Not too sure what people will think of this chapter. I am all ears if you choose to review. Goods or bads like. Cheers.

Turns out you can totally spew in the Fade. And not just dainty heaves, but hanging from your lips, coming from your nose stuff. Pleasant. I had though, also just taken one to the gut. From a Demon, so I was totally justified in spewing my stomach out. Only my elf reflexes had seen the purple naked horned bitch rear out of nothingness, I got Morrigan out of the way, but took the thankfully not a talon swipey punch to the innards. I was winded too which was perfect. I rolled to the side, managing to miss what had been inside my stomach. Thankfully She didn't seem too eager to continue Her attack and was watching… yes while caressing pierced nipples and purple skinned hips. For the record, totally didn't find Her attractive. And the game didn't do Her justice. Also something you didn't get in the game was the weird 'music' that seems to emanate from Her. It wasn't bad, by any means, it seemed like it wound into your ears, not striking nerves but coaxing them… holy shit. It made me pissed, which I know was the opposite of its purpose. I swallowed and wiped my face on my shirt. I crossed my arms and contemplated Her, as She did me.

First of all, horns. Massive ones. Not like ram's horns, these ones were ornate but not like a Halla. They branched to the side before curling back on themselves and up. Her head was kinda cone shaped, erupting into purple and black flames, hazy like the atmosphere of the Fade. Her eyes though, fuck. Fathomless, I would even use the word eternal, without feeling like a dick for even using that. I maybe would have used knowing – but not when I recognised the expression on Her pretty but oh so unnatural face. She was puzzled. Whilst looking at me. Yeah ok, so I wasna channelling the tough elf that She had encountered back in the hall of Redcliffe castle, by any means, but Yeezus.

"Why are you here?"

Duh. I think my face showed the word I was thinking. Because She frowned and purple lightning flashed between taloned fingers. Oooo shiny. Not sure why now I wasn't feeling scared. The anger I had had back in reality? Was back. And I welcomed it.

"I think we covered that earlier with a few 'choice' words. Would you like me to repeat them?"

She waved her hand, dismissively. She totally remembered them. If I remembered correctly, they had been enough to have Her running away. I lifted an eyebrow – an aside, but I love the fact I can do the one eyebrow lift quirk thing. Something I could not do previous.

"Who are you?"

"Who or what?"

Liking this position of power. Though I could tell from the corner of my eye that both Morrigan and Jowan did not. Jowan wasn't precisely wringing his hands, but eyebrows were angling down in a worried expression that was a mirroring of the game. Morrigan looked angry but also keen not to catch the demon's eyes. No fear of that, those warm pits of darkness hadn't left me.

"Where is the boy?"

"Somewhere else."

"Give him to me."

"Why?"

I knew She wanted to say, and what will you do for me? Regardless of anything, I was going to kill Her. I did not exactly know how or when really, but it would happen.

"He, like his father, is not yours."

"Everything here is mine."

There was absolutely no way I believed that. I knew about the hierarchy of demons. This one wasn't on the bottom, but she wasn't on the top either. Her place was tenuous in the real world, relying upon Connor drawing breath. Though that did mean that She had powers here. Hopefully She wouldn't have a chance to use them. Much… yeah. I couldn't help but think of those in the Tower. I had no way of knowing if they had been sent to the Fade yet. Or the way things were working out whether they had been sent there or not. If they had could I meet them?

"Do not deal with Her Ana."

I looked to Morrigan. She had apparently regained her bollocks and now stood next to me. That well known expression upon her face, like she had smelt something gross.

"Who said I was dealing? We are simply chatting."

"You are interesting, your companion, not so much."

Did not expect that. I thought there would be plenty of interesting-ness in… of? Morrigan. She of course simply sneered, which on a living being would have cut to the very bone. I flipped a thumb behind me to Jowan,

"How's about this one?"

She didn't flinch, but definite weariness appeared on Her face. I turned to look at Jowan, who did not meet my eyes. She was worried. About the demon that he had made his deal with? Stronger than Her? OH MY GOD. I remembered reading somewhere that Jowan had been jealous of the 'Warden', that that had been the impetus to make the pact and learn blood magery. A pride demon! I was shocked and the original me had no good idea what that even meant. Did Maharial?

"Like that is it?"

I mumbled. Not really fast enough to stop Her from speaking to him, or Morrigan.

"What do you wish for? To save her?"

I lifted my head; apparently I'd dropped it as I had thought. Yes She was fucking caressing the whole booby area. Her outline shifted, not so much I still couldn't see her 'real' shape, but I could recognise the shimmery figure of Lily. Slowly solidifying. I'll give that to Jowan, she was a lot prettier than the game, big eyes and smiling lips. I could understand how he had fallen for her. But the Bitch using her like that. A fake, a remake of the one he had loved more than…

"Hey fuck face, don't even try. He is mine."

And I slapped Her. Cos that was totally my MO. First Morrigan now a Desire demon. What could be next, the brood mother? Fuck it the arch demon. Let's aim high. I do not though see how She didn't see that coming. There was the obligatory,

"How dare you!"

"How fucking dare you! I told you once; I didn't think I would have to repeat myself. I already told you I was going to kill you, and now that I know you can feel, it is going to be slow and painful."

"You are no mage, you cannot kill me."

That was an irrelevant detail that I would muse upon later. God I felt powerful, righteous. I think I was guided by Falon'din; he would help me to send this one to Death. Or the Beyond… well Beyond-er. Where ever the hell they go when you kill them that was not the Fade. I grinned; it felt so good.

