DESTINY
And now we finally come to the great battle itself.
I must let you know that this story will not be updated as often as before. The frequency will instead be once every 10-14 days, so as to give me ample time to polish the chapter and perfect it to the best of my distinctly amateurish writing abilities.
Oh, before you ask... Alistair will be a -tiny- bit more serious during this chapter than he actually is during the game. He will not be like that throughout the rest of the story, however.
CHAPTER THREE: THE BATTLE OF OSTAGAR
Once the meeting with the King had concluded, Neranya and the two Wardens made their way to the large bonfire in the central courtyard. Duncan was standing there waiting for them.
"You've all heard the King. You must ensure that the beacon is lit."
"What do we do when the Archdemon shows itself?" Aedan asked, genuinely curious.
"We soil our drawers, that's what," Alistair humorously replied. Neranya chuckled at his comment.
An expression of annoyance momentarily crossed Duncan's face. "If it does, leave it to us. I want no heroics from any of you."
Both Aedan and Alistair nodded in agreement. Neranya reluctantly nodded as well. I am the 'Ultimate Dragonslayer' after all...
"Now, I must join the King in the battle below. Carry yourselves with valor, but try not to be heroes." Duncan ordered.
"Duncan, may the Maker watch over you," Alistair said.
"May He watch over us all..."
With that, Duncan left with a group of soldiers to go down to the valley below. Neranya followed the Wardens out onto what seemed like a bridge over the valley. She stared in amazement at the view. Far below them, the large Fereldan army seemed like a colony of ants, standing in grim anticipation of the dark host that approached. Several miles away, the cloudy night sky glowed bright red with torchlight.
Lightning struck some of the outlying trees but, strangely enough, there was no trace of any rain. These clouds seemed unnatural, as there had been no evidence of any storm brewing this night. She considered using the Clear Skies Shout to clear the clouds, but she knew that everyone would hear it, including the Templars below. She decided that it was best to wait until they got into the tower.
They stood on the bridge span, watching as the Darkspawn host approached and stopped at the other end of the plain. At first, nothing happened for a few minutes, as the Darkspawn horde menacingly taunted and jeered at the Fereldan defenders with vulgar insults and threats of death or worse. After a minute of that standoff, the Darkspawn broke into a full scale charge on the Fereldan lines.
The Fereldan defenders initially bombarded the Darkspawn with a hail of flaming arrows, cutting many down. Next, they released war hounds that charged the enemy en masse, taking out many more. But that dark host was mighty in number, and the punishment was easily absorbed.
Neranya watched as King Cailan gave the signal for the army itself to charge the Darkspawn horde. Without any hesitation, more than ten thousand valiant men and women threw themselves into battle against the savage creatures.
Alistair roused Neranya. "Come. We must get to the Tower of Ishal!"
Neranya followed the two Wardens as they crossed the bridge. When they came back up the path into the other courtyard of the fortress, an armored soldier and a mage trotted up to the trio.
"The Tower... it's been taken," one soldier said, obviously shaken.
"What are you talking about? Taken how?" Alistair impatiently asked.
"The Darkspawn... They've dug tunnels into the Tower. It's crawling with them."
"Then you had better come with us!" Alistair ordered. The two newcomers nodded and quickly took their places between Neranya and Aedan.
They all followed Alistair as he ascended the stone steps into the upper courtyard, which was indeed crawling with the vile creatures.
Upon spotting them, Alistair gave a battle-cry and charged at the group of Darkspawn situated at the other end of the courtyard, and Aedan swiftly followed, greatsword held aloft. The mage hung back and slung spells at the Darkspawn archers who were now firing wildly at the three warriors. The soldier chose to guard the mage from the inevitable retaliation he would experience.
Neranya crouched down and sneaked up behind one Darkspawn archer, who was having trouble with its crude bow. Its miserable existence was soon cut short with a dagger to its back. She charged up and electrocuted another Darkspawn with a Thunderbolt spell. Upon seeing the results of that act, she was greatly relieved that her magic had returned...
As Neranya worked at dispatching the Darkspawn archers on the periphery of the courtyard, the two Wardens were busy slugging it out with three of the diminutive creatures as well as two taller ones. The tall creatures seemed to be more skilled at melee combat than their shorter comrades, who instead preferred to take potshots at the Wardens with their bows.
