Don't panic.
It was a command Garrett was having more and more trouble obeying. He was exhausted, his nerves were frayed and his plan was mediocre and relied more on chance than planning. Father had often said that sometimes there was no time to plan, that sometimes you simply had to leap...Garrett had never liked that lesson, especially when the stakes were so high...
He turned his head as he moved, glancing at his family. Just as him they were struggling to keep up the pace, all of them sweaty, dusty and trembling with exhaustion. The thought of them failing, of Darkspawn blades descending upon them...for a brief moment he couldn't breathe.
"Look after them..." Father's words, whispered on his deathbed, still rang clear within Garrett's mind though. "...you're the eldest, the one they look to, they need you...keep them safe." Nor had he forgotten the look in his father's dying eyes, that earnest, begging, look.
"I swear it." He hadn't hesitated in giving his oath. And I will never break it.
Growling, Garrett found new energy flooding his legs, making him push up the final steps of the slope, his body painfully heavy.
Carver had guided them well across the mountain, as Garrett knew he would. Additionally, the two of them had stopped quite a few pursuers by knocking boulders down the slopes they had come from. Not to mention that making Bethany freeze the more strenuous climbs into icy slopes had been a perfect move, it might have made her more tired, but turning a difficult climb into an impossible one had forced their pursuers to take long detours until they now had completely lost their prey.
Or so Garrett hoped.
Hopes dashed as he looked up from his shaky legs and over the ground ahead of them.
The ground move down in a steep slope, the large formations of rocks on each side creating a tunnel, funnelling the family towards the grassy field ahead.
A field stained by blood.
Two dead horses lay in the centre of the field, the cart they were still harnessed to nothing more then a blackened skeleton of a cart, what little that hadn't been burnt having been broken and hacked apart. Around the field soldiers and Darkspawn lay, strewn about like broken toys, staining the dying grass black with their blood.
Near the broken wagon two soldiers fought on though, surrounded by a multitude of Darkspawn that clawed at one another to reach their final foes, some of them even having gone round and started climbing the remains of the wagon to reach their targets.
One of the soldiers was visibly struggling to remain upright, left arm held close to a smudged breastplate as the right sluggishly parried blows left and right. The other was more agile, a blood-covered shield slashing at the Darkspawn as much as the sword, keeping the creatures at bay through the sheer energy of the defence.
More importantly, they were right in the family's way.
Dammit!
Garrett glanced to the two walls of cliffs to each side. Maybe climb them? Would it take too long? Where would it lead? Would it even help? And if we're up there...won't our pursuers spot us?
"Look there! We have to help them!" Bethany gasped, the woman pointing at the fight with her staff as she rested a hand on a rock.
Carver's response was drawing his blade, eager gaze moving to Garrett, as did Leandra's, a silent prayer on her lips.
Garrett ignored them. Carver's lust for revenge he could understand, the boy was simply that way, proud. He couldn't understand Bethany when it came to this though, always ready to stretch out a helping hand to their fellow man, even though most fellow men would gladly sell her out to the Chantry for nothing but a warm meal...it was foolishness, and Garrett would have no part in it.
Instead he looked back. Could we double back a bit? Try a different route? Is there time? A grinding sound told him he was clenching his fist in frustration even as he considered his options. There's no way to know! I can't just take a chance and-
A screech mad him whirl back, an oath on his lips. Too late!
One of the hurlocks assailing the soldiers had spotted the ones on the hill and called out a warning...and now more were turning to the new threat. "Bethany! Fireball at the cluster!" Garrett drew his blade and shield as he started jogging down, uncomfortably aware of the weight of the equipment in his tired hands. Sensing his sister's hesitation, that with the humans within that cluster, he raised his voice into an angry yell. "Now!"