"You do not even know what I am, how do you know I could not kill you?"

I didn't know if I could do it. I was sorta hoping that Morrigan would read my mind and quickly fire a fire ball at the High Bitch over there if this didn't work. Fingers crossed. This time I think I needed not just Falon'din's help but Elgar'nan's and Mythal's.

In a flash that made me weak to my knees, with a thought that made my brain hurt; my terrible memory of the armour of the Elvish warrior that pixelled green thing, appeared on my body. My vision not narrowed with that mask/helmet but strangely enhanced. I thanked Maharial for the thousandth time. I ignored Morrigan and Jowan. Partly because I wanted to throw up again, and cos I needed to concentrate. Really hard. I'd only seen a gun once before. I conjured that hand gun in my hands with a savage will. I could taste the blood that exploded from my nose and the tongue that I bit. Lifting it; the Demon not registering it as a threat, I fired once at the 'Lily' who exploded in streamers, and then I just pointed it at Her face and kept squeezing the trigger. And Morrigan does have ESP. Cos that fireball so did not come from me. It exploded and the heat made me forget how to breathe. But She still lifted clawed hands; a shudder seemed to erupt from Her palms. I simply tensed, but something fired out from my other side. The gun dissipated and my mind suddenly went, stay with me, very elfy. The most stunning bow appeared in my hand, a quiver of dark wood arrows at my shoulder. The mask like helmet seemed to narrow my gaze in more on the Bitch engulfed in flame and that something from Jowan. It was so smooth, each draw, each placement of the arrow into Her body. Riddled with cherry red holes from the bullets, now black wood sticks erupting from Her breasts, from Her stomach. They were smooth, those actions, but inside that mask I was straining for breath. The blood kept pouring from my nose; I inhaled it as I gasped. Whatever Sten had done to my head to knock me into unconsciousness railed against this whole thing and thundered in time with a rapid pulse and breath. I felt the punch to the chest, that last hurrah She had in her. A very hard yes thunderous magic punch right to my sternum.

I puked in my helmet. Fucking hate the Fade. But She was done, Her scream anguished as she turned into a disintegrating black husk and despite the physical pain I felt bloody good about that. Newly empty hands ripped my mask off, and I gulped in air that I suddenly distrusted even existed. A hand touched my back and I saw Morrigan fade away. She looked tired but there was grin on her lips. I however simply slumped to the ground, the armour gone; which is a shame cos it had looked beautiful. The mask stared at me, blood dribbling from the eye holes. It looked… it made what little air I had managed to suck into lungs turn to void. Elgar'nan. Just to add to the blood and spew, tears flooded from my eyes. I was tired, eternally tired. Another hand rested on my shoulder but didn't fade away or lift. I tilted my head, about the only physical action I could manage. Jowan was smiling, a happy smile. Tiny, barely lifting his lips, but his eyes were kind and he looked even relieved.

"Thank you."

Ke?

"Why?"

He shuffled his crouch into a full sit on the grass? His hand slid from my shoulder to hold my hand.

"Because she would have used her. I don't know if I would have been strong enough."

"You are stronger than you think Jowan."

In answer he shook his head slowly.

"You did do something? Didn't you?"

I wanted to shake him, to get him to answer me. I wanted to know, so I could help him. Because his face was the saddest I had ever seen. No tears, just like a realisation that he was broken and would never mend. We sat there for a wee while, in that empty clearing. The mask had disappeared, like Her body had. My blood that had spattered out was still on the ground though. Probably still smeared over my face. I rubbed an eye on my shoulder, feeling the new track of tears slide. And dribble of blood from my nose.

"You gave it something important."

Not precisely a game of twenty questions, more like twenty statements. But he never moved, content to sit with me there and hold my hand.

"You gave it yourself."

At that he stiffened slightly. I lifted my free hand to touch his hair, letting him fall forward to my shoulder in what must have looked like an awkward hug.

"You know that that means I will have to kill you. Out there."

"It will not be me."

"I know it'll be you. Behind those savage eyes will be yours."

I didn't cry now for my pain, or for that religious ecstasy I had been in when I had recognised Elgar'nan. Not for Connor or his safety or his father who still lay in peril. I cried for this man who had lost everything, and had given anything left for someone else.

"You would have had her for a short while, if you had taken her offer."

"It would never have been Lily, because Lily would never have let me give up on myself."

I knew though that Lily had given him up. After finding out he had embraced blood magic she had bid him gone from her side. I think she gets sent to some kind of prison by the Templars… I don't think she died. I was still thinking on what to say when he spoke,

"What are you Maharial?"

"What you talkn' 'bout? I'm a dalish warden."

He snorted a lacklustre attempt at mirth. He pulled back to look at me. Creators knew what I looked like at the moment.

"She was afraid of you. Then you just changed everything."

"Perhaps she hadn't seen a Warden before."

"Maybe."

He wasn't convinced, but there was more to deal with. The fact of his imminent death. Unless I could think of something, anything. Time was running out, I would wake any moment and that thing would take over his body with no one knowing anything. I didn't want him to die. Ah, fuck it.

"Call it."

"What?"

"Call the demon."

Shit, if I can take on a desire demon why not a pride demon. Stupid sentence even as I thought it. A fucken pride demon. What was I going to do, bleed on him to death? Puke on him and have him so taxt out that he just taps out and leaves Jowan alone? I had no idea how this was going to end. It could, would, probably end me.