A few minutes later, the Wardens cut down the last Darkspawn fighter and the two surviving short creatures broke into a run for the stairs. Neranya charged up and released a Fireball spell, which succeeded in roasting the fleeing Darkspawn. Alistair noticed the powerful Fireball and looked at the other mage, thinking that it came from him. However, the mage was equally astonished as he.
"It was mine," Neranya said, with a hint of pride in her voice.
"You possess great skill in magic. It is a wonder that the Templars haven't taken offense at that," Aedan observed.
Alistair said nothing as he continued up the stone stairs to face down the next group of Darkspawn.
After nearly fifteen minutes of nonstop fighting, the imposing door leading into the tower could be seen. Neranya couldn't help but admire the great majesty that the tower possessed, as it seemed to touch the clouds above.
All that stood between them and the door was a great, hulking Darkspawn, clad in bronze-colored armor and hefting a great battleaxe, the blade of which was bigger than Neranya's head!
Alistair noticed the Darkspawn and glared at it menacingly. He knew that an all-out charge against the hulking creature would be futile, so he resolved to let it come to them. The mage who accompanied them stepped out in front of Alistair, as if offering himself as bait.
Bait taken in jaws of steel...
The hulking Darkspawn roared and charged at the group, battleaxe raised and ready for the kill.
Neranya quickly charged up and released an Ice Storm spell, which made contact with the creature. The spell succeeded in slowing it down, which gave Alistair the opportunity to engage it. The creature noticed Alistair and brought down its axe in an effort to hew him in half. Fortunately Alistair easily turned aside the creature's wild stroke and deftly plunged his sword into its side.
The Darkspawn glared at Alistair with baleful eyes for a moment until its legs suddenly gave way. It fell on the stone ground in a heap, and the great battleaxe clattered to the ground next to the fallen creature.
"That was a foolhardy errand, ser mage. But I applaud your courage," Aedan chimed in, still taken aback by the ease at which Alistair had dispatched the creature a moment ago.
Neranya nodded in agreement with Aedan's observation.
The mage said nothing in return, simply bowing in respect.
"Well, here we are. The Tower of Ishal," Alistair indicated by gesturing at the door. "Best prepare yourselves before we knock on the door."
Everyone assembled into a line behind Alistair and waited until he opened the door a few moments later. Inside there was naught but an empty hallway, with no torchlight.
This is a trap if I've ever seen one. Neranya thought.
Alistair echoed her thoughts by giving a stern warning. "Stay sharp."
As the team walked down the short entryway, they came into a large chamber with impromptu wooden barricades placed around the entrance of the chamber.
The soldier that accompanied the group saw a Darkspawn archer standing on the opposite side and yelled out. Alistair tried to stop him but it was too late. The soldier recklessly charged forward, breaking a tripwire trap and causing an oily liquid to spill out of the rigged barrels on either side of the entryway.
"Watch out!" the mage called out. Neranya looked and saw a sight that sent her heart racing...
A stocky Darkspawn mage charging up a Fireball spell of its own!
Without a second's hesitation, Neranya inhaled...
FOH KRAH DIIN
A blast of ice-cold air and frost burst forth from Neranya's mouth with the force of a bitter blizzard. The icy blast overpowered the enemy's Fireball spell and succeeded in freezing the oily liquid on the ground.
Upon hearing Neranya's Shout, everyone wheeled around and stared at her in amazement. Even the remaining Darkspawn in the room gave pause.
"What manner of magic is that?!" Alistair yelled out, absolutely shocked.
Neranya's face turned five shades of red, as her secret had just been revealed. She had no choice though, as the enemy Darkspawn's Fireball would have set the oil alight, with both the mage and Aedan still standing in it!
After mustering the courage to respond to Alistair's question, she managed to say, "I'll explain it later. We have other things to worry about."
The Darkspawn mage, who was still standing there amazed at the display of alien magic, quickly charged up another Fireball. Neranya charged up a Thunderbolt spell in both hands and electrocuted the creature with it. The creature may not have survived the single-cast version of the spell anyway, but Neranya knew she couldn't take any chances.
The remaining Darkspawn each met their demise at the hands of Alistair and the soldier, and all became quiet again.
Neranya fully expected an interrogation from Alistair, but instead he turned to the soldier. "That little stunt nearly got us killed! What's wrong with you, man?"
"I... apologize, ser," was all he could manage to say. Alistair simply nodded at him, as there was little purpose in getting angry at the man right now.
