Meh. Sorry this chapter took so long. I appreciate all the reviews, people, and I wish I could pour more chapters out, but school and real life demands I act otherwise. I'm thinking one chapter a week will be my baseline. ;P Sorry. Anyway, enjoy chapter 7! Please, as always, REVIEW!
Chapter 7: Revenge
"Vhen'alas swallow you, and may your death bring me peace." Velanna lowered her staff as the roots withdrew from the man's body. The form slumped to the ground, emptied of blood. Velanna faced the others, who backed away slowly, clutching their weapons.
"What in the Maker are you?" One frantically shouted, his voice rising in fear. Velanna only smiled. The shemlen always acted this way, fearful and without honor. One gritted his teeth, looking between the gray and sagging form of the dead man and Velanna.
They would either fight or flee, but neither was preferable. Velanna twirled her wooden staff as she felt the magic of the Wending Woods enter her. She fed from the power of life around her, focusing her energy, and anger, at one of the remaining three enemies.
The roots of the forest rose in her command, snaking around his ankle. He jumped back, startled, but the wood held tight. He overbalanced, screaming as he fell. Velanna smiled as his ankle snapped, the sickening sound singing sweet music in her ears.
He clawed at the ground as he was dragged into the soil, screaming in pain and fear. The other two stared, mindlessly gawking. Pathetic. Finally, one turned his attention on Velanna and, shouting, raised his sword to attack her. The second charged after him, both intending to end Velanna's life.
Sylvan arms struck the leftmost human square in the chest, flinging him backwards a dozen feet as the tree rose to Velanna's command. The other human noticed, but didn't hesitate. Velanna raised her staff, easily parrying the awkward overhead chop of his longsword. She counterbalanced as the blade fell, allowing the man's momentum to topple him forwards. Her staff slammed into his back as Velanna stepped aside.
He nearly lost his footing, but regained his hold on the ground, pivoting towards Velanna. Behind her, she could feel the other man be torn to pieces by the charred Sylvan. The shrieks and cries for help forced the remaining man's eyes to go wide and, after glancing once more at Velanna, he ran.
Good. A chase.
Velanna darted to the side, knowing the path the man would take doubled back, down the cliff. She hid behind a bush, just out of view, waiting for the man to reappear. After a few seconds, she saw him. He still ran, frantic, but somewhat more at ease as nothing could be seen behind him.
His relief would soon die out.
Velanna jumped, landing mere feet in front of the human, her staff transferring her momentum into his skull. He slammed into the ground as Velanna rolled to the side, easily righting herself. Despite the long fall, she felt no pain.
The man shifted, groaning. Velanna kicked the sword away, letting it slip over the edge of the pathway and into the forest below. She bent over, gripping the mans hair and elevating his head just enough so she could stare into his eyes. There it was. Fear. These shems were all cowards. In a group they were powerful, a force to be feared, but alone they were nothing.
"Where is Seranni?" Velanna shouted at him, spittle flying in the man's face. He mumbled incoherently, to which Velanna shouted again. "Tell me!"
"What...?" The man looked at her quizzically. His head injury made him a bumbling fool, then. Pity. All this effort but with no information gained.
Velanna murmured a quick spell, letting tree roots snake from the ground around the man. She backed away as they enveloped his body in a cocoon, not even bending as he started to thrash. Slowly they crushed him against the ground, until the screaming finally stopped.
But there was no satisfaction. Like every kill, it was a hollow victory. Yes, she survived another day to hunt the humans that took her sister away, but the hole in her heart grew wider. She saw the smiling face of Seranni within her mind, and rage overtook her again. Those damned shems took her! As she stood here thinking, they were probably violating her, torturing her. She could not let this continue! She had to find Seranni and save her from these wretched creatures.
Velanna turned suddenly, surprised as she felt contact with one of her Sylvans near the entrace to the forest sever suddenly. A few minutes earlier she had felt alarm from the creature, but Velanna had figured that it could take care of whatever nuisances arose.
She took off running as another Sylvan shrieked within her mind. It was being attacked, its comrade had been slain. These creatures were not easily communicated with, but fear and desperation were easy to pick up on. Sylvans were strong, too strong for even a party of humans to take down. Why were these two being defeated?