The orb of fire shot past his head a moment later, impacting with the great melee in a brutal blast. Fortunately for Bethany's conscience, the press of bodies of Darkspawn largely protected the central humans from the blast, instead it showered them with charred pieces of the blighted creatures as those closest to them stumbled forward with the force of the blast...and instantly being finished by the blades of the two defenders.
Some of the beasts had escaped the blast, in particular the few that had already begun charging at the two Hawke brothers...
Crashing shield-first into a genlock, Garrett sent the monster to the ground, only to find his following thrust parried by the creature as it slammed a foot into his midsection. Grunting, he stumbled back, his weariness nearly sending him to the ground himself. Instead he sidestepped the sweep of the hurlock catching up with the now rising genlock, the air parted by the swinging blade brushing against Garrett's face as he took another stumbling step backwards.
These are not the wounded creatures we finished off in the wake of the army! Garrett stepped left, then right, keeping the swinging hurlock at a distance as well as between him and the grinning genlock. Panic was welling up in his aching body, but his mind refused to budge, grasping at the knowledge from before the battle. Drill-sergeant said strong but stupid, aggression defines them, they attack strongly, but defend...poorly!
Stepping forward with new confidence, Garrett slammed his shield into the creature, knocking it back a step and stopping its backhanded slash. With a growl it simply launched forth once more, repeating the swing...and hitting only air as Garrett ducked and thrust his sword forward.
Resistance, a crunch...and blood stained his blade even as he stumbled back, the weight of the falling creature nearly knocking him over.
Whew, almost-
With a hiss, the genlock knocked him over, its body pressing down on his shield, foot pushing his sword into the ground as it grinned down on him, dagger poised, dark liquid dripping from it...
No!
Garrett kicked high, the armoured boot hitting the creature in the temple with a loud crack.
The creature gasped, stumbled a few steps away from him while clutching at its face...and then fell to the ground, dead.
Too close... Garrett sighed, reality was nothing like the tales in the old books he sometimes allowed himself to read; limbs got tired, weapons heavy, and the sweat stung even where there were not cuts...and Garrett was no Carver, he could not find any solace in things like 'honour' or 'achievement' in the killing.
Groaning, he forced himself to stand, to take stock.
Carver was breathing heavily, the man's blade still deep in the gut of a genlock.
Bethany and Leandra were coming down from the hill, both paler than before, the former due to the extra energy expended to summon magic, the later simply by shock. Both eyed the two strangers though, making Garrett's eyes draw to them as well.
For a moment there was silence, the two exhausted groups regarding one another.
The one at the front of the couple was the woman, her crimson stained shield and sword lowered, but not sheeted. Her fiery hair, held back by a leather band, stood in stark contrast to the steady green eyes, eyes drifting to regard Garrett as she concluded who was the leader of those confronting her. She was wearing a sleeveless tunic reinforced by leather, protecting most of her torso while leaving her muscular arms free. She also seemed familiar...
Garrett's gaze swiftly moved to the other warrior though. The man was swaying where he stood, left hand still close to his chest even as the right pointed his sword at Bethany. His dark hair was slick with blood from a nasty cut along the top of his head, and his hands were a sickly white, yet he stood there, pointing his weapon at Garrett's sister. "Apostate." The growl was harsh, angry...and only then did Garrett manage to pick out the mark on the man's dented and blood-covered breastplate. Templar...
A moment later he and Carver stood between Bethany and the warrior, weapons raised to fight once more, Garrett's eyes narrowing into slits as his blood pumped with anger, voice a hiss. "Touch her and die."
"There's no need for that." The ginger woman replied, a commanding tone rising in her voice even as she turned her head to the man. "Wesley, not now."
"O..." The Templar blinked, taking a stumbling step backwards. "...o-of course..." He fell, head thumping hard into the wagon as his blade harmlessly rolled away.
"Wesley!" A moment later the woman's weapons joined his as she dropped down beside him, hands frantically moving over his body, not doing anything but making sure that he was there. "W-what are you doing? We have to keep moving!"
