Sorry this is like really late! I wanted to write another chapter before I posted this one, (self-motivation kind of thing) and I had MAJOR writers block with it, but it is done now and we have now returned to Redcliffe. I don't know what the updates are going to be like over the holiday but I'll try and keep them going, thanks again for all of the reviews I've gotten :D
"Jowan, you poisoned the Arl?" Neria asked still reeling from the story.
"I know how this all seems, but Loghain told me he was a threat to Ferelden, and he promised to settle things with the Circle, but I'm not responsible for everything that's happening here, I was already imprisoned when everything began." Jowan clarified, "The first I knew about the creatures was when Lady Isolde came down and demanded I reverse what I had done. I thought she meant the poisoning of the Arl." Looking crestfallen he continued "she had me tortured, but when I still could not give her any answers she left me here to rot."
"Everything's fallen apart! I never thought it would end this way." he sobbed out "Maker I've made so many mistakes! I disappointed so many people. Maker Dylan and Lilly, I left him behind, with those Templar's after they tried to help me! I just want to make everything right again."
"It's alright Jowan," Neria soothed as she reached between the bars of the cage to grab her friends hand in a sign of comfort.
"I don't understand, why would Loghain would hire a mage to poison the Arl? And for that matter why poison the Arl at all." Ruari asked as he looked sceptically upon the caged man.
"Connor had started to show signs. Lady Isolde was terrified the Circle of Magi would take him away for training."
"Connor's a mage? I can't believe it." Alistair said dumbfounded.
"She sought an apostate, to teach her son in secret so he could learn to hide his talent. Her husband had no idea." He explained.
"The Arl didn't know?" Ruari asked.
"No, she was adamant that he never find out. She said that he would do the right thing, even if it meant losing their son. And that infuriated her."
"How much magic did you teach Connor?" Neria asked, drawing Jowan's attention back to her "Is it possible he might have done this? If he accidently tore the veil it would allow spirits and demons to cross over."
"I hadn't gotten the change to teach him much; he's still young and can barely caste a minor spell; let along anything more powerful, at least, not intentionally." Jowan clarified.
"It's possible that Connor could have inadvertently done something to tear open the veil, it would explain all the weird shit that's going on in the castle." Neria pointed out.
"What do we do now?" Ruari asked.
"We stick to the plan, the others are outside the gate waiting for us, and we will not know what has happened until we find this boy." Lyna stated before she glanced between Jowan and Neria. "What will we do with your friend?"
"I'm not sure, we can't leave him here can we?" Neria queried.
"Should we let the dangerous blood mage run free instead then?" Alistair retorted.
"Shut up Alistair, we already know he didn't do this." Neria sneered with a glare at the other warden.
"Maybe but it doesn't change the fact that he's a blood mage!"
"So I should just stand aside and let you run him though with your mighty sword Ser Alistair?"
"Stop!" Lyna said as she sent a pointed look between the two, "This man said he was contacted by Loghain and asked to kill this Arl, his knowledge may be useful. We need to keep him safe." Seeing the nods of agreement from Alistair and Ruari and the look of relief from Neria Lyna turned to look at the mage Jowan, "We will not kill you, but I do not think is wise for you to leave this place, there are many creatures of the beyond here, we will come back."
With that they moved away from the door to the cell, Neria saying on last goodbye before they moved in to the next chamber. Stone archways sat against the far wall, boxes and crate where scattered everywhere.
"Ah the stock room, I remember hiding down here and stealing apples." Alistair remembered with a small smile, trying to cover over the shouting match in the other room.
"An apple thief, really?" Neria asked with her own smirk playing along.
"It was all downhill after that, first it was apples, then bread, then cheese…"
Neria opened her mouth to reply when several corpses rose up from the ground and surrounded them swords at the ready. Ruari quickly charge for the one that had sprung up in from of them, while Neria froze another one of the two that ran out from under the arch way while Hati and the wolf charged the second. Alistair fought another than had appeared behind the group while Lyna, not having time to ready her bow, began to slash at the final creature.
