Chapter 31 – Kal'Hirol
Nate had heard stories of the ancient thaigs; of a time long ago when the dwarven empire was vast and powerful, but such things were difficult to imagine when faced with the evidence of its near complete inhalation. Kal'Hirol was a ruin, and had been as much for hundreds of years. That much was clear without having heard Sigrun's stilted account of the place, though it was obvious that even she knew little about its history.
Nothing about the Deep Roads was what Nate had expected it to be. The stench of corruption was so potent that he'd nearly gagged upon first entering the roads. It was like sulfur, bile and carrion all wrapped into a single repulsive odor that poured into his lungs and immediately set them to burning. That wasn't the worst of it though. There was a profound darkness to this place that he knew was not entirely due to the fact that they were deep underground. It seeped into his pores to vibrate just under his skin; humming in the back of his brain with the constant sensation of darkspawn presence that crashed over him in waves.
Alyx, Oghren and Sigrun were the only members of their party that did not seem to be especially affected by the unsettling atmosphere. He supposed it was a matter of familiarity, for they all had experienced it before. Still, he could not imagine ever getting used to such a place.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he heard Anders ask their new dwarven companion as Sigrun ran her hands over a section of the wall in front of them.
"No, but it's either this or get slaughtered the second we enter the main door. Which do you prefer?" Sigrun replied over-sweetly.
"Point taken," Anders mumbled, stepping back to give the woman room to work.
A moment later Sigrun hooted in victory as a portion of the wall ground open to reveal a corridor leading into the fortress. As they entered Nate noticed that the taint was even thicker inside, consuming every inch of the crumbling stonework. He swallowed the bile that surged into his throat at the sickening sensation that swept over him.
"Wait," Alyx commanded, stopping them at a distance from a large stone door at the end of the corridor.
She bent to scoop up a bit of masonry and chucked it across the room. It bounced across the floor to skid to a stop just before the door. Nate could hear an audible click just before the room exploded with light as a ball of fire jettisoned from the mouth of fixture carved into the wall. He reflexively shielded his eyes from the blast but could still feel the intense heat coming off the flames in waves.
"Andraste's knicker-weasels! How did you know that was there?" Anders asked once the trap sputtered out and the corridor was dark once again.
"They're easy enough to spot once you know what to look for," Alyx replied nonchalantly. "You see the pattern on the floor there? It camouflages the pressure plate that triggers the trap. You're better off walking around any portions of floor that looks conspicuous."
"Wonderful. As if we don't have enough to worry about with the darkspawn running about," the mage muttered.
"No one said it would be easy sparkles," Oghren growled irritably. "Now if yer' done whinen' I think there's a bunch of darkspawn on the other side of that door that are jest beggin' to be pummeled."
"Just so," Nate murmured in agreement. He could sense the large group nearby and prepared himself for the battle soon to come.
Adrenaline began to pump through his veins. He could hear the darkspawn grunting and growling on the other side, working themselves into a frenzy that pulsed beneath his own skin in response. His fingers twitched around his bow in anticipation, not knowing what to expect but ready for the worst.
The door opened before them, sending out a burst of heat and corruption to great them. He barely heard Alyx scream "Golem!" before a gigantic stone fist came hurling towards his face. He ducked and rolled out of the way, coming up just in time to see the golem take a large chunk out of the wall exactly where his head had been. It turned and came at him with a grunt of frustration, growing noticeably more and more irritated as he continued to evade its grasp.
It took only a glance for Nate to realize that his bow would be useless in this fight. He tucked it back in its holster and whipped out his dirk instead. He passed it between his hands as he sized up the stone giant, quickly trying to ascertain a weak spot. There was none that he could see, but surely there had to be a way to defeat it. He ducked another massive swing and stabbed the dirk upwards into a crease just under its arm. The golem roared in anger and turned to bat at the weapon, almost as if it was nothing more than a gnat nipping at its flesh (if the massive stone armor that composed the whole of its body could even be considered flesh). Nate was forced to pull back and move out of its way or be crushed. He continued to duck and circle the golem but was unable to get close enough to do any real damage. How the hell does one kill a giant walking boulder anyway? He thought as sweat began to pour down his face. Nate could sense his energy beginning to ebb and felt a moment of silent panic. It would only be a matter of time before he was too exhausted to continue this dance and the golem would surely overtake him.
