Author Note
It's been a while since I wrote anything for this but I really want to finish my stories before I start any new ones.
Also I re-read this story before starting the new chapter and I really do need a proof reader for the parts I've written so far. So if anyone has some free time and the willingness to help me I would appreciate them fixing the chapters for me.
This is a short chapter because its just Shale joining the group.
Review
ThelonewolfNT
I didn't chose Leliana she was voted to be the romantic partner of my character by the reviewers.
Warden Gothic
Part 15
Honnleath
The village seemed deserted at first, but then we all saw the darkspawn who came running right at us. Thankfully for us Alistair had sensed them long before they saw us so the mages in the group had spells ready and Lee shot one with an arrow before the monsters could get within a dozen meters of us.
Then Sten, Alistar and I got to work efficiently cutting down the remaining spawn before working our way to the centre of village, and once there we found the massive stone person we had come looking for. In fact Shale was very hard to miss.
Someone had put a basket of birdseed near the stone figure, which in turn had attracted birds and they had pooped all over poor Shale, or at least they had been doing that until the Darkspawn had turned up. The golem badly needed cleaning however there was nothing I could do about that right now as even I could sense that were more monsters about.
"There are magic wards being used in this direction" the evil witch of the group informed me.
If memory served any people here who were still alive had taken shelter in a mages basement, and that looked be the case here because there were a few human bodies around. Far too few to account for the population of village this size.
"Aright let's go" I decided
We found the way into the basement, and then a wine cellar, which we raided as none of the locals would mind us taking a few bottles in exchange for saving their lives. Not that we intended to tell them that we had taken the wine, and most likely the darkspawn would be blamed for the thief anyway as if they didn't drink no one around here would know that.
"This is a little dishonest" Wynn commented as she didn't get involved with taking anything.
No one bothered to justify what we were doing, but had I cared enough to do so I would have pointed out that were running low on supplies.
In the next room, which was a study of some sort, we found some strange crystals. I grabbed those too because we would actually needed these, this time I bothered to explain to Wynn that the golem outside had crystals on it and that these crystals might be part of the stone creature.
There were darkspawn in the next part of the building so we had to fight our way across a large room and as we did I saw some of the villagers behind what looked to be a magical barrier. It had kept them safe even from the mages the spawn had with them so I knew it had to be a powerful piece of magic.
After clearing the room of darkspawn, I spoke to the villagers and most of them chose to leave save for a guy called Matthias, who was the son of Wilhelm ,who had been the mage who had used to own the golem.
Because I hadn't tried to activate Shale yet, since I knew there was no point trying, I couldn't just come and ask for the right password, but I knew that should I save his daughter then he would tell me later so that was okay.
As I had expected he pleaded for us to go find his little girl who had ran further into the depths of this cellar/laboratory rather go save her himsef. So as a group we headed down into the depths of this crazy place.
Along the way we found more of those strange crystals and even a few Shades. Thankfully as demons went Shades weren't much of a threat and between us we dispatched them with ease.
We then walked into a room and heard a young girl conversing with a cat, which wasn't that strange really because lots of kids talk to animals and pretend that they can talk back. What was different here was that the feline also spoke and it did so without moving its mouth.
"It's a demon" I whispered
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Morrigan nod and on my otherside I could see Lee getting ready for another fight.
The demon then spoke to us about being trapped here without contact with anyone for years and then it demanded to be released so it could possess the little girl and leave.
I looked then at Alistair and he caught my glance and nodded almost imperceptibly. In that limited communication we had said a lot to each even if no words had actually been exchanged.
Next I started the task of finishing the puzzle and Before I move the last tile I glanced at my companions. I knew then that they were ready to fight although none of them even had a weapon drawn.
As I moved the last tile. The demon started ranting about freedom which terrified poor little Amalia, so I step between the demon and the child.
"Run Amalia!" I then shouted as I drew the weapons Sandel had enchanted for me "Run to your father.
I didn't even bother to see if she had in fact ran. I was totally focused on the demon cat known as Kitty.
"If I cannot have Amalia, no one will" it said while taking the form of Desire Demon.
My intention had been to end the demons existence as quickly as I could, but once more I was forced to spend time cutting down the undead. Which at this point was actually getting rather dull, as they were crap in a fight and all they could was slow me down.
After slaying the last of the walking corpses I moved to cut down the demon itself only to see the tip of a long dagger poke out between the creatures alluring breasts. As like with the others I'd seen die the Desire Demon died in an erotic way as its screams of death made it sound more like it was having an intense orgasm.
As the body dropped to the floor I found out who had slain the evil being. Lee was standing in front of me with a blood coated dagger in her hand an very innocent expression on her face.
"I did not like the way she was looking at you" she said sheepishly.
Suddenly Morrigan didn't seem to be the scariest woman in my life, but I put that aside and went to find Matthias.
He was ever so grateful that Amalia had been returned to him unharmed. Then once he had done fussing over his daughter Wynn gave him a diary she found in the lower levels. I hadn't even noticed that she'd taken it, but since I'd gotten some pretty crystals out of this adventure I didn't mind her giving the book back.