Gradually her form began to shift as Velanna called to mind the form of a bird, the powerful and relentless eagle. She rose into the air as her mind slipped into the Fade, the small bird brain unable to support her complex consciousness.
She rose swiftly, sharp eyes surveying the Wending Woods spread out before her. For a moment she thought of Ilshae, her former Keeper. She was the one who taught her to study and learn the form of the animals, but Velanna pushed the thought away, focusing at the investigative task at hand.
She flew quickly towards movement below her, diving out of the sky. She silently alighted on a perch just above where two sylvans lay dead. Shocked, Velanna looked around, quickly spying the perpetrators.
A man with shockingly dark skin withdrew a sword from the bark of one of the sylvans. Rage filled Velanna, but she knew that fighting a foe without gauging their strength would be folly indeed. An extremely short one heaved mightily, withdrawing his axe and nearly hitting a pale, wolf-sized creature. It hissed, slinking away towards the tanned one.
The creature mystified Velanna. What manner of beast was it? It seemed tame, but Velanna did not sense any subservience from it. It chose to follow the tanned man, but Velanna could not understand why. She felt it was wild at heart, yet it cast that freedom away for a human? It hissed again at the redheaded short one, who snarled back, shaking his fist.
As she was so surprised by this strange beast, Velanna didn't notice the third person until he was right under her. Velanna nearly took to flight, but stopped herself, knowing that whoever these people were, they could not see her.
"Nathaniel, hurry up!" The tanned one called, but the black haired man shushed him.
"There's an eagle up there. I want to get a good look at it, but I don't want to scare it." Nathaniel called back. Velanna looked around, not sensing any other birds of prey. Coldness gripped her heart as she realized that this... Nathaniel had spotted her.
"We're not here to bird watch, boy." The redhead called, shouldering the axe. Velanna batted her wings, ready to take off at a moments notice. She saw Nathaniel silently jump to a lower branch on a tree next to hers, easily swinging himself up. He was unusually agile for a shem, but Velanna dismissed the notion. Everything about this party seemed odd already.
"It's beautiful..." Velanna batted her wings again, noticing and satisfied by the man's reaction. Nathaniel seemed to understand Velanna was watching him, cautious. "I never thought eagles flew this far south. Isn't it a bit cold here for you?"
Velanna batted her wings again, her anxiety growing. The shem didn't show any outward signs of aggression, but he did not shirk away either. Her hate was making way for curiosity. Yeah, she'd wind up killing these people eventually, but they were definitely not the garden-variety scavengers. Best to watch for now.
"Nathaniel! Hurry it up, we need to find those missing merchants!" Alarm shot through Velanna, knowing that all the disappearances in the Wending Wood would be her doing. Even if she was to ignore these shems, they would eventually find her anyway. That was fine. Let them come. She was ready.
Nathaniel rolled his eyes, dropping from the tree. Velanna could feel the same emotions within the man as she could the strange gray one. A feral creature at heart, choosing to submit and follow for reasons unknown.
They were interesting, but they would die. It would take many, many deaths to make up for what the shems had done.
ooo
Velanna tracked them for hours, even as they fought sylvan and scavengers alike. She shifted her form as to escape notice, keeping away from the gray one. Its sense of smell couldn't be too great if it had not yet noticed Velanna was tailing them, but its hearing was superb. Even the tiniest misstep in an animal form and Velanna would be forced to stop herself.
Her eyes still drifted to the black haired one, however. She could feel his anger, his frustration. He was detached from the other two, more akin to the gray one. In a way he resembled the wild wolf, proud yet vicious, capable yet cautious.
Why a shem would captivate her interest so escaped her, but Velanna told herself it was because she needed to gauge their strength. She knew it to be otherwise, but she would not, could not admit it. One thought remained true in her mind above all, though. These two shems and the unnaturally short one would die eventually. But perhaps the gray one could be released?
They had an odd encounter with a mage, a blonde and eccentric lady who had arrived in the forest long before Velanna and her clanmates had. She seemed to care for the trees and plants, so Velanna had left her mostly alone. Upon hearing that she was needed in some far off land, a place called Cumberland, she packed up and left. Velanna felt nothing but a slight satisfaction at her leaving, but it was replaced by her growing curiosity.