In a moment of bad luck he lost his footing and the golem grabbed him up by the neck. He struggled to get free, pulling on its grasp with both his hands but to no avail. His vision began to swim as it got harder and harder to breathe. He could feel his limbs grow heavy, his body reflexively going limp as the darkness began to claim him. The golem raised its free arm, slowly pulling it back past its shoulder. Nate closed his eyes, not wanting the last thing he saw to be the golem's eerie, vacant stare. Instead he thought of Alyx. His heart ached at the thought that he would never get the chance to tell her how he truly felt. I'm sorry, he thought as he braced himself for impact.
The blow never came.
Nate opened one eye then the other and was surprised to see the golem's fist frozen in place just inches from his face. A moment later it released him, sending him tumbling to the ground at its feet. The sudden flood of oxygen to his lungs made him sputter and gasp, yet at the same time it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. He was alive.
"Maker, are you alright?" Alyx's voice came from nearby.
He looked up to see her crouched next to him, concern etched across her face. Velanna appeared at his other side. He shook his head at her silent question.
"I'm fine," he rasped, his throat burning painfully with the words. "Save your energy."
She nodded once and moved away, leaving him alone with Alyx.
"What happened?" he asked her as he got to his feet.
"There was an emissary amongst the darkspawn numbers. He had this," she replied, holding up a strange-looking metal rod.
"Which is…?" he asked in confusion.
"It's a control rod for the golems."
"Golem-s...you mean to tell me there are more of those things?" he croaked in surprise.
Alyx waved a hand to the courtyard below them. Nate looked over to see three more of the stone giants slumped in great alcoves on each side of the entrance.
"There's likely more where that came from, though they shouldn't be an issue now," Alyx continued. "I am only sorry I couldn't get to the control rod sooner. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Well enough," he rasped, shooting her a wobbly smile. "Shall we move on?"
She eyed him speculatively for a long moment, likely trying to ascertain whether or not he was lying. Whatever she saw in his expression must have assuaged her concerns for she merely nodded and signaled for them continue.
A sudden, unnatural hush fell over them as they moved deeper into the keep. Nate shivered, an eerie feeling settling in as they walked down a long flight of stairs. Was he going mad or had the temperature really just drop dramatically in the past few minutes?
"Do you feel that?" he said, his voice sounding overly-loud in the stillness. He was surprised to see his breath coming out in wispy puffs as he spoke.
"This place is broken," Velanna whispered behind him as she trembled from the chill in the air.
Without warning a war cry breached the quiet and a white mist crept into the corridor. The wardens jumped back in shock as ghostly apparitions of both dwarves and darkspawn alike sprung to life before their very eyes. The sound of clashing steel tinged the air as the spirits furiously battled each other. Anders reached out with his staff, his eyes widening as it passed clean through a pair of vaporous figures closest to him.
"Creepy," he drawled.
"I've never seen anything like this before," Sigrun breathed in fascination. "They say memory stays in the stone forever…is this what they mean?"
"I think you may have something there," Alyx replied. "This must be an impression of sorts…of the darkspawn siege that took place here during the first blight."
"Hmph. At least they're not attackin' us," Oghren grunted.
"You're kidding right?" Anders hooted in disbelief, his face falling when Oghren's expression didn't change. "Maker, you're serious!" he cried in mild surprise.
"It wouldn't be the first time," Oghren replied. "Ortan thaig was chock full of 'em."
"I found that places of great strife are often filled with more than just dust and memories," Alyx replied darkly. "Let us be on our guard. They haven't attacked us yet, but that doesn't mean they won't."
Another shiver ran down Nate's spine at that pronouncement. How was one supposed to kill what was already dead? He hoped he would never have to find out.
They entered yet another cavernous room, this one partially blocked by tall, roughly hewn barricades. A large group of dwarven spirits appeared as they passed through, a heavily armored apparition standing on a raised platform before them giving a stirring speech in the ancient dwarven tongue. He asked Sigrun to translate and was surprised when it was Alyx who was the one to reply.
"It's useful to know," she said with a shrug and a smile when he eyed her in bewilderment. He smiled to himself after she turned away. Would she ever stop surprising him? He doubted it.
They continued through a maze of dilapidated buildings, occasionally running into small contingents of darkspawn and more spirits of the men and women who once lived here. The deeper into the keep the went the more frightened the spirits seem to be. Nate was confused by their whispered conversations. Something wasn't adding up. These weren't warriors but women and children, grizzled old men and angry younglings. Who were these people?