The corpses went down quickly and were dust after a few seconds. "They didn't put up much of a fight." Ruari said as they continued to walk towards the steps.
"Probably just a welcoming crew, whoever's controlling those things probably knows we're here now." Neria stated ominously.
"O great, maybe they'll put the kettle on." Alistair remarked.
As they made their way up to the first floor of the castle Neria could feel how unstable the fade was, it was similar to feeling the ripples in the water.
"Are you okay Neria?" Lyna asked as she looked over to the other Elf.
"Yes, I'm fine, it's just- the fade I can feel the tear, it a little unsettling." Neria answer as she glanced around her.
Three corpses appeared again in the hallway, and quickly began to attack, unlike the other they had encountered they were better equipped and harder to kill. Lyna quickly ducked in to the next room to avoid being hit by an arrow. A horrible cry echoed throughout the large and empty room as smoke began to appear and cloud the room. Four deformed creatures appeared, their skin marked and rotten a sickly pink, leather cloth hung around their waist and a hood, held in place by straps, hid their misshaped face. Their eye's glowed an unnatural white, they mouth stuck as though they were permanently screaming.
Lyna cursed loudly in Elvish as she tried to put enough distance between her and the other creatures, she fired arrow after arrow as they charged towards with great speed. She ducked to avoid the craw of the first as the second one swiped the top of her left arm. She hissed as she rolled away losing her grip on her bow. She pulled out her daggers and ran towards the wall behind her, using her momentum to launch herself up before pushing herself back to land behind the creatures.
Before the shades, as she know recognised them, could react she stabbed the closet one with both her daggers, one in the shoulder one in the neck, killing it before she jumped back and away. Another one turned to charge at her, but was stopped with a large grey blur jumped on to its back and began to tear at its neck, another was frozen in place as Neria, Hati, Alistair and Ruari quickly ran in.
Ruari rushed to shatter the frozen shade as Alistair and Hati attacked the other. Neria ran towards Lyna seeing the blood that was freely flowing down her arm, she took a health potion out from her pack and gave it to her, Lyna drank it quickly trying her best not to taste the sour liquid.
"Are you alright?" Neria asked looking at her with a worried look.
"I'll be fine" Lyna answered, "We should keep a closer eye on one another. This place seemed to be filled with traps."
They kept close together as they made their way through to the next room where they were met with more of the walking corpses.
"How many of those things are there?" Alistair asked as the last one way felled.
"Maker, they stink!" Ruari mumbled out from behind the forearm he had stretched to cover his nose.
Alistair noticed Lyna frozen in place as she looked towards the doorway leading to the next corridor, her wolf and Hati where matching her gaze and growling softy.
"What's-" Alistair began to ask but was interrupted when Lyna raised her hand to silence him.
"Do you hear that?" She question with her eyes still stuck on the doorway. Alistair strained his hearing until he caught the faint sound of barking and howling coming from ahead.
"Sounds like dogs. The kennels are ahead of us, must be coming from there." He said as he remembered the layout of the rooms.
"The dogs, they do not sound healthy." Lyna stated with a frown.
They began to move out into the next corridor, the barking and howling getting louder as they went. They found the doors to the kennel opened, immediately getting sat upon be the hounds of the castle that had went feral from being locked up without, they found the half eaten remains of one of the kennel master lying at the back of the room.
Neria winced at the sight before turning away, "Come on, let's go."
As they walking through to the next hallway Lyna noticed a slight flicker of light flash on the ground in front of them. "Wait" she said as she walked slowly forward crouching down, squinting her eyes to get a better look. A small thread stretched from one side of the hallway to the other, the light reflecting off of the small surface. "It's a trap." She explained as looked closely toward the mechanism. She held the thread of wire tight as she cut the side that was leading away from the trigger, before taking a small pin and tying it to the rest of the thread to stop it from firing.