"Y-you know that won't happen..." The man wheezed, head lolling as the white eyes tried to focus on her. "You s-saw it happen...all that blood in the wound...this..." His hand meekly moved up, pointing at his eyes, then drawing down the side of his face, a face Garrett now noticed was sickly pale, dark veins clearly visibly beneath it.
"Blight sickness." He muttered the words, hand coming up to stop Carver moving closer, it wasn't contagious as far as Garrett knew, but he wouldn't take any chances. "We saw that with some of the wounded at Ostagar."
"I...I..." The ginger woman was shaking her head, but didn't protest more than that, unable to deny what her own eyes were seeing.
"It...hurts..." Wesley wheezed, his voice weaker. "Aveline...I..."
"Don't..." The woman visibly trembled, a hand coming down to pick up the Templar's, helping it up to her cheek. "I'll..."Another shudder. "Dammit...I'll always...I..."
A pale smile on the Templar's lips. "I know, and I love you too." A smile turning into a pained grimace and a gasp. "Maker! It...please..."
"You can't ask it of me..." The woman muttered, but there was no fight in the words.
"You did it for...the others..."
"They weren't you!" The woman snapped, dropping the Templars hand, her shoulders shaking with tension.
"All...the more reason..." The blighted eyes were dull, yet the smile was genuine as the man tried to reach up to her again, only for his hand to drop back. "...for you to help me..."
Shaking his head Garrett forced himself out of the spell of the scene, annoyed with himself for letting the two waste time when the Darkspawn could very well be closing in on them as they spoke. "He's your family, your responsibility, but we have to move, now."
"I...yes." The woman didn't turn even a glance at him, her eyes fixed on the dying Templar even as she drew a long and tapering dagger from her boot. "This'll be quick...I...it's all I can do." He voice cracked even as she moved to press the tip of the blade against the armpit of the man, just above the crease of his breastplate.
Wesley's hand moved up, finally reaching the woman's cheek, holding it with a smile.
Then it fell, dead as the dagger pushed past his ribs and into his chest.
Instantly the woman backed away, leaving nothing but the hilt of the dagger still showing as she stumbled away from the dead Templar, eyes wide as she stared at her hands, as if unable to believe what she had done.
"You did the right thing..." Bethany murmured, though the tone was comforting, the words sounded hollow at the sight of the dead man.
Garrett sighed, he couldn't even imagine the pain of killing a member of your own family...even if it was out of mercy, it held little comfort. "You did your duty to him, now is the time to continue that duty, die here and his efforts will have been for naught."
Instantly, the woman stiffened, head whirling round to regard him with a flash of anger in her teary green eyes. Garrett met the gaze, frowning in irritation at the delay. She's capable, which means she could be useful, but any more time wasted and we'll leave her behind. Then, to his surprise, the anger faded, the still puffy eyes calming as she straightened, tone calm. "You're right, we need to leave, I am Aveline Vallen...and you strike me as familiar...Ostagar? I...was the captain of the archers on the bridge." She gestured at the dead around them. "As you can see the Darkspawn finally caught up with us."
"Garrett Hawke, formerly captain of the Lothering militia." Garrett swiftly took the woman's hand and shook it, not at all surprised at the strength of her grip. "We are heading east, to Gwaren."
"As were we, a sound plan." Aveline nodded, though her shoulders still shook with grief, there was little other signs of it as she regarded her. "We should keep moving, strength in numbers."
"Agreed." Garrett replied, pulling back his hand. "Though I'd rather avoid more Darkspawn forces."
"Agreed." Aveline echoed with a nod, ducking down to grab her weapons again, eyes only drifting to the dead Templar for a second. "If we keep to the smaller roads and-"
A bark made their heads turn.
Finding his eyes widen and an actual smile appear on his lips, Garrett went down to one knee as he regarded the furry thing running towards them. "Maric!"