"Sigrun?" Alyx whispered.
The woman had sunk to the ground, a tattered moldy tome clutched within her hands. Her face had gone completely white.
"It's…a journal. Written by the warrior Dailan. He…ancestor's blood!" Sigrun began, her hands trembling with anger.
"What is it?" Ander asked as he crouched beside her.
"Kal'Hirol was evacuated when the reports about the darkspawn began to come in. They left the casteless behind…left them to the darkspawn…to die like dogs," she rasped, her voice barely above a whisper. "Dailan volunteered to stay behind with his men. He knew it wouldn't be enough, so he organized the casteless. He armed them, inspired them to fight…they died, every one of them to a man."
Nate didn't know much about the casteless. Only that they were considered to be less than nothing, that they were the poorest of the poor and often times forced into a criminal existence. It was sad that they would abandon these people to such a cruel fate, no matter what they were considered to be.
Alyx placed a comforting hand on Sigrun's shoulder, empathy flashing in her cerulean eyes. Nate could almost hear her saying, I'm sorry but we must move on, the darkspawn await. Let us prove that their sacrifice was not in vain. Sigrun's lips thinned in barely contained anger, but she nodded once and stood, slipping the tome into her pack for safe-keeping.
They continued their trek in strained silence. Knowing the injustices that transpired here had given the thaig a sense of sorrow that Nate hadn't noticed before. He could almost hear the cries of the dying, weeping in lament of their fate. To make matters worse the darkspawn numbers were growing the further into the thaig they traveled. We must be getting close to their nest, he thought as Sigrun led them into the trade quarter.
The darkspawn seemed to thrive in this part of the thaig. He'd noticed that there was twice as many of the pustule sacs he'd seen in other infested areas lining the walls and ceilings. There was also something else…cocoon-like pods that seemed to undulate if one got too close. He could only guess what they held. He really didn't want to know, but had a bad feeling they would soon find out.
He didn't have long to think about it however. The tunnel they'd been traveling through opened onto a large courtyard teaming with darkspawn. This was not so surprising, but what they were doing was.
"Are they fighting each other?" Sigrun gasped in surprise.
The six of them stood there, stunned at what they were witnessing. There could be no doubt that the darkspawn were fighting each other. But why?
"Have you ever seen this before?" Anders asked as he turned to Alyx.
"Never. There's no time to wonder about it now. Fighting or no, everything down there has to die," she replied. The others nodded in agreement, grim determination in each of their expressions as they joined the fray.
The darkspawn infighting turned out to be an unexpected advantage, enabling the wardens to use the confusion of the moment to swiftly take out the entire group. They continued in this fashion as they effortlessly cut through the trade quarter, the darkspawn falling at a greater rate than any of them could have ever expected or hoped for.
Alas, that was to be the end of their good luck.
Swarms of giant, grub-like creatures attacked them the moment they entered the nest. They were vicious, relentless monsters with razor sharp teeth and lightning fast reflexes.
"Ugh, what are these things?" Velanna gasped in disgust.
"These must be the 'children' Jukka mentioned," Sigrun supplied. "Do you suppose they're baby darkspawn? I've never seen baby darkspawn before."
"I don't think so, not in the sense that you're suggesting," Alyx replied. "I think they must be a new strain of darkspawn."
"First they're fighting each other and then these…things appear. What the hell is going on? This isn't even a blight!" Anders growled.
Still more disturbing were the hatchlings; larger versions of the childer grubs with long, spindly legs and sharp talon-like claws. They attacked and devoured everything in their sight, including their darkspawn brethren. Abominations…that's what Jukka had called them, and now Nate could see why.
"We can't let anything escape this place," Alyx said as she eyed the dozens of cocoons still left unhatched.
Who knew how far the nest stretched or how many children were left alive. Had any breeched the surface? They hadn't heard any reports of new darkspawn being seen, but if any were left behind it would only be a matter of time before they did. Nate had to agree with the Commander. They must be eliminated.
"How do you propose we do this?" Nate asked.
A slow, wicked smile curved Alyx's lips as she dug through her pack, crowing in triumph as she pulled forth a vial filled with a concoction Nate did not recognize. She pulled the stopper with a loud pop and immediately began to scamper from mound to mound, liberally dousing each grouping of pods until the vile was emptied of its contents.
"Uh…Commander? What on Thedas are you doing?" Anders asked.