Plus I had a golem to claim and this seemed to be a good time to ask about the control rod. Matthias told me the correct pass phrase while I pretended not to have known that I'd had the wrong password the whole time.
When I got back outside I took the chance to inspect Shale again and I still ended up feeling sorry the golem about all the bird crap it was covered in so I found a bucket and rag in one of the houses, then I headed over to the well in order to fill the bucket.
"You are going to wash the golem" Morrigan remarked.
The way she had said it suggested that she didn't believe I would ever do such a thing.
"Its going to travelling around with us" I reminded the sexy witch "and I don't want the smell following us around".
Rather than answer she walked off. Which was fine with me as her company had become even less pleasant since I had gotten together with Lee.
Since I was already warm I peeled off my armour and started washing the golem while just wearing my tunic and cloth trousers. I was sure that a certain other person would have enjoyed it more if I'd taken my top off, sadly for her I wasn't that warm.
"Alistair!" I then called out "Could give me a boost to I can clean this thing's head?"
Shale was a lot taller than me, bigger than Sten in fact, and there was a lot of mess at the top of it so I needed to get right up there in order to do a proper job.
"Sure thing" he replied
I got a clean cloth before Alistair clasped his hands together making a foothold for me, and once I was in place he boosted me up to the golems shoulder so I could finish my golem cleaning.
Once I was done I jumped down and recovered the control rod then after using the correct activation phrase, the golem came to life. I had to say, at least to myself, that was an amazing thing to watch.
"I knew that the day would come when someone would find the control rod, and it's not even another mage" were Shale's first words to me.
"Well hello to you too?" I retorted .
Gratitude really was in short supply in this kingdom.
"I stood here in this spot and watched those wretched little villagers scurry around me for, ah, I have no idea how long, but it was many, many years," the golem said.
Well I could imagine that such a fate would be horrible to endure so I felt sympathy.
"Then one wonders why you wouldn't be more grateful to the one who allowed you to stretch your legs golem" stated Morrigan coldly.
Me I would have been dancing for joy.
"Hmm a mage, charming," the golem said snidely before speaking again "I was just getting used to the quiet; tell me are all the villagers dead?"
Given that they just been attacked the villagers were understandably nervous and were staying in their homes.
"Not all of them," I told Shale.
Which was something I was actually grateful for as I had failed to save a lot of people so far. It was nice to have at least been able to reduce the number of deaths this time.
"Some got away then, how unfortunate," the golem said sadly.
I decided then to change the subject.
"Do you have a name?" I ask.
Not that I didn't already know.
"Perhaps I might have forgotten it after all these years of being called golem" it said while sneering. "Golem, fetch me that chair, do be a good golem and squash that insipid bandit, and let's not forget, golem pick me up, I so tire of walking".
Shale's dislike of people wasn't completely unjustified.
"It does have the control rod, doesn't it…I am awake so it must," the golem asked suddenly.
Indeed I did have the rod of control.
"Is something wrong?" I asked
Shale despite having a face made of stone seemed to able to make facial expressions.
"I see the control rod…yet I feel…go on order me to do something," the golem stated.
"Dump that dirty bucket of water all over Morrigan," I ordered in a joking.
That made everyone but the witch and the golem burst into laughter.
"You wouldn't dare" Morrigan said with a growl.
I wouldn't have actually but as it turned out she had nothing to worry about.
"And …nothing… I feel nothing," it said with wonder "I feel no compulsion to carry out it command. I suppose this means the rod must be…broken".
Which was a shame as whilel I disapproved of enslaving thinking beings I would have liked to have seen Morrigan get all dirty and wet.
"Shouldn't you be happy about that?" I asked.
I know I would have been.
"Hmm, I suppose if I can't be commanded this means…I have free will" the golem realised while sounding almost scared. "What should I do I have no memories beyond watching this village for so long, I have no purpose, I find myself at a bit of a loss".
Before I could make any suggestions Shale spoke again.
"What about it? It must have awoken me for some reason no? What did you intend to do with me?" the golem asks.
I knew that being truthful was the best move.
"Well my original purpose was to have you help us fight the darkspawn" I answered honestly "But if you really have free will then what you do is up to you".
"I can decide?" it asked while somehow looking thoughtfully "It seems I have two options, do I not?"
Well he had many options.
"Stay here or go elsewhere, but I do not even know what lies beyond this village" The golem said after thinking some more.
I decided then to give Shale an option.
"You're welcome to come with me," I offered "We can crush the skulls of evildoers it'll be fun!".
The rest of group weren't so enthusiastic.
"Are you certain you want to bring this thing with us?" Alistair said "It could be dangerous".
I ignored the objections of him and any others.
"The golems coming with us" I insisted "We need the help".
Everyone listened to me, at least this time.
"I will follow it about, for now. I am called Shale by the way," The golem informed us.
I nodded my head at golem.
"My name is Gothic, pleased to meet you Shale" I said while offering my hand to shake.
The golem didn't take it.
"This should be interesting" Shale stated as we turned to leave the village.
Indeed it would be.