She had ordered the sylvans to stay away for now, letting Nathaniel and the others carve their own way through the forest, killing scavenger and bandit alike. Finally, Velanna grew tired of observation. They were nearing her camp and she could afford no more delays. She transformed into an eagle again, flying across the long bridge that ran the width of the river cutting through the center of the forest. Alighting upon the cliff overlooking the bridge, Velanna gazed at the group for a few moments before changing back to her elven form.
"Halt!" Velanna called out, gripping the attention of the group. Nathaniel instantly readied a bow, though the tanned skin one extended his hand, ordering him to lower it. "Who are you? Why have you trespassed into my forest? Do you seek death, or do you brashly wish to fight against it?"
"I am Darius Caron, of the Grey Wardens." Velanna felt her mind whirl. These were Grey Wardens? Wardens were supposed to be accepting and honorable. Then... they were entirely separate from those who took Seranni? But they were shems!
"Why have you come here? Why do you kill your brethren?" Velanna shouted, pointing her wooden staff at them threateningly. "What relation do you have with those who took my sister?"
"Took your sister?" Darius pondered for a moment before turning back to her, a shock of realization coming to him.
"Some of the scavengers mentioned someone like her." Nathaniel said, turning to the Warden leader. "Remember what they said? A blonde, vengeful elf that was searching for her sister, killing those in her path."
"Were the scavengers referring to you?" Velanna was taken aback by Darius' words. These shems didn't seem scared of her in the slightest! If anything, they were... curious! Anger rose within her. How dare they mock her so!
"Know this, shem!" Velanna shouted, feeling her rage shake her body. "Go back to your masters and tell them I will never submit. I want Seranni! I will never give up, I will never stop until all of you shems, innocent or not, are mere corpses!"
Suddenly afraid of the Wardens, Velanna stepped back, letting the roots of the earth surround her. Her eyes locked with Nathaniel's, and for a moment Velanna grew uncertain. The wild beast showed sentience, intelligence. With that final look at Nathaniel, she was pulled underground. Velanna was propelled along under the earth, her destination the Dalish camp where her brothers and sisters died.
She rose from the earth sweating and swearing at herself. Why did she flee? She should have attacked them there! They were nearly defenseless on that bridge! One simple attack and she could have tossed them into the raging waters to be picked off, one by one.
They were strangely unafraid. Where others backed away and ran in fear, they stood and questioned. These were Grey Wardens. The tales told of their powers might not have been exaggerated, then.
Velanna was in for one hell of a fight.
ooo
She crouched in the tree in human form, staring down at them from atop the cliff. The camp of her brethren lay behind her, still dotted with the blood of her friends. She was at the center of the forest, where ancient relics of a bygone civilizations crumbled silently. Vines and plants grew amongst the carved stone, showing the sheer power nature held over even great monuments. Her people chose this spot for that very reason.
They were heading in the wrong direction, Velanna smirked, jumping from her post. She'd have to follow them on foot to keep them in sight, so far were they already. As she landed, though, she realized something was wrong. The birds that sung were silent, a stench hung in the air.
Velanna felt sickness coming from all around her, through she knew not from what. Could the shems have sprung some trap? No. This was... familiar.
Darkspawn.
The dalish elf whirled, crouching low as an arrow whizzed by overhead. Two genlocks were approaching from her front, but the sounds of those vibrations meant an Ogre... Velanna cursed, realizing her stupidity. She had spent so much time focusing on the Wardens that she neglected to look out for darkspawn.
Velanna darted to the left, scanning her surroundings. The Ogre was charged up the hill, roaring. A hurlock Alpha and an emissary were just ahead, with two regular hurlocks in front of them. She was trapped at the camp with numerous darkspawn charging for her. But why now? Where had they come from?
Thinking quickly, Velanna called to her Sylvan allies. Hopefully some would be able to arrive in time to help, but Velanna knew that to depend on them would be dangerous, perhaps even futile.
The Genlocks were fastest, the two of them reaching her roughly at the same time. One carried a longsword, while the other used two vicious daggers. Velanna cursed as she blocked a strike from the longsword, searching her mind for a spell to use.
Velanna shouted as roots erupted from the ground, skewering the longsword-wielding Genlock. If the other was perturbed by this, it did not show. It merely growled, swiping at her again. Velanna jumped backwards as the roots withdrew into the earth.