"Dworkin gave me a few vials of a potion he's been working on…highly flammable and strictly experimental of course," she replied as she pulled another bottle from her pack.
"Is that really a good idea?" Nate asked, eyeing Alyx wearily.
"You have a better one?" she asked as she cocked an eyebrow at him in question.
Nate shook his head. He disliked the idea of using anything experimental, especially when it came from Dworkin. For all he knew the potion would set the entire fortress ablaze or at the very least, block their exit. But…as their leader he had to trust Alyx's judgment. He prayed that she knew what she was doing.
After Alyx poured yet another vial of the concoction over the pathway, they moved into the relative safety of a stairwell at the far end of the nest.
"Do it," she told Anders, who shot her a crooked smile, cracked his knuckles, and let loose a fireball twice the size of his head. It went crashing into the ground several feet from where they stood and ripped down the pathway with incredible speed. The flames spindled and shot off in a dozen different directions, quickly consuming the nest. The remaining childer grubs screamed in pain as the pods exploded and melted into thick black globs. The amazing thing was that the fire was controlled, spreading only to the areas Alyx had spread Dworkin's potion.
"It will burn out on its own after awhile…or so Dworkin claims," she said, shooting Nate a knowing smile. Nate shook his head in amazement, a small, appreciative smile twitching up one side of his mouth.
Suddenly a loud, feral roar echoed down the stairs and shook the ground beneath their feet. The sound sent chills up Nate's spine.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Anders gasped.
"Dragon?" Nate asked.
"I don't think so," Alyx replied. "But whatever it is, it's big. Let's go take a look."
It wasn't a dragon. The stairs led to a long corridor and at the end, a massive circular chamber. Inside stood a golem twice the size of the one that nearly killed him. Unlike the other golems they'd encountered throughout the fortress, this one appeared to be made completely of hot molten lava. Nate gulped. He was so preoccupied with the creature that he barely registered the two darkspawn that were also present within the room…until the golem snatched one of them up.
These darkspawn were unlike any he'd seen before. Each of them wore chainmail and brightly colored jerkins, one in red the other in blue. Both wore face paint and had disturbingly intelligent eyes. Nate stared in amazement as the darkspawn in red began to speak.
"The architect sends many but does not come himself. He is a coward!" it cried in its strange, raspy voice. Anger flashed in its milky eyes as it glared at the darkspawn trapped within the golem's grasp. "I will kill you, and he will know that he has failed to destroy the lost! He will know that the mother will tear him apart!" As if on cue the golem raised his prisoner high in the air and, repositioning its massive hands one on each end of the darkspawn's torso, tore it in half with a sickening, wet crunch.
"I don't think a control rod is going to work on this one," Alyx murmured.
"Who comes now?" the talking darkspawn called, finally noticing their presence. "I can feel you but you are no darkspawn. What trickery is he planning? You will die, as all who serve the Architect will die. The mother demands it!"
First the Architect, now the Mother…what the hell is going on? Nate thought frantically.
"I'll take care of this bastard, the rest of you concentrate on the golem," Alyx called, already taking off across the room.
Is she crazy? He thought as he watched her face-off with the talking darkspawn. Another ear-splitting bellow escaped the golem as Velanna summoned roots from beneath the stone to wrap around its massive arms and legs. It swung in circles, desperately trying to shake off the spell, but as soon as it ripped the roots from the ground more sprung up. He could see Oghren and Sigrun dancing around its legs, nimbly dodging blows as they hacked away at the golem's legs. Anders, on the other hand, was conjuring and impressive blizzard directly over its head. Nate was torn between doing as he was commanded and the instinct to protect Alyx. She seemed to be holding her own, but in the end he decided to divide his attention between the two.
Each time one of the golem's massive fists connected with the floor a burst of flame exploded into the air, flooding the room with a thick black smoke. Within minutes Nate was unable to see through the haze at all. He moved in slowly, pulling his dirk from his belt with one hand as he shielded his eyes with the other. He followed the sounds of battle until he was able to make out the outline of a figure straight ahead. It was Anders. Even from this distance Nate could see the mage was stretched to his limit and yet he continued to conjure. Suddenly the inferno golem was towering over them, raising its fist to send down a blow that would surely kill them both.
"Watch out!" Nate yelled as he pushed Anders out of the way.