With all that said and done, everyone followed Alistair as he continued to forge ahead into the great Tower.
-ooo-ooo-
After more than an hour had passed doing nothing but slaying Darkspawn in heaps, the group nowstood before the final door. Both the mage and the soldier were bent over, gasping for breath. They probably have never fought like this before. Neranya thought as she watched them.
Aedan turned toward Neranya. "I know not what lies in wait for us beyond, but..." his face brightened, "Surely it hasn't encountered individuals like us before!"
She had to admit that the young Warden's optimism was certainly infectious. But these creatures were easy to sweep aside... too easy.
Unfortunately she was still recovering from using her Shouts in the prior slugfest. It would be some time yet before they were available for use.
Without uttering a word, Alistair opened the door. Neranya's heart nearly stopped at the grotesque sight that lay beyond.
A great beast, as tall as a tree, stood at the opposite end of the room. Neranya's stomach churned when she heard the sickly sounds of the beast happily devouring the flesh of the poor souls who had guarded this beacon before the Darkspawn took over.
All of her companions looked upon the beast with dread, except for Alistair.
Within a moment, the beast noticed the party and quickly turned around, still chomping down on a slab of human flesh. A stream of bloody saliva spilled out of its mouth as it gazed upon the team with its baleful eyes.
ROAR!
Alistair responded by simply hitting his shield with his sword twice. Challenge accepted.
Everyone followed him in to engage the great beast in battle. Both Neranya and the mage took up positions on the periphery of the room as the others engaged the beast with hit-and-run attacks. They would ill-afford the beast to score a good hit on anyone, as such contact would undoubtedly maim the victim.
"Let's do it!" Aedan yelled. He quickly sliced wide with his greatsword, successfully cutting a wide gash in the beast's arm. It roared defiantly and swiped at Aedan with a wild, powerful stroke, which was barely dodged.
Neranya charged up an Incinerate spell and shot it at the creature. The blue-white fireball struck the creature's back and scorched it, which elicited a pained howl from the beast. It lowered itself into a charging posture and looked at Neranya with hungry eyes. Uh-oh.
Fortunately its attention was diverted by Alistair's shield smashing into its face. Neranya sighed with relief and charged up another Incinerate spell, which scorched the beast yet again.
The fight seemed to be going well until the beast reached out with its massive hand and grabbed Aedan in its vice-like grip. Alistair gave a cry and began slashing at its arm in order to force the beast to let go, but it persisted.
Neranya now felt ready to use another Shout, and she had the perfect one in mind...
FUS RO DAH
The blast of her Unrelenting Force Shout picked up the large beast as if it were a feather and sent it flying towards the wall. Fortunately it had let go of Aedan just as it was thrown by the Shout.
The large beast hit the stone wall with a ground-shaking bang. Both of the Wardens looked at her in amazement, along with the soldier and the Circle mage.
"That strange magic is powerful indeed!" Aedan said as he stood up, still reeling from the force of the beast's death grip.
Alistair was about to add his opinion when the beast slowly got up from its inglorious position against the wall. It roared once more, but this time it seemed weaker. Neranya looked at it and saw that it now bled from a large, ragged wound on its leg; and the burn on its back was undoubtedly causing it much pain.
"Let us finish this!" Neranya said as she charged up a dual Thunderbolt spell and sent it at the beast.
The beast managed to survive the powerful spell, but it stood still in the middle of the room. It's stunned!
"Now's your chance. Kill the Ogre while it's wounded!" Alistair shouted. Aedan nodded and jumped at the 'Ogre's' face, greatsword ready for the final blow.
Neranya watched as the force of Aedan's blow knocked the dazed Ogre onto its back, with his large greatsword now embedded into its bestial face. Aedan pulled out the sword and plunged it into the Ogre's face once more, twisted it, and then wrenched it out. A fountain of black blood spurted out when the sword was wrenched out of its face.
Now the Ogre lay dead, with a pool of black blood now collecting around its body.
Neranya applauded Aedan on his spectacular flourish. "You possess much skill with that sword, Aedan."
"I thank you, milady. However, I fear that many a warrior could easily best me in a duel," he humbly replied.
Aedan's manner of speech reminded Neranya of the pompous Imperial and Thalmor officials in Skyrim. However Aedan was just a young nobleman, whose entire family had just been mercilessly slaughtered in a treasonous act. It was for this reason that she felt much sympathy for the young Warden.