She swore as a large rock flew overhead, crashing into the central tent of the camp. Velanna was in range for the Ogre, then. Not a good sign. Velanna dived to the side as a second rock soared overhead. As she rolled, she slammed her staff in the ground, sending magic into the earth. The roots came alive, wrapping around the legs of the remaining genlock. It screamed and thrashed as the roots climbed higher, wrapping it in a crushing cocoon.
But there were still four hurlocks and an ogre left to deal with. Why was such a large band of darkspawn attacking her now?
Velanna crouched as a rock soared overhead and off the cliff. As she heard it crash into the foliage below, she took off running to the nearest hurlock. The vicious creature swung its greatsword, which Velanna dived under, driving her staff into its chest. Green magical sparks erupted from the impact site, shaking the foul creature as the power of the forest rushed into it. It shuddered violently before dropping, a large hole in its chest.
As she clambered to get more secure footing, however, Velanna felt another rock impact nearby, catching her slightly on the arm. The sheer force of the impact spun her around, landing her face-first on the ground.
Shit! Velanna fought through the dizziness and pain, running forward even though she could hardly see through the double vision. She turned and nearly fell over, righting herself just in time to weakly parry a blow from an incoming Hurlock. The emissary stood by the Ogre, not even bothering to attack, its vicious smile showing its superiority.
Velanna narrowly dodged a swipe of the Hurlock's longsword as she stumbled backwards, trying to right herself.
This might be the end... Velanna thought desperately, hoping her Sylvan allies would arrive soon. She parried another strike, but the blade slid to the right, biting into her hand. Velanna let out a gasp as she stumbled backwards again, gripping at the wound.
Seranni... Velanna swung her staff, catching the Hurlock in the face. Before she could cast a spell to finish it off, the Alpha came into range. Its greatsword chopped downwards at Velanna, forcing her to jump back.
Behind the hurlocks she could see the ogre preparing another rock. She was dead. This was it. Indirectly, those Grey Wardens had caused her death. The shems had finally gotten her. One more member of her peoples' race would succumb to the darkness of death. One more lost Dalish life.
Velanna tried to summon the roots to aid her, but to no avail. They weakly reached up and gripped the legs of her assailants, but they broke through easily. She couldn't put enough strength into the spell to make it effective.
The pommel of the Hurlock's skull smashed into her staff, slipping off the end and impacting her forehead, just above her left eye. Velanna stumbled back, even more dazed. Half-dazed and nearly bent double, Velanna gazed at the Alpha. Even with all her hate, all her anger, she could not evade this fate. This was the end.
Velanna stared up as the greatsword descended, but then it stopped. The alpha shuddered, stepping forward to catch itself from falling. The other hurlock turned, only to have an arrow sprout from its eye. It fell backwards, its wicked grin still evident as it crumpled to the ground.
The Alpha lurched again, though now Velanna could see why. As she righted herself she watched the third arrow embed itself in the Alpha's skull. The thing gazed emptily at her, a blank, unfeeling expression on its face. A fourth arrow finally felled it, the greatsword dropping harmlessly into the grass. The green blades withered and died at the touch of its blood, and Velanna felt her heart grow weary. These dark creatures caused so much destruction to her beloved forest. Even killing them caused only pain and death.
But enough of sentiment. Velanna looked towards the Ogre and emissary, which had become engaged with someone else. Who? Velanna's first though was other Dalish, but with her vision still cloudy, she couldn't tell well enough. Besides... Ilshae would never help her after what she had done...
Velanna leaned against a tree as she watched the two remaining darkspawn get torn to pieces. Two swords erupted from the center of the Ogre's neck as Velanna watched. The darkspawn shrieked, dropping its stone atop its own foot, causing it to scream more. The blades teared viciously, eventually moving outwards, cutting entirely through. Head severed from body, the ogre tumbled to the ground, leaving the emissary alone against four figures, two tall, one short and one animal shaped.
"Wardens..."The emissary rasped, its voice chilling Velanna. This was a darkspawn, yet it was speaking? "Be you fools to challenge the might of The Architect directly?"
"No more a fool than you, monster." Velanna heard one of the figures speak. Slowly, she was starting to recognize them, the fogginess finally starting to recede. "Wherever your kind is coming from, I will find it."
