"Maker!" Anders rubbed his leg, relieved there was no bleeding, but there were multiple circular holes in his robes leg. "Bloody hell!"
Darius walked over to Oghren, delivering a sound kick to his side. The dwarf snorted, slowly getting up, rubbing his stomach and belching. Mhairi stretched, mumbling about a headache.
"The Joining has been prepared. Come, all three of you. Hopefully your drunkenness doesn't affect your ability to pass the ritual." And Darius turned, briskly walking from the room. Anders couldn't help but feel a hint of annoyance from the Commander, though that was probably warranted.
They did get drunk on the job, after all.
"My head..." Anders complained, slowly standing. He didn't know how long he had slept, but judging from the light filtering in through the windows, it was more than a few hours.
The three recruits followed Darius through the door, heading higher into the Keep. They walked through dark, winding and sometimes blood-filled hallways, up stairs, around corners, through the winding maze that was the Keep.
Finally, Darius climbed a ladder, pushing a trapdoor open at the top. As Anders crawled through after him, his breath caught in his mouth.
Staring out from the tower he found himself in, Anders could see all of Amaranthine, it seemed. To the North, he could see the winding, rolling countryside of Amaranthine, to the East he could see mountains and ridges, to the West the ocean was splayed out in front of him, and the South revealed a long stretch of land which ended in distant Denerim.
"By the Maker's golden ass, this is beautiful." Anders proclaimed, putting his hands on a windowsill, letting the wind cool him. The light of morning illuminated Vigil's Keep and the vast surroundings, leaving Anders breathless.
"Yeah, yeah. Admire the land like a damned elf, why don't ya?" Oghren snorted, looking to Darius. "When do we drink the damned blood? I need a good rinsing."
"Drink blood?" Anders turned, staring at the dwarf. "That's what we have to do to join the Wardens? How do you even know that, Oghren?"
"What? You think me blind, deaf and constipated?" Oghren laughed, reaching for his flask of alcohol, only to find it wasn't there. He roared, angry. "Who took my happy juice!"
"Enough, recruits." Darius spoke, silencing the dwarf before he could fly into a rage. Mhairi stood by Anders, grabbing his hand in fear. Surprised, Anders opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it, instead hoping his silence would reassure her.
Darius walked to the table in the center of the empty tower room, where three goblets filled with a red liquid – the blood – rested. He closed his eyes, lifting one towards the recruits.
"Since the first, these words have been spoken at this ceremony," Darius somberly held the cup, staring into each of the three recruit's eyes. "Join us, brothers and sisters."
Mhairi tightened her grip on Anders hands. He looked towards her, only to see her sweating, so nervous was she.
"Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant." Mhairi trembled and Anders found himself smiling. He leaned in, whispering a reassurance. She eased up slightly, but still remained tense.
"Join us as we carry a duty that can not be forsworn." Anders gazed back at Darius, who was still speaking the ancient words. Anders felt the power within them, the duty-bound promises they spoke of.
"And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten." Anders looked at Mhairi, who smiled back at him faintly. "And know that one day we shall join you."
"Oghren, step forward." Darius handed the goblet to Oghren, who stared into the cup suspiciously. "From here on out, you are a Grey Warden."
"Better have some alcohol in it." And he swung his head back, downing all of the liquid swiftly. The dwarf shuddered, eyes rolling back into his head, before falling backwards with a groan. Darius approached slowly, feeling his pulse.
"He lives." Darius said simply, before returning to the table. He picked the second goblet up, gesturing to Anders. "Anders, step forward." He did, letting go of Mhairi as Darius handed him the cup. "From this moment forward, you are a Grey Warden."
"Bottoms up!" Anders chugged, just as Oghren did. Instantly he regretted it, feeling the dark taint course within him. He bent over, hands rushing to his head as visions filled his mind.
He was soaring in the air, staring over a sea of fire. Though he wasn't sure how, he could hear the screams, he knew their names, their lives. He saw darkspawn tear mothers from children, slaughtering, pillaging, burning.
Then he was falling. Falling into the sea of fire and beyond, through the ground and the darkness of the world below. Voices called to him, begging him to set them free. A song drifted to his ears, drawing Anders towards it. He couldn't resist, so strong was this lure. And so he traveled through impenetrable darkness as the land above him burned, as people died, but he cared not,
He heard the Song, and he wanted the Source.
"Welcome, Anders." The mage spun, only to see a girl in a black dress staring at him. She smiled, a strangely comforting sight. "You've drank of my blood, and so you will be rewarded."
"What are you?" Anders heard himself say. The song came from her, but also came from elsewhere. He could feel other sources, other beginnings of this beautiful music.
"I am Urthemiel." The girl giggled, walking closer. "And I am not. As all who take in my taint have been corrupted, so have you, Grey Warden. It is interesting, for you are a mage too, just like my father."
"Your father...?" Anders felt himself losing his lucidity. All around him dark shapes grabbed at him, threatening to drag him back, back to the world above. He resisted. He wanted answers. Who was this girl!
"Adrian Amell, of the Circle of Magi." The girl suddenly seemed sad, as if recalling some tragic event. "He has been changed by his own taint, by that of The Demon. He is more powerful than Morrigan now, but he has become as Flemeth has, an unknown creature that cannot be understood."
A vision of the black-clad mage flashed through Anders' mind. He saw men being torn about by his hand, he saw the laughing face of Adrian as he used the sword and staff to kill all he came across. He heard again the screaming of the world above, except now the laughter of the mage rose above the din, drowning out the sounds of dying.
"What am I supposed to do?" Anders asked, scared by that which he saw. He understood none of it, yet knew it was infinitely important.
"You are required to do nothing." The girl shook her head. "No. It is my job alone to do what must be done. You are but a man who has taken my taint, who has seen and touched corruption. You have already done more than any normal human."
"What is going to happen now?" Anders pressed as the visions started to consume his vision. The girl flickered, replaced by images of bodies, of death, of blood. "Please! Tell me!"
"In time, Anders. For now you must rest, for you will see tragedy beyond knowing. You will be unable to stop it, for it has been foretold." And she was gone. Anders screamed as he was whisked backwards, his connection with the Song broken as he flew up into the air.
ooo
Anders awoke suddenly, realizing he still lay on the tower floor. Turning his head, he realized exactly how close he lay to Oghren, the dwarf's rotting breath rolling into his mouth. Coughing, the mage sat up.
He rubbed his eyes, unsure of why his vision was blurry. As it cleared, he saw Darius and Mhairi standing near one another. No... wait... they weren't...
Darius' sword flashed forward, tearing through the front of Mhairi's armor, entering into her stomach and ripping upwards, into her heart and lungs. Anders stared in shock as Darius withdrew, pulling his blade away.
Mhairi stumbled backwards, clutching at her fatal wound. She hit an open window and overbalanced, falling out the tower.
"Mhairi!" Anders shot upwards, running to the edge to try and catch her, but too late. He was too far away.
She had already hit the ground.