He hadn't thought he'd see the dog again, neither had the Mabari when he had sent it away during the retreat to draw off a large contingent of their pursuers...yet Maric had willingly parted, knowing as his master the value of protecting the family at all costs.
Yet somehow, he had found them again.
In a cloud of dust Maric slid to a halt in front of Garrett, the dog sitting down on his haunches even as he panted heavily, ears clipped back, gaze attentive.
Garrett couldn't help but reach out and rub the back of the Mabari's ear, but he kept his tone professional, there was little time after all. "Did you lose the pursuers?"
A confirming bark was the response, but the ears remained clipped back, a tension in the dog's body.
"There are more nearby."
A slight whine, the dog glancing back, the eyes turning fearful.
"Many?"
Another whine.
"How near...?"
The only answer was Maric glancing at the ground, or more specifically, a pebble. Following the Mabari's gaze, Garrett saw it moving, vibrating...
Eyes widening, Garrett got to his feet and turned to regard the others. For some reason Carver was pouting as he regarded the dog, Bethany and Leandra were looking at him though, frowning in worry at whatever they saw. As to Aveline...she glanced at the other women, then Garrett...and sighed as she rolled her neck, the grip on her blade tightening.
No, we're too tired, and if something able to cause rocks to shift is coming... Garrett felt fear grip his heart, but he knew the truth of it. "All of you, go up the cliffs and hide, then east when the dust has settled, with any luck the creatures will have moved on." He turned to face the path Maric had come from, feeling more exhausted than ever as he struggled to stay calm.
"To hell with that! I'm staying!" Carver snapped, the defiant tone that of when the man would refuse to budge, no matter how much logic was thrown in his face.
Carver, you damn...good brother. The affection allayed some of the anger in his tone, but still couldn't stop him from snapping. "Go, you fool!"
Bethany was the one answer, a low, curt, mutter. "No, brother..."
Now, the anger lit up, alongside panic. Whirling about, Garrett glared at his siblings, even his mother with her arms crossed over her chest, his tone rising as he felt as if his heart was being squeezed in a vice. "Dammit, I said go! You will obey me and go! You will not die here you stupid-!"
A roar...and Garrett turned around in time to duck under a boulder flying straight for him, the rock crashing into the cliffs behind him with a resounding boom.
The ogre was massive, a hulking creature of muscle and bone, bent on nothing but destruction. White, nearly a pale blue, eyes glaring out at the world, as if everything within it enraged the monster. Eyes now moving to Garrett, eyes alight with hunger, knowing its meal was at hand.
Garrett knew it too.
"I said run!" He ran forward, shield held high, a senseless scream coming out of his mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to see his doom as he attempted his desperate gambit. Father, I tried...now it's up to them to-
Then he was breathing dust, coughing as he rolled over the ground, only to come to a stop as he impacted with one of the corpses littering the ground. In the distance he could hear a weak cry... Wha...?
Pain!
Gasping, Garrett's eyes flew open, making him realise he was on his back, weapons miraculously still in his hands as he stared up at the Ogre that had swatted him aside like an annoying bug. It was approaching him, growling...only to grunt as Maric came flying, the Mabari's teeth sinking into the ogre's wrist.
Another grunt...and the ogre swung the fist, hurling the dog aside...only for a fireball to strike the creature in the head, making it stumble sideways with nothing but a growl of annoyance.
Get...up...
Gasping, Garrett slowly struggled to rise, his body aching, pain raking it, making him wonder if he had broken something.
Ahead, Carver ran at the distracted creature, greatsword cutting a wound across its thigh before he was forced to jump away as it swiped at him. "Get away from my brother you ungodly monster!"
Stupid...family...
Garrett stumbled to his feet, panic giving him enough energy to lift his sword once more, blood sealing his left eye shut as it poured from a cut across the brow, the right narrowed at the beast though. Don't...you touch them...