"Done" Lyna said as she stood up and motioned to the others that it was safe to continue. They had only taken a few steps when they were attacked again by more walked corpses. Alistair and Ruari quickly charged forward as Neria began to cast ice and lightening, Lyna fired arrow after arrow as the wolf and Hati attacked anything that got too close to the two Elves, or that was trying to catch the two men unaware.
"Ugh, is it me or are they starting to smell worse?" Ruari asked as he attempted to remove some of the remains of the creatures from his sword.
"I'm not sure, honestly once you've smell Darkspawn, everything else pales in comparison." Alistair replied smirking at the grimace on the knight's face.
A shuffle and a bang came from the room at the end of the hallway stopping Ruari from continuing his banter with the warden. They both looked at each other and their companions before they began to walk towards the door.
They quickly banged the door opened, swords and shields at the ready, they were with a high pitched shriek and the sight of a light haired woman dressed as a servant. They both jumped back at the harsh sound and lowered their weapons. "Please don't hurt me!"
"Calm down, your okay, we're not going to hurt you." Alistair rushed out the words in a loud whisper, hoping no more of the creature where about to hear the scream.
"I'm sorry, I'm so frightened! These monsters are everywhere!" the woman explained "My names Valena, the Arlessa's maid. Is she all right? What happened to everyone?"
"Valena? The Smiths daughter?" Ruari asked.
"You know my father? I want to go back to the village! Is there a way out of here?"
"There is a tunnel leading out in the dungeon." Alistair explained.
"But, what about the monsters?"
"We've killed them, it's safe."
"Thank you, I'll find my way." she said with a look of relief as she ran out of the room and down the path they had come from.
"So how'd you know she was the Smiths daughter?" Alistair questioned the knight.
"Oh, well one of the women that was travelling with us told me the Smith wanted us to keep an eye out for his daughter when we entered the castle."
"Least we found her alive, Maker I can hardly believe what's happening here." Alistair added as they continued through the castle, they ran in to another large group of corpse as they made their way through the kitchen, after the last was killed Alistair directed them toward a small stair way.
"This is the servant's corridor, this will bring us down to the wine cellar and from there, there's another stairway that will bring us out into the main courtyard right next to the gate. We open the gate, let Ser Perth and the others in and then we save the day." Alistair chimed with false glee.
"You make it sound so easy." Ruari remarked sarcastically.
"Knowing our luck, it'll not be. I won't be surprised if there's an army of corpses and shade up there vying for our blood." Neria added.
"Shhh!" Alistair hissed "Don't say things like that what was it you said? 'That's what the people in books say before something really bad happens', your jinxing us!"
Neria rolled her eyes as Alistair's appalled expression. "Don't be ridiculous, I was joking, let's go."
"Ridiculous? Me? Yes because I'm the one being ridiculous. We'll see which one of us is ridiculous when we're attacked by the small army from the fade and we're all killed. In fact when were both dead and by the Makers side I'll be sure to ask you who's ridiculous!" Alistair ranted as they filed their way through the narrow stairways towards the main courtyard.
The courtyard was empty and eerily quiet, the sound of the wooden door closing echoed as it hit against the frame. They stood in silence as they took in their surroundings.
"See Alistair, nothing here." Neria sang out with a smirk, breaking the silence as she began to move further in to the courtyard.
"I told you not to-" Alistair began as a loud groan cut him off as several corpses appeared. "Jinx us…" Alistair finished lamely.
"Shit!" Ruari exclaimed as he readied his sword and shield.
"Quick, get the gates opened!" Lyna shouted as she fired arrows at the corpse archers at the entrance to the castle.
So I've just started on chapter 39, and there's quite a few long ones coming up soon, but I will try and get the next chapter up on time-if not early- to make up for going MIA for a while there. I still have no idea how long this fic is going to be but so far it freakin' long lol, hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews are most welcome :D