"The Architect... he will not let it be so." The emissary rasped, twirling its twisted staff as Velanna felt a spell launch from it. She could feel the dark stench of cursed blood powering it. The figures darted to the side as the large bolt of lightning arced towards them. Before the emissary could react, one of the figures rushed for it, two swords reflecting the light of the dying sun proudly.
The emissary shrieked as one sword slid into its stomach, a second just above its collar bone. It glared at the figure with a determined look, bringing its hand to the figure's face. The smell of burning flesh met her nose as the figure stumbled back, letting go of his weapons. The emissary smiled, collapsing to its knees while the figure shouted in pain, clutching at the wound.
"You have been marked, Warden." The emissary spat, tainted blood spilling from its mouth. "My brethren will know always of where you lay your blade. You will never be safe. You will never... know... peace..."
The emissary fell backwards, dead. The figure cursed, angrily drawing his weapons from the fallen corpse. He didn't sheathe the blades, turning instead to Velanna.
And finally she recognized them. Darius, Nathaniel, the dwarf and the gray one. Velanna pinned herself against the tree as alarm wracked her body. Darius walked closer, not even bothering to wipe the tainted blood from his weapons. Velanna held her staff in front of her, pointing it directly at Darius' heart. She noticed a hand-shaped burn mark covering the left side of his face, where the emissary had attacked him. Bubbling, burnt flesh met her eyes, causing even more fear to course through her veins.
"Why won't your kind leave me alone!" Velanna shouted, spurned by her various wounds. She knew she had no energy to fight. Hopefully the Sylvans would arrive soon...
Darius said nothing, simply approaching, blades held at ready. Velanna pressed her back against the tree, mustering her strength for a spell. The black haired one ran forward, but Velanna knew she could do little against more than one foe. The short one simply stood a distance away, examining the ogre corpse. The gray one stared at Velanna intensely, unemotionally.
"Wait, Darius. You heard what the soldier said!" Nathaniel ran in front of Darius, his arms held wide. Velanna found herself taken aback. Why was this human defending her? All humans wanted her dead... didn't they? "This was all a misunderstanding!"
"She is still the source of the killings, Nathaniel, misunderstanding or not." Darius pushed him aside, dropping into a stance. Velanna tensed as Darius neared.
"But the darkspawn took her sister!" Velanna turned to Nathaniel in shock just as Darius entered attacking range. Surprise forced her guard down and Velanna only recovered in time to lamely force her staff in front of her.
The Warden's blade bit straight through, shattering the staff and knocking Velanna back. She stumbled to the ground, mere feet from the edge of the cliff. She scrambled backwards as Darius neared, sword at ready, pointed at her throat.
"What do you mean!" Velanna shouted, glancing back and forth between Darius and Nathaniel. "The merchants took her! They attacked my camp while I was away! Their weapons are proof of this!"
"They didn't." Darius stopped, lowering his blades as he spoke. Velanna found herself breathing hard, her blood rushing. How could a human cause her to be so afraid? "We met a soldier, one who neared death. Before I granted him sweet oblivion, he told me of the darkspawn slaughtering his troops. He watched them take their weapons in order to trick you, though he could do nothing but lie in agony as he struggled futilely against death."
"But... you humans..." Velanna found herself speechless. This entire time, all these deaths, all these threats... Yet... the humans were innocent? How was that possible? The humans were the source of all her peoples' problems!
"There's no reason for us to fight." Nathaniel said, Seranni's amulet dangling from his hands. Velanna stood slowly, glaring at Darius. "If we work together, we might even be able to slay the perpetrators in this area."
"That's why we're here, it seems." Darius sighed, sheathing his blades. He extended his hand, which Velanna stared at, uncertain. "I am Darius Caron, of Orlais. This is Nathaniel Howe. The drunken one is Oghren-" Velanna noticed the red headed dwarf kicked a tree, shouting incomprehensibly. "-and the deepstalker is my friend, Tez."
"Friend?" Velanna mouthed. A shem considered an animal a friend? That was rich. But... these humans seemed like they could be useful. And they were Grey Wardens, too. "If Seranni was taken by the darkspawn, what will happen to her?"