The ground shook under his feet as the golem's fist plowed into the floor, the heat from the ensuing blast searing his skin. A large piece of masonry splintered from the floor and flew into the air, piercing his shoulder as surly as it was an arrow. The blow sent him flying across the room to land with a thud against the wall. Nate saw stars as the back of his head cracked against the stone. He opened his mouth to scream in pain but nothing came out but a soft gasp as he dropped to the floor. The putrid smell of charred flesh and blood burned in his nostrils as he struggled to maintain consciousness. He heard someone cry his name, and then Alyx was there, her hands gently pushing him back against the cool stone. It was only then that he realized that he'd been thrashing in pain.
"Sh-shhh, relax," she said as she inspected his wound, her nostrils suddenly flaring in anger. "Just what the hell do you think you were doing?"
He was taken aback by her words but then he saw the fear in her eyes…fear for him. I must be wounded badly, he thought. He hadn't been able to bring himself to look at the damage, but he could feel the blood trickling down his arm.
"Doing? I was trying to save Anders' ungrateful ass," he rasped. He could see the mage lying face down on the floor a few feet away. Anders groaned and slowly began to try to push himself up.
Nate could see the question in Alyx's eyes, but what could he tell her? His actions had been instinctive, yet still he knew why he risked his life for Anders. If there was any chance that she returned the mage's affections, she would never forgive any of them if he were to die.
"I'm going to have to pull that out if we're to have any chance at staunching the blood," Alyx murmured, her cerulean eyes concentrated on the rock fragment jutting out of his wounded shoulder.
"Do it," he gasped.
"This is going to hurt like hell," she warned with a look of apology. Nate nodded, bracing himself. "Alright, in one…two…"
This time he screamed.
"Nate? Look at me, stay with me!" she pleaded as he felt the darkness try to pull him under.
He shook his head; using every ounce of energy he had left to stay conscious. He felt something warm and tingly slide over his shoulder and looked down to see Alyx holding a healing poultice over the wound. Nate sighed as he felt the restorative powers of the poultice begin to work. He reached up with his free hand and placed it over hers, gently squeezing it in silent gratitude. Her hand was soft and warm and he could feel the skin leap under his touch, but she didn't pull away as he feared she would. He looked into her eyes and though he could not decipher the emotion within them, saw a warmth there that gave him hope. He clung to that hope as the world began to blur and then finally fade to black…
When he woke Alyx was still kneeling beside him.
"How long was I out?" he rasped as he tried to sit up.
"Not long. How do you feel?" she asked.
"Woozy…but otherwise whole," he replied, surprised that the pain that had overwhelmed him earlier was all but gone. He glanced at his shoulder and scowled at the dried blood streaked across his armor. There was a tear in the leather where the splinter had pierced, but the skin beneath was whole and unblemished. He tested his shoulder and found that it was stiff but otherwise pain free.
"This isn't going to become a habit of yours is it?" Alyx asked him, amusement sparkling within her eyes.
"Maker, I hope not! It's too bloody painful," he replied as one side of his mouth twitched up into a lop-sided smile.
"All better now?" Anders interjected. The mage looked absolutely exhausted; his eyes wild and glazed over. When Nate nodded Anders shot him a strained smile and walked off without another word.
"What's with him?" Nate asked Alyx.
"He took a great deal of lyrium to heal you," Alyx replied with a frown.
"Addled him did it?"
"Yes, but he'll be fine…just as long as he doesn't take anymore."
Anders healed me…and apparently risked his mental state to do so. Nate didn't know if he should be surprised at that. After all, they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms lately. Perhaps that's his way of saying thank you, he thought.
"Do you think you're in fighting form?" Alyx asked him.
"I'll make do," he replied with another small smile.
"Good," she said with an approving nod. "We think the emissary and his pet golem were protecting the broodmothers. With any luck this will all be over soon."
"I hope so, Commander. I hope so." For more reasons then you know, he silently added.
Twice Nate had found himself at death's door, and in the span of just a few short hours at that. Both times he could only think of one thing…that he would die before ever getting the chance to tell Alyx of his true feelings, or worse…never learn whether she might share them. He had been determined to give her space and time to consider, but the fresh reminder of his mortality made him realize that they might not have much time. This will all be over soon…Her last words echoed back in his head, oddly reaffirming his opinion. He would have to talk to her, the sooner the better.
*Muse Tunes: "Falling" by Staind; "Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke; and "A Family Affair" by Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest OST).