The creature didn't heed his mental command, instead it pursued Carver, its swinging fists making the man jump backwards even as they broke apart the ground and pounded the corpses littering the ground into pulp.
"Here!" Aveline darted forward, sword cutting a minimal wound in the creature's calf before she retreated, sword banging on her shield, making the monstrous beast turn its angry eyes upon her.
A roar...and it suddenly sprang forward, leaping through the air with surprising agility, fists coming down just in front of the woman as she jumped back, then stumbled further back with the tremor of the impact. The ogre was already swinging at her though...and with no time to dodge, Aveline crouched down close to her shield.
A crash...and the woman flew backwards, grunting, crying out as she bounced over the ground, sword and shield flying away before she finally slid to a stop, lying on her side and struggling to rise, to fight the beast already pounding forward, foot drawn back to kick...
Only for a beam of frosty whiteness to strike it, turning its right shoulder blue and icy.
Without breaking stride, the ogre changed course, charge turning towards a wide-eyed Bethany even as Leandra moved to stand before her, as if she could somehow stop her daughter from being trampled by standing there and dooming herself.
NO!
Garrett spurted forward, something in his leg tearing with the sudden movement, making him cry out even as he slammed shield first into the outer side of the ogre's right knee.
With a growl, the creature found its knee giving, stopping its charge flat. Garrett only saw its chest though, a chest where its black heart should be. He thrust...and found himself hitting nothing but air as the creature with surprising speed reached out, left hand picking him up, raising him up, squeezing...
Gasping, Garrett found his shield dropping from limp fingers even as he struggled to hold onto his sword, the blade weakly hacking at the wrist that might as well have been made of iron. The vice of the ogre's hand was closing ever tighter, making armour buckle and ribs crack as all air left Garrett's lungs, making dark spots dance before his vision.
Dark spots growing, turning into a warm, soothing blanket...
Silence.
Darkness
Then the world returned. Gasping in a lungful of air, Garret found the grip of the ogre slackening as Aveline bore her sword into its forearm. On the back of the kneeling creature Maric had also appeared, the Mabari's fangs biting deep into its shoulder, making dark blood pour over its chest...blood turning to frost as Bethany once more lashed out at it.
The ogre growled in annoyance...then gasped as a blur turning into Carver appeared on its blood-covered chest, the man crying out as he with both hands drover his greatsword into the beast's torso.
Again, the beast growled, but this time weaker, the monster swaying as it lolled its head towards Garrett with its mouth opening...
Die!
Thrusting out, Garrett stuck his sword into the mouth of the monster, the tip pushing through the roof of the mouth, upwards, into its skull.
A shower of dark blood poured out of the mouth, the beast's eyes widening in shock, then slowly blinking, mouth moving, maybe trying to bite down, maybe to say something...yet there was nothing but more blood.
Grunting, Garrett pulled his blade free.
And then fell to the ground as the ogre released him, the others also dropping down and rolling away as the ogre fell backwards, blood bubbling from its mouth.
Silence.
Garrett held back a moan as he rolled onto his knees, his every bone aching with pain as he rested his hands on the pommel of his sword, the only thing keeping unconsciousness back being the pain. All he saw was the grass before his knees, stained black by blood, his own or the ogre's, he couldn't tell.
Then a pair of familiar boots appeared in his vision. Looking up, he found Carver grinning down at him, the tiredness plain in his eyes, yet mischief in them as well, mischief and pride. "Damn it brother, you stole my kill."
A cough that was supposed to be a laugh escaped Garrett, his own lips twisting, though his grin was coloured more by relief than any sense of satisfaction. "My...apologies..." He reached up.
And Carver grabbed him by the wrist, helping him up.
Silence.
Just the two staring there, sharing a grin among the devastation.
Then Maric whined.
Turning their heads, the two saw dark shapes appear from where the ogre had come from.
The shapes of more Darkspawn...
8
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8
Thanks to Abydos Jackson for enduring me.