"She will be turned into a broodmother or she will die." Darius said simply. The words hit her hard. Seranni? A horrible, twisted monstrosity? She couldn't let that happen. But Grey Wardens were known for their strength and skill, as well as their relentless pursuit of the darkspawn.. If anyone was capable of helping her sister, it would be them.
"Not if we rescue her. We can use this elf's help." Nathaniel said quickly. Darius looked at him curiously, as did Velanna. "You said that I had no rights, as I was a criminal. Well, what if as punishment for her, you do the same as you did with me. Make her a Grey Warden and she can help find her sister."
"If I was a Grey Warden, killing darkspawn would be easier, yes?" Velanna thought about it. As much as she despised shems, this might actually be a good idea. "If Seranni has truly been captured by darkspawn, then the power of a Grey Warden would help me immensely."
"This is no mere organization. Simply joining us could kill you." Darius said seriously. His eyes chilled Velanna, sending shivers up her spine. "I would welcome you to our Order if you wish to join. You are capable as a fighter and strong in will. However, this is a death sentence, not a game. You will forever be bound to the darkspawn, as they are to us. You will spend the rest of your life fighting them and the final blade thrust through your heart will be theirs. While I need as many Wardens as possible, there is no turning back if you say yes."
"I..." Velanna found herself hesitating. Should she trust these shems? If they wanted to manipulate her, he'd do a better job sugarcoating the words. No. This was honest, brutally so. But if it could save Seranni... "I will join. My name is Velanna, of the Dalish."
Darius nodded grimly. Velanna shifted nervously. Nathaniel looked a mixture between relief and surprise. Tez and Oghren simply examined the dead darkspawn absentmindedly.
"Very well." Darius looked briefly to the path leading down from the elevated plateau the Dalish camp sat atop of. "Are you aware of where these darkspawn emerged from? I need to make sure their taint is cleared from this forest. If anything they would be in tunnels, dark places, cold places."
"I... think I know a place." Velanna said slowly.
ooo
The five slowly emerged into the cold, underground mining shaft. Wooden platforms, dilapidated and barely capable of supporting weight, lined the walls, leading slowly down into the impenetrable darkness. Velanna drew her robes closer around her, shivering. The slight breeze only seemed to make the temperature worse, though Velanna had to wonder how wind was coming from underground.
"Hurry." Darius said simply, leading them down the steps. Wordlessly, the small band descended into the dark, their path illuminated only by Velanna's broken staff. The spell flickered heavily, as the magic was unable to travel through the shattered wood evenly. Cursing, Velanna poured more of her power into it.
Velanna found herself doubting her decisions. Not only did she just agree to join a dangerous order, she was now 20 feet underground in an old mine shaft possibly surrounded by dangerous, tainted creatures and accompanied by people she could barely trust.
"Hold." Darius stood them suddenly. They were all standing on some sort of circular glyph. Velanna stared at it curiously, the elegant, snaking designs shone of something more recent than the mine itself. What could it be?
Velanna turned suddenly, her senses tingling of an intruder. All around her she could hear crumbling of footsteps, low breathing, hissing. Her other party members heard it too, quickly bunching together to gauge their entire surroundings.
"Darkspawn." Darius breathed, drawing his swords. Despite this, the shadowy creatures made no move towards them. Why not?
Velanna tried to shout, to launch a spell at a nearby creature, but stopped in shock. Her feet were rooted to the ground. What was this paralyzing force?
"I can't move my legs!" Velanna said desperately, only to notice the others were realizing they were in the same position.
And only then did she understand the true purpose of the glyph as it began to shine beneath her. A crushing force weighed down upon her, pinning her to the ground. As her head slammed into the stone floor, Velanna could see upwards. Darius stood, propped on his two swords, staring up at one of the figures, larger than the rest.
"The Withered..." Darius said, spitting the words.
"It is good to be seeing you again, Grey Warden." The Withered smiled, its teeth startlingly white, seeming as if to shine in the darkness. "The Withered had worried we would never be reacquainted."
"The Vigil... will be avenged." Darius spat, but Velanna found her consciousness receding.
"The Vigil is but a mere piece in The Architect's plan, Warden." The Withered smiled, as Velanna's vision grew black. "There be much more to this than you be realizing."