She also felt anger for the person responsible for causing him such misery.
How is it that I'm already concerned about the affairs of this world?
Alistair interrupted Neranya's train of thought. "Come, let's light the beacon!"
Aedan took an unlit torch from the ground, held it before the bonfire at the edge of the room, and tossed it into the beacon's wood pile. The flames quickly bloomed into a great inferno, which undoubtedly could be seen from outside.
With their errand now complete, everyone chose to take a short breather as the battle now reached its crescendo below.
-ooo-ooo-
Some time later, banging noises could be heard in the rooms below. Something is wrong.
Everyone stood up with weapons ready, as the sound of armored feet came rushing up the tower.
All of a sudden, the door was broken down and a horde of Darkspawn poured into the room, and several archers fired crude arrows tipped with cruel, barbed heads at Neranya and the team!
Alistair tried to block the incoming barrage, but he was struck by two arrows, one to the arm and the other to his knee. Aedan was shot in the stomach by another. The Circle mage fell dead with an arrow shot through his eye, and the soldier was impaled by one of the Darkspawn warriors.
Neranya tried to bring up a Ward in an effort to block the arrows, until she felt a burning pain erupt from her right side. She looked down and saw something she honestly didn't feel would happen to her.
Buried into her side was one of the Darkspawn arrows; its haft made of blackened wood and the flight made of some perverted mockery of a bird's feathers. She felt vertigo as the venom that coated the crude arrow swiftly went to work...
Next thing she knew, she was on the floor, surrounded by Darkspawn. But the last thing she saw was the look of fear painting their faces...
So ends the Battle of Ostagar.
I had originally intended for this chapter to be significantly longer, but instead I chose to exclude most of the fighting throughout the Tower. What is the point of including every mundane battle in a story? Slows down the pace too much for my taste.
But don't fret. Future chapters should be longer.
Obviously the next chapter will feature Morrigan and Flemeth for the first time. I wonder what Neranya will think once she meets them!
I couldn't resist including the ubiquitous 'Arrow to the Knee' meme at least once.
Now for some Q&A:
Q: Will there be a romance between Aedan and any of the party members (including Neranya)?
A: Perhaps. The more observant readers among you may notice something going on between Aedan and Neranya. But whether or not that will continue, that remains to be seen. If you have suggestions for romances, please include them in your reviews!
Q: Does Neranya know ALL of the Dragon Shouts?
A: Yes she does. Why wouldn't she?
Q: How will she explain her Shouts to the Wardens?
A: You'll find out in the next chapter.
Q: Will Neranya follow the Wardens or will she go off on her own?
A: She will follow the Wardens for the foreseeable future. Whether it will be until the end remains to be seen.
Q: Will there be some type of a crisis point for Neranya in this story?
A: I don't know yet. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of this mammoth project!
Q: Speaking of 'mammoth project', how long do you plan on it being?
A: Lol, probably until I graduate from Med School!
I'm in for the long haul with that, so I figured... why not be in the long haul for this story. Writing is an excellent hobby to have in order to help avoid burnout.
Q: Why did you name your DB Neranya?
A: It is a suitably Elven name, however it is not taken by any NPC in either Skyrim or Dragon Age, to my knowledge. I even checked the (exhaustive) NPC list in the Skyrim Creation Kit. None were found with this name.
Also it is the name of my main character in Skyrim!
Q: Where can I find the Nightingale Robes?!
A: As far as I know, nowhere. I haven't yet found a mod that contains them, and I've checked both the Steam Workshop and Skyrim Nexus.
I also don't possess the artistic talent to make them myself, unfortunately. If you happen to stumble across a mod that contains them, please PM me the link!
If you play Skyrim on either PS3 or XBOX 360, you're out of luck, as far as modding goes.
Q: Did you pass your MCAT test?
A: I won't receive the results until 90 days after the test date (April 26), but I'm pretty confident that I've done well on it. I'm very good at science, medicine, and math.
Lol, wish I could say the same for my writing skills!
With that, the Q&A is now done. Expect a few more of these as the story develops.
The next chapter will (hopefully) be posted within the next couple weeks. Still working on getting internet service. I'm NOT going to come crawling back to my previous provider... not after the 'irate customer feedback' I gave them! :D
Paying $91 a month for internet service that likes to interrupt itself for no apparent reason is something I'm not